Giving the finger to “The Man” Culture of drug use today versus past
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INSIDE
Pg.2 Attempted ban not only affects adults Pg.3 Road to success Pg. 4 Profile of a vegetarian Pg. 6 Gran Torino ignites Pg. 7 Unexpected help
Gracing halls, classroom
A closer look inside glass cases, classes that fill them
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CHALLENGER HOOVER PUBLICATIONS 4800 AURORA DES MOINES.IA. 50310 515.242.7313 1.23.09 V.42 I.6
212 set to graduate
Schools work to keep dropout rate down Thao Pham health editor
The capitol building in downtown Des Moines is where the Iowa legislature meets. Some students believe that the ac�ons of the legislature has corrupt their own ac�ons. “I think when we have corrupt people in government we will be more prone to do the same corrupt things,” Good said. ������� ����� �����
Corrupt poli�cs leave bad impression politicians have a larger influence on
Chloe Gamble the American population than they may opinion editor think they do. Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich was arrested Tuesday Dec. 9 after he was discovered to have been attempting to sell president elect Barack Obama’s former Senate seat. In addition, Blagojevich was proven to have withheld state support from the Chicago Tribune in order to have editorial writers fired who had openly criticized him. Senior Cathy DeLay said she despises politicians who lie and cheat to get ahead because they are deceiving the people who voted them into office. “I think it’s dumb because they’re voted in by the people and they’re lying to those people. They can’t really be trusted,” DeLay said. DeLay thinks having politicians who conspire to gain power or money is a sign of weak government and believes she is not the only one who views America in that light. “I think it means our government is falling apart because we don’t have a true honest government anymore,” DeLay said. “It shows other countries that all Americans are liars when we’re really not.” Government corruption has always existed but having a political scandal unfold so close to home has opened some students’ eyes to the effects of cheating in order to get ahead. Senior Kylie Good said she believes corrupt
“I think when we have corrupt people in government we will be more prone to do the same corrupt things,” Good said. Whether it’s a governor accused of auctioning off a senate seat or a student handing in a plagiarized paper, Good thinks morals are compromised in the act of cheating. “If you cheat once and get away with it, you’ll cheat again,” Good said. “Eventually you’ll get caught.” Even though she realizes cheating is wrong and often comes with a price, Good admits to feeling at times that there seems to be no other option. “It’s not good but sometimes you need to do it. When I don’t know what I’m doing on my homework I do what I have to to turn something in, but I always go back and learn what I didn’t understand,” Good said. While Good can relate to students feeling the need to cheat in order to meet a due date or get by, she thinks cheating to get ahead is a different story. “Cheating to get by is trying to not get the worst grade possible, but cheating to get ahead means you could have done more,” Good said. Though she knows reasons for cheating are many, Good thinks that most students cheat or plagiarize because they aren’t confident in their own ability to be successful in a class or
Ge�ng to know you
Secretary of Agriculture Former Gov. Tom Vilsack, D-Iowa Vilsack has experience heading gubernatorial groups on biotechnology and ethanol. He is expected to put into place a $290 billion farm bill as a first priority.
Corrupt morals in government sets negative precedent on an assignment. “A lot of kids who aren’t doing well in a class are more likely to cheat than kids who have a solid grade,” Good said. English teacher Jennifer Shiek said that in the eight years she has been teaching she has encountered her fair share of identical test answers and plagiarized papers. She believes students feel the need to cheat because they aren’t confident in themselves or the quality of their work. “Plagiarism is high and integrity is low. The most common reason I think is laziness, second is confidence. It takes a lot of hard work to write a paper, every single word has to be something you think of,” Shiek said. Another justification for cheating that Shiek has come across is the desire some students have to make a better impression on colleges. “If students are concerned with getting into college they think more about getting ahead in life,” Shiek said. “I tell the kids, ‘I want to hear your words,’ because their words are good enough.” Shiek said she wants students to set goals and reach them, but not at the expense of their moral values. “If you really want a guilt-free success you have to do what you know you should do instead of what is easy. You have to hope that someone along the way taught you the value of right and wrong,” Shiek said.
Obama’s proposed cabinet
Secretary of Educa�on Arne Duncan Duncan has extensive experience working with disadvantaged communi�es and educa�on. He has been Chicago Public Schools CEO since 2001.
Secretary of Energy Steven Chu Chu is a former Nobel Prize winner. He stated his support for nuclear power and ‘clean coal’ technology and a focus on global warming during his Senate hearing Jan. 13.
Currently, approximately 212 seniors are expected to graduate this year, which is a relatively small senior class. Graduation requirements have been increased, which are based on credits. To graduate, a student needs 23 credits and passing grades of at least D’s or higher. Principal Doug Wheeler stressed the importance of making sure a student is up to par in credits. “There are kids even in tenth grade that we are checking to see that are behind in credits,” Wheeler said. During the past year, reports actually showed Hoover being close to having the second highest graduation rate in the state of Iowa, just behind Roosevelt High School. According to www.dmps. k12.ia.us, the graduation rate is 78 percent. Although graduation rates are considerably above average compared to national standards, the faculty and administrators continue to help students succeed. One of the main reasons for dropping out of high school is a lack of motivation and engagement in school. Counselor Barbara Campbell expressed her observations on students who have come to her about dropping out of school. “Lack of motivation in school connects to falling behind. Poor attendance is the biggest problem. Poor attendance lets you fall behind and makes you want to give up,” Campbell said. Senior Viana Nguyen thinks that although the faculty should have a significant impact in motivating students to reach higher, it is the student that is most accountable for their decisions. “Teachers can only do so much with a student. It has to be a student that applies themselves. A teacher can only take it so far,” Nguyen said. The implementation of block scheduling has been effective in terms of student engagement and dropout rates. More class time and freedom to exercise creativity in classrooms have been significant factors. “The ways schools were intentionally set up were more like an assembly line. That system is efficient,” Wheeler said. “We only have so many students and so many staff because education is set up like that. It’s more impersonal and students don’t feel like teachers talk to them as much or care about them. Block scheduling helps. The relationships and quality of time to see them for has increased,” Wheeler said. Commerce—Gov. Bill Richardson, D-NM, withdrew Defense—Current Defense Secretary Robert Gates Health & Human Services—Former Sen. Tom Daschle, D-SD Homeland Security—Gov. Janet Napolitano, D-AZ Housing & Urban Development—Shaun Donovan Interior—Sen. Ken Salazar, D-CO Jus�ce—Eric Holder Labor—Rep. Hilda Solis, D-CA State—Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY Transporta�on—Rep. Ray LaHood, R-IL Treasury—Timothy Geithner �������: �� ���� � ����� ������, ��� ����, �� ����� ��� ������ �������