1.24 Issue

JAN. 24, 2013 I VOL. 77 I ISSUE 6

CARMEL HIGH SCHOOL I 520 E. MAIN ST. I CARMEL, IN I WWW.HILITE.ORG

Capping The

cost

COLLEGIATE As the price of a college education continues to rise, students must find different ways to get their hands on a degree

Join the conversation.

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PAGE 2 | TABLE OF CONTENTS | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | JAN. 24, 2013

Offbeat Clean your screens! New research reveals the down and dirty on cell phones.

Inside this issue: 16

An experiment by HML Labs of Muncie found that phones randomly selected from a Chicago office contained abnormally high amounts of coliforms, a type of bacteria that indicates fecal contamination.

Other bacteria found on phones often results in flu, pinkeye or diarrhea. Yikes!

As a result, the amount of germs on a phone has often been compared to the amount on bathroom door handles.

Since they are porous, phone cases may contribute to the large number of germs living on phones.

5

Feeling the senior slump?

A developing program may help fight this affliction colloquially known as “senioritis.”

8

Though critics claim yoga is dangerous, yogis say that the health benefits outweigh the risks.

FEATURE

NEWS ENTERTAINMENT

Tuition Terrors

With the FAFSA deadline approaching and the cost of college rising to unprecedented levels, students are forced to find different ways to afford and obtain a degree.

COVER STORY

SPORTS Flip for these stories:

20

PERSPECTIVES

Glass screens, however, are not habitable for bacteria and are usually far more clean.

Alcohol proved to be the best way to kill germs, but it may not be the best for your smartphone’s screen.

Apple suggests using a damp lintfree cloth instead of sprays and cleaners on their devices.

In the future, smartphone users may be able to ensure the cleanliness of their phones with PhoneSoap, a new product coming out in 2013 that uses UV light to disinfect the phone as it charges.

Editor in chief Victor Xu argues for the importance of a humanities education 29 Cover story editor Hafsa Razi discusses the need for more realistic reforms in addressing gun violence 31 This year’s winter production, “Almost Maine,” premieres Feb. 7.

15 MINUTES

24

Faculty who serve as both teachers and coaches apply skills learned from the gym to the classroom.

John Lawless, student pilot and sophomore, endeavors to join the U.S. Air Force Academy 32

GRAPHIC / AMIRA MALCOLM, TONY TAN SOURCE / WALL STREET JOURNAL OMEED MALEK / COVER PHOTO ILLUSTRATION

JAN. 24, 2013 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | JUST A MINUTE | PAGE 3

The outbreak of school violence in the 21st century has saturated the American consciousness and renewed discussion over gun control, especially in light of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

Parents and students wonder alike: just how violent is today’s generation?

Timeline

Schools and Shotguns

From Columbine to Newtown, there have been a total of 184 school shootings. See the full list below:

Dec. 14, 2012 – Newtown, Connecticut Feb. 27, 2012 – Chardon, Ohio Feb. 23, 2012 – Port Orchard, Washington Feb. 21, 2012 – Murfreesboro, Tennessee Jan. 4, 2012 – Brownsville, Texas Nov. 15, 2011 – Berkeley, California Oct. 25, 2011 – Fayetteville, North Carolina Oct. 14, 2011 – Baltimore, Maryland Aug. 26, 2011 – Harper Woods, Michigan Aug. 8, 2011 – Mandeville, Louisiana May 23, 2011 – Pearl City, Hawaii May 23, 2011 – Cleveland, Ohio April 19, 2011 – Houston, Texas April 15, 2011 – Los Angeles, California April 13, 2011 – Apopka, Florida April 12, 2011 – Nashville, Tennessee April 6, 2011 – Opelika, Alabama March 31, 2011 – Houston, Texas March 25, 2011 – Martinsville, Indiana Feb. 23, 2011 – Los Angeles, California Feb. 14, 2011 – Murfreesboro, Tennessee Feb. 6, 2011 – Youngstown, Ohio Feb. 2, 2011 – Placerville, California Jan. 18, 2011 – Los Angeles, California Jan. 5, 2011 – Omaha, Nebraska Dec. 14, 2010 – Panama City, Florida Dec. 6, 2010 – Aurora, Colorado Dec. 4, 2010 – Garden City, South Carolina Nov. 29, 2010 – Chicago, Illinois Nov. 28, 2010 – Marinette, Wisconsin, Oct. 11, 2010 – Fairfield, California Oct. 25, 2010 – Selma, Alabama Oct. 8, 2010 – Carlsbad, California Oct. 3, 2010 – Elizabeth City, North Carolina Sept. 28, 2010 – Austin, Texas Sept. 21, 2010 – Columbia, South Carolina Sept. 16, 2010 – Moss Bluff, Louisiana Sept. 7, 2010 – Las Cruces, New Mexico Sept. 7, 2010 – Detroit, Michigan Aug. 18, 2010 – Omaha, Nebraska May 18, 2010 – South Gate, California April 29, 2010 – Portsmouth, Virginia March 23, 2010 – Baton Rouge, Louisiana March 9, 2010 – Columbus, Ohio Feb. 23, 2010 – Littleton, Colorado Feb. 19, 2010 – DeKalb, Illinois Feb. 12, 2010 – Huntsville, Alabama Feb. 10, 2010 – Knoxville, Tennessee Feb. 5, 2010 – Madison, Alabama Jan. 20, 2010 – Livingston, Alabama Jan. 7, 2010 – Phoenix, Arizona Dec. 11, 2009 – Shreveport, Louisiana Dec. 8, 2009 – Woodbridge, Virginia Dec. 2, 2009 – Brockton, Massachusetts Nov. 17, 2009 – Boston, Massachusetts Nov. 16, 2009 – Dallas, Texas Nov. 6, 2009 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Nov. 1, 2009 – Pineville, Louisiana Oct. 24, 2009 – Memphis, Tennessee Oct. 20, 2009 – Long Beach, California Oct. 8, 2009 – Southold, New York Sept. 16, 2009 – Henrico, Virginia Sept. 14, 2009 – Grand Rapids, Michigan Sept. 8, 2009 – Stamford, Connecticut Sept. 3, 2009 – Atlanta, Georgia Sept. 2, 2009 – San Bruno, California July 10, 2009 – Houston, Texas June 24, 2009 – Parkersburg, Iowa June 9, 2009 – Lexington, Kentucky May 18, 2009 – Cambridge, Massachusetts May 18, 2009 – Larose, Louisiana May 4, 2009 – West Covina, California May 1, 2009 – Sheboygan, Wisconsin April 26, 2009 – Hampton, Virginia April 10, 2009 – Dearborn, Michigan April 9, 2009 – Dove Creek, Colorado March 10, 2009 – Jacksonville, Florida Feb. 17, 2009 – Detroit, Michigan Feb. 12, 2009 – Wake County, North Carolina Feb. 11, 2009 – El Monte, California Jan. 27, 2009 – Clayton, North Carolina Jan. 9, 2009 – Chicago, Illinois Jan. 8, 2009 – New Castle, Delaware Dec. 18, 2009 – North Manheim, Pennsylvania Dec. 4, 2008 – Montco, Pennsylvania Nov. 21, 2008 – Savannah, Georgia Nov. 15, 2008 – St. George, Utah Nov. 12, 2008 – Fort Lauderdale, Florida Oct. 29, 2008 – Big Bear, California Oct. 26, 2008 – Conway, Arkansas Oct. 13, 2008 – San Antonio, Texas Sept. 2, 2008 – Willoughby, Ohio

Aug. 29, 2008 – Portland, Oregon Aug. 26, 2008 – Opelousas, Louisiana Aug. 21, 2008 – Knoxville, Tennessee July 24, 2008 – Phoenix, Arizona April 30, 2008 – Boca Raton, Florida April 29, 2008 – Washington, DC April 24, 2008 – Omaha, Nebraska March 31, 2008 – Hayward, California March 29, 2008 – Chicago, Illinois March 7, 2008 – Chicago, Illinois March 6, 2008 – Mobile, Alabama Feb. 28, 2008 – Miami Gardens, Florida Feb. 27, 2008 – Little Rock, Arkansas Feb. 23, 2008 – Jonesboro, Arkansas Feb. 14, 2008 – DeKalb, Illinois Feb. 12, 2008 – Oxnard, California Feb. 11, 2008 – Memphis, Tennessee Feb. 8, 2008 – Baton Rouge, Louisiana Feb. 4, 2008 – Memphis, Tennessee Jan. 22, 2008 – Washington, DC Jan. 18, 2008 – Las Vegas, Nevada Jan. 16, 2008 – Cleveland, Ohio Jan. 16, 2008 – Charlotte, North Carolina Jan. 15, 2008 – Putnam City, Oklahoma Jan. 10, 2007 – Asheville, North Carolina Dec. 17, 2007 – Gibsonton, Florida Dec. 11, 2007 – Las Vegas, Nevada Dec. 11, 2007 – Oakland, California Nov. 29, 2007 – Lagrangeville, New York Nov. 26, 2007 – Holland Patent, New York Nov. 20, 2007 – Beaufort, South Carolina Oct. 25, 2007 – Saginaw, Michigan Oct. 12, 2007 – Portland, Oregon Oct. 10, 2007 – Cleveland, Ohio Oct. 10, 2007 – Norristown, Pennsylvania Sept. 30, 2007 – Memphis, Tennessee Sept. 28, 2007 – Oroville, California Sept. 21, 2007 – Dover, Delaware Aug. 4, 2007 – Newark, New Jersey June 29, 2007 – Dallas, Texas April 18, 2007 – Huntersville, North Carolina April 16, 2007 – Blacksburg, Virginia April 10, 2007 – Gresham, Oregon March 24, 2007 – Greensboro, North Carolina March 7, 2007 – Midland, Michigan Jan. 26, 2007 – Los Angeles, California Jan. 3, 2007 – Tacoma, Washington Dec. 12, 2006 – Springfield Township, Pennsylvania Nov. 9, 2006 – Clinton, South Carolina Oct. 9, 2006 – Joplin, Missouri Oct. 2, 2006 – Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania Sept. 29, 2006 – Cazenovia, Wisconsin Sept. 27, 2006 – Bailey, Colorado Sept. 17, 2006 – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Sept. 14, 2006 – Green Bay, Wisconsin Aug. 30, 2006 – Hillsborough, North Carolina Aug. 24, 2006 – Essex, Vermont March 21, 2005 – Red Lake Reservation, Minnesota March 16, 2005 – Bellflower, California March 2, 2005 – Cumberland City, Tennessee Dec. 10, 2004 – Nine Mile Falls, Washington March 17, 2004 – Joyce, Washington Feb. 11, 2004 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Feb. 2, 2004 – Washington, D.C. Jan. 21, 2004 – Henderson, Nevada Nov. 8, 2003 – Sugar Land, Texas Sept. 24, 2003 – Cold Spring, Minnesota Sept. 16, 2003 – Hopkinsville, Kentucky Sept. 10, 2003 – Fort Worth, Texas Sept. 5, 2003 – San Diego, California April 24, 2003 – Red Lion, Pennsylvania April 14, 2003 – New Orleans, Louisiana Oct. 29, 2002 – Tucson, Arizona Oct. 7, 2002 – Bowie, Maryland Jan. 15, 2002 – New York, New York Nov. 12, 2001 – Caro, Michigan May 15, 2001 – Ennis, Texas March 30, 2001 – Gary, Indiana March 22, 2001 – Granite Hills, California March 7, 2001 – Willamsport, Pennsylvania March 5, 2001 – Santee, California Jan. 17, 2001 – Baltimore, Maryland Sept. 26, 2000 – New Orleans, Louisiana May 26, 2000 – Lake Worth, Florida May 11, 2000 – Prairie Grove, Arkansas March 10, 2000 – Savannah, Georgia Feb. 29, 2000 – Mount Morris Township, Michigan Dec. 6, 1999 – Fort Gibson, Oklahoma Nov. 19, 1999 – Deming, New Mexico May 20, 1999 – Conyers, Georgia April 20, 1999 – Littleton, Colorado

A 2011 study of high school students nationwide by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed several disturbing trends in the past year: Percent of students who have carried a weapon onto school property:

Percent of students who stayed home because they felt unsafe at school:

Percent of students threatened or injured with a weapon at school:

4.90% Indiana 5.90% National *160 CHS students

3.70% Indiana 5.40% National *214 CHS students

6.80% Indiana 7.40% National *298 CHS students

*Given that Indiana averages hold true for our 4,389 students.

More than one-third of American teens believe that they have easy access to a handgun.

42% of young men and 29.8% young women responded in a survey that “If I really wanted to, I could get a handgun.”

Nearly 1.7 million children under the age of 18, live in homes with firearms that are both loaded and unlocked in the United States.

Additionally, over 40% of American households with children have guns.

More than 1 out of 10 male high school students bring a weapon, such as a gun or knife, to school each month.

More than 1/3 of American teens know a teenager who has threatened to kill someone.

Over 40% of American teens personally know someone who has been shot.

Over fears of students concealing weapons, some schools have implemented a “No Backpack Rule.”

Prominent Tea Party members have even been proposed arming teachers in the classroom, though this policy has been met with wide resistance.

LIANE YUE / GRAPHIC CHILD TRENDS DATA BANK, CDC.GOV, DENVER WESTWORD, THE OHIO COALITION AGAINST GUN VIOLENCE, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF JUSTICE / SOURCES

PAGE 4 | NEWS | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | JAN. 24, 2013

NEWS News Briefs Saturday The Neon Dance will take place in the fieldhouse after the basketball game vs. Ben Davis. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased from a House member.

Monday Tune those strings. Orchestra audition week begins. Wish your favorite string players luck as they practice for their exams.

Tuesday Dine on a Dime, an event created in response to a grant from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, will take place from 3:30 to 5 p.m. in the program room of the Carmel Clay Public Library (CCPL).

Wednesday There will be a late start next Wednesday. School will begin at 8:30 a.m. instead of 7:50 a.m.

Wednesday Students who want to participate in the 2013 Riley Dance Marathon must turn in their Dancer Packets by the end of the day.

Monday, Feb. 4 NHS Carnation Sales will begin this week. Buy carnations during all lunches for $1.50 each.

Friday, Feb. 8 The romantic comedy Almost Maine will have it’s opening show in the auditorium at 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 13 NHS will deliver all carnations during SRT the day before Valentine’s Day.

PowerSchool app increases live access to grades, school information

BY NAOMI REIBOLD nreibold@hilite.org

A new app, called the PowerSchool app, much like myCCS, created by Pearson Education Incorporation in January of 2012, allows both students and parents to see grades and other important education information in realtime on any Apple or Android product for free. According to registrar Maria Pacalo, the app updates quicker than myCCS, and is similar to the PowerSchool program that all teachers use to organize grades. “(The PowerSchool app) looks like it’s the same thing (as PowerSchool), except you only see your (information), you can't see anyone else’s. You're looking at the same thing I'm looking at, so that’s always a good thing,” Pacalo said.

While the app is very similar to myCCS, it updates in real-time, meaning that when a teacher enters in a grade, it will show up on the app almost instantaneously.

However, myCCS requires 24 hours for grades to appear on a student’s account. For this reason, the app has become very popular among CHS students.

The app, much like myCCS, shows students their assignments and scores and quarter, semester and final grades. It also allows students to see their schedule, attendance, school announcements, GPA and lunch transactions and balances. Students can sign on to the app using their school username and password.

Sophomore Kristin Fortier, who said she heard about the app on Twitter, downloaded it over winter break to see her final grades, which she said were not on myCCS. Fortier said since she got the app, she has not used myCCS. “I prefer the PowerSchool app because it’s right on your phone and you can just click on it and find you grades really easily,” she said.

Pacalo, who said she finds the app very useful, said it’s a

great way not only for students, but for parent to see their children’s grades.

“It’s always good to keep up on grades,” Pacalo said. “I think it’s always important to monitor your (children’s) grades so you're not surprised.”

According to Pacalo, while the app may be gaining in popularity, CHS will not likely remove myCCS, seeing as not all students have iPhones. However, Fortier said myCCS will likely become an unpopular method of checking grades.

Pacalo said, “Since most kids at Carmel have an iPhone, I think that not many are going to be using myCCS anymore.”

H

Power App PowerSchool App Cost: Free Average Rating: 3/5 What: This app allows students and parents to mobily access grades, attendance, teacher information, calendars, activities schedules and book fee records Better than myCCS: PowerSchool updates grades live while myCCS can take up to 24 hours, giving more real-time data.

Worse than myCCS: App is only available on smartphones, and reviews state the app may crash PEARSONSCHOOLSYSTEMS.COM / SOURCE

How effective is the PowerSchool app?

HENRY JACKSON & GAVIN COLAVITO / PHOTOS

Thursday, Feb. 14 Happy Valentine’s Day from the HiLite staff.

See the Student Section of this issue for more coverage of the holiday.

Scan this QR code to visit hilite.org, where you’ll find even more updates on clubs, activities and events at CHS. Stay tuned this season for updates on weather delay schedules and more winter-time news.

Math teacher Matthew Wernke

It allows students to more conveniently access class results without having to request the info from teachers.

Senior Joshua Haddon

Junior Callie Daet

The app can cause problems because some people abuse it through things like hacking.

I used it because I could see final exam grades before anyone else could (through myCCS).

JAN. 24, 2013 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | NEWS | PAGE 5

Solution to Senioritis Seniors of future graduating classes may have alternate options to taking traditional classes

BY JASON KLEIN AND VICTOR XU jklein@hilite.org / vxu@hilite.org As seniors face their final semester of high school, worsening cases of ‘senioritis’ prompt new efforts to fight the epidemic from students and administrators For senior Keshav Ramaswamy, the moment knew he had caught the bug was when he saw his schedule. “(It) started to become more of independent studies and study halls more than required classes, and when I looked at my schedule, I only had one required class,” he said.

According to Ramaswamy, he doesn’t receive any homework in his classes, but even if it was given, he wouldn’t complete it.

“No, not even if I get a detention, I’m just going to tell the teacher that I don’t care,” he said.

As his eighth and final semester of high school rolls around, Ramaswamy, like many other seniors here, has come down with a case of senioritis, a colloquial term used to describe a condition affecting many second semester seniors. It is characterized by a decrease in effort, motivation and focus toward schoolwork, often resulting in lower grades, tardiness and general disinterest in high school.

And its influence is growing, according to student body president Chris Johnson, who admits that he has felt the tug of senioritis as well.

“It’s a big problem, and it gets worse throughout the year,” he said. “You can’t really deny the fact that it exists, because as kids get into college and get their acceptance

Senior Tips Seniors faced with senioritis are recommended to follow this advice • Don’t let your grades sink: many colleges ask for second semester grades.

• Practice Good Study Habits: second semester study habits will carry with you to higher eduction.

• Look for Financial Aid Opportunities: be sure to fill out the FAFSA and learn about what you can do to pay for college.

THE NEW YORK TIMES/ SOURCE

Propo

sed S

Here’s gradu an examp le ating in 201 schedule for a s 5 or lat Morn enior er ing: AP/IB or coll Aftern ege le oon: vel cla

sses W o r k Friday /Inter s: nship oppor Semin tunitie ars to s learn highe r leve l think ing

chedu

le

letters, their focus starts shifting toward the next step.”

For that In its efforts to raise student engagement reason, feelings of across the school, the administration has senioritis in some form or also assessed the problem of senioritis and ARUNI RANAWEERA / GRAPHIC another easily spread, though possibilities of combating the condition.

JOHN WILLIAMS / SOURCE Ramaswamy said that he doesn’t One proposal, announced to teachers Oct. foresee any ill effect it will have.

25, introduces the idea of a reformatted “I’m much more relaxed and I don’t have senior schedule that closely mirrors that of a Other factors leading to revocation of to care about anything collegiate environment. admission included cheating, violence, anymore. It’s a very nice Although the and other disciplinary issues that were not and liberating feeling,” proposed schedule has to problems at the time of admission. he said. “(During) first traverse several hurdles, Johnson said he personally keeps a watch semester, it could affect including Department on his grades and his work ethic in order to how colleges view you, of Education waivers ensure that he finishes his senior year well, but second semester, and high-performing but he said it would be more difficult to help it’s a lot easier to just school status, Williams the Senior Class as a whole. relax and there’s just not is confident that the new “Really it’s on an individual basis,” he said. much of a consequence format, if implemented, “There’s nothing I can say or anyone can say would help address Keshav Ramaswamy since colleges have that’s going to make someone go home and some of the engagement do their homework.”

Senioritis victim already accepted you and everything.” problems caused in part At the earliest, the new senior schedule However, research has by senioritis. will take effect in the 2014-2015 school shown that students must maintain strong “When you’re a senior, you’ve done this; year. In the meantime, current seniors such grades and conduct, if not at previous levels, you’ve done that, so it’ll be different. (The as Ramaswamy will have to individually to remain in good standing at the universities proposed schedule) won’t change the fact address the symptoms of senioritis, as he at which they are accepted. According to that you know you’re going to Dartmouth does in astronomy class. a 2009 study by the National Association next year,” Williams said. “But I think what “When the lights go really dim and you of College Admission Counseling, an it will do is make your senior year more just have this deep voice talking to you organization which compiles annual reports challenging if you participate, or more and the entire class, it’s really easy to fall on the state of college admissions, 21 percent challenging for more kids…It’ll be a different asleep, but I find it really interesting, so I’ll of colleges reported that they had revoked schedule, which I think will be unique.” stay awake,” he said. “I think (you can fight an admissions offer, and 65 percent of those The proposed schedule would help senioritis), it depends if you have any classes H colleges cited final grades as the reason. students like Ramaswamy who can put in that you’re interested in.” much less effort during senior year because of an less challenging course load. “(On blue days), I have construction, which I’m going to drop for another independent study, (then I’m) going to computer programming with a really good friend of mine who I just play around with the entire time, then I have band,” Ramaswamy said, mentioning his band class is “a lot more of a blow-off.” Finally, Ramaswamy ends the day with an independent study. “So, in that, there’s not even one required class that I have to take,” he said.

Principal John Williams sees senioritis such as Ramaswamy’s as a natural process, which makes it all the more difficult to tackle.

As seniors finalize their plans for the future, they will naturally shift their focus to college, military service, careers or whatever is on their agenda. Consequently, their interest in high school wanes, and the seeds of senioritis have taken root.

“If I knew next year I would be working SAM PATTERSON / PHOTO at a different school, maybe not now, but eventually my attention moves to my new DISTRACTED: Senioritis victim Keshav Ramaswamy talks to a friend during his band class instead of job and challenges that I’ll deal with there,” paying attention to the music. Alternate schedules that have been proposed for future seniors may help to subdue this lack of attention that comes with senioritis.

Williams said. “That means less attention here.”

“Especially second semester, I can just see a lot of seniors just stop caring about everything.”

PAGE 6 | NEWS | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | JAN. 24, 2013

Negotiations suspended due to unfair labor practice complaint

BY CRYSTAL CHEN cchen@hilite.org

D

ue to the Carmel Clay Education Association’s (CCEA) recent filing of an unfair labor practice (ULP) complaint, contract negotiations between the association and the Carmel School Board have been suspended. According to CCEA president Brian Lyday, a hearing examiner appointed by Indiana Education Employment Relations Board (IEERB) will decide whether or not there was a violation of Indiana labor law in a hearing that is scheduled to take place from March 19 to 21. Lyday said the attorneys postponed the hearing, previously scheduled for January, after considering the time requirements for each step in the process.

The CCEA claims Superintendent Jeff Swensson and Andrew Klein, 2008 to 2012 school board vice president, unfittingly communicated with teachers about contract negotiations. Although the hearing examiner will make the final call, Klein said these allegations are false.

“I do deny that I had any inappropriate communications

No Negotiations Contract negotiations between the teacher’s labor union and the district are suspended.

Here’s what happened:

1

2 Formal collective bargaining from Aug. 1 to Oct. 1

3

4 A mediator helped both sides reach an agreement

5

No contract reached by Oct. 1

Fact finding postponed due to unfair labor practice complaint

Mandatory factfinding started when agreement not reached

6 Hearing examiner appointed to make decision on unfair labor practice complaint

DENNIS YANG, HEEJUNG KIM / GRAPHIC STATEIMPACT.COM / SOURCE

with teachers in the school district,” Klein said.

Swensson declined to comment.

According to Klein, the ULP filing halted the factfinding process, in which both the association and board submit their “last best offer” to an IEERB-appointed factfinder. The fact-finder would then choose one side’s offer and finalize the contract during a hearing.

“If the hearing examiner decides that there was no violation of Indiana labor law, then the negotiation process would continue at the point where it was delayed,” Klein said. “Right now, everything is in limbo until the examiner’s decision.”

After mediation failed, both the association and the board presented their “last best offers.” However, the “last best offer” is not necessarily the most beneficial offer for both sides, as it is funded by state sources of revenue as opposed to any source of revenue.

According to a Nov. 26, 2012 public status report, delivered by Klein on behalf of the board, a teacher’s compensation could potentially rise 10 percent if a teacher takes advantage of all the proposals in what he claims is the school board’s actual best offer. These proposals include items such as a base pay increase and a performance bonus.

On the other hand, Lyday said one of the reasons why the association rejected the board’s offer was because it would not financially benefit teachers after taking into consideration the increased workday, which would be lengthened by a half hour.

“For the extra half hour, the administration’s unwilling to provide any additional compensation,” Lyday said. “So when you take the amount of money that they have offered as an increase in salary and you adjust it for the additional time, it actually ends up being a decrease in what the teacher is paid.”

The association also refused the board’s offer because it included, according to Lyday, an excess of professional development and a removal of the 5 percent increase in pay, previously given to teachers responsible for more than one class.

“In essence, it takes away time that the teachers use to grade, comment, prepare for class (and) get materials together. (It) cuts that time in half and at the same time then gives (teachers) another class to instruct without any compensation for the exchange,” Lyday said.

According to Klein, one of the major disagreements

Practice Labor Complaint Both federal and state laws deal with collective bargaining, which the Carmel Clay Education Association said the Carmel School Board violated.

mployees Section 7: “E right to . . . e shall have th r concerted engage in othe the purpose of activities for aining.” collective barg shall be an Section 8: “It actice for unfair labor pr o interfere .t .. an employer , or coerce with, restrain the exercise employees in guaranteed in of the rights section 7.”

Rights of Employees

Unfair Labor Practices

Collective Bargaining: “negotiation between an employer and a labor union usually on wages, hours, and working conditions” DENNIS YANG / GRAPHIC NLRB.GOV, MERRIAM-WEBSTER.COM / SOURCE

between the association and the board was what could be included in the contract in light of 2011 changes to Indiana’s collective bargaining law. “(The amended law) introduced complications that obviously did not exist prior to the new law, and going through things for the first time is challenging,” Klein said.

However, contract negotiations are on hold until the ULP is resolved, according to Klein. Another round of bargaining will begin in August between the association H and the school board.

Swensson Says, ‘So Long’ Scan this QR code to go to hilite.org to read about Superintendent Jeff Swensson’s resignation after the 2012-2013 school year.

TIME TO RESIGN: Superintendent Jeff Swensson (second from the right) talks during the Jan. 8 school board meeting. On Dec. 17 he announced plans to resign after the 2012-2013 school year, stressing that the board “needs ample time” to find his successor.

SCOTT LIU / PHOTO

JAN. 24, 2013 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | NEWS | PAGE 7

Qualifications lower for teacher licensing Principal John Williams said this new policy will not have a large effect on CHS. “We might consider more (teachers), but we will only hire the ones we feel are the very best,” Williams said.

Last month, the Indiana State Board of Education approved According to Williams, because of the lowered changes concerning teacher certification that lower the qualifications, more teacher evaluations will take place, but qualifications for becoming a teacher. By passing an exam, he said they do not always result in instant changes. anyone with a four-year college degree and a 3.0 GPA is now “If there’s a concern that’s noticed in an evaluation, it allowed to teach. doesn’t instantly correct itself,” Williams said. “We would never hire someone thinking that, well, if this doesn’t work out, we can always do evaluations and take care of it.”

Senior Haley Geiss, who said she plans to become a teacher, said she believes these changes in evaluations will result in more challenges for teachers.

Geiss said, “I think (evaluations) will challenge them because with lowered qualifications, they’re going to want to have better teachers.”

According to Williams, the changes to teacher qualifications were put in place to make the teacher applicant pool larger.

“There are some parts of our state where they’re really looking for high-quality teachers, especially in the areas of math AMIRA MALCOM / PHOTO and science,” he said.

The new requirements will provide APPRENDS-MOI: New French teacher Nathan Price explains a project in more people with the opportunity to one of his French classes. Price said he sees advantages to the new teacher become teachers, according to Geiss. licensing rules because he would only have to pass a test to teach Spanish.

BY CYNTHIA WU cwu@hilite.org

“Many people can become teachers now, and I don’t think that’s a bad thing because there’s always a need for teachers,” she said.

Nathan Price, a new French teacher, said he sees advantages to this policy.

“Since I teach French, if I could take and pass the Spanish test, the languages are so similar (that) I don’t necessarily see a problem with that,” Price said.

Although Price said he is not certain, he does not think these changes will impact CHS much.

“Carmel’s really good about having teachers specialize in what they’re doing, so I’m not sure in the immediate future if it is going to have a large effect,” he said.

While Williams said the administration may consider more teachers due to these changes, they will still only accept those whom they deem appropriate for the job.

“I hope that we still get a chance to interview and hire some of the best teachers out there,” Williams said. “We may have more opportunities to look at other people, but again, we’re going to look hard at folks who have been traditionally trained. We just feel like that’s important.” H

Learning to Teach Courses CHS offers for aspiring teachers

• • • •

Peer Facilitation/Special Needs Kids’ Corner K-8 Mentoring STAT PROGRAM OF STUDIES / SOURCE

don’t look here.

(Can’t resist, Can ya?)

see how effeCtive it would be to advertise in the hilite?

visit

www.hilite.org for more info

PAGE 8 | FEATURE | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | JAN. 24, 2013

FEATURE

g n i the c Risks n a l a B

Local practitioners in the yoga community disagree with recent article about the supposed dangers of their activity

BY KYLE WALKER kwalker@hilite.org

S

enior Rachel Peterson is flushed when she takes the mat. She stands on one slender leg and leans forward gracefully with arms extended until she bears a faint resemblance to the warrior after which the pose is named. Her eyes remain focused straight ahead and her expression displays her intense concentration.

A Jan. 8, 2012 article by The New York Times titled “How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body” revealed the shocking risks of yoga to those who practice it. However, a number of yogis, including Peterson, Balance Box claim that the supposed hazards are not significant Curious about the history of yoga? Here is unless practitioners fail to some trivia on the activity. pay attention to their limits.

What is the fundamental catchphrase?

“For the most part, (yoga) Breathing, exercise and meditation is very beneficial to your health because it combines flexibility Who began it? with strength, so you’re A scholar named Patanjali compiled the earliest texts exercising your muscles in a on yoga. His system is called Ashtana Yoga today. safe way,” Peterson said. “The only danger I could see is if you When did it start? push your body too far.”

Over 5,000 years ago

Where did it originate?

In the Indus Valley

How did it get all the way over here?

Yoga arrived in the U.S. in the 1800s.

It only really became well known in the 1960s, when the U.S. experienced growing interest in Eastern culture.

What does it mean?

How many types of yoga are there?

There are 100+ schools of yoga.

Among them are: Hatha Yoga (common), Raja Yoga (“royal road”) and Jnana Yoga (wisdom, considered most difficult).

AMERICAN YOGA ASSOCIATION / SOURCE

s

“Yoga” means “to join or joke together.” This alludes to the belief that yoga brings the mind and body together in harmony. Contrary to popular thought, yoga is not rooted in religion and does not interfere with religious practices or beliefs.

Your Guide to Yoga Poses YOGAJOURNAL.COM / SOURCE NIVEDHA MEYYAPPAN / PHOTOS

Vickie Kloskey, yoga instructor at the Monon Center, said while the practice can be dangerous, its risks are no greater than those that accompany any other form of exercise.

“Any physical activity has a risk to it. You’re moving your body. You can move it the wrong way picking up your vacuum cleaner at home, and you can pull your back,” Kloskey said.

The article, which served as a warning from yoga teacher Glenn Black about the harmful effects yoga can have, has faced opposition from people who believe it fails to tell the whole story about injuries sustained by yogis.

“I think the article was good in the fact that people need to realize that when you walk into any type of fitness class, no matter whether it is yoga, Pilates, steps (or) Zumba, you are moving your body physically, and there are times when your body unfortunately is going to get injured because you want to go right and your knees decide that ‘I’m still going left,’” Kloskey said.

“I thought the article really didn’t do a great job of pointing out that a person walking into class (needs to take) the responsibility of listening to your body and going, ‘Hey, that doesn’t feel right. I probably shouldn’t do it,’ instead of being the Type A American of ‘Oh, no pain, no gain. I should just keep going.’”

Virabhadrasana III “Warrior III Pose” Directions: The arms, torso and raised leg should be about parallel to the floor. The head should tilt up slightly to look forward. Hold this pose for 30 seconds to a minute and repeat with other leg.

Benefits: It strengthens your ankles and legs, shoulders and back muscles. It tones the abdomen. This improves balance and posture.

Caution: If you have high blood pressure, this is not for you! Beginners might lock or hyperextend the knee while raising the leg.

Assessing the risks that accompany yoga is becoming increasingly necessary as it becomes more prominent in the United States due to its popularity among the nation’s wealthy and famous and also its philosophical appeal.

“I think a lot of the allure of the yoga is the calmness and the steadiness that it can bring people. Everyone lives a very high-stress life now, kids on up,” Kloskey said. “I think a lot of people are looking more actually for the stress reduction that yoga can bring. There are exercises where you need to be conscious of your breath and your movement, whereas if you’re doing a cardio class, they’re not really doing that.”

She said she is particularly attracted to the philosophical aspect of yoga, which emphasizes nonviolence, satisfaction and refraining from hoarding material possessions.

“Once you can connect into your breath and your mind and your body, it can be very calming,” Kloskey said. “It’s been shown over and over that especially working on your breath can lower your blood pressure (and) your stress level, because it is a calming factor on your body.”

This philosophy, she said, also helps her attain a peace of mind that escapes many

JAN. 24, 2013 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | FEATURE | PAGE 9

Utthan Pristhasana “Lizard Pose”

Gomukhasana “Cow Face Pose”

Directions: From a low lunge (one knee bent, other leg stretched out), bring your forearms to the ground. You can drop the knee if raising it is too difficult. Hold this pose for one to five minutes.

Benefits: It opens the hips and stretches the hamstrings and thighs.

Caution: None, but accidents happen, so be careful.

Directions: The knee on top should correspond to the hand below. Hold for about one minute and repeat with hands in switched positions.

Benefits: It stretches your ankles, hips and thighs. It also stretches your shoulders, armpits and triceps, and chest.

Caution: Watch out! This may give you serious neck or shoulder problems, especially if you do it wrong.

people as a result of their discontentment.

“There are a lot of things in life that bring us unhappiness because we actually bring it upon ourselves because we feel like we need to have that better car or the next generation iPhone, and if we don’t have it, we’re unhappy because we’re not on the cutting edge,” she said.

On the other hand, Peterson said she attributes yoga’s boom in popularity in the United States to its prevalence among famous Americans.

“For a while, it was kind of a trendy thing, because I know celebrities had kind of advertised it and made it more publicized, and I think having that publicity has made it more popular,” she said. “You hear about it more often, but it’s a very, very old form of exercise.”

According to Peterson, the appeal in yoga lies in its relaxing powers for her.

“The reason that I’ve really been sticking with it this time around is because I’ve gotten really into meditation,” she said.

“I really like the Middle Eastern aspect of yoga, and I love the meditation at the end.

I’m not really one for working out, but I like that it is a relaxing workout but at the same time, you work on strength, balance and focusing your mind as well.”

Natarajasana “Lord of the Dance Pose” Directions: Keep your thigh and your hand parallel to the floor. Hold for 20 to 30 seconds and repeat with your other leg.

Benefits: It stretches your shoulders, chest, thighs and abdomen. It strengthens your legs and ankles.

It improves your balance.

Caution: If you have low blood pressure, this is not for you! Beginners may experience a cramp in the thigh while lifting the leg.

According to Kloskey and Peterson, recognizing one’s limits is an important aspect of yoga and is instrumental in preventing injuries.

“In yoga, they always warn you, ‘You can modify the pose if you need (to) make it easier or harder,’” Peterson said.

“If you were to overstretch your body or do something that didn’t feel right, then you could end up with a pulled muscle or something of that sort.”

Kloskey said she advises students not to attempt anything that could potentially harm them.

“I am not a physical therapist. I am not a doctor. I can’t diagnose something for you.

In the end, I can’t make the decision for you to say, ‘Yeah, that’s okay for you to do that.’ I would always err on the side of caution and say, ‘If you’re not sure, don’t do that,’” she said.

According to Peterson, yoga relaxes practitioners and allows them to work on strength, balance and focus as long as people take necessary precautions.

“My body is naturally pretty flexible, so it’s fairly easy for me just to get right into it,” she said. “When I first started, I didn’t go out and do the hardest poses. You just have to know H your limits, and if you do, that’s fine.”

Vrksasana “Tree Pose” Directions: Hold for 30 seconds to a minute and repeat with the legs reversed.

Benefits: It strengthens your thighs, calves and spine.

This stretches your thighs, chest and shoulders.

This pose improves your sense of balance. It also helps with sciatica (a pain affecting the back, hip and leg) and reduces flat feet.

Caution: Do not attempt with a headache, insomnia or low/high blood pressure.

Halasana “Plow Pose” Directions: Keep your torso perpendicular to the floor and your legs extended. Hold for one to five minutes.

Benefits: This stretches your shoulders and spine, focusing on the thyroid gland.

Caution: This may cause a neck injury. If your feet touch the floor (as pictured), this pose is considered advanced and shouldn’t be attempted by beginners without supervision.

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JAN. 24, 2013 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | FEATURE | PAGE 11

Crazy for Coconuts

Did you know?

Is the coconut a fruit or a nut? It’s neither. Botanically speaking, the coconut is actually a seed.

In light of health benefits, student coconut consumption has increased Coco“Nutty”

The popularity of coconuts is impacting production around the world.

Production Yields of the Top 5 in the World from 1992 to 2010 200

Thousands of Coconuts

W

hen sophomore Abigail “Abby” Fields tried coconut water for the first time, she hated it.

“Coconut water sounded pretty good, so I tried one,” she said. “Once I paid for it, I took a sip and I spit it all over. It was just nasty.”

Despite her aversion to coconut water, Fields said she enjoys the use of other products such as coconut cream and coconut milk.

Coconut water is a part of the recent coconut health craze that is sweeping the United States, reaching even this school’s cafeterias. According to a January 2012 New Nutrition Business brochure, the coconut beverage market doubled in 2011 to a value of more than $265 million in the United States and Europe. The explosion of coconut consumption is likely due to its major selling point: coconuts have natural health benefits.

“The actual coconut craze is kind of based on coconut oil,” nurse Kandyce Hardie said.

“It has little sugar, little cholesterol and no fat.”

Hardie said coconut water is comparable to sports drinks due to high electrolyte content. Electrolytes are minerals that affect muscle function and the amount of water in the body.

According to Hardie, people with lactose intolerance can use coconut products to

replace lactose products.

“Sometimes my family gets coconut milk because my cousin is lactose intolerant,” Fields said. She said she enjoys the taste of coconut milk.

“It tastes just like sweeter milk,” she said.

Coconut flour can also be a wheat flour substitute for those on gluten-free diets.

“Diabetics also look to lower their carbohydrate levels by using coconut products because it doesn’t have carbohydrates,” Hardie said. “We have 28 diabetics in our school.”

According to a study done in 2010 by the National Center for Biotechnology Information, coconut oil also has antiinflammatory uses. Decreasing inflammation can help the body fight illnesses.

Some studies have also suggested that coconut oil consumption helps fight heart disease.

“That’s really interesting, especially because our state and the Midwest is known for obesity and heart disease,” Hardie said.

“So that can be huge.”

Overall, Hardie suggests coconuts in moderation. “What I try to do with things like this, when I hear about them, is to think about how can I incorporate that into my diet so I can get the health benefits from it but not overdo it,” she said.

Despite overarching health benefits, consumption still depends on personal taste.

“Coconut water is just disgusting,” Fields said. “But I think other coconut products are H pretty good.”

144,732

122,514 99,757

100

Peru

El Salvador

China

91,575

86,823

Singapore

Puerto Rico

Imports into the United States Thousands of Tons of Coconuts

BY LAUREN LU llu@hilite.org

LOC.GOV / SOURCE

40

30

20

10

‘00 ‘01 ‘02

‘03

‘04

‘05

‘06

‘07

‘08

‘09

Year Imported RACHEL CHEN AND LAUREN LU / GRAPHICS FAOSTAT.COM / SOURCE

Students notice more older female, younger male relationships

BY CLAUDIA HUANG chuang@hilite.org

S HAILEY MEYER / PHOTO

AMBASSADOR AMOR: Senior Carolyn Keller and junior Eric Wiegand dance. According to The New York Times, it is more common for female teenagers to date younger males.

enior Carolyn Keller and junior Eric Wiegand bonded through a shared love of performing arts and music.

From there, their relationship blossomed and now, they do all of the things typical couples do: hold hands while walking through the hallways, spend copious amounts of time with each other on the weekends and text each other often.

While they might seem like the epitome of an ideal high school couple to some, others may only notice the distinguishing fact that a female senior is dating a male junior.

However, they both said that this circumstance does not deter either of them from dating.

Keller said, “I always forget that I’m older. I don’t really notice the difference. There’s not that much different other than (the fact that) he’s a junior taking AP Literature and

‘10

I’m a senior taking W131. I really don’t think about age that much.”

Keller and Wiegand’s relationship is one of many that have contributed to a growing trend in high school relationships where the female is older than the male. In May 2012, The New York Times published an editorial titled “For Would-Be Cougars, the Prom Is a Good Start” which discussed how an increasing number of girls are attending prom with males in lower grade levels and even have a preference for dating younger boys.

Both Keller and Wiegand said they have become aware of the recent increase in the number of couples like them at this school.

Keller said, “Actually, a lot of my friends also are dating in lower grades, too. I’ve noticed the trend in these types of relationships.”

Victoria Dalton, a clinical psychologist CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE for Indiana Health Group who specializes

PAGE 12 | FEATURE | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | JAN. 24, 2013 in adolescents, said she, too, has noticed this shift in high school relationships, especially in the past few years. She said she attributes this to the loosening of societal pressures.

“I have seen a number of changes within the high school dating context, and I suspect this is due in part to the relaxing or accepting of cultural stances on this topic.

It does not appear that most high school students are as encumbered by societal rules such as dating your age or older for girls,” Dalton said. “There are also more relaxed rules regarding friendships with younger students. So it only seems to follow that familiarity and exposure would build attraction and connectivity.”

However, both Keller and Wiegand said they disagreed with Dalton, saying that cultural views did not affect their relationship.

Wiegand said, “I don’t really feel that pressure. I know that (relationships like ours are) uncommon, but we’re just at a point where we were indifferent about any social pressures.”

On the other hand, Keller and Wiegand concurred with Dalton that exposure to people of different grade levels in classes has contributed to the growth in these types of relationships.

“Age isn’t becoming such a big deal.

Especially with performing arts, I’m having classes with people outside my grade, and I don’t really notice the age difference. It’s not taken into account as much,” Keller said.

Keller also said that she thinks these CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

Age isn’t becoming such a big deal.

Especially with performing arts, I’m having classes with people outside my grade, and I don’t really notice the age difference.

Carolyn Keller

For Your Information: Sunburned Eyes Did you know?

Anderson Cooper went temporarily blind because he sunburned his eyes.

Read more about it here.

Liar, Liar, Eyes on Fire

Senior

relationships are becoming more common as women are questioning traditional gender roles.

“It’s been a tradition and set back from way back when. Those male and female roles are still in place today, but it’s lessened throughout the years,” Keller said. “People are just not caring as much, going beyond the boundaries of male and female roles. People are thinking beyond.”

According to Dalton, a disadvantage is the concerns from parents on both sides of the relationship, since this trend may be different from their experience of high school dating, But Dalton said they do not need to worry, as she sees these relationships as playful.

“In my experience most of these relationships appear lighter in nature.

I can’t speak to the average duration of these relationships, but the couples with this composition tend to have more fun and less drama,” Dalton said.

Wiegand also said that he sees these concerns as unwarranted, and people should keep an open mind about these relationships.

“Age difference is an exaggerated problem and that should be no problem,” Wiegand said. “If (the couple’s) personalities match, that’s that. It doesn’t have anything to do with age and it’s just a fact.”

Despite remaining negative opinions of these relationships, Dalton said that she does not see this dating trend as a temporary fad.

Dalton said, “This is here to stay. You cannot unring this bell. Once it has become acceptable, things rarely shift back. It might HAILEY MEYER/ PHOTO not stay as ‘’en vogue’’ as LOVE IN THE AIR: Senior Carolyn Keller and junior it is becoming, but I don’t Eric Wiegand play the piano. They said their relationship believe it will ever go back blossomed after meeting through performing arts. to being unacceptable.” H

71 percent of Americans don’t know about the risk of sunburning their eyes. Even in winter months, light reflected off of the snow can be harmful.

The Symptoms

1

2 Redness or irritation

3 Excessive tearing

4 Heightened sensitivity to light

Sandy or grainy feeling

The Mechanisms Photokeratitis: Also called “snow blindness,” photokeratitis is the sunburning of the cornea. It happens when the eye is overexposed to UV rays.

Solar maculopathy: This is the sunburning of the retina. It takes place when a person looks at a bright UV source for an extended period of time.

Prevention A few steps to take in order to avoid sunburning your eyes

1 Wear sunglasses, especially when the sunlight is strong.

2

Wear hats, even on cloudy days.

Wide brimmed hats are best.

3

Avoid spending excessive time outside from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Look for the words “100 percent UVA and UVB protection,” “HEV,” “near-UV” or “blue-light filtering.” Gray lenses are best.

DENNIS YANG / GRAPHIC GALTIME.COM & WISEGEEK.COM / SOURCE

6:30 to 9 p.m.

We invite you to join us Sunday nights at North Beach to celebrate life through laughter, friendship, music and an encouraging message from God’s Word. It’s fun and fast-paced with a live band, video feeds, drama and practical messages designed for teens. We are connecting teens with God, and helping teens connect their friends with God. This night offers lots of interaction with other students, adults who care for you and real food from the Kowabunga Kafe. We’ve got a seat saved for you and we’d love to have you check it out! We don’t believe that church should be boring, and we try to prove that each week. If you’re interested, join us at North Beach on a Sunday night. The doors open at 6:30 p.m., the service is from 7-8 p.m. and the doors close at 9 p.m.

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Jennifer Blessing | Student Ministry Coordinator jennifer.blessing@northviewchurch.us 317.846.2884 | www.northviewstudents.us

12/6/12 2:06 PM

PAGE 14 | STUDENT SECTION | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | JAN. 24, 2013 Want more?

Scan this QR code to see the full interview with Brickley.

STUDENT SECTION

Ask the Expert Jerry Brickley, historical re-enactor and English teacher, talks about love in the Middle Ages, in addition to other facts about knights.

Compiled by Aruni Ranaweera

JERRY BRICKLEY / SUBMITTED PHOTO JAMES BENEDICT / PHOTO ILLUSTRATION

How does chivarly apply to romance?

The idea of saving the fair young maiden is pretty common in a lot of the stories. In some cases there are romantic elements in those stories and in other cases there are not because the knight is supposed to be above that. He’s not saving them because they’re pretty girls, he’s saving them because that’s his job.

What’s needed to uphold the code of chivalry?

The code of chivalry is the code by which they (knights) had to behave. The idea was the turn the knight, who was a warrior and trained to kill, into a gentleman.

So it broke down to three areas: The ability to use the weapons; chivalry, which is horsemanship; and courtesy, which is court behavior.

How did you become a knight?

When I first started teaching here, King Arthur was in the curriculum, so I knew they had a Renaissance festival at the old Indiana Fun Park; it doesn’t exist anymore. So I called out there, got a phone number, two guys came down, did a demonstration and I got hooked. And I started working with the group as a squire, did that for about two years, and then I was knighted.

You Give Love a Bad Name

Gift-giving on Feb. 14 is a popular way to show affection, but over-commercialization causes lack of participation

BY MOLLY SURETTE msurette@hilite.org Walking through the halls of CHS during the weeks leading up to Valentines Day, one cannot help but notice the National Honor Society flyers, announcing the upcoming carnation sales. The surplus of pink hearts, flowers and chocolates that students exchange with one another cause most people to ignore the commercialization of Valentines Day. However this façade does not appeal to sophomore Emma Johnson.

“Valentines Day is supposed to be a special day spent with all of the people you love in your life,” she said. “It’s not about gifts.”

Feb. 14 is known as a day for grand romantic gestures toward loved ones but many are starting to feel that this day is overly commercialized by retailers who profit from Valentines Day gifts.

The first mass-produced valentines were sold in America during the 1840s by Esther Howland. On the first valentine were the words: “Weddings now are all the go, will you marry me or no?”

According to the Greeting Card Association, 190 million valentines are sent in the United States each year, but that only includes cards sent through the mail.

When including school valentine exchanges that are done in almost every elementary classroom across the country, the number jumps to about one billion.

“Valentines Day was one of my favorite holidays when I was younger,” Johnson said. “Now that I’m older, most people only give gifts to their significant others.”

After the first valentine was created, businesses like the chocolate and flower industries started cashing in on the profits. Today, gift advertisements can be seen in every source of media throughout January and February.

“These advertisements make it seem like celebrating

Speak Up

Valentines Day isn’t possible without jewelry, flowers or whatever companies are trying to sell,” Johnson said. “This is why I think Valentines Day is too commercialized. People now think that their love for someone can only be measured by how much they spend on a gift.”

Marketing teacher Laura Cardamon said she understands how much effort goes into the valentines advertisements during February.

“Holiday advertisers will use print media, television, radio, newspapers, magazines, direct mail, billboards, specialized media like blimps, transit advertising that are all directed to the consumer,” she said.

Cardamon said she also knows how much retailers rely on sales from Valentines Day. “Sales are expected to be $17.6 billion,” she said.

“Valentines Day is one of the biggest gift-giving holidays of the year and is a very important holiday to retailers.”

“Consumers buy Valentines Day gifts for their partners, their children, parents, friends and pets,” Cardamon said. “Consumers will shop for gifts at discount store, department stores, online retailers, floral shops and jewelry stores.”

Cardamon said she experiences Valentines Day from a retailer’s perspective because she also works at a Von Maur department store.

“Von Maur displays Valentines Day items after New Year’s Day. Some items I have seen displayed include gourmet chocolates, red dresses and sweaters, cards, mugs, phone cases, red purses, red heart-shaped jewelry and other small heart-shaped gifts,” she said.

As for Johnson, said she doesn’t plan on spending money.

“I have no definite plans so far, but if I do celebrate Valentines, I won’t buy gifts,” she said. “I hope to find unique ways of showing my loved ones how much they mean to me without having to buy into the H commercialization of this holiday.”

COMPILED BY HAILEY MEYER

How do you feel about Valentines Day?

What did you do as a knight?

We would go to Renaissance festivals. Usually a tournament is the centerpiece of the festival, and we would put on an actual medieval tournament. We would do games on horseback, taking the rings or performance in combat on the grounds on horseback, and then we’d finish, of course, with several jousts.

Every person in the organization creates a persona and sticks to that character while we’re doing the shows.

Is that an official title?

Yes, the only difference is that we don’t have a monarch as a sponsor. We wrote a letter to Queen Elizabeth, but she hasn’t written back. We try to live in a code of chivalry.

H

Freshman Spencer Stergar

Sophomore Tamara “Mara” Fattah

Junior Megan Resener

Senior Alexander “Alex” Saffa

It’s a Hallmark holiday, and it’s pretty overrated, but it’s fun.

The holiday gives people a false impression of what love should be. Not everything is a fairytale.

I think Valentines Day is a useless holiday made up to make people spend money.

Doing what you do on Valentines Day is what people in love should do all the time.

JAN. 24, 2013 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | STUDENT SECTION | PAGE 15

W

ou get your y d l u o h s t s e w e e w eti s t e? ha “Got me looking so crazy in love”

Are you both fans of the same sports team or band?

“Why’d you have to go and make things so complicated?”

Is the relationship worth salvaging?

“Lucky I’m in love with my best friend”

Yes

No

If you could describe your relationship in one song lyric, what would it be?

You can never go wrong with a nice bouquet of flowers.

Where do you see your relationship in a year?

A blossoming romance

Get sporting or concert tickets for your beloved.

Splurge on a nice watch or piece of jewelry.

It’s worth a shot Better luck next year.

Just friends

Who wouldn’t appreciate a nice plate of homemade baked goods?

Talk about it over a nice dinner date.

Hannah

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PAGE 16 | COVER STORY | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | JAN. 24, 2013

COVER STORY

The Pric

JAN. 24, 2013 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | COVER STORY | PAGE 17

ce They’ll Pay Colleges predict struggles ahead as students fight to meet increasing costs. With financial aid funding uncertain, students use unusual methods to get their hands on a degree and pay for it

BY LINDSEY WALKER lwalker@hilite.org

S

enior Meredith Wettersten logs on to her computer, makes a few clicks with the mouse and quickly begins typing. Senior Mitchell “Mitch” Sobek suits up in his U.S. Army uniform, puts on his heavy boots and adjusts his cap. They’re two very different people in very different settings under very different conditions, but both have one thing in common—through their actions, they’re paying for college.

As Wettersten and Sobek try to combat increasing tuition costs, they are among thousands of other high school students across the United States who feel the squeeze. According to a survey released Jan. 10 by the credit ratings agency Moody’s Investors Service, nearly half of all the schools surveyed (165 nonprofit private universities and 127 four-year public universities) said they expect to see a decline in enrollment for fulltime students, and one-third of the schools expect tuition revenue to decline as well, something many attribute to the increase in students’ difficulty paying for higher education. Furthermore, the upcoming budget negotiations in Congress may force more cuts in student aid programs, especially as more students rely on government loans and scholarships.

As financial aid and college acceptance deadlines loom, the painstaking process of figuring out how students, or their parents, are going to afford the collegiate price tag often serves up an intense dose of reality.

Linda Christy, College and Career Resource Center coordinator, said she understands these students’ predicament.

“College is not a cheap investment, it’s simply not,” Christy said. “But there are ways that every single student, no matter the circumstances, can make it possible. We work with students in a variety of ways to teach them about college readiness and answer any question they CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE might have.”

NIVEDHA MEYYAPPAN / PHOTO

PAGE 18 | COVER STORY | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | JAN. 24, 2013

The Pay-Off As the cost of college continues to rise, finding employment and paying back student loans have become increasingly hard for students on all levels of American society R

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1 out of 5 American households owes “outstanding” student loans.

of student debt held by low-income families.

of student debt held 31% by highincome families.

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2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 01 002 003 004 005 006 007 008 009 010

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Year of initial payment PROJECT ON STUDENT DEBT, US DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, PEW RESEARCH CENTER / SOURCES HAFSA RAZI / GRAPHICS

Lowering the cost of college has become increasingly vital for students, even after university. According to The Wall Street Journal, the class of 2011 was the most debt-laden class in the history of the United States, with the average grad leaving school $22,900 in debt—adjusted for inflation, that’s 47 percent more than it was just 10 years ago.

As higher education’s cost continues to spike every year, it’s doubtful that the current uptick in student loan debt will stop anytime soon. With this rise, students today are forced to become more and more creative in finding ways to cough up the cash without emptying their parents’ pockets or setting themselves up for decades of interest-racking loans.

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

Weighing the Options

The three main routes students can take are

ity vers Uni

scholarships (which can be meritbased or need-based), governmentbased aid through the filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and work-study programs on campus, Christy said. Wettersten takes part in these “typical” routes of paying for college.

“I have applied for a scholarship every Friday since August and will continue to do so until May,” Wettersten said. “It’s part of the AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) program that I’m in to get (students) ready for college.

We have to send the report that says we entered in the scholarship to our teacher for a completion grade.”

AVID coordinator Shannon Woodson said the AVID program helps prepare students for college by investigating the college admissions process, locating the most appropriate school for each student, assisting them in writing college essays and

ma Diplo

%

8 37.

...of working graduates have jobs that do not require a college degree.

finding recommendations.

“Helping students in AVID locate and secure scholarships to offset the cost of college has always been a part of the AVID curriculum,” Woodson said via email.

“Students need to look at their future career options and the most affordable university for their desired major.”

Wettersten finds these scholarships online, through websites such as Zinch.com or Fastweb.com and can typically apply just by filling out her information, with the occasional essay requirement. While Wettersten has yet to win any of the scholarships she has applied for, Woodson said other students in the program have earned full tuition for public universities this school year. Wettersten’s mother, Kim Wettersten, said that most of the scholarship winners will not be announced until spring.

With that in mind, Meredith said she is glad the AVID program requires that she apply for a scholarship every Friday.

COLLEGE BOUND: Senior Meredith Wettersten examines posters and brochures from various colleges, which are posted on the board of the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) room.

According to Wettersten, the AVID program has encouraged her to apply for many scholarships which will help her reduce the costs of higher education.

NIVEDHA MEYYAPPAN / PHOTO

However, college graduates have the unemployment rate of Americans their age with only a high school diploma.

1

2

“If I wasn’t being made to do this for a grade, I probably wouldn’t do it on my own,” Meredith said. “I’m glad AVID gives us the push and I think other seniors in the AVID program appreciate it as well.”

Meredith also said she plans to fill out the FAFSA and believes she will be granted federal money through that application.

According to Mrs. Wettersten, Meredith has been offered some scholarship money from the universities she has been accepted to.

“All of the schools that she’s looking at are public schools. She did apply to two private schools and they offered her some scholarship money, but even that didn’t offset (the remaining cost) enough,” Mrs. Wettersten said.

Payment In Kind

While Meredith works hard to earn any extra money she can find to help her parents out, Sobek said he’s never considered applying for scholarships or taking out a loan—his college tuition has been paid in full since he joined the Army on June 26, 2012.

Sobek never wanted his parents to have to pay for his college education but also never knew how he could come up with the money on his own. Even after taking on a parttime summer job as a lifeguard for the past couple of years, his savings were nothing compared to what he needed to get his degree. Sobek was unsure of what to do, when the answer seemingly fell into his lap—the only catch? He may end up paying for his education with his life.

“I’ve wanted to join the Army my whole life. When the opportunity came up, I just took it,” Sobek said. “The fact that as a soldier my tuition to any public, in-state school is paid for 100 percent is just a bonus to me.”

“I actually found out that the military (pays for college tuition) when I was in the recruiter’s office talking about benefits. Up until that point I had no idea,” Sobek said.

JAN. 24, 2013 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | COVER STORY | PAGE 19 “I was happy, you know, because that’s just money that my parents can have back for their retirement fund or whatever.”

After starting classes Linda Christy at Ball State University in College and Career Resource Center coordinator the fall of 2013, Sobek said he plans to graduate with a degree in organizational communications. that is very time-consuming and can be very Once he finishes college, he will then begin competitive. (These are) those ones where you repaying the military for his education by really have to just listen to announcements committing to active duty. While there are and look at the websites. But that can range different contracts he can sign based on his level from, you know, an odd caddy scholarship of military involvement, from the National to a health recreational major scholarship to Guard to the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps an engineering scholarship,” Christy said. “All (ROTC) to overseas deployment, Sobek plans those different nuance things that are just not to stay in the Army for eight to 10 years and something you would automatically google work his way up the ranks. and come up with. So it’s a lot of extra work on “If doing this—defending your country— your part, but it’s worth it.” is not what’s in your heart, you definitely Christy also said she recommends that should not enlist just to get your college paid. all students take is to fill out the FAFSA. Get a loan or a scholarship or do something.

According to the Federal Student Aid You won’t survive if you don’t love what you website, the branch, which is an office of do,” Sobek said. the U.S. Department of Education, offers While Sobek’s choice may not be for over $150 billion in aid every year to help everyone, Christy highlights the importance students fund their higher education goals. of looking for money in other uncommon However, many students here choose not places as well. to fill out the FAFSA, assuming they will “Beyond those automatic, merit-based not qualify for financial aid if their parents’ scholarships that colleges give, students can income is too high. Christy and Woodson search for scholarships themselves. However, both urge students to not follow that trend.

You don’t have to be a straight-A student to go to college; you don’t have to be rich to go to college; you don’t have pay back student loans until you’re 80 to go to college. There is a way for everyone.

“Many scholarships,” Woodson said, “require this information even if students don’t qualify for aid.”

Christy also added that students should fill out the FAFSA in order to be prepared if a life-changing event occurs. The 2013-2014 school year deadline is midnight on March 10. Students can visit www.fafsa.ed.gov to find the required forms and paperwork.

“If there’s a loss of a job or a death in the family, colleges can go back and take that FAFSA and say, ‘Okay, you were able to pay full tuition this year, but because you had something happen, you can’t now,’ so they can make adjustments based on that situation if you file your FAFSA,” Christy said.

Making It Work

Still, despite all of the financial roadblocks that may stand in the way, college education may still pay off. According to a 2012 study conducted by the Pew Research Center, 86 percent of college graduates say their

schooling has been a good investment.

Furthermore, the federal government and universities have both been working to make the dream of receiving a college diploma become a reality for all Americans.

Some of these efforts may be seen in President Barack Obama’s new legislation to forgive outstanding student debts after 60 loan payments have been paid, as well as in Indiana University’s recently announced plan to freeze tuition costs for all students in “good academic standing” after the completion of their sophomore year.

There are infinite paths that students take to get through college, from the application process to the day when the final university bill is paid, a process that undoubtedly takes many years.

“You don’t have to be a straight-A student to go to college. You don’t have to be rich to go to college. You don’t have pay back student loans until you’re 80 to go to college,” Christy H said. “There is a way for everyone.”

How The States Stack Up A ranking of the top 12 states in America for average student debt at time of graduation for the undergraduate class of 2011

#1 New Hampshire - $32,440 #2 Pennsylvania - $29,959 #3 Minnesota - $29,793 #4 Rhode Island - $29,097 #5 Connecticut - $28,783 #6 Iowa - $28,753

#7 Ohio - $28,683 #8 Vermont - $28,273 #9 District of Columbia - $28,241 #10 New Jersey - $27,610 #11 Indiana - $27,500 #12 Michigan - $27,451

$10,000 $1,000

PROJECT ON STUDENT DEBT / SOURCE ANTHONY KO, CONNIE CHU / GRAPHIC

PAGE 20 | ENTERTAINMENT | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | JAN. 24, 2013

ENTERTAINMENT

‘Almost, Maine’ to premiere Feb. 7

BY MADISON ADZEMA madzema@hilite.org This school’s latest theatre production “Almost, Maine” will be released just in time for Valentine’s Day. This romantic comedy is perfect for anyone searching for a heart-

warming story right around the holiday.

Shows are scheduled for Feb. 7 to 9 at 7:30 p.m. with an additional showing on Feb. 9 at 2 p.m. in the Dale E. Graham Auditorium.

The story takes place in Almost, ME where nine quirky couples fall in and out of love. One winter evening, underneath the

JENNA RUHAYEL / PHOTO

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT: Junior Ian Bossung rehearses with Senior Courtney Maloney during their only scene in ‘Almost, Maine.’ During the scene, Maloney’s character, Glory, is looking for the Northern Lights in the yard of Bossung’s character, East.

struggled with casting the play.

Northern Lights, all the relationships reach “150 kids tried out for 19 parts. I a climax in different parts of the town. The could’ve cast the play two or three times couples are all in varying phases of their easily,” Cassidy said. “Overall we made the relationships, creating humorous, sad and right choices. It’s a great cast.” overall entertaining moments.

Both MacNulty and Cassidy said seeing “It’ll make people think about what they all the scenes come together will be the really want in a relationship,Kinsey Erickson, greatest part. student director and sophomore, said.

“Since the show is made up of all “I chose (the play) because it’s a fantastic different scenes, it’s hard to interact with the story that teenagers and adults will both other actors but that’s what makes the show enjoy,”Maggie Cassidy, director and theatre different than others,” MacNulty said. teacher, said.

MacNulty said because of this, all the This is Cassidy’s sixth winter production actors meet at different times throughout here. “This play is really different from the week to practice their different scenes. others I have directed. There are only 19 Despite this, Jones said he has developed actors, which is really small for a Carmel close relations with the actors and that production,” Cassidy said. the cast is a fun group to work with. He Erickson assists with auditions and said the overall attitude at rehearsals is rehearsals and helps create scenes. “I’m reflected in the production. really hoping we will essentially have a really “It’s a funny show although there is a lot great play that leaves everyone with a heartof seriousness. The show touches on some warming story and things to think about. pretty serious things at times and you don’t The audience will want to reflect after they always expect them so the audience should see it,” Erickson said. look forward to just about everything,” At first, Erickson wanted to try out for Jones said via email. the production but ended up enjoying every Erickson said although the play does scene and decided to pursue the student have a dominant theme of romance, there director position. are other aspects of the play that everyone “I just fell in love with all the characters. can relate to.

They’re all so unique,” Erickson said.

Erickson said, “I hope we get across the Actor and junior Ian Jones plays The different emotions in relationships. People Man, a middle-aged character who is tend to make romantic relationships a priority, broken-hearted after a girl that he is in love which makes this a perfect production for with leaves town. He eventually gets married, (everyone). I know the audience will enjoy thinking the love of his life will never return.

H the play. It’ll be one to remember.”

Jones said his character brings a sense of guilt or regret to the play. He said each character brings something different to the production.

Actress and senior Jessica “Jessie” MacNulty plays a waitress who helps develop a couple’s relationship by providing her insight.

Erickson said, “I’d want to be the waitress if I was in the production.

She’s fun and salty.”

MacNulty said she enjoys playing the character and developing the character’s personality in the play. She said her role is very different from the others in the production.

According to Cassidy, JENNA RUHAYEL / PHOTO everything has gone HARD AT WORK: Junior Ross Bembeneck (left) and according to plan and the freshman Kyle Cunningham (right) build a platform for cast has been great to work the performers to stand on. During scenes, there will be an with. However, she said she Aurora Borealis effect displayed from a projector.

JAN. 24, 2013 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | ENTERTAINMENT | PAGE 21

Orchestras prepare for chamber music concert

BY OLIVIA WEPRICH oweprich@hilite.org

In addition to its traditional concerts throughout the year, the orchestra department has an informal chamber music concert each winter, according to assistant orchestra director James Woomert. This year, the concert will be on Feb. 6 at 5:30 p.m. in P100. Light refreshments will be provided and admission is free, although donations are accepted.

Woomert said, “(The chamber music concert) is like an open house with an open door policy. People come and go throughout the night to see the different groups perform.”

According to Woomert, about 150 students will participate after having a little over four weeks to prepare. Around 30 groups, ranging anywhere from duets to larger groups as big as 12 students, will perform. This allows for a variety of music genres as well.

Alexander “Alex” McManus, member of Philharmonic Orchestra and senior, said he likes the opportunity to be able to conduct themselves, but there are benefits to both the chamber setting and the traditional large full orchestra environment.

“With the traditional concerts, you play with everyone, with a conductor and get to

play more songs all together,” McManus said.

“With the chamber concert, you have more choices and can play with your friends, and it’s cool to see other people’s talents in the smaller setting.”

McManus said he is in a larger group for this concert and looks forward to working with different people than he has in the past.

However, Kavya Sankhavaram, member of Symphony Orchestra and senior, said she is in a group with musicians she has performed with before.

She said, “The group I’m doing chamber music with is a group that I’ve been with twice before. So I guess I like reuniting to work together again. Also, working as a small group is a lot of fun, especially since you can choose your own music.”

According to Sankhavaram, chamber music helps students grow individually in different ways, since it combines techniques from playing as a soloist and as a member of a full orchestra. In chamber music, a student is often the only one playing a certain part of the piece, even though that individual part is just a section of the whole. Sankhavaram said the chamber unit has helped her to speak up and work better in a group over the years.

According to Woomert, this unit allows students to get out of the large ensemble setting and experience a more soloistic side

of playing music. Also, they have a chance to lead themselves and collaborate.

He said, “(Students) can experience the dynamic of putting together a musical work without having a teacher or adult to direct them. It increases their musical accountability.”

According to Woomert, in addition to having the chance to improve their musicianship, many groups use this concert as a practice performance to prepare for the Indiana State School Music Association (ISSMA) competitions. Ensembles that qualify for ISSMA State Finals in the Regional on Feb. 2 can use the chamber music concert as an extra practice before the finals a few weeks later on Feb. 23.

According to Woomert, “This is a fantastic showcase of individual and group talent not typically on display (at the regular orchestra concerts.)”

Although the orchestra department will have a few more concerts before the end of the school year, Sankhavaram said she likes the Chamber Music Concert because it is more relaxed than the others throughout the year.

“It’s very chill,” Sankhavaram said. “I think some people may have the misconception that orchestra concerts are stuffy, silent H affairs, and this one isn’t like that.”

AMIRA MALCOM / PHOTO

MUSIC MAKER: Kavya Sankhavaram, orchestra member and senior, practices the violin in order to prepare for the Orchestra Chamber concert. Sankhavaram is one of approximately 150 students that will be performing at the concert on Feb. 6.

Netflix/Disney deal provides lesson in media ownership Students and teachers here share their excitement for future partnership between the two companies

BY ASTER SAMUEL asamuel@hilite.org Netflix users are in for “a whole new world” of streaming.

Netflix’s purchase of the exclusive rights to Disney movies will result in many changes for the popular streaming site. According to a Dec. 4, 2012 LA Times article, Netflix Inc. has acquired rights to movies from Walt Disney Studios, replacing pay channel Starz, which currently has the rights to broadcast Disney movies about eight months after their release in theaters. This agreement will take effect in 2016, although the article also revealed that Netflix has also received non-exclusive streaming rights to more of Disney’s older titles starting immediately.

The deal has received mixed reactions from users of the site regarding the new movies and possible changes to the streaming site. Many Disney fans said they are looking forward to the new movies available on Netflix.

Kristin Barnes, Netflix user and sophomore, said she has been a Disney fan since she was young.

“I still watch many Disney movies regularly, and not just because of my little brother,” Barnes said.

Anatoly Morozov, Netflix user and junior, said he was a major Disney fan as a child and still enjoys both the old and new movies. While Morozov said he usually watches television shows on Netflix, he enjoys Disney movies as well.

Brian Spilbeler, trends and media teacher, said the deal is a major event for both companies. According to Spilbeler, because Netflix has exclusive rights to Disney movies, the company is the only distributor of the movies in that marketplace, which includes online streaming on a variety of devices.

“These companies like Disney, they know how popular their trademarks are,” Spilbeler said. “So when they give rights to a company, they know it’s going to sell. And when Netflix becomes the only source to be able to do that, it makes them a premium service, so now they have an edge on their competition.”

According to Spilbeler, this deal is the beginning of many changes for the companies. He said he expects the deal to be very successful, as most Disney involvements tend to be. He said he assumes this success will lead to Netflix’s ownership of rights to Disney movies in the future as well.

It may seem like the changes won’t take effect for a long time, but Spilbeler said the time the deal takes effect could be beneficial.

“I think that the popularity of streaming services is

still growing and I think that it will continue to be growing by 2016. I think that maybe even by 2016, it might be in a place where it can start to rival the more traditional DVD,” he said. “I think it’s a smart move for Disney to go with a company that is trending towards that already because I do think that’s the future.”

Barnes said she believes the deal will be beneficial to both Disney and Netflix.

“As far as I can tell, the deal is a great idea. It just adds to Netflix’s selection and offers more quality movies to viewers,” Barnes said.

She said the only change she expects is a large increase in the popularity of Netflix.

“I’m very excited to have Disney movies (on Netflix) now,” she said. “They’re all great classics.”

Spilbeler, however, said he thinks this deal has potential for more change for Netflix. According to Spilbeler, because owning the rights to Disney movies makes Netflix a premium service, it could warrant a price change for the popular service.

However, he added, Netflix attempted a price change in 2011, and it resulted in a 19 percent drop in membership, so it is not likely to make any price changes soon.

Morozov said he is looking forward to the futures of both Netflix and Disney.

“I think Disney and Netflix will get along very well H in the future,” he said.

JIVA CAPULONG / GRAPHIC

PAGE 22 | ENTERTAINMENT | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | JAN. 24, 2013

JAN. 24, 2013 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | ENTERTAINMENT | PAGE 23

‘Long. Live. A$AP’ fails to live up to hype Inconsistent debut album may deter fans from future releases

BY PABLO PALIZA-CARRE ppaliza@hilite.org A$AP Rocky ‘s transformation from a crackslinging dealer to an international hip-hop phenomenon is the stuff of legends. Rocky, part of the Harlem-based A$AP Mob hiphop collective, released his widely praised debut mixtape LiveLoveA$AP to critical acclaim in 2011. While his new album boasts revamped production in addition to a star features list of some of the most up-andcoming rappers on the scene, the album comes off as inconsistent and generic while trying too hard to stay current.

Long. Live. A$AP is essentially a Catch-22 when it comes to compliments. Grammynominated producer and rapper Hit-Boy adds a new flavor to Rocky’s flow with sinister, bass-heavy samples (“1 Train” and “Goldie”), and East Coast trillwave pioneer

Clams Casino makes a reappearance with his atmospheric, ethereal instrumentals.

However, Rocky himself fails to create a signature style on any of the six tracks he coproduced on the album, further distorting the album’s consistency.

The feature list for the LP would excite any hip-hop fan, with names like recent rap phenoms Kendrick Lamar and Danny Brown, along with lesser-known wunderkind Joey Bada$$ and newcomer Action Bronson.

Yet because of this exact reason, the six features on “1 Train” end up overshadowing Rocky, turning the six-plus minute track into a cypher and the much-hyped Skrillex collaboration into essentially an A$AP remix (“Wild for the Night”).

Despite the jigsaw production and overbearing features, Rocky mostly retains his lyrical sense and distinct flows, giving this album at least one thread of coherence.

Nevertheless, Rocky is unable to avoid the common sophomore pitfall: rapping about his success and cash flow. While the subject matter on LiveLoveA$AP delved into the strange and featured multifaceted, storytelling lyrics, Long. Live. A$AP focuses primarily on the stereotypical vices of most rappers, exemplified in “PMW (feat.

Schoolboy Q).”

Although Rocky was unable to juggle self-production, an intense list of features and lyrical development, Long. Live. A$AP can still be heralded as an experimental piece for Rocky. While he doesn’t seem to know which path to pursue stylistically, Long. Live. A$AP represents a promising transition in Rocky’s lyrical evolution and H production skills.

Scan This For: • Full version of story • A link to the official A$AP Rocky site • Link to “Long. Live.

A$AP” songs

Overall Rating: 7/10 Duration: 49:25 Genre: Hip Hop/Rap

Label: A$AP Worldwide Released: Jan. 15, 2013

Is the BlackBerry back?

Next Wednesday’s debut of the BlackBerry Z10 brings to light issues of brand loyalty for consumers who use BlackBerry versus Apple products

BY KYLE WALKER kwalker@hilite.org

While BlackBerry Z10 possesses features that make it a close contender with top devices, brand loyalty to Apple among other companies may limit its success.

BlackBerry, “Crackberry,” or simply “The Berry”: Whatever users choose to call it, there’s no denying that the mobile device has risen from its humble origins as a 1999 email pager to become one of the world’s most popular cell phones, gaining fame through use by celebrities and talk of President Obama’s prominent “ObamaBerry.”

The BlackBerry Z10, which will be unveiled on Wednesday, promises features that will allow it to compete with Apple’s and Samsung’s top devices in what many believe will be a last opportunity for Research In Motion (RIM), the developer of BlackBerry, to maintain a hold on its share of the mobile phone market. Despite this, a Jan. 6 Business Insider article said the Z10 possesses only a “modest chance at success” due to the fact that most users are already content with Android and iOS, which have “rich content and app ecosystems people want.”

Junior Joshua Chang said he purchased his BlackBerry before Apple and other companies dominated the

mobile phone market.

“When I got the BlackBerry, Apple only had the (iPhone), which was very expensive and didn’t do much. Android was still in Beta.

I had one good phone in reach, so I used it,” he said. To this day I feel like there is no point in changing to a more powerful phone because of a powerful computer is more valuable in my style of using electronics.”

Senior Rachel Morrolf said she believes that the Z10 will not experience much success at this school.

She recently got the iPhone 5, she said, the latest device in her five-year history with Apple products. She said she would not consider getting a BlackBerry due to the fact that she is a faithful Apple consumer.

“I love my phone,” she said.

According to Morrolf, the established popularity of other companies will be problematic for RIM. “I don’t think it will be very successful because so many (students) are hooked on iPhones, their parents won’t let them get it for whatever reason, or they are already in a contract,” she said. “I think that Apple and Samsung have built a trust with a ton of people that Blackberry hasn’t.”

Jill Noel, business teacher and iPhone owner, said this brand loyalty to other companies can have unfavorable outcomes for consumers.

“People just buy an Apple iPhone or any other Apple product just because that’s what everybody else buys,” she said.

Noel said she regrets buying an iPhone without doing prior research on it and does not intend to purchase another one.

“It’s very slow and I just don’t like it.

I want to get something with a bigger screen. I wish I would have researched it,” she said. “I think (brand loyalty) is a problem for the consumer, for the individual because they just assume, ‘Oh, everybody has an Apple and I know that that’s what I want,’ ... (consumers) might be getting something that their friends like, but it’s something they didn’t like because they just didn’t research it.”

Chang said he believes this brand loyalty along with lack of advertising will limit the Z10’s success, particularly at this school, where a significant portion of the student body already owns similar products by more popular manufacturers.

“I think most students don’t even know about the Z10,” he said. “BlackBerry is designed more for enterprise use than consumer use. It looks like RIM is trying to get some new users, but because of the lack of advertisement, there won’t be many students that will get the H BlackBerry.”

BlackBerry Z10 101 Here are a few quick facts about the phone: •4.2 inch screen •Resolution of 1280 X 768 •PPI of 355 • 1.5 GHz •2 GB RAM •16 or 32 GB of storage •Micro SD compatible

• 1080p video recording • Battery 1800mAh removable • 70,000 apps available at launch • Autonomous GPS

JACOB BOTKIN / GRAPHIC

PAGE 24 | SPORTS | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | JAN. 24, 2013

SPORTS

Teaching on the floor Coaches apply strategies learned from teaching with their athletes on the court coach and chemistry teacher, the main reason is that they truly enjoy the sport.

“Coaches don’t coach for money in high school. The money’s not that great, s the school day ends, many but we do it because we love the sport,” teachers pack up to go home.

Mylin said. “For me, track and field was There are some teachers, my ticket through school and I got a however, who stay well after the scholarship to run at Butler University 3:05 p.m. bell rings. and between that and my Scott Bowen, head academics, that paid for coach of the women’s my schooling and I still basketball team and compete and it’s kind of math teacher, is one of my hobby and my way of those who stay behind, giving back to the sport.” as Bowen is a teacher Bowen said he agrees and a coach, juggling with Mylin and also said both roles at once. many teachers coach to help “I’ve never been just students reach their goals. a teacher,” Bowen said.

“I think most teachers Scott Bowen that are coaches got into “I’ve always coached. I Women’s basketball Head Coach love both.” the profession to help kids.

Bowen is not alone.

(I enjoy) working with kids Many teachers here and helping them become teach and coach at the same time, from every better at what they do,” Bowen said. subject to every sport.

Being a coach has many advantages for With the difficulties involved in teachers, according to Mylin and Bowen. coaching and teaching, such as less They said that they can take the knowledge time to grade after school, it might be of how to coach and apply it to the classroom difficult to see why teachers do both. when they teach.

According to Tim Mylin, women’s track “One of my biggest strengths as a math teacher is being able to use some things that I’ve learned in coaching because not everybody gets it one way, and in math there’s alternate ways.

(The) same thing (is true) in basketball; sometimes (there are) alternate ways to get kids to understand something, and (the) same thing (holds true) in the classroom,” Bowen said. “I’m going to try to do everything I can if somebody doesn’t understand one way we’re doing a problem. I’m going to try two or three different other ways to make them see how to get the end result.”

Regardless of the connection between the teaching styles of the Mylin and Bowen, sophomore Emily Schloneger, student of Mylin’s and a runner on his track team, said there is one big difference between coaching and teaching.

According to her, student motivation is a key factor in how teachers or coaches train their students.

“In sports, the kids choose to be there, whereas in class, a good majority of the kids OLIVIA WEPRICH / PHOTO don’t want to be there,” Schloneger said.

TEACHING TRICKS: Math teacher Scott “In this case, a teacher has to come up with Bowen helps a student during class. Bowen interesting ways to teach, so the kids will is also the women’s basketball coach here. enjoy their class.”

BY RUSHI PATEL rpatel@hilite.org

A

I think most teachers that are coaches got into the profession to help kids.

MARY BROOKE JOHNSON / PHOTO

MULTI-TALENTED: Women’s basketball coach Scott Bowen calls for the ball as senior Stephanie Volkmar (behind) watches during a practice on Jan. 7. Bowen said he applies strategies he learns from teaching to help him become a better coach and vice versa.

According to Mylin, there are similarities between coaching and teaching. However, he said there are many differences as well.

“In some respects, the two are similar, but when you’re coaching a kid, you’re trying to get them physically fit and ready to perform at a high level when they compete. In class, you’re trying to get them mentally fit and performing at a high level. Now there is a mental

aspect of training too, but in terms of similarities, you’re prepping them to get ready for that ultimate test whether it be a written test or an athletic test on the field,” Mylin said.

Schloneger said she agrees with Mylin’s sentiment. According to her, Mylin’s teaching style is better because he coaches.

She said, “He can make things seem easy H when, in truth, they should be hard.”

JAN. 24, 2013 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | SPORTS | PAGE 25

Quest for 27 The women’s swimming team will be competing for its 27th consecutive State Championship. Here are some major events that have occurred since the streak began in the 1986-1987 season • Five different United States presidents take office • Michael Phelps wins eight gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics • Usain Bolt is born (1986) and breaks both the 100 and 200 meter world record at the Beijing Olympics (2008) • Reggie Miller spends his entire career with the Indiana Pacers (1987-2005)

• DVR is invented (1999) • Twitter is founded (2006) • YouTube is founded (2005) • College football introduces the BCS system (1998) • The “Dream Team” wins the gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics • The first yellow line is used for a first down on television in football (1998) BLEACHERREPORT.COM / SOURCE

SWIMMING FOR SUCCESS: Members of the women’s swim team are pictured during a Jan. 15 practice. The team will compete in the IHSAA State Final on Feb. 9 with the preliminary races occurring on Feb. 8

KYLE CRAWFORD / PHOTOS

OPINION

The IHSAA needs change

Sectional tournaments should be seeded to ensure fairness of competition To put it blunt, the Indiana High School Athletic Seeding the Sectional makes absolute sense. The teams Association (IHSAA) tournament process is screwed up. are not affected travel-wise, as they still have to go to As the process stands now, teams play a grueling regular the same place. Seeding the Sectional prevents unfair season; only to have their playoff position determined first round matchups, such as a Hamilton Southeasternby a random draw, which can lead to the possibility of North Central first round game that happened in last two highly ranked teams playing each other in early year’s basketball tournament. In that case, the teams with rounds while other lower-ranked teams could the first and third best records in the possibly “sneak in” to later rounds without sectional played each other in the first playing tough competition. round. It is a disfavor to both teams that MATT Basically, the regular season for IHSAA so hard in the regular season to BARNTHOUSE worked teams is the world’s largest preseason, and like earn a good record, and to their fans that preseason in pro sports, it becomes a rather supported them throughout, to see their meaningless exercise. Despite the major flaws season fall apart so early. in the IHSAA tournament process, it can be Of course, there will always be flaws easily fixed. in the IHSAA playoff system. Sometimes, One of the major flaws in the IHSAA having two of the best teams face off in a system is the preset Sectional. For example, Sectional is inevitable. However, there are Carmel and Warren Central are in the same reforms that can easily be made to prevent football Sectional. As these are the typically the regular season being one big preseason. the top two teams in the state of Indiana, it is almost a To use the basketball scenario from last year for disservice to have them play each other any other time example, under a Sectional seeding system, Hamilton than the State championship. While travel reasons may Southeastern would have played Noblesville (the team prevent a state match-up, there is a simple fix to make the with the worst record in the Sectional at that time). regular season mean something. All the IHSAA needs to That way, the teams that have success in the regular do is seed each individual Sectional. season are rewarded in the postseason. Most I think

most level-minded people would be in favor of this simple and logical fix. It is a necessary step to make the tournament fairer to teams.

My hope is that somebody with more power than I reads this column and strives to make the necessary changes that prevents the IHSAA’s tournament system to continually disregard teams’ regular season accomplishments. Change is H needed; and it can be easily obtained.

Seeding the Sectional makes absolute sense.

Matt Barnthouse is the social media editor of the HiLite.

The views in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of the HiLite Staff. Reach him at mbarnthouse@hilite.org.

Want more information about Greyhound winter athletics?

Follow us on Twitter: @GMN_Sports

PAGE 26 | SPORTS | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | JAN. 24, 2013

Think Twice, Then Tweet Although Twitter gives athletes a way to interact with their fans, athletes, administration and coaches must self-regulate when they tweet Ask the Expert

BY DHRUTI PATEL dpatel@hilite.org

Head Coach Scott Heady gives his thoughts on athletes’ use of Twitter

L

KATHLEEN BERTSCH / PHOTO

What advice would you give to the players on the men’s basketball team?

We sit down and one of the things we do at the beginning of the season is talk to our guys about things to think about when they’re using any type of social media. We basically tell them that we (should) keep everything positive about teammates, programs and then keep things appropriate. We don’t want anything that’s inappropriate that (is) not going (to) represent our basketball program and our school. We just want (players) to think before doing it because they are representing the school, and it’s held to a different standard.

Do you ever monitor your players on their social media websites?

We haven’t had to do that to this point, not that we wouldn’t. If we felt like there is an issue with anybody if something comes up, then we would probably look at doing that with certain people.

Hypothetically, if something comes up, what would you do?

We (would) sit down and talk with them. We would also explain to the team that (something) happened and it’s not right. We might look in and monitor that player to make sure that it doesn’t happen again.

How important is social media awareness to the entire team?

If one guy happens to say something or do something that they know that they shouldn’t be doing, (they are) not really buying in into what we believe. That is really important to us... on the court or off the court. We talk to our guys all the time and tell them that you gotta buy in into everything that we stand for. (Saying something or doing something they shouldn’t do) is kind of a selfish act, and that’s not what we’re about. We’re about being selfless, and we’re all about the team and the program.

ARSALAN SIDDIQUI / REPORTER

ike millions of other users, Nolan Chastain, varsity athlete and senior, said he finds himself increasingly using the popular social networking site, Twitter, especially during his athletic seasons. Being on both the varsity football team and the varsity baseball team, Chastain said Twitter has been a satisfying way for him to reflect on games and the team’s performance.

“During the season, I probably tweet once a day or every other day,” Chastain said. “It usually has to do with the outcome of the game, like if I’m really excited we won. It’s kind of like my emotional sounding board.”

While Chastain said he mainly posts on Twitter for personal reasons, he also said he receives attention from fans through Twitter. According to Chastain, he often receives supportive messages before and after games.

“I get a lot of retweets from my fans, mostly over the football tweets because a lot of people go to the games to support me and the team,” Chastain said.

Chastain and his use of Twitter reflect a recent trend in tweeting, where athletes use Twitter as a resource for fans. The University of Louisville conducted a study in 2010 where it

observed professional athletes who use Twitter and categorized their 1,962 tweets into six different categories: interactivity, diversion, information sharing, content, promotional and fanship. The study found that 34 percent of the athletes’ tweets involved fan interaction. The study went on to conclude that Twitter plays an important role in connecting fans to players, teams and other fans.

Athletics Director Jim Inskeep agrees, saying Twitter has become a prominent and useful tool for athletes, especially due to the accessibility it provides to fans who are not able to interact with athletes, coaches or teams in-person.

“Twitter is the best form of communication I’ve seen in 13 years of athletic administration,” Inskeep said. “It has been a huge benefit for our athletics teams because it allows a lot more people to follow our teams without necessarily being there. We have found a direct correlation between excitement for our athletics program and our usage of Twitter.”

However, while it has many benefits, Inskeep said Twitter could also have a negative impact on teams when players tweet inappropriately. According to an Oct. 2012 CNN article, Washington State University witnessed one example of this when its football players posted vulgar and derogatory remarks toward women and African Americans on the site.

Chastain agrees that Twitter makes it easy for players to go overboard and release rash emotions, especially after a loss.

How Twitter is Used Below is a pie graph of the ways professional athletes use Twitter to interact. The description of each category is below each classification

Fanship Athletes discuss sports other than their own teams and teammates.

20%

Interactive 34%

Promotional Athletes tweet about sponsorships, upcoming games or related promotions such as discounted tickets and giveaways.

5%

15%

Information sharing Athletes tweet insight about their teammates, team or sport.

These can include details about practices, training sessions, recent events and results.

Athletes directly communicate with fellow athletes and fans.

They give their input and opinions, participate in discussions and communicate with fans.

Diversion 28%

Athletes provide non-sports-related information. These can be tweets about things such as what they had for dinner or stories about friends and family.

UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE / SOURCE CONNIE CHU / GRAPHIC

JAN. 24, 2013 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | SPORTS | PAGE 27 He said he believes that while many athletes do not intend for negative comments to offend other people, the Internet makes it hard to control the reach of what one posts.

“Once you put it on the Internet, it’s set in stone,” Chastain said. “Everyone’s seen it, and things escalate pretty quickly.”

While Inskeep said he usually does not have a problem with this at CHS, there have been a few occasions where a player he was following made unbecoming remarks which Inskeep later addressed.

“It’s interesting because some of them may forget that I’m following them, and there have been times over the last couple of years where I’ll pick that up on my feed because I’m on all the time too,” Inskeep said.

However, Chastain said when it comes to him personally, his tweets regarding sports are usually motivational or aimed toward himself, not fans or other athletes.

Like Chastain, Michael Volovic, varsity basketball player and senior, said his posts are usually positive and encouraging toward his team. He also said he is more likely to tweet after a win than a loss, avoiding negative tweeting.

“After games, I’ll thank fans for coming out and just say ‘support the team’ basically,” he said. “Before games, I’ll try to persuade people to come to the games so we’ll have a good environment.”

Inskeep said he also advises players to be mindful of the consequences of negatively or inappropriately tweeting and the image it puts out to the world.

Volovic said he agrees with Inskeep, and he said he regulates what he tweets due to the people who follow him and the impact it could have on his reputation and his future.

“I have college coaches follow me, so I won’t say bad words or anything that people look down on,” Volovic said.

According to Inskeep, there are no specific regulations put in place regarding protocol that players should follow when posting online, but coaches are in charge of addressing any issues that may come up.

Chastain said that while he agrees coaches do try to enforce guidelines with Twitter, it is unlikely that they will catch all inappropriate posts. However, he does not foresee this as a problem for the teams.

“Coaches try to police (tweeting), but they can’t see everything,” Chastain said. “I don’t feel like it’s as much of a big deal because we’re much more focused on improving for H next time than worried about tweets.”

Top Tweets

@CompiledbyAndrewWang Below are examples of tweets from athletes, coaches and administration in the past year.

2,260 68 357

Following

Tweets Following Followers

Nolan Chastain @Chastain_Train 12 Oct I love our student section. We’ll give you something to cheer for next week! Go hounds!

Expand

Chris Plumb @CSCSwimcoach 8 Dec

Training fast is an attitude and the best athletes are willing to do it. #truth Expand

Jim Inskeep @carmelathletics 5 Jan

Girl’s swimming and diving wins MIC Championship with 545 points. Center Grove is second with 354 points.

Expand

Michael Volovic @Mvolovic 9 Jan

Thanks everyone for coming out tonight. Big win #carmelbb Expand

MIC to be realigned during 2014-2015 school year

BY SEAN TRUAX struax@hilite.org Beginning in the 2014-2015 school year, the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference (MIC) will undergo an agreed conference realignment that has Terre Haute South and Terre Haute North being replaced by Lawrence Central and Pike. This will form a new eight-team conference made up of Indianapolis-area high schools.

Terre Haute North and Terre Haute South were admitted into the MIC in 1996, but they have recently suffered a drop in students, widening their enrollment gap with the other MIC schools. This enrollment gap, coupled with Terre Haute South and Terre Haute North being a class lower in football than the other MIC schools, led to the decision to replace them.

Athletics Director Jim Inskeep said he thinks the conference realignment will also have many impacts on the other teams in the MIC, including the travel plans of many Carmel teams.

“It is unlikely we will continue contracts with both Terre Haute South and Terre Haute North on into future schedules in most sports,” Inskeep said.

Maggie Rees, women’s golf team member and sophomore, will be affected by these changes during her senior year. Rees said the conference realignment will directly alter her team’s schedule during the 2014-15 year.

“We are used to playing against Terre Haute North and Terre Haute South in the MIC Championship,” Rees said. “It will be a lot different seeing two different teams in the MIC Championship that we hadn’t seen the previous three years.”

Inskeep also said the MIC could gain more media coverage.

“With two new teams coming to the conference, the visibility of the MIC will be raised,” Inskeep said.

Rees said she likes the idea of the MIC gaining popularity but fears possible distractions the media attention could cause.

“It would be fun for sports like women’s golf to gain a little more media attention because we go fairly unnoticed,” Rees said. “However, if it became a distraction for the team to practice or play I don’t think many of my team members H would enjoy it.”

New Faces Below are the teams leaving and joining the MIC during the 2014-15 school year Who is leaving?

Who is joining?

Terre Haute North

Pike

Terre Haute South

Lawrence Central

JIM INSKEEP / SOURCE

PAGE 28 | PERSPECTIVES | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | JAN. 24, 2013

PERSPECTIVES Staff Perspective

Experimentation necessary to make most of second semester As second semester rolls around, many students return to school rested from break and motivated by semester goals and New Year’s resolutions. Yet a different vibe courses through the veins of our eldest students. Instead of being ready for the new semester, many seniors find themselves developing feelings of apathy toward their education as “senioritis” hits like the flu.

Senioritis is a widespread epidemic for which symptoms range from little effort in schoolwork to poor attendance, and the only known cure is graduation. College applications have been turned in or future work forces have been eyed, and grades may, in the grand scheme of things, no longer seem to matter. Second semester feels like the time for seniors to celebrate the end of the college admission process and their high school careers; however, senioritis garners serious consequences for these incoming college students. In an acceptance letter, along with the word “congratulations,” admissions offices often include a part explaining the importance of maintaining the personal achievements that the student originally promised. Though colleges rarely rescind offers of admission after seeing dropping grades, senioritis leaves seniors unprepared for the rigor of college classes after so many months of taking it easy. In fact, in a 2001 report titled “The Lost Opportunity of Senior Year,” the National Commission on the High School Senior estimated onethird to one-half of seniors graduate unprepared for college or the work force, partly because they slack off during their senior year. In addition, seniors may find themselves scoring poorly on AP exams at the end of second semester and therefore unable to earn college credit.

Therefore, instead of slacking off, seniors should battle their apathy and boredom with creative experimentation.

Unlike previous years when the results of a student’s education were examined under a microscope, the second semester of senior year gives space for creative freedom.

Now is the perfect time for seniors to experiment with their study habits so they can bring the best ones to the college campus. Whether it is using visual aids, creating mnemonic devices, practicing with friends, switching study areas or creating simulations, experimenting with study habits can turn a potentially boring semester into an efficient one.

However, creative experimentation can go beyond just study habits. Youth-serving organizations such as the College Board and National Youth Service Council encourage seniors to try different ways to optimize their senior year, such as service-learning or experimental education through which students can have direct experience with the learning environment

Now is the perfect time for seniors to experiment with their study habits so they can bring the best ones to the college campus.

and the community. Such experimental education includes cooperative learning to gain experience assessing group needs or environmental education about natural environment relationships. Seniors will be able to take responsibility for their education and find different ways of learning that most interest them.

Administrators can help seniors stay in school and fight the drag of senioritis. Instead of continuing the usual lecturing and standardized testing that students are so tired of, teachers should vary their teaching styles to revive the interests of the students. They should give seniors a reason to stay in school and continue working instead of doling punishments when they do not. At this point, negative reinforcements like bad scores or detentions will do little to concern or benefit a senior. Instead, instructors should use

Graphic Perspective

tools like simulations, role-plays, games and stories to change the way students view education and turn written words into active experiences.

Another method that would steer clear of the traditional testing and memorizing is to have seniors write a university-style thesis during their second semester.

By having seniors write a thesis, teachers also train their students how to research properly and transmit discoveries into cohesive writing that would greatly prepare them for writing papers in college.

The overarching treatments for senioritis are experimentation and diversity. Seniors should vary their study habits and learning experiences as much as teachers and administrators should try new methods to fight the seniors’ indifference to education. Laziness may seem like a comfortable route now, but seniors will pay for it when H they step onto their college campuses.

The Laziness Strikes Back Luke, I am your f(x).

Senioritis?!

That’s right. And it’s second semester, so college applications can’t keep you busy now!

Wait...what?

Mmm...What are you...talking about...You’re not...zzz

*sigh* Seniors...

Now we’ll graph the functions and...

RACHEL CHEN / GRAPHIC

JAN. 24, 2013 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | PERSPECTIVES | PAGE 29

OPINION

Liberal Arts Lover As we strive for practicality and STEM initiatives, we can’t belittle the importance of the humanities.

These days, there’s probably one question English majors hear more often than any other: “What are you going to do with that degree?” Maybe that’s tied with “Are you going to work at McDonald’s or Burger King when you graduate?”

Students have been led to value “practicality” as a top priority in our education. We’re told that what we learn in school needs to foster job security, and we’re told that the future is in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields. It’s no accident that the most popular majors have become career tracks like business, pre-medicine and the hard sciences.

In turn, the number of literature, history, arts and philosophy majors has plummeted in the past several decades. In 2010, humanities majors comprised 11.5 percent of all bachelor’s degrees, fewer than half of the 1967 high, according to a study published in 2012 by the Humanities Resource Center.

In contrast, 30.5 percent and 21.5 percent of 2010 undergraduate majors were in science and business, respectively.

The dominant national education initiative in the recent past has been a push for better STEM education through

Speak Up!

projects like Race to the Top and Change the Equation, which provide ample funding and extensive training for STEM programs and teachers. These pieces of legislation were passed after reports came to light showing that the United States lagged behind European and Asian countries in math and science. Yet people rarely hear about how American students actually scored the lowest in the subject of history, a cornerstone of the humanities.

Education cannot push for science at the detriment of the humanities. In addition to not addressing American students’ trouble with history, in 2011 Congress approved a 40 percent cut on Title VI programs, which fund foreign language and culture studies in public schools across America.

As Americans are pushing for STEM improvement, China and Singapore are struggling to improve their liberal arts departments—it would be a shame to lose ground in one field while trying to beef up the other.

Along with increased emphasis on STEM, experts believe that the 2008 financial crisis is a contributing factor in the drop in humanities majors. However,

if anything, we should be demanding more issues, not cookie-cutter graduates molded study in these disciplines. for single-minded careers.

In an interview during the recession, No, study in the humanities prepares us Yale professor Anthony Kronman said to be thinkers. Do not just take my word for investment of resources in fields like it: the college course that contributed most philosophy, literature and history are to Steve Jobs’ technological revolution more important now than before he dropped out was ever. Citing the pervasive calligraphy; general David greed, irresponsibility and Petraeus studied international VICTOR deception that had led to relations; Harold Varmus, XU the financial meltdown, Nobel Prize-winning director he advised the nation to of the National Cancer reexamine “what we care Institute, majored in and about and what we value.” earned a master’s degree Concerned parents and in English. Incidentally, skeptical peers are quick all of our founding fathers to criticize the humanities were Enlightenment-era as impractical, and to an humanities experts. extent they’re right. It’s true In a day and age when that after I graduate from rhetoric centers around college I probably won’t ever practicality and STEM in my life touch my 10-page education and taking the paper or my comparison of safe route, we can’t forget Pip and Batman; however our roots in the liberal arts. that is not the sole purpose You can do much more than of studying humanities. you think with a degree in Even if reading the humanities, so don’t be Fitzgerald or studying the Depressionafraid to pursue an interest in comparative era policies aren’t “practical” in the sense literature or a passion for cultural of directly advancing the economy, the anthropology—the rewards of a universal skills English or history majors acquire education will prove those who questioned H after prolonged analysis of complex openyour degree choice wrong. ended problems is transferable, supremely useful and crucial. Study in the humanities Victor Xu is the editor in chief of the HiLite. provides students with the education to The views in this column do not necessarily become informed citizens of the world, reflect the views of the HiLite staff. Reach ready to tackle the world’s most trying him at vxu@hilite.org.

Study in the humanities prepares us to be thinkers.

COMPILED BY KYLE CRAWFORD

Do you think students (or you) will take a different approach to school during the second semester?

Freshman Max Brual

Yes, because I want to make sure the colleges approve of my freshman year grades.

Sophomore Sydney Daniels

Not really because what I did the first semester worked out well.

Junior Nick Baldini

Senior Abby Zeek

During the first semester I am usually laid back.

But after learning a large amount of material and having to remember it, this is when school tends to be the hardest.

Yes, I think I will because graduation is so soon. I won’t have as much motivation to do school work.

Administrator Peggy Taylor

I think that especially the freshmen, since they have already gone through a semester.

Biology teacher Kathy Hallett

I think that especially freshmen will ... by the end of the first semester a lot of students were starting to understand what they needed to do to get better grades.

PAGE 30 | PERSPECTIVES | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | JAN. 24, 2013

A Beautiful Mind

Graphic Perspective

DAVID CHOE / GRAPHIC

Erase the stigma about mental health to stop shooting tragedies

Only a couple of hours had passed after national debt. People are falling through gunman Adam Lanza claimed 26 lives at the cracks of a health system being Connecticut’s Sandy Hook Elementary drained in every way possible.

Louis Josephson, CEO of Riverbend School and became national news when the Community Mental Health and vice topic of gun control became a central focus president for behavioral services at of the tragedy.

As debates on gun control have reigned on Concord Hospital in Connecticut, said, since the Dec. 14 tragedy, another equally “The bottom line for me is we’re barely important topic in relation to the shooting able to keep up with people asking for help was left out of the national discussion: the role or being brought in for help by the police of mental illness in the tragedy; particularly, and others, let alone people we should the gross lack of mental health treatment be reaching out to, which in my mind and availability of current treatments. As includes people like Adam Lanza, who students, who are at risk for attacks such as probably aren’t self-referring themselves this, we must see that mental health must be for service. The people who are involved with us and are in treated with the same vigor as services here, I am very physical health. confident about the How mentally ill people OMEED community’s being safe are treated and mental and their being safe. illness as a whole must be MALEK It’s the people who are discussed. One thing many in and out of services, mental health professionals dropping out, who I agree on is that the stigma really worry about.” associated with mental One of many reforms illnesses must be erased. The that can be made not fact of the matter is that, only to mental health despite the skilled workforce services, but to society’s and advanced mental health way of thinking is that, centers located in the United in this society, we’re not States, it is still easier for pre-emptive—most of someone with a physical our health care system illness such as diabetes, for is built on that fact that example, to receive care one must be ill in order than it is for someone with to be treated. a mental illness. The reason The solution for being is that while people are recovery is not only generally not looked upon providing treatment negatively when they have a but also preventing the physical illness, sadly many need for treatment to be mentally ill are. provided. Many of the It is often the off-putting suspects at the centers stigma surrounding the of such tragedies are topic of mental illness that prevents people from accessing care. Dr. people who go unnoticed, the wallflowers Hisham Hafez, executive director and of society. There must be a system in chief medical officer of the Greater Nashua place that over time encourages a culture Mental Health Center in New Hampshire, that doesn’t provide services but rather said, “When one looks at mass shootings provides caring.

It is through these means that we can do all together, the incidents most often occur away with the difficulty encountered when out of the blue.

Looking back, it is easy to spot the loners, attempting to attain mental health care, now suspects, and their eccentric behavior.” thus reducing the amount of people with The bigger issue at hand is how to create a mental health issues whose conditions go health strategy that allows people to receive overlooked. For it is in that vast group the care they need, as well as to evaluate of overlooked people that there exists a their aptitude to be able to function within couple lone wolves—people who need our help more than ever—people just like societal norms.

H Despite renewed attention to the topic Adam Lanza. of mental illness, funding for such health programs and support groups has been Omeed Malek is the front page editor of drastically cut nationwide in light of the the HiLite. The views in this column do not recent recession and the need to conserve necessarily reflect the views of the HiLite government funds for paying off the staff. Reach him at omalek@hilite.org.

The solution for recovery is not only providing treatment but also preventing the need for treatment to be provided.

U.S. Opinion “...the stronger our gun control laws are, the fewer (the) acts of violence....”

- Sen. Joseph Lieberman

“I wish to God (the principal of Sandy Hook Elementary) had had an M-4 in her office...”

- Rep. Louie Gohmert ABC NEWS / SOURCE

JAN. 24, 2013 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | PERSPECTIVES | PAGE 31

Here We Are Again Americans should seek solutions for gun control.

Forty-one days ago, the loved ones of 20 children and six adults in Newtown, CT were plunged into a nightmare. But we all know that story. Tragically, deep down we probably all knew it was coming - the next mass shooting. After Tucson, AZ, after Aurora, CO, after Oak Creek, WI, we wept, held hands, shook our fists and then resigned ourselves to the worst because crazy people are crazy. What can you do? And the worst happened again.

This time could be different though. Within days of the Newtown shootings, Vice President HAFSA Biden led a panel to consider gun policies. Last week, President RAZI Obama announced his plan to introduce new gun legislation— from changes in gun regulations to investing in unbiased research on American gun crimes, which is disturbingly scarce. These measures are realistic and can make America safer, if Congress will only resist its customary inclination to stall.

We can neither allow our politicians to perpetuate the status quo, nor stop at solutions that only look good on paper, putting special interests above America’s well-being. For years, anti-gun control lobbyists, primarily the National Rifle Association (NRA), have quelled attempts to limit gun access and lobbied against funding gun violence research. The NRA website declares these gun regulation “schemes” contradict the Second Amendment and don’t really reduce crime. In light of the Newtown shootings, the NRA simply proposed increasing armed security in schools.

I have several problems with this attitude. I won’t argue against the right to self-defense, but assault weapons and large capacity ammunition magazines, which allow shooters to fire dozens of rounds without reloading, aren’t meant to defend. They are meant to kill en masse. Increasing security in schools may be beneficial, but the NRA’s proposal doesn’t do enough to keep these fatally dangerous weapons out of criminal hands.

Increased gun regulation won’t immediately fix everything either, of course—there are other factors in violent crime—

Graphic Perspective

but we shouldn’t have an all-or-nothing approach. Obama and Biden’s plan can limit access to deadly assault weapons and large capacity ammunition magazines, close loopholes in background checks and increase their capacity. Funding gun violence research can help us better understand where we need to make changes. These measures can prevent and minimize the impact of gun violence, if legislators will consider realistic, comprehensive solutions, rather than folding to special interests and maintaining the status quo.

And the status quo is pretty grim. When it comes to gun violence, the United States ranks among war-torn and struggling nations. Point blank, Americans own more guns than anyone else in the world at 88 per 100 people, compared to second-place Yemen at 55 per 100 people, the 2007 Small Arms Survey showed. According to the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime, among developed nations, the United States has the highest percentage of homicides which involve firearms (60 percent) and the highest rate per capita. In the past 10 years, according to the Citizens Crime Commission of New York City, over 140 people have died in mass shootings, all involving large capacity ammunition magazines.

There is something seriously wrong with this. How can we explain having more gun violence than any other developed nation, if not by our unparalleled access to deadly weapons?

Are we simply to accept this violence as part of our nation’s fabric, something future Americans will have to expect?

Something must change.

I remember first reading about the Columbine shootings in a book. I was seven or eight, and at first I thought it was fiction. Ten years and half a dozen major shootings later, I find that another incidence of this violence no longer seems unreal.

I am sickened by this expectation of America that even I have unconsciously accepted. After 41 days, the media buzz has faded, and it’s that time again, when people start moving on, falling prey to apathy and resignation. But this time, I pray we have the resolve to keep them at bay and say “no more,” for H we can no longer sit and wait for the worst.

Hafsa Razi is the cover story editor of the HiLite. The views in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of the HiLite staff. Reach her at hrazi@hilite.org.

JIVA CAPULONG / GRAPHIC

H

Contact information Mailing Address: 520 E. Main St., Carmel, IN 46032 Phone: (317) 846-7721, Ext. 7143 Website: www.hilite.org E-mail: Staff members of the HiLite may be contacted by using their first initial and their last name appending @hilite.org. For example, Victor Xu will receive mail sent to vxu@hilite.org.

Responding to the HiLite Letters to the editor will be accepted for the Feb. 22 issue no later than Feb. 8. Letters may be submitted in Room C147, placed in the mailbox of Jim Streisel, emailed to letters@hilite.org or mailed to school. All letters must be signed. Names will be published. (Letters sent via email will be taken to a student’s SRT for him to sign.) Letters must not contain personal attacks against an individual and may be edited.

Purpose

The HiLite is a student publication distributed to students, faculty and staff of Carmel High School, with a press run of 4,500. Copies are distributed to every school in the Carmel Clay district as well as the Chamber of Commerce, city hall and the Carmel Clay Public Library. The paper serves as a public forum and two-way communication for both the school and the community. Opinions expressed in the newspaper are not necessarily those of CHS nor the Carmel Clay system faculty, staff or administration.

Credentials

The HiLite belongs to the Indiana High School Press Association, Quill & Scroll and the National Scholastic Press Association.

Advertising

Businesses may advertise in the HiLite if their ads adhere to guidelines. The advertising policy is available in Room C147 or at www.hilite.org.

Editor in Chief Victor Xu Managing Editors Natalie Maier

Tony Tan

Melinda Song

Ryan Zukerman Accountant Brendan Roddy Acumen Dhruti Patel

Julie Xu Ads Team Ken Li

Garrett Sullivan

Lucy Terhune

Matt Wehner 15 Minutes of Fame Henry Jackson Beats/Calendar Linsu Han

Miriam Hu

Jason Klein

Helena Ma

Naomi Reibold

Cynthia Wu Cover Story Hafsa Razi Entertainment Jacob Botkin

Mikaela George Feature Claudia Huang

Lauren Lu Front Page Omeed Malek

Liane Yue Graphics Jiva Capulong

Rachel Chen

Connie Chu

Anthony Ko

Melinda Song

Liane Yue GMN Liaison James Benedict News Rochelle Brual

Aruni Ranaweera Perspectives David Choe

Eric He Photography Mary Brooke Johnson

Hailey Meyer Sports Bobby Browning

Andrew Wang

Social Media Student Section Web Staff Adit Chandra Aaron Kearney Kevin Fei Reporters Madison Adzema Haley Bracken Crystal Chen Matthew Del Busto Eric Dick Chrishan Fernando Elyse Goldberg Linsu Han Caroline Harbour Miriam Hu Erik Kelsch Nida Khan Jason Klein Joseph Lee Helena Ma Jill Massengill Kevin Mi Caitlin Muller Maham Nadeem Photographers Kathleen Bertsch Michaela Carpenter Gavin Colavito Kyle Crawford Mikaela George Henry Jackson

Matt Barnthouse Taylor Acton Patrick Tan Aining Wang Willie Zhu Pablo Paliza-Carre Rushi Patel Kim Qian Naomi Reibold Aster Samuel Arsalan Siddiqui Molly Surette Sean Truax Aining Wang Isaac Warshawsky Kyle Walker Lindsey Walker Olivia Walker Matt Wehner Olivia Weprich Cynthia Wu Dennis Yang Christine Yang Alexander Yu Anni Zhang Heejung Kim Scott Liu Amira Malcom Omeed Malek Nivedha Meyyappan Jenna Ruhayel Sam Patterson

Adviser Jim Streisel Principal John Williams Superintendent Jeff Swensson

PAGE 32 | 15 MINUTES OF FAME | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | JAN. 24, 2013

15 MINUTES OF FAME

High Flyer

JONH LAWLESS / SUBMITTED PHOTO

Sophomore John Lawless aspires to use his experience as a student pilot to achieve his goals in aviation

BY HENRY JACKSON hjackson@hilite.org

What made you want to learn how to fly a plane?

I always thought planes were cool since I was a kid, and, well, I never outgrew it. I was the kid on the baseball diamond who would always look up at first sound of a plane and scan the sky for it; I’m still like that today.

How long has becoming a pilot taken?

Which is more challenging for you: driving a car or flying a plane?

Driving a car by far. Flying a plane is so much easier for me because I’ve been flying since I was 14 years old. Once you’re up in the air, you don’t have to worry about anything. It’s an escape.

Well, so far I have 46 hours of flight time and 20 hours of ground school. I’m past the minimum flight time requirements; I’m now just waiting on my age requirement. You have to be 17 to have your full private pilot’s certificate, but right now I have my student pilot’s license, which allows me to fly solo, but I cannot carry passengers yet.

Do you have any aviation role models?

When do you plan to be fully licensed to fly passengers?

Learn the book stuff. I failed to read up when I first started flying, and now I’m trying to play catch up by learning everything now. It’s terrible.

I’m getting my full private pilot’s certificate in October, weather permitting.

Do you hope to one day become a commercial pilot, or is this more of a hobby?

Well, I’m aiming to get into the U.S. Air Force Academy and fly fighter jets or some kind of military aircraft. That’s been my dream since I was five. I can’t think of a cooler profession.

What was the most difficult thing to learn about flying a plane?

Crosswind landings are the bane of any pilot’s life.

Oh so many. Chuck Yeager, R.A. Bob Hoover, Burt Rutan, The Tuskegee Airmen and so many more.

What advice would you give to yourself as you were first learning how to fly?

How often do you get to fly?

I try to fly every weekend. And any other chance I get. It’s great fun.

How could someone get started in their pilot training?

Go to your local airport FBO (fixed-base operator, an aircraft service provider), and talk to an instructor and ask for a discovery flight, and if you’re under 18, go check out the Young Eagles Program sponsored by the Experimental Aircraft Association. It’s a completely free opportunity for kids who are interested in aviation to take their first flight in a small aircraft and H also get to fly it, too.