April 2014 by Fused

fused official newsmagazine of bloomington high school north - vol7, no6

SILENCE IS GOLDEN Junior Bailey Flick / photo by Kiah Weaver

page 8 North students and staff show support for their LGBT peers.

5 LIFE ON THE INSIDE

Find out which North staff member was a prison guard.

PIZZA MAN 7 FORMER BECOMES PARK RANGER

North alumni travels the United States.

13 WHY NOT NORTH

Baseball strives to beat last seasonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s records.

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STAFF Editors in Chief Maureen Langley Zoe Need

this issue

NEWS

In-school instructor helps troubled students 04 Life on the inside 05

feature

SILENCE IS GOLDEN

PROFILES

Business Editor

More than a librarian 06 Former pizza man becomes park ranger 07

Staffers

SPORTS

Maddie Gooldy

CJ Campbell Catherine Hardy Destiny Mullis Sydney Pogue Alaina Schmidt Kat Sylvester Hannah Weatherbee Kiah Weaver Krista Williams

Race into track season 10 Stick it to the man 12 Why not North 13 Ann Uhlig 15

THE SNAPSHOT

ADVISER Ryan Gunterman

CONTACT US Letters to the editor may be emailed to bhsnfused@ gmail.com or dropped off in room 709. Names must be published and letters may be edited for length, clarity, and style.

Bloomington HS North 3901 North Kinser Pike Bloomington, Ind. 47404 Junior Peyton Womock with cupcake on his face.

Join the conversation with BHSN Student Media

Greg Chaffin sits behind the Day of SIlence table.

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In-school instructor helps troubled students The pastor of Great Harvest Ministry Center found his way into the in-school room after Greg Dickerson left to work with the Bridges program. He has been using his experiences to help students since October. by Kat Sylvester In-school and after school detention is where students go when they’ve broken school rules. This room may be home to troubled students and scribbledon desks, but it’s also home to Tony Taylor. He’s the new in-school teacher after Greg Dickerson left to work with the Bridges program, where he works hands on with students who have disabilities. Taylor attempts to break the stereotypes of the in-school room. Taylor has brought his life experiences and his faith along to help him be more than just the guy who enforces rules. Taylor’s job is to maintain order in the classroom. He does his best to keep students on track and doing school work. At the same time, he tries to motivate them to be the best they can be. Taylor has had his ministering license for 20 years and has been a pastor for 15 years. He currently pastors at Great Harvest Ministry Center on Fairview St. Taylor hasn’t always been a good role model for kids. Before he found the church, he was the definition of a troubled teen.

“Drugs, alcohol, trouble, detention. I was the in-school detention kid,” Taylor said. Taylor suffered through kidney failure before he realized he needed to change. “My kidneys were shutting down. It was so bad that I had to leave college to go to the doctor. I had all these appointments. I couldn’t go back.,” Taylor said. While struggling with his health, Taylor decided to go to church. He went early one morning and prayed. At his next appointment he was informed that his kidneys had fully recovered. After that Taylor made a point of regularly attending church. He met friends and found lifelong relationships at church. “I knew that if I did not make a turn around soon my entire life would be ruined. Going through a lot of internal struggles and anger issues brought me to the church in the first place. When I found out God would accept me despite my past, it helped me.” Taylor said. Becoming a part of the church helped his health and his relationship with his

FROM INSIDE ROOM 712 “I think Mr.Taylor is very positive but he doesn’t talk as much as Mr.Dickerson did.” Senior Marissa Goodwin

Tony Taylor became the in-school detention instructor in October after Greg Dickerson left. / photo by Kat Sylvester church-going high school sweetheart, whom is now his wife. Being a pastor has brought opportunities to his family. “A lot of the kids we work with end up getting to know our kids. It builds life-long relationships. Because of what (Taylor and his wife) do, it’s made my kids pretty well rounded. They see every aspect of life,” Taylor said. It’s hard to imagine that Taylor had a rough time growing up by just looking at him. He uses his position at church and

at North to positively influence others. Taylor runs numerous youth groups and church camps. Taylor’s mission as a teacher is to help students as much as possible. He offers his support to anyone. “At times it’s so frustrating to see people make the same mistakes that you made, but when they listen, or even take a fraction of what you said to heart, it makes you feel great,” Taylor said.

“When I’m sent to in school he always tries to help me with my work, and gives good advice.”

“I haven’t been in inschool too many times, but the times I have he’s seemed to be a happy, and positive guy who follows the rules.”

Junior Tyler Murphy

Sophomore Tosumba Welch

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LIFE ON THE INSIDE

North security guard DJ Jordan worked at three prisons before coming to North. by Alaina Schmidt

“I GOT SHANKED IN THE CHEST BY A GANG INMATE ONE TIME”

Security guard DJ Jordan left his job as a prison guard to finish a sociology degree at IU. / photo by Kiah Weaver

For three years security guard DJ Jordan has been walking the halls of North keeping kids out harm’s way and encouraging them to stay in school. For 14 years, he walked the halls of prison, but he was not an inmate. Jordan worked as a prison guard at the Kentucky State Reformatory, City Grove Treatment Facility, and River Bend Maximum Security Institution. In high school, Jordan struggled with his grades. After graduating, he found himself in a tough situation. “My dad told me I needed to make a life for myself and my options were limited,” Jordan said. Jordan found life on the inside to be a challenge. “I got shanked in the chest by a gang inmate one time, and I still have part of it in there,” security DJ Jordan said. “I could get it removed, but I didn’t because it’s

an everyday reminder of how blessed I am to still be here.” Shortly after starting his job, Jordan was called in to deal with a dead body. It’s not exactly what he expected when he applied for the job, but how bad could it be? Jordan walks into the room to see a blue body, but when he gets up close to the body he recognizes it. It’s his old friend from high school. Not exactly the best day on the job. Jordan met a variety inmates and hardly any were stereotypical. Most of them weren’t gang members and hardened criminals with shaved heads and tattoos. “I’ve seen doctors, lawyers, scientists, and even some celebrities in prison,” Jordan said. “Most of them

are actually very clever people.” Contrary to what most people believe, many prisoners have a high intellect and some are in there for merely minor mistakes. “Once there was this doctor who was sentenced for life plus 55 years, meaning he would never see the outside again,” Jordan said. “He got caught prescribing medicine to people, even though it wasn’t for their condition, and it resulted in a few deaths.” Now, Jordan is in a different setting. He moved to Bloomington to finish a degree in Sociology at IU. He’s been working at North for three years. “When I walk down the halls at this school and see the bright smiles on the kids’ faces, it’s very promising to me,” Jordan said.

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More than a librarian

Katherine Loser is more than any single simple thing. She is an equal rights protester, a humanitarian, and a role model. by Krista Williams As a college student, she was a little nervous when meeting feminist movement leader Gloria Steinem. As a young professional, she couldn’t help but think, “It’s just a job” throughout her interview for the North librarian opening. And as a veteran of both education and life, she discovered real-life correlations between the film “It’s a Wonderful Life” and the blessings of wine, bread, and salt. While at first, these may seem to be simple, small actions. However, such actions are those that can define someone’s life. This holds true for North librarian Kathy Loser. It would be easy to dismiss Loser as just “North’s librarian,” but when she’s not at school Loser could be seen at rally yelling for equal rights for everyone, no matter their gender or sexual orientation.

After she met journalist Gloria Steinem, her passion for equal rights started and has grown since. Loser educated students on the feminist movement by screening feminist videos in tutorial. Recently she took a group of 12 students to a women’s history luncheon. “It’s important for them to know about the struggles woman had to own property or be able to work and those things,” Loser said. At North Loser sponsors multiple clubs, such as book buddies, book clubs, and students for an informed democracy. More importantly, she is a mentor to students. “She’s amazing. She’s like my best friend,” junior Jade Record said. “I can talk to her about everything. She’s trustworthy and honest.” Loser helps the community through

Books for Building lives. The idea for it occurred to her when watching It’s a Wonderful Life and has evolved since then. “I came up with an idea of instead of giving them (North’s habitat for humanity families) a garden hose, how about giving them books and a book case, because education is the way out of poverty,” Loser said. Books for Building Lives raises money to give each Habitat for Humanity family a bookcase and at least 50 books. In the past three years, they have provided a full bookcase for six families. The organization must raise over 300 dollars for each family. Loser believes in the importance of education and strives to give as many people access to it as she can. “I’m interested in people having the rights they deserve,” Loser said.

Katherine Loser/ by Krista Williams

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Former pizza man becomes park ranger

North alumni Rueben Cochran discusses why he took a “soul-saving” trip and how it led him to landing a job at Yosemite National Park. by Sydney Pogue What was your childhood like? I went to Harmony school, so that was a little different. I had a liberal upbringing. I definitely don’t look at things like most people do. I knew how smart I was. I didn’t need high school to prove it to me. I didn’t need grades to prove it. How did you lose your leg? When I was 16, I was an athlete playing baseball. I discovered a small cyst on the ball of my ankle. It would rub against my shoe. I was very irritated and I was not thrilled with it. I went to my doctor and I said “What do I do about this?” He said, “Well, we have three choices. You can ignore it. You can drain it or we can have it surgically removed.” I said “Which one is [going to] remove it forever?” He said, “The surgically removed option is what you want.” I said “Let’s do that.” While doing the surgery he found a tumor the size of a dime. No one knew what is was at the time, so they sent it off to the Mayo Clinic to discover what it actually was. It was a super rare type of cancer called Synovial Sarcoma. When I had it, it was 80 plus percent mortality rate, which was pretty high. It metastasizes very quickly, it goes straight to your lungs, and straight to your brain. The treatment was very aggressive and it was amputation of the right leg below the knee. What did you do after high school? After high school I worked for a while, then I tried school. I didn’t like IU. Then, I took some time working again. Then, I went to Ivy Tech and got my degree [in general studies and liberal arts.]

Rueben Cochran lost his leg when he was 16, but that didn’t stop him from traveling the United States and becoming a park ranger for Yosemite National Park. “If you aren’t blown away by the world, you’re missing something,” Cochran said. / courtesy of Rueben Cochran.

What brought on your soul saving trip? I’ve always loved the national parks. When I was a kid, we would go to the Smoky Mountains. [I’ve] always loved the outdoors. The outdoors are awesome. What really prompted the trip was checking out a movie from the Monroe County Public Library, called “The Grand Lodges of National Parks.” That talked about a lot of national parks, but it was mostly focused on the lodges-- Yellowstone, Yosemite, all the canyon land parks. It really peaked an interest in getting there. I wanted to

go see the mountain. It took me four years to save and scheme and scrimp. I went on that three month trip. Where did you go on your trip? I started out visiting family in Arkansas. From there I headed out Highway 40, which goes straight across the bottom of the country. I started out with petrified forest, which has two million year old petrified wood, which is unbelievable. Then I went up north to Canyon Deshea. They had some ancient ruins which was really neat to see. From there I headed up to Arches National Park up in Utah. That was spectacular. All of Utah is spectacular. I accidently went up to Canyon Lands, but when you take the wrong road you sometimes get in the right place. I found myself in the middle of no where. I loved Canyon Lands because it was so remote. You really have to want to be there. From Canyon Lands I went down to Capitol Reef. I did what they call the Grand Staircase, because it’s the newest exposed rock to the oldest down in the grand canyon. I went [to] Yosemite. I visited the redwoods and it was just miraculous. You can be in the huge forest, where all you can see is trees, then you can drive an hour towards the ocean and have big sand dunes. Travel another hour and you’re at the beach. I then went to Yellowood, which was all it’s cracked up to be. Due to lack of funds I came home. How did you get a job at Yosimite? I found this website that has all government jobs. I applied for several jobs at all the national parks I’ve ever dreamed of working at. I sat around in Indiana, working at Aver’s and waiting for a call. Three months later Yosemite called me for an interview and I got the job. A week later, I got a call from Yellowstone but Yosimite is where I really wanted to be. What have you taken from all your experiences? Well, here we are 20 years after I got my leg chopped off. I’ve lived two lifetimes worth of life and I’m doing what I want to do with my life. I do anything and everything I want to do. The only person that can stop you in this life is you.

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SILENCE IS

GOLDEN

Students share their experiences and show support for the Day of Silence. by Miciah Weaver

“We are bad gay people,” Junior Casandra Plantz said. “We don’t go to film festivals. We don’t go to pride. We aren’t up to date on all the events.” Plantz and her girlfriend, Kendra Sweeney, met in eighth grade at Batchelor Middle School. They have been dating for five months. “People just walk up to us and tell us we aren’t a cute couple,” Plantz said. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer (LGBTQ) students are often the target of bullying or harassment. “I came out as bisexual at first because I was afraid people would shun me or be like, ‘she likes girls, stay away from her,’” Plantz said. When she transferred to North her sophomore year, she started wearing “boy clothes” to express that she had lost interest in what others had to say about her. The National Day of Silence is an opportunity for students in support of LGBTQ rights to express their support by staying silent for a day. They do this to call attention to the effects of bullying and harassment on these students. About 400 people participated in North’s day of silence this year, but thousands across the country participate in it annually. “We don’t have a voice,” Plantz said. “We put duct tape over our mouths and refuse to speak.”

THE SPECTRUM OF

LGBTQ ISSUES

by Maureen Langley source: cdc.gov/ lgbthealth/youth.htm

The United Students is part of a Gay-Straight Alliance at North. The United Students group is a safe place for all teens, not just LGBTQ youth, where they can speak freely and be themselves. Junior Bailey Flick found acceptance on her orientation day when she ran to the United Students booth. “I wasn’t happy at all when Bailey ran to that specific booth,” Flick’s mother, Alice, said. “It was good for me to have someone to talk too because I felt so alone.” Flick said. She needed the “comfort” she got from being a part of the group because her father had recently died unexpectedly. “At the funeral Bailey was hysterical and none of her other friends stayed with her, but her friends from United Students” said (Alice) Flick.“They did not leave her side. They kept her feeling safe.” “There hasn’t been a year without some sort of bullying regarding sexual orientation and that needs to end,” said House B Counselor Greg Chaffin. Chaffin has done all in his power to make school a safe environment for LGBTQ students. He is the sponsor of the United Students, North’s gay straight alliance. He alone is the reason “sexual orientation” was added to North’s anti-bullying policy.

House B counselor Greg Chaffin

Senior Alyssa Walls

4/5

54%

students have been verbally harassed at school.

2/5

students have been physically harassed at school.

of HIV cases among 13-24 year old people during 2003-06 were from male-to-male sexual contact.

80%

of transgendered students report feeling unsafe at school because of their gender identity.

40%

of home youth are LGBT. The number one cause is family rejection for gender identity or sexual orientation.

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Junior Cassandra Plantz and her girlfriend Kendra Sweeney, who attends Bloomington Graduate school.

Senior Grace David

Sophomore Parker Knight

English teacher Crystal Wyeth

Spring into track season fusedapril2014

Boys and girls track and field kicked off the season with a meet against Edgewood and Lighthouse Christian Academy on April 1. North boys won with an overall score of 82, and girls with 81.

1 designed by Maddie Gooldy / photos by Sydney Pogue

“There’s always something you can improve on. Every practice is just another opportunity to get better.”

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Freshman Matt Ambrosio

6 1. Junior Matt McCarty and sophomore Isiah Farmer run a leg of the 4 by 800 meter relay. North finished first with 10:44.28. 2. Junior Phillip Woelmer runs a leg of the 4 by 100 meter relay. North’s relay team came first with 52.79. 3. Junior Ryan Nephew came in first in the 800 meter with 2:05.42 4. Freshman Matt Ambrosio jumps 36 inch hurdles with a finishing time of 47.67. 5. Senior Jonathan Frederick runs 110 meter hurdles with finishing time of 15.68 seconds. 6. Junior Mandy Garman practices pole vault. 7. Gracie Heeb runs 100 meter hurdles coming in first at 17.05 seconds

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Sticking it to the man

This year the Bloomington Outlaws were split into two teams; North and South. Seniors Thomas Finn, Dan Kilcullen, Gabe Berkley, and Hugh Jackson talk about what being on the North team is like. by Catherine Hardy HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE TEAM AS A WHOLE?

Kilcullen: Unexperienced, but full of untouched potential. Jackson: We got heart. Berkley: Yeah, skill doesn’t matter when you have heart.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE AND DISLIKE ABOUT BEING ON A TEAM?

Finn: South is always yelling and doesn’t seem very nice, I like that we don’t yell. Berkley: We can be ourselves unlike some other teams that have to put up a fake front to seem great. I dislike mean people.

BEING SENIORS, WHAT KIND OF PRESSURES ARE THERE?

Berkley: There aren’t really any pressures. Kilcullen: The younger kids. They look up to us so we have to set a good example. Finn: Sometimes you have to hold back. Jackson: Yeah, we have to sensor a lot of the things we say.

Seniors Thomas Finn, Dan Kilcullen, Gabe Berkley, and Hugh Jackson played the first game of the lacrosse season on March 13. This year is the first year that North and South have separate teams. / photo by Catherine Hardy

HOW HAVE YOU BENEFITED FROM PLAYING LACROSSE?

Berkley: It kept me out of trouble and it paid for college. Kilcullen: I feel like I’ve grown a lot as a leader over the past four years.

WHAT’S YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR COACH?

Finn: He’s a bit unconventional when it comes to practice. One day we’ll do drills and the next we’ll do a lot of conditioning. Berkley: He has a lot of stories. Jackson: We can go to our coach any time. Finn: There’s a lot of forgiveness. We connect with Scott on an emotional level.

The North lacrosse team celebrates scoring multiple times in a row during a scrimmage with South on April 1. / photo by Maureen Langley

Senior Thomas Finn runs to the back of the line during the warm-ups before a scrimmage game against South. / photo by Maureen Langley

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Why not North

Last season they had a 21-game winning streak, a sectional title, and their first Conference Indiana title in history. This season North baseball returns confident with plans to break previous records. by Maureen Langley 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Junior Johnathan Inman throws a bullpen session at practice. Senior Blake Richardson prepares to field grounders. Senior Matt Tiller catches a bullpen session. Sophomore Evan Anderson anticipates batting practice. Freshman Sam Helton sharpens his bunting skills during batting practice.

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NORTHUPDATE.COM bnstudentmedia

BHSN Student Media

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NORTHUPDATE.COM

NEW THIS WEEK: LISTENING IN: SOPHOMORE BRYCE FRAZIER TALKS TRACK Sophomore Bryce Frazier found his love for running when his basketball team was being punished. read more at wp.me/p1PFoJ-OL

TEACHING “JUST SORT OF TOOK OVER MY LIFE” MCCSC substitute Justin Schroeder discusses the pressure of being a real teacher read more at wp.me/p1PFoJ-OE

District Safety Manager

TANNER GREEN Where does senior Tanner Green work? Find out at wp.me/p1PFoJ-ON / photo by Kiah Weaver

BRIDGING A GAP WITH BOOKS Ten students meet in the library after school to arrange rides to Arlington Elementary school. Meanwhile, kindergarten and first read more at wp.me/p1PFoJ-O0

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ANN UHLIG After writing a letter and getting good grades, junior Ann Uhlig traveled to the United States as part of the Exchange Student Program. Uhlig shares the differences of sports in her hometown of Oberlube, Nordrhein-West Falen, Germany and Bloomington. by Hannah Weatherbee / design by Maureen Langley

Why did you want to join the track team? I saw people growing together as a family. Everybody encourages everybody else. Even though there’s different parts of track, like sprinting, long distance, and throwing or long jump. It made me interested because I can try new things, and the coaches encourage everybody to do new things, and get on new levels. Since I’m not doing track in Germany, I just wanted to try something else. What’s the best part of track? Of course it gives you the exercise, and it makes you in good shape. I like how people encourage you to try new things. You grow like a family, and find new friendships. You come to new levels because they push you to the end of your comfort zone. Have you made friends on the track team? Well, yeah. I had some friends before from cross country. What’s the difference between German and American sports? In America the sports are way more supportive. When you do a sport you stay with it. In Germany, it’s not that supportive and you don’t have school sports. It’s like p.e basically. I played handball. It’s twice a week and a game on the weekends. Can you explain what handball is? It’s a team sport. I would describe it as a mix between rugby and soccer, but girls and boys play it. The goal is to throw the ball into the goal. There’s two teams of seven and an offense and a defense, like in basketball for example. You can touch the people, so you try to distract them from throwing the ball into the goal.

“The coaches are really supportive and encouraging here because they push you to higher levels.” Junior Ann Uhlig Do you prefer playing sports in America over Germany? Yes. I like it better, that it’s so intense. I used to like team sports a lot, but here I like individual sports. I miss my handball sometimes, but I think it’s good that the American school system supports student athletes. They grow into another person through sports, and reach new limits. What is the worse part of track? There is nothing bad about track, everything is really fun and it prepares you for your future. What are the workouts generally like? We warm up all together, we sometimes run bleachers, and then we split up into our event groups, which are the people we compete with during meets. What kind of lessons and experiences are you going to bring back to Germany that will help you in your sports? Definitely to push through your pain, everything good happens beyond your comfort zone. What prepares you to run? I typically shut people out when I run. I don’t focus on what happened at school that day, and I don’t focus on what is going to happen that night. My attention is aimed at what is going on during practice. What pushes you to keep going? During meets, I know that it’s worth it when I look at my watch to find out that it took me ten seconds to run compared to other people. Knowing that I am getting better keeps me going.

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Riled up for Riley

On April 12 students from North and other area high schools commited to stand for those who cannot and raised over $100,000.

by Maureen Langley / photos courtesy of Peyton Womock

1. Senior Isabel Roberts-Hamilton, junior Megan Gardener, sophomores Jordan Trilling, Lindsey Lawrence, Megan Strobel, and Kelly Fox were part of riley development, where they communicated with the Riley kids. 2. Junior Peyton Womock had a cupcake smashed into his face by a Riley kid after one of their money goals was met. 3. The executives of North and South committees hold a banner with the amount of money raised over the school year. 4. 1,105 people attended Riley Dance Marathon. 5. South senior Quinn McNiel also had a cupcake smashed in his face.

5 NORTH STUDENTS WHO MADE A DIFFERENCE

Jordan Trilling Emma St. John Kylie Henderson Morgan EuDaly Morgan Newman Corben Andrews Winston Winkler

Thomas Finn Maria Halloran Drew Ludwig Peyton Womock Isabel RobertsHamilton