April Issue

Fused.

April Volume 4, Issue 6

Official Student Newsmagazine of Bloomington High School North

Bloomington, Ind.

What Would You Do?

Pregnant teens find their options limited. page 10

Contact Have Something to Say? Letters to the editor may be e–mailed or dropped off in room 709. All names will be published and letters may be edited for length and clarity.

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Any business interested in advertising with Fused may contact the publication or a staff member.

Mailing Address: Fused Newsmagazine Bloomington HS North 3901 North Kinser Pike Bloomington, Indiana 47404

E-Mail: bhsnfused@gmail.com

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Staff Maria Behringer Karima Boukary Sami Haddad Sophie Harris Siyang Liu Lindsay McKnight Sarah Petry Jessi Rannochio Landon Stancik Whitney Taylor Editor: Victoria Ison Adviser: Ryan Gunterman

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In This Issue

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NOT in this Issue A sneak peek at online only photos and stories.

Planner Plus This up-to-date school calendar shows you what’s coming up.

Fun Fundraising The band’s Mardi Gras event is an annual tradition.

Safe and Secure Meet the new faces protecting the school.

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Oh, Baby Planned Parenthood suffers funding and program cuts.

Heart Over Helmet Raising awareness for heart health, four surgeries later.

Dance Like Pollock Get a glimpse of the winter guard’s artistthemed performance.

Listen IN A collection of upcoming albums and shows.

In Memorium Dwight V. Reason Jr., 15, of Bloomington, Ind., formerly of Lansing, Mich. died Feb. 16 of natural causes. Services were held March 2 at the Tabernacle of David Church in Lansing. Arrangements were by Swanson Funeral Home in Flint, Mich. Reason was a freshman.

Cover photo by Jessi Rannochio and Whitney Taylor

Homosexual Discrimination: Racism for the 21st Century Opinion by Sami Haddad I attended St. Charles for 10 years. It was a small Catholic school with a single lunch line and a strict dress code.

Lifestyles varied from student to student but, for the most part, we behaved the same.

Almost every day, I found myself fighting teachers on the Catholic Church’s position on homosexuality.

According to the official Catholic Catechism, homosexuality is “contrary to the natural law. [Homosexuals] close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complimentarity. Under no circumstances can [homosexual relationships] be approved.”

For every counter argument I posed, the teachers would give me the same reply, “This is what we believe.”

Still I argued. I wasn’t looking to change the Roman Catholic belief, I just wanted to get an actual explanation.

I didn’t get much from my teachers, or the media. It seemed that all I saw on TV were “Christian” protestors carrying signs that condemned homosexuals to hell, and politicians persuading the public that homosexuality tarnished the institution of marriage.

They say all this in a country where 5 out of 10 marriages already fail.

I was incensed over a topic which I had no background in. In St. Charles nobody admitted to being gay, so I was fighting for a cause I never really understood.

Then I came to North.

I walked into choir the first day and saw a smiling face. It was Dennis Wilson, who I would come to know as a musically endowed, intelligent, kind-hearted, gay young man.

Before North, I knew in my head that gay people were just like every other person, but I’d never actually met a gay person.

I thought that the fact that it took me until freshman year to meet a gay person must have meant I was well behind the rest of my peers in public school. But I realized I was wrong.

In school and when hanging out with my friends, I heard the word gay used in many derogatory ways.

I heard the word gay used when someone wanted to express hatred towards a classmate.

I heard gay used when a student was given a lot

of busy work in class. And I heard the word gay when someone thought a concept or idea was stupid.

When someone decides to say that something is gay, not only does it make them look and sound like a Neanderthal, it encourages the thought that being homosexual is stupid.

For the past three years I have been hearing the same caveman-like word choice from a high percent of the student body at North. I can say with full confidence that I have heard the word gay used, derogatorily, during every lunch, whether I am waiting in line for food or heading towards my next class.

And it’s more than just the misuse of the word. This disrespect in high school hallways reflects a national attitude.

This battle against homosexual intolerance is being fought everywhere. I hear homosexuality being judged in our national congress, on the streets and in the class room.

On Feb. 15 the Indiana House of Representatives, including supposed democrat Peggy Welch, approved HJR-6, an amendment to the constitution. The amendment states “Only marriage between one (1) man and one (1) woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in Indiana.”

On this, the evening after Valentines Day, the day after America’s celebration of love, political leaders announced that homosexuals in Indiana can love, but they can’t show it in the purest way possible, formally uniting two men or women who love each other.

This was even more of a slap in the face because marriage was already defined in Indiana as being between a man and a woman in the Indiana constitution.

In some states, 50 years ago, black and white people could not marry. Today, in this state, same sex couples can’t marry. While the lines are different, the barriers are still in place; our government is discriminating against homosexuals.

This is not okay. The state of Indiana is not a conservative Catholic school. This state is a big place filled with people of every race, religion and sexual orientation.

148 years ago, the Emancipation Proclamation gave everyone the right to live as a free person. 50 years ago, the civil rights act gave students of all colors the right to learn in a same an equal environment.

How many more years will it be before we see an amendment guaranteeing the entire population’s right to love?

Safe For Show Put in perspective, security may not mean much.

Staff Opinion It was a Friday morning, March 23. The boy wasn’t supposed to attend, but showed up at his Martinsville middle school anyway.

Presumably no one noticed him walk through the doors or recognized, until it was too late, that he had a gun.

The boy, allegedly, shot a fellow student twice in the stomach.

North went on lockdown, as did other nearby schools. Police pursued the suspect and took him into custody. Meanwhile, students around the region shared and whispered and wondered at the other-worldly news.

A school shooting.

That’s not the kind of thing that’s supposed to happen around here. Violence belongs on the news and on TV, not in a school like ours, not, as Principal Jeff Henderson described it on the morning of the shooting, in a town just up the road.

But it happened in Martinsville and the truth is that something like this could happen anywhere.

Even North.

The story on page 8 discusses this school’s security team, which this year seems to be keeping a noticeably higher profile. There are “new” rules: no parking on the curbs in upper lot, enter the cafeteria only through the commons doors, buzz in through the office if you’re late to school.

All this may benefit our school in normal circumstances. But what good is a locked door compared to a loaded gun?

The Martinsville shooting brings to light a scary truth: we’re safe at school, but we’re not invulnerable. If someone stuffed a gun in his backpack and carried it to school, we too might not notice until too late.

April 2011

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Visit bhsnfused.com for exclusive web stories, additional photos and more.

Missed A Sporting Event?

Fused is photographing a variety of athletic competitions this semester. Visit our Facebook page for the best photos of the events, posted 1-2 days after they occur. Here, sophomore Priscilla Laird pitches the ball in the game against Mooresville.

Photo by Lindsay McKnight

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In need of CPR? For some, math is just a mess of numbers. Fused sat down with Principal Jeff Henderson to talk about Cougar Practical Response (CPR), a program that aims to help North’s roughly 300 Algebra 1 students succeed in a class where they might have struggled. Read the Q&A to learn about plans to spread the program to other subject and students.

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33.27 1 1-715 = y 9 21y x = 100 + - 14y = 20 2x 400x 27x5x 8y 1x5 = y x 7 . / 2 2 109.5 = 15y

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Sick of the Dark Mornings?

There’s a group that would like to put Indiana in a different time zone.

Read about the Central Time Coalition and find out why Bloomington resident and sports statistician Jeff Sagarin wears two watches.

Photo by Landon Stancik

Hometown Happenings Need something to do? Here are some upcoming school, community and IU events.

Compiled by Jessi Rannochio

April 2011 Sunday

Monday

Tuesday Wednesday Thursday

X X X 10

Southern Indiana Wind Ensemble (SIWE) in the band room at 6 p.m.

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Free Zach Rozyck art exhibit “Soft Chaos” at Bloomington Bellevue Gallery, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

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Baseball vs. Northview home at 5:30 p.m. (JV away at 5 p.m.)

“Cabaret” at 2 p.m. in the Auditorium

17 Free video art gallery open at the Waldron, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.

24 IU women’s golf Big Ten Championships

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The Kinsey Institute art exhibit “Storytellers” at IU from 1:30-5p.m.

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Basesball vs. Linton at home at 6 p.m.

Girls tennis vs. Moorseville at home at 5p.m.

“The Lonesome West” performed by Cardinal Stage Company in the Waldron at 7:30 p.m., $13-$15

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8 Spring musical, “Cabaret,” at 7:30 p.m. in the Auditorium, $10 students

9 “Cabaret” at 7:30 p.m. in the Auditorium Riley Dance Marathon, 6-12 p.m. at South, $20

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Baseball vs. Edgewood away at 5:30p.m.

Girls tennis vs. Center Grove home at 4:30 p.m.

“Cabaret” at 7:30 p.m. in the Auditorium

Baseball at Edgewood away at 5:30 p.m.

Girls tennis and softball vs.

Columbus North home at 5 p.m.

IU tennis vs. Northwestern

IU women’s golf Lady Buckeye Invitational

20 Cougar leader training during Prowl

IU Mongolian Conversation club at the International center 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Boys/Girls track vs. Columbus East home at 5:15 p.m.

Baseball vs. BHSS home; JV at 4:30 p.m., varsity at 7 p.m.

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26 Robotics, engineering and design exhibit at Wonderlab, museum open 9:30 a.m to 5 p.m.

Saturday

Softball vs. Terre Haute South home at 5 p.m.

Softball and girls tennis vs.

South home at 5 p.m.

United Students meeting in the Library at 2:30 p.m.

Friday

27 Baseball vs. Perry Meridian home at 5:30p.m.

21 “Anything Goes” playing at IU’s Ruth N. Halls Theatre at 7:30 p.m., $22

22 IU baseball vs. Minnesota

23 Softball vs. Whiteland home at 10 a.m.

Girls tennis vs. BNL away at 10 a.m.

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Softball vs. Franklin Central home at 6 p.m.

Girls tennis vs. Terre Haute home at 5:30 p.m.

Girls tennis vs. Franklin Central home at 5 p.m.

Boys/Girls Conference Indiana track meet home at 5:30 p.m.

April 2011

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30 ”It’s A Wonderful Life” in South’s auditorium at 7:30 p.m., $7

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PuĴing on a Party for Band Every year on Fat Tuesday the band puts on a Mardi Gras festival. The band starts planning for this event in December. The festival featured a variety of entertainment as well as a silent Auction.

The event featured a catered New Orleans-style dinner in the cafeteria, special “Mardi Dogs” and Hurricanes in the concession stand. As a grand finale the winterguard performed in the main gym.

Photos and design by Sarah Petry

North Students pose as living statues during the celebration. The group switched poses every few minutes. From left: sophomore Grace Herndon, junior Erdin Schultz-Bever, senior Aron Kurtz, and junior Marce Chastain.

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3 1. Junior Mally Armitage hula hoops while the guests arrive. Armitage was positioned so she was the first performer guests saw as they entered the Mardi Gras Celebration.

2. Junior Emily Meyer paints faces. Event attendees needed to pay just a few tokens for Meyer’s service.

3. Seniors Lily Walls and Cheryl Ellison take a look into the future. Other games for children at Mardi Gras included piĂąata and mask making.

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eeing an unfamiliar face in the hallway can be a shock. When the new face beloongs to a new security guard, it can arouse curiosity in students. However, Marcus Debro, head of security at North, knows there’s nothing to be alarmed about.

“The new security guards are just here to provide a safe environment for students, and the particular ones we chose bring unique skills and abilities to the school,” Debro said. “For example, Stacy Remley is a former student of North.”

Remley recently returned to Bloomington from Georgia and wanted to work for the MCCSC. She was immediately interested in the position at this school.

Her experience as a former student helps her figure out where kids are and what they’re doing.

This is a relatively permanent position for her.

Remley plans on staying until she finishes her degree.

Before being honorably discharged, Remley served in the military for four years.

“I was hired because of my military history,” Remley said. “And it helps that I’m younger, and a female.”

Remley believes that her military history benefits her work now.

“All the discipline instilled in me in the military – the core values. They apply to any job, but it’s very helpful here,” Remley said. “I play by the rules.”

Being female benefits Remley because she can go in female bathrooms and she sees a different perspective of the school than male guards do.

“If a girl is having a problem at school, I would hope she’d feel comfortable coming to talk to me, or at least more comfortable than she would be talking to a male,” Remley said.

Some students aren’t receptive to Remley’s attempts to be open with them.

“A lot of students like to argue and talk back,” Remley said, “It’s like they’re trying to figure out what they can get away with.”

Remley hasn’t had an easy time with students being disrespectful. She said that this may be because students don’t respect the rules or her for enforcing them.

“A lot of them feel that though the rules have been there, they haven’t had to follow them,” Remley said. “A lot of them think it’s a negative change, but a lot of them see it as a positive change.”

Remley said she thinks her age makes it difficult for students to see her as a figure of authority.

“They’re like, why do I have to listen to you?”

Remley said, “They think I’m just a few years older than them, and they may feel like it’s just another student telling them what to do.”

When it comes to the school as a whole, Remley wishes she had the opportunity to see more variety in the students.

“I see the same 30 faces, but there are 1600 students here,” Remley said, “I only deal with the ones that are disrespectful and get out of hand.”

To Debro, students’ confusion about the new guards is expected.

“With any new employee or change to the school, there are going to be some bumps,” Debro said, “Students are asking, why can’t we go out to lunch? Do this? Do that? Check the handbook!”

Debro clarified that North has always had the same rules, the new guards just provide more enforcement of the rules.

What most students don’t realize is that North has always had four security guards and that there has been no increase in staff.

“Earl Brummett retired, and Ed Smith passed away, so we went from four to two,” Debro said, “We were just replacing the ones we lost.”

Debro said he believes that while North was doing fine before the new additions to the staff, the school can always make improvements.

“They help us do better,” Debro said, “It’s very necessary for us to do better.”

The administrators at North know that while they can handle most things that happen on a day to day basis, it’s necessary to have a little more security to ensure safety of students.

“Security starts with you guys. Students should only leave from the front doors and keep side doors closed,” Debro said, “You don’t want a bad guy to come in that door you left open. And there are bad guys out there.”

Students are encouraged to report unusual or suspicious behavior inside or around North.

North has a hotline to report suspicious activity or emergencies, but Debro said it is rarely used anymore. The number for the MCCSC Safe Schools hotline is 330-2494.

Officer Jim Graft, formerly known as ‘Officer Friendly,’ is another addition to the security staff.

He uses his police experience in situations he faces now, “It’s just like being out on the street as a policeman,” Graft said, “Most of the people are good citizens and follow the laws. But there are always a few that try to fight the system.”

Graft compares public society to North’s society.

He notices the same few kids getting in trouble at school, while the rest are fairly well behaved.

Graft’s former career as “Officer Friendly,” giving Life Skills lessons at local schools benefits him at North because a lot of kids know him.

“I’ve had most of them in class,” Graft said, “They know my personality, and that helps me establish a favorable rapport with them.”

That’s something Graft doesn’t want to lose.

“I will always be Officer Friendly!” Graft laughed, “I’m still a friendly guy!”

From the Students Students share their responses to the the security staff replacements.

As told to Sophie Harris Photos by Lindsay McKnight

“They are just doing their job – but way too strictly. I can’t even go pee without a pass.

They are way too harsh about simple things, like the bathroom. I mean, I’m 18. They don’t encourage students to follow the rules, they just force them to.”

Senior Oshiana McWay “Usually, I don’t do bad things so I don’t have to deal with them, but I haven’t heard any good things about them. There’s no freedom anymore. But they’re just doing their job and trying to get people to stop skipping and stuff.”

Senior Meghan Vint “They’re here to protect us, they do things like break up fights. Students that are resistant to their authority are just resistant to the school rules in general.”

Freshman Hugh Jackson “They’re just trying to get students to follow the rules. Some students just think that rules were meant to be broken, and the students have never really had anyone to enforce them before. This isn’t really a change, it’s just there’s an actual enforcement of the rules.”

Junior Will Ragle

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Life as she knew it When it comes to choosing between high school and motherhood, teens turn to Planned Parenthood for support. Now the organization’s funds are being threatened.

Story, photos and design by Karima Boukary

A

young girl sat waiting in a Planned Parenthood office on a quiet day in the summer of 2009. The current junior, who wished to remain anonymous, was 7 weeks pregnant at the time. She was 15.

“The summer after my freshman year I got pregnant, and my parents basically told me I was having an abortion,” she said.

The girl said her parents were furious. They told her she wouldn’t be able to live with the family if she continued through with the pregnancy. After giving her time to decide, they took her to get an abortion. Her doctor offered her a medicinal abortion due to the early stage of her pregnancy.

“They gave me two pills to take at their office,” she

said, “and two to dissolve in my mouth at home.”

The entire procedure cost $500, but she said the emotional cost was considerably greater. Several hours after taking the medication she said she experienced a minor discomfort as the medicine terminated her pregnancy.

The girl said having the abortion was a life-changing experience.

“I was really upset for a long time,” she said.

The girl said the father of the unborn baby was very supportive of her choice, but in the end their relationship ended on a very bad note. Had they been bound together as parents both of their lives would have been much different.

Although not many people know she had the procedure, she said everyone she has told has been understanding.

In the United States, many women seek abortions everyday.

Much like this girl, they turn to Planned Parenthood for medical attention.

Since 2002, Planned Parenthood of Indiana’s President and CEO Betty Cockrum has made it her goal to help the over 85,000 patients who use Planned Parenthood each year.

Her job involves working closely with the staff but keeps her very removed from patients. What allows her to be connected to the women who seek care from Planned Parenthood are patient journals, in which all patients are encouraged to write their thoughts and feelings.

“One of the most rewarding parts of what I do is reading those journals,” Cockrum said, “I get to hear their stories and how they’re affected by the things we do for them.”

Many women use Planned Parenthood for preventative health care like Pap smear tests, which scan for cancer. This is one of their most used services, in addition to providing birth control.

Cockrum noted that many of Planned Parenthood’s opponents overlook these life saving services and focus on criticizing the organization for offering abortions.

“There has been a lot of activity at the federal and state level to de-fund Planned Parenthood,” Cockrum said.

Currently Planned Parenthood raises $90,000 a year in order to care for the numbers of patients who seek their services.

By the Numbers 1 in 3 Pregnancies in women under the age of 20 result in a live birth. The other two-thirds end in miscarraige or abortion.

There is an abortion every 23 seconds in the United States.

Teen Pregnancy Rates Comparison:

The abortion rights organization Planned Parenthood and the anti-abortion organization 40 Days of Life both work with the Crisis Pregnancy Center and other organizations to give pregnant women the options they feel are the best possible for the women and children.

Proposed government plans would cut an amount of money that Cockrum said couldn’t be fundraised, and would put many patients out of care, even patients who are not seeking abortions.

The funds that are being cut do not go towards abortions, which are paid for by each individual.

The current proposal would cause 9,300 Medicaid patients to be cut off from Planned Parenthood services, and an estimated12,000 patients would lose access to their reproductive health center.

“To shut down health care to 22,000 Hoosiers just makes no sense,” Cockrum said. “Following through with it would just speak for politics rather than credibility.”

If these Hoosiers were to be removed from their current medical care plans, their health would be up to other medical providers to take care of.

“In some cases someone may step up, in some cases they may not,” Cockrum said.

That would mean many of Planned Parenthood patients wouldn’t be able to afford their services.

Cockrum clarifies that the goal of Planned Par-

Japan France United Kingdom United States Indiana Marion County Source: Planned Parenthood Research

enthood goes beyond providing abortions.

“We get up every day hoping to influence as many planned pregnancies as we can,” Cockrum said. “In the perfect situation there is a responsible adult parent for every child, but that is not always realistic. That iss where we come in.”

Other organizations also hope to influence planned pregnancies, but do not support terminating unplanned pregnancies with abortions.

Tom McBroom, an active volunteer with the program 40 Days of Life is anti-abortion.

McBroom, joined the organization in Sep. 2008, and is now a public speaker who often travels spreading his organization’s religious beliefs and hoping to end abortion completely.

“I am against abortion, and other things as well, such as euthanasia,” McBroom said, “I’m really against the taking of life.”

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0.6% 0.8% 0.9% 4.4% 4.3% 6.3%

While McBroom was at a conference in Terre Haute, Ind. he said a man stopped him and explained that it wasn’t possible to be anti-abortion until a person had actually seen an abortion clinic and what goes on inside. McBroom promply visited one, and became passionate about returning.

At one abortion clinic he visited, he met a young . pregnant woman preg pregn who w wh was unsure if she wanted an abortion or not. He spoke with her and put her in contact with the Crisis Pregnancy Center. After consulting them she decided to keep the child. She also decided to keep in contact with McBroom.

“What was amazing is that I ended up getting to hold her baby,” McBroom said.

We get up every day hoping to influence as many planned pregnancies as we can

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continued from page 11 McBroom has had family experience with abortions as well. His niece was a successful lawyer in Indiana until she was raped. Her rape resulted in a pregnancy which she decided to terminate with an abortion.

“She knew about my pro-life status and after her abortion she refused to talk to me,” McBroom said. “Now she is struggling with alcoholism and depression. She blames the rape, but I think getting the abortion made it even worse for her.”

For women who seek abortions at the Planned Parenthood in Bloomington, Thursdays are what McBroom refers to as kill days, days when surgical abortions are offered.

“Wednesdays are the days I am out there praying for the lives lost on kill days,” McBroom said.

When McBroom and other 40 Days of Life volunteers stand outside of Planned Parenthood, they are there in a quiet, peaceful protest.

“We don’t even hold up a lot of signs, we’re there to pray and fast,” McBroom said.

McBroom receives a lot of hate mail, more often than not from other people who consider themselves pro-life.

“A lot of the time it’s not even from people who are pro-choice, it is from pro-lifers telling me that I have said something wrong or made them look bad,” McBroom siad.

McBroom said most harassment comes from people on the street walking or driving by.

“All the time I get people telling me to get a life and I just have to laugh,” McBroom said, “I have a job, and a family, and a great life.

I just make it a priority to speak out for my brothers and sisters who can’t speak up for themselves.”

McBroom points to situations where women face the difficult situation of an unplanned pregnancy and choose to keep the baby, and notes that some of the situations end positively.

In the case of junior Whitney Bredeweg, she considers her life with her son a success story.

Bredeweg got pregnant at 15, and decided to keep her child.

“When I found out I was pregnant I was at the doctor, and I just sat there trying to figure out what to do,” Bredeweg said, “But I didn’t even consider an abortion, at all.”

Although her pregnancy progressed free of

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Best wishes to Bloomington North’s

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medical complications, her life with family and friends greatly suffered.

“My mom was fine with it, but my dad was mad.”

Bredeweg said, “And I did lose most of my friends, but the dad’s family was really supportive. Mostly I forgot about the friends at school.”

Her son, Kayvon William Bredeweg, was born late at night Oct. 30, 2009. The delivery was free of complications. She was able to quickly recover and begin getting to know her son.

“The first night I stayed up until 4 in the morning with him,” Bredeweg said.

When she returned to school, Kayvon stayed with her mother during the day, and she always made time for her son after she returned from school.

“I would just feed him and do my homework at the same time,” Bredeweg said, “I mean - you had to do it.”

So far she has been able to balance school and parenting.In the eighteen months since Kayvon’s birth, Bredeweg said she has enjoyed being a mother.

Her Facebook page is covered with pictures of her son, and she spends most of her time with him. Lately he has been going to school at Early HeadStart and she has enjoyed seeing him learn.

“I’ve enjoyed just seeing him grow throughout the year, and seeing him get smarter.” Bredeweg said.

She said it hasn’t been an easy road, but there have definitely been rewards along the way.

An abortion through Planned Parenthood wasn’t a consideration for Bredeweg, but for many girls it may be the only option. As for the junior who asked to remain anonymous, she still doesn’t know how she feels.

“I honestly can’t say whether or not I’d go through with it had I been given a real choice,” she said, “I’m in such a good place now.”

I did lose most of my friends.

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501 N. Morton – Suite 106C Bloomington – (415)651-8808 Find out more at: http://www.anabas.com/netscape/index.html

monroecountymartialarts.com

Senior Blake Heil shows the scar he said that is reminder of the heart surgery he had over the summer. He also wears a cross close to his heart. “God gave me five lives,” Heil said. “It’s like I’m on my fifth one.”

Speaking from the Heart

Senior siblings Blake and Casey Heil are twins with a major difference: Casey has never had a heart problem. They’ve grown up with Blake’s condition and accepted it. “I feel like it’s made us closer,” she said.

Story by Siyang Liu Photo and design by Jessi Rannochio

Senior Blake Heil uses his personal struggles with heart disease to try and make a difference.

Senior Blake Heil would love to play sports. Hockey, football, baseball, you name it. But he very literally doesn’t have the heart for it.

Heil was born with multiple congenital heart defects that prevent him from participating in strenuous activities.

“Growing up, I’ve always been on the sidelines or in the stands while my friends played hockey or football,” Heil said.

So far, Heil has had four heart surgeries to repair and replace different arteries and valves. The only one he could remember was the most recent one he had during the summer of 2009; the other three happened when he was 3 months old, 2 years old and 5 years old.

Although Heil recovered fully from each surgery, there was always a noticeable difference between him and his twin sister as they grew up, because she had no heart problems and could play whatever sports she wanted.

Nowadays, Heil isn’t too upset about it.

“The biggest thing is to not sit around wishing on things you can’t do,” Heil said.

He substituted sports with other hobbies like camping or boating, and by hanging out with friends who don’t play sports.

Also, Heil feels that outside of sports, he’s been able to live a pretty normal life.

“If it was where I physically couldn’t go to school because I felt bad or because I had to go around in a wheelchair, then it would affect me more,” Heil said, “But pretty much everything else an average kid can do I can do.”

Heil has done more than what an average kid in his

situation might do.

Heil became involved with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which grants wishes for kids with life-threatening health problems. His involvement started when Make-AWish called his doctor and granted Heil a wish of taking a trip to Hawaii with his family.

Heil now helps out Make-A-Wish, which invites him to go to charity events and fundraisers to help other kids get their wishes.

At one charity event attended by players from the Indianapolis Colts, he met 3 other Make-A-Wish kids and heard their stories. Some had been diagnosed with lifethreatening cancers within the last few years.

“Some of them saw me and thought ‘Wow, he’s gone through a lot with four open heart surgeries,’” Heil said.

“But I feel like I’m the lucky one.”

He said what he’s been through with his heart surgeries has helped to strengthen his religious convictions.

“God gave me five lives, and it’s like I’m on my fifth one,” Heil said.

He’s also grateful for heart research support.

“I wouldn’t be here without all the money and research before me that came up with the procedures that saved me in the beginning,” Heil said.

Heil was more than willing to lend a hand when the American Heart Association asked for his help in December 2009.

“I was introduced to Heil through the school nurse when we were looking for a keynote speaker for the Heart Ball,” Jen Nanny said.

Nanny is a youth market director for the American

Heart Association (AMA), and works with schools in Indiana to raise awareness and fundraise for heart disease and stroke. She also helped to organize the Red Out basketball game earlier this year.

At the Heart Ball fundraising event in the Indiana University Memorial Union, Heil gave a speech at the podium about his own personal struggles.

He recalled the experience as being “nerve-racking as hell,” because it had been his first public speech, and he gave it in front of around 500 people.

It certainly wasn’t the last speech he’d give for the cause. Heil has shared his own experiences with kids in different elementary school classrooms.

“We’re trying to raise awareness that this isn’t just an older person’s disease,” Nanny said.

“Heil’s a great example of ‘you would never know it until he told you.’”

This is a message that Heil has been trying to get across through his work with the AMA. “I hear stories all the time about kids who dropped dead on the basketball court because they had problems but didn’t know or ignored them,” Heil said.

Heil also said he wants to raise awareness and help prevent those kinds of tragedies. But his work is about more than warnings, or even heart disease. There’s a message that he’s tried to exemplify for all kids, regardless of their condition.

“I can relate to kids with other illnesses who can’t do things they want to do or follow their lifelong dreams,” Heil said. “I want to let them know they can make a positive impact in life.”

Color Guard with a Chill Jackson Pollock was the inspiration for the winter guard’s routine this season.

Story and photos by Maria Behringer Design by Jessi Rannochio

Winter Guard preforms its Jackson Pollock show during the Mardi Gras Festival. Members use traditonal flags and choreographed dances throught the routine.

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or those who aren’t aware, the color guard is the team that performs with the marching band, spinning colored flags to enhance the visual experience of watching the band.

But when band season ends, that’s only the beginning for North’s winter guard team.

Winter guard is similar to color guard but is different because winter guard doesn’t perform with the band. Instead its members perform indoors, in a school gym, on giant tarps rather than on a football field.

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This season winter guard chose for their theme the artwork of Jackson Pollock.

Pollock was a famous painter who was known for putting his emotions into what he painted through splatter paintings. Just as Pollock had done, the Winter Guard wanted to show his artistic emotions and influence through their performance.

The routine consists of spinning and dancing with equipment such as flags, sabers, rifles and, for added emotion, streamers. Winter guard prepared for the season by practicing Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays every week from 6 to

April 2011

9 p.m. since winter break.

Once they were ready for competitions they also gave up their Saturdays, starting early mornings at 7 a.m. and ending their day between 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Out of five competitions they placed third and fourth and recieved all gold honors. At Divisional Finals they received third place out of thirty seven teams.

The Winter Guard team originally had 13 members but was reduced to 12 due to an injury. Augie Merback, a sophomore, is the only boy on the team but the team hopes in the future to have more.

The team’s main coach is Christy Wilson, wife of Tom Wilson from the band

department. They also have two other instructors: Gina Taton and Lia Morris, a North graduate. Emily Chambers, a junior, and Dasha Henry, a senior, are the guard captains.

Chambers has been a member since her freshman year. This was her sixth season. Henry has also been a member since her freshman year; this was her eighth and final season.

“We all continue to be members for different reasons.” Chambers said. “Many of us create such close relationships with each other that we are like a family. We are all best friends and love each other like brothers and sisters.”

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3 1. Augie Merback, a sophomore, practices spinning his rifle for Winter Guard’s final performance at Mardi Gras.

2. Senior Dasha Henry, freshman Alissa Wyle and sophomore Ali Sandy practice with their rifles before their Mardi Gras performance.

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3. Rocky Meadows, a freshman, preforms at Mardi Gras. She contributed to the Jackson Pollock theme and visual appearence by running across the floor with a giant ribbon.

“With Music Destroyed, We’ll Only Create Noise...” ...So said alternative rock band Showbread in their song “Stabbing Art to Death.” A culture is somewhat defined by its music. But what happens when music is destroyed? There is simply nothing left but noise. This is an issue-by-issue account of music, showing you what’s coming up, what’s coming out and what’s going on in the school. This is mainstream and beyond. This is the music section of Fused.

Compilation, photo and design by Whitney Taylor

[Upcoming Albums] Alternative

Country

Indie

Jazz

Reggae

April 12 “Wasting Light” Foo Fighters April 19 “Up Close” Eric Johnshon May 3 “Helplessness Blues” Fleet Foxes

April 12 “Paper Airplanes” Alison Krauss April 19 “A Mother’s Prayer” Ralph Stanley April 26 “Hard Bargain” Emmylou Harris

April 12 “two birds, one stone” Lackluster April 19 “Outside” O’Death April 26 “This Modern Glitch” The Wombats

April 12 “That’s How We Roll” Gordon Goodwin April 19 “Weightless” Becca Stevens April 26 “Crazy Little Things” Lynda Carter

April 12 “Lonely Lover” Gregory Isaacs April 19 “Starship Africa” Creation Rebel April 26 “Vaporized” Dub Is a Weapon

Metal/Hardcore

Pop/Dance

Rap/Hip-Hop

R&B/Soul

Folk

April 12 “Murder the Mountains” Red Fang April 19 “Against The World” Winds of Plague May 3 “Deasthstar Rising” Before the Dawn

April 12 “Beautiful Imperfection” Asa May 3 “This is Gonna Hurt” Sixx: A.M. May 10 “Move Like This” The Cars

April 12 “Rolling Papers” Wiz Khalifa April 19 “Street Anthem 3” Urban Kings May 10 “Goblin” Tyler The Creator

April 12 “Fresh: The Definition” Noel Gourdin April 19 “Good High” Brick May 17 “Sound Advice” Patti Austin

April 12 “Play Me Backwards” Joan Baez April 19 “Folklore” Mae Moore May 3 “Donny and Marie” Donny and Marie

[Upcoming Shows] April 9; 8:00 PM Celtic Woman Murat Theatre at Old National Centre Indianapolis

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April 12; 7:30 PM Pretty Lights Egyptian Room at Old National Centre Indianapolis

bhsnfused.com | April 2011

April 15; 9:00 PM Plain White T’s Egyptian Room at Old National Centre Indianapolis

April 17; 6:30 PM Mercyme Emens Auditorium Muncie

April 21; 8:00 PM Demetri Martin Egyptian Room at Old National Centre Indianapolis

Q& A [Artist Feature]

Ex-Panther Making Waves Musician Richard Dorotheo IV grew up in Bloomington. After graduating from South, he attended Berklee School of Music and worked at the California Music Studio. Dorotheo sat down with Fused to talk about his accomplishments and explain why his life in the music world isn’t going to be about big money and flashing lights.

As told to Whitney Taylor

What got you started in music?

My parents forced me to play the piano, like every other Asian. For us, you either learn to play the violin or the piano, and for me, I ended up with the piano. I’m so thankful for it now, but I hated it then. My mom would sit a timer on the piano and make me practice until it went off. I remember sitting there crying. I hated it.

Can you play any other instruments?

Besides the piano, I play the drums. When MTV’s “Made” was here filming Jeremy Gotwals, I was the drummer for the South band that he was competing against. I also play that saxophone. My older brother started and I wanted to be just like him. When I was in 5th grade I took this test in music class that told me what instruments I could play and it said I could play anything but the saxophone, because I didn’t have the right mouth for it, but I showed them. I also sing, but I don’t think I’m that great at it. I’m the kind of person that sings in the shower, except I do it everywhere, but it’s fun.

Who inspires you as an artist?

At first, it was other musicians. It was jazz and I was so inspired by John Coltrane, but after a while, it got boring.

April 27; 7:00 PM Arcade Fire The Lawn at White River State Park Indianapolis

May 5; 7:30 PM Sugarland Roberts Stadium Evansville

Now I find more inspiration in the way the light shines through the trees, a Batman comic book, people I know or experiences I go through.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Well, I went to Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. I left early but my friends stayed. I just moved back here from San Diego, California. I dreamt of moving to California with my friends to play together again. But honestly, I don’t know where I’ll be in five years, I don’t even know where I’ll be in two days.

What were you doing in California?

I just moved back here form San Diego. I toured with the Big Buddah Band and I did a lot of session work. I was playing horns for a lot of random reggae bands and i was making $200 a session, but I was just working for other people.

What are you doing now?

It seems like I’ve regressed. I went from being in the studio to my mom’s basement, but I have never been so creatively free. To me, that’s gold. I’m pretty much in debt now, but it’s not about making money, it’s about bigger things. It’s about impacting others with my music.

May 6; 7:00 PM Kenny Chesney Allen County War Memorial Coliseum Fort Wayne

Musician Richard Dorotheo has been involved in the music scene since he was young. View his 36 videos at youtube.com/unfoldthelotus.

Photo by Whitney Taylor

May 7; 7:30 PM Dierks Bentley Murat Theatre at Old National Centre Indianapolis

May 15; 7:30 PM CAKE Egyptian Room at Old National Centre Indianapolis

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STUDENT

Art SHOWCASE

STAINED GLASS Compilation by Jessi Rannochio Stained Glass teachers Daria Smith and James Callahan offer many different kinds of projects in their classes. These vary from a mosaic, a box, a lamp shade, a window piece, or a piece the student illustrates on their own.

Freshman Paulita Lara has been in Stained Glass for two semesters. She spent three months Creating this piece.

It took sophomore Haley Sirota six weeks to make this piece. This is her first semester in Stained Glass.

This work of art was created by junior Addy Smith, who has been in Stained Glass classes for four semesters. Smith designed this piece to give to her little sister Evy, to hang in her room.