The Triangle: Issue 6 by cnhsmedia

THE

TRI NGLE

SPECIAL EDITION Feb. 27, 2015 Issue 6

Volume 94

JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT YOU MADE IT THROUGH,

THE SNOW HIT.

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Feb. 27, 2015 • Issue 6

CONTENTS

EDITORIAL The Triangle Special Edition takes a look at how unexpected winter weather can impact our lives ust when we thought we were clear of winter — spring was on the horizon, we were booking flights to Florida and stores were beginning to stock shorts and swimsuits on the shelves — we were in the depth of winter. We had a little bit of snowfall last November, but the months since have been dry. We creeped out of December with little less than a flurry, tip-toed through January without as much as a wave from Jack Frost and February was looking pretty good too, with highs into the 40s. However, Mother Nature decided to drop six inches on poor old Columbus, Ind. The snow closed school for four days. Ice caused wrecks on I-65 and made even city roads hazardous. After school activities and government facilities were shut down. All just when we were thinking that spring had a real chance of rearing its head. The bottom line is, despite the dates on the calendar and the forecasts of meteorologists, winter is an erratic phenomenon. Even with six built-in snow days and stockpiles of salt, it is impossible to be completely prepared for the weather. Last issue, we gave you a look at how Superintendent Dr. John Quick chooses when to delay or cancel school. He shared with us that the process was a lot of guesswork, but his goal was to make sure that students were safe on their way to school. As a result, Dr. Quick called school off Feb. 16-19. Some students took advantage of the weather and explored the winter wonderland, making snowmen, going sledding and enjoying their time off. That’s why The Triangle has dedicated this special edition to the winter weather, and all that it means for our students. From sledding and black ice, to hot chocolate and cancellations, these last few weeks have been full of harsh times and small serendipities. We wanted to know how you spent these tumultuous winter days and to help you prepare for the unexpected days to come, whether they be of snow or spring.

04-05 SNOW Just when it seemed that there would be two weeks of spring break, a snowstorm created sudden havoc across much of the southern Midwest. School was cancelled four days in a row, followed by numerous two-hour delays. See how students dealt with the sudden snow storm by making snowmen, warming up at home and braving the icy roads BY THE TRIANGLE STAFF

06-07 MUSIC Catch up with the band and choir students’ performances at ISSMA, and get a first look at North Drama’s spring musical “Pirates of Penzance” BY SARAH TRAN, KAROL ESPINOZA AND TAYLOR CALLAWAY

08 NEWS Dance Marathon benefits Turning Point, a local domestic violence organization. Engineering students geared up to compete in CANstruction BY KARLI REYLONDS AND TIM DUCKWORTH

OUR STAFF STAFF

Elizabeth Andrews Chris Case Allison Coffey Timothy Duckworth

Taylor Callaway Caylin Eaglen Karol Espinoza Rachel Evener Hannah Frey

THE TRIANGLE is a public forum of the students at Columbus North High School. To see the entire Triangle policy, log onto www.cnhsmedia.com

Karli Reynolds Emily Vo Sheana Wasilewski

EDITO RIA L B OA RD Maya Baker Bente Bouthier Leah Hashagen

Lauren Jines Lillyanne Pham Sarah Tran Eva Yezerets

ADVISER

Kim Green, MJE

Columbus North’s The Triangle

STUDENT LIFE • SNOW LET IT SNOW Watch the days fall.

Jan. Feb.

delay closed

All Aboard the SIBERIAN EXPRESS According toNOAA’s National Climat- Massachusetts: A belt of snowstorm in early ic Data Center, 647 record lows were February dumped 95.7 inches tied or broken Feb. 15-21

When push turns to shove have your car ready to roll.

(around eight feet) of snow on Boston as of Feb. 24. The snowfall has blown into snow drifts that have reached over 20 feet

radio and extra batteries es tch ma

TEEN VS. WILD

road salt and sand

Florida: The South saw a bit of what meteorologists are calling the “Siberian Express,” with Orlando hitting a lowest record high of 33 degrees

What are some ways to take care of you car in the winter? Dexter Tire and Auto Service employee Shane Pool: Make sure all your fluids are topped off. Make sure you have really good windshield wipers just in case it does snow. Make sure your windshield wiper fluid can withstand cold temperatures. There are certain ones that can go

Hanging

to negative 40 degrees. What is harmful to a car during the winter? Pool: Coolant leaks are a big thing. If you see anything in the winter get it checked out because it could cause the engine to overheat and crack the engine head. Then you’d have to replace that and it could be pretty expensive.

coat. “The idea came to me one day when I went home to my parents house and my mom said, ‘Son, I have four or five garbage bags full of sweatshirts and pants […] could you use any of these?’ and I thought, ‘I am bigger than dad, but maybe I can take them to school and maybe some kids might be able to use these at school,’” social studies teacher Robert Perry said. The idea is a coat drive to provide students with coats, gloves, scarves, pants and long-sleeve shirts. Mr. Perry and junior Autumn Brown were able to collect and distribute (more than) 500 of these items to students. “I would estimate maybe 200 coats,” Mr. Perry said. “We must’ve had upwards of 300 sweatshirts, sweaters, pants, gloves, socks, earmuffs […] We even had things like soap and shampoo and razors that we would use.” The coat drive was held in the

Feb. 27 2015 • Issue 6

What do you do if a car door frozen shut? Pool: There is a spray you can It’s like an ice melter. They hav an aerosol can and it will thaw door out.

in Snow

Mr. Perry sponsored a coat drive this year that collected winter necessities such as coats, sweatshirts and gloves

Kentucky: Richmond, KY recorded a temperature of 37 below zero, the coldest day since 1950. The low temperature for the same day in Anchorage, Alaska was 34 degrees.

Cold Tweets Swimming

on a Prayer

he only protection between skin and sub-zero temperatures is a warm winter

@morgansmith133 supply room across from Mr. Perry’s room leading up to Christmas Break. “We did it after school and before school and actually we had kids coming up during the whole day, like during passing period,” Mr. Perry said. It was not an individual effort though, as Autumn Brown was Mr. Perry’s “right- hand man” throughout the whole process. She worked in distribution, outreach and organization. “During lunch I stayed in and did it,” said Brown. The coat drive is over now, but next year will be available for students to volunteer. Mr. Perry has even thought about it as a senior project with himself as a mentor. The program reached many students at North, but one students stands out in Mr. Perry’s mind. “One kid told us, right before Christmas Break, and that was when we finished it up, he said ‘May I have a couple of coats? This i going to be my Christmas present for my mom and dad,’’ Mr. Perry said. “I mean, talk about impactful.”

Freshmen Morgan Smith, Julia Vanderkolk and Maggie Mahoney build a snowman

@magicmicah_ Senior Micah Shoaf shares a photo of the winter landscape

Winter Wipeout According to the Federal Highway Administration, teenagers are the most at risk to be involved in winter-weather related accidents

How do the delays and cancellations impact the Bull Frogs? “On two-hour delays and snow days, we just have a later morning practice time, so it gives us more sleep. It’s actually really nice to have a two-hour delay, because you get to have an extra two hours of sleep instead of waking up at 4:30 in the morning.” senior Karen Wildemann

24%

of U.S. car accidents occur in icy, snowy or slushy conditions

117,0

injuri

1,30

death per y due t accid

BY TRIANGLE STAFF DESIGNED BY LILLYANNE PHAM AND LEAH HASHAGEN

000

ies

hs year to winter dents

FIGHTING FROSTBITE

Usually 20,000 to 200,000 cases per year in the U.S. Occurs mostly on the hands. Can be cured with Ibuprofen and warm soaks.

At 18 below zero, it takes 30 minutes for frostbite to set in.

Severe cases can lead to amputation. Warning signs include grayish or blue skin, numbness, and firm or waxy feeling skin. SOURCE: PUBLIC.HEALTH.OREGON.GOV

Battling the Blues % 3

Feeling a bit glum about the weather? There’s a scientific explanation for that of Americans, or about 9 million people, suffer from the winter blues - either they have seasonal affective disorder or their depression worsens during the winter.

Light therapy (exposure to a special bright lamp) may help treat seasonal affective disorder

Light therapy works because people who suffer from seasonal affective disorder secrete more melatonin during the winter, as do animals who hibernate.

Melatonin is a hormone produced by the pineal gland that controls one’s sleep cycle

Facts

reezing

HC3 H3CO

Women are more susceptible to winter depression than men.

We asked students about myths about the cold weather

FACT

MORE than

200 viruses

H N

Freezing Myths

Learn the myths and facts on how to ditch the sniffles.

most common:

use. ve it in your

rhinovirus

Here: Columbus has seen about eight inches, accompanied with colds dropping down to 15 below zero.

r is

“My mother always told me to always wear a hat, because my ears would become elf ears, and I did not want pointy ears because that is for the elves not for me.” junior Jessica Buenrostro

soup and tea

position of the sun on the winter solstice

This shows the path of the sun throughout the year. In winter, daylight hours are diminished, limiting exposure to sun and thus limiting production of melatonin

There is no statistically significant increase in percentages of people who experience seasonal affective disorder between northern latitudes (Alaska vs. New Hampshire). This may be because people with a combination of seasonal affective disorder and mild depression will not stay in places like Alaska

“I was driving and I was going a little too fast and I pressed on the breaks, slid out into the middle of the intersection, then stopped a little bit too late. Know that when you’re coming to a stop, stop much farther back, because you will slide. Make sure that to put your four wheel drive on when you’re driving really fast. Take it slow.” sophomore Alex Downin

MYTH Antibiotics FIGHT

colds. Consuming dairy increases mucus.

SOURCE MENTALHEALTHAMERICA.NET

Indiana has 14 annual winter accident fatalities

RELIEVE

the symptoms of the cold

“After practice I took the city bus home and on my home I passed the street sign and was really really cold outside. I had seen this movie where this guy licked a pole and I thought I should try it because I didn’t believe it. My tongue got stuck for like one second and I went home because I got scared that it would stick.” junior Tom Jackson

SOURCE WWW.WEBMD.COM

“When all this weather first hit, my dad wouldn’t let me drive in this stuff. Then, whenever I started driving to school I noticed one problem: how am I going to get backup the driveway? I would get half way up the driveway and then begin to slide back. I didn’t have enough traction.” senior Rusty Huntsman

“You will grow gills if you don’t wear a scarf (when its cold).” sophomore Reyna Garcia

Columbus North’s The Triangle

STUDENT LIFE • MUSIC

PIRATE’S Students in the band and choir programs competed at ISSMA, a competition aimed at rewarding students for excellence in musical achievement

GOING FOR THE

ISSMA T GOLD

he sound of the blaring French horn rings throughout the room as junior, Zac White, practices for his solo and ensemble pieces for the ISSMA competition. “I practice about two hours a week for both ensembles and five to six hours a week for my solo,” White said. Indiana State School Music Association (ISSMA). The ISSMA competitions are available students that are in band and or choir as choir director Janie

for Gordon explained. “They provide opportunities for students in high school, whether it’s band or choir. We also have solo and ensemble contest, which is individuals going or small groups,” Gordon said. “They are in front of a judge and you get a gold, silver, or bronze medal. If you get a gold, they you can get to go to state.” There is a lot of time commitment when practicing for the competition, and students are relieved when realizing they might go to state. “The best part is knowing that your hard work paid off when you get the gold medal,” White said. Preparing for the competition has its ups and downs, but as a teacher, Gordon thinks the hardest part for students is time management. “Most of the students who do those types of things also strive to be good students in their organizational groups,” Gordon said. “Time management for all these kids is tough. Keeping deadline, not forgetting to turn in the forms and money, being able to follow through: it’s a learning process for all of us.” Many of the ISSMA participants agree that time management can be one of the factors that is difficult for them. However, junior Zack Chelf believes that time management is not his only difficulty. “Being dedicated to it is especially hard if you have to work and do homework outside of school; it’s just finding time to practice.” Chelf finds that there are worse situations than going in front of the judges. “Whenever you’re outside waiting for the other person to finish and you hear the door open for them to be finished is just kind of nerve wracking,” Chelf said. After having to go through all the nerve wracking moments, students feel relieved once they finish playing their piece. While junior Sarah Gloeckner won a silver in flute and a gold in piccolo, she expressed her optimism that the competition was worthwhile, regardless of the results. “It’s a good experience even [if] you don’t do well. You get a really good experience just playing music by yourself, because that’s a lot different from playing in a band.”

Feb. 27, 2015 • Issue 1

Clockwise from above: Demonstrating a movement, director John Johnson blocks a musical number from the spring musical “Pirates of Penzance” during rehearsal Feb. 23 at Erne Auditorium. Leading the sisters chorus, senior Katie Gemberling sings during rehearsal. Caught off guard by the sight of a man, freshman Emily Sipes, playing a sheltered daughter of the Major General, begins to shield herself from the first man she’s ever seen. Preparing for their duet, seniors Daniel Padilla (Fredric) and Taylor Seymour (Ruth) rehearse Feb. 23.

LIFE FOR ME

Senior Taylor Seymour and freshman Emily Sipes provide a preview of North Drama’s upcoming production of “Pirates of Penzance”

Q: What is the musical about?

outside of rehearsal.

Senior Taylor Seymour: [It is about] this band of Pirates and there’s one in particular. It is his 21st birthday, so he gets to leave the pirate band is what the deal was. But then, he figures out later he was born on a leap year. In the process, he meets a girl who he falls in love with. He wants to leave, but he knows it’s his duty to stay, so he is like the slave of duty.

Sipes: We so far have been working for a few weeks, we worked for about seven weeks, the last of the weeks we have tech rehearsals which go all week, and then it’s all full cast run and it takes quite a while to prepare.

Freshman Emily Sipes: The musical is about this boy who has been indentured to these pirates for his whole life and he has only been exposed to one woman, which is his nurse maid, and she had been in the ship with him and he has finally free once he turned 21, so he goes to this abandoned island where these girls live, who are daughters of a major general and so he thinks that his maid is the one who is beautiful, but then he sees all of these girls for the first time and realizes they are beautiful but they’re like, “Oh, we haven’t seen a man before, we don’t want to be with him,” and then one of the sisters decides that she loves him, and they fall in love and the pirates try to capture the daughters and try to take them as brides. Q: What is your role in the musical? Seymour: I’m Ruth. I’m the only girl on the pirate ship. I am the maid and Frederic’s nanny. So I’m the only woman he sees for almost eight years. He thinks that I am beautiful and I want to be with him, but then he realizes that I’m not beautiful and I am 47 years old, and I lied to him. Sipes: I’m actually one of the daughters of the Major General, we are in it quite a lot, but it is a really fun part. Q: How long does it take to prepare? Seymour: It’s about seven to eight weeks for four days a week, threeish hours a day. That doesn’t even include what everyone does

Q: What is the best/worst part about being in a musical? Seymour: The best part is getting a new character and stepping into someone else’s shoes for however long rehearsal goes. The worst part is definitely the waiting around. Sipes: The best part I would say is getting to know everyone, and the music is so much fun to learn, and collaborating with everyone, doing all that kind of stuff is a blast. I don’t know if there’s a worst part but I think the hardest part is the dedication it takes to it, because if you do a large role, you have to be at rehearsals constantly … it really stresses you out after a while. Q: Why did you get involved in the musical? Sipes: I have a big passion for music ever since I was little. I’ve figured out that this is what I love to do. I love being part of a cast and getting to know people, and I love singing and just being with all these kind of people who have similar interest, I just love being a part of that.

WHO: North Drama WHAT: “Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty” WHEN: 7:30 p.m. March 6 7:30 p.m. March 7 2:30 p.m. March 8 WHERE: Erne Auditorium ADMISSION: $5 online at North Drama’s website and $8 at the door

Q: Overall, how well do you think this musical will turn out? Seymour: It’s going to be very good. We have a very good cast of people who are seasoned performers and who know what they are doing. Sipes: I think we have a great cast and I really think it’s going to be a very successful show, and I think its going to entertain a lot people because it is very family-friendly and it’s such a hilarious show.

Posing upstage, senior Jacob Hendricks prepares for his Pirate King solo during rehearsal Feb. 23 at Erne Auditorium. BY SARAH TRAN, KAROL ESPANOZA AND TAYLOR CALLAWAY DESIGNED BY LEAH HASHAGEN PHOTOS BY SARAH TRAN

Columbus North’s The Triangle

C4 students employ their artistic and technical talents to help the hungry

CANSTRUCTION

Oh! Darling

With wide eyes and an open mind, become aware of the realities of teen dating violence

ROUGHLY

1.5 million high school boys and girls in the U.S. admit to being intentionally abused by a significant other.

of young people who experience rape or physical or sexual abuse will attempt to commit suicide.

81 PERCENT

of parents believe teen dating violence is NOT an issue or admit they don’t know if it’s an issue.

sources: www.dosomething.org www.teendvmonth.org

EIGHT

STATES

DO NOT consider a violent dating relationship domestic abuse, meaning victims are unable to formally seek protection from their abusers.

1 IN EVERY 4 WOMEN

WILL EXPERIENCE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN HER LIFETIME.

TURNING POINT 24/7 Crisis Helpline 1-800-221-6311 (anonymous hotline)

BY LILLYANNE PHAM

PHOTOS BY SARAH TRAN

“W

e try to build the craziest structure we can,” junior Elizabeth Smith said. “This year we’re making the front of a semi.” Students from North’s engineering class are building a large sculpture entirely of canned goods as part of an event called CANstruction, which took place Saturday, Feb. 21 at FairOaks Mall. CANstruction hosts events in cities all around the world to help benefit charities and end hunger. According to canstruction.org, they have helped raise “over 25 million pounds of food since 1992.” This is the seventh year that Columbus has hosted a CANstruction event. “It’s sort of a competition,” Smith said. North’s engineering class is only one of several community teams who will compete at the event. Each year, members of the community come together to try to build the most elaborate sculpture. “We’re a C4 team, and we’re sponsored by the United Way,” Smith said. After the event is complete, all of the canned food used by the C4 team will be donated to United Way, as a way to benefit the 1,500 families who access Bartholomew County hunger relief programs monthly. “It’s a lot harder than you’d think,” Smith said. “I can’t even think about tomatoes without wanting to rip my hair BY TIMOTHY DUCKWORTH out now.”

COME TOGETHER The culmination of a year-long effort will arrive Saturday as students dance to support Turning Point and to raise awareness about domestic violence

ccording to Click To Empower, a domestic violence organization, one in four families are affected by domestic violence in the U.S. About half of domestic violence cases do not get reported. The local organization Turning Point holds an annual benefit called Dance Marathon in order to raise awareness for domestic violence. Dance Marathon will be held Saturday from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. at East High School. Senior Lauren Britt is the head chair from North for this cause. “I help coordinate communication between all of the committee members and make presentations to businesses asking them to donate money. I also help pick up any loose ends and make important decisions that need to be made about the dance,” Britt said. People at the dance can play games, eat food and win prizes. “My favorite thing about the dance this year will be DJ battle we are having. The prizes this year are the best they have ever been,” Britt said. Britt said that planning the dance has been a lot of work. “Committee meetings have been being held every week, once a week since September,” Britt said.

The committees have been planning a variety of activities that cater to various interests. Britt said there are a lot of things to do at the dance this year, ranging from dancing to just hanging out with friends. “This year we are going to have a competition that people can enter with their friends. There will be things human foosball, ‘Minute to Win It’ games and video games that people can play to win prizes. There is also going to be a hip-hop instructor from Total Fitness coming that people can dance along to,” Britt said. Although the dance will definitely be lots of fun, it will also be educational, with short meetings every hour concerning what students can do to stop domestic violence. “I got involved in Dance Marathon because I have family that has been affected by unhealthy relationships, and it shouldn’t happen to anyone. Domestic violence can tear families apart, and it takes organizations like Turning Point to help put an end to it. The dance is a way for people to have fun while also learning what it is like to be in a healthy relationship.” BY KARLI REYNOLDS DESIGNED BY LILLYANNE PHAM

Columbus North’s The Triangle