Fused October 2010

Inside this Issue How to Grow Record-Breaking Fruit Page 6 Tanning: Relaxation or Risk?

Page 5 Your Favorite Artists Page 10

Fused.

Official Newsmagazine of Bloomington High School North

October Vol. 3 Issue 3

www.bhsnfused.com Bloomington, Ind.

Saving a Struggling School System

Contact Mailing Address: Fused Newsmagazine C/O: Ryan Gunterman 3901 North Kinser Pike Bloomington, Indiana 47404

Website: http://www.bhsnfused.com

E-Mail: bhsnfused@gmail.com

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.

Want to Advertise?

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

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

In This Issue

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What it Takes Deciding whether to vote shouldn’t be a question

Surfing the Web Previewing October’s online exclusives

From Inside the Bed Get educated about the risks of indoor tanning

Growing Pumpkins A look at the biggest of these festive fruits

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bhsnfused.com | September 2010

Listen IN A collection of upcoming albums and shows

Showcasing Art Students’ black and white photography on display

A Note About the Cover

As one of the marching band’s drum majors, senior Abby Zinman has seen the effects of budget cuts on the program she loves and leads. If the referendum doesn’t pass, Zinman feels band will almost certainly be eliminated.

Students and community members are working to make sure that doesn’t happen. For more on Zinman and what others in the school have to say about the referendum, visit our website. Photo by Lindsay McKnight

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Canvass for Change Community volunteers support the referendum

No Acceptable Excuse

What Voters Can Expect

The only students in this school who can vote are the ones next year’s school budget situation won’t affect. Why it’s not okay not to register.

This image of the last page of the Nov.2 ballot was taken from the front of a canvassing envelope (See Siyang Liu’s story on the referendum canvassing effort, p.16,) where it had been placed so that volunteers could show potential voters exactly what they’ll see when they go to vote Nov. 2.

The question that will determine MCCSC’s fate in the coming years is the last thing on the ballot. Note the designated section, question and answer.

The first public question shows up on ballots statewide. It refers to property tax caps that may be written into the state’s constitution if voters so desire. If these tax limits are set, the state will doubtless find itself in more financial turmoil as budgets will be cut and the programs they finance eliminated.

Staff Editorial It’s not like it’s rocket science.

Voting is a very major and direct way by which ordinary citizens are able to maintain and further our nation’s democracy. It’s empowering.

And it’s not even that difficult. The whole of the process takes a few hours at most.

It would have taken less time this year for seniors who took advantage of the voter registration forms offered to them during classes and in the commons at lunch.

Yet some students still chose not to register.

Others – even though early voting provides a month-long window in which ballots can be cast – will never get around to voting.

If it were any other election, Fused would chalk this up to individual preference and bristle at but ignore the fact that these students obviously take the nation’s democracy for granted.

We might accept the lame excuse that this year isn’t a presidential election, though if there are any elections not worth voting in, they are the presidential ones.

But this year the referendum is on the ballot.

This year, outgoing seniors have the chance to help preserve for underclassman the North they know.

And if these students who are legally old enough to vote but choose not to register cite in their defense complaints they may have against this high school, we assure them that if the referendum doesn’t pass, next year will be much, much worse.

Next year, if students have no extracurricular activities, if teachers are fired en masse and classrooms are full to the brim, Fused places the blame on the shoulders of each and every senior who had the chance to vote but just didn’t care.

Details Voters Should Know Where: Curry Building (214 W. 7th St) if voting early; assigned precinct location if voting on election day When: 8:30 a.m to 7 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. all other days except Sunday for early voting, which began Oct. 11; 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Nov. 2 What to Bring: State-issued ID (like a driver’s license)

October 2010

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Go online to...

Check out exclusive web content, some of which is previewed below.

See Seven Ways to Preserve and Protect

View “The Teacher Feature” Experience the Ice Photo by Landon Stancik

Photo by Sarah Petry

From recycling old cell phones to shopping at Plato’s Closet, there are a multitude of things people can to protect and preserve the environment. See the story online for specific tips, like where in Bloomington you can find a cloth bag tree and what exactly you should do with your used electronics.

do

Illustration by Jessi Rannochio

The monthly profile focuses on a new teacher every issue. This time around, English and Film Literature teacher Maggie Clark is the star.

Read the online exclusive to learn Clark’s favorite director, her dog’s name, how she got locked in a park in Italy and much more.

Learn Your P’s and Q’s Photo by Sarah Petry

Is this table set correctly? The Ettiquette Club knows table setting, texting and much more. Go online to meet the group’s president, junior Kalyn Hawkins, and find out why her new club aims to bring etiquette back in style.

October 2010

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Senior Austin May skates to victory with the Blades Hockey team during its opening match earlier this month. View a full-color photo gallery of the game online at bhsnfused.com. Also online, read about May and his decade-long hockey career.

A Safe Tan? It tanning feels relaxing, it may not be for the reason many think. Recent studies highlight the dangers.

Story and Photo Illustration by Sophie Harris Deisgn by Jessi Rannochio

S

enior Jessica Peaslee puts her health at risk, arguably, twice a week.

“I look like a ghost if I don’t use tanning beds,” Peaslee said. “Afterwards I feel all warm; it’s very relaxing.”

Tanning may feel soothing, but recent studies show that it might cause serious health problems. It can also be addictive.

In April 2006, the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology published a study that proved people may actually go through withdrawal symptoms when their exposure of UV rays is cut back significantly.

Tanning releases endorphins, which may be why some people feel that using tanning beds helps reduce their stress level.

“I like being dark. I hate being white, and tanning relaxes me,” senior Jessie Glasscock said.

Glasscock works, as well as tans, at SunKiss Tanning on the west side of town.

“Usually, I only go twice a week, but in the winter I go at least three times a week,” Glasscock said.

Health and Peer Mediation teacher Vicki Waltz also used to tan multiple times a week. However, recently she decided to cut back.

“It’s not relaxing to me,” Waltz said.

For Waltz, the knowledge of the risks is disheartening.

“When I go, I think about what’s coming,” Waltz said.

Tanning beds have recently been declared to be carcinogenic by the World Health Organization.

A new study from the Skin Cancer Foundation shows that people who have used tanning beds are 74 percent more likely to develop melanoma

than those who have never have.

“A tan, whether you get it on the beach, in a bed, or through incidental exposure, is bad news, any way you acquire it,” said the Skin Cancer Association on its website.

Exposure to tanning bed UV rays may cause a condition called photokeratitis, which can lead to blindness.

UV lights are also believed to hinder the functioning of an immune system. This can cause certain vaccines to be ineffective and injuries to take longer to heal.

This is especially dangerous because if skin cancer were to develop, it would be very difficult to fight

it with a weakened immune system The effectiveness of certain medications, such as birth control, lowers with the use of tanning beds.

Tanning frequently can add up. A visit to any Bloomington tanning salon can range from $3 to $10.

As of July 1, there is also a 10 percent tanning tax in effect. The tax is part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and is meant to discourage people from going to tanning salons.

It costs $5 for fifteen minutes in an Ultimate tanning bed at A Total Tan. If a person went tanning three times a week for one year, the total cost would be $720 a year.

Going tanning four times a week for a year would make the cost $960.

That’s equivalent to a little more than seven iPod nanos.

Despite the cost and potential dangers of tanning, some students continue to visit tanning beds.

“I do think about the bad effects. I worry about getting skin cancer,” Peaslee said, “But I don’t think I go enough to get it.”

Six years later, he had another basal cell on his face. Both were removed very early on, so he suffered no long-term damage.

“I had two basal cells, maybe three. I don’t even remember,” Stephenson said. “I started catching them early.”

Stephenson has never been in a tanning bed.

He doesn’t sunbathe, and he has never exposed himself to the sun for cosmetic reasons. He got most of his exposure from mountain climbing, hiking, and being outside in the natural sunlight.

“Maintaining a tan for fashion or to achieve a “healthy” look is to me as silly as smoking cigarettes to look cool,” said Stephenson, “and you will pay for that fashion statement later with wrinkles and other forms of skin damage.”

The UV rays in tanning beds are about three times stronger than natural sunlight, the cause of Stephenson’s cancers.

“I was a very lucky man,” said Stephenson.

“If (that man) hadn’t seen my cancerous mole,

No Bed Necessary One teacher shares his baĴle with skin cancer Scott Stephenson was at a pool party in 2002. He was walking around in swim trunks and no shirt, enjoying the summer weather.

Suddenly a man walked up to him and poked him on the back. “You really ought to get that checked out,” the man said. “My son had one of those, and it turned out to be cancer.”

Stephenson, who was unaware of the mole on his back, went to the doctor.

The mole turned out to be more than serious – it was stage two melanoma. Stages three and four can be lethal.

“Luckily, it was removed in time,” Stephenson said.

This wasn’t Stephenson’s first experience with a form of skin cancer. At age 33, he had a basal cell carcinoma on his nose.

Basal cell carcinomas are the most common type of skin cancer. They are rarely lethal, but they can cause disfiguration of the affected area.

October 2010

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Giant Pumpkins Why one student and her family grew a12-ft fruit.

Photo Courtesy of Lizzie Ray

Story and Design by Karima Boukary

T

Go online to see a selection of full color photos of the Rays and their pumpkin.

his year the Pumpkin Harvest Festival in Noblesville bore some of the world’s largest fruits.

One of these giants belonged to the family of junior Lizzie Ray. She and her father David Ray had to use a trailer to haul their prize fruit, a 956 pound pumpkin, to the annual festival to enter it into the competition.

There was a lot involved in getting their pumpkin to grow so large. It begins with the type of seeds. To create the seed for a single giant pumpkin, cross-pollination of other giant pumpkins is necessary.

The Rays acquired their first giant pumpkin seeds from their neighbor Kevin Dudley three years ago.

“He’s the one that got us started. Since he grows giant pumpkins he gives away fifty seeds every year to potential growers,” Lizze said. “Out of all the people he has given seeds to, we’ve been growing the longest.”

Dudley also taught the Rays a few pumpkin growing techniques.The whole Ray family helps grow the pumpkin, tending to it, making sure it stays in the shade and making sure it doesn’t overheat.

Lizzie’s mother Mary Ray and her siblings, sophomore Megan Ray and TriNorth 8th-grader David Ray Jr., all spent a considerable amount of time in their garden this season growing this giant pumpkin.

“We started growing it in April and stopped the first Saturday in September,” Lizzie said.

When it’s time for the festival, the Rays clip the pumpkin’s stem and place it in a jug of water to keep it from drying out and losing water, which would drastically reduce the pumpkin’s weight.

The first pumpkin the Rays entered in the festival’s giant pumpkin contest weighed 640 pounds. This year, they managed to grow a pumpkin over 300 pounds heavier.

“The pumpkin ended up measuring 12 feet in diameter and weighed 956 pounds,” Lizzie said.

This year their pumpkin won fifth place and a $100 prize. The first prize winner of the competition had a pumpkin weighing approximately 1,080 pounds and won $1000.

The Rays have a few pounds to go, but Lizzie was optimistic.

“We’re definitely going to keep growing,” Lizzie Ray said, “hopefully next year’s will be even bigger.”

Best wishes to Bloomington North’s

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

T.J. Perry Sales Representative

www.herffjones.com www.hjconnection.com/tjperry

Behind the Referendum Volunteers canvass neighborhoods to assess and obtain voter support.

Story and Photos by Siyang Liu Design by Jessi Rannochio

North senior Will Liao and South seniors Mary Ardery and Dillon Baugh canvass in Highland Park neighborhood. Here they look over what houses they still need to visit on their packets.

Why we Need a Referendum March 14, 2008 Indiana House approves tax cuts for homeowners and switches school revenue to sales taxes

A brief history of the district’s recent financial situation.

June 22, 2010 MCCSC approves referendum proposal to increase the annual property tax by a maximum rate of 14.02 cents per 100 dollars in assessed property value

Feb. 20, 2010 Coupled with the economic downturn and the school revenue switch, the MCCSC cuts 5.8 million dollars from its budget

Two hallways and a flight of stairs after entering the MCCSC’s administration building, you’ll find a room with boxes of yellow packets stacked on long tables and adults all wearing shirts with the same slogan: “Votes Yes on #2.”

For the past few weekends, the basement of the administration building has been turned into the community outreach headquarters for the referendum.

Jenny Olmes-Stevens, an organizer and leader of this outreach effort, has been putting in long hours.

She, along with her co-workers, don’t get paid.

They’re all volunteers who put in their own time to help support the referendum.

Olmes-Stevens knows the local school system well.

Her daughter graduated from MCCSC a few years back.

She also has a freshman son at North and a 9 year old.

She wants them to have the same opportunities her daughter had.

Nov. 2, 2010 The referendum will appear on the general election ballot

Aug. 3, 2010 After budget cuts, the MCCSC fundraised 90 percent of its 750,000 dollar goal to keep ECA personnel for the 2010-2011 school year

“The idea that he wouldn’t be able to do swimelection day. ming, the band program, or participate in school “We’ll call them, go to their home again, whatever government or any of the fine things a lot of kids it takes to get them out to vote,” Moore said. connect to in high school is, I think, pretty sad,” Moore emphasized that the goal of canvassing is Olmes-Stevens said. not to try to sway people to reverse their opinions That possibility, as many supporters of the because their minds are probably already made up. referendum believe, could be avoided through the Each volunteer group gets a canvassing packet passage of the referendum. that matches a specific neighborhood. A canvassing One way to get support for such a proposal is packet has four columns, each labeled “yes, unsure, neighborhood canvassing, or going to potential no or not home” voters’ homes to determine if they’re familiar with Canvassers fill out which status applies to each of the referenndum. the homes they’ve visited. Volunteers then return If not, Olmes-Stevens said canvassers distribute the packets so the organizers can update their pro-referendum brochures and information to willinformation. ing recipients.

Bloomington is divided into canvassing neigbor“The goal is to conhoods based nect with the people on elementary in the community school district. to make sure they’re Olmes-Stevens aware,” she said. is in charge Canvassing is a fairof organizing ly common practice. canvassing for The time frame that neighborhoods in Olmes-Steves and districts of the elother volunteers have ementary schools been working under that feed into at the headquarters is North: Arlington, not, however.

Grandview, Fair“A political camview, University, paign usually lasts 18 Binford and Rogmonths and we’ve ers Elementary.

Jenny Olmes-Stevens is a volunteer organizer at canvassing headbeen doing this for “We typically quarters. In this photo Olmes-Stevens updates packet information. about one,” Olmesask high school Stevens said. The volunteers what election that will decide the fate of the referendum elementary school they went to since they tend takes place Nov. 2. to be most comfortable going into that neighbor“We’ve been working and moving 200 mph,” hood,” Olmes-Stevens said.

Olmes-Stevens said.

Volunteers come in a wide range of ages. They The first thing volunteers have to do is produce range from elementary kids accompanied by their canvassing packets. These thick yellow envelopes parents to adults to retired teachers. include information like the names of all the regisOlmes-Stevens noted that high school students tered voters in a neighborhood, as well as their ages tended to be more prompt in returning their canand how recently they last voted. vassing packets once they are finished doing their Olmes-Stevens characterized the canvasser’s job round. She appreciates what they’ve added to the as going out there “to collect information.” outreach effort.

All first-time canvassing volunteers go through a “They’re young and energetic,” Olmes-Stevens 10 minute training session with one of the organizsaid. “It makes us want to do what we do even more ers. In one such session Regina Moore, a volunteer when we see how enthusiastic they are.” who is also the city clerk, summed up to four For her, that’s enough to justify her efforts. volunteers what they should do when they’re at “We’ve made extreme sacrifices,” she said in refersomeone’s door. ence to the all the organizers and volunteers in the “If they say yes, thank them. If they’re unsure, room. “Our children have been asked to go without leave them additional information from your packdinner, to go with babysitters, and we haven’t been ets. If they say no, thank them for their time and able to help them with homework.” move on,” Moore said.

Still, Olmes-Stevens doesn’t doubt her mission.

Potential “yes” voters get contacted again prior to “It’s totally worth it.”

Taking Voting Seriously North graduate Andrew Miles-Francyzk considers the “greater good” when deciding how he’ll vote on the referendum.

Andrew Miles-Franczyk is a North graduate and freshman at Indiana University. He’s excited to be voting in elections for the first time although, most friends his age aren’t voting in the mid-term elections.

Miles-Francyzk figures that they would be more likely to vote during the presidential election. He disagrees with this tendency.

“Voting in the mid-terms is just as important as voting in the presidential election,” Miles-Francyzk said. “This is when you elect many different people who are going to represent your community.”

The referendum is one of the ballot items he will pay attention to and vote on. He plans on voting in favor of it.

Miles-Francyzk’s thought process as a voter comes down to answering the question, “What would best contribute to the society as a whole?”

In his opinion, supporting the referendum would be the right step to that end. He recognizes that the referendum requires property taxes to be raised, which some people, especially those without children in the public school system, object to. However, as a voter he feels that it’s important to look at the bigger picture.

“Today’s children will be future leaders of the country, and they need to be strong individuals with good education,” Miles-Francyzk said. “Education is important and we should do everything in our power to ensure there is a funding to keep education at top quality.”

October 2010

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“With Music Destroyed, We’ll Only Create Noise” 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, Photos and Design by Whitney Taylor

[Upcoming Albums] Rock • Nov. 2 • •

“Cardiology” Good Charlotte Nov. 16 “Working On A Dream” Bruce Springsteen Nov. 22 “Danger Day: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys” My Chemical Romance

Country • • •

Nov. 14 “Nothing Like This” Rascal Flatts Nov.16 “Burns & Poe” Burns & Poe Nov. 22 “Outlaw Reunion” Waylon Jennings & Willie Nelson

• • •

Pop/Powerpop

Rap/Hip-Hop

•

•

•

• • •

• •

Oct. 27 “Probe” Zero Degree Nov. 2 “Punk Goes Pop Vol. 3” Various Artists Nov. 9 “Now 36: That’s What I Call Music” Various Artists

• •

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Nov. 2 “Once Around” Autumn Defense Nov. 9 “Tapes” The Big Pink Nov. 16 “2205” Sick of Sarah

Metal/Hardcore Nov. 2 “Escape the Fate” Escape the Fate Nov. 9 “Contagion” Oceano Nov. 9 “Bloody Pit of Horror” Gwar Nov. 9 “Disambiguation” Underoath

Jazz

Indie

• •

Nov. 9 “Accents” Scott Feiner Nov. 9 “Hour Of Separation” Joseph Tawadros Nov. 16 “Dreamsville” Maria Winther

R&B/Soul

Oct. 29 “Audio Kush” Big J Nov. 2 “Love Me Back” Jazmine Sullivan Nov. 16 “Dark Twisted Fantasy” Kanye West

• • •

Nov. 2 “Soulsville” Huey Lewis & The News Nov. 2 “Rock Dust Light Star” Jamiroquai Nov. 9 “Sleeping Beauty” Abby Dobson

Click On This: watch AntiSwag Fiend Party’s music video for their song, “Anti-Swag,” online

[Upcoming Shows] Oct. 27 Foster’s Branch Cheeseburger in Paradise Oct 28 When This Dies The Emerson Theater Oct 29 Hope for the Dying The Gear

Oct 29 John Mellencamp Indiana University, Wilkie Auditorium Oct. 29 The Weepies Radio Radio Oct 30 Liza Minnelli Hilbert Circle Theatre

Oct 30 Insane Clown Posse Verizon Wireless Music Center Oct. 30 Locus Amoenus (local band) Rhino’s Youth Center Nov 1 3OH!3 & Hellogoodbye The Murat Theatre at Old National Centre

Nov 4 Sufjan Stevens Hilbert Circle Theatre Nov 11 The Downtown Fiction The Emerson Theater Nov. 14 CJ Boyd Rachael’s Cafe

Page headline a lyric from“Stabbing Art to Death” by Showbread

[Band Feature]

[Inspiration Station]

Anti-Swag Fiend Party

Without musical artists, the world as we know it wouldn’t be the same. Students share which artists inspire them.

Members of the band sit down to talk with Fused about their names, their inspiration and their music.

How did you come up with your name?

Fricktion: The anti-swag part represents our opposition to the idea of “swag” in hip-hop, which to me seems to be based largely on money and posessions. The party part comes from our goal to have danceable hip-hop beats while having more to say than your average party rap song. Also, we like to try and make our live shows feel like a big party. As far as the fiend part, it was largely influenced by The Misfits, but I also see it in reference to the fact that a lot of ideals come from outside many people’s common sets of social norms and morals.

Neither of you use your real name as your stage name. How did you end up with the names you have now?

C.DeL: It’s an abbreviation for Color DeLarge.

Color is a dual metaphor for diversity, both regarding me and the world around us. I called my self Color DeLarge in a song in my other group, an allusion to Alex DeLarge from ‘A Clockwork Orange” and it just stuck.

Fricktion : My girlfriend from high school actually came up with the name DJ Fricktion based on

I’m really into Flo–Rida right now. I’m stuck on his song, “Club Can’t Handle Me”

my last name, Friik. I’ve been mainly going by Fricktion lately because I’m not really a DJ in the performance sense and I have friends who are now so I just felt like a phony.

myself forward, especially when I’m making music. Someone else went through this, I can too.

What lyrics have impacted your life?

Fricktion: “Who cares if I’m in the hospital tomorrow or end in sorrow here today. When it’s all just gonna end up all the same anyway?” from “All Falls Away” by Gonna Get Got. This particular set of lines seems to me to have a true bearing on life. I’ve always felt that I am the slightest bit of an existentialist, because I feel like regardless of what you do or don’t do with your life, everything pretty much ends up the same. The idea conveyed in these lyrics is simultaneously so uplifting and depressing. I find it incredible.

C.DeL: “I’m here, but not at all.” from “Arrive” by HORSE the Band.

This seemingly too simple line has almost become a motto of sorts for me, one which expresses a feeling I’ve felt and relieves me from the full weight of an emotional burden. I can remind myself of this when I need to push

What is your favorite song to preform live?

C.DeL: “Grem.” I love this one because of its energy. I managed to sample the first Gremlins movie in the beat and am really happy with how it came out. It makes me want move all over and the crowd always chimes in on the chorus, which is a lot of fun for everyone.

Fricktion: “It Tastes So Good (But Now I Know).” This track is about a topic that I feel very strongly about.

The whole idea of the song is that you can choose to be actively informed in your decisions or sit back and enjoy blissful ignorance and how your choice can affect those around you. Both C. DeL and I are pouring our all into the lyrics and this track and I think that really comes across live.

October 2010

Freshman Cole Blessinger

I have been listening to Julieta Venegas a lot recently. I’m really interested in Spanish and she inspires me to want to learn more.

Sophomore Lydia Elmer

I am probably most inflenced by Jimi Hendrix. He’s really creative.

Junior Onyi Afoaku

I love Jason Mraz and Norah Jones. In a world of auto-tuned pop music, like Ke$ha, they’re so original and it’s refreshing.

Senior Grace Park

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STUDENT

Art SHOWCASE

PHOTOGRAPHY

1 Compiled by Jessi Rannochio

1. This photo of a rose was taken by sophomore Rachel Belcher at the Bloomington Farmer’s Market. “To me this picture shows that even simple things we see everyday can be beautiful, abstract pieces of art,” Belcher said.

2. This portrait of Julia Telthorst was taken by her sister, senior Laura Telthorst in Puerto Rico. “This photo shows my youngest sister’s beauty and how she is maturing as she gets older,” Telthorst said.

3. Sophomore Kasey Edie’s little sister peers into a window across the street from their house. “This picture means a lot to me and my sister. It shows her personality because she is a very curious little girl. One day i will show it to her husband,” Edie said.

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3