10.19 Issue

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OCT. 19, 2011 I VOL. 76 I ISSUE 3 CARMEL HIGH SCHOOL I 520 E. MAIN STREET I CARMEL, IN 46032 I WWW.HILITE.ORG

Acumen: The Family Issue

*Carmel High School’s student newsmagazine

See Insert

WHEN TWEETS BECOME TORMENT

WHEN TWEETS BECOME TORMENT

As society enters the digital realm, students find it increasingly difficult to avoid the effects of cyberbullying - Page 16

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PAGE 2 | TABLE OF CONTENTS | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | OCT. 19, 2011

Just for fun October is National Apple Month.

Celebrate with the HiLite:

Inside This Issue

The average person eats 65 apples a year. How many will you eat this month?

Red Delicious is the most popular apple in the United States, followed by Golden Delicious.

China produces more apples than any other country.

news

4

Carmel passes new ordinance to establish recycling throughout the city.

16

The apple is the official state fruit of four states.

According to netstate.com, Indiana has no official fruit (though corn is always an option).

Apple trees don’t bear their first fruit until they are four or five years old.

feature

8

While diabetes is on the rise nationally, students here cope with the disorder.

NOTE: Do not forget to turn off oven prior to departure.

HEALTHDIARIES.COM / SOURCE MELINDA SONG / GRAPHIC

26

CHS athletes must combat the pressures of their sports.

The anonymity of the Internet has enabled cyberbullying to reach a new degree of cruelty among students.

perspectives

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: Reporter Julie Xu encourages students to continue reading despite the plethora of technology today.

28

HiLite examines the 90/10 policy in the math department.

Feature editor Tony Tan denounces capital punishment as a form of justice in the American legal system.

Craving a perfect apple pie?

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Gather flour, sugar, water and eggs into large mixing bowl.

3. Before mixing ingredients, grab wallet and purchase apple pie from local McDonalds.

cover story

sports

Managing editor Yameen Hameed calls for people to do more to actually get involved.

entertainment

20

Reporter Olivia Weprich shares sweet Halloween masterpieces.

Reporter Shayan Ahmad and news editor Andy Yang present opposing viewpoints on the origin and rise of leaders.

15 minutes

32

Sophomore Kiefer Summers works as a local disc jockey.

CONNER GORDON / COVER PHOTO ILLUSTRATION

OCT. 19, 2011 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | JUST A MINUTE | PAGE 3

the

evol u t i o n of Halloween traditions

Trick-or Treating Trick-or-treating It has been theorized that trick-or-treating originated from a European and Celtic tradition of placing bowls outside their homes to prevent ghosts from entering. In the past 60 years, the charity organization UNICEF has organized the campaign “Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF” to allow children to aid fellow children throughout the globe.

Treat r o k c i Tr

Costumes Both European and Celtic cultures believed that people could be spared by the ghosts that came out on Samhain, or Halloween, night only by wearing masks. CNN predicts Charlie Sheen, Angry Birds characters and zombies as popular costume choices for this year’s holiday.

Decorations Halloween yards are themed residential lawns. Orange and black are common colors used to represent this holiday; orange symbolizes autumn and fall harvest while black symbolizes death and evil in the night.

Jack-o’-lanterns The tradition of carving pumpkins comes from Irish folklore.

Drunkard Stingy Jack tricked the devil into agreeing to never send him to hell. Too sinful for heaven, however, Jack carved a turnip and placed a candle inside it in order to find a place for eternal rest.

MELINDA SONG / GRAPHIC QUESTMAGAZINE.COM, HISTORY-OF-HALLOWEEN.NET, CNN.COM, UNICEFUSA.ORG / SOURCES

PAGE 4 | NEWS | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | OCT. 19, 2011

NEWS

SUBMITNEWS@HILITE.ORG | TWITTER.COM/HILITE_NEWS

News Briefs

Updates on clubs, activities and events in the school.

Carmel Clay Parks and Recreation will host Skate Nite for the first time at the Monon Community Center on Oct. 22 from 7 to 11:30 p.m. Admission for the event will be $5 per person.

Debate team will travel to the second meet of its competition season on Oct. 22, according to sponsor James Ziegler. The team will prepare for the competition during after-school practices, the times of which are to be announced.

LifeLines plans to host Red Ribbon Week during the week of Oct. 23. According to Alec Rader, LifeLines president and senior, Red Ribbon Week is a week long drug and violence awareness campaign in which club members will judge doors decorated in the spirit of the campaign, have bake sales and distribute red ribbons to students in support of the campaign.

Dates to remember: Oct. 20: Fall break Oct. 24: Red Ribbon Week Oct. 29: Band ISSMA State Finals

Want more info?

Scan this QR code to visit hilite.org to learn about commingled recycling.

Emerald City New ordinance provides curbside recycling to all Carmel residents through Republic Services

BY ARUNI RANAWEERA aranaweera@hilite.org

B

eginning in 2012, Carmel residents will experience changes to their trash and recycling services. A new ordinance, passed this September, will provide curbside recycling to all residents and transform Carmel’s trash and recycling system. While the program faces some opposition, this ordinance is a step forward in Carmel’s pursuit of environmental responsibility.

Junior Lauren Gibson said she is a strong supporter of the new trash and recycling program. As the founder of the Carmel Green Teen micro-grant program and a winner of Jane Goodall’s Roots and Shoots Global Leadership Award, Gibson is dedicated to recycling and helping the environment.

According to Gibson, this program simplifies recycling.

Because the program picks up recyclable materials at homeowners’ curbs, it eliminates the past hassles Carmel

residents faced with recycling. “(Before) you would either have to gather all your materials and drive it to a separate recycling place like the hazardous waste center, or you’d have to pay extra for a company to pick it up curbside,” Gibson said. “(The new program) can just have such an amazing impact because it really helps those who want to recycle but weren’t able to because it was such a hassle before.”

The program also helps residents by providing “commingled recycling,” a method of recycling that allows different materials to be recycled together without being sorted. This means that glass, plastics, paper and other recyclable products can be placed in the same container, saving time and energy for residents.

The city had several reasons for switching to this new trash and recycling system, but according to Sue Maki, manager of customer relations and education for Carmel Utilities, the CONTINUED input of residents was one of the most ON NEXT PAGE

Freshman Class sponsor Ann Mayhew said that magazine sales are scheduled to take place in approximately a month’s time.

According to Mark Wien, English teacher, the sales will take place from Oct. 25 to Nov. 10.

The Ghosts and Goblins 5K and 2K and Wellness Fair will be on Oct. 29. Any senior who volunteers or participates at the Ghosts and Goblins events will be eligible for the Lisa Evans Scholarship, awarded by the Carmel Education Foundation (CEF).

The next PTO meeting will be on Nov. 1 at 9 a.m. in the community room. According to PTO president Amy Kline, there will not be many notable events until spring.

Speech team will have its first speech meet at Fishers High School on Nov. 5.

Greyhound Connections will host two upcoming breakfasts on Nov. 2 and Nov. 30 in Room E219 at 7:40 a.m. They will be open to all new students in grades 10 through 12 and club members, according sponsor Joe Stuelpe. Invitations for the breakfasts will be delivered to the students.

CONNER GORDON / PHOTO

GARBAGE DAY: Long Branch Estates has its neighborhood trash pick-up every Thursday. Once citywide recycling begins, all Carmel residents can start recycling various materials together without having to sort them.

OCT. 19, 2011 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | NEWS | PAGE 5 influential pressures in implementing this program. “(Residents) have been asking the mayor ‘Hey, mayor…we want recycling for everybody, why can’t we have recycling for everybody?’” Maki said. “We took two long surveys of the residents to see how they felt about it. It was an overwhelming majority that felt very much in favor of the program.”

While the program has the support of the majority, it still has some opposition. The new program will make Republic Services the only trash and recycling company to serve Carmel. Previously, residents of the city could choose their trash service provider, and some say the new ordinance restricts this freedom of choice. Some also argue that this ordinance eliminates competition between companies and creates a monopoly.

Gibson, however, said she believes the ordinance is still reasonable because Republic Services was chosen as the provider of Carmel through a bid, not arbitrarily.

“People do have a choice on their (trash) provider and some of the opposition is saying that this gets rid of their choice,” Gibson said. “But there was a bid. Other companies bid but Republic won the bid, so I’m not sure if that’s a valid argument.”

The new trash and recycling program, however, is not mandatory, and residents have the opportunity to opt-out of the program. According to the City of Carmel’s website, residents must have turned in an opt-out form before Oct. 15, 2011 to opt-out of the program for the 2012 year. To opt-out for the subsequent years, residents must submit an opt-out form between June 1 and June 30.

Despite opposition to the program, the new trash and CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

recycling system is a major step towards environmental awareness for Carmel. The city has been developing this recycling program for several years, but it is just now being implemented due to the precautions that had to be taken before it could be enacted. The city also took time to observe and learn from neighboring cities’ successes with similar programs.

“The city of Westfield went through this program about two years ago and we learned a lot (from it),” Maki said.

“Being able to sit back and watch how they did it, they were very helpful to us. They shared a lot of information with us.

By watching what worked and what didn’t work with them, we were able to benefit from their experience.”

The trash and recycling program isn’t the only step the city of Carmel is taking in pursuing a more green community. According to Maki, the city is currently building a water treatment plant that will run partially on alternative energy resources.

“We’re always looking at ways to be better stewards of our environment and there are several projects that are underway,” Maki said. “Our new water treatment plant that’s being built (is) going to be powered in part by geothermal energy, and we’re also going to have some solar power features out there as well.”

Gibson said that despite the extended time the city took to pass “green” programs, Carmel is still making progress in becoming more environmentally friendly.

“Indiana is one of the least green states in the country. I think its ranked 49th out of 50 now, so it could definitely be doing more,” Gibson said. “But I think (Carmel) has definitely been taking huge steps in the past few years. This curbside recycling program will definitely help the city.”

What can be recycled:

#1 to #7 plastics (Check number within recycling symbol) Plastic grocery bags Glass bottles and jars Empty aluminum, metal, tin and steel cans Newspapers and inserts Magazines, phone books and soft cover books Cardboard/cereal box type packaging and brown paper bags SUE MAKI / SOURCE ANDY YANG / GRAPHIC

Math students, teachers react to department’s grading policy With completion of first nine weeks, results of 90/10 policy stir mixed responses

BY LINSU HAN lhan@hilite.org Now into more than nine weeks of the school year, students and teachers have a chance to better understand the district’s decision to change grading in the math department to a 90/10 system. But that change has not come without conflict.

Linda Thompson, director of curriculum and instruction for Carmel Clay schools, along with the district’s math department chair people, implemented a weighted grading system of 90 percent tests and quizzes and 10 percent homework, whereas in the past, it was 80 and 20 percent respectively. According to math department chairperson Vicki Tribul, this decision applies to both high school and

The key to grades is that it’s supposed to show what you know. To us, that’s quizzes and tests where homework is a time for practice.

Vicki Tribul

Math department chairperson

middle school math courses across the district of Carmel Clay schools.

“The key to grades is that it’s supposed to show what you know,” Tribul said. “To us, that’s quizzes and tests, where homework is a time for practice.”

Junior Eleanor Spolyar, who is currently taking regular precalculus, said she dislikes the decision. She said homework helps reinforce concepts learned in class, and thus the importance of homework should be more highly stressed.

“I think 90 percent is just too much; I liked (the grading system) better at 80 percent,” Spolyar said. “If you only have three tests in a quarter and mess up on one of them, then you’ll automatically get a B in the class. I feel that if they’re going to do 90 percent and 10 percent, they should balance it more. It’s harder to bring up your grade if you mess up once on a test; it just makes it more of a challenge.”

According to research published in the National Council of Teacher of Mathematics (NCTM), the average person who does homework has a higher test score than 73 percent of students who do not do homework.

However, sophomore Jack Langston, who is currently taking honors precalculus, said he supports the new grading system, and although it is indeed beneficial to do homework, having less emphasis on it allows him to focus more on other tasks.

“You could be super smart and not do your homework all the time and still get an A in the class with the new system, whereas before, you’d have to be pretty consistent in doing your homework. To me, some homework is just busy work and is not really necessary,” Langston said.

According to NCTM, the same study shows that

Compare the weights If you got an average of

100 percent on homework and 80 percent on tests and quizzes Old system Final grade:

New system Final grade:

84

82

percent

percent

the positive relation between homework time and students’ achievement levels out at about two hours and may even decline beyond that point, suggesting an optimal amount of homework for high school students between 90 minutes and two and a half hours a night.

According to Tribul, high school is meant to prepare students for college. Though homework helps in preparing for tests, it generally does not have a factor in college grades.

Tribul said, “When you go to college, typically all you have are assessments. It’s just working towards understanding and not just a homework paper. If we’re going to measure what you know, then it has to be through assessments.”

PAGE 6 | NEWS | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | OCT. 19, 2011

Congress extends federal gas tax

Cutting the extra fee would have helped several students here who feel the money pinch

BY ROCHELLE BRUAL rbrual@hilite.org

E

very one and one-half weeks, senior Brittany Binder empties her wallet to fill up her car’s gas tank. Since her car gets 15 to 16 miles per gallon, for a full tank of gas Binder spends about $65, which she earns from working at a café at Life Time Fitness, a fitness and health center. She will also occasionally receive help from her parents.

A portion of Binder’s hefty bill comes from the 18.4 cents per gallon federal gas tax, which then goes to states for road construction and repair. On Sept. 30, the end of the government’s fiscal year, the federal gas tax was set to expire, and Congress had the choice to either extend or repeal it.

According to multiple sources, Congress extended the federal gas tax until March 31, 2012.

Binder said a repeal of the federal gas tax would have made her life easier, and she would not have to worry about conserving fuel as much.

“I understand there are some roads that are really bad, but I can’t believe that the gas prices are ridiculous. We’re making the same amount of money, but the gas prices just keep jumping and jumping day by day,” Binder said.

Economics teacher Michelle Foutz said if Congress repealed the federal gas tax, the decision has made a greater impact on those with a lower disposable income, such as students. The percentage of the income they pay for gas is much higher than the percentage for people who make more money. Although it may mean fewer jobs for construction workers, Foutz said there are advantages to

Not Quite So Painful Schools pay less to fuel their bus than the average consumer

RON FARRAND / SOURCE

OMEED MALEKMARZBAN / PHOTO

PUMP IT UP: Senior Brittany Binder fills up her car with gasoline at a local station. Binder, like others, is concerned with the renewal status of the government-instated gas tax.

repealing the federal gas tax.

“By paying less in tax, then you have more disposable income,” Foutz said. “Then you can buy more of other goods and services that are produced by other workers. If there is more money in people’s pockets, and people are spending money on other things, then there’s more production in those goods and services, which means more workers in those industries and less unemployment in those industries.”

States may choose to raise the fleet state gas tax if Congress repealed the federal gas tax. According to the American Petroleum Institute, Indiana’s combined gas tax in July 2011 was already 58.1 cents per gallon, 9.2 cents higher than the national average.

Besides a state gas tax increase, there are alternative ways to pay for road construction and repairs.

According to Foutz, Indiana has money from selling the Indiana Toll Road at the beginning of Gov. Mitch Daniel’s administration, and the state uses this money for road projects throughout Indiana.

Since Congress extended the federal gas tax, Americans will continue to pay the 18.4 cents per gallon fee unless Congress raises or lowers it. Other factors may also cause gas prices to rise. Foutz said higher prices are a concern.

It impacts purchasing power, CONNIE CHU / GRAPHIC

especially for gas, which everyone uses on a daily basis.

People then have less money to spend on other goods and services.

Binder said, “I guess I’ll have to work harder and rely more on my parents, because if the taxes keep going up or stay the same, I won’t have money.”

According to Ron Farrand, Director of Facilities and Transportation, public schools pay for an excise tax, which depends on the type of fuel and other factors, instead of the federal gas tax. Public schools end up paying 50 cents below pump price. If Congress repealed the federal gas tax and states stepped in to raise the state gas tax, public schools would not have to pay for the new taxes unless states made them required. Farrand said if more students start riding the bus due to high gas prices, the amount of new riders will determine how to adjust accordingly. Right now CHS has about 56 assigned buses. Although buses appear the same on the outside, there are three different seating capacities: 75, 81 and 84. The worst case scenario is that CHS will have to add a new bus.

“Through all this where the gas prices have gone up, I don’t know that we have really seen a significant impact as far as more student riders. Surely there’s some. There’s no doubt, but look at the parking lot where everybody parks and (say) it didn’t get any less full than four years ago,” Farrand said.

Binder said she chooses to drive to school every day. She also drives to work three times a week and whenever she does activities with her friends. She said she is not too happy with the current gas prices, but she will follow the rules and pay the gas tax because she can’t fight against it anyway.

“I think we should care and pay attention (to the gas tax) because honestly it deals with our lives every day. It relates to us, especially now when times are hard,” Binder said. “Parents may not be able to help you, so it really does depend on you to find your own money to pay for your own gas.”

OCT. 19, 2011 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | NEWS | PAGE 7

New grading system: no missed assignments Pathways of the grading pilot system

BY DAVID CHOE dchoe@hilite.org

Incident 1:

As the first nine-week grading period ended, many students felt the effects of the ongoing grading pilot program. According to Assistant Principal Brooke Weekes, the grading pilot program is part of an ongoing process that consists of a revised grading policy introducing measures to make sure that students complete their assignments. Eighty selected teachers, at least one from each department, participate in the program.

“We’ve had a grading committee for the last two or three years, and (the program) is one of the things that has come out of that grading committee,” Weekes said. “One of the things we haven’t done in the past is universally hold students accountable to completing their work. ” The grading policy of the pilot program includes a threestep method to confront incomplete assignments, including an SRT detention, an academic detention and finally a behavior issue office referral. In the past, students were able to opt out of completing assignments if they chose to unless a teacher initiated specific action. Now, however, according to Weekes, there is not an option to opt out anymore.

Social studies teacher Tracy Hadden, who is part of the pilot program, said she received positive results from her experience so far.

“It has forced a lot of kids to get work done, and of course when they actually do the work, their grades on quizzes and tests goes up, and we have fewer failures than we did before,” Hadden said. “Ultimately the goal (of the program) is to make sure that kids learn the information, and by these measures they’re being forced to do that because they don’t want to go through the punishment.”

On the other hand, sophomore Mustafa Zaidi, who attended at least one SRT detention this year, said he believes

the revocation of his SRT is a con of the program.

“I like the old policy because you can use SRT to work on your other homework that’s due next day,” Zaidi said. “But now, you have to do homework you didn’t do in SRT.” English teacher Kristin Lentz, however, said she believes in an alternative solution between the pilot program and the old grading policy.

“I personally feel that there should be a middle ground where there should be some sort of punishment, some sort of percentage taken off for late work, because I feel like that’s not realistic at all for college,” Lentz said. “It’s not preparing kids for either one of those things because in real life if you’re late on things, like your bills, you do have a penalty.

Or in college, you may fail the class. So I just feel like it’s too much hand-holding, but I like the idea that it’s encouraging kids to do the work. You don’t have an option not to do the work anymore.”

Incident 3:

Incident 4:

Teacher conferences with the student, contacts the parent(s) and assigns an SRT session to complete the late work.

Teacher assigns academic detention, student stays until assignment is complete. If not completed in a timely manner, the instructor may write a misconduct report.

Teacher conferences with the student.

Parental contact is not required but can be made if necessary.

Incident 2: Teacher conferences with the student and contacts the parent. An SRT detention can be issued if necessary.

STOP If a repeated incident occurs, students will start on the step they ended on

CHRIS LI / GRAPHIC MYCCS / SOURCE

…if we feel our work is important, and we think what you’re doing in your classes is important, then you should be accountable for completing that work. And that’s kind of the philosophy behind it.

Brooke Weekes Assistant Principal

Verizon proposes cellular pole on school grounds

BY KIM QIAN kqian@hilite.org About two months ago, a Verizon Wireless representative contacted the CHS Administration about installing a cellular pole at CHS. The 120-foot pole would be 75 by 75 feet and located north of the tennis courts towards Keystone.

According to Roger McMichael, assistant superintendent of business affairs, as Verizon Wireless gains more users of its service in an area, it needs more cell phone poles and towers to accommodate for that increase.

“Verizon identifies certain locations within a community, and they have certain specifications for those locations,” McMichael said. “It happens that the area around Carmel High School met those requirements.”

The lease is in five-year terms with $25,000 annual payment.

The lease will increase 10 percent with each succeeding five-year term. However, an early termination clause allows the lease to end after 15 years, although McMichael said he doesn’t see this as likely.

He said, “Currently, we see no negative impact to the school district and would not anticipate any but since none of us can predict the future, we did want to have the ability to terminate the lease later.”

Although there is a general fear of radiation from radio towers, health agencies have not identified past towers or poles as dangerous to the public. This pole is actually more remote than many other towers in the area. Both McMichael and Principal John Williams said they do not foresee any inconveniences or downsides to leasing the property.

“If there was any concern,” Williams said, “we wouldn’t

have it (put) up.”

Senior Brian McDonald said he agrees there are no health concerns due to the radio waves.

“Radio waves are completely harmless. They’re everywhere in much larger amounts than a cell phone tower emits anyway,” he said. “Any waves that are visible light and below are fine.”

Both the school board and the city board of zoning appeals must approve the proposal. Once the proposal is passed, actual construction will most likely not begin until next year.

McDonald said he generally supports passing the lease.

“I don’t see any downsides to it, and I see that it can make money for the school,” he said.

Williams said, “I think (the pole) is a good community service, something that generates income during a time when we always need income to continue to do the things that we do.”

PAGE 8 | FEATURE | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | OCT. 19, 2011

FEATURE Sugar High

Did you know?

About one in every 400 people under the age of 20 has diabetes.

SUBMITFEATURE@HILITE.ORG | TWITTER.COM/HILITE_NEWS

DIABETES.ORG / SOURCE

Video coverage Go online to hilite.org to watch a video presentation complementing this story.

New study shows more people have diabetes, CHS students learn to cope the reservation with much less physical work and plentiful food have about a 50 percent diabetes rate.”

Diabetes is a metabolism disorder, which starts with the food that we eat.

Scary Diagnosis

Indiana is following this same trend.

According to “F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America’s Future 2011,” a report from Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Indiana is now the 15th most obese state in the country. Because of this rise in obesity, the numInsuber of people with high blood preslin allows cells sure and diabetes has also increased. to take in sugar for enWhen food is As of 2009, over 450,000 Hoosiers ergy. However, diabetics digested in the had been diagnosed with diabetes, do not produce enough or stomach and conaccording to the Centers for Disease any insulin so their cells take verted into sugars, Control and Prevention. in less sugar. Sugar is left in the our pancreas releases On a more local level, Hamilton bloodstream, which eventually Theresomething called County, while generally regarded as a passes out through urine. fore, diabetics insulin into the more affluent and therefore healthier must monitor their bloodstream. area, also has seen an increase in blood sugar levels conthe number of diagnosed diabetics. stantly with devices In 2008, 8.5 percent of the county’s residents were diabetic, compared with called glucometers 7.1 percent in 2004. In comparison, to make sure that the current national rate is 8.3 percent, their cells are according to the ADA. getting the enSchool nurse Carol Gelatt said the ergy that they percentage of CHS’s student body need. that has diabetes is about the same as that of Hamilton County. She said all CHS diabetics have Type 1 diabetes.

HENRY ZHU AND TONY TAN / PHOTO ILLUSTRATION SACCHARINE INSPECTION: Senior and diabetic Roma Sarapin pricks According to her, Type 1 diabetes, which MEDICAL NEWS TODAY / SOURCE his finger with a lancet to draw blood for a glucometer test.

Sarapin has, occurs when the pancreas stops producing insulin, which reduces blood sugar and generally is more related to genetics.

Gelatt said there are no CHS students with conducted by the American Diabetes Association (ADA), the

BY KATIE UTKEN Type 2 diabetes, and she said she is unsure as to why that is the number of people with diabetes worldwide has more than kutken@hilite.org case. In Type 2 diabetes, the pancreas excretes insulin but in doubled in the past 30 years. In 1980, there were approximately an insufficient amount, which causes patients to have larger 153 million diabetics. Since then, the number of diabetics has hen he was in second grade, senior Roman amounts of blood sugar. Gelatt said Type 2 is generally more increased by 56 percent, with over 347 million people now “Roma” Sarapin received a piece of news that associated with age, obesity and lifestyle. living with the disease. It is projected that by 2020, more than changed his life. After not feeling well for a half of the adult population will be living with diabetes. few days and drinking an entire 24-pack of Managing Diabetes According to Melissa Cavaghan, an associate professor water bottles due to extreme thirst, his mother took him to To help students like Sarapin manage their diabetes, the of clinical medicine at the IU School of Medicine who has the hospital where he received the diagnosis: he had diabetes. nurse’s office has an individualized action plan on file for been studying diabetes for 15 years, the significant spike in “I didn’t even know what it was. I didn’t really understand each student that explains the student’s diabetic managethe number of diabetics is a new phenomenon. She said she when they told me, ‘You have Type 1 diabetes.’ I had never ment plan that was set by their physician and approved attributes the increase to the fact that Americans now eat even heard of the disease and it took me awhile to understand,” by their parents. The plan identifies the student’s correcmuch more and exercise much less than in the past.

Sarapin said. “I was in the hospital for a month or so. They were tion dose and food dose and what to do in case of low or “Genetics haven’t changed,” Cavaghan said via email. teaching me how to handle it, and they were just stabilizing high blood sugar. Gelatt said diabetes “There is a group of Native American people, some of whom me. But I wasn’t scared; I felt like I was scared at first, but then is managed through insulin that is inlive in Mexico and some of whom live in south Texas. They they explained everything to me, and I calmed down.” jected via syringe, insulin pen or pump are genetically identical. Those who work the farms in Mexico CONTINUED Sarapin is not alone. According to a June 2011 study and occasionally oral medication. Exhave about a 3 percent diabetes rate. The ones who live on ON NEXT PAGE

W

OCT. 19, 2011 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | FEATURE | PAGE 9 ercising on a regular basis and eatcare of herself. She had Type 2, but she died because she ing a balanced diet can also help. didn’t take care of herself,” Stromquist said. “So I was like, In addition to the action plans, ‘Oh my gosh, am I going to die?’ but they were like, ‘No, nurses may also notify teachers you’re fine, just take care of yourself.’” that a student is diabetic because it can affect the student’s Stromquist not only manages her own diabetes, but has attendance and his abilities in the classroom. paid it forward and cares for others. She babysits young “If they have a low blood sugar, it’s not a good time to children who have been recently diagnosed with diabetes. take a test or a quiz. They need to feel better first to be able Stromquist said when children and young adults are newly to think clearly,” Gelatt said. “Or if their blood sugar is diagnosed, parents worry and feel that they cannot leave high, they’re not feeling well; they could be nauseous, have their children at home alone, so she helps alleviate some of a stomachache or not be able to think clearly. It’s important that stress since she can relate to the children and help them for the teachers to recognize those symptoms because low manage their diabetes. sugar and high sugar can “It’s just about knowing both be life threatening.” other people who go through For Sarapin, who has it and stuff, so I babysat a been swimming for six sixth-grade boy named Nick years, managing his diabetes with Type 1 diabetes, and he is a bit more difficult than had just been diagnosed,” most since he is an athlete.

Stromquist said. “It’s kind He receives hourly doses of of cool because we could insulin through his insulin relate. We were talking like, pump to keep his blood ‘How do you feel when you sugar level stable, and he feel low and how do you must check his blood sugar feel when you feel high?’ eight to 10 times a day. and ‘What’s the hardest part “When I exercise, my about it for you’ and stuff.” blood sugar goes low, and it’s hard to control Prevention that sometimes because While both Sarapin and Roman “Roma” Sarapin it fluctuates; it goes from Stromquist’s Type 1 diabeDiabetic athlete and senior being high to being really tes could not have been prelow,” Sarapin said. “But I vented, Cavaghan said there can still get through my are lifestyle factors that can sport, and I have to get out be improved, like eating habfor practice sometimes. I have to get out for like 20 to 25 its and community planning, which could halt the growing minutes every day actually to fix my blood sugar.” trend shown in the ADA study. She said feeding children Diabetic and senior Stephanie Stromquist said she can sugary drinks, which have an average of eight teaspoons relate to Sarapin’s frustration. Since her diagnosis in eighth of sugar in each can, and providing unhealthy snacks is a grade, she has had to count the amount of carbohydrates she “terrible habit to teach,” primarily because continuous coneats, check her blood sugar and give herself insulin shots. sumption of soft drinks is bad for one’s weight. According to “I was sad when I was diagnosed, but I was scared Cavaghan, diet and exercise are the best and the least expenbecause my grandma had diabetes, and she didn’t take sive ways to prevent diabetes.

“Lifelong habits of consuming too many calories set up our young folks for a lifetime of poor health,” Cavaghan said. “We don’t have required gym in school every day. We drive everywhere instead of walking because of poor community planning and poor public transportation, and one in four Americans eats at McDonald’s every day. Physical exercise needs to increase, but healthy eating is the most important.”

Gelatt said CHS students who are friends with diabetics like Sarapin and Stromquist should try to understand their friend’s illness so they can help them when they have or are not feeling well.

“I think it’s important that if you have a friend who is diabetic to talk to that friend and help them understand what their diabetes means to them and how they can help them,” Gelatt said.

HENRY ZHU / PHOTO “Diabetes is manageable. They RUNNING LOW: Sarapin checks his blood sugar. According to Sarapin, live normal lives; it’s just that they need to take insulin to help diabetes has significantly changed his life ever since his diagnosis in the them function normally.” second grade.

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

I can still get through my sport, and I have to get out for practice sometimes. I have to get out for like 20 to 25 minutes every day actually to fix my blood sugar.

Percentage of Adults with Diagnosed Diabetes in Central Indiana Counties

8.5% Hamilton County

8.9% Hancock County

9.4% Boone County

9.8%

Marion County

10.7%

Clinton County CDC / SOURCE RYAN ZUKERMAN / GRAPHIC

OCT. 19, 2011 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | FEATURE | PAGE 11

Students say online classes do not replace classroom setting

BY HAFSA RAZI hrazi@hilite.org

W

hat should have taken sophomore Erin Scott two weeks ended up taking over a month, she said, as she procrastinated completing her online driver education course last spring.

“It was tedious to just come home and sit there for 45 minutes because (the lessons) were like 45 minutes to an hour everyday in front of the computer, and it got annoying,” Scott said. “So that’s when my lack of paying attention started.”

Still, online classes are becoming more common.

According to the Indiana Online Academy (IOA), between the last school year and the school year before, enrollment in their courses jumped about 50 percent. Additionally, in early September, Indiana Superintendent Tony Bennett announced plans to propose legislation that would require students to take at least one online class before graduating from high school.

But these changes may come with several unexpected consequences.

Scott’s difficulty in staying engaged in her class may be one reason why, according to an August study by the Pew Research Center, only 29 percent of Americans believe online classes have as much educational value as classroom courses. Nonetheless, over three-quarters of colleges and universities offer online classes, according to college presidents surveyed in the study, and they expect this trend to grow. But while colleges and universities move toward online learning, online education still cannot replace classroom learning in high schools, according to Jan Mitchener, math teacher at both this school and the IOA. Mitchener’s online students, who usually come from districts outside Carmel, she said, take online courses for various reasons. Some, she said, want to improve a previous grade in the course, while others can’t fit the class into their schedule. In districts that have dropped summer school, Mitchener said many students must go online to take the classes they need.

According to Scott, she just didn’t want to spend time in a classroom taking driver education, so the online class was the right one for her. “(The online class is) useful, because it works with your schedule,” Scott said.

However, Scott said, she ended up spending longer

on the course than necessary because she was unsupervised.

“It was easier for me to get distracted, because I could, like, listen to the (lesson), and then go on Facebook,” Scott said.

According to Mitchener, students who take classes online must be self-disciplined and independent learners who, when they cannot get a teacher’s help, can find answers on their own.

In Scott’s driver education course, there was no teacher—just a set of lessons and tests that were entirely online. The class itself was easy, Scott said, but if she took a harder class online, she would likely miss the help of a teacher.

“If (an online class is), like, math or chemistry, you can’t go to your teacher and ask for help,” Scott said. “It’s just like, here (the material) is, learn it.”

Mitchener said her online students can contact her and get help with their questions, but communicating is difficult, given her and her students’ busy schedules. As a result, she said, some students struggle to understand the content alone.

According to math teacher Kimberly Wade, who attended an online class at Purdue University, while she could have met her professor during office Erin Scott hours, she never did because Sophomore she didn’t know him at all.

This, she said, ended up affecting her performance in the class.

“I didn’t care to do better because I didn’t know the professor,” Wade said.

It is for these reasons that Mitchener said most students do better in a classroom than online.

“If a student can be in classroom, (he) should be in classroom,” Mitchener said.

According to Wade, high schools need not require online classes, since even colleges don’t require them.

However, she said, students would benefit from gaining experience in online learning, because while they may not take online classes in college, many college courses incorporate assignments online.

“In the future, definitely, high schools should be geared toward technology (in) classes,” Wade said.

As for Scott, whether or not she takes another online class will depend on which class it is and how well she could interact with the teacher.

“For me, I learn better if I can interact with the teacher,” Scott said. “If I need help, I know they’re there. If I’m doing it by myself, then I wouldn’t feel as confident, doing all the work.”

For me, I learn better if I can interact with the teacher. If I need help, I know they’re there. If I’m doing it by myself, then I wouldn’t feel as confident, doing all the work.

http://www.hilite.org

Online Education: By the numbers

29

Only percent of the public says online courses offer an equal value compared with courses taken in a classroom.

46 percent of college graduates in the last 10 years report having taken

a class online.

39

percent of adults who have taken an online class say the format’s educational value is equal to that of a course taken in a classroom.

75

More than percent of the nation’s colleges and universities now offer online classes.

College presidents predict substantial

15

growth in online learning: percent say most of their current undergraduate students have taken a class online,

50

and percent predict that 10 years from now most of their students will take classes online.

PEW RESEARCH CENTER / SOURCE TONY TAN / GRAPHIC

Want more?

Learn more about online classes offered here. Just scan the QR code and prepare to learn.

PAGE 12 | FEATURE | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | OCT. 19, 2011

The new ‘Faith’book The use of Facebook as a religious outlet raises concerns

BY CLAUDIA HUANG chuang@hilite.org

S

ophomore Kara McCollum meets with her youth group at Carmel Lutheran Church several times a week, but she checks the Facebook page for the group almost every day.

“The (Facebook) group is a useful tool because information can be communicated better and faster. It is extremely convenient for everyone. Before, email was used, but I never really checked that,” she said.

Creating Facebook groups for religious organizations is an emerging trend. According to CNN, 41 percent of religious congregations use Facebook as a tool to communicate. Also, 31 percent of Facebook users in the United States display their religion in their profiles and over 43 million people worldwide have “liked” a religion page, according to The New York Times.

However, this raises concerns on whether or not these online faith communities are becoming a replacement for religious services. Despite these statistics about religionrelated online activity, in 2010, religious vitality decreased, and fewer people attended congregations than before, according to CNN. On January 24, 2011, Pope Benedict XVI even reminded Roman Catholics that “virtual contact cannot and must not take the place of direct human contact with people at every level of our lives.”

According to Andy Stumpf, director of high school and young adult ministries at Carmel Lutheran Church, the church does live streaming of sermons and archives the videos on its website.

“There’s the temptation for some people to say, ‘I’m not

faith communities as beneficial in some aspects to CHS students.

“These types of groups allow kids to continue to be immersed in their communities, even when they don’t have a scheduled event c e a b F or are not meeting together. o o ok P ng t i u d l s They allow students to not forget r e , Acco that these communities and a l r u b p ook l t po isted the mos support groups exist. It reminds in o r i v t e a them that their faith isn’t just an F B “ o e o h k t s” s e opportunity of convenience, but c t i o n o the pr file is th f o it is part of their culture.”

eB ible According to Stumpf, these . religious groups also give people another opportunity to extend their faith to others.

“The holy spirit that allows us to profess our faith has no boundaries. So it doesn’t exist only in face-to-face, but it also exists in online communities,” he said. “Every single time people LIANE YUE / GRAPHIC write something religious, such as FACEBOOK PULSE / SOURCE a Bible verse, as their status, they are allowing all 1,400 friends, for example, to see that. I don’t think that they realize how much of an impact that can make.”

McCollum said she witnesses religious activity on her going to go to church; I’ll just watch it at my convenience.’ news feed on a daily basis.

Those people are definitely missing out on a huge portion “Facebook has given a new medium for communication. of it. They can have the one-on-one relationship, the People can share their faith through writing statuses and vertical relationship between them and God, but they invite people to events through Facebook,” she said. “I don’t have the horizontal relationship, like mission trips think it’s really cool that people are brave enough to post and service projects.” religious statuses on Facebook.”

However, Stumpf said he does not see these as valid Stumpf said he stands firmly by his opinion that realworries. He maintains the Facebook group for Carmel life religious communities will remain prevalent, no Lutheran Youth and does not think that this affects matter what the circumstances are, and that people will attendance at all. continue to attend services.

“I don’t feel that having a Facebook page within my He said, “Regardless of how the Internet continues youth group will make them feel like they are getting to evolve, people are going to continue to go to church the same sustenance on a Facebook community as they and attend religious services because people desire would in a real community. God created us to be cultural community.” beings,” he said. “I don’t think that the community could be satisfied by the Internet. How can you do a service project or a mission trip over Facebook? There’s just an interaction that can only happen through face-to-face that Facebook can’t provide.”

McCollum said she agreed with Stumpf. The creation of the Facebook group did not change her attendance and interaction with her youth group at Carmel Lutheran Church. Instead it enhanced her involvement.

“People are not just going to stop going to church just because there are alternative resources on the Internet,” she Andy Stumpf said. “I don’t think Facebook is ever going Director of high school and young adult ministries to replace religion, but it is a good tool at Carmel Lutheran Church and just helps spread the word.”

In fact, Stumpf said he sees these online

Every single time people write something religious, such as a Bible verse, as their status, they are allowing all 1,400 friends, for example, to see that. I don’t think that they realize how much of an impact that can make.

PAGE 14 | STUDENT SECTION | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | OCT. 19, 2011

STUDENT SECTION Borderless Dream STUDENTSECTION@HILITE.ORG | TWITTER.COM/HILITE_NEWS

Junior Xing ‘Melody’ Gao has set her sights on a medical career in which she will join Doctors Without Borders

What is the ‘Student Section?’

It’s a section that pulls stories from you. For a better explanation, scan this QR code.

Tell Us Your Story:

For every issue, the HiLite will ask questions on the HiLite Facebook page. You can answer and tell us your story, and we will feature you on the next Student Section.

This issue, we are featuring junior Xing “Melody” Gao, and this is her Facebook response: We asked:

HENRY ZHU / PHOTO

WITHOUT LIMITS: Junior Xing “Melody” Gao looks at the globe as she thinks about all the countries she would like to travel to in the future. Many students like Gao plan to spend time outside of the United States after graduating from college.

BY RACHEL BOYD rboyd@hilite.org

A

s an adult, junior Xing “Melody” Gao said she plans to travel the world. However, her idea of traveling does not include taking pictures with monuments, visiting art museums or staying in lavish hotels. Instead, Gao said her goal is to become involved in Doctors Without Borders, which is an international medical humanitarian organization.

“Ideally I would be traveling around continents and less developed areas around the world and just giving the people there what we take as necessities here,” Gao said.

Gao is not the only American who has taken an interest in Doctors Without Borders. Since its creation in France in 1971, the organization has spread to countries around the world, including the United States. In America, the organization has grown each year. The United States went from having 200 American aid workers in 2009 to 340 in 2010, according to doctorswithoutborders.org.

According to the website, the organization provides assistance in more than 60 countries to those whose survival is threatened by violence, neglect or catastrophe and is made up of doctors, nurses, administrators, mental health professionals and others.

For Gao, the passion to become a doctor and become involved in the organization was personal. She said her father, who has a PhD in genetics, helped to spark her interest in

science and biology at a young age, and her mother inspired her goal as well.

“My mom was born with a heart condition, and because of this heart condition her life expectancy wasn’t supposed to be like over 20 years,” Gao said. “She had open heart surgery when she was nine, so that has allowed me to realize how important doctors are and how much they can affect one person’s life forever. My mom and basically my whole family are really grateful for it, and so whenever we go back to China we always visit (the doctor).”

DWB Timeline:

• 1971 - Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors without Borders) is founded

by French journalist and doctors.

• 1985 - Ethiopian Government expels DWB for speaking out against government’s misuse of aid.

• 1990 - DWB creates first U.S. office in New York.

• 1999 - Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

• 2006 - DWB provides care for war victims in Iraq.

• 2011 - DWB provides care, emotional support, and treatment for victims of mass rape in the Dominican Republic.

HiLite Online Plan on living outside of the country in the future??

Tell us why and where, and you will have a chance to be in the next issue of the HiLite.

Sept. 15 at 8:40 p.m.

You answered: Melody Gao I want to become a doctor/ surgeon and travel around the world to do pro bono work for people who can’t afford healthcare.

Sept. 15 at 9:09 p.m.

While some parents may be slightly deterred by the idea of their child taking part in such an organization due to the risks associated with traveling to foreign countries, Gao said her parents support her.

“We are very proud of her and her decision to make this her goal,” Gao’s father Wenxiang Gao said. “She’s very independent and capable of achieving what she wants to do, and she has such a big heart. She loves people and helping people, and she’s also very smart. We support her with what she wants to do.”

As for Xing, she said the idea of traveling to new countries is more exciting for her than frightening.

“I’ve always moved around a lot. I was born in China, and when I was two I came to the United States, and since then I’ve lived in a couple of states,” Gao said. “My parents are adventurous, so I get that from them. I just really like exploring new places, so I thought this was a really good idea because I get to do what I’m interested in with science, and I also get to travel around, meet people and explore new cultures around the world while helping people.”

OCT. 19, 2011 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | STUDENT SECTION | PAGE 15

The Face Behind the Tweets Each issue, we’ll highlight a particularly newsworthy Tweeter from Carmel High School.

This Issue’s Twitter account: @CarmelNHS

Who runs it: Alex Chong, NHS secretary and senior.

Followers: 76

What it is: All the updates, reminders and volunteer opportunity information. @CarmelNHS is the place to go for all NHS news.

Describe yourself in 140 characters: I’m Alex Chong and I’m a senior this year. Some of the clubs I’m in include student government (Senate), NHS, Key Club and Student Venture.

Senior Alex Chong takes charge of the NHS Twitter @CarmelNHS is the source of all National Honors Society News

BY ANDY YANG ayang@hilite.org How does NHS keep in touch with its members?

has not gotten a lot of followers honestly. However, as long as people are in some way getting updates for NHS, I don’t mind.

How was the NHS Twitter feed started?

By Facebook, Twitter or e-mail. Mostly Facebook though, to be honest.

How large of an impact would you say social media, specifically Twitter, has had on the public?

I believe that Twitter makes it easier to communicate with people because of how simple it is to use and how quickly people can receive information from it. All someone has to do is check his or her phone or computer and check their feed to see what’s going on. It’s more convenient than email or texting because in email and texting, you have to get every single person’s email address or phone number. With Twitter, you don’t go get the people, the people get you. They choose whether they want to follow the page or not. As for widespread, it seems like people prefer to use Facebook over Twitter. The NHS Twitter page

I believe that Twitter makes it easier to communicate with people because of how simple it is to use and how quickly people can receive information from it.

Alex Chong

NHS secretary and senior

The teacher, sponsors, and officers all got together last spring to discuss ideas for next year, and one of the ideas was to get a Twitter page because Twitter seemed to be rising as a way for CHS to communicate.

Do you think that even though the Twitter following is small, your actions will have a much greater effect down the road?

I think it sets up a foundation for the future. Who knows how popular Twitter will get once my class graduates? If Twitter seems to be the main way for people to communicate, NHS is already one step ahead by having a Twitter account ready to use.

Do you see any problems or benefits in regards specifically to how interactive Twitter is?

Benefits: it’s easy to use and no annoying notifications. No one has really done any responding back. But, I think with the @ thing, it’s useful because a person could ask a question, which is viewable to the public. Then, NHS can answer the question and the answer is viewable to the public.

RIP Steve Jobs. A great provider for the community.

5 Oct.

warning- tmrw’s meeting might be slightly longer than the norm! just to let you know 5 Sept.

follow now to get 30 mins of nhs group hours! you have until 4 pm on Thursday to get it done 4 Oct.

dont forget - meeting this Tuesday after school! be sure to turn in your summer hours and code of conducts! #nhsswag 4 Sept.

meeting this tuesday! find out how you can score some substantial GROUP hours at the next meeting 2 Oct.

HOURS UPDATED- http://tinyurl. com/3q8nafe ... Remember- 15 hours of any kind due by winter break!

30 Aug.

thanks for coming to the meeting today! keep checking on twitter, facebook, etc. for more updates!

6 Sept.

hours will be posted sometime next week! great job at the open house last thursday! #nhsswag 27 Aug.

nhs meeting! after school at freshman cafeteria! dont forget! #nhsswag 6 Sept.

Sup tweeters! Theres a mandatory NHS meeting on tuesday in the freshman cafeteria. Attendance is mandatory. Get excited!!! WOOO 13 Aug.

HENRY ZHU / PHOTO ILLUSTRATION

PAGE 16 | COVER STORY | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | OCT. 19, 2011

OCT. 19, 2011 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | COVER STORY | PAGE 17

The Online Menace In light of the recent suicide of a teenager in Buffalo, NY, stemming from online harassment, cyberbullying remains a problem for students

“I

BY SHEEN ZHENG szheng@hilite.org

’m gonna murder this girl Ellie Boyer for what she did.”

Last school year, such a comment joined hundreds of other posts that streaked the Twitter pages of her classmates. Junior Ellie Boyer’s reporting of a cheating incident that occurred a week before final exams had ended the hopes of desperate students, who, frustrated by Boyer’s honesty and its potential effect on their test scores, turned to threats, blame and hatred.

They terrified her with death threats. They robbed her sense of security. They were responsible for her absence during the final week of school.

“I cried when I first saw those posts,” Boyer said. “I couldn’t believe how cruel people could be. I didn’t expect it. But then I was scared, because when someone threatens you, it’s terrifying. In hypothetical situations, you never truly understand how serious it is.”

Boyer, a girl who was never one to crave the spotlight, said she suddenly found herself as the center of people’s gossip.

“My reputation was being trashed,” she said. “I never thought it was something that was important to me, but once people made me the enemy, things changed.

Everybody knew my name. Everybody knew who I was.

All these strangers hated me and there was nothing I could

do to change that.”

Boyer’s problem is not an uncommon one. According to a recent statistic from the National Crime Prevention Council, 42 percent of children from the ages of 12 to 18 have been bullied while online. One in four has had it happen more than once.

Valerie Weesner, a clinical psychologist at the Center for Child and Family Therapy, said cyberbullying—the use of the Internet and related technologies to harm others in a deliberate, repeated and hostile manner—has revolutionized the field of bullying.

“Cyberbullying is so much quicker than the old-fashioned way,” she said. “More people can get involved.

Even complete strangers could join in if they CONTINUED found the specific page.”

ON NEXT PAGE

OMEED MALEKMARZBAN / PHOTO

PAGE 18 | COVER STORY | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | OCT. 19, 2011

No Need to Suffer

Are you being harassed online or digitally? Take these steps.

1. Tell someone: Tell a trusted adult.

Bullying can escalate, so speak up until you find someone to help.

Try parents, school counselors, family members and teachers.

2. Resist the urge to retaliate: Responding when you’re upset will often exacerbate the situation, so give yourself some space so you will not be tempted to fire back a response or engage the bully.

Percentage of Cyberbullies Who Bully... to show off to friends

a

to be mean

b

for other reasons to embarrass others

c

11 14 16

d

21

for fun

e

because he/ she deserved it

f

58

for revenge

g

58

28

00

3. Keep the evidence: It can help you prove your case, if needed.

You can forward offensive emails, texts and other communications to a trusted adult or save them to a flash drive.

10 10

20 20

30 30

Percentage

40 40

4. Send a report to your service provider: Sites like Facebook and YouTube take it seriously when people use their sites to post cruel or insulting messages or set up fake accounts, so report the bullying incident.

5. Block the bully and be safe online: If possible, remove the bully from your contacts on social networking sites and phones.

Password protect your cell phone and online sites, and change your passwords often.

KIDSHEALTH.ORG / SOURCE

He Said, She Said

Cyberbullies show a pronounced gender gap

59%

while

of cyberbullies are female...

41%

are male.

INTERNETSAFETY101.ORG / SOURCE VICTOR XU / GRAPHICS

50 50

60 60

INTERNETSAFETY101.ORG / SOURCE

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

Online Attack

Last school year, Boyer attended a study session to prepare for the upcoming chemistry final.

She said, “I remember this student handed me a white slip of paper and told me, ‘Hey, this will help you on the final.’ I glanced at it and I saw little letters labeled A through E. They were the answers to the test.”

The answers pitted her undying morals against her need to excel. Ultimately, Boyer said she knew which would win.

“I told myself, ‘I don’t want this. It’s not ethical, and I can’t be a part of it.’ So the next day, I found my chemistry teacher in her room during passing period and I told her someone had stolen the answers to the final and was distributing them to other students. She was skeptical at first, but I was persistent enough to finally convince her,” Boyer said. “But while we were talking, a boy from another class approached her desk, and I guess he overheard what we were discussing.”

Boyer said she thought little of what the other student was capable of. Instead, she walked out of the room believing her good deed had helped define her moral character.

But no good deed goes unpunished.

“Originally, I had received some texts from friends, asking me if the rumors were true. That was when I realized that the boy had told his entire class what I did and by the afternoon, everyone knew,” Boyer said.

Days later, they began to appear. Comments by the dozens were plastered across the social networking site Twitter, ranging from tactless vulgarity to threats on her life.

“Now I’m gonna fail my chemistry final. Thanks, Ellie Boyer,” one student said. “She’s crazy for what she did,” another wrote.

In the aftermath, Boyer eventually felt the only option left was to escape the harassment from fellow classmates.

“After telling my mom what happened, I didn’t go to school the next day,” she said. “We visited the principal and

he said it was probably best to not attend school for a little while because, by that point, I had seen death threats made by other students.”

According to Weesner, students often fail to realize that the repercussions for bullying while online can be just as severe as those for bullying in person.

“Students often restrain what they say at school because they know they can be held accountable,” she said. “But I don’t think people understand how much worse it is to post insults online. They don’t think it can get traced back to them, but it can.”

What’s in a Name?

In the fall of her freshman year, sophomore Jasmine Sendon became one of the 18 million people to join the website Formspring, a question-and-answer-based social website that grew popular because of its option to post anonymous comments. Hoping it would simply be another way to branch out to friends and stay in touch with those in other states, Sendon joined her friends in setting up an account.

She said she thought little of how the comments posted on her wall would be from anonymous users, capable of unleashing devastating abuse. She thought little of how it could hurt her and mock her insecurities for weeks to come.

A month later, her Formspring page had been consumed with not only insults about her appearance, but also with comments about the insignificance of her life.

“I just stared at the screen for a while,” Sendon said.

“The comments hit me hard. I started to feel worthless, and I convinced myself that the remarks had a grain of truth to them. Even though I tried to just ignore the ones laced with cruelty, they always lingered in the back of my mind. I was always wondering, CONTINUED ‘Who else is thinking that?’”

ON NEXT PAGE Perhaps the degree of malice of

OCT. 19, 2011 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | COVER STORY | PAGE 19

By the Numbers

81 80 34

percent of teenagers who agree bullying online is easier to get away with compared to bullying in person percent of teenagers who agree it is easier to hide online bullying from parents than inperson bullying percent of those who had any engagement with cyberbullying who have been both a victim and a cyberbully

93%

71%

OMEED MALEKMARZBAN / PHOTO

FIREWALL: Sophomore Jasmine Sendon checks her Formspring in the media center during SRT. Earlier this year, Sendon became a victim of online harassment when her Formspring wall, a site where users can ask others questions anonymously, was bombarded with hateful and insulting comments.

Teenagers who use the Internet often

these comments links to the site’s anonymity policy, which, according to Sendon, opened a gateway for users to post any comment without the fear of being held accountable.

“When it’s anonymous, people can say anything, and nobody will know who it is,” Sendon said. “If they had to include a name, they’d probably be kinder and less likely to write such horrifying comments.”

According to Weesner, anonymity on the internet has indeed led to an increase of severity in remarks.

“People are meaner when they don’t have to own up to their actions,” she said. “They’re freer with their words and harsher in their meaning.”

For months, Sendon said she felt the cyberbullying slowly unravel her already delicate sense of self-worth.

it online.”

But her efforts had the opposite effect. Soon after, the attackers made their way to her wall, determined to punish her for belittling their spite.

“They started commenting about my appearance too,” Card said. “They also said things like, ‘Why are you friends with Jasmine? She’s so fat and ugly.’ And in response, I would say, ‘No, she’s not. Have you seen her? She’s gorgeous. And she doesn’t need to be told otherwise.’ Someone needed to stick up for her. I didn’t care what they wrote about me because I knew it was anonymous and I knew they wouldn’t say it to my face.”

“If someone receives help and support, the long-term effects are going to be having a better buffer when bullied,” Weesner said. “When there’s no help or support, the long-term effects are poor self esteem, depression, and higher anxiety.”

Looking back, Boyer said she feels no regret for what she did, and if given the same opportunity, she would repeat her actions. Nevertheless, the effects of her decision proved devastating, and she said she is thankful that Carmel enforces an environment with no tolerance for cyberbullying.

Boyer had initially felt convinced that she was alone, isolated from her peers for what she had done. But support soon arrived. During a time when she had few people to lean on, Boyer said the random acts of kindness made a lasting impact on her emotional recovery.

“I remember many people had messaged me on Facebook, telling me that they supported me for my decision,” she said. “They said they were proud of me for how I stuck to my morals. Even people I didn’t know that well offered me their support.”

For Boyer, the encouraging words from even mere acquaintances helped her past a rough time in her life.

“Don’t be discouraged by the cruelty of cyberbullying,” she said. “There will always be someone to help you make it through. You’re not alone.”

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

I couldn’t believe how cruel people could be. I didn’t expect it. But then I was scared, because when someone threatens you, it’s terrifying. In hypothetical situations, you never truly understand how serious it is.

Ellie Boyer Junior

“I couldn’t trust anyone anymore and even though I tried to shrug the comments off, it just bothered me so much,” she said. “It distracted me from living my life.”

Weesner said that even for the strong-willed, negative words can prove to have a lasting effect.

“It’s tremendously difficult to shrug off,” Weesner said.

“Once you see it, it’s in your brain and it just sits there. It’s so personal and you know it’s directed at you. You’re left wondering, ‘How valid is the comment made? How much do I need to take it to heart?’ All the comments start to build on each other and it’s difficult to undo the damage.”

In recent events, Jamey Rodemeyer, a 14-year-old boy from Buffalo, NY, had faced ridicule on his Formspring page for a year due to his bisexuality.

“Jamie is stupid, fat, gay and ugly. He should die!” one post read. Another said, “I wouldn’t care if you died. No one would. So just do it. It would make everyone (way happier)!”

On Sept. 18, Rodemeyer succumbed to their wishes. His suicide sparked national attention. “I always say how bullied I am, but no one listens,” he wrote, just a week before his suicide. “What do I have to do so people will listen to me?”

Lean on Me

According to Weesner, support from friends and family is absolutely necessary, for the research on bullying puts an emphasis on the bystander.

She said, “On the surface level, they can guide the victim away from hearing and seeing all the cruelty so he or she can get a break from it. They can counter the arguments. They can provide emotional support.”

Weeks after Sendon’s first negative comment, sophomore Kristyn Card began to notice what her friend was enduring.

Infuriated by people’s cruelty, Card launched a counterattack.

“I began to comment on her wall, telling people to stop,” Card said. “If you wouldn’t do it in person, you shouldn’t do

Teenagers who have an online profile ENOUGH.ORG / SOURCE

PAGE 20 | ENTERTAINMENT | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | OCT. 19, 2011

ENTERTAINMENT Get spooked senseless

Upcoming Releases: • Friday: “Paranormal Activity 3” • 11/4: “Puss in Boots” • 11/4: “Tower Heist”

SUBMITENTERTAINMENT@HILITE.ORG | TWITTER.COM/HILITE_NEWS

With Halloween rapidly approaching, reporter Lindsey Walker informs readers about local haunted houses and other frightening attractions

COMPILED BY LINDSEY WALKER lwalker@hilite.org Necropolis, the City of Perpetual Darkness

According to the Necropolis website, this haunted house is not for the young or faint-hearted. Founded in 1991, Necropolis is rated one of Haunted Attraction Magazine’s “25 Must See Haunts” for 2011 and is best known for paralyzing residents of Indiana with fear for 17 years.

There are three attractions available: Necropolis, the 30,000 square foot haunted house, Zombie Inn, a hotel-themed zombie-inhabited fright fest and Dark Terrors, a terror-inducing abandoned factory. In Dark Terrors, guests are given flashlights to navigate through the pitch-black factory; however according to the Necropolis website, they will soon discover their flashlights are controlled by Necropolis supervisors.

The flashlights will flicker, strobe or could even stop working completely.

Tickets are available on location at the old Western Electric Plant (2525 N. Shadeland Ave., Indianapolis, IN 45219) or online. Prices are as follows: Combo (all three attractions) is $26 for adults and $15 for children (under 12), Single attraction (Necropolis only) is $18 for adults and $10 for children.

Hate waiting in lines? Get an “Almost Immediate Access” pass for CONTINUED an additional $9 to your ticket price.

ON NEXT PAGE Group discounts are available but

Boo you know?

School really is scary

• Cathedral High School (Indianapolis) supposedly has a building that has random flickering lights.

• The 6th floor of the Read Dorm (IU Bloomington) is said to be haunted by the ghost of a former RA. • Snider High School (Fort Wayne) is allegedly haunted by the ghost of a girl who drowned in the school natatorium.

• The gym of Highland High School (Anderson) is supposedly haunted by a little boy who died of an asthma attack during gym class.

Witnesses report the sounds of a bouncing basketball and someone swimming laps in the pool

THESHADOWLANDS.NET/ SOURCE

Haunted location quick facts

• There are believed to be around 1,200 attractions that claim to be haunted. All charge an admission fee to their visitors. These are open year-round.

• During the weekends close to Halloween, around 3,000 more attractions open, all of which raise money for charity.

• Most haunted houses get about 8,000 visitors.

• Today, the average fee to get into a haunted house is $15, three times higher than the average cost of about $5 in the early ‘90s.

HAUNTEDHOUSEASSOCIATION.ORG / SOURCE LIANE YUE / GRAPHIC

OCT. 19, 2011 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | ENTERTAINMENT | PAGE 21 must be purchased in advance by Friday and must order a minimum of 20 tickets. Information on how to purchase group tickets is online.

Necropolis is recommended for those who do not scare easily or those who enjoy being scared.

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

Hanna Haunted Acres

According to the Hanna Haunted Acre’s website, this haunted area of Indianapolis is home to six attractions: Hanna Haunted Hayride, Phantazmagoria: The Haunted House, Scare Crow Revenge, Carnevil, Blackout and this year’s brand new attraction, Medical Malpractice. The addition of Medical Malpractice brings the count to four haunted houses, one corn maze and one hayride.

Junior Moira Bellamy went to Hanna Haunted Acres last year and said that she would probably go back. Bellamy went to all five attractions that were offered last year and said that Blackout was her favorite and the most entertaining because of a mix-up in the group she went with.

“I like Blackout because we ended up getting lost since it was so dark and then somehow we came back out the entrance instead of the exit, so that was funny,” Bellamy said.

She rated Hanna Haunted Acres as a 6 out of 10 in terms of how scary it was, but says she does not get scared easily. “There were times when I was frightened but it wasn’t like ‘Oh my God, I’m gonna, like, pee myself or something,’” Bellamy said.

Tickets are available on location (7323 E. Hanna Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46239) and directions are available on the Hanna Haunted Acres website. Prices are as follows: Combo (all six attractions) is $27 for all ages and only sold on Fridays and Saturdays. Single attractions are $13 each and a “Fast Pass” is $40 for all six attractions. According to the Hanna Haunted Acres website, the attractions will open at “dark” and close at 10 p.m. during the week and midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.

“I like torturing myself and I watch scary movies like it’s my job, so I would only recommend (Hanna Haunted Acres) for people that really like to get scared,” Bellamy said.

Haunted Trails at Cool Creek Park

This annual haunted adventure promises to combine nature with goblins and ghouls for a frighteningly good time. After trekking through a portion of the 90-acre woods of Cool Creek Park in Carmel, top your evening off with a campfire gathering for stories and music.

Junior Conner Dickerson worked at Haunted Trails last year and said that he would rate it a 5 out of 10 in terms of how scary it was.

“I don’t think that it’s actually that scary, maybe because I was working at it, but I did scare a lot of people,” Dickerson said. He worked at one of the stations on the trail and said that the theme last year was “Insane Asylum.”

According to the Hamilton County website, the trail is not recommended for kids under the age of 12 and the theme this year is “Ghouls and Goblins.” Tickets are $5 and available on location (2000 E. 151 St. Carmel, IN 46033). The Haunted Trails are open October 26 to 28 from 7 to 10 p.m.

“I would definitely recommend this event for older kids who like to get scared but not completely terrorized,” Dickerson said.

Children’s Museum Haunted House

According to the Children’s Museum website, the Children’s Museum’s 48th Annual Haunted House will take participants on a “Vampire Vacation” tour of the nation’s most frightening destinations, including Count Rushmore, the Ghoulish Gate Bridge, Horrorwood, San Fang-cisco and New Gore-leans, among other “dead-stinations”.

The Children’s Museum Haunted House was voted one of the nation’s top 10 haunted houses in 2010 and is known for offering lights-on and lights-off hours in order to

accommodate for children of all ages. All of the money raised from this event goes towards the Children’s Museum. It is not recommended for those who do not like being scared or those who get scared very easily.

Tickets are $5.50 at Marsh, $6 for members and $6.50 for nonmembers. Tickets are available at The Museum Store, online, at AAA locations and on location (3000 N. Meridian St., Indianapolis IN 46208).

Junior Cecilia Bouaichi went to the Children’s Museum Haunted House two years ago with her sister, parents and aunt from Morocco who had never been to a haunted house before.

“We went to the lights off one because we wanted (my aunt) to experience a haunted house since she had never been to one before. I wasn’t really scared but I screamed once,” Bouaichi said.

Lights-on hours are Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 3:30 to 9 p.m.; Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Halloween, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Lights-off hours are Wednesday through Thursday, 3:30

p.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday through Saturday, 3:30 to 9:30 p.m.

“I would rate it a 3 out of 10 for its scariness but I get scared really easily. I would probably want to go back again sometime in the future, but I don’t think I will be going back this year,” Bouaichi said.

I like torturing myself and I watch scary movies like it’s my job, so I would recommend (Hanna Haunted Acres) for people that really like to get scared.

Moira Bellamy

Hanna Haunted Acres visitor and junior

Can’t Decide?

Need to find the site with the most boos for your buck? Check this out, and gather the most important information quickly:

Attractions:

Necropolis: There are three: Necropolis, Zombie Inn and Dark Terrors

Haunted Trails at Cool Creek Park: Hayride through part of the 90-acre woods of Cool Creek Park

Hanna Haunted Acres: There are six: Hanna Haunted Hayride, Phantazmagoria: The Haunted House, Scare Crow Revenge, Carnevil, Blackout and Medical Malpractice

Children’s Museum Haunted House The theme is “Vampire Vacation” and it takes participants on tours of national “deadstinations”

Dates:

Prices:

Necropolis: • Tonight and Thursday, 7 to 10 p.m.

• Friday and Saturday, 7 p.m. to midnight • Oct. 27, 7 to 10 p.m.

• Oct. 28 and Oct. 29, 7 p.m. to midnight • Oct. 30, 7 to 10 p.m.

• Oct. 31, 7 to 11 p.m.

Hanna Haunted Acres: • Weekdays, dark to midnight • Friday and Saturday, Dark to midnight

Haunted Trails at Cool Creek Park: • Oct. 26-28, 7 to 10 p.m.

Children’s Museum Haunted House IPL’s Lights-On Hours • Tuesdays-Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

• Tuesdays, 3:30 to 9 p.m.

• Sundays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• Oct. 31, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Defender Direct’s Frightening Hours • Wednesdays and Thursdays, 3:30 to 9 p.m.

• Fridays and Saturdays, 3:30 to 9:30 p.m.

Necropolis: • Single attraction—$18 for adults, $10 for children • Combo (all three attractions in one visit)—$26 for adults, $15 for children • “Almost Immediate Access Pass”—$9 Hanna Haunted Acres: • Single attraction—$13 all ages • Combo—$27 for all ages (Saturday and Sunday times only) • “Fast Pass”—$40 Haunted Trails at Cool Creek Park: • $5 for all ages Children’s Museum Haunted House • $5.50 at Marsh • $6 for members at door • $6.50 for nonmembers at door

DARKARMIES.COM/ SOURCE HANNAHAUNTEDACRES.COM/ SOURCE HAMILTONCOUNTY.IN.GOV/ SOURCE CHILDRENSMUSEUM.ORG/ SOURCE

PAGE 22 | ENTERTAINMENT | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | OCT. 19, 2011

Tricky Halloween treats Halloween is coming soon, and everyone looks forward to the candies and sweets.

Impress your friends, family and favorite trick-or-treaters with these delicious recipes.

COMPILED BY OLIVIA WEPRICH oweprich@hilite.org Chocolate-Dipped Ladyfingers

these are a little messy to eat because the donuts don’t stay together well, the white chocolate tastes great with the cake texture of the donuts. Also, the colors contrast CONTINUED ON well together.

NEXT PAGE

Ingredients: • 1 12-ounce package of ladyfinger cookies, such as Stella D’Oro (any brand will work) • 1 cup Ghiradelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate Baking Chips • ¼ cup orange and black Halloween sprinkles or other colored candy toppings Directions: Melt chocolate in double boiler over simmering water until smooth. Dip one of the cookies into the melted chocolate and quickly sprinkle candy toppings over the chocolate.

Let chocolate harden on buttered wax paper. Makes 12-15 cookies.

These are really simple to make since the cookies are store-bought. Adding the chocolate and sprinkles give boring cookies a fun, holiday vibe. This is a recipe that you can be creative with. Try using different kinds of toppings or a variety of Halloween shaped cookies to make these deliciously simple cookies even better.

Creepy Eyeball Donut Holes Ingredients: • 1 15-ounce package of cake donut holes (any available flavor) • 1 cup Ghiradelli Classic White Premium Baking Chips (with an additional ¼ cup of regular chocolate chips for pupils) • Red decorating gel (in tube) • 1 package paper candy sticks (found in the candy-making section of craft stores)

OMEED MALEKMARZBAN / PHOTO

ON DISPLAY: Although these desserts are known to impress guests on their own, a creative display doesn’t hurt. To make the sweets even more appealing to your friends, find an original way to make them the center of attention.

Directions: Melt white chocolate chips in double boiler over simmering water until smooth. Take candy stick and push into a donut hole. Dip the top end of the donut hole into the hot white chocolate and swirl until about half of the donut hole is covered. If the chocolate won’t spread easily, take a knife and spread it until about threefourths of the donut is covered in white chocolate. Allow the chocolate to harden for a few minutes. Then take one regular chocolate chip and push it into the top of the donut hole to make the eyeball center. With the red gel, make a circle around the chocolate chip and then make zig-zag streaks coming out of the pupil. Let dry by placing sticks in a drinking glass. This recipe usually makes about a dozen donuts, but it depends on how many donuts are in the package.

At a glance, these eyeballs look impressive, but it’s easy to mess them up. Don’t worry about the white chocolate spreading smoothly. White chocolate doesn’t melt as nicely as normal chocolate and is guaranteed to be a little uneven.

The red gel will cover up some of the imperfections and will draw the attention from the white background. Although

OMEED MALEKMARZBAN / PHOTO

EAT THESE, IF YOU DARE: Chocolate-Dipped Ladyfingers are made of ladyfinger cookies, chocolate chips and sprinkles. Grab one to eat if you dare, but watch your fingers.

OMEED MALEKMARZBAN / PHOTO

I SEE YOU: These Creepy Eyeball Donut Holes are the most difficult to make, but for donut fans, the sometimes messy process is well worth it.

OCT. 19, 2011 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | ENTERTAINMENT | PAGE 23 Candy Corn Rice Krispie Treats

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

Ingredients: • 6 cups Kellogg’s Rice Krispies cereal • 3 tablespoons peanut butter or margarine • 40 regular marshmallows (1 10-ounce package) or 4 cups miniature marshmallows • 1 can ready-made vanilla icing • Red and yellow food coloring • Yellow decorating crystals

OMEED MALEKMARZBAN / PHOTO

NIBBLE ON THESE: Candy Corn Rice Krispies Treats have an additional flair, made to resemble candy corn. The bright colors of the icing put a creative holiday spin on a classic.

Directions: In a large saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat. Or, melt butter and marshmallows in the microwave on high for about three minutes or until completely melted.

After the butter and marshmallows have completely melted, add Rice Krispies cereal. Stir until well coated. Using buttered spatula or wax paper evenly press mixture into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with cooking spray. Let cool.

After cooling, cut into two-inch triangle pieces to resemble candy corn. Dye half of the white icing orange using a twoto-one red-to-yellow ratio. Spread top with white icing and carefully sprinkle yellow crystals over middle of the treat.

Repeat with remaining Rice Krispies treats. The icing design should resemble candy corn. Makes about two dozen treats.

This is just a spin on traditional Rice Krispies treats, and it’s really easy to make on your own. It takes a lot of dye to get the icing a true Halloween orange color, so it might be easier to find already orange icing or use orange sprinkles instead. Try switching which colors have icing and which have sprinkles for the perfect combination. Another way to make these work for any holiday is to add sprinkles when mixing the cereal and marshmallows together so that each treat in the end is full of holiday spirit.

OMEED MALEKMARZBAN / PHOTO

DELICIOUSLY DISGUSTING: Bug Juice takes on an interesting look, but tastes as true as a green soft drink.

The gummy worms don’t bite or cause harm in any way, but they will cause a mysterious fizz when added.

Bug Juice Ingredients: • 1 2-liter bottle of a green soft drink, like Mountain Dew • ½ teaspoon Unsweetened Berry Blue Kool-Aid powdered drink mix • gummy worms

Directions: Pour pop into large punch bowl. Add blue Kool-Aid and stir until dissolved. Liquid will fizz. Serve with spider ice cubes and garnish with gummy worms. Serves 8 to 10.

For more fright, go see new ‘Paranormal Activity’ Movie fan Kayla Walker reviews previous movies and anticipates the series’ new arrival

BY KAYLA WALKER kwalker@hilite.org ‘Paranormal Activity’

Directed by Oren Peli, this movie brings new meaning to modern horror films of this day and age. It illustrates that silence and waiting can be more entertaining than frantic fast-cutting.

It should be interesting to see if the newest edition continues with the tradition or ignores it altogether.

The ending of “Paranormal Activity 2” leaves you with more questions than it does answers, which only adds to the anticipation surrounding the newest installment.

While I’ve seen scary movies, this is authentically unnerving, exploits basic fears, has flashes of real brilliance and creates images that will linger long in the memory and will make the noises in your home seem so much louder and scarier.

I love the idea of all of this caught on videotape by Micah’s new and bigger camera. It shows that even with one main viewpoint, a movie can still manage to make you sit farther back in your seat in anticipation of whatever terror is about to erupt from the screen.

I highly recommend this to those looking for a good scare. While waiting to get past the parts about the family’s seemingly average life, you will be glued to your seat with the suspense of knowing that at any moment you will get the scare of your life.

‘Paranormal Activity 2’

Directed by Tod Williams, this film acknowledges the fact that silence can in fact be golden. You never know when something major will happen because you don’t have that expected music to cue you in. So when something actually does happen, it makes it all the scarier. We know when the scares will come (not the exact moment, just that they will be there), and Williams’ drawn-out approach makes it even more effective when they finally arrive.

Like the first “Paranormal Activity” there is a story behind the movie. There is always information that makes

the biggest difference in the slightest of things. So while you try to piece everything together, you get the pee scared out of you. If you watch both movies, you will see that they often tie together.

‘Paranormal Activity 3’

The previous two movies in the series tie closely together, and it should be interesting to see if the newest edition continues with this tradition or ignores it altogether. The ending of ‘Paranormal Activity 2’ leaves you with more questions than it does answers, which only adds to the anticipation surrounding the newest installment.

“Paranormal Activity 3” clearly has big shoes to fill with both of the previous films being so successful and having such a large following. As the saying goes, “the third time’s the charm,” but when the first two are hits, does that still apply? I recommend the first two “Paranormal Activity” movies, and if you don’t like either, then try the third to see if it changes your mind.

Scan This

Go online to read more reviews of classic horror series remakes like “Friday the 13th.”

PAGE 24 | SPORTS | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | OCT. 19, 2011

?

SPORTS A first for everything SUBMITSPORTS@HILITE.ORG | TWITTER.COM/GMN_SPORTS

Greyhound Trivia Carmel is the only MIC school to win every possible MIC Championship in one season. In what year did the school achieve this feat? (Hint: It was a fall sports season.)

a. 1997 c. 2003 b. 2000 d. 2009

Find the answer at greyhoundmedia.org/sports

Under first-year head coach, volleyball team enters post-season with the goal of capturing its first State Championship in program history after strong regular season never ended with a Carmel victory. This year beginning with the Sectional however, the CHS varsity volleyball team looks to change that, with possibly the strongest CHS volleyball team to ever to grace the court of the Eric armel High School is known for its abundance of Clark Activity Center. Despite the team’s 23-3 record (as IHSAA State Championships in many sports. One of Oct. 13 press deadline), and Number-6 ranking, Shelby title, however, has eluded the Greyhounds’ grasp.

Foyer, varsity defensive specialist and junior, said does The IHSAA women’s volleyball State tournament has not feel pressure to win State.

Foyer said, “I don’t know if there’s a lot of pressure for us to win state. I just think it just a matter of us believing we can actually do it.”

There will be challenges in the way, however, as the Greyhounds will have to get past top-ranked and undefeated Avon, which has a 25-match winning streak.

Foyer said, “Avon (is tough competition) for sure, they are ranked Number-1 right now, and we had a close match with them, which we lost in 5 (sets), but we won the first two games.”

The Greyhounds success may have come to a surprise to many people. According to MaxPreps. com, the team came off an 8-14 campaign the previous season under former coach William Bastin. But first-year coach Rich Coleman has put a spark into the Greyhounds leading them into a position to do serious damage in the IHSAA Volleyball tournament. Gabby Arroyo, varsity defensive specialist and senior believes that the coaching change is one of the main reasons for the Greyhounds success.

Arroyo said, “We totally redid the coaching staff this year, so I think that has played a huge role having such a new aspect and fresh take. Last year we were terrible, so coming from that into this year has been great. This is one of my first years in high school and actually having a winning team.

HAILEY MEYER / PHOTO It’s been really fantastic. I think PERFECT SET: Junior Shelby Foyer sets a ball during the game versus practices are more intense Warren Central. Under first-year coach Rich Coleman, the team enters and (Coleman) has a way of the post-season with high expectations. motivating us and getting us

BY MATT BARNTHOUSE mbarnthouse@hilite.org

C

Post-season Time A look at how the volleyball team has fared in the post-season Queens of the Sectional • They were sectional champions in six of the last eight years • The volleyball team had only two losses in 2008 and 2010.

• Last year’s loss occurred in three sets during the game against Fishers.

By the numbers • 21-8: The team’s record in post-seasogames since 2003 • 1: Regional Championships in the last eight years (2007) • 2-0: Record (since 2003) in Sectional play when HSE is the host site CARMELGREYHOUNDS.ORG / SOURCE

to play to the best of our abilities. (We have) increased focus and everybody is working toward a common goal to achieve.”

Coleman said he has seen the motivation from his players.

“They are very motivated to win every match so the state tournament will not change their attitude or approach,” he said.

As for Avon, Arroyo said she believes Avon is tough, but beatable.

Arroyo said, “We have already played Avon. It was a very competitive match. They have some really good players. As the season progresses, I think we will definitely be able to beat them. We know what their strengths and weaknesses are, and we’ve improved also.”

Arroyo and the other seniors have one last chance to bring Carmel a championship, and Arroyo said she hopes to bring the title home.

Arroyo said, “(Winning State) would just be phenomenal. I mean, we really worked so hard to really turn the program around. We’ve not really been that great in the past. This year we’ve really turned around, so it really would be amazing to win State. That’s what we’ve been working for all season.”

The Greyhounds will face Westfield on Thursday in the first round of the Sectional, which will take place at Hamilton Southeastern. In its match against Westfield earlier this season, the team was victorious in five sets.

If they win that game, they will face either Zionsville or Fishers on Oct. 22.

OCT. 19, 2011 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | SPORTS | PAGE 25

Tough Sectional awaits football team Tournament realignment puts Carmel and Warren Central in the same division, but players and coaches say they’re ready to compete

BY JAMES BENEDICT jbenedict@hilite.org Carmel enters the post-season with a record of 7-1 (Ben Davis game not included due to Oct. 13 press deadline). The team will play Perry Meridian at Carmel Stadium at 7 p.m. this Friday.

Head Coach Kevin Wright said that although the post-season has a different atmosphere to it, the fundamentals remain the same.

“When you get to a big game, especially later in the year, it’s an accumulation of everything you’ve done going back to the preseason,” Wright said. “All you’re doing is focusing in on things you’ve done repeatedly. By the time you get to Friday there should be a feeling of confidence. You know what you’re doing, and you can go out and do it.”

Carmel’s only loss of the year so far was to Warren

MARY BROOKE JOHNSON / PHOTO

Junior Race Johnson returns a punt during the Warren Central game. The Greyhounds hope to meet the Warriors in the Sectional Championship.

MARY BROOKE JOHNSON / PHOTO

STAND TOGETHER: The captains of each team meet for the coin toss before the game versus Warren Central earlier this season. That game is the team’s only loss this year as of Oct. 13.

Central, the top ranked team in the state, in a close 22-20 game. Other than the Warren Central game, Carmel has scored at least 42 points per game, and has not allowed more than 17. Carmel has dominated the majority of opponents, outscoring them a total of 258 points, which comes out to roughly five and a half more touchdowns per game.

Wright said despite the team’s stellar statistics, there is only one that matters: wins.

“I always think it’s funny when people want to talk about stats when really the only stat that count in the end is the score. I went over the (Warren Central) game, and (Carmel) won every stat category with the expectation of turnovers, and they scored two more points than we did,” Wright Said. “We threw for more, we ran for more, we had fewer penalties and we had more first downs. The only category we didn’t win was turnovers, and we didn’t win the game.”

Justin Todd, varsity linebacker and senior, said he agrees with Wright’s philosophy on stats.

“No matter what gets in the way in competing there really isn’t anything you can blame on other people,” Todd said. “We take personal responsibility.

If certain things don’t go your way, you still have to take responsibility for it.”

Wright said in order to continue into the playoffs, the little things must stay on the team’s mind.

“People get spoiled a lot of times and just assume different programs win because they got better players, better coaches. When in reality a lot of times people win because they do the little things.

We talk a lot about there will be teams with better athletes, but we feel like there isn’t a better team.”

If the team is victorious on Friday, it will play either Southport or Lawrence Central on Oct. 28.

Fall Sports Tournament Season Scoreboard While some teams have concluded their seasons, several more were still competing in tournament play as of press deadline (Oct. 13). Here’s a quick rundown.

Cross-Country

Men’s and women’s: Semistate Oct. 22

Soccer

Men’s upcoming: Semistate Oct. 22 Women’s upcoming: Semistate Oct. 22

Men’s Tennis

Upcoming: State singles/doubles Oct. 21

Seasons concluded Women’s golf

For the latest…

Scan the QR code for tournament previews, scores and recaps.

PAGE 26 | SPORTS | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | OCT. 19, 2011

Pushing through pressure Carmel athletes compete at the top level of high school athletics and experience some of the highest expectations of any student. What is the drive behind these athletes to excel in their sports?

BY JAMES BENEDICT jbenedict@hilite.org

J

ustin Todd, varsity linebacker and senior, takes a deep breath in, determination in his eyes. He lowers the bar onto his chest and breathes out, pushing the weight back up.

“One more,” Andrew Rhoad, varsity teammate and senior, said. “Come on man. You got one more.”

Todd said the conditioning may be hard; however, he said it pays off on Fridays, during the games.

“I live for playing under the lights with all those people watching me,” Todd said. “There is nothing like the atmosphere at Carmel. You hear everyone talking about it. When you come to a home game at Carmel, there’s seven or eight thousand people. There’s nothing else like it.”

But for every action there’s a reaction, and Carmel is no exception. While Carmel fans may be some of the most excited and passionate in the country, they also have some of the highest expectations. At a school like Carmel, with over 100 State titles, people often assume greatness and push their expectations on to the athletes.

While many schools have strong athletes or a strong individual program, Carmel is unique in the universal success of its athletics. Carmel is home to a women’s soccer team that has been ranked first in the nation, multiple division-one athletes, as well as a women’s swimming team entering its 26th year of consecutive State championships.

While athletes like Todd said those expectations can motivate him to succeed, they can also bring undue pressure. For example, Kevin Wright, head coach of the football program, said he believes the tradition of success at Carmel has helped keep its athletes motivated.

“At a place like Carmel, one of the big differences is there are so many good programs, with high expectations and goals, that motivates people to do their best. The general expectation is always to achieve at a high level,” Wright said. “If you have a tradition CONTINUED of success, that tends to motivate ON NEXT PAGE CONNER GORDON / PHOTO

MENTAL GAME: Justin Todd, varsity linebacker and senior, prepares for an upcoming game. Todd said he sits by himself and “chills” before every game to focus on the game ahead.

OCT. 19, 2011 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | SPORTS | PAGE 27 kids to work harder.”

Despite his excitement for Friday night lights, Todd said the history of winning has affected his thinking as an athlete. He said he understands the pressure to perform.

“People take (winning) for granted,” he said. “Getting to a State Championship is one of the hardest things to do; you have to prepare more than other teams do. (Due to Carmel’s success) you have a target on your back.

You want to leave behind your legacy that you made it to State.”

Todd added that while the tradition of success may motivate him and his teammates, it doesn’t give them entitlement to championships. He said the football team must earn every yard to the State title. As for dealing with the pressure, Wright said his personal philosophy concerning winning and losing is “No excuses.” “‘No excuses’ is something that I adopted a long time ago as a player. Like everything else, it’s not original; it’s just stolen,” Wright said, laughing. “There are no excuses.

Either it’s getting it done, or not getting it done, and sometimes getting it done may not always mean winning, but just that you’ve done your very best and achieved at the highest level you’re physically capable of achieving at.

Excuses are for losers. You can always find an excuse for why you didn’t win a game. We don’t ever want to be that type of team because that eventually beats you and breeds an environment of discontent.”

While Carmel football is the most widely attended of the athletic events, the women’s swimming and diving team is the most successful. Having won 25 straight State titles, as well as having nationally ranked athletes, women’s swimming is one of the best in the nation. Lacey Locke, varsity swimmer and junior, said the pressure of previous success does not factor in her swimming. In fact, she said she practically ignores the pressure and just performs.

Locke, who finished second in the national 18-andunder 100-yard backstroke said, “We don’t really think about the pressure; we just do the work like we’re supposed to. We work hard, work together, and create a great team atmosphere. Then the wins and achievements are all in the process.”

Locke said the drive to stay in the top tier of swimming, personally and team-wise, helps her get through training.

“I’m a very competitive person, and I feel at that level you have to be. Sure everyone wants to be on top and that pushes me and gets me through,” Locke said. “It helps keep all the distraction away.”

Like all teams at Carmel, swimming’s wins aren’t won off of past success. To live up to the expectations, athletes must extensively train and condition. Three days a week, for two hours before school, the swim team meets for conditioning. This is on top of the regular two and a half hours of after-school practice.

Locke said that while there is a season for swimming, it is basically a year round sport.

Wright said in order to maintain high levels of athleticism, no matter the sport, athletes have to stay physically and mentally prepared. He also said the only way to success is hard work.

“If you are going to reach your goals and be the best you can be, regardless of the sport, you have to make a commitment to have your body and mind in the best shape they can be in,” Wright said. “Harvard did a study once; it takes 250,000 reps of a single play for someone to get good at something. If you think about a single play 250,000, times that’s a lot of reps, and to get great at something it takes about a million. There’s probably a little different curve depending on who you are, but as a CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

CONNER GORDON / PHOTO

LISTEN UP: Junior Lacey Locke listens to coaching on how to improve. Locke has become one of the best

athletes at Carmel partially due to her ability to handle the pressure and perform at Carmel.

team, that’s what the research says.”

Beyond physical preparedness, athletes must also find ways to overcome mental challenges. Between the expectation of success and competition from other students, athletes must be mentally solid in order to stay competitive. For Locke, she said she uses her sense of humor to get her through.

“Sure we look at the big picture sometimes, but we live in the now; we train for the now,” Locke said. “Personally I just make it more of a fun thing. I’m out there dancing.

I make it fun. I just love competing and racing.”

As for Wright, he said if a student comes to him with complaints about the pressure, he tries to alleviate it with some perspective.

“I try to put things into perspective for them, as it pertains to life,” Wright said. “The thing about being a teenager, at the time, things seem very stressful. As life evolves, you look back and realize it probably was as good of a time as you could have. What I try to do is have them look at the bigger picture.”

Todd said he understands the role he has taken as a prominent athlete, and he has accepted the pressure.

He said that while playing, he doesn’t think about the pressure anymore.

“When I was younger, (football) went by really fast, and you couldn’t really control what happened.

It was almost like a blur,” Todd said. “But having the experience, being a senior now, you know what’s going to happen. You know how to prepare mentally. There’s a nervousness before the game, but when you’re playing the game, you don’t really think about the (pressure) being there.”

Additionally Todd said the support of the team around him has helped him raise to the heights he has reached.

“We’re with the football team more than I am with my family. Its like all my brothers on the team, and the coaches are like my fathers,” Todd said. “It’s

a brotherhood we have; we’re always together and we always have each other’s back. If I need something, I know they’re there to help me.”

Todd said that as a senior he cherishes every moment in playing. He also said that he wishes to pass down the legacy of Carmel to his younger “brothers.” “(Succeeding at Carmel) is the best feeling in the world. When you played a lot of these teams growing up, now being older, and you beat them, just knowing that was the last time you played them, that’s the greatest feeling ever,” Todd said. “I want to set an example of how we play football, our attitudes when we play and the tenacity and intensity we bring.”

As the head coach, Wright said he must usher in the team through good times and bad. Wright said that while Carmel is used to success, sometimes the greatest lessons come out of failure.

“When I talk to (athletes after losing), hopefully they understand all the positives to look ahead and not to dwell on the past. Where you’re so close and you battle like we battled and you come up short, it can have one of two effects. They can lock on to your psyche and pull you down, or you can look at the game as a whole. What I try to do is focus on the positive,” Wright said.

“When you go to the world, you’re going the hear the negatives,” he added. “In the grand scheme of things the majority of championships are not won by teams that, never lost a game. Sometimes you got to get knocked down before you learn all the lessons you need to learn to become a champion.”

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STAFF STAFFPERSPECTIVE PERSPECTIVE

New 90/10 policy not a good fit for all students When students walked through the doors of Carmel on the first day of school, few understood that they would find themselves immersed in a completely different math-learning environment. On the first day of math class, all students were faced with both new curriculum standards and, more importantly, a new grading system that was adopted by the entire math department for middle and high school courses.

While we agree that the spirit of the changes are in the best interest of student learning and best practice, these new changes, particularly in the area of grading, will not get the results both the school board and math department expect.

Last year, Indiana adopted the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for Mathematics as written by the Council of Chief State School Officers and the National Governors Association for Best Practices. These standards are challenging and designed to “equip students with the mathematical knowledge and skills required to be college or career ready upon graduation from high school.”

As a result of the new standards, there have been several changes.

It is now necessary for some mathematical content to be mastered in earlier grades than had been mandated

by Indiana standards, and students must have a conceptual understanding of important principles, not just a practical understanding, so that they can apply their understandings to the real world.

However, in addition to these curriculum changes, the math department also adopted a new grading system that weights a student’s test, quiz and in-class work as 90 percent of the final grade and homework as 10 percent.

According to Linda Thompson, Director for Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment for Carmel Clay Schools, the switch to a 90/10 grading system in math classes is in place to allow teachers to help teach their students better.

“After an extensive study of best-practices in assessment and grading, Carmel Clay math teachers collectively decided to base the majority of students’ quarterly grades on tests, quizzes and other in-class work,” she said in an email distributed to parents of Algebra I, Geometry and Algebra II students.

“This allows teachers to more accurately evaluate the extent of individual students’ learning, identify misconceptions, diagnose learning errors, and

effectively support learning.”

Additionally, according to math department chair Vicki Tribul, the new system was implemented to grade work that students do individually. “(Your) grade is supposed to show what you know,” she said, “And the only time that we really know what you know would be on some type of assessment. So we think of that as the 90 percent… and we feel that the homework time is part of your practice time so we still feel that that’s part of it but it can’t the biggest part of it because some people will get help (on homework).”

Unfortunately, this system does not completely keep the student body as a whole in mind for the following reasons: First, it does not account for students who struggle with taking tests. Students feel the pressure from big-point tests anyway, but by putting a 90 percent weight on tests, teachers add pressure on the students and therefore limit their room for achievement.

Additionally, since it is possible to earn a solid grade in the class without doing homework, there is little incentive for students to do their homework in the first place. Teachers recognize the fact that students need to do their homework in order to succeed, but do students? Without any reason to do their homework, students may not do it, and they could ultimately suffer more from this grading system than they will benefit.

While we do recognize that this grading system works for some students, we feel that it only helps students in higher-level, college-credit courses. This 90/10 grading policy closely resembles a college-type class in which two or three large test grades determine a student’s final grade, so why should it be applied to all students?

Ultimately, the school board should realize that learning is not one-size fits all. Since each student learns differently, each student, in turn, takes a different class and therefore should be graded differently.

We feel that this grading system should only be applied to students in AP or other college level classes.

Since students in these classes are committing to a college-level class, they should get a college-style course. It is simply not fair, however, to place a student in Algebra I or Geometry under this grading scale, as they are not signing up for a class of this academic rigor.

The school board and math department, therefore, need to reevaluate this system before it causes students irreparable damage.

Ultimately, the school board should realize that learning is not one-size-fits-all.

COMPILED BY HAFSA RAZI

What do you think about the new 90/10 policy?

It makes more sense because (before) you could do all your homework and be really bad at math but still get a good grade.

FRESHMAN CHRISTIAN FARAG

It makes sense because with tests, you have to prepare more than with homework.

SOPHOMORE FALON TAYLOR

I don’t really like it because for the people who actually do their homework but it doesn’t count, it’s not as fair.

JUNIOR ARIANA BULLARD

OCT. 19, 2011 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | PERSPECTIVES | PAGE 29

JULIE

XU Xu to the rescue English in school has always meant an easy A for me. Yet this year, I consider English to be one of my most rigorous courses. In previous years, the class consisted of completion grades and straightforward tests over grammar or the basic events happening in a book. Now, Honors English 10, well at least for my class, focuses on testing composed of reading comprehension and passage analysis at a level similar to that of the critical reading portion of the SAT, which is a standardized test used for college admissions and is also known as my Achilles’ heel.

It’s not just me who has felt this sudden increase in difficulty; a couple weeks ago, several of my peers asked my English teacher why she was pushing us so hard. In response, my teacher said not only was such curriculum a part of the state’s requirement but also the fact that there currently is a nation-wide crisis in critical reading. The fact that we felt such a struggle was evidence of this problem.

SAT scores for the high school class of 2011 in writing have reached the lowest point since 1995 while scores in reading have marked an all-time low, according to recent research from College Board, the organization that oversees the exam. The average reading score nationwide dropped from 501 to 497 this year and has been part of an ongoing decline since 2005. In Carmel High School, a similar pattern followed: from the class of 2010 to the class of 2011, the SAT scores for verbal/critical reading decreased from 565 to 562. Think this is appalling? Well, here’s more: only 43 percent of the 1.6 million students who took the exam nationwide in 2011 achieved a high enough

feature reporter / jxu@hilite.org

Drop the technology and pick up a book. As technology usage among the public grows, English skills decrease. score, which means at least a 1,500 out of the total 2,400 points, to indicate that they were prepared to be successful in college. Being “successful” only qualifies as having a 65 percent chance of obtaining at least a B-minus average for the first year of college, whereas not being successful in college translates to dropping out of college, which leads to struggling to find a decent job, which is especially crucial in our current dire economy. My teacher was right; this is a national crisis.

College Board claims that there is no need to worry since the increase in the number of people taking the exam and the increase in the diversity of the test-takers accounts for the drop in scores. Nationally, of the class of 2011 test takers, 44 percent came from minority races/ethnic groups, and 27 percent spoke another language besides English at home. In Carmel, the number of students tested increased from 81.6 percent in 2010 to 88.8 percent in 2011. While these new demographics may play a factor, they are not entirely responsible for the continuous drop in scores shown in recent years.

I correlate technology as a scapegoat for my struggle in English. My constant and increasing use of the Internet has contributed to my lack of reading. For instance, this summer I barely even touched a book, opting instead to watch TV or go online for my source of entertainment. Such a pattern can be seen in our increasing technology-based society. According to a 2004 report by the National Endowment for Arts called Reading at Risk, literary reading in America is declining, especially among young people. Technology has allowed

society to have a closer access to sources of entertainment and replaces old ways of staying entertained. For example, now a person is more likely to go on social networking sites like Facebook than to open a book and read. Such decreased rates of reading can cause the downfall in the productivity and the independent thinking of American society.

Recent additions to phones, particularly texting, can also be tied to the decreasing SAT scores. According to a Pew Research center poll, 51 percent of teens were textmessengers in 2006 while in 2010, 88 percent of teens with cell phones text. Is it just merely coincidence that as the number of teens texting increased, the SAT critical reading and writing scores decreased? I think not. Texts are composed of relatively short messages that state what a person would say in regular conversation and call for very simple, colloquial English. This constitutes a huge detriment to society as texting deteriorates the writing ability of students when they end up adopting the grammatically flawed and poorly written characteristics of the texting writing style. This may not only cause decreasing SAT scores for writing but also the lessening of the complexity of American literature.

While not definite, the cause of this national crisis in decreasing ability for critical reading and writing in larger part may be due to society becoming more technology-based.

Some might claim that this decrease in English is inevitable, but it is not. Students need to stop being so heavily involved with technology and, instead, pick up a book not only for their own future but for the future of America.

GRAPHIC PERSPECTIVE

MONDAY...

CONNIE CHU / GRAPHIC

TUESDAY...

WEDNESDAY...

Z

THURSDAY...

PAGE 30 | PERSPECTIVES | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | OCT. 19, 2011

TONY

TAN No news is bad news.

“Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.”

Such are the words of the Eighth Amendment to our constitution, part of the Bill of Rights that guarantee the liberties of the individual. However, more than 200 years later, controversy still persists over the issue of capital punishment.

The case of Troy Davis in Georgia on Sept. 21 has become a major point of contention in the death sentence debate; his execution by lethal injection is a harbinger of the storm arriving in the gray areas of justice. Several organizations, including Amnesty International, which has ceased to be a club at this school, have actively organized petitions against Davis’s execution.

In 1989, a policeman was shot while trying to break up a fight outside a fast-food restaurant. Two years later, Davis was convicted of this crime. Since then, Davis has had three narrow elusions of his execution. However, his fourth encounter on Sept. 20, 2011 turned out to be his last when the Supreme Court denied a last-minute appeal for a stay on the execution.

The question is: do those who choose to commit such crimes forgo their rights as individuals? Does the deterrence

feature editor / ttan@hilite.org

Capital punishment is a capital mistake. Troy Davis’s death sentence shows there are still issues to be fixed. theory apply to justice? Is it worth taking the life of one possibly innocent person to supposedly save the lives of would-be victims?

What’s noteworthy about this case is the lack of concrete physical evidence pointing to Davis as the one who pulled the trigger; the majority of the prosecution thus far has been based off of witness testimonies alone, and several of these witnesses have recanted since. A request for a polygraph test (essentially a lie detector) was denied by the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Parole the day of the execution, declaring that they would not reconsider the case despite the more-than-630,000 petitioners to the Board. Furthermore, the U.S. Supreme Court remained silent throughout the execution. These three poorly handled matters gathered many opponents to the death penalty, one of whom being me.

The sanctioned killing of criminals is hypocritical in the sense of attempting to save lives by taking lives. While forensic technology is ever improving, there are still cases in which the innocent are not vindicated and put to death. Justice is not served through executions; rather, it taints the foundations of liberty with which this nation was built. We cheapen the value

of human lives when we treat matters in such ways. Other less costly options are available in the place of capital punishment.

The death sentence is the ultimate punishment, entertaining no possible methods of rehabilitation.

Moreover, the belief that the capital punishment is fully efficient as a deterrent of crime is flawed. For example, consider statistics on violent crimes from the U.S. Census Bureau. In 2006, per 100,000 population, the 12 states that have outlawed capital punishment and Washington D.C. had actually a lower average number of violent crimes than the 38 states that retain capital punishment. While the precision of statistics may sometimes be disputed in small margins, it is difficult to say, under this light, that punishments prevent crime. The deterrence model has had many shortcomings in other institutions to boot. Even in the modern era, authoritarian regimes such as those in Libya, Egypt and Tunisia fall in governing by principle of fear. What happened to the deterrence model, as applied to the development of nuclear arms during the Cold War? Mahatma Gandhi’s adage “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind,” may be trite, but that doesn’t mean it lacks truth.

YAMEEN

HAMEED managing editor / yhameed@hilite.org

Too school for cool.

Slacktivism: defined by the ever-reliable Urban Dictionary as “the act of participating in obviously pointless activities as an expedient alternative to actually expending effort to fix a problem.” With the growing use of social networking, slacktivism too has gained popularity. Whether it’s changing your profile picture to a cartoon character to speak out against child abuse or posting a status update about the color of your bra, people are finding creative ways to pretend to make some sort of social impact.

At its heart, slacktivism is by no means evil. It’s rare for slacktivists to spread messages with malice, because their primary tactic is to tug at your heartstrings and make you feel terrible until you join them. Those individuals “spreading awareness” almost always do so with good intentions. But that’s the problem: slacktivism is nothing but good intentions.

The main issue is the illusion this creates for the common slacktivist. He often believes he has done his part in contributing to society by “spreading awareness.” I agree, there are certain instances where spreading awareness is necessary.

I am among the many people who did not find out about the Troy Davis case until Facebook and Twitter brought it to my attention a few months ago. But does re-posting a false story

Put an end to slacktivism. Find a way to make a difference and have real impact. on a cancer victim really do anything to spread awareness?

Are you really saying anything about cancer other than the fact that it exists and that’s bad?

Social networking sites are certainly a viable outlet for spreading awareness, but users should do so in a legitimately beneficial way. Bringing relatively unknown scenarios to light is certainly a good way to do this. More important, however, is making some sort of real impact.

The wonderful thing about the internet it has made all of this easier to do.

A good deal of organizations formed in the last decade make use of this convenience, such as Freerice, an online website that allows users to play educational games in order to fight world hunger. With ad revenue supplying the rice sent, Freerice has managed to feed over 4.32 million people through the UN’s World Food Program. Another lesser known example would be Kiva.org, which allows people to send loans to alleviate poverty both domestically and internationally.

Of course, there are plenty of options besides those for people to use, depending on whatever issue they’re most passionate about. Older organizations such as the American

Cancer Society and Amnesty International have remained strong in recent years and have made getting involved easier through their websites through both monetary donations and active campaigns.

But regardless of your method, if you care about an issue, you have to make sure what you’re doing is making a difference.

Whether it’s changing your profile picture or posting a status update, people are finding creative ways to pretend to make some sort of social impact.

OCT. 19, 2011 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | PERSPECTIVES | PAGE 31

ANDY

YANG AHMAD SHAYAN

You gotta risk it

ayang@hilite.org

sahmad@hilite.org

to win the biscuit.

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, Laura Peng will receive mail sent to lpeng@hilite.org.

Are leaders born or made? In response to a recent NPR story about President Barack Obama’s attempts to re-establish his role as a leader, Shayan Ahmad and Andy Yang debate the common controversy of nature vs. nurture.

Responding to the HiLite

“Leaders are born.”

Purpose

It is a widely accepted fact that potential physical ability is a trait decided at birth. Although effort and time committed are undoubtedly also factors, even if we all tried as hard as we could, the vast majority of us still wouldn’t be at the same level as world-class athletes.

Yet the idea of personality traits being decided in a comparable fashion is impossible to comprehend for many. Perhaps it is in fear of the idea that we are not truly in control of our own identities, but I think we can all agree that almost none of us are fit to lead large groups of people with ease. What sets the masses apart from those who can do so is a sort of charisma and trusting manner which only a select few have.

David Aaker, a business professor at the University of California-Berkeley, is an advocate that such traits come at birth or do not come at all. He wrote in the Harvard Business Review Network that he believes CEOs are born, not made. As he said, “There are many with the talent and judgment to be successful CEOs that never get the opportunity to learn, to have the right experience, or to prove themselves. But, in my view, those that lack those qualities will not be successful no matter what background, training, experience, or mentoring they might have.”

Admittedly, it is impossible to claim that nature alone decides all of the factors. Environmental influences do have their sway over what makes a leader, but many people, no matter how much effort they exert, will never be able to be true leaders.

The most frequent error about this belief, however, is not about its validity but rather that the thought that it is one of negativity.

To create a cohesive unit there needs to be more than just leaders.

So even if many people aren’t meant to be leaders, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. We each must find our own trait which we have been blessed with to hone, and use that to our best ability, whether it is as a leader or any other equally important part of society.

“Leaders are made.”

There is no leadership gene that people are born with. Instead, the position of leader is one that people grow into. Take the important quality of charisma, for example. Today’s leaders are not necessarily the ones with the loudest voices or the most resource; rather, they are the ones able to work with people and draw from the talents of others. The days of Andrew Jackson are over. Being able to lead requires working with people rather than in spite of them, and this requires learning to build relationships.

Joseph Nye, distinguished service professor at Harvard University, said, “Modern leadership turns out to be less about who you are or how you were born than about what you have learned and what you do as part of a group.”

Those without charisma aren’t necessarily designated to be followers forever because the qualities of a good leader can be gained through experience. Even those who are proclaimed to possess the natural talent of leading still require experience to move beyond their mere inherent abilities and become leaders who not only possess natural talent, but the knowledge to make them effective.

One of the most important events in the business world is the resignation and death of Apple CEO Steve Jobs.

Although one of the most prominent leaders of the modern era, he was previously ousted by Apple’s Board of Directors in 1985 due to corporate politics. However, Jobs later said “I didn’t see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me.” Being fired allowed him to explore and experiment, finally becoming the leader that he needed to be. When he returned in 1996, he was ready to transform Apple into the giant that it is today.

Experience plays such a vital role there are no good leaders without it. With this in mind, it’s time for us students to step outside our comfort zones into a leadership position. We need to begin involving ourselves whenever and wherever possible to set an example for other people and even other schools to follow. Only then, can we become the leaders of tomorrow that society needs us to be.

What sets the masses from those who can do so is a sort of charisma which a select few have.

Those without charisma are not necessarily designated to be followers forever because the qualities of a good leader can be gained through experience.

Letters to the editor will be accepted for the November 18 issue no later than Oct. 31. 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.

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 Laura Peng Managing Editors Patrick Bryant

Monica Cheng

Yameen Hameed

Caroline Zhang Accountant Meghan Lindgren Acumen Rachel Boyd

Dhruti Patel Ads Team Ken Li

Matt Wehner 15 Minutes of Fame Henry Zhu Beats/Calendar Rochelle Brual

Claudia Huang

Aruni Ranaweera

Hafsa Razi

Katie Utken Business Manager Patrick Bryant Cover Story Victor Xu Entertainment Natalie Maier

Amira Malcom Feature Tony Tan

Ryan Zukerman Front Page Conner Gordon

Melinda Song Graphics Jiva Capulong

Liane Yue

Melinda Song Media Liaison Stuart Jackson News Chris Li

Andy Yang Perspectives Kendall Harshberger

Adele Zhou Photography Connor Gordon

Mary Brooke Johnson Special Projects Grayson Harbour

Sports

James Benedict Charlie Browning Matt Barnthouse

Student Section Web Staff

Sarah Yun Omeed Malekmarzban Nick McLaughlin Ray Qian Patrick Tan

Reporters Taylor Acton Shayan Ahmad Ben Anderson Nick Andrews Jacob Botkin Rochelle Brual Bobby Browning David Choe John Du Linsu Han Eric He Claudia Huang Tim Klein

Caitlin Muller Kim Qian Hafsa Razi Aruni Ranaweera Sean Truax Katie Utken Jacob Vahle Lindsey Walker Andrew Wang Matt Wehner Olivia Weprich Julie Xu Sheen Zheng

Photographers Kathleen Bertsch Gavin Colavito Makenzie Curtis Mikaela George Henry Jackson

Stuart Jackson Amira Malcom Omeed Malekmarzban Hailey Meyer Henry Zhu

Adviser Jim Streisel Principal John Williams Superintendent Jeff Swensson

PAGE 32 | 15 MINUTES | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | OCT. 19, 2011

15 MINUTES OF FAME

15MINUTES@HILITE.ORG | TWITTER.COM/HILITE_NEWS

Mix Master

Sophomore Kiefer Summers is a DJ and music producer

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To submit ideas for 15 Minutes of Fame, visit our Facebook page.

BY DAVID CHOE dchoe@hilite.org

What do you do?

I am a DJ and a producer, which means that I DJ and mix music at parties. And I’m also a producer which means I make my own music through keyboards and digital programs such as FL Studio and stuff like that.

Why do you DJ?

First, because I found this DJ online named DJ Qbert, and he’s probably like the god of scratching. And he was really good, and it inspired me. And so I tried doing it, and I got really good at it, and I practiced a lot. So that became my way of scratching. And then later I learned how to mix music with digital turntables and stuff.

And then I think about a year ago I started doing more production such as making music with keyboards and recording stuff and making songs on the computer.

What kind of scratching technique do you use?

I’m practicing right now the “crab scratch,” which is basically using all your four fingers on the crossfaders, and it’s a really tricky scratch. But I’m able to do a lot of (scratching techniques). Probably my favorite one is the Autobahn which makes it sound like a quick cut and then slides out really nicely, and it sounds really good with any sound.

What genre of music would you describe yourself and your music as?

I’m really in between. I do from techno to hip hop and rap. I’m actually trying to look for a rapper, but I do just about almost anything.

What’s your goal as a DJ?

My goal in DJing would be probably being able to get sponsored, and when I get older and I get accepted to clubs and stuff, to try to DJ there on the weekends and stuff. And maybe somehow present my music there, and just get myself out there. Right now I’m just trying to keep it local because I’m not quite ready yet to jump out into the world.

Want More?

Scan this QR code to see a YouTube video of Summers making music.

HENRY ZHU / PHOTO

an acumen production

the

family issue featuring theme explanation • 2 biracial families • 3 sibling rivalry • 4-5 emancipation • 6 parents on Facebook • 7 single parenting • 8

PAGE 2 | ACUMEN | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | OCT. 19, 2011

(acumen.)

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, Laura Peng will receive mail sent to lpeng@hilite.org.

Purpose

Welcome to the Modern Family How have our ideas of family changed?

Acumen is an occasional publication serving to supplement the HiLite.

Acumen is distributed to the students, faculty and staff of Carmel High School.

Opinions expressed herein are not necessarily representative of those held

by CHS, the Carmel Clay system faculty, staff or administration.

Boom goes the nuclear family.

According to merriamwebster.com, a nuclear family consists only of father, mother and children. Defying this, in 2010 there were 11,686,000 single parent families in the U.S.

Staff Editors

Rachel Boyd Dhruti Patel Reporters/Photographers Kathleen Bertsch Gavin Colavito Makenzie Curtis Mikaela George Yameen Hameed Claudia Huang Chris Li Aruni Ranaweera Julie Xu Sheen Zheng HiLite Editor in Chief Henry Zhu HiLite Managing Editors Patrick Bryant Monica Cheng Yameen Hameed Caroline Zhang Principal John Williams Superintendent Jeff Swensson

In This Issue Dear readers,

CENSUS.GOV / SOURCE

Gather ‘round the table.

Children who eat with parents are 40 percent more likely to get A’s and B’s than children who have two or less family dinners a week.

Where is my .96 of a sibling?

The average household size in 1950 was 3.54, whereas it is now down to 2.58 in 2010.

CENSUS.GOV / SOURCE

It is difficult to argue that family is not an important part of any individual’s life. Parents, siblings and relatives act as support systems, teachers, friends and more. Despite this, in the 21st century, our idea of family has changed considerably from that of the past. Retro sitcoms such as Leave it to Beaver portray the “typical” American family: two children, a homemaker mother, a providing father and plenty of those good ol’ family values. How realistic are these views today? With new television shows gaining popularity such as Modern Family, a comedy containing topics of gay couples, step parents and remarriages, it may be time to reevaluate the definition of family.

Acumen editors Rachel Boyd Dhruti Patel

DINNERTRADE.COM / SOURCE

Cultural Mash-up.

Multiracial people made up nearly 3 percent of the whole population in 2010. This is a 32 percent increase from 2000, and we have biracial families to thank for this.

You can forget the stay at home mom.

More than 72 percent of all mothers in the United States work full or part time. Do not worry too much though, five million of our mommies stayed at home in 2010 according to census. gov, keeping this tradition alive.

MOTHERSANDMORE.ORG / SOURCE

CENSUS.GOV / SOURCE

MELINDA SONG / COVER DESIGN

LIANE YUE / GRAPHICS

OCT. 19, 2011 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | ACUMEN | PAGE 3

Multiracial families prove to be more tolerant of foreign cultures

BY SHEEN ZHENG szheng@hilite.org

S

ophomore Lilia “Lili” Arroyo was nine when she noticed her ISTEP+ booklet listed her as Hispanic.

She said she came home that day and asked her mother, who is American, “Why is only Daddy’s race listed on there?”

Lili and her sister, senior Gabriela “Gabby” Arroyo, are part of a growing number of multiracial families in America.

According to the 2000 U.S. Census, nearly seven million Americans described themselves as multiracial, and from 1970 to 1995, the number of mixed race families quadrupled.

Fran Simmons, a marriage and family counselor at Family Counseling Associates, an organization who offers counseling for families, said many multiracial families embrace the quality of acceptance when it comes to foreign cultures.

“Because they themselves are different, they accept differences of other cultures as well,” Simmons said.

Junior Jacob “Jake” Kittaka, born to an American mother and a Japanese father, said his parents have proven to be more understanding of others because of their scenario.

“I’ve noticed they (my parents) can be more tolerant because a person has to be in order to marry someone of a different culture,” Kittaka said.

A recent article from Forbes.com stated that parents of mixed race children are often inspired to demonstrate the beauty within all races. They tend to teach their children about diversity and model appropriate behavior on how to treat those who are different.

Kittaka said outside of his home, people are not so open-minded.

“In a community, others may not be so tolerant,” he said. “They may be more prejudiced. And in response to a multiracial family, they may not be inclined to be as polite or accepting.”

As someone balancing two customs, two heritages and two nationalities, Gabby said she tries to be especially more careful to evade racial stereotyping than individuals who are not biracial “I think it’s true that we’re more tolerant, especially when it comes to people basing their perspective of other cultures on stereotypes,” Gabby said. “At times, these stereotypes can be offensive.”

Jorge Arroyo, the father of Gabby and Lili, said, “We are forced to deal with differences in our family, which makes us more aware of and sensitive to differences in other people.

Because of this, we can celebrate those differences and embrace them.”

A key disadvantage of an interracial family becomes evident when parenting styles clash, Lili said.

“My parents disagree on some things, like how they feel about punishments. My dad will tell me to do one thing and my mom will tell me to do another. It’s just the way they were raised,” she said.

Simmons said balancing the two parenting styles can prove to be a challenge, especially when the two races are geographically far from each other.

“Western styles tend to clash with Eastern styles. The

MIKAELA GEORGE / PHOTO

CULTURAL KITCHEN: The Arroyo family makes “arroz con gandules,” which is a traditional Puerto Rican dish consisting of green bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, rice and pigeon peas. The family enjoyed making different cultural foods from both sides of the family.

forms of punishment, the expectations for education, everything,” she said.

Although he tries to allow equal influence from his two birthrights, Kittaka said he is more American simply because he lives here.

“I was born here,” Kittaka said. “I was born right here in Carmel. I was raised in a public school environment. I was given more of an American upbringing. In my opinion, environment has a lot of impact for how a child grows up.”

Lili said she agrees that location is essential in terms of influence.

“There are some aspects of Puerto Rican custom that just don’t apply here,” she said. “So, to a certain point, I am a little more American because that’s where I live.”

According to Simmons, children can often favor one culture to the other when he or she lives in that culture’s area.

“It’s bound to happen. A child who is half Chinese and half American, for example, who lives in Texas, will inevitably grow up knowing more about American food and customs,” she said.

For Gabby, learning about her Hispanic heritage can prove to be a challenge when she lives so far away from her father’s homeland. For the most part, mixed race children at Carmel try to embrace culture in the best way they know how: by visiting family.

Kittaka said, “When I’m visiting my grandma, I can see the

influences of Japanese culture. Whenever my family gathers together, we celebrate our culture and try a lot of Asian foods.”

During those family reunions, Kittaka said he has learned to understand his roots through relatives who share stories of their youth.

“My grandma was a first generation American and at a young age, she was in a Japanese internment camp during World War II. They had to pack everything and move 1,000 miles to Arkansas,” he said. “She remembers the wire fences.

She remembers how the fences had guns that were pointing in toward the camp.”

After reflecting on the effect his grandmother has had on him throughout his life, Kittaka said, “Considering the struggles my grandmother faced has allowed me to not only appreciate what I have, but also gain a sense of who I am.”

Susan Arroyo, the mother of Gabby and Lili, said, “We celebrate the holidays from both cultures and when we travel to Puerto Rico, we try to immerse the kids in the culture and see as much of the island as possible.”

Overall, Lili said she feels a sense of pride to be a combination of two heritages and nationalities and has worked to balance the traditions and customs of both her races.

“My parents mixed them well,” she said. “I don’t feel like I’m half of one race and half of another. When you combine both, it’s my culture.”

PAGE 4 | ACUMEN | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | OCT. 19, 2011

All in the Family Competition between family members can create motivation but also has its downsides

BY JULIE XU jxu@hilite.org

S

enior Cordell Hobbs claims he still has the scar from his childhood when he attempted to seize a bottle full of milk from his twin brother, senior Cardell Hobbs, who in turn would not relinquish the bottle and ended up hitting the bottle on his brother’s lip. By their account, even when they were merely babies, Cardell and Cordell have been constantly fighting. In almost all aspects of their lives, whether it be football or simply eating food, they said, sibling rivalry has flourished and dominated the relationship between the Hobbs brothers.

Cordell said, “It’s the biggest sibling rivalry out of any siblings I know. It’s always been a rivalry even when we were babies, and it’s always going to be one.”

Cardell and Cordell are not alone. According to Todd Casbon, a psychologist and owner of LifeCare Counseling Services, sibling rivalry is a normal and natural occurrence within the family and stems from the fact that siblings reside together, so conflict is bound to arise. In some cases, Casbon said rivalry between siblings can develop at a relatively young age, but becomes most intense during teenage years because teenagers are in a state of personal and social development.

“Sibling rivalry often sprouts and evolves from siblings participating in similar activities,” Casbon said. “The competition from these activities is usually academic or athletic.”

Cordell said he and Cardell participate in most of the same activities, academic and athletic, and, as a result, competition arises.

“We compete for better grades and in sports,” Cordell said. “We are in Carmel football now, and if (Cardell) does something wrong, I’ll always be in his face. If he’s the number one guy, and I’m number two, I obviously would want to take his spot.”

According to Casbon, the difference between ages in a sibling relationship can play a role in such competition.

Casbon said he has seen sibling rivalry between siblings that are relatively close in age and in relationships where there is a

MAKENZIE CURTIS/PHOTO

FOOTBALL FAMILY: Brothers and seniors Cardell and Cordell Hobbs practice football together.

Both Cardell and Cordell have participated in many of the same athletics and activities which has furthered their sibling rivalry, but also has made them better players.

significant age gap.

He said, “Often times, younger siblings strive to live up to an older sibling, whereas older siblings often feel that because they are older have an advantage and fear when the younger

Sibling Rivalry: The Good and the Bad Negatives

Positives

• Bullying between siblings due to competition • Increased pressure to outperform siblings • Vying for parents attention

• Accelerated social understanding due to interaction with siblings • Siblings are a natural ally • Competitive drive to be the best • Built-in role model PSYCHCENTRAL.COM / SOURCE CONNIE CHU / GRAPHIC

one is trying to gain on them like in athletics or in height.”

Cardell said his brother and he always compete for weight size and height. Although Cardell and Cordell are twins, Cordell Hobbs is still older than Cardell, and this fact supports the Hobbs twins similarity to the rivalries between siblings with a larger age gap.

“Cordell always pushes that fact that he was born three minutes earlier, which isn’t a lot,” Cardell said.

“Cordell wants to be the dominant one and says he know what I’m doing. He often tells me that I am a rookie, so I don’t know what I am doing.”

Junior Sunhee Han said she also feels that age difference augments a sibling rivalry. Han said, “I feel overshadowed by my sister, who is four years older and goes to MIT, a prestigious college. Usually parents expect the younger one to hold up the expectations of the older one.”

According to Casbon, parents play an important role in sibling rivalry in how they handle the situation.

Parents need to monitor interactions between both kids to make sure they are Continued on not becoming abusive,

next page

OCT. 19, 2011 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | ACUMEN | PAGE 5 and if they are engaging in such behavior, the parents discipline their children.

Parents also need to value each and every one of their kids and their strengths.

Casbon said, “It is important to not play favoritism and conditions of worth like if one sibling is better than the other in a certain aspect.”

Han said her parents also play a role in her sibling rivalry.

She said her parents do not show favoritism, but when she was younger her parents often compared her to her older sister. But now, she said, they understand and acknowledge they are different in a lot of aspects and thus expect different things from us.

Han said, “(My parents) are aware that my sister is good at math and science, and I am better at English. They don’t expect me to go from a good school like MIT, but they still have high expectations.”

Continued from previous page

Hitting the Big Time...

Together Take a look at these celebrity siblings who still compete with each other to be the best

Venus and Serena Williams: These two tennis stars are constantly competing with each other, whether it is for Olympic gold medals or success in the corporate world.

Prince Harry and Prince William: The British royal brothers are pitted against each other for the royal throne and the royal spotlight.

CREATIVE COMMONS / PHOTOS

Han’s mother Jongsun Lin said she agrees in how she used to compare both of her children, but she said she stopped since her husband said it was not right to compare them since they are different.

“I realized comparing is not helpful or healthy,” Lin said. “I don’t show favoritism, and I don’t want to force the expectation on Sunhee to go to a school like MIT because that is not fair. Now, I accept their individualities and encourage them both.”

Like Han’s mother, Kimberly Hobbs, Cardell and Cordell’s mother, said she shows no favoritism and plays a role in her children’s sibling rivalry.

“I listen to both of them,” she said. “And when their fights become too serious, I try to intervene.”

Cordell said he supports his mother’s claim in her acting as a moderator in trying to appease the sibling rivalry. “Our mom always gets mad when we are arguing or competing,” he said.

“So, when we are arguing, my mom will come and break us up.”

Sibling rivalry can be negative when it is abusive or causes sibling to distance themselves, Casbon said.

Negative effects can stem out of negative interactions where one or both siblings are MAKENZIE CURTIS/PHOTO physically or verbally abusive BROTHERLY BONDING: The Hobbs brothers go through some more to another or damage is done football drills during practice. Although they often have competed with to one’s self- esteem. Casbon each other, both agree that it keeps their relationship interesting. said, “Rivalry can cause the siblings to drift apart by constant competing, and this can overtime harbor severe hostility that damages the competitions, he said siblings will often push themselves bond between siblings.” harder to perform better than or as well as their other sibling.

Cardell said such negative aspects arise from his Casbon said, “Sibling rivalry can help people to sibling rivalry. He said he constantly gets into fights develop their skills better, concentrate on their work, and with Cordell that are both physical and verbal, and this ultimately improve.” constant bickering leads to agitation from his parents Cordell and Cardell both said they agree that their sibling and coaches. Cardell said, “The other day I was doing rivalry has pushed them to perform better. Cardell said when something disrespectful while Coach was talking, and he competes against his friends in some activities, there is no Cordell was like ‘Stop.’ Coach was like ‘Cordell, stop it; competition, and his biggest rivalry is with his brother because I got this’.” he is hard to compete with.

Han said she also agrees that sibling rivalry has several He said, “He helps me be better. There is nothing like disadvantages. Han said she always gets compared to sibling rivalry. People may not think it if you ask my friends her sister by peers and is known as “Jane Han’s sister,” not because we are always arguing, but at the end of the day, we as an individual. In addition, she said one of the siblings are best friends.” always feels inferior in a sibling relationship because one sibling always achieves higher than the other. Han said, “I feel like I have to be equally as good as her, but I also feel motivated to do as well as my sister. She isn’t just smart but works hard as well, and this causes me Scan this to work harder.”

For more stories regarding Still despite the conflicts, sibling rivalry can produce the “Modern Family,” scan some positive effects, such as motivating siblings this QR code and explore to perform better, according to Casbon. In athletic our online content.

PAGE 6 | ACUMEN | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | OCT. 19, 2011

Going Solo After being legally emancipated from his family, senior Frank Molina lives by himself

BY YAMEEN HAMEED AND CHRIS LI yhameed@hilite.org and cli@hilite.org

L

ike many other students at this school, senior Frank Molina has a supportive and caring family.

His family, however, takes care of him from almost 2,000 miles away. Ever since school started this August, Molina, legal adult, has been living on his own in his apartment with his dad often sending money for his basic necessities and stopping by to visit at random intervals.

“When my mother passed away last October, my sister and my dad wanted to move back into the house she owned in Arizona. However, I didn’t want to move back, with this being my senior year,” Molina said. “I wanted to finish my senior year over here at Carmel and not start up at a new school, so my dad proposed the idea of me staying by myself.”

Molina said he found the proposition exciting from the start.

“I wanted to do this; it was going to be something different,” Molina said. “I was a little nervous, but it was like my golden ticket, (like) if someone offered me a million dollars.

It’s something that I didn’t think it was going to happen; it didn’t even cross my mind.” Despite his initial excitement, the experience has not been easy.

Living by oneself understandably comes with a host of problems. For Molina, his main issue deals with laziness.

Molina said at first he often found himself too lazy to clean the house or perform other chores. With time, however, he eventually developed a routine strategy of keeping the apartment sanitary.

“I decide to clean the two dirtiest parts of the house, so for one weekend it’s like the kitchen and the bathroom,” he said.

“Next week, I’ll clean the other parts of the house that need cleaning. I’m not the type of person who will just clean the house all day, so I just divide and conquer.”

Counselor Shelly Rubinstein said she understands the difficulties Molina is presented with. “(Living by himself) makes senior year a little more difficult in that he is responsible for all of his well-being,” Rubinstein said. According to Rubinstein, a typical situation would have

Criteria for Emancipation Although requirements differ for each state, here are the common ones 1. The minor is able to support themselves financially either in the present or future.

2. The minor is currently living apart from their parents or has made sufficient arrangements for future housing 3. The minor can adequately make decisions for himself.

4. The minor is attending school or has already received a diploma.

5. The minor exhibites sufficient maturity to function as an adult.

USLEGAL.COM / SOURCE

parents assume all the adult roles, and Molina assuming such duties requires better time-management and maturity on his part.

However, Molina said he has been able to demonstrate precisely the kind of self-control he must have in order to let the current situation work and let it stay that way. According to Molina, his apartment is not simply open to whomever who wants to come.

“I really only invite my closest friends to stay over at my apartment, so there will never be more than three or four people over,” Molina said. With this control, Molina said he feels the experience has overall been beneficial for him.

“I’m learning how to cook on my own. I’m learning how to clean on my own. I’m learning how to run the household, and I’m getting firsthand experience managing my money and food, so I think it’s really helpful,” Molina said.

Rubinstein said she agrees that living alone can have its benefits.

“Different parents have a different idea for how their families should be,” Rubinstein said.

“His family feels they made the right choice.”

Despite the success Molina has had taking care of himself, he said he still experienced a fair amount of hardship. One such case includes dealing with the HENRY ZHU/PHOTO now-empty house. “(My dad and sister’s moving HOME ALONE: Senior Frank Molina cleans his apartment. After he away) is like your very close became emancipated, Molina said he has taken on responsibilities usufriends moving. You’ll miss ally reserved for adults. them a lot, but eventually you’ll have to get over it,” Molina said.

In addition to the Molina, however, said he has been able to cope with the emotional aspects of living loneliness factor pretty well. by himself, Molina said he has also had to deal with “I’ve been actually really busy with schoolwork,” Molina technical problems. said.

“I’m in the IB program, and that has a lot of stuff that I “One of the things that happened was I happened to need to do.

I guess I’m too distracted to be lonely.” Molina’s lose my social security card, and I had to go down and get continued academic rigor also appears to contradict a it,” Molina said. “The social security office closed at 3:30, nationwide study by the University of Cincinnati stating so my dad had to call the school to let them know that I that teenagers who live alone are more likely to drop out of had to leave, so I hopped into the car around 2, drove to high school. the office and got a new one.”

For Molina, he said that he used to spend a lot of time with In light of Frank’s situation and her job as a counselor, his dad and sister.

Rubinstein said she finds herself concerned with how “We used to do lots of activities together, and so I’ve missed students are faring. them a lot since they moved to Arizona. However, I’ve been “We want to help kids be as well-adjusted as possible keeping myself entertained, and I have a lot of work,” Molina and help kids with whatever situations arise at home or said. “Boredom causes loneliness, but I’m not bored.” at school,” she said.

OCT. 19, 2011 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | ACUMEN | PAGE 7

Students’ choices to ‘friend’ parents reflect real-life relationships

BY ARUNI RANAWEERA aranaweera@hilite.org

time so it doesn’t really make any difference that I’m friends with her on Facebook, too.”

Counselor Melinda Stephan said she agreed that parentFor years, social networking sites like Facebook have been child relationships on social places for teens and young adults to share photos, update networking sites can add to real statuses and connect with peers. However, according to a life relationships. study done by Pew Research, 2011 marks the first time that 50 “For some families, (online percent of all adults reported using social networks. relationships) could certainly For students, this means parents on Facebook, MySpace detract from (a real relationship) and LinkedIn. Students now have another option for but I don’t think that it replaces connecting with mom and dad, bringing about a whole new it, I think it probably enhances it,” level of parent-child communication. Students at this school, Stephan said. however, said their choices to be or not be friends with their Mrs. James agreed that parents online were close reflections of their relationships her close relationship with her with them in real life. daughter made being friends Junior Dana James said she chose to be Facebook friends online simple. with her mom, Jeanette, because of her real life closeness to “I don’t know how much closer her mom. we could be,” Mrs. James said. “I’m “My mom and I are really close,” Dana said. “We pretty GAVIN COLAVITO / PHOTO not real good with technology, so much do everything together. I mean I’m with her all the STUDENT BECOMES THE TEACHER: Junior Dana James teaches she helps me out. A lot her mother some basic actions on Facebook. “Basically,” said James, “I of times she’ll be on one just have to show Mom the ropes, and occasionally, I have to show her computer, and I’ll be on something new, but otherwise, she’s a fast learner. She knows her way another, and we’ll chat around the site.” with each other. I enjoy seeing what’s going on Where do your parents fall in the with her and her friends.”

Unlike the James chart?Survey results based on a global family, junior Mollie user population of 629,982,480 as of While families at this school see parent-child relationships Fehribach and her mom Teresa Fehribach are not March 7, 2011. over social networks in different ways, Stephan said that in friends on social networks like Facebook. Mollie either perspective, the key is to find an appropriate balance said that she had enough contact with her mom in 55-64 years old between communication and privacy.

45-54 years old real life and would like more privacy and personal 4.6 percent “I get that (need for space) and that’s why I think that’s a space on her online profile.

8 percent hard balance to strike. There’s a part of me that says that as a According to Mollie, “Being a teenager, (my parent I want to give my child some independence there to parents say), “Oh my gosh, this is part of their life use those tools in a way that keeps them connected to peers,” that they’re most vulnerable, let me help.’ They need Stephan said. “But I think given that there’s so much going to give a little space… and online is the way to do it.” on in today’s students lives, and things change and plans Mrs. Fehribach said she understood why Mollie change, it’s really nice that a parent can (use Facebook to) get did not want to be friends on Facebook. a message to a child.”

“I can understand that because I know that parents, that way, can keep tabs of everything 35-44 years old that their kids are doing,” Mrs. Fehribach 14.9 percent 13-17 years old said. “(Mollie) might feel like that would be an intrusion and invading her privacy a little bit.”

20.6 percent Mollie said that while she and her mom don’t have any out-the-ordinary conflicts, they aren’t particularly close either. Stephan said that in these types of relationships, connections 26-34 years old 18-25 years old over Facebook may actually help.

26.1 percent 25.8 percent “Especially with teenagers, it’s already difficult to keep that relationship going because they’re very independent, they’re busy sometimes,” Stephan said. “It’s very typical for teenagers to have better relationships with their peers than their parents, so I think (being online friends with parents) in some ways helps in that area because if they can’t always do the face-to-face because they either don’t see eye SOCIALMEDIATODAY.COM/ SOURCE Melinda Stephan to eye on things or they’re never at home at the RACHEL BOYD / GRAPHIC Counselor same time, at least they have that link.”

Facebook Users by Age

It’s very typical for teenagers to have better relationships with their peers than their parents, so I think (being online friends with parents) in some ways helps in that area because if they can’t always do the faceto-face...at least they have that link.

PAGE 8 | ACUMEN | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | OCT. 19, 2011

Senior Colette Killworth

Senior Emily Atkinson

How often do you see your dad?

How often do you see your mom?

I probably see her a couple times a week.

Just like breaks and long weekends, pretty much.

How do you think you life has been affected by living with just your mom?

I’m a lot closer with my dad now because I have to be. I have to tell him things that I didn’t have to tell him before. It brought us a lot closer because I miss him more and it makes me realize how much of myself is in him and how much he’s affected me.

What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of living with just your mom?

The house isn’t as crowded; I can study in quiet. It’s easier for me and my mom to be closer without being interrupted. It’s more like I live with my friends. But, I don’t get to see my dad very often, and I miss him.

And he misses out on stuff he wishes he wouldn’t.

Sometimes I get tired of my mom because I don’t get to see my dad as much.

Splitting the Family Tree Many students have become accustomed to living with only one parent. Two CHS seniors share their experiences, from the ups to the downs. Compiled by Claudia Huang

How do you think your life has been affected by the decision to live with only your dad?

I don’t really have a mom type of person to ask questions to or ask what I should wear to school. Other than that, it’s been pretty normal.

What do you think are the advantages of living with just your dad?

It’s easier to keep organized because I don’t have to move stuff back and forth. (It’s) less dramatic because we don’t fight.

What do you think are the misconceptions about living with just one parent?

A misconception could be that if you live with one parent, then your other parent isn’t a good parent or does something wrong. There’s nothing wrong with my mom.

I just don’t live with her.

What do you think are the misconceptions about living with just one parent?

I think that living with just my mom has really helped me more than anything because I think I’m a lot stronger, and it made me realize who I am out of it, but I never really thought about what people think about it.

KATHLEEN BERTSCH / PHOTO

A MINUTE WITH MOM: Senior Colette Killworth helps her

mom in the kitchen. Although Killworth lives with her mom, she is still close with her dad.

DHRUTI PATEL / GRAPHIC

KATHLEEN BERTSCH / PHOTO

DADDY’S LITTLE GIRL: Senior Emily

Atkinson shares time with her father. Atkinson said living with her father has been a positive experience.