Issue 8

FIGHT

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-pg. 5

INSIDE

Pg.3 Heart without a home Pg.4 Pledges preserve purity Pg.5 Run, Kaleb, run Pg. 6 Motley Crue concert review Pg. 7 Not the kind of drama students expected

Teachers say what?

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-pg. 2

CHALLENGER HOOVER PUBLICATIONS 4800 4800 AURORA DES MOINES.IA. 50310 515.242.7313 3.6.08 I.8 .6.08 V.42 I.

Planning to pay for prom �� Keonnie Warren staﬀ writer

Juniors Charae Miller, Lizzie Thomas and Latasha Porte talk to eighth graders about high school. Junior Allison O’Braza is one of 60 students who were chosen to par�cipate in IGNITE, a mentoring program for the incoming freshmen class. “IGNITE will really help students get involved in more ac�vi�es,” O’Braza said. ��

Students hope to in incoming freshmen

spark

�� Tanner Buckley open new students up. “IGNITE will really help students entertainment editor After watching eighth graders struggle with the transition from middle school to high school, staff members have brought a new program into the school. The IGNITE program aims to pair high school students with eighth graders to mentor over the summer, getting them prepared for the next level. Junior Allison O’Braza is excited for the new program. “I think it can be a successful program if students take it seriously,” O’Braza said. O’Braza said the program is only in its beginning stages. “We’ve only taken part in one allday training seminar which helped us become better leaders,” O’Braza said. O’Braza said she thinks Ignite will

get involved in more activities,” O’Braza said. Junior Cody Sargent is also a mentor for Ignite. Sargent said he thinks the program may or may not work, but he hopes it is successful. “It depends on how the students handle it. You can’t make someone want to succeed in high school,” Sargent said. Sargent said he believes motivation is the key to success and hopes he can motivate younger students to do well in high school. “I think that this mentoring program will help students understand what to avoid and what it takes to be motivated in high school,” Sargent said. Teacher and coach Mike Vukovich has been a member of the Hoover staff

for two years. Vukovich is enthused about the new program. “They came and presented it to Mr. (Doug) Wheeler (principal) and I and we agreed to take it on,” Vukovich said. IGNITE is also being initiated in other metro schools including North, East and Roosevelt. Around 60 members are taking part in IGNITE at Hoover. Some students were motivated to join because of the extra credit that’s involved. “I’m sure Silver Cord (volunteer)hours and the extra credit (.25 a year) got them interested, but I truly believe that most of the mentors are enjoying this opportunity,” Vukovich said. Vukovich is hoping that IGNITEwill help impact students’ lives. “I am hoping this will help incoming freshmen get a head start on their high school experience,” Vukovich said.

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The bill hopes to create or save 3.5 million jobs over the next two years. This is based on an analysis by the Council of Economic Advisors. Obama is con�nuing to push legisla�on toward his goals of na�onaliza�on of health care and clean energy. Jobs created with money from the s�mulus package will include employments from these industries and others. Passed into law Feb. 17, the American Reinvestment transform and Recovery Act is an eﬀort to create jobs andmulate the the economy with “the most ambi�ous eﬀort the s� economy in our na�on’s history.” Opponents of the $789 billion s�mulus package worry that the plan is an incredible gamble with the na�on’s wellbeing. I Obama’s response was that passivity is not an op�on. “And s. addres 17 Feb. a in said he ,” happen that let refuse to Now that the bill is passed, though,

what will it ol mean for high scho students?

Seniors look forward to prom and graduation, but first money must be raised to pay for it. Senior Apajok Wal said ticket prices will inflate if fundraising fails. “If we don’t get money raised it’s going to be around $80, but if we do get enough money raised it’s going to be around $20,” Wal said. Senior Sami Ricke said the class won’t be able to raise enough money unless all students contribute. “At this point no one really knows how expensive prom and graduation is going to be, but if people aren’t doing their part to raise money it’s going to be expensive,” Ricke said. Senior Nakia Prather said she thinks there should be a junior and senior prom. “I think there should be a junior and senior prom, but just not together,” Prather said. The graduation ceremony is another costly senior event. “You should go to the graduation ceremony. Why not go and show off that accomplishment that you have overcome? Also it’s a huge chapter in your life that you done with,” Ricke said. In addition to paying for high school events, seniors also have to worry about college. “I started planning for college my junior year. I had lots of colleges in mind but just recently I decided that I want to go to Illinois State. It’s about four or five and a half hours away from here,” Ricke said. Wal said that this year seniors get to keep their caps and gowns. “I’m not sure how much the cap and gown costs. I think it depends on what type of package you get but this year we get to keep the cap and gown so however much it is, it’s worth it,” Wal said.

The bill will provide $53.6 billion to states and school districts to prevent teacher layoﬀs and other educa�on cuts. The package will also fund the Pell Grant, which helps millions of students aﬀord college. Early Head Start and Head start will receive $1.1 billion and $1 billion, respec�vely, providing children with services and crea�ng 15,000 new jobs in childcare and early childhood educa�on.

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This legisla�on provides a temporary increase in the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage. This is so no state has to cut eligibility for Medicaid because of budget shor�alls. It will also create “considerable state economic ac�vity, jobs, and wages,” according to the plan’s execu�ve summary.

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2 news NEWS BRIEFS Diversity week assembly today The annual diversity assembly will be held today in the auditorium. This year’s assembly will feature a song from the upcoming produc�on of The Wiz, songs performed by Asian students, a song and dance performed by La�no students and a fashion show put together by African students. Faculty supervisor/English teacher) Jennifer Shiek said she thinks the assembly showcases Hoover’s diversity as a way for students to embrace it. “The goal is to entertain and educate Hoover students about the diverse cultures we have here in hopes of promo�ng respect and apprecia�on for our diﬀerences,”

Sports assembly next week

The Mar. 10 spring sports assembly will include boys and girls track, soccer and tennis. “It’s gonna be hype,” sophomore Nathan Brown said. Students also looking forward to the tradi�onal compe��on for the spirit s�ck. “Sophomores be�er get the spirit s�ck or I’m gonna snap on some judges,” sophomore Kaleb Van Cleave said.

Jazz fest tomorrow The 38th Annual Hoover JazzFest will be taking place tomorrow. Audiences are welcome. It will include over 60 bands and combos. Musicians will be judged in various centers around the building.

Choir audi�ons Mar. 24-26 Audi�ons for Chamber choir and Harmony jazz choir are scheduled to take place Mar. 24 -26. Students planning on trying out should be ready to sing and sightread. Choir director Anna Wolf stressed that audi�ons are open and anyone is welcome to try. “I would love a bigger turnout, anyone can try out!” Wolf said. Wolf said that packets will be ready with the audi�on cut before spring break. Wolf’s advice for students ﬁrst trying out is to get help from people who have already audi�oned or who have been in the group.

payton quinn page design

History teachers

say

what? �� Payton Quinn news editor For Iowa students, taking world history and American history are required to graduate, but teachers in the Des Moines district have some new ideas on how to make it more interesting for students. DMPS humanities curriculum coordinator David Johns decided to make a change and presented the idea of changing up how history is taught. American history teacher Jason Danielson is one of the teachers involved in the program. “A large group of us got together including myself, (history teacher Amber) Davison and (history teacher Maureen) Murphy and brainstormed ideas for different units,” Danielson said. The group started by looking at the big problems and what their goals are going to be. “We hope to do away with survey courses; the fail rates are high because poor content is being presented,” Danielson said. One thing the teachers are trying to change the most is combining and changing how information is presented. Junior Basil Vennard has opinions and thoughts about the change and how class works now. “I think my class is kind of hard but I have fun; I think new information could

no , it’s not a mirage.

Speech contest par�cipants move to state Districts for IHSSA Individual Speech Contest were Feb. 28, with those receiving I ra�ngs going on to state. State will be held Sat. Mar. 14. There are over 20 entrants in diﬀerent categories, including ac�ng, poetry and musical theatre. Speech teacher and sponsor Sarah Hamilton said she has enjoyed coaching the students and is looking forward to seeing them perform on their own. “It’s just a variety of diﬀerent categories to help the students develop public speaking in fun and crea�ve ways,” Hamilton said.

3.6.09.v42.i8

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History teacher Jason Danielson talks to freshman Dwight Sistrunk in us history. Danielson is using his classes as guinea pigs. He wants to try out how the change will aﬀect students before next year. �� be presented,” Vennard said. Vennard said that every year she learns the same thing, just in a different form of teaching. “Teachers are getting ideas to change how they teach and what information they give to the students: we need new ideas,” Danielson said. The point of the group is to better the learning experience for the students and increase the incentive for them to pass. Not all schools in the district chose to be involved in this program. “Hoover, Roosevelt and Lincoln are the schools that are involved in the program; East and North chose not to be involved,” Danielson said. In addition to meeting in small groups the teachers have also started practicing on their classes and seeing how the ideas and new projects are working. “I think the class needs more projects; that’s my favorite part because we get to talk and work with our friends,” Vennard said. Danielson said the group was considering changing the credit system for history classes. He also said they were considering combining American history and world history into one class.

“A mix of history classes will happen, and it will be half a credit and the students will have to fill the other credit space with electives, that’s just an idea,” Danielson said. Danielson said he thinks this will be an upgrade for the history department and will help students get better grades. He said he thinks that the teachers need to make history more relevant to the students. “I’m excited. I like the idea; it’s more thematic and project-based, which is more useful to the students than listening to lectures and taking notes the whole time,” Danielson said. Danielson said he had more interest in high school so he didn’t mind the notes and lectures. “I loved lectures and taking notes; that’s just the type of learner I am, but we need to be realistic about teens and how they learn,” Danielson said. Danielson hopes that when the new idea gets set in place they will be able to use more outside speakers and take more trips to learn new things. “I hope that failures decrease,” Danielson said. “We are tying to make it better for students to learn about history and incorporating their personal experiences and stories.”

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features 3

HOMELESS HOMELES S in america A few quick facts regarding teen homelessnes in the United States ��

RESOURCES �� SOURCE: WWW.AIDS FOR TEENS.COM

HILLARY OLSON PHOTO ILLUSTRATION

Heart without a home

�� Jessica Thrane opinion editor Sophomore Amber Trimble pictures homeless shelters having cement walls and cots. Trimble is facing the very real possibility of finding herself staying in a homeless shelter. With her mom out of a job and the economy being in a recession, Trimble’s fears may just become a reality. “I’ve never really been to a shelter but I’m kind of scared of them,” Trimble said.

Trimble’s family is facing the possibility of a shelter because her mom lost her job at Wells Fargo. “My mom used to work at Wells Fargo but she got fired because she couldn’t adapt to the changes. My mom was at Wells Fargo for 28 years,” Trimble said. “It’s been really hard lately knowing that we can’t just go out and get things.” A lot of jobs are being cut because of the economy. Trimble has been looking for a job to help her mom but feels that it is harder for women to do.

“I think it’s harder to find a job for women these days. We have to try ten times harder to keep jobs, and when we lose them it makes things way difficult,” Trimble said. Even though her mom will get another job, there’s a chance that the family won’t get their house back. “My house will probably go back on the market, and might have to go live at a homeless shelter. My dad will probably help me and my roommate but I really don’t know about my mom,” Trimble said. Trimble said the situation is affecting her school life. “I’m worrying about it so much that I’m not even paying too much attention to school,” Trimble said. The effects can be felt by many people around the person who actually lost their job and in this case it can lead to the family moving to a shelter until they can get another job. “I don’t know how long we’ll be

Weight of the world

there, but hopefully not for long. Not knowing anyone there and the fact that I would have to get used to something new scares me,” Trimble said. There is not always calm after the storm, and for some, the scariest part comes after they go through a shelter. “After my mom gets a job she might want to move to a place where it’s easier to live,” Trimble said. Trimble’s family has a few choices before the shelter. “My first choice, I know would be to go with my dad, but I’m scared of where my mom will go. I think she may go with her boyfriend,” Trimble said. Trimble said her family may be able to help with her situation. “We can maybe stay with relatives and that’s a possibility that we’re looking at,” Trimble said. Despite the looming reality of being homeless Trimble keeps her hopes up. “We are really hoping that things look up,” Trimble said.

�� Jason Reichenbacher staﬀ writer Many students are enrolled in weighted classes, which are advanced classes that boost students’ GPA depending on performance in the class. Students who take weighted classes are looking at a larger home work load and tougher tests. Junior John Preston’s schedule is full of weighted courses, ranging from Pre-calculus to AP Language and Composition. Preston doesn’t notice a difference in difficulty from weighted classes to normal classes. “(However) Central really emphasizes the rigor of the curriculum,” Preston said. -JuniorJohn Preston believes Preston taking weighted classes prepares students for college. “There’s a lot of homework, but colleges are looking for people who work hard,” Preston said. Preston participates in cross country

and play productions. Preston said that weighted classes don’t have too much effect on his extracurricular activities. “My academics are more important to me, plays are fun but academics prepare you more for life,” Preston said. Junior Kayleigh Wren is also enrolled in weighted classes. Wren said that weighted classes are not much harder than her normal ones. “Pre-calc is hard though,” Wren Said. Wren also said there are advantages to taking weighted classes. “It makes me feel smarter,” Wren said. Wren also said she feels the disadvantage of weighted courses is the workload. Wren feels that colleges notice students taking weighted classes. “The classes make the student a better candidate for the (college) classroom,” Wren said. Wren participates in cross country, drama, choir and church. She claims that her classes make it harder to concentrate on her activities. Wren feels her extra curricular activities are more important to her. “(I do them) because they’re fun, duh!” Wren said.

“There’s a lot of homework, but colleges are looking for people who work hard.”

HILLARY OLSON PHOTO ILLUSTRATION

Freshman Michelle Tran is enrolled in physics, chemistry and honors English 9, both of which are weighted courses. Tran said she feels the difference between her weighted classes and her normal classes. “Weighted classes move a lot faster than normal classes,” Tran said. In some cases students taking weighted classes are getting a full year’s worth of a class’s material in one semester. This is not the case with all

weighted courses. Tran agreed that that the disadvantage of taking weighted classes is the amount of homework. “It’s difficult to learn, if you don’t get it you’re pretty much screwed,” Tran said. Many students decide to take weighted courses to help their GPA or if they simply feel a class is too easy. Counselors can provide options for students interested in weighted courses.

4 health

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Pledges preserve �� purity ��

V

Thao Pham health editor

irginity pledges are commitments made by youth to refrain from sexual intercourse until marriage. They have become more prevalent in today’s society, with famous celebrities such as the Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus openly displaying their purity rings. Purity rings are usually worn on the left hand with the implication that the wearer will remain abstinent until it is replaced with a wedding ring. Junior Sarah Bradley currently wears a purity ring that has the words “True Love Waits” engraved on it. “I have a purity ring but it doesn’t mean that I have to keep it, but I’m choosing to. I got it two years ago,” Bradley said. There are even formal events called purity balls for fathers and their daughters, which promotes virginity until marriage for teenage girls, and are often associated with Christian churches, particularly fundamentalist churches. Two prominent virginity pledge programs are True Love Waits and the Silver Ring Thing, which have used religion to promote the pledge. However recent studies have shown that virginity pledges may be ineffective. Harvard public health researcher Janet Rosenbaum made a report that teenagers who pledge to remain virgins until marriage are just as likely to have premarital sex as those who do not promise abstinence and are significantly less likely to use condoms and other forms of birth control when they do engage in sexual intercourse. Junior Cory Wenger blames this

statistic on teenagers’ inexperience with love. “I think it is because teenagers are gullible and fall in ‘love’ with “the ‘one.’ Maybe they just don’t know what they are doing,” Wenger said. This stirs controversy over whether abstinence-only sex education should be the only type of sex education for pledgers. Senior Joe Peppers believes that all teenagers should be given sexual education on all forms of safer sex. “I think it’s kind of good to let people know, even if you’re not gonna do it, because most people will do it sometime,” Peppers said. Virginity pledges can prove controversial in terms of how effective they are. Bradley said that it just depends on the individual. “If you really want to be a virgin until you fall in love, it’s effective, but it really just depends on the person,” Bradley said. Wenger personally does not believe in virginity pledges due to societal reasons. “Personally, I don’t believe in them because it seems pretty unrealistic considering the society we live in. Every song, movie, TV show and whatever has sex in it, and if people grow up around that, then that’s what they will know,” Wenger said. Another aspect to point out are gay and lesbian couples. Since they do not have legal rights to marry in most cases, it is difficult to swear to abstaining from sex until marriage. Rather than taking a virginity pledge as doing it as part of a program or from a parents’ influence, it might depend on the individual’s commitment that judges the effectiveness of the pledge. Peppers has his own views on the role a parent

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should have in their child’s decision. “I think that parents, no matter what they try to do, can’t control their kids and should just teach their kids how to prevent diseases and support their children the best that they can,” Peppers said. On the other hand, data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, shows that the behavior of adolescents who have made a virginity pledge is significantly different from that of peers who have not made a pledge. For instance, positive behavioral outcomes and lowered teenage pregnancy rates are benefits that result from virginity pledges. “I think if the person has the will, then they won’t break it,” Wenger said.

“If you really want

to be a virgin until you fall in love, it’s effective, but it really just depends on the person.”

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- Sarah Bradley

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sports 5 sp

heaven slye page design

Fight: ��

Heaven Slye sports editor

According to them, the P.E. system has been bumped up a few notches. Students said physical education recently has been getting tougher and teachers have been cracking down on what the students do in class. Junior Maggie Quernemoen is one of the students who took the intense physical fitness class. She feels it’s different. “I thought it was a lot different than when I did it last year,” Quernemoen said. In Hoover’s current physical education classes, the students lift weights and do exercises with the weight bars that weigh around 40 lbs.,

freshman Trey McIntosh said. “We lift weights. We have to do all these weird exercise thingies with these heavy bars,” McIntosh said. Freshman Aleigha Harryman said that the class played few games. Quernemoen said that they played one or two, one being a kind of kickball. “We don’t play many games, but we find times to have fun,” Harryman said. Other times, students do activities outside of the regular schedule. “We do other things. A little. We do bikes that are fun and we sometimes walk outside. Then we did bowling which was fun for a final,” McIntosh said. McIntosh said other students look at the class differently. They may not want to do what they are required to do, so they complain. “Students act like the class is hell,” McIntosh said. Harryman keeps going, though, even if she things that the class can get boring at times. “It gets a little boring when there isn’t much to do, but I try hard. I don’t give up easily,” said Harryman.

Students have recently begun to work harder where they par�cipate in ac�vi�es like riding bikes or doing exercises with weights. “We li� weights. We have to do all these weird exercise thingies with these heavy bars,” McIntosh said. E�� R��

Running to success

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Neﬁ Torres online media editor Sophomore Kaleb VanCleave began running when he was in kindergarten. “I ran all the time” VanCleave said. VanCleave’s inspiration comes from his mother “She challenges me. My dad wasn’t around so she took me to all my track practices and track meets,” VanCleave said. VanCleve was not always as fast as he is today. “I used to be dirt slow, but I ran and ran. I remember one time at nationals I forgot to breathe [while I was running], and I was kicking ass but I fell flat on my face. But I got back up and finished in dead last,” VanCleave said. VanCleave’s dedication and passion have taken him to run is most memorable race yet. Drake Relays. Sophomore Daeneen Green also was involved in the Drake Relays. “It was really exciting, also very sunny and hot,” Green said. According to Green, VanCleave works hard. “Kaleb gives everything to track and running,” Green said. VanCleave had gotten 10.8 seconds in the 100, 22.2 seconds in the 200, and 50.4 seconds in the 400. “You can tell he tries really hard,” Green said At the Drake Relays, VanCleave was pumped and ready to race.

HUSKY BRIEFS Cheerleaders working for cause Varsity has been prac�cing on Wednesdays and some�mes Saturdays. Their games are on Tuesdays and Fridays. Freshmen are having their games on Thursdays. Friday was JV and freshmen’s last game of the season where the team played Ames. Cheerleaders will be selling tshirts to raise money and awareness for breast cancer.

A new beginning for track runners Track training has begun for students. Training this year consists of stretching, long distance running and many other exercises. Sophomore Jordan Hoskins is looking forward to this season “I want to get a win, and be able to run good �mes,” Hoskins said. Girls track training has also began. Senior Apajok Wal thinks this year could bring in a lot of talent. “It’ll be fun. There are a lot of experienced freshmen joining this year,” Wal said.

Bowling stars going to state This year ﬁve Hoover students from the bowling team are going to state. The Hoover team this year has been working with a goal in mind: to get to state. The students gather to prac�ce twice a week. They also get extra prac�ce whenever they can. H�� S��

“I was thinking to myself: don’t false start, don’t false start. I get the biggest adrenaline rush so I just want the guy to pull the trigger,” VanCleave said. When the race started he was thinking was breathing and being focused. “When I was running I gave it my all and focused on my form with breathing and staying calm. That’s really important,” VanCleave said VanCleave hopes he can participate in the Drake Relays this upcoming track season. “I just got to keep my mind set and go for it. Stay focused and just run,” VanCleave said.

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Boys basketball: a look back “I used to be dirt slow, but I ran and ran...” VanCleave has run in the Drake Relays. At the Drake Relays, the top �me for the 100 is 10.01. VanCleave ended up ge�ng a 10.8, according to www.gobulldogs.org.

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The 16-5 varsity boys had a close game against Dowling Catholic last week. Huskies led in the ﬁrst quarter and won by one point. -Dec. 2 at Valley: L, 58-55 -Dec. 5 at Dowling: L, 56-41 -Dec. 9 Ankeny: W, 61-60 -Dec. 12 Lincoln: W, 77-55 -Jan. 5 Marshalltown: W, 64-60 -Jan. 6 at North: W, 81-73 -Jan. 9 O�umwa: W, 66-49 -Jan. 10 at Mason City: W, 77-49 -Jan. 13 Roosevelt: L, 68-63 -Jan. 16 at Lincoln: W, 60-57 OT -Jan. 20 at Southeast Polk: L, 64-56 -Jan. 23 East: W, 59-40 -Jan. 27 Indianola: W, 65-23 -Jan. 30 North: W, 85-69 -Jan. 31 at East: W, 64-42 -Feb. 3 Fort Dodge: W, 77-41 -Feb. 6 at O�umwa: W, 64-52 -Feb. 10 at Waukee: W, 46-44 -Feb. 13 at Roosevelt: W, 69-63 -Feb. 17 Urbandale: W, 63-59 -Feb. 20 Ames: L, 65-59

Condi�onaing has started for spring sports Spring condi�oning has started, with runners in the halls of Hoover. Please be cau�ous of athletes using the halls for training a�er school. Anyone interested in trying out for spring sports needs to have a current physical. Please see the ac�vi�es director Dan McClannahan or his secretary Carolyn Seeley for more dea�ls.

6 entertainment

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tanner buckley page design

1.

Michael Roby back page editor

r e g n e l l a Ch

Wells Fargo Arena reeked of drugs, sex and rock and roll well before there was a single figure on the dark stage. Motley Crue was due later in the night, for an evening of insanity and racy content. Theory of a Deadman and Hinder were the show’s opening acts, crying to the crowd about failed relationships, singing about the good ones, and insulting anyone in the audience ruining their night. After a brief pause, Crue made their presence known with satanic verses, fireworks and their number one single “Kickstart my Heart.” After “Kickstart my Heart” came songs including “Shout at the Devil,” “Wild Side,” and their latest single, “Saints of Los Angeles.” However, nothing seemed to make up for them opening with their best, always save your trump card for later. Motley Crue’s show was just too much Satan glamour and drugs in ratio to the tunes. The fun of the rock got lost in the shots of Jesus’ crucifixion. The music itself, rocked. Imagery and content? I could do without that junk.

Motley Crue rocks the Wells Fargo Arena Feb. 17. The Crue mixed up the setlist, playing songs from the ﬁrst album to the last. Singer Vince Neil kept the crowd energized throughout the en�re show. TANNER BUCKLEY PHOTO

Motley Crue’s setlist Intro/Kickstart My Heart Wild Side Shout at the Devil Saints of Los Angeles Live Wire/Mick Mars guitar solo Too Fast for Love/On with the Show Muther****** of the Year Jailhouse Rock Don’t go Away Mad (Just go Away) Same ‘ol Situa�on White Trash Circus Primal Scream Looks that Kill Girls , Girls, Girls Dr. Feelgood Home Sweet Home TANNER BUCKLEY SIDEBAR

3 out 5

motley crue

Tanner Buckley entertainment editor

2.

g n i t a R

Dillon Whalen staﬀ writer

3.

Supporting their latest release, “Saints of Los Angeles,” Motley Crue bombarded Des Moines with an intense stage show that only Kiss could top. Opening with “Kickstart My Heart,” the Crue kept the crowd intrigued song after song. Front man Vince Neil and bassist Nikki Sixx showed no sign of age, running around the stage as if they were still 25 years old. The Crue played three cuts from their new album, and even covered Elvis Presley’s “Jailhouse Rock” for only the second time since 1989. “This is only the second time we’ve played this in 20 years, so we might **** it up,” Neil said. Indeed they did, losing track of where they were after only one minute. Tommy Lee came out to play the opening piano chords of “Home Sweet Home” for the encore as the Wells Fargo arena grew into an array of light. There’s no reason that any Motley Crue fan should have left this show disappointed. The Crue did more than deliver and deserve much more respect than they have today. Motley Crue plans to announce “Cruefest” Two in mid-March.

Motley Crue was in town not too long ago, and boy was it a great concert. All four bands that played were still pretty good, but out of the four that played, Motley Crue’s performance was the best. The first band to perform was the Last Vegas, a band from Chicago. Even though they are still fairly unknown, the Last Vegas still played a fairly good set. Theory of a Deadman and Hinder followed Last Vegas with fairly good sets. Hinder closed their set with my favorite song by them, “Get Stoned.” Motley Crue had an awesome stage setting and set list. The Crue played some old hits, and also played some new material off their newest album, titled “Saints of Los Angeles.” All in all, Motley Crue put on a great concert. The concert was complete with great music, cool lights and of course awesome pyrotechnics. All in all, it was one of the best concerts I have ever seen, and it was one I won’t forget for a very long time.

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opinion 7

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The good kind of drama

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CHALLENGER

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As the leaves were just beginning to fall on the front lawn of Hoover at the start of the new 2008-2009 school year, drama students from all walks of life were discovering or reawakening their passion for the stage. Students came together once again to celebrate their talent in hopes of receiving a coveted invitation the Iowa High School Speech Association (IHSSA) All-State Festival. The Hoover drama department has been known for years as the best of the best in Iowa and this year has been no different. School pride derives from the attitudes and is the first hurdle for All-State hopefuls. Once accomplishments of students and the Hoover a category is chosen and a group of young theatre arts program has given students a talented actors is formed the hard work begins. reason to be proud. For months each group focuses intently Seven Hoover ensembles were invited to the on script writing or memorization, group Feb. 21 IHSSA All-State Festival with three exercises and critique. groups set to perform. All-State performances “Preparation depends on which category include a mime trio, an improvisation group they (students) choose; some of the categories and the cast of the musical theatre number had scripted work. Unscripted groups wrote “25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.” scripts and Improv groups did exercises to Hoover drama instructor and director help them think on their feet,” Cunningham Chelsea Cunningham performed at the IHSSA said. All-State Festival twice as a high school Channeling the creativity of individuals student and now helps her students with the into the innovative theatric performance same challenges she of an ensemble is a key once faced. Cunningham component of gearing up The Challenger staﬀ knows firsthand that for All-State. The IHSSA having the right attitude voted 13-0 All-State Festival is not in and preparing properly is itself a competition, but for this editorial imperative. rather a way to showcase the “Ninety percent is talent of high school drama The drama department your determination The significance of has the drive to succeed students. and your work ethic,” an ensemble being invited Cunningham said. “If and deserves recogni�on. to All-State really does lie in you work hard and get the journey. really detail oriented, you Though the goal of will have a strong chance at doing well.” the Hoover drama department isn’t to reign Choosing from an array of categories such victorious like a sports team but mainly to as mime, improvisation, and musical theatre entertain, the IHSSA All-State Festival ignites

a determined fire in the hearts of participants. Just as in any athletic “championship,” being invited to All-State requires a competitive spirit and a desire to be the best. Hoover students in 15 different groups performed at the district competition and 14 of these groups ranked high enough to move on to the state competition. Hoover has always had an exceptional drama department and this year everyone involved in theatre has been working day in and day out to uphold that legacy. After many trips to the IHSSA All-State Festival Hoover once again put up the talent of a bunch of inner city delinquents against the benefits of wealthier schools and delivered outstanding performances. Out of the 42 Hoover students who competed for a spot in this year’s IHSSA AllState Festival 31 students received the honor. This proves the Hoover drama department still has amazing drive to succeed and they deserve to be recognized. Cunningham has witnessed the outstanding commitment each person made to their acting performance and is proud of everyone. “Everyone worked really hard,” Cunningham said. “It’s awesome!”

Student Sound Oﬀ

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What do you think about the drama department?

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Heaven

Slye

sports editor

�� It hasn’t been long since I’ve been at Herbert Hoover High. I’ve only been here since a few weeks into the school year. I’ve normally been a studious student, and I make sure I get everything in on time or early. I don’t accept things that are late. People have had high expectations of me since I was a little girl. It caused me to have high expectations of everyone else in my life; if people expect me to do so well, I’ll expect them to do really well. But there’s been a conflict in my mind since I’ve been present at this school. Students have no work ethic, and some teachers are included. Recently, the work ethic of students has been decreasing, even since the beginning of the year. Many either don’t want to do their

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IN MY OPINION... work, or they don’t want to go to school. Before, at the beginning of the year, students loved to have fun. Summer had just gotten over and many still held their care-free attitude and summer joy. That faded soon enough, however. Now, it seems like no one really cares how they do in the school, which is surprising. This is surprising because facts say that the Des Moines Public School district has the highest graduation rate in five years, 82 percent. This just shows that students are being lazy and need to get it inside their head that laziness isn’t going to get them anywhere in life. Over my time at Herbert Hoover High, I’ve noticed this among many students. Some were even in my advanced classes. I’ve also noticed that students just tend to sit around. If work is passed out to them, they won’t do it until the last minute, unless they decide to do it at all. Afterwards, students aren’t really hounded to get in their work. This comes down to the teachers and their work ethic. I remember students talking to me about their teachers after final exams. They talked about teachers who gave them a good grade,

even if they failed the final with a not-so-good grade before. Some teachers have been slacking a little in my eyes. They don’t seem to enjoy their job. I always wondered why teachers taught or went to school for teaching when they didn’t like working with students or they didn’t really like the job when they went into it. The idea struck me as odd. But for both teachers and students, they’ve been let off the hook a little too much, and the higher authorities really should crack down on this. To fix this, there’s a few things teachers could do. They could pay more attention to what their students are doing, punishing them when they aren’t doing what they’re supposed to. I’ve had experiences where students have been misbehaving or even been rude to me. Then, they don’t even get in trouble. Some students sit there and complain, but teachers don’t tell them that they need to be quiet and do their work. I’m just glad that I go to Central, which is what more schools should be like. Maybe if we had a few people who seemed to care about keeping students under control, we wouldn’t have the problems we’re currently facing.

�� Publica�on dates for 2008-2009: • august 21-orienta�on • september 26-homecoming • october 15 • november 7 • wednesday, november 26thanksgiving • december 19winter break • january 23-semester 2 • february 13black history month • march 6-spring break • april 3 • thursday, april 24-prom • may 15-gradua�on subscrip�on rates $10/year

Ad rates for 2008-2009: 1/16 page (2.5” x 2.75”) $25 1/8 page (5” x 2.75”) $45 1/4 page (5” x 5.75”) $80 1/2 page (10” x 5.75”) $130 full page (10” x 11.75”) $230 banner (10” x 1.75”) $80 (across bo�om of page) The CHALLENGER is published by the newspaper staff of Herbert Hoover High School, and exists to serve as an open forum for the students, faculty, staff, administration and community. All state and federal laws regarding the publication of student materials shall apply, and the CHALLENGER will not publish materials which also fall under the guidelines established by the Des Moines Public School system, and are deemed libelous, obscene or a material and substantial disruption to normal classroom activities. The views expressed are not those of Des Moines Public Schools, faculty, staff or administration. All articles are researched, written, edited and designed by the staff, and are the result of editorial decisions made by the entire staff. Any student, faculty, staff, or community member wishing to contribute materials will need to submit copy within deadline restrictions; however, final publication is at the discretion of staff. Letters to the editor are encouraged, and must be 250 words or less in length and signed; letters may be edited for length, grammar, spelling, etc. Every attempt will be made to verify the authenticity of the author, and no anonymous letters will be published. Advertising will be accepted for all products or services that are legal for minors to possess or utilize. Advertisers wishing to reserve publication space should call 242-7313 and leave a message.

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MARCH

8 informa�on

7 THINGS TO

Sophomore Joe Wildt uses a saw to cut a plank of wood ��

Monday

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Tuesday Wednesday Thursday

Friday 6

G BB State Diversity Week Debate at Iowa City

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10 B BB State Spring Sports Assembly

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12

Confrences 4-8 p.m. 90 minute early out

No school! Confrences 12:15-8 p.m.

13 No school! State speach contest

Sunday

Saturday Debate at Iowa City G BB State Hoover Jazz Fest State individual speach contest

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14

Band concert at 6 in aud.

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15

3 PEOPLE TO KNOW Randy Hoepker

Band conductor Hoepker was invited to a trip to Tokyo, Japan, to conduct an honor band. He left for the trip Thursday, Feb. 26.“I’m working with high school students in international schools in Tokyo,” Hoepker said

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michael roby page design

Patrick Murphy Murphy was the district wrestling champion in his weight class and a state qualiﬁer, ﬁnishing his season with a record of 32-11.

Charlie McInroy

McInroy is playing golf and bowling, and makes an effort to show his sports some pride, even if they aren’t the most popular. “They’re just as good as other sports. People just need to give them a chance,” McInroy said

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5 Places to go

Von Maur Maur, named by Cityview as best shoe store Timothy’s Steakhouse and Pub Pub, new restraunt in town Drake Garage Garage, simple and easy car care Downtown, for several of the events listed on the to do list People’s Court downtown (See number ﬁve above)

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