9.16 Issue

TEACHING BY NUMBERS CONCUSSION CONCERNS STUDENTS OF ROCK

by Sabrina Mi

by Adam Gostomelsky by Kyle Crawford PAGE 10

PAGE 44

PAGE 54

CARMEL HIGH SCHOOL NEWSMAGAZINE Sept 16, 2015

A WHOLE NEW WORLD

More international students are attending school in the United States for a diploma.

Page 26 // Lizzie Barker Kyle Crawford, Matthew Han // Photo Illustration

CONTENTS NEWS // 6 NEWS BRIEFS | 6 A look at upcoming performances, sporting events and activities at CHS

NEW DIRECTIONS | 7 The Carmel Clay Public Library hires a new director

MEETING THE STANDARD | 8 Science teachers develop new way of grading

NAVIGATING NAVIANCE | 9 CHS adopts new platform to help students with college applications

TEACHING BY NUMBERS | 10 CHS has hired several new teachers this school year despite a steady decline of new teachers in Indiana

FEATURE // 12

VOL. 80, NO. 1

SEPT 16, 2015

THE WILDER, THE BETTER | 23 CHS students have differing opinions on the expansions of Wild Bunch and Big Game to include members from all grade

SMALLSCHOOL TO CHS | 24 Freshman adapt to the transition from small school to CHS, which has 5010 students this year

HOMECOMING BOOTH SPEAKUPS | 25 Clubs will set up homecoming booths, and club presidents discuss their plans for their respective booths

GAINING NEW GROUND | 42 Since new turf was installed in CHS, students and staff weigh the benefits and quality

CONCUSSION CONCERNS | 44

COVER // 26 A WHOLE NEW WORLD | 26 U.S. high school international students studying abroad increase in numbers.

Especially in high schools originally dominated by student-exchange programs

ENTERTAINMENT // 32 (PER)-FORMING NEW GROUPS | 32 The orchestra and the choir departments are attempting to meet their students’ changing needs

Football team implements new tackle techniques to prevent concussions

OPTIMIZING OPPORTUNITIES | 46 High school athletic commitments force athletes to make tough decisions

PERSPECTIVES // 48 STAFF EDITORIAL | 48 The HiLite staff discusses its opinion on the consequences of the dress code

BLACK LIVES MATTER | 49 Reporter Jordyn Blakey explains why the saying, “All Lives Matter,” detracts from its origin, “Black Lives Matter”

DON’T WALK THE WALK | 50 Reporter Jessica Mo criticizes society’s glorification of daredevils

AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN | 12

STAYING SPIRITED | 52

Recent national and local rises in car crashes prompt students to face dangers of driving

THE BIGGER, THE BETTER? | 14 Students and teachers evaluate the importance of classroom size on achievement

VINYL RENEWAL | 16 Students participate in a revival of old trends as vinyl records make a comeback

THE FUNDING FORMULA | 18 CHS staff and students break down the benefits, or lack thereof, of where funds go

WAVING A NEW MENTALITY | 34 Color Guard incorporates male students for the first time

WASHING DOWN “NEVERLAND” | 36

15 MINUTES // 54

Students protest “Whitewashing” which continues to influence Hollywood media

BREAK A LEG | 38 Students direct comedic plays and participate in Studio Theater One Acts on Oct. 1 to 3

STUDENT SECTION // 22

SPORTS // 40

HOMECOMING SPIRIT (FOR) DAYS | 22

SAME GAME | 40

Overlook of past spirit days and tips on how to dress for this year’s spirit week

Reporter Lilly St. Angelo discusses the importance of school spirit amongst CHS upperclassmen

CHS notices its own scarcity of female head coaches, after the NFL hires first female coach

STUDENTS OF ROCK | 54 Three CHS Sophomores make up the local band Oxford Comma

SPOTLIGHTS

SEPT 16, 2015

SPOTLIGHTS

03

CONTACT INFORMATION Mailing Address: 520 E. Main St., Carmel IN 46032 Phone: (317) 846-7721, Ext. 7143 Website: www.hilite.org Email: Staff members may be contacted by using their first initial and their last name appending @hilite.org,

RESPONDING TO THE HILITE Letters to the editor will be accepted for the Sept. 16 issue no later than Oct. 04. Letters may be submitted to Room C147, placed in the mailbox of Jim Streisel, emailed to letters@ hilite.org or mailed to school. All letters must be signed. Names will be published (Letters sent via email will be taken to a student’s SRT for him to sign). Letters must not contain personal attacks against an individual and may be edited.

PURPOSE

08

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 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/ads-info.

42

Editor in Chief

Perspectives

Copy Editor

Lianne Yu

Sarah Liu Cynthia Yue

Bethlehem Daniel Mary Salzmann Aaron Seals Lilly St. Angelo Adam Stockholm

Managing Editors Christine Fernando Emma Love Aaron Shi Shakeel Zia

Web

Front Page

Acumen

Matthew Han Akshar Patel

Stephanie Zhang Selena Qian Annika Wolff

News Ellen Peng Jenny Zhao

Feature Asim Dhungana Melissa Yap

54

Student Section Angela Sun

Cover Katie Long

CORRECTIONS & CLARIFICATIONS Photo on page 18 about the Civic Theater Production was not about the show. Instead it just showed members of Accents practicing.

Girls Like That was not associated with Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre in any way so the subheading “CHS Students Prepare competitive Civic Theater Production” was inaccurate.

The HiLite strives to correct its errors. If you notice any inaccuracies in this or past issues, please contact management@hilite.org.

Entertainment Grace Zhang Matthew Zheng

Sports Ally Russell Shiva Vallabhaneni

Ads Team Jasmine Lam

Miles Dai Gayatri Balasubramanian

Calendar/Beats Lizzie Barker Kalea Miao Jessica Mo Gabby Perelmuter Cory Steele Rachael Tan Amy Zhao

Photographers Divya Annamalai Michael Johnson Swetha Nakshatri Shraddha Ramnath Shreeram Thirunavukkarasu Sara Yung Vishnu Vaid

Graphics Olivia Jacko Tiffany Xie

Writing Coaches Natalia Chaudhry Laxmi Palde

15 Minutes Kyle Crawford

Online Directors Sreya Vemuri Alex Yom

Social Media Danny Goldberg Jessica Tao Kari Truax

Reporters Kelsey Atcheson Aditya Belamkar Jordyn Blakey Teresa Chen Bryce Cheng Darrell Cheng Ellie Clark Richard Du Luke Gentile Hannah Glazier Adam Gostomelsky Janzen Greene Alina Husain

Olivia Jacko Ray Jiang Sydney Jordan Julianna Kessilyas Joyce Lam Daniel Lee Allison Li Sabrina Mi Manahil Nadeem Gillian Paxton Nyssa Qiao Rebecca Qin Lauren Reilly Jai Sanghani Brian Shaffer Summer Snyder Pranav Sriram Katie Summit Deepthi Thadasina Sitha Vallabhaneni Emily Worrell Tiffany Xie Allen Zhang Allen Zheng Carolyn Zhang

Adviser Jim Streisel

Principal John Williams

Superintendent Nicholas Wahl

What is the DOW? The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) is an index that is calculated by adding together the stock values of 30 large publicly traded companies. This index is often used as an indicator for how well the American economy is doing as these 30 companies are a good representation of it.

04

Aug. 23 4:30 PM DOW: 16,487.08 0.00% Aug. 24 12:33 PM DOW: 16,178.78 -1.71%

(and Recovery) By the Numbers

Aug. 27 4:00 PM DOW: 16,665.08 +1.13%

Aug. 25 12:01 PM DOW: 16,246.96 Aug. 26 3:50 PM -1.46% DOW: 16,285.97 -1.17%

Aug. 24 4:00 PM DOW: 15,899.68 Aug. 25 3:50 PM -3.57% DOW: 15,750.49 -4.41% Aug. 24 9:33 AM DOW: 15,428.86 -6.26%

Oct. 19 1987 -22.6 percent

With the recent fall and rise of the stock market, you’ve probably heard many terms like corrections, bear markets and crashes. And if you’re not an investor, these terms probably seem like jargon to you. In this issue’s Just a Minute, we will try to explain what the stock market is and what it is currently going through.

What is a

STOCK?

Say the HiLite wanted to be a public company. One way we could raise money is by dividing our company into smaller pieces called shares of stocks.

This was the largest single drop since the financial crisis of 2008.

Aug. 24 2015 -6.26 percent

The Stock Market Drop

Whenever the HiLite earns a profit, part of the money is re-invested in the business, and the rest is given to owners of our stock, or shareholders.

Sta

Cash or Crash?

The Dynamics of the Stock Market AKSHAR PATEL // GRAPHIC

But nothing compared to “Black Monday” in 1987.

Since 2009, stocks have risen 220 percent. This type of increase is known as a bull market. The plunge only wiped out 11 percent of those gains.

Profit

Each share of the stock is entitled to a portion of the HiLite’s profits, also known as a dividend.

Re-invest This is know as a correction. Corrections are a natural part of the economic cycle. It’s like tapping the brakes on a car or a bike once in a while to make sure you aren’t going too fast.

Dividend for shareholders

05 Now that you have a better understanding of the stock market, you can better understand what is happening on Wall Street and. That and you can sound really smart in front of your friends.

A middleman, known as a broker, mediates the trade of a stock between the HiLite and a shareholder.

If HiLite is doing poorly (making little profit), we can’t give a lot as dividends to our shareholders. In turn, less people want our stocks and they decrease in price.

America is not currently a bear market. A bear market is when the stock market drops over 20 percent.

Bear Market: -20% Current Market: -13%

Price of Crude Oil (Per Barrel)

If HiLite is doing well (making a lot of profit), we can give more dividends to our shareholders. In turn, more people want our stocks and they increase in price.

Start

Dividends are allocated as a fixed amount per share

Now: $40 2008: $120 REASON 2: Oil prices are dropping.

Even though that may be good for American drivers, energy is still a large part of the U.S. Economy.

When oil prices fall this much, a lot of companies aren’t making any more money.

Fall since Peak

U.S.: -13% China: -40% REASON 1: China’s economy is slowing down. Many companies have investments overseas and with the world’s second largest economy going south, investors are fearful that it could pull the rest of the world down with it.

Shareholders are free to transfer their ownership interest at any time by selling their stock to others

Why? GOOGLE.COM/FINANCE, MONEY.CNN.COM // SOURCES

NEWS

NEWS BRIEFS

SEPT 16, 2015

NEWS BRIEFS JULIANNA KESSILYAS // BRIEFS

FRIDAY AND SATURDAY

SEPT. 29

The St. George Festival will take place in Fishers, IN, at the St. George Orthodox Church and will have food, music, culture and crafts. Admission will be free. $5 parking and a free shuttle ride will be available. The festival will take place from 5 to 11 p.m. on Friday and from noon to 11 p.m. on Saturday.

Teens For Life will be attending the 33rd annual Celebrate Life Dinner at the Indianapolis Convention Center. The banquet will begin at 6:45 p.m., and it will include Alveda King, the niece of Martin Luther King, Jr., as a guest speaker.

MONDAY TO WEDNESDAY Fall theater production auditions will be conducted in Room P123 from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Callbacks will take place at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

SEPT. 30 The choirs will perform at the fall choir concert in the auditorium from 7 to 9 p.m.

SEPT. 21-25 Homecoming Week will take place, ending with the annual Homecoming football game. Check out the schedule below on Homecoming Day.

“It is very impressive and also very important (preparing for Homecoming).

Homecoming is special and fun for everyone and an exciting event in high school.”

Sophomore Karlee Wrobleski

HOMECOMING SCHEDULE B1

7:50 - 8:15 a.m.

G1

10:10 - 10:35 a.m.

B2

8:25 - 8:50 a.m.

G2

10:45 - 11:10 a.m.

B3

9 - 9:25 a.m.

G3

11:20 a.m. - 1:15 p.m.

B4

9:35 - 10 a.m.

G4

1:25 - 1:50 p.m.

Club booths, stadium and trike races

2 - 2:50 p.m.

DIVYA ANNAMALAI // PHOTO PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT: New Edition rehearses their repertoire for the fall concert. “New Edition has been working on some amazing pieces, and we can’t wait to perform them at the concert,” Tatum Devoe, New Edition choir member and sophomore, said.

OCT. 1 Picture make-up day will take place for students outside of the media center from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Students will need to turn in their original photos at this time.

OCT. 3 Marching band will compete in the Bands of America (BOA) Dayton Regional at the Univeristy of Dayton Welcome Stadium.

SEPT 16, 2015

NEW CARMEL CLAY PUBLIC LIBRARY DIRECTOR

07

NEW DIRECTIONS

New Carmel Clay Public Library director hopes to bring changes, freshen library culture

JASMINE LAM // STORY

O

n Aug. 17, Carmel Clay Public Library (CCPL)’s new director, Carolyn Goolsby, began work.

She replaced the acting director, Nancy Newport, who replaced Wendy Phillips, the previous director of 15 years who retired this past summer.

As director, Goolsby represents the library to other organizations and works for the library board, which consists of seven individuals appointed by the community, to allow the library to develop in the direction the community wants.

“As the new director, I hope to continue the really good work that the library has been doing,” she said. “I hope to continue (Phillips’s) great job, and I’m hoping that as the profession of library science changes and as library changes, our students and the adults who come in the afternoon change over time, we will be able to keep up with that. I hope to create a culture where people will really like being at the library and working at the library.”

Kimaya Raje, sixth-year member of Teen Library Council (TLC) and senior, said she looks forward to working with Goolsby.

“We have never really directly worked with a library director outside of the young adult department, so I am excited,” Raje said via email. “We will be able to be more involved in the library than we have before and be able to continue to promote the library more as well.

I believe that she will bring a fresh perspective to the library’s program. She also especially seems to be invested in the progress and future

SWETHA NAKSHATRI // PHOTO IN WITH THE NEW: Carmel Clay Public Library (CCPL) director Carolyn Goolsby (left) discusses the young adult section with Jamie Beckman, the coordinator of the Teen Volunteer Corps at CCPL. As part of her responsibilities as director, Goolsby said she represents the library to other organizations and works for the library board.

of the library which is just the sort of organizations such as schools in the goal the library should keep pursuing.

Carmel Clay school district in order I would love to see to keep the library the CCPL follow in the public eye. the upward path She said the public DID YOU KNOW? for progress it has library and its staffs been on by way will work with Goolsby spent 10 of these hopes or these organizations months in a Roman goals.” to adapt and to Catholic monastery in According meet the needs of Virginia before being a to Goolsby, she, the community. librarian. She also has the library’s Goolsby said, “I been on “Jeopardy!” and staff and TLC think (the library’s was a champion in the members work staff’s) jobs will All-Round Weightlifting to have CCPL change because the Association National to reach out to library will change.

Championship in 2002. members of the We’ll start doing c o m m u n i t y. different programs CURRENTINCARMEL.COM // SOURCE Goolsby said that we want to a large part do. Perhaps, some about being a things that we director is being the public face for talked about but never have gotten H CCPL in collaborating with other quite done.”

08

NEWS

SEPT 16, 2015

SCIENCE GRADING SCALE

MEETING THE STANDARD

Several science teachers switch to standards-based grading with a four-point scale DANIEL LEE // STORY

O

ver the last few years, about half of CHS science teachers have implemented a version of standards-based grading (SBG) to their classes.

According to Jeremy Horner, science teacher who uses SBG, SBG assesses students’ comprehension through levels from a rubric.

Understanding of a topic leads to higher scores, while a lower score indicates incomplete understanding.

Sophomore Vincent “Vinny”

CHEMISTRY CONVERSIONS: Chemistry teacher Elizabeth Shafer teaches her Honors Chemistry students about conversions.

Shafer switched to standardsbased grading and said it allows students to master the topic.

SARA YUNG // PHOTO Vitiritto, who is taking an SBG science class, said this way of grading is better because it is more based on the student’s knowledge than the traditional grading system.

According to Vitiritto, the retake system and the way assessments are graded with SBG reduce stress.

Vitiritto said via email, “The scores are more manageable and more general so that you won’t be only one or two percent away from the grade you want.

You either get it or you don’t.”

“What the rubric-based system like

How the four-point grading system works No understanding

Partial understanding of simple concepts

Understanding of simple concepts

this is trying to do is acknowledge the flaw that is inherent in any grading system: that all grades are subjective not objective,” Horner said. “When we put a number to it, it doesn’t make it objective. So by acknowledging that, by bringing them out, we can then clarify what do these grades actually mean and what are we trying to communicate to students in what they are able to do.”

Elizabeth Shafer, chemistry teacher using SBG, said the system allows students to master the topic.

The last grade of a certain topic is weighted heavier than the first grades because ultimately that is what the student truly knows.

“Standards based grades gives students the opportunity to improve upon their previous assessments,” Shafer said.

Horner said, “The first time any of us does something is probably not the best. As we get more practice or more experience doing it, we should get better. I think a lot of this is natural to sports or music where the first time you play a piece or you run for the first time, the coaches provide feedback so that eventually when you have that final assessment, that game or concert, it would be your best performance. It’s the same idea on assessments in class.

We should be able to see where you H are right now.”

Understanding of both simple and complex concepts

Able to make connections beyond what is taught

0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4

JENNY ZHAO // GRAPHIC

Half points are given to show partial understanding to the next highest level.

WWW.FWPS.ORG // SOURCE

NAVIANCE

SEPT 16, 2015

09

NAVIGATING NAVIANCE

Students switch to a new platform to more easily compile information for college applications DEEPTHI THADASINA // SPEAK-UPS

The Common App and Naviance TIFFANY XIE // GRAPHIC

Here’s what’s been changed with the Common Application, and how Naviance, a college and career readiness software, will accommodate it.

Letters of recommendation Before, the same brag sheet was sent to all teachers and counselors, so letters became repetitive

Before College searches had to be conducted through outside sites like the College Board Students had to visit the

Counseling Center website to find a spreadsheet of scholarships

Students used Parchment to send their transcripts to schools

After

Now, specific forms are tailored to each teacher and counselor to make for better letters of recommendation

Know your odds Students will be able to compare their test scores and GPAs to previous CHS students who were accepted to a specific college

All of the above can be done in one place: Naviance

Scan this QR code to access the student login page for Naviance.

MELINDA STEPHAN // SOURCE

SPEAK UP! What do you think about Naviance?

“It’s going to be awesome, especially for freshmen and sophomores as they start the planning process. It streamlines everything, a huge benefit.”

Science teacher Erin Odya

“I think, if used properly, this can actually be a very effective way for us to better put together our information. Essentially (we will) have a better way of connecting and getting all things needed for college in one place.”

Senior Eric Virden

SARAH LIU // PHOTOS

10

NEWS

TEACHER NUMBERS

SEPT 16, 2015

TEACHING BY NUMBERS

New CHS teachers illustrate discrepancy with article concerning Indiana teacher shortage SABRINA MI // STORY

O

ver the summer, CHS hired 37 new teachers to accommodate the record student population of 5,011 this school year.

“We had this growth and we’re fortunate; we’re very lucky that with the growth that we’ve had, we (have been) able to hire teachers.

Our district has made it a priority to make sure our class sizes stay the same, and to do that you have to hire teachers,” Assistant Principal Maureen Borto said.

Even with the influx, Indiana, as well as many other states across the country, faces a shortage of teachers as fewer people pursue education degrees. According to the Indiana Department of Education, the number of first-time teacher licenses issued by the state has dropped 63 percent since 2010.

Borto oversaw much of the hiring and said she saw evidence of that drop.

“What we found this year was that there weren’t as many new teaching candidates right out of college; we didn’t have as many of those candidates as we have (had) in the past,” Borto said.

English department chairperson Kimberly Walker said she understands why there may be fewer candidates.

“Teachers have always been wellrespected, but their demands have increased since the past; it’s beyond just the 183 days of school. This responsibility might discourage people who would’ve wanted to become teachers from actually pursuing a career in education,” Walker said.

NEW TEACHERS 2 business teachers

2 counselors

6 English teachers

3 math teachers SHREERAM THIRUNAVUKKARASU // PHOTO PLACING PLANS: English department chairperson Kimberly Walker sits at her desk, filing her lesson plans. On the subject of the decrease in new teachers, she said there was a shift in responsibility, requiring “new teachers to fill the gap and accommodate the shift.”

“Attitudes about teaching have changed since the past.”

Walker said the English department added six teachers this year, more than any other department. One of them was Mackenzie Burchett, who started her teaching career at CHS this year.

“I think that there’s been a lot of change implemented recently at the state level with evaluations and how to quantify how effective a teacher is, and it’s really disrupted the pattern of what teachers have been doing for years and years and years.

“I don’t necessarily think it’s for the worse. I think a lot of changes were necessary, but for those who have been in the game for a really

1 performing arts teacher

6

science long time, they weren’t used to it teachers and it was a lot of proving you’re effective, not just being effective, 7 and I think that pushed a lot of teachers into early retirement and social studies teachers scared a lot of new teachers away once they heard all the horror 1 stories,” Burchett said.

Despite the teacher shortage in social worker other school districts, teachers may 6 be drawn to CHS for its prestige.

Special Services “(CHS is) the best,” Burchett teachers said. “It’s got the best reputation in the state.”

3 Freshman Caroline Meador world language said, “Even with the shortage, I teachers think Carmel has necessities, too.

They just may have better means to MAIN OFFICE // SOURCE meet their necessities.”

TEACHER NUMBERS

Year 2014

The teacher shortage in Indiana has been reflected in the amount of new teacher licenses, teacher college enrollment and other numbers.

Lafayette Schools

2,085

2012

2,273

2011

3,181

2010

3,450

2009 Indianapolis Public Schools

Number of New Licences Issued

1,930

2013

School Systems Affected by Shortage West Lafayette Schools

Students Enrolled in Ball State’s Teacher Ed Program

3,590 Number of Students

Percent Decrease in Enrollment in Teacher Ed Programs, Fall 2014 to Fall 2015

30% Wayne Township Schools

18% vs.

Nation

18 15 12 9 6 3 0

16,578

6,174

Percent Change:

-63% 2009

Year

2013

Number of First-Time License Applications Applications (in 1000s)

SHORTING OUT

11

New Licenses (in 1000s)

SEPT 16, 2015

Indiana

BALL STATE DAILY, FOX 59, ISTA-IN.ORG // SOURCES

6 5 4 3 2 1 0

5,599 4,565

Percent Change:

-18% 2009

Year

2013

ELLEN PENG // GRAPHIC

Similar to many other CHS important,” Meador said. students, Meador has a schedule that According to Borto, adding new includes a new teacher. Meador’s teachers not only allows CHS to French I teacher is support its growth Ellen Anderson, who in students, but is new to CHS. also benefits the DID YOU KNOW? Meador said learning experience she believes adding for students.

Subjects facing the most new teachers is “Anytime you teacher shortages include important, despite add new staff, it’s business education, the shortage. As exciting because English as a New a transfer from they come with Language, mathematics, Sycamore School, ideas and new all areas of science, and Meador said CHS’s experiences and world language. English large size was new perspectives,” has the least shortages. initially a shock, Borto said. “And but hiring the I think anytime WW2.ED.GOV // SOURCE new teachers was a you can add that necessary step. into a discussion, “It’s important there’s benefit to to have diverse teachers who have that. . .it’s always helpful to hear been here a different number of other perspectives and experiences, years, so I think new teachers are and it’s always going to make

TEACHER SHORTAGE CAUSES Less freedom in the classroom Increased retirement

Salaries based on test scores Stagnant wages ISTA-IN.ORG // SOURCE

our conversations richer and the experience for our kids that much richer as well.”

Burchett said this experience encouraged her to pursue an education degree, in spite of the recent decline.

“I come from a family of teachers, so it’s always been on my radar, but I had a teacher named Mr. Phil that I had when I was in high school and he was awesome and inspiring,” she said.

According to Walker, the addition of the new teachers will benefit CHS students.

Walker said, “I think a lot of our new teachers are very different; they bring a lot of different experiences, and so the positive impact it will have is that it offers more variety for our students and the way which H they learn.”

SOLUTION SEARCH

Incentives

Revision

Two sides have emerged on how to handle the teacher shortage issue, along with those who are on the fence.

Next Generation Hoosier Educator Scholarship program

Change teacher working conditions: Stop increase in the amount of testing for students, as well as the greater accountability measures for teachers.

4 years for 4 years Full tuition for four years of in-state school education. Then, four years spent teaching in state.

ELLEN PENG // GRAPHIC

INDIANAPUBLICMEDIA.ORG // SOURCE

FEATURE

RISE IN CAR ACCIDENTS

SEPT 16, 2015

AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN Recent local, national rises in car accidents prompt students to face dangers of driving LILLY ST. ANGELO // STORY

O

ne day in late July, senior Chloe Keller was driving alone in her car, unaware of any danger that lurked ahead. She approached the intersection of 111th and Cornell Street, proceeding through it at the signal of the green light. At the same time, a distracted delivery man came upon the intersection from the opposite direction, turning left without looking up to check for oncoming traffic. Keller pressed her hand over her horn to honk but it was too late. The delivery truck collided with Keller’s car and in a split-second the car was totalled.

Keller, still in shock, fumbled for her phone but couldn’t find it because it had fallen during the crash. Seemingly on cue, police and fire trucks arrived and she was taken out of the car, miraculously only suffering injuries to her wrist and fingers.

“I just remember panicking and the scene just replaying in my head; like I could remember it exactly,” Keller said.

Keller’s story, despite its disturbing nature, is not an uncommon one. In the first half of 2015, a steady trend revealed that traffic accidents involving injuries were up 33 percent in the United States according to the National Safety Council. And in a statistic that hits even closer to home, the Indiana University Public Policy Institute found that in 2014, young (15- to 20-year-old) Indiana drivers’ overall

CAR SAFETY IN HISTORY 1996

involvement in collisions increased by 1.5 percent and involvement in incapacitating injury collisions increased substantially by 54.5 percent.

Additionally, Indiana lawmakers are seeking to keep young Indiana drivers safer with new rules. In July, more driving restrictions came out including a ban on driving from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. on Sunday through Thursday, and 1 to 5 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Also, the ban on use of electronic devices at any time while driving was extended to 21 and younger. These laws and the laws that Florida enacts first Graduated Drivers Licensing (GDL) laws

SARAH LIU // PHOTO came before them have some students skeptical about the effectiveness of certain laws, but also supportive of the ban on electronic devices.

Erika Helding, junior and recently licensed driver, shared her opinion on the new laws.

“I think that the new laws are there to protect drivers and personally I think they make me feel more safe, because I’m a very inexperienced driver and so it makes me feel safer to know that there are a lot of laws in place to prevent people from being bad drivers,” Helding said.

HAND IN HAND: Senior Chloe Keller was recently involved in a car accident and still has a scar at the base of her right thumb. She said she thinks Indiana’s new laws will make drivers more engaged and help to prevent accidents.

Georgia implements first passenger limits for teens

1997

New York becomes first state to ban talking on cellular devices while driving

2001

Michigan becomes first state to require a minimum number of supervised hours before obtaining an intermediate license

RISE IN CAR ACCIDENTS

SEPT 16, 2015

13

RULES WERE NOT MEANT TO BE BROKEN Indiana’s probationary driver’s license, a step in the Graduated Drivers Licensing (GDL) system, is issued to drivers under the age of 18 and has many restrictions associated with it to prevent accidents in novice drivers.

DRIVING CURFEWS

45 percent of car accident deaths occur at night (9 p.m. to 6 a.m.).

18%

16%

CELLPHONE BAN Cellphone use, with the exception of emergency calls, is prohibited for those under the age of 21.

11 p.m. to 5 a.m.

1 a.m. to 5 a.m.

3 6

6 PM 12

14%

3

11%

DEADLY DISTRACTIONS Most common distractions leading up to crashes by teen drivers: Interacting with passengers 15 percent Cellphone use 12 percent Looking at something in the car 10 percent Looking at something outside the car 9 percent Singing or moving to music 8 percent AAA.COM // SOURCE

9

9%

Officer D. J. Schoeff, CHS school resource officer and a regular witness to teen tendencies, had a similar viewpoint.

“Anytime we have a new function in our lives, setting appropriate boundaries and guidelines around those functions is always beneficial,” Schoeff said. “Sometimes it’s challenging for us because we don’t want to have those boundaries and those guidelines.”

While the new laws passed in July may be unfamiliar to some, the laws that were in place before July are well known to most teens. In 2009, the Graduated Drivers Licensing (GDL) came into effect in Indiana requiring 50 hours of practice with supervision and the teen being 16 and a half to be eligible for a license.

The law also limits passengers to family members for the first six months of driving with a license.

Helding said she was ambivalent whether the laws helped save lives.

“You’re allowed to have siblings

9

9.6 percent of crashes in America in 2013 were due to distracted driving.

In the United States, GDL has reduced teen crash rates by, on average, 10 to 30 percent.

ASIM DHUNGANA, JOYCE LAM // GRAPHIC IIHS.ORG, DISTRACTION.ORG // SOURCES Schoeff said that the laws that are put into place are not made to be a pain in neck, but to guide people to live more safely. He also added that driving, in the state of Indiana is a privilege, not a right, so it can be taken away.

“It really, truly is a matter of setting the right parameters, so that people can live within those parameters and be very well skilled and very well trained to operate that car before they get to 21 years old,” Schoeff said, “That’s when you’d like to think our decisions would get a little bit better.”

That said, both Keller and Schoeff noted that adults are just as preoccupied with their devices as teens. Schoeff said it wouldn’t surprise him if, down the road, there are more laws put into place restricting electronics use for all ages.

Even with all the new restrictions, Keller, after having been a victim of a crash said, “Don’t expect everyone to be following the rules of driving just because you are.”

H

Indiana enacts GDL laws

2009 Washington becomes first state to enact texting bans

For the first 180 days, newly registered drivers can only transport family members without an accompanying individual.

in your car, but you’re not allowed to have friends in your car. My sister is 13 and we’re pretty close friends, so if I were to drive her, I feel like it would be the same as having a friend in my car with me,” Helding said.

Keller also expressed her opinions over the law’s restriction on who teens drive after they get their licences.

“It’s kind of annoying that you can’t drive with someone for six months. I don’t know, I don’t really feel like that helps,” Keller said.

The mobile device laws, on the flip side, are laws that both Helding and Keller said they agree with.

“I feel like we live in a generation where everything is just so fast-paced,” Helding said. “Everyone is always multitasking and doing a lot of things at one time. I think people just need to focus on driving more and not a bunch of other things.”

Keller added that any distraction, whether it be texting or looking up an address for a delivery, should wait until the driver is not behind the wheel.

Connecticut creates Governor’s Task Force on Teen Safe Driving to assess risks affecting teenage drivers

2007

9%

Newly registered drivers within 180 days Newly registered drivers after 180 days (Sunday - Thursday) Newly registered drivers after 180 days (Friday - Saturday)

12 AM

11%

10 p.m. to 5 a.m.

13%

PASSENGER LIMITATIONS

Indiana extends driving curfews and ban of electronic device use

2015 IIHS.ORG, MOVEMAG.ORG, NCBI.NLM.NIH.GOV // SOURCES

14

FEATURE

CLASSROOM SIZE

SEPT 16, 2015

THE BIGGER, THE BETTER?

Students, teachers evaluate relative importance of classroom size on achievement BETHLEHEM DANIEL // STORY

A

fair amount of students. A class that utilizes visual learning.

Junior Olivia “Olive” Phillips said these aspects are what appeal to both her learning style and environment, although she spends one period every day with approximately 56 other students in her English 11/U.S. history block class, team-taught by social studies teacher Matt Dillon and English teacher Cynthia Martin. While Phillips said larger classes, like her block class, do not necessarily inhibit her success at CHS, she said

this concept can have implications on students at other schools.

“I wouldn’t say that (achievement levels decline with an increase in class sizes) here at CHS. But, I can see why (one) could say that, because when there is a larger amount of students, depending on where the student is placed in the room and who they are sitting next to, they might not be listening at all.

It just depends on what teacher it is and what class (it is),” Phillips said.

According to a study by the National Education Policy Center (NEPC) in 2014, smaller class-size

THE MASSES: World history teacher Katie Kelly leads the many students in her class in a writing activity about their “first scars.” This particular class had about 40 students as it was a combined English and history class.

SHRADDHA RAMNATH // PHOTO

ratios have many positive effects on the student population as a whole, including higher test scores, as well as higher high-school graduation and college-enrollment rates.

Assistant Principal Joe Schaller said class sizes here don’t necessarily inhibit academic success. Schaller also noted how class sizes have not gone up tremendously from previous years.

“As the school continues to grow, our test scores continue to grow,” Schaller said. “While (larger class sizes inhibiting academic achievement) may be common in a lot of schools, we’ve been pretty fortunate in that our students continue to do very well.”

Teachers can play a vital role in that success. Phillips said she believes utilization of two different teachers in her block class is a benefit of being enrolled in the class.

“Although my block classroom is a huge class, my teacher, Mr. Dillon, is amazing. He gets all the students involved in one way or another (and) he makes it easier for us to remember stuff. So the larger number (of students), is actually not that bad,” Phillips said.

Contrary to the beliefs of Phillips, however, senior Beth Hannah said larger class sizes can inhibit her from being successful in some of her classes. For example, Hannah said she was enrolled in Sports Medicine 1 her sophomore year, which in number of students, equates to that of a block class. According to Hannah, her class of about 50 to 60 students had two teachers designated for the class, but only one teacher would be teaching at a time. Hannah said the size of that class hindered

CLASSROOM SIZE

SEPT 16, 2015

the learning process due to the large student-teacher ratio.

“I think that teachers need to make sure that their students are getting the concepts and are able to apply it,” Hannah said. “I personally like smaller classrooms, because they allow for students to connect better. It (allows) you to be more comfortable to ask questions to the teacher and the students.”

According to a study released in 2011 by Elsevier, an academic publishing company centered on the publication of medical and scientific literature, the benefits of smaller classes are usually seen in lower level students, specifically at the secondary level. Increases in achievement are due to enhanced individual attention and engagement.

Last school year, Hannah was part of an IB Psychology class with approximately 20 students total and she said this environment helped her achieve success.

“With that environment, the student body in that class felt a lot more comfortable with each other, and the teacher-student relationship was strong. I personally felt a lot

15

SPEAK UP! How does classroom size affect student achievement?

Are larger classes less successful?

For a Q&A with social studies teacher Matt Dillon, visit hilite. org/qamdillon.

AVERAGE U.S. CLASS SIZE

ENGLISH 11/U.S. HISTORY BLOCK AT CHS OLIVIA JACKO // GRAPHIC NCES.ED.GOV // SOURCE

“Last year I was in (a small class) and I got a lot of one-onone work with the teacher, and that was very useful to me. But this year, I’m in a larger class and I don’t get as much one-on-one with the teacher, which makes it a lot more difficult to keep up.”

Senior Kennedi Reiser “It is better to have smaller classes because you get a lot more teacher attention. But in classes where it is mainly lectures and people don’t ask a lot of questions, it can be okay to have a larger class. Although, sometimes in larger classes people get embarrassed to ask questions.”

Junior Maddie Adkins “You can still have a fantastic experience in a class that’s oversized, but it really takes cooperation on everybody’s part because being in a class that’s really big can be a problem sometimes. Also, the teacher can be overwhelmed with the amount of grading.”

Science teacher Ryan Beavers DIVYA ANNAMALAI // PHOTOS more comfortable asking questions and working with the kids around me,” Hannah said.

Within classes that have a larger amount of students, both Phillips and Hannah recognized that group work is usually more common. Katie Kelly, honors English 9/world history block teacher, said she also recognizes the importance of group work in engaging all students in a large class.

“We use small groups,” Kelly said. “We start with each person (having) an ‘elbow partner.’ When we want a bigger group, we will put them into groups of eight. That way, students get to hear a larger number of voices and it doesn’t become too time-consuming.”

According to the previously mentioned NEPC study, the increase in achievement is due to increased levels of student engagement, a greater amount of time on task and the ability for teachers to better tailor to their

students’ needs. Kelly said tailoring to the needs of the students can be utilized with effective instructional skills.

“It depends on what you do with the class,” Kelly said. “I think there’s an element of having 25 to 30 kids allows you to divide into groups and it allows you to have good discussions, but as a teacher you have to be aware of that. You can’t just lecture all the time and expect to reach all of your students.”

Phillips said being taught in a classroom with a larger environment will help her in the future, even looking past CHS. “You’ll have to work in many groups with various types of people in the real world,” Phillips said. “I want to go into international business and marketing. Since I want to be in marketing, the social skills that I will gain in this class and the experiences here (at CHS) will help me in the H business field.”

16

FEATURE

VINYL RESURGENCE

SEPT 16, 2015

VINYL REVIVAL

CHS students listen to vinyls as old trends become popular again KALEA MIAO // STORY

S

itting on the creamcolored floor, sophomore Carly Colbert sifts through boxes of vinyl records.

Among the records of modern artists VINYL LONG PLAY such as Taylor Swift and Twenty One ALBUM SALES Pilots lie the works of Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby. percent “I like classical music,” Colbert said. “It sounds kind (2013 to 2014) of old-fashioned, but I kind of like (the sound of it).”

Colbert is not TOP VINYL ARTISTS alone in listening to ALBUM ARTIST SALES records.

According JACK WHITE LAZARETTO 86,700 to an April 2015 study conducted by 58,700 ARCTIC MONKEYS AM Nielsen, a group LANA DEL REY BORN TO DIE 42,100 specializing in marketing research, vinyl sales in the VINYL RECORDS United States have increased by 260 SOLD EACH YEAR percent since 2009.

9.2 Colbert said the appeal comes from the rise of “hipster culture.”

6.1 “I think a lot of 4.6 people are just like, ‘It’s 3.6 cool,’ or ‘it’s vintage.’ All 2.5 2.8 1.9 that stuff is coming back,” 0.9 1.0 Colbert said.

Along with the increase in popularity of records came one in popularity of the artists YEAR who originally recorded their songs NIELSEN.COM, BILLBOARD.COM on vinyl decades ago. Although // SOURCES Colbert has her own collection of modern records, most of her discography comes from her grandparents’ personal collections.

14

20

11

12 20 13

20

20

09 20 10

20

07

08

20

20

20

06

Records sold (millions)

+58.1

REBECCA QIN // PHOTO RECORD NUMBERS: Sophomore Carly Colbert plays one of her vinyl records.

Vinyl records have risen in popularity in recent years since they’re seen as ‘vintage’ and ‘hipster.’’

She said some of her grandparents’ records are decades old.

“I have all these handed-down vinyls, and I just think it’s really cool,” Colbert said. “It’s a lot different to normal music on your phone.”

Like Colbert’s, sophomore Sophie DeFrench’s collection also includes older records handed down to her from her grandfather.

The artists who wrote her vinyls include A Flock of Seagulls, Pat Benatar and Elvis Presley.

DeFrench said her favorite songs come from Presley’s records.

“I have (Elvis Presley) live at Madison Square Garden,” DeFrench said. “My grandpa had a record collection of 200 different ones, so I always listen to them.”

Even though many people have large collections, collecting vinyl isn’t a cheap process. Older records can retail for thousands of dollars,

SEPT 16, 2015

VINYL RESURGENCE

and even modern albums don’t Skinner said even for people come at a low price. Recent releases who aren’t vinyl experts, the can sell for an average of $20 to difference in sound quality is still $30 per vinyl. very noticeable.

Additionally, there is a limit on According to DeFrench, the discography offered. Each vinyl has sound of vinyl tends to be more a certain amount of pressings, and realistic than those produced by this can make it hard to find copies. digital music files.

Turntables also come at a high cost.

“Any music can play through “[Turntables] can go from $90 anything,” DeFrench said. “But, to $100,” Colbert said. “You have there’s a little crackle to the old to invest in it if you really think (vinyl), and I like that.” you’re going to listen it to a lot.”

In addition to having a Colbert added that routinely different sound quality, the listening to records, as well as vinyl industry has also begun rough handling, can wear out the to modernize, inadvertently vinyl, causing the songs to skip changing the music industry as or stop playing well. Vinyls now completely. come in an array of “You really colors and designs.

DID YOU KNOW? have to be careful They can also be On average, Americans with storing cut into unique spend $109 million every (vinyl), because shapes. Turntables otherwise, themselves are year on music. People they’ll get kind upgrading too. spend only 2.5 percent of ruined,” “The record of it on vinyls, but over Colbert said. player I have is 35 percent to see live To d a y , actually electronic, concerts. there are many which is a lot NIELSEN.COM // SOURCE other options easier (to use) available for than other record people who players,” freshman enjoy listening music that forgo the Grace “Gracie” Field said. cost of vinyl and the upkeep that it “It’s convenient because of the requires. Services such as Spotify speakers, and you can plug your and iTunes offer thousands of songs headphones into it, so it’s a little and are much more affordable than more updated than the usual records. Digital services, such as record player.” the ones mentioned above, also According to Skinner, the allow users to shuffle or pick songs vinyl industry is advancing in they’d like to listen to. As a result, various other ways. Modern digital music is the preferred form labels are reprinting records that of music for many people. don’t have many copies currently According to Andy Skinner, available for purchase. As sales owner of music shop Indy CD increase, the prices of turntables and Vinyl, the difference in sound seem to be falling, making them quality between vinyl and digital more affordable as everyday files is actually highly noticeable. purchases for consumers.

“Sonically, a record does “Prices of turntables and sound better,” Skinner said via stereo components can vary email. “On a great sound system, wildly depending on what it is side-by-side, a record will sound you are trying to accomplish,” better than an mp3 (player).”

Skinner said. “But, with some

17

research, you can certainly put together a great turntable system without breaking the bank.”

Even having increased modernization and rising sales that are rising significantly faster than those of other forms of music, the successes

ON-DEMAND STREAMING

+54.5 percent (2013-2014)

INCLUDES AUDIO AND VIDEO

TOP DIGITAL ARTISTS ARTIST TAYLOR SWIFT

ALBUM

SALES

1989

1,409,000

VARIOUS ARTISTS FROZEN SAM SMITH SOUNDTRACK ED SHEERAN

IN THE LONELY HOUR GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY X

1,261,000 573,000 556,000 455,000

U.S. SALES BY FORMAT (2015) DIGITAL: 46 PERCENT VINYL: 5 PERCENT CD: 49 PERCENT

DIGITAL ALBUM SALES

-9.4 percent (2013 to 2014) of the vinyl SELENA QIAN // GRAPHIC industry may be only temporary.

NIELSEN.COM, MUSICBUSINESSCompeting companies WORLDWIDE.COM // SOURCES such as Apple have begun to release their own music services. This doesn’t worry Colbert, though, who said she enjoys simply listening to vinyl.

“I think it’s just a cooler experience listening to it right there,” Colbert said. “I don’t even know how the whole thing works, H but it just fascinates me.”

18

FEATURE

SEPT 16, 2015

FUNDING FORMULA

THE FUNDING FORMULA

CHS students find funds allocated to curriculum and extracurriculars efficient RAY JIANG // SPEAK-UPS

Here Comes the Money Auditorium sound shells: $100,000

CHS receives $15 million every year to spend on amenities and activities. Here’s where the money comes from and where it some of it goes to.

Clay Center Road: $300,000 Flooring and finishes: $1 million

Capital funds pay for the school building and class activities

Performing Arts instruments: $495,000

CHS

Studio Theater sound systems: $500,000 Fitness Center (2013): $6 million Synthetic turf (2014): $1.9 million Locker room improvements: $591,000

What constitutes a capital fund?

What other funds does CHS use?

Capital funds come from the money allotted to schools to pay for hardware projects, such as remodeling the building or purchasing new equipment. Capital funds come from property tax in Carmel.

The General Fund pays for teachers’ salaries, supplies, utilities and insurance. The Transportation Fund pays for buses to take students to and from school.

How do other Carmel Clay Schools use their funds?

For other funds, where else does CHS get money from?

For 2016, Towne Meadow Elementary School plans to spend $800,000 on floors and finishes. Carmel Clay Schools use their funds to manage 11 elementary schools, three middle schools, one high school, two transportation facilities and one administration building. That’s over 2.8 million square feet of facilities.

From Jan. 1 to Dec. 31 of this year, basic and performance grants awarded Carmel Clay Schools $85.6 million. Summer school and remediation revenues totaled $342,000 and $28,200, respectively. CHS earned $12,000 from choice scholarships.

SELENA QIAN, MELISSA YAP // GRAPHIC CARMEL CLAY SCHOOLS BUDGET BOOK // SOURCE

SEPT 16, 2015

FUNDING FORMULA

SPEAK UP!

19

INDIANA SCHOOL DISTRICTS FUNDING 2016-2017 REBECCA QIN // GRAPHIC

How do you decide where the money goes?

Was the money spent on a new weight room effective?

“It depends, because we use certain amounts of money that (the board of facilities) allocates out to the schools.

I will have had conversations with Mr. Williams and say, ‘We have need for flooring at your high school. You may also want a new (sound) system in your auditorium, and as the building principal, what do you think?’”

“(The old weight room) was basically like a storage closet. With Carmel growing, APC couldn’t have been the size it is today without the new one. The only differences I can see are the bar’s not rusted, new equipment, more room.

We just have to really be thankful for what we’ve got; we’ve got way more than everyone else.”

Roger McMichael, Associate Superintendent for Business Affairs

Joseph “Tony” Vitiritto, APC student and senior VISHNU VAID // PHOTOS

INCREASE

DECREASE

Hamilton Southeastern $24.3 million 4.2 percent

Indianapolis Public Schools $32.4 million 5.5 percent

Carmel Clay $15.1 million 2.8 percent Avon $9.7 million 1.2 percent

Gary $9.8 million 5.3 percent Muncie 4.6 million 5.3 percent

Westfield Marion 8.9 million 2.5 million 2.3 percent 2.1 percent CARMEL CLAY SCHOOLS BUDGET BOOK // SOURCE

PUT TO USE: Joseph “Tony” Vitiritto, APC student and senior, trains in the new weight room.

CHS allocated $6 million of its capital funds to build it in 2013.

In 2014, CHS used $1.9 million to replace the grass turf in two practice fields and the Murray Field soccer stadium.

DID YOU KNOW? The capital funding CHS received this year could buy 10 Ferrari LaFerraris, the most expensive model of sports car sold by that company. The $15 million is also equivalent to approximately 2.3 million boxes of the new sushi served at lunch.

CARMEL CLAY SCHOOLS BUDGET BOOK, CARANDDRIVER.COM // SOURCES

“If I had had a teacher like T.H. when I was a kid, I wouldn’t have quit studying music at such an early age.”

Anne McDowell, Parent

don’t look here.

(Can’t resist, Can ya?)

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

Serving Carmel, Fishers Classical, Contemporary Beginners Welcome Piano, Guitar, Bass

1-317-537-7661

visit

www.hilite.org for more info

why should you buy a

yearbook?

1.

because you’re in it. cash/check

Credit card 1 access a computer 2 yearbookordercenter.com 3 code 17177

Seniors:

1 obtain a form @ C145 2 fill out form 3 return to C145 or mail

headshots need to be taken at Prestige by

® $

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october

17

$15 sitting fee applies

Hamilton County World Tutoring and Training Center

Sign up online at www.hamiltoncountytutoring.com and use coupon code “CHS” to receive a $10 discount.

Offer expires September 30, 2015.

300 E. Main St. Suite B Carmel, IN 46032 317-571-0111

Writing Lab - Don’t fret about Shakespeare or that composition paper. Come to the writing lab and receive help any weekday!

Tutor Support - Walk on over and receive instruction any weekday if needed, for one low price!

SAT/ACT/ISTEP Test Prep Offered every Saturday!

Carmel High School 4th Avenue

Hamilton County World Tutoring and Training Center is right next to CHS.

Tutoring in Suite B

Main Street

The unique aspect about Hamilton County Tutoring is that students can come for an hour every weekday, for one set monthly price! Come as little or as much as you’d like! We’re here for you!

Carmel Clay Public Library

STUDENT SECTION

KELSEY ATCHENSON // STORY

HOMECOMING SPIRIT

SEPT 16, 2015

KELSEY ATCHENSON // STORY OLIVIA JACKO // GRAPHIC

unique items on a budget items to make you stand out hats non-pop culture wigs older, “vintage” items “prop” items

the basics. t-shirts socks shorts some can be re-worn after spirit days

reference: 2014 spirit days pajama

spirit week starts Sept. 21

blue & gold

tacky tourist

RELEASED 2015 HOMECOMING SPIRIT DAYS

usa day

western

monday: senior citizen Tuesday: Happy holidays Wednesday: Workout Wednesday Thursday: Safari Friday: blue & gold

WILD BUNCH AND BIG GAME CHANGES

SEPT 16, 2015

23

THE WILDER, THE BETTER

Wild Bunch and Big Game expand to the entire school, not just to seniors ALLEN ZHENG // STORY

F

SHREERAM THIRUNAVUKKARASU // PHOTO

or the first time in CHS history, Wild Bunch and Big Game Club are accepting students from all grade levels. Since they were previously only accepting senior, this is a change that affects all grades.

Most sophomores and juniors are very excited, but some seniors are disappointed with the change.

Big Game Club Sponsor Brad Pearson had been considering the idea for opening up the club to grades 10-12 instead of just seniors for a while. He said he had asked the senior class of 2015 and some current seniors for their opinion, and the majority opinion was to make the change.

“When there is a change made you will always have mixed feelings.

There are some seniors that didn’t like the change because they had waited until their senior year to be in Big Game,” Pearson said via email.

Wild Bunch member and senior Hanna Gates was excited to represent and be a part of the student section.

However, she wasn’t too thrilled about the new change.

“It’s definitely an awesome opportunity for the underclassmen,

but as a senior, it’s kind of disappointing since we waited 3 years to be in a ‘senior exclusive group,’” Gates said.

Fresh Game, however, still exists, which has the same motive as Big Game, but exclusively for freshmen. Last year’s Fresh Game co-president and current sophomore Griffin Gonzalez made Fresh Game very popular last year. This year, the previous freshmen and current sophomores are allowed to participate in Big Game.

“I think they [current sophomores] are excited to be a part of Big Game and partake in themes and be able to be a bigger part of Friday nights,” Gonzalez said.

Pearson said the main reason he made the change was because he did not like what the student section had become.

“When I was a senior at Carmel in ‘05 to ’06, we had Big Game and Wild Bunch but our underclassmen were just as involved in our student section as we were.” Pearson also added that CHS could win a spirit award this year due to more students being involved in the club. He said that he saw no downsides to having

SCHOOL SPIRIT: Members of Big Game cheer on the Women’s Varsity Soccer team during a game against Fishers. Big Game and Wild Bunch expanded their clubs this year.

more members.

In addition, Pearson said the Big Game club also strives to have a positive impact on the community.

Last year, they did the Breast Cancer Walk with the Making Strides foundation and placed in the top 5 in money donated. They plan on doing the same event this year, but with much more people in the club, they can be more successful.

The environment is different, however, with more grade levels.

However, Pearson intended for the seniors to be in charge of the club. Gonzalez also recognizes the importance of the seniors in the club.

“The thing is, we don’t want to take it away from seniors. That’s their thing, we still want them in the front row. We’re not taking that away from them because it’s a senior thing and that’s what’s so great about being a senior,” Gonzalez said.

He says the games are still very enjoyable and just as fun as last year, if not more. With over three times as many people as before in the club this yeard, they are one step closer to winning the spirit award. Gonzalez thinks there is no reason that they H cannot win them.

24

STUDENT SECTION

SEPT 16, 2015

FRESHMEN TRANSITION

FRESH(MAN) YEAR, FRESH START

Freshmen from small schools deal with the transition to CHS population of 5,011 students JASMINE LAM // STORY

P

rior to this school year, freshman Caroline Meador attended Sycamore School, a private school in Indianapolis that currently has an enrollment of 419 students ranging from preschool to eighth grade. Meador said she was looking forward to moving schools and transitioning from Sycamore to a large school such as CHS that has a population of 5,011 students this school year.

“I visited private schools, and I’d been going to Sycamore since the first grade. So I’ve decided that I wanted to go to a bigger school where I could meet more people and be more outgoing and have a lot more opportunities,” Meador said. “I felt really good about (transitioning from Sycamore to CHS).”

“I made my own routine, so (transitioning to CHS) wouldn’t be crazy. I didn’t pay attention to other people; I just focused to what I was doing, and that really got me off to a

GKOM Time: Freshman Caroline Meador talks to her GKOMs during a GKOM Connections session. Meador said she was able to transition smoothly from Sycamore School to CHS .

good start,” Meador said. “(My first impression of CHS) was crowded and big. But on the first day of school, it wasn’t bad.”

Anatomy teacher Erin Odya said she had a similar experience when she graduated from Edgewood High School in southern Indiana. “(At CHS), there is a place for everyone. There’s always a person who shares the same interest with you, and the course offerings are amazing. We wouldn’t be able to offer the insane number of AP classes if we didn’t have this huge population,” Odya said. “The opportunities are just phenomenal, and you don’t get that just from the small schools.”

Odya said there are still some adjustments that need to be made.

“My graduating class was 107, and I think now it’s probably between 175 and 200 for each graduating class. We (students at Edgewood High School) knew everyone in the whole school. The seniors knew all of the freshmen. Then here, you don’t

know everyone in your graduating class, so I cannot imagine what it would be like for a student,” Odya said.

As a student who went to Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic School, student body president Mary Caltrider said the student population of CHS benefits her and students who had originally attended private schools before enrolling at CHS. “I came to the frosh rock and saw all these different clubs and could not believe it. At smaller schools, there aren’t as many opportunities offered like here. I am the type of person that enjoys getting involved so seeing all these different things made me love the school even more,” Caltrider said via email. “I think the size of Carmel is perfect. I love attending a big school with so many different people and interests. I like the idea that I can walk into a random classroom and not know one person. It’s awesome to have the chance to make new friends H whenever you want.”

SHRADDHA RAMNATH // PHOTO

SABRINA MI // GRAPHIC

These are the average sizes of elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools across the country in 2012.

Elementary

850 Number of students

Comparing CHS

Middle

1220 High

2000 CHS

5010

Number of rural, suburban and urban schools in the United States 12%- Towns 11,856 schools

25%- Rural 29,219 schools

34%Suburban 24,476 schools

29%- Cities 22,522 schools

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2012).

HOMECOMING BOOTHS + NATIONAL COFFEE DAY

SEPT 16, 2015

SPEAK UPS!

25

KALEA MIAO // STORY VISHNU VAID, SARA YUNG // PHOTOS

What are your homecoming booth plans?

“It’s a great time to release stress after a day of school, and play ping pong with some really good players. Just get hype. We will be getting a table for our booth.”

“We’re planning an activity where the prospective students might be able to draw topics or pick topics that are relevant to them, and then they can try debating it with other people.”

Ping Pong Club President and Senior Neil Shah

Debate President and Junior Michael Wang

“This year at our homecoming booth we are planning on either doing cookies or some sort of sweet treat. We are very excited for Project Sunshine this year. The money from this booth will be going directly towards Project Sunshine. You make new friendships and meet new people who love helping others as much as you do. People should join Project Sunshine if they like enjoy helping others.”

Project Sunshine President and Sophomore Hannah Bromm

C

offee ontents

POURING CLOSER TO HOME: The Carmel Cafe offers their own versions of all of these drinks but could

With National Coffee Day coming up on Sept. 9, here’s a look at the components of some popular coffee drinks.

ELLIE CLARK , HANNAH GLAZIER // STORY

CHOCOLATE CHIP FRAPPUCCINO LATTE

57 percent ice 4.8 percent sugar 7.1 percent mocha syrup 19 percent milk 11 percent chocolate chips

75 percent milk 25 percent coffee concentrate

MOCHA* The Carmel Cafe started as a way to fund DECA’s International Career Development Conference (ICDC) trip. All proceeds from the cafe, about 60 cents per cup, help to fund the club.

J

13th century: People in Arabia first roasted coffee beans.

1400

43 percent ice 8.1 percent sugar 5.4 percent caramel 22 percent milk 22 percent coffee

*For a white chocolate mocha, substitute white chocolate syrup for the chocolate syrup.

EVAN SHAW, JACK REINKE, NCAUSA.ORG, ALLRECIPES. COM, STARBUCKS.COM, DUNKINDONUTS.COM // SOURCES

ava ournal: A History of Coffee 1200

CARAMEL FRAPPUCCINO

4 percent whipped cream 80 percent milk 8 percent chocolate syrup 8 percent espresso

1600

mid-1600s: Coffee brought to New Amsterdam.

1800

1950: First Dunkin’ Donuts opens in Quincy, MA.

1615: Coffee arrives 1773: Coffee becomes the beverage of choice in Venice, Italy. in the Americas after the Boston Tea Party.

2000

1971: First Starbucks opens in Seattle, WA.

SELENA QIAN // GRAPHIC

international intelligence Students from abroad studying for a diploma in the United States increase in numbers, especially in high schools that were previously dominated by student-exchange programs.

Story by Lizzie Barker Photographs by Sarah Liu and Swetha Nakshatri

A

s senior Fangyi Deng comes home to a compact household with his aunt, uncle, cousin, grandparents and mother, he makes an alleviated shift from speaking English to speaking Cantonese, a southern dialect of Chinese.

In September of 2011, Deng moved from Guangzhou, China to Carmel with his mother while his father remained in the People’s Republic of China for his job.

“The first time I stepped foot in the United States, there were a lot of people, and the air was pretty nice,” Deng said. “I always wanted to (go to America). It was just a gradual process.”

Walking the halls of CHS, Deng is among the many international students who have moved to the United States in search of increased opportunity. According to a study issued by the Institute of International Education (IIE), a nonprofit organization that evaluates the safety and quality of culturalexchange programs, more than 73,000 international students acquired a secondary-level education in the United States as of October 2013, a number that continues to increase.

28

David Mikesell, coordinator of international student enrollment and counselor, said the possible opportunities available for international students in the United States as well as at CHS in particular are helpful for international students.

“A lot of it is just family relocation.

(The United States) is the land of opportunity,” Mikesell said. “For some students, the United States is what they look to.”

“I don’t think that it’s “In high school in China, you don’t get by accident that they end up in Carmel. I think they to choose what class you take. Everyone end up here because the takes the same class and same school district is so great,” Jeannine Robling, English difficulty so if you are weaker than your as a New Language (ENL) classmates then you don’t have the option. Instructional Assistant (IA) said. “They know We all take the same class so it is really that it’s a place were ENL limited choices” students can thrive.”

- Senior Fangyi Deng As foreign exchange students have long been part of many American The more recent influx of international students is high schools, international students motivated by possibilities of advantageous conditions in the have outnumbered the amount of United States. students received through exchange “I came not only for the better education and opportunity, programs. but also life in general,” Deng said. “The United States is a The number of international developed country and I felt like people have a lot of freedom students enrolled directly in U.S. and liberty to make free choices.” secondary programs more than tripled from fall 2004 to fall 2013, A “GOOD” DIFFERENT while the number of exchange Sophomore Shubh Dholu moved from Gujarat , a city students grew only about 15 percent in Ahmedabad, India four months ago. Dholu moved to the during the same period, the IIE United States due to business and the marriage of his aunt and study found. While cultural exchange now lives with his mother and father. Similar to Deng, Dholu programs remain popular, Mikesell said he finds there is a difference of opportunity and choice in said the United States has become comparison to his previous school in India. a destination spot for international “In this school there (are) like 5,010 (students) and in students and their parents.

India it was 1,000 people max in one school,” Dholu said.

“The percentage is really pretty “There are more options with more (students).” pronounced,” Mikesell said. “You Deng said he notices a range of limitation in terms of can see it walking in our hallways. academic opportunities in Chinese schools as compared to The parents are looking to afford the variety of options at CHS. better opportunities for their “In high school in China, you don’t get to choose what children that they may not have in class you take. Everyone takes the same class and same their home country.” difficulty, so if you are weaker than your classmates then you In the same report from IIE, don’t have the option. We all take the same class so it is really compared to Australia, Canada and limited choices,” Deng said. the United Kingdom, the United

States hosts a much large number of secondary school students, which is also the case at the postsecondary level.

“They are not an isolated group. It is a large group of students and they are able to mix well with our students,” Mikesell said.

In addition, Mikesell said students are likely to pursue “social and cultural” goals and provide CHS students with perspective.

“They have had a multicultural experience,” Mikesell said. “They’ve lived abroad and some of our students haven’t had that opportunity. It’s good for our students to be able to talk to others who’ve been in different situations; who’ve been in different countries.

They expand their world view.”

A SECOND EDUCATION

Having only lived in the United States for one month, junior Artur Fagundes moved from Porto Alegre, a city in the south of Brazil. He came

International Host States by the Numbers

17.6 percent of international secondary students reside in California, the largest host state

< 2.3 percent of international secondary students reside in Indiana

KATIE LONG // GRAPHIC INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION // SOURCE

A HOME AWAY FROM HOME: Senior Fangyi Deng, an international student from China, chats with his grandfather in Cantonese at his house in Carmel.

According to Deng, he not only came to the United States for a better education but also came for a better life in general.

to the United States with his parents and his sister because his parents aspired to study at IUPUI. As he notices similarities between the city of Indianapolis and his city in Brazil, he said American culture impacted his views.

“I think that what most impacted me was that all the people are educated.

They open the door for you. This is not normal in Brazil; they throw trash on the ground,” Fagundes said. “Here is way better in this aspect. I like Carmel because it’s calm. You go to your house and it’s quiet, which is different in Brazil because there is music all around.”

In addition, the worldwide cultural view that these international students provide to CHS includes proficiency in languages. Deng is proficient in Cantonese, Mandarin and English; Dholu is proficient in Gujarati,

Hindi, Sanskrit and English; Fagundes is proficient in Portuguese, Spanish and English.

Similar to Deng, Dholu and Fagundes, the IIE study noted nearly 70 percent of the 73,000 international students enrolled in American high schools in 2013 were pursuing their entire degree in the United States.

Mikesell said, “Once those students are here, they are really judged in comparison to their peers from these American schools. Some colleges don’t necessarily give added weight to a student being an international student, whereas, if they were coming from their home country, the colleges are always trying to build a well-rounded student body and so they might take a certain amount of foreign students, but once the students are here they are

really treated like an American student,” Mikesell said.

In addition to the variety of opportunities for the international students, CHS provides programs to ensure they are academically and socially prepared.

CHS provides an ENL program in order to assist in assimilation and American-style teaching so international students can improve and understand the English language.

“The big thing for those students is, depending on their English level when they get here, is just being able to study in English,” Mikesell said. “That’s where having our ENL classes, and taking English every day can help them along the way. A lot of those students, they are used to working hard in their countries, but maybe they don’t have all of the resources that we have here so that they can really speed things up. I think a lot of those students are hungry for education. They have goals and they are eager to do well here; they are eager to go on to college and do well.”

LEARNING A NEW LANGUAGE

According to Kara House, ENL progress monitor and science teacher, within the program, ENL students get special instruction in English in a more sheltered

29

GLOBAL

EDUCATION

ACCORDING TO THE UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATION, INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS ARE THOSE WHO ENROLL FOR A HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTION IN THE UNITED STATES ON A TEMPORARY VISA.

F-1 VISA // A NONIMMIGRANT VISA FOR THOSE WISHING TO STUDY IN THE UNITED STATES FOR A DIPLOMA 33% OF INTERNATIONAL SECONDARY STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN EXCHANGE PROGRAMS

33%

67%

J-1 VISA // A NONIMMIGRANT VISA OFFERED BY PROFESSORS TO PROMOTE CULTURAL EXCHANGE 67% OF SECONDARY STUDENTS ARE ENROLLED IN U.S. HIGH SCHOOLS FOR A DIPLOMA

95 % of F-1 international students attend private schools for secondary education; only 5 % attend public. For postsecondary, 65% attend public, 35% attend private schools.

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN

# OF STUDENTS

CHINA S. KOREA GERMANY MEXICO BRAZIL VIETNAM SPAIN JAPAN THAILAND ITALY TAIWAN NORWAY

23,562 // 32.3% 8,777 // 12.0% 7,130 // 9.8% 2,659 // 3.6% 2,292 // 3.1% 2,289 // 3.1% 2,125 // 2.9% 1,959 // 2.7% 1,827 // 2.5% 1,718 // 2.4% 1,330 // 1.8% 1,325 // 1.8%

30 MATTHEW HAN // GRAPHIC INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION, UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL // SOURCES

LEARNING TOGETHER: ENL IA Jeannine Robling helps junior Andro Tawadrous, an international student, with social studies homework. Robling said her favorite part of her job as an ENL IA was the knowledge she has gained about different cultures. “We both learn together,” Robling said.

environment. Additionally, House said CHS is introducing new aspects to Global Connections, a club that associates with international activities.

“Right now, the first piece of Global Connections is the tutoring part that we have started, where nonENL students are tutoring or just helping (ENL students) study during SRT and helping out ENL students,” House said. “The second component of that will be more club activity-type things. That will start sometime this semester and that will be a club for any student. It’s open to international or native students that are interested in learning about their cultures. The third component of the Global Connections will not happen until next year, but it will be more of a one-on-one mentoring program. When new students come in, they will have another student mentor to help them with the transition and every aspect.”

Robling said the ENL program is an asset to the living and learning of the international students at CHS.

“I think it really helps them,” she said. “I think it just introduces them to Carmel High School and really makes the feel a part of a smaller community because it’s such a big school. I think it would be even more difficult if they were on their own in a school of 5,000 people, but we have Egyptian friends who are friends with Chinese people; just unlikely friendships that occur because we are this tight-knit community. I do like the sense of community. I feel like we are all in this together. I never want them to feel like they are separate from anybody. They are ENL students, but they are Carmel High School students.

That’s who they are.”

A WHOLE NEW WORLD

Despite the opportunities these international students pursue in their English language studies, there is an unexploited awareness of the difficulty of assimilation to a new country: it’s a whole new world.

“It’s always hard adjusting because you’re not just dealing with learning

academic things, but you are also learning new cultures, new foods, new friends, a whole new way of life,” Robling said.

“That combined with new content material; it’s really difficult for them.”

“The worst part is the friends, the group, timing; it’s just tiring,” Dholu said. “I want to tell that it’s not easy to come in a different place. It’s a little hard, but its fun. Its good to experience new things.”

Drawn by the prospect of a more comprehensive, global education, the more significant impact for these international students is the assurance that they can search for positivity in the experience.

“I miss Brazil,” Fagundes said. “The first day was a little bit difficult, but now I am getting better. I just am loving high school. Big school, different classmates, guys from all over the world. I like this.”

Deng said the impact of his relocation to the United States is evident in his perspective and his character.

“Personality-wise, I became more outgoing,” Deng said.

“I think I became more willing to try new things because of the living environment and also, more willing to meet new people. My opinions on things change everyday because I have another additional viewpoint.”

Dholu, blushing, said, “My first time in the United States was wonderful. I was so delighted when I landed in Chicago,” H he said. “It was beautiful.”

31

E N T E RTA I N M E N T

SEPT 16, 2015

NEW PERFORMING GROUPS

(PER)FORMING NEW GROUPS

Orchestra and choir alter programs based on students’ changing needs ADITYA BELAMKAR, PRANAV SRIRAM // STORY

SWETHA NAKSHATRI // PHOTO

D

ue to a rapidly changing and expanding student body, the performing arts department established and reformed the New Edition choir and the Festival Orchestra this year to meet students’ needs.

Catherine Qing, Festival Orchestra member and sophomore, said, “(The directors) wanted to do something new and Festival Orchestra is just a new concept, and I think they want to try that out and make a new experience.”

According to Nicholas “Nick” Gemelas, New Edition choir member

and sophomore, the new choir is a good transition between the more relaxed and the intense show choirs.

The New Edition choir has existed in the past, but the choir was remodeled for this year. In particular, the revamped choir now accepts both males and females instead of only females, as was customary before.

John Burlace, New Edition choir director, said he sees New Edition as a preparatory program exclusively for sophomores to learn about being a part of a show choir.

He said, “Sophomores are at a certain place in their development; we can focus on certain things in their

HANDLING HARMONIES: Elisabeth OhlyDavis, one of the directors for the new Festival orchestra, works with students to improve style during a rehearsal. This new orchestra has planned on participating at the ISSMA Jazz Contest.

development and growth.”

However, development is not the only focus of the choir, according to Burlace.

“We are excited (for) the opportunity to give younger students (a chance) to compete,” Burlace said.

The new program also puts a greater focus on competition, as well as other changes, to allow it to fit the evolving needs of students.

Margaret Hite, associate director of orchestras, has a somewhat similar approach and said changes were needed in the orchestra program. She said she wanted students to find the right class for themselves.

NEW PERFORMING GROUPS

SEPT 16, 2015

“Looking at the needs of the students, we needed a second intermediate advanced program,” Hite said.

The new Festival Orchestra also implemented dramatic changes.

Hite said the new class will focus on exposing students to different forms of music.

Qing said, “We are going to be playing jazz music, which is completely different from what we normally play.”

In addition to jazz, the Festival Orchestra will also play fiddle and rock music.

“The technique is a little bit different; the rhythms are a lot different,” Hite said.

This difference might be hard for students to grasp, but according to Hite, many of the fundamentals remain the same. The new rhythms and technique can often give students some trouble. As a result, she is focusing on students achieving different sounds.

The New Edition choir will also introduce new concepts. “(The changes in the choir) change the type of music, it changes the singing, because guys’ and girls’ voices are different, the choreography changes,” Burlace said. “It’s pretty

DIVYA ANNAMALAI // PHOTO DANCING WITH THE STARS: Sophomore Nicholas “Nick” Gemelas performs a routine as a member of the New Edition choir. According to Gemelas, New Edition has combined aspects of a typical choir and of a show choir.

Before

Traditional Repertoire: Classical Music

Before

Female only No competitions Sophomores Juniors and Seniors

Festival Orchestra

What’s New? Festival Orchestra and New Edition choir both have new concepts this year.

New Edition

MARGARET HITE, JOHN BURLACE // SOURCE

After

Alternative Repertoire: Jazz and Rock

After

Male and Female Show Choir Competetions Sophomores only

ADITYA BELAMKAR // GRAPHIC

33 much artistic things that are changing.”

Gemelas already notices the changes in the choir. “It’s a show choir so you do a lot of showy stuff but it’s more than just singing; you’re also adding dance and you do travel a bit,” he said.

The New Edition is putting a larger emphasis on the “show” aspect of the show choir. Burlace said, “They’ll have to learn a lot more choreography and polish their skills a lot more.”

According to Gemelas, the New Edition choir is a 50-50 split between more competitive show choir and relaxed normal choir.

The Festival Orchestra also strives for balance. “It’s less of a time commitment than the traditional Philharmonic and the Symphony orchestra but it’s still like an intermediate-advanced orchestra,” Qing said.

The orchestra will have numerous performances with one main competition. The group will compete in March at the Indiana State School Music Association (ISSMA) Jazz Contest to showcase its new, alternative repertoire.

The New Edition choir will also compete this year. “We take a trip to New York and I think there’s one competition there. The other competitions will probably be something local like ISSMA,” Gemelas said.

According to Burlace, the New Edition choir will compete in the preparatory division instead of the varsity division where the Accents and Ambassadors compete. He said this is meant to prepare the students for their future in show choir.

Burlace said, “I expect them to have a great time, I expect them to represent this school, I expect them to surprise people on stage.”

The departments would like to see their respective programs grow and take on some new challenges in the future.

Hite said, “I just want to see (the new program) survive and thrive, and keep kids interested in H playing their instruments.”

34

E N T E RTA I N M E N T

COLOR GUARD

SEPT 16, 2015

WAVING A NEW MEN-TALITY Color guard allows male students to join for the first time SITHA VALLABHANENI // STORY

O

n the chs color guard page on the Carmel Bands website, there is a paragraph describing how color guard teaches teenage girls life skills such as time management and work ethic. It also mentions how hard the girls in color guard work. However, this year, for the first time in CHS history, the color guard will include two male students.

Junior Josh Khantsis, one of the two males in color guard, said that he was fascinated by color guard when he first saw them at the performing arts convocation.

After that, he saw many other

performances by CHS’s color guard. He also saw color guard performances from other high schools and colleges.

“I always wanted to be in a sport where I’m friends with a lot of the people and just kind of have that little group there,” Khantsis said.

“I watched a ton of guard stuff on YouTube and I was like, ‘Wow, this is really cool. I don’t just want to watch this, I actually want to do this.’”

Color guard director Rosie Queen said, via email, she always wanted about 10 to 15 guys to join, so, according to Khantsis, when he emailed her she told him that she wanted him to find other male

STAND STRONG: Junior Josh Khantsis practices with fellow guard members.

Color guard has practices most days after school as well as sometimes before school.

SARA YUNG // PHOTO students to join because she worried that people would mainly look at the two guys during a performance.

Khantsis said, “I think that’s true, and Rosie Queen gave me a really good example earlier in the year. She was saying, ‘Let’s say everybody dyes their hair black for the show, and there’s one person that forgets and they have bleachblonde hair. Who are you going to look at in the show? Obviously the person in the bleach-blonde hair.’”

“You can easily tell in shows, especially when girls have their hair down, who’s a girl and who’s a guy.

In drum corps and independent guards, which are guards past high

SEPT 16, 2015

COLOR GUARD

35

school, there’s an equal ratio of The Recent History of Carmel Color Guard guys and girls. If we were on the field, everybody would know that Male students begin training there’s a guy,” Khantsis said. “Since with the Carmel color guard for Carmel’s famous with guard and the first time marching band, people would be like, ‘Oh my god, Carmel has a guy,’ and they’d only pay attention Color guard marches in Macy’s Thanksgiving to the guy.”

Day Parade Senior Jessica Baugher, who has been in guard for three years, said she was excited that there were guys 8th graders allowed to Carmel world guard joining color guard because she march with guard in “Stop wins first WGI world and Smell the Roses” has always wanted to dance with championship a guy. She also said she’s proud of Khantsis and junior George Rosie Queen Schrader for picking up color guard Carmel guard wins becomes director of skills quickly.

Winter Guard International Carmel color guard Queen said that the CHS (WGI) open class color guard has always been open to having males in the color guard, and there are thousands ROSIE QUEEN // SOURCE ALLEN ZHANG // GRAPHIC of males in color guard across the have potential, but need a little to beat what we did last year. Our country. Even though CHS didn’t Color guard bit more push until they get to the instructor, Rosie, is an amazing have males up until this year, it is terminology world guard level. Lastly, the highest woman that can come up with common in the nation for males to Swing flag level of color guard is the world great ideas on the spot. I think participate in color guard.

Small flags guard. Performers in world guard we won because of our efforts, “Having males in the guard attached to compete in the and because she knew who we are changes the short poles and World Guard and what our weaknesses and our dynamics of the come in pairs International strengths were.” types of shows we ( W G I ) Queen said she agrees about the can do effectively, DID YOU KNOW? Chain flag competition. experience of winning. so this is something Flag’s silk is Over 10,000 color guard Since she She said, “Our girls received a we will consider as threaded with performers compete each started color huge standing ovation when they the years go on and heavy metal chain year at the World Guard guard, Baugher finished their show ...that was hopefully the male Baton International competition. has been in award enough for us.” membership will Long poles world guard.

Queen also said this year There will be a regional grow. It’s usually a that are Last year, Carmel’s color guard has the largest lot of fun for boys in competition in Indianapolis tossed and spun performers group they’ve ever had with 71 guard because there on Feb. 20-21, 2016. in world members. Additionally, the color are lots of female Rifle guard went to guard will train frequently during fans out there that Plastic gun that’s WGI.ORG // SOURCE WGI at the spun and shows guard’s the fall in order to reach the same scream and cheer on University of caliber of competition with the military origins those talented males Dayton Arena world guard. Baugher said she is like rock stars,” she Saber in Dayton, excited about what Queen will do said.

Sword-like object with Ohio, and they were named world for winter guard.

In CHS, all of the performers a hilt at the end, champions.

Baugher said, “I believe that in color guard participate in Fall usually plastic or steel “Really you can’t explain Rosie knows that we do have all of Guard with the marching band. (winning) in words, to be honest. that talent. I think that we’ll have Drum corps Then in the winter, there are three You just have to be there. My such a great show this winter guard Musical unit that levels of guard. The bottom level is favorite memory of being in world performs with brass, because of how different we all are. the junior varsity guard composed percussion and guard was being able to have the But I really don’t think it matters of middle school students wanting color guard experience of everybody cheering, where we are and what place we get guard exposure before high school. raising up and crying with my because all that matters is that we do The middle guard is called the “A sisters,” Baugher said. guard.” According to Khantsis, A COLORGUARDEDUCATOR. our best run through and that we’re COM // SOURCE there for each other.”

“I have no idea how we’re going H Guard consists of the people who

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36

E N T E RTA I N M E N T

MEDIA “WHITEWASHING”

SEPT 16, 2015

WASHING DOWN ‘NEVERLAND’

“Whitewashing” continues to influence media CORY STEELE, RACHAEL TAN // STORY VISHNU VAID // PHOTO

T

he words “Peter Pan” invoke images of a quintessential childhood fantasy movie: the fantastical island Neverland, the sly, charming titular character, the glittering pixie Tinker Bell and the tribe of “Injuns” with their beautiful princess Tiger Lily. “Pan,” a live-action remake of the classic story, which comes out on Oct. 9, has drawn criticism for leaving out a key element: the “Injuns” are no longer Native American, and Tiger Lily is a white woman.

The controversy surrounding this movie is a relatively common Hollywood practice called “whitewashing.” The term has taken on new meanings and implications in recent years: while the term with its original definition simply denoted any sort of “glossing over” of content, some now use the term specifically to label situations in which white people play non-white characters.

The new meaning of the term is charged with implications of racism in the content creators.

Junior Nick Smith said he believes there is a definite lack of people of

DID YOU KNOW? The casting of the actress Rooney Mara as Tiger Lily led to an online petition that urged Warner Bros. to stop casting Caucasian actors to play people of color.

The petition gained more than 20,000 signatures supporting the accusation.

IMDB // SOURCE

color in the media and thinks there should be better representation of different races.

“Better representation would be when there’s a picture in someone’s head, you want to represent that accurately instead of falsely,” he said. “You want the right people to act the part.”

According to Katie Kelly, AP World History teacher, racism in the media now is a continuation of racism in history.

“I think for a long time people used blackface…Over time, as black people actually took over those roles, they were seen as caricatures and not as leading men or women,” she said. “A lot of people in writing and movies, in their minds, see the heroine or the hero as a white face still today, not 100 percent across the board, but I do believe that there are far more white faces in leading roles than faces of color.”

Sophomore Reese Nordeen has participated in stage shows and said there is often racism in the audition process, with roles that could go to nonwhite people usually not going to them.

“(It’s) just something I know about the industry,” he said. “It comes from back further in history; like the beginning of television when…racial discrimination was still a big thing, and it’s just kind of carried over. There’s not equality across the entire industry.”

Smith said whitewashing also leaves out role models for non-white kids. He said it is important for kids of other races to have role models in areas of achievement they aspire to who are similar to themselves. To him, whitewashing might make kids think there is no room for them in the fields they wish to pursue, and limits exist because of race.

Racism is not the only issue with casting choices. “Stonewall,” which comes out Sept. 25, depicts the story of the Stonewall riots, which took place in 1969 and were important historical events in the modern LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) rights movement. While gender nonconforming people of color were at the center of these riots, the movie tells the story of a fictional white cis (non-transgender) man named Danny

MOVIE MINORITIES This isn’t the first time whitewashing has occured in Hollywood films. Take a look at a few examples.

IMBD // SOURCE Demographics in Hollywood movies

Demographics in USA

White

Hispanic

Other

Black

THE LONE RANGER

PAN

This 2015 film is a new take on the classic Peter Pan story. Tiger Lily, an “Injun,” in the movie is played by Rooney Mara, a white woman.

This 2013 movie had depicted Tonto, the Native American as stereotypical, played by Johnny Depp.

To add to that, in the ‘50s and ‘60s, the Lone Ranger TV show had casted a Native American for the role.

This 2010 fantasy movie was “whitewashed” when Jake Gyllenhaal was casted as a Persian prince.

Moreover, the charaters all have English accents.

Asian

JAI SANGHANI, SHIVA VALLABHANENI // GRAPHIC

P RI NCE O F PE RSIA

SEPT 16, 2015

Winters (Jeremy Irvine). The movie faces criticism for erasing the history and struggle of both the transgender and non-white people involved.

Sophomore Elliot Frakine, a transgender person, said he is not terribly surprised about the casting of Stonewall.

“Hollywood is doing what they always do: whitewashing and erasing certain things they feel that wouldn’t get them money,” he said. “It shows that really being transgender is less acceptable than being gay and they’re erasing the ‘T’ from the LGBTQIA+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual).”

According to a 2014 GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) report, shows containing members of the LGBT community take up only 3.9 percent of all broadcast networks in the media, and Frakine said he wishes to see a larger representation sometime in the near future.

“To the casting directors, thanks for trying, but if you’re going to go through with this, you need to stop (erasing certain parts of the LGBTQIA+), think about what you’re doing, because obviously you’re not listening to the outcries of the people who feel like they’re being erased,” he said.

Nordeen said whitewashing can be harmful, especially in the case of a movie like Stonewall, which depicts a historical event. He said, “I would totally believe that if I didn’t know (the truth) before. It just brings a false representation of what actually happened, and so the viewer’s uneducated about the actual event…I probably have false representations of what actually happened for different events.” H

MEDIA “WHITEWASHING”

37

BLACK AND WHITE: Junior Nick Smith stands with his face painted in white to give a visual representation of “whitewashing.” Smith believes that because of “whitewashing” in media, non-white kids lack a role model. Growing up, Smith’s role model was his father, and he said seeing him achieve things made him believe he could as well.

38

E N T E RTA I N M E N T

STUDIO ONE ACTS

SEPT 16, 2015

BREAK A LEG

Students to perform Studio One Acts Oct. 1 to 3 MANAHIL NADEEM // STORY

f

rom Oct. 1 to 3, the cast of Studio One Acts will present a series of plays in the Studio Theater at 7 p.m.

According to Madelaine Withers, student director and senior, the short plays are a great way to kick off the theater department year. The acts are for anyone who enjoys fast-moving comedy and drama.

“Since it’s the first big performance the theater has in the year, it’s a super fun and easy way to get introduced to the theater,” Withers said. “They’re funny. They’re quirky. They’re short.

As a whole, it’s just a fun time for the audience,” she said. “I am really looking forward to just being able to direct myself completely and see how it comes out on stage.”

Students direct the Studio One Acts. The four directors are responsible for casting and preparing their own play.

“The acts are great because we get to learn to collaborate with our cast members and see what we, as a team, can do,” Withers said. “Being involved in the acts helps students become more involved in school and more confident with themselves and interacting with other students. I know that I was really shy before I joined theater, but it has truly been great experience for me.”

According to Withers, the directors

STUDIO ONE ACT PERFORMANCES Oct. 1 to 3 (7 p.m. every day) All performances done by CHS students BRYCE CHENG // GRAPHIC

VISHNU VAID // PHOTO chose four published, comedic plays that the audience will find interesting.Students will also perform plays titled The Future is in Your Tiny Hands, Backflip, Appearances and Arabian Nights.

According to Jim Peterson, director of theater and film, as well as producer of this year’s shows, the audience should look forward to the uniqueness and humor of these plays.

“The plays are usually 10 to 15 minutes long and end with a twist that the audience can look forward to,” Peterson said.

LOUD AND CLEAR: Senior Aaron Guevara, and junior Jessica “Jessie” Ballard rehearse for the upcoming show with the help and guidance of their student director.

“I live off the thrill of the audience,” Ballard said.

“None of the plays this year have anything in common, which I think adds to the randomness and craziness of these plays,” Peterson said. “I’ve been doing this for a long time, and I just think it’s fun to watch the relief on the student face when they see that the audience is enjoying their hard work.”

Withers said she hopes the Studio One Acts will be an amazing experience for everyone. She said, “It’s a production entirely directed, taught and performed by students for the enjoyment of all audiences.” H

Backflip: A man visits his psychiatrist because he thinks he is being followed and watched by a a live audience.

The Future is in Your Tiny Hands: A group of students in class have an election for a class president.

Appearances: A woman frantically tries to find a dress to wear to a party to impress a man. She is helped by a stressed saleswoman.

Arabian Nights: A traveler meets a beautiful, young woman. His interpreter twists his translations to make the two fall in love.

E N T E RTA I N M E N T B R I E F S

SEPT 16, 2015

39

Entertainment Briefs DEAR FAT PEOPLE EA Sports announced that Alex Morgan, U.S. women’s national team star and World Cup winner, will grace the cover of ‘FIFA 16’ in the United States.

For the first time in franchise history, women will be included in this year's installment of the popular video game.

Gamers can play exclusively with 12 national teams: whether it be in kick off mode, offline tournament or online friendly matches.

EA SPORTS // SOURCE

.

A Canadian YouTuber has become the center of online fury after posting a video accused of fat-shaming.

Nicole Arbour posted a video called "Dear Fat People" to YouTube and Facebook last week, in which she claims fat-shaming "is not a thing." Since posting the video, which has over 20 million views on Facebook, Arbour has faced backlash online and even briefly had her YouTube account taken down.

GUARDIAN // SOURCE APPLE // SOURCE

This device was was unveiled at the company’s Sept. 9 event in San Francisco. The Apple TV has a new operating system, tvOS, which will allow developers to create apps for it, with a heavy focus on gaming.

It has deep integration with Siri, the voice-controlled personal assistant of the iPhone. Apple TV also has an impressive, touch sensitive remote that is used to select programs and is motion sensitive for use in gaming.

The Apple TV goes on sale in October, $149 for the 32GB model and $199 for the 64GB version.

IMBD // SOURCE

An all new adventure is set in the wizarding world created by J.K. Rowling. Filming started Aug. 17 at Warner Bros. Studios, under the direction of David Yates, who helmed the last four “Harry Potter” feature films. “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” is forecasted to release in 2016. Academy Award winner Eddie Redmayne ("The Theory of Everything") stars as Newt Scamander, the wizarding world’s preeminent magizoologist, 70 years before Harry Potter first went to Hogwarts.

SPORTS

S E P T. 1 6 2 0 1 5

MALE-DOMINATED COACHING

SAME GAME

Recent developments in coaching gender equality causes Carmel to analyze its own coaching staff KELSEY ATCHESON // STORY

R

ecently, female coaches have been dominating headlines everywhere for attaining coaching positions on male professional sporting teams. Becky Hammon was not only hired as an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs, but also led them on to victory during the NBA’s Las Vegas summer league tournament. Along with Hammon, the Arizona Cardinals hired Jen Welter as an assistant coaching intern during the preseason, making her the first female coach in the NFL. In addition to the NBA and NFL, men’s tennis and the NHL have also seen women coaches joining their organizations.

Despite these national advances in gender equality in coaching, at CHS, five out of 21 varsity head coaches are female and they all coach female teams.

According to Athletic Director Jim Inskeep, this is because few positions are available in female sports and female coaches often find it harder to stay in the profession uninterrupted by personal affairs.

“This year, a lot of the openings we had for the school year with our

ELLIE CLARK // PHOTO

HUDDLE UP: Head women’s volleyball coach, Matt Fishman, discusses strategy with his players.

The women’s volleyball team is one of the many female teams at CHS with a male coach.

athletic teams were not in female sports,” Inskeep said. He went on to explain how CHS has occasionally hired females to coach for male sports, such as the recent hiring of tennis assistant coach Casey Walker.

When hiring, Inskeep said he looks for a strong communicator who has an understanding of the game rather than gender. “We just want to get the best person possible to work with our kids,”

Inskeep said, “sometimes those happen to be female coaches and sometimes male coaches.”

Softball coach Emily Good said, “We do have both male and female interest when it comes to openings.”

She explained how qualification and experience trump gender in the hiring process but she said she would like to see more women coaching.

“We have just as much passion,”

Playing Differently Male and female athletes’ physcial differences may determine how they should train differently.

Males and females naturally have different amounts of muscle. These are the weights of the average male body’s muscle and average female body’s muscle.

40% 33%

72.6 lbs

Amount more muscle men have in their upper body Amount more muscle men have in their lower body

46.2 lbs

ALLY RUSSELL // GRAPHIC LIVESTRONG.COM // SOURCE

Minimum percentage of fat required by the female body.

12% 3%

Minimum percentage of fat required by the male body.

MALE-DOMINATED COACHING

S E P T. 1 6 2 0 1 5

said Good about female coaches, “I wouldn’t work any less than our male head coaches.”

According to cheerleader and senior Kaley Dickerson, Good isn’t the only female coach with high expectations for her team. “(Cheerleading coach Lisa Knipp) holds us to the standard of football players,” Dickerson said, “we’re cheering for them so she’s holding us to the same standards for our competition season as well.”

Dickerson explained that practice is serious and they are held to high standard, especially since they are defending state champions in the Time Out/Game Time Division. “Just because we don’t have a guy coach to yell at us and push us around doesn’t mean that our practices aren’t just as hard,” she said.

Carly Cason, varsity volleyball player and senior, said she has found all coaches want their athletes to work hard. “Male coaches are more centered around the training and the physical aspects of games,” Cason said. “Female coaches are more mental.”

However, Dickerson said she also has found coaches, regardless of gender, have student athletes’ best interest as a main focus. “They’re both really hardcore with getting you the skills you need,” Dickerson said.

According to Good, there are stereotypes and perceptions of being more emotional that go along with being a female coach, as strictness goes along with male coaches. “I think that

Male muscles have more fasttwitch fibers, which are used for quick bursts of energy but tire quickly.

Because these fibers are used for power, men have stronger muscles than females.

if you are really passionate about your job and your performance,” Good said, “then, as a head coach, you have a little bit of both characteristics.”

Good said she can relate to her players more as a female, which, she said, some people see as a bad thing, but she said it is a positive because she can define why it might be affecting their performance.

Good also explained a coach, male or female, must differentiate between the time to sympathize with student athletes and when to be stricter. “You have to maintain that professionalism.”

“We can do some things and talk about some things that we wouldn’t be able to if there was a guy coach,” Dickerson said, “she can relate a lot more to what we’re going through.”

Dickerson explained how as a female Knipp is able to understand more about what is going on with the girls on the team.

Cason said a male coach does not affect the team’s dynamic. “When we want to open up, we just put our coach in that position,” Cason said, “I don’t think, dynamically, very many things would change (with a female coach.)”

Inskeep said he does believe female coaches allow for a different experience for student athletes.

“I believe it’s a huge benefit to our program,” he said. However, Inskeep also said all coaches are held to the same standard and all play for the same team, CHS. H

The average male and female bodies have different percentages Male of fat Female and muscle. <<15% fat 26% fat>> <<43% muscle

36% muscle>>

Female muscle tissues contain more slow-twitch fibers, which are more efficient in oxygen use and do not fatique as easily. These fibers make women less susceptible to fatigue, giving females better endurance than males.

41

A New View Female and male coaches compare their views on the importance of gender in coaching.

ELLIE CLARK // PHOTO

Q: What are the benefits for a team to have a coach of a different gender?

A: Volleyball is unique in that many head coaches for the women’s game are men at the highest levels. There are benefits to having a coach of the same gender, but nothing that dictates one is better than the other. If you look at two of the biggest names in Indiana high school volleyball, one female, Jean Kesternson (Cathedral) and one male Steve Shondell (Former Muncie Burris Head Coach, now Ball State Head Coach) both have multiple state championships, yet they are different genders. What it comes down to is how they run their programs. Each have created a disciplined and hard-working culture that can translate from year to year with each new incoming class.

Matt Fishman Women’s Volleyball Coach Q: What are the benefits for a team to have a coach of the same gender?

A: Well, Coaches of the same gender, I feel, emotionally interact with each other more professionally, I think that they understand each other on an emotional level more thoroughly. I think that physically same gender coaches can understand how much demand they can place on the student athlete on a more fair and reasonable level. I feel that same gender coaches can motivate athletes on a level that is more adaptable to their same gender.

Lisa Knipp Cheerleading Coach

42

SPORTS

TURF CARE

SEPT 16, 2015

GAINING NEW GROUND

After a year of new turf, CHS evaluates its functionality and condition ALINA HUSSAIN // STORY

I

n the spring of 2014, chs made the $1.9 million move from grass to turf fields. Now, as the fall sports season moves into high gear, CHS reviews its condition after a season of use.

The football field, Murray Stadium and two practice fields all received new turf two seasons ago.

Multiple sports teams, gym classes and Carmel Dads Club are all using the fields regularly, creating concern about how long they will last. Zachary Miller, soccer player and junior, said although the fields are constantly being used, they are still in flawless condition.

“I went all summer, and I know a bunch of other people on the team who would go all summer to Murray Stadium, and the fields were getting worn out every day, but you couldn’t tell at all. They look great and still play

TEARING IT UP: Senior Joel Hudson wrestles for the ball during the team’s game against Noblesville.

According to Hudson’s teammates, the turf has played a big part in improving their performance.

KYLE CRAWFORD // PHOTO the same as they day we got them,” Miller said.

The soccer teams may be one of the largest groups to be affected by the switch to turf. Athletics Director Jim Inskeep was also a part of choosing the new field. “I think where we found the biggest change for our programs was with our boy’s and girl’s soccer programs last year; because we have one stadium field at Murray, it gets a lot of use, about 38 games a year or more, and that doesn’t even count practices that are on there,” Inskeep said. “Under the old field, around the goal boxes and other areas of Murray Stadium would get beaten up pretty good, and then that ends up being to the point where you’re constantly trying to repair the turf, and not every step is true out there.”

Sprinturf, the company which installed the turf, said if the fields are maintained well, they should last from eight

SEPT 16, 2015

TURF CARE

to 14 years. Proper caring for the fields includes frequent brushing and cleaning of the turf, as well as testing the evenness of the ground. According to Inskeep, all of the fields are groomed and sanitized every week.

Although turf fields do require consistent maintenance, Inskeep said, “We made the decision to transition to DID YOU KNOW? turf, and it has just been awesome for so many different groups because you A typical grass field requires don’t worry about the wear and tear, 500,000 to one million gallons and you don’t worry about the weather.” of water each year. By using According to Miller, rain and snow synthetic turf, four to eight have practically no effect on turf fields, billions of gallons of water whereas on grass fields, players must was conserved. According to be much more conscious of whether or the Environmental Protection not the ground is wet. An additional Agency, the water saved equates factor that has helped decrease the to annual water usage of 27,000 effect of rain on gameplay is the newly to 55,000 families of four. installed drainage system which came with the turf. The old fields would SYNTHETICTURFCOUNCIL.ORG // SOURCE often accumulate standing water on the fields and sidelines in instances of heavy rainfall because of a defect in the drainage system. In the process of installing the new turf, the problems in the drainage system were identified and repaired.

Many players prefer the style of play that the turf brings, and they enjoy the advantages turf has, as it outweights the disadvantages.

43

“On turf, you fly around a lot faster. Also, playing on turf just gets you more excited than playing on grass,” Hunter Roser, football player and senior, said. “When you dive out of course you get road rash on your arm, but other than that I mean the field gets hot, but that’s just part of the game.”

According to Inskeep, one of the downfalls of turf fields is how hot they can get, especially during summer practices. Despite this, Inskeep said through adjusting practice times and watching the weather, athletes have not had too many problems with the ground overheating.

Harrison Adams, soccer player and junior, said, “If you’re wearing black cleats, then your feet will get really hot, but it’s not really a big problem.”

Overall, according to Inskeep the turf has received a fairly positive response.

“For purists, it’s not something that they like, but I will tell you a lot of student athletes like playing on the turf,” Inskeep said.

“Just between an average grass field and turf, I’d pick turf every day,” Miller said. “I think the turf is really great because it holds up for longer and you don’t have to take H care of it as much.”

To read reporter Adam Gostomelsky’s position on the turf, flip to Perspectives on page 53.

The grass is made of a synthetic fiber to mimic the look of real grass.

TURF TALK

Take a peek at what is actually under the turf.

SHIVA VALLABHANENI // GRAPHIC The infill is under the grass. It is composed of crumb rubber on top and sand underneath.

This is the backing. The first layer has holes for water to go through.

The second and third are a triple woven layer made of polyurethane.

SYNTHETICTURFCOUNCIL.ORG // SOURCE

This is the drainage system. After the water sinks through the backing, it is filtered out through a pipe.

44

SPORTS

CONCUSSIONS

SEPT 16, 2015

CONCUSSION CONCERNS

CHS football team implements new tackle techniques to reduce risk of concussions ADAM GOSTOMELSKY // STORY

E

very year, stories dominate the sports headlines about how concussions have ended a player’s season, made someone quit the game, or even caused a player’s death. This year, the CHS football program has attempted to cut down on concussions through the implementation of rugby-style tackling. Cade Koenig, CHS football and rugby player and junior, has been one of the leaders in helping the football team get adjusted to the new methodology. “[In] the old tackling method, the head was the main part. You wanted to use your head to hit somebody,” Koenig said, “[With the rugby tackle,] you want to use your momentum to take somebody down, like you wrap them up and put your head behind them and use your shoulders and arms to take them down.”

According to Steve Schofield, athletic trainer for the CHS football team, football is not a contact sport.

Instead, it is a collision sport with an inherently violent nature, making it difficult to reduce concussions.

A Boston University research team found that the average high school football player takes 1,000 hits to the head every year. The average force of these hits is 20 g’s.

However, Schofield said concussions have a lot to do with angles, not just how hard someone gets hit. For this reason, the new rugby-style tackling aims to improve the angles where players make contact with each other. “[Before now] the coaches would really try to teach us to put our facemask onto the ball and get our head in front of the person running the ball,” Koenig said. “It’s safer now

because it takes the head out of the equation.”

Koenig has played rugby and football for nine and eight years, respectively. He has suffered three concussions in his lifetime. Two of these injuries occurred while playing football. He said that he has never suffered a concussion while using the rugby tackling method, and that it holds true across the board for rugby and football players.

“I’d say there are a lot of concussions for football players. There are a few [for rugby players], but not as many as football,” Koenig said.

While the aftermath of having several concussions is well documented for NFL players, a Boston University research team found that a dead 18-year-old high school football player’s brain actually had evidence of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE).

CTE is a progressive degenerative disease of the brain found in many former professional football players. Symptoms of this condition include memory loss, confusion,

HARD-HITTING: Football player and senior Noah Burks, (#4) tackles a La Salle High School player using the rugby tackle technique. This technique should help reduce concussions while tackling.

impaired judgment, impulse control problems, aggression, depression, and progressive dementia. This is the earliest evidence of CTE ever recorded, and just another in a growing list of reasons as to why participation in football is declining.

The rugby tackling initiative should help reduce hits to the head, according to John Hebert, CHS head football coach, but it’s the new mindset of the coaches and players that should help even more.

“The coaches aren’t only preaching rugby tackling, they are telling us not to use our head in general for any situation,” Koenig said.

It is that new mindset that may be most important, according to Schofield, because there is a difference between a broken leg and a damaged brain. A broken leg will heal he said, but you can never be too careful when dealing with the most complex organ in the body.

“They only have one brain for the rest of their lives,” Schofield said. H

KELSEY ATCHENSON // PHOTO

CONCUSSIONS

SEPT 16, 2015

45

TACKLING THE PROBLEM

VISHNU VAID // GRAPHIC

In light of the problems athletes face regarding head injuries, the football team is reforming its tackling technique to a similar technique rugby players use. Many people are unaware of the causes, symptoms, and effects of concussions. A common misconception is that protective head gear will prevent a person from getting a concussion. In reality, it only protects only the skull and not the brain.

Rugby

Rugby

·Head tucked away and next to other player’s posterior ·Wrap arms around hips & legs ·Head is not leading the tackle

MISCONCEPTIONS Symptoms/Effects •May Lead to Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) - Degenerative Brain Disease •Cognitive Dysfunction - Trouble With Mental Activities: Thinking, reasoning, memory, coordination •Drowsiness, Vision problems, instability, sensitivity to light

!

There are 3 times as many head injuries in high school football athletes than in college athletes.

Football ·Tackle is led by the head ·Correct Body Posture is a requirement for a successful take-down ·Opening of hips to generate power and create a rising tackle

Football

39%

Concussion rates have more than doubled among students that are 8-19 who participated in sports such as basketball, soccer and football between 1997 and 2007, even though the number of athletes who participated in those sports has declined.

What Causes a Concussion?

Brain Injury is at the location where contact was made.

Focal Impact

Rotational

Linear

“Whiplash” No direct impact but brain slides back and forth

Head twist temporarily severs brain stem from spinal cord

A concussion is a type of Traumatic Brain Injury [TBI]. It is usually the result a whiplash, sudden head twist, or focal impact. Since the frontal and temporal lobes are the most vulnerable areas of the brain, they are the most likely to be impacted by such scenarios. The frontal lobe is responsible for functions such as complex thinking and maintaining focus.

The temporal lobe is responsible for auditory processing and short-term memory.

CDC.GOV, SAFERYOUTHSPORTS.ORG// SOURCES

46

SPORTS

TOUGH DECISIONS

OPTIMIZING OPPORTUNITIES

High school athletic commitments force athletes to make tough decisions KARI TRUAX // STORY

A

SARAH LIU // PHOTOS

t a school like chs, with so many opportunities available, athletes often face the difficult decision of whether or not the time commitment of their sport is right for them. Senior Isabel Fray played on the soccer team at Carmel for two years, but after sacrificing all her free time to the sport, she decided it was no longer for her. Fray said it was a hard decision, but she said she is enjoying her high school experience even more now that she quit.

“It was a really hard decision because I have been playing soccer since kindergarten and that’s the only thing I have ever done. It was weird at first going from playing a sport nearly every day to nothing. I miss it, but I have so many opportunities now,” she said.

Along with Fray, junior Austin Newland quit basketball in order to focus on other activities. Unlike Fray, who quit to become more involved, Newland said he quit in order to focus on football. He said he hopes to play football in college and had to choose one sport to dedicate all his time to.

“I can strictly focus on football and football only,” Newland said.

“When I played both sports it was hard to practice because I couldn’t practice football too much or my basketball skills would go down and vice versa. But now, I can just improve my football abilities and not worry about another sport.”

Fray said she now spends her free time getting more involved in her school. She is now a member of Senate, a Young Life leader for middle school and a highly involved member in DECA. Fray said, “I am a lot more

SETTING GOALS: Senior Isabel Fray plays recreational soccer for Carmel Dads Club. According to Fray, the time she used to practice for soccer can now go to other activities.

SEPT 16, 2015

BLOOD, SWEAT AND TEARS : Senior Isabel Fray volunteers at the CHS Blood Drive, signing people in and out and writing passes.

Quitting soccer has allowed her to become more involved in CHS.

47

TOUGH DECISIONS

SEPT 16, 2015

involved in the school and I love it.

With Young Life, I could take on a bigger role as a leader and I can focus more on DECA. My friends also convinced me to run for Senate and it is a great group to be a part of.”

Assistant athletic director Bruce Wolf said one of the most difficult things for an athlete to do is manage their time effectively. He said he sees students quit sports to be more involved in other extracurricular activities.

“The normal attrition from most of our sports as an athletic processes from freshman to senior is more often related to multiple factors. Some of the major reasons are loss of playing time, loss of interest, loss of perception of value and change of priorities,” Wolf said.

Newland said although he is happy

with the decision he made, at times he misses basketball. Fray agreed with Newland in the sense that it was hard leaving the sport she grew up loving.

“I really do miss basketball,” Newland said. “I still play in the intramural league at the high school so it isn’t completely out of my life, but when I go to the basketball games and watch it makes me wonder what it could have been like to be out there playing with the team. Even though I do miss basketball, I don’t regret my decision because I know it will help me in the long run.”

Both Fray and Newland said they have found ways to still love the sports they have given up. Fray said she plays Carmel Dad’s Club (CDC) soccer with her friends and that they have fun playing the sport on their own time. Newland said that he is involved in intramural basketball with his friends.

“I am so happy now. CDC is so much fun,” Fray said. “I play with all my friends and I am still getting the opportunity to play to sport I grew up loving. Playing soccer on my own time has also allowed me to be more involved in the school.”

Wolf said that he notices one of the most difficult things for an

athlete to do is learn to manage their time effectively. He said he understands when students commit to only one sport or quit their sport for other interests.

He said, “Many CHS students often over-commit with a challenging curricular schedule and involvement in several activities. While this is commendable and can lead to an enriching high school experience, it can also be problematic and stressful for student athletes.”

While both Fray and Newland quit their sports, they both said they still feel as though they have little free time.

Fray said she has filled her free time with more than one activity and she is happy with the way circumstances are working out for her. Newland said he has gotten more involved in the school but still dedicates most of his free time to football.

Newland said, “I have gotten more involved in the school, but not primarily because I quit basketball.

It gave me some free time, but I still spend a lot of time training year round for football. I joined House last year and this year I will be a GKOM. They are both great experiences and I am hoping to run track for the school this upcoming season.”

H SHIVA VALLABHANENI // GRAPHIC

SPORTS PARTICIPATION As people age, statistics show that less play sports and quit due to various reasons. This is due to time commitments and/or pressure.

34%

OF GIRLS PLAY SPORTS

Girls

ALL GRADES

61%

OF BOYS PLAY SPORTS

BOYS

ALL GRADES

GRADES 3 TO 5

GRADES 6 TO 8

GRADES 9 TO 12

GRADES 3 TO 5

GRADES 6 TO 8

GRADES 9 TO 12

35%

40%

28%

70%

63%

53%

ESPN.GO.COM // SOURCE

PERSPECTIVES

STA F F E D I TO R I A L

SEPT 16, 2015

CRACKING THE CODE

The dress code is a necessary evil, but it should not detract from education.

HILITE // STAFF EDITORIAL

D

uring August and September in Indiana, temperatures often hit the 80s and 90s with humidity up to 90 percent. It is typically in this kind of weather when students often find themselves on the wrong end of the school dress code.

Unfortunately, conflict emerges when the line of what is appropriate needs to be drawn. Because of the current vague dress code policy, the idea of what is suitable for school varies greatly from student to teacher, and administrators should address this issue to avoid future complications.

First, clothing choices vary greatly at this school. CHS has over 5,000 unique personalities in its halls this year.

It is important to have a diverse student body, and one of the most evident signs of individuality is the way a student dresses. A dangerous part of dictating what students wear is the message it sends to them. If a student is disciplined for his or her clothing, it may tell of his or her worth if a student is determined by his or her looks. The point of the dress code is to keep students on task during school, not to rob them of their originality. While the dress code should be enforced to keep students focused, it should not detract from education or interfere with students’ decisions to wear comfortable clothes.

Second, faculty members’ ideas of what is and is not acceptable vary, and it is up to the individual teacher to enforce his or her interpretation of the policy or let it be.

A teacher or administrator calling out a student can be embarrassing and upsetting for him or her, especially if the student is unaware that he or she is breaking the rules.

If a student misses an entire class to sit in an office after a teacher or an administrator deems shorts to be too short, it tells the other students present that the violater’s education is less important than appearance. This may even occur after

another teacher has either ignored the infraction or deemed the clothing to be appropriate. The official dress code listed in the Pathways bans certain items such as “short skirts and shorts ... those which reveal bare midriffs or backs ... tank tops, those which contain spaghetti straps ... plunging or revealing necklines,” but the rest of the list is vague. It also states that clothes banned are not limited to the list, which means that, in theory, teachers and administrators have the power to deem anything a student wears as inappropriate. If administrators don’t want students wearing a certain type of clothing, it is important that they inform students specifically on what they can and cannot wear.

High school students are almost at the age to make their own decisions as adults. In a few years, we will all decide on which career we will pursue or which college we will attend.

Therefore, it is important for students to have some say in a rule that directly impacts them. Adults cannot expect students to go from that treatment to making mature adult decisions automatically after graduation. This is the time for us to learn to make mature decisions in our best interest.

These skills will influence our decision making when it comes to college and careers.

While it is certainly important for students to dress appropriately for a learning environment, the current rules for what is and is not allowed need to be clearly defined so students, teachers and administrators are all on the same page.

If teachers and administrators expect students to follow the dress code, they need to agree on the rules and ensure students are well informed. Additionally, students should be allowed some input on the dress code requirements to both prepare for the adult world and provide a collaborative approach and H some sense of ownership toward a common goal.

SPEAK UP! How should the school deal with dress code violations and why?

“Well I think the school should be pretty lenient about it, but draw a few lines.

Let people make their own decisions, but man, only call it out if it’s necessary.”

Junior Zac Nassimi

SARAH LIU // SPEAK-UPS

“I think they should be like, “Three strikes,” or something. Like the first two times, you just get a warning, and then the third time, they make you change.”

Sophomore Ella Perel

Visit hilite. org to read more speak-ups from other students.

BLACK LIVES MATTER

SEPT 16, 2015

49

BLACK LIVES (STILL) MATTER

‘All Lives Matter’ detracts meaning from the original statement ‘Black Lives Matter.’

JORDYN BLAKEY // COLUMN

W

hen I hear that another AfricanAmerican teen has been killed by the hands of law enforcement, my stomach churns. One of the biggest issues in the country today is racial equality, and I’m tired of hearing about another person dying just because their skin is a different color.

Born out of the Trayvon Martin case in 2012, the phrase “Black Lives Matter” has remained a phrase of unity within the African-American community. However, in response, many people have started using the phrase “All Lives Matter.”

While all lives do matter, this phrase can be dismissive and puts the issue of racial inequality on the backburner. The purpose of “Black Lives Matter” is not to say only black lives matter, but to raise awareness of the issue of racial inequality in the U.S. It also makes black voices feel unheard. Some people are so worried about being politically correct that they end up dismissing the real issue. It’s like if you get a haircut and wanted a trim, but instead the hair stylist cut all your hair off and her reasoning was “all haircuts matter.” Sounds silly, right? “All Lives Matter” activists don’t want to admit that this country has flaws and make AfricanAmericans’ cries for justice and equality feel muffled.

As an African-American, it makes me feel like I am being silenced and that my opinion is invalid.

Don’t get me wrong; all lives do matter, but issues of discrimination and brutality are significantly impacting African-American communities. A 2014 survey conducted by reason.com found that 73 percent of AfricanAmericans believe rates of LISTEN UP police brutality are increasing.

“All Lives Matter” supporters

LETTER TO THE EDITOR “Girls Like That” incorrect To whom it may concern: I would like to address a few issues I noticed in the last issue of HiLite. The article titled “Girls Like That” by Sitha Vallabhaneni was very well written and covered the play well. However, the subheading of “CHS students prepare competitive Civic Theater production” is inaccurate. “Girls Like That” was not associated with Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre in any way. It was

produced through the school and taken to the annual IndyFringe Festival.

Therefore, the graphic of Civic’s history (while well designed and enjoyable) did not fit for this story. Perhaps a graphic of the history of the Fringe Festival would have been more appropriate.

Finally, the picture used of the Accents retreat was captioned to say that many of the Accents were preparing for roles in “Girls Like That.” In actuality, only

refuse to acknowledge the ongoing issues affecting AfricanAmericans. “Black Lives Matter” activists are sometimes misconstrued as racists who don’t care about the good of all people, while all they really want is a change in the way police brutality is addressed.

I think the conservative media has painted a picture of “Black Lives Matter” activists as enemies of the police. This statement is far from the truth: they just want the police to be trained properly and follow procedures and protocol. In recent months, cases like Samuel Dubose of Cincinnati and Tamir Rice of Cleveland are examples of African-Americans whose lives were lost at the hands of individuals who took their authority too far. It is these poorly trained officers who are the most risky.

All lives, in fact, do matter. This is undeniable. But these problems aren’t happening to all lives. This movement is specifically focusing on black lives. These issues are real and all of us need to acknowledge that there are those who are impacted greatly by racial inequality. Expressing our rights for justice is something our country was built on.

Race is a very touchy subject, and talking about it can be hard, but it is extremely difficult in this situation not to.

Young people should understand that all voices are meant to be heard, but in this specific instance, black voices are obscured by the overzealous phrase, “All Lives Matter.” We know that all lives matter, but that doesn’t mean we should ignore the men and women who are tired of seeing another victim of injustice. We need to address the problem, and not be afraid to speak up about it. Black lives matter, and it is H about time we start acting like it.

The views in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of the HiLite staff. Reach Jordyn Blakey at jblakey@hilite.org.

two or three girls in Accents are in the show. In fact, I cannot even identify if they’re in that picture. Although I do see other cast members featured in the picture, they’re Ambassadors. Sorry for the long, winded letter, but overall the content of the article was amazing.

Thank you!

Seth VanNatter

Editor’s note: The HiLite staff is committed to accuracy. We have corrected the online version of the “Girls Like That” story, and you will see a correction and clarification on Page 3.

50

PERSPECTIVES

“THE WALK”

SEPT 16, 2015

DON’T WALK THE WALK

People should stop glorifying daredevils like those in ‘The Walk.’

JESSICA MO // COLUMN

I

Date of walk

Aug. 7, 1974 Training for the walk took

6 years.

Petit crossed the rope within

45 minutes.

Distance walked

by Petit 130 ft.

1,362 ft.

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PBS.ORG // SOURCE

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Height of towers = 4.5 football field lengths

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SOME MO’ LOGIC.

PETIT’S WALK

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magine if a man visiting the zoo climbed the fence to the tiger enclosure and walked across the top. Imagine if he laid down on the fence and smiled.

People would point and scream. Imagine if he spent 45 minutes walking back and forth. A crowd would gather. Security would come blazing in. When the man would finally jump down, would the crowd clap for him? When the story would appear in the newspaper, would the masses read it and think, “I’d like to do that in the future?” Decades later, would people glorify his walk? The answer to all three questions is a resounding no. Society would label him a madman.

Now imagine the fence 90 times taller—imagine the fence is a wire strung across New York’s World Trade Centers. The man’s name is Philippe Petit, a 24-year-old stuntman. He doesn’t have a safety net.

And the crowd is clapping.

The Big Apple sat with its mouth agape when Petit dismounted from the high wire. Society labeled him a hero. He became an instant celebrity 40 years ago, and he remains one now. Petit was the subject of the 2008 documentary “Man On Wire.” Now “The Walk,” directed

by Robert Zemeckis and starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Petit, arrives in theaters on Sept. 30.

Sure, the feat struck awe in the hearts of ordinary folks watching from 1,350 feet below the Twin Towers, but is it really something to be admired? It was 100 percent illegal. It carried monumental r i s k s­— i n c l u d i n g falling off the wire and splattering on the ground a quarter mile below. What was the point?

What were the benefits?

Yet society raised Petit onto a podium and applauded him for breaking the law. Although police arrested him shortly after his display, Manhattan district attorney Richard H. Kuh dropped all charges. In return for performing at Central Park for free, Petit received a “Get Out of Jail Free” card.

Now we continue to revere an action that accomplished little besides drawing attention. With “The Walk,” society carries on condoning and even encouraging massive risk-taking and law-breaking in the face of insane daredevilry. The movie says to the world, “Yes, we love people who risk their lives for no reason other than for the sake of being reckless. Let them do what they want, as long as it’s sensational!”

But is Petit a role model? A good example? The movie is rated PG—do we want children across the country to say, “Where can I learn how to balance on a wire hundreds of feet above the ground?” Once again: no, no and no. Put simply, lionizing daredevils breeds more daredevils. If the skies were filled with Petits dancing on high wires, the nation would be a wreck—an intrepid, adventure-seeking wreck, but a wreck nonetheless.

We’ve created a dilemma for ourselves in which we laud people three times as brazen than ourselves but at the same time wish to avoid creating a world full of overly brazen people. The solution is to stop praising recklessness.

Society’s hypocrisy also highlights the treatment we give to “normal” heroes, including the ones we see right here in CHS: teachers, principals, coaches, school nurses, counselors, custodians—even the girl who picks up trash from the floor or the guy who helps a new student navigate the halls. We take these people for granted and focus our attention on adrenaline-fueled swashbucklers.

At the end of the day, the question remains.

Who do we want to emulate: someone who wants to contribute to society or a man who climbs on top of a romanticized fence? The answer is immediately obvious. What remains is to reflect it in whom we H choose to admire.

The views in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of the HiLite staff. Reach Jessica Mo at jmo@hilite.org.

SCIENCE NEWS

SEPT 16, 2015

51

THE FIRST OR FINAL FRONTIER?

Science-related news deserves more public attention.

SARAH LIU // COLUMN

T

he current buzz of the news seems to focus intensively on politics. That’s actually understandable due to the upcoming election season and the TV reports on the debates that come with it. However, while this coverage is pretty important as this election will determine who will run the country, significantly affecting us, have you ever thought that new advances in science can, too?

Many scientific issues are incredibly important.

Environmental issues such as global warming, fracking and alternative energy could dramatically change living conditions on earth within our generation. Whether or not governments should require vaccines has been causing controversy for a while, even though mandating vaccines could potentially help people deal with disease more effectively. Advances in biotechnology not only entail increased consumption of genetically modified food but also the future possibility of genetically “designing” children. These topics will affect us all within the span of our own generation, maybe more so than a handful of people sitting in offices all day.

But when political and scientific views conflict, how will you decide on which side to stand? When you make any decision, you probably want to know as much information as possible before making your call.

According to Pew Research, there are opinion gaps LIFE’S NOT A SPECTATOR SPORT. massive between the public

and scientists on several important scientific issues. For example, according to one study, 37 percent of U.S. adults think it is safe to eat genetically modified foods while 88 percent of scientists connected to the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) think this; that’s a significant 51 percent difference. Also, while 50 percent of adults think human activity is a major cause of climate change, 87 percent of AAAS scientists think this; that’s a 37 percent difference. Both of these gaps are huge, and 84 percent of AAAS scientists think the evident knowledge gap between the public and the scientists is a major problem.

That’s where news comes in.

As journalists, regardless of what we write about, we seek, gather and verify as much information as possible and inform readers about all that we’ve found. That’s our and all other journalists’ duty to you, the public, regardless of whether it’s from us or from the New York Times. We, the journalists, can fill that gap between the public and scientists. We can do it by informing you of all we find as we investigate. Even if coverage differs from publication to publication, these differences can only provide you with even more information, particularly for different sides of the same issues.

Now what can you do? Pay more attention to science news. We’ll do our job in the best way we can to provide you with all the information you need to better understand what you could be dealing with in the future, but it’s up to you to decide whether to listen so you can make more informed H decisions about science-related issues that affect you.

The views in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of the HiLite staff. Reach Sarah Liu at sliu@hilite.org.

GRAPHIC PERSPECTIVE

MIKE JOHNSON // GRAPHIC

Homecoming Lights 2012

2013

2014

2015

52

PERSPECTIVES

SCHOOL SPIRIT

SEPT 16, 2015

JUST KEEP CHEERING

Upperclassmen can benefit the school through more school spirit.

LILLY ST. ANGELO // COLUMN

I

t’s almost here. The week of crazy outfits, playhouse building, trike races, deafening drums and the famous Green Day. As Assistant Principal Amy Skeens-Benton says on the announcements every year, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year!”

Homecoming: a week filled to the brim with infectious school spirit. And that’s the key to it—spirit.

In a survey conducted earlier this year by Harris Poll and commissioned by Varsity Brands, high schoolers with school spirit are shown to perform better academically, engage in more social and civil matters and be overall happier people than students who lack school spirit. It’s the energy of the school, the invisible force that makes students feel included, acknowledged, valued, part of something bigger than themselves.

But how is that energy stirred and who can harness it into something that we are proud of?

As we get older, our stacks of homework grow, and the prospect of our futures loom ahead. Upperclassmen have a lot on their plate but they also have something that they can never escape. They have influence.

Eighty-nine percent of principals in the Harris Poll survey said it is important that they personally build school spirit in their schools and that school spirit leads to higher student achievement. Principals certainly have quite a bit of influence in schools. But principals aren’t the only ones who set the culture. Would a freshman be more likely to look

to the principal as an example or a senior they admire?

Probably the senior.

Upperclassmen are not the sole people who determine school spirit, of course. All people at CHS have some sort of an effect on their peers or students. Role models must emerge, however, and fill the large shoes that have been left by previous classes.

What will you do to stir the energy up this Homecoming week? Will you go all out with your outfits for spirit days? Will you rally your friends to break the trend of the homecoming dance being just for freshmen? Will you scream at the top of your lungs in the student section of the football game? You may use your creative juices to win the playhouse building competition or be the painter of blue and gold stripes on smiling cheeks. It’s up to you. Rather, it’s up to us. Upperclassmen, it’s time for us to step up and do our part to make our school as academically successful, socially active and H happy as possible.

The views in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of the HiLite staff. Reach Lilly St. Angelo at lstangelo@hilite.org.

THAT’S THE SPIRIT.

GRAPHIC PERSPECTIVE

JASMINE LAM // GRAPHIC

HOMECOMING

SCHOOL SPIRIT

other school

chs

SEPT 16, 2015

TURF CARE

53

THE TURF WAR

CHS needs to take better care of the turf in order to maintain effective athletic facilities.

ADAM GOSTOMELSKY // COLUMN

A

s a member of the varsity soccer team these past few years, I have had the privilege of getting to use CHS’s worldclass athletic facilities. I will be the first to tell you the money spent to build them is definitely tangible, which is why it amazes me how poorly the turf at Murray Stadium is kept.

I have played soccer since I was six years old.

Having played hundreds of games in at least 10 states, there isn’t a type of soccer field that I haven’t seen. You name it; I’ve played on it. Astroturf, synthetic turf, some 30,000 different types of grass fields, and even some hybrid fields which contain both turf and grass. No matter where I’ve been, the quality of the field is a big part of the pregame discussion. Is it slick? Does the ball stick? Or does it move like it’s on a carpet? How bad are the dry spots on the field? Does the ball keep bouncing up on you? The quality of the fields varies wildly, but typically, turf fields are better, which makes sense considering grass is much harder to maintain, which is why all the soccer players were excited about the installation of turf at Murray.

The turf was installed last year, and it received plaudits from myself, my teammates, the coaches and even the opposing teams. It was the supposedly the best playing surface in the state. However, there has been a noticeable drop off in the quality of the turf this year. It has been a year since the installation, and already the ball just flies on it, whereas last year it felt more like a well-manicured grass field, which is the goal of every turf field. The turf even looks different from last year, like it’s been worn out. But it shouldn’t. Turf fields are supposed to have a good eight to 14 years of quality usage, according to the manufacturer.

While it may seem like something negligible, the quality of the turf is important. Perhaps, as a goalkeeper, I am more attuned to the changes I’ve observed. As is typical of most goalkeepers, half of my warm-up time is spent walking the field, looking for any trouble spots and just simply testing all the different bounces the ball could take. This may not seem important until you give up the game-winning goal in a state tournament because of an unusual and unexpected bounce. It’s the same for field players, too. The ball seems to move a lot faster this year at Murray, and the players have had to adjust to that.

Sprinturf, the company from which CHS purchased the turf, stresses that field maintenance is extremely important, so much so, that they even provide

To read more about turf care, flip to Sports on page 42.

TURF CARE TIPS 1. Walk your field regularly and inspect it for any necessary repairs.

2. Pick up any trash or debris found on the field.

3. Groom the field on a regular basis. You can use a nylon, soft bristle drag system, a.k.a. a drag broom system.

4. Alternate practices on different sections of the field to promote even wear.

5. Pay special attention to areas that get repetitive wear.

SPRINTURF.COM // SOURCE

maintenance training to those who purchase their fields and referrals for proper maintenance equipment.

Sprinturf determines how often your field needs to be raked based on usage. According to its statistics, Murray should be raked about once a week. That way it will keep “your fibers standing tall and give the field a plush appearance.” But as I look at the turf at Murray this year and compare it to last year, I question whether or not those fibers are still “standing tall” or if it has the same “plush appearance.”

Athletics Director Jim Inskeep says the field gets raked once a week, and I have no reason to doubt that information. Assuming then that the field is maintained properly according to Sprinturf’s instructions, why has the quality of the turf taken a nosedive? Is it raked improperly?

Do we have the right equipment to maintain the turf? Is there a defect in the turf at Murray? Any of these issues can be addressed quickly and definitively to troubleshoot and rule out other areas. Again, as a goalkeeper who has a unique tie to every nuance of the turf, it’s important to look closely at these concerns.

The Murray field is only a year into its eight to 14year lifespan. So it’s important to acknowledge these imperfections as quickly as possible before they potentially get worse. A new field is a big investment, and it’s one that we should check up on before it’s H too late.

The views in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of the HiLite staff.

Reach Adam Gostomelsky at agostomelsky@ hilite.org.

TURF QUALITY SUBPAR.

15 MINUTES

OXFORD COMMA

SEPT 16, 2015

STUDENTS OF ROCK

Sophomores Matthew Carson, Zach Salerno and Brooks Morales are Oxford Comma KYLE CRAWFORD // Q&A

KYLE CRAWFORD // PHOTO ESSAY

OXFORD COMMA

SEPT 16, 2015

55

Q&A With Oxford Comma Sophomores Carson,Comma Q&A Matthew with Oxford Zach Salerno and Brooks Morales HOW WAS THE BAND OXFORD COMMA STARTED? Morales: Matthew and I met in second grade and then we disconnected for a long time and we came back in contact in seventh grade, because we were at the same birthday party over the summer. We sat next to each other in English and had a lot of classes together.

We talked about music and stuff, so we always wanted to start a band. We started our first band with Zach who I knew from School of Rock called the 25th hour, but that didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really work out.

Carson: It did not work out all.

Salerno: It was never really a thing. Then none of us had really been in a band for a while, and we just decided to play together. It was kind of like we just jammed together in the basement for a while. Then it became oxford comma after about a year.

HOW DOES OXFORD COMMA PICK ITS MUSIC? KYLE CRAWFORD // PHOTOS

Salerno: I think that a big factor of how we pick our music is that we kind of go through phases as a band. Sometimes youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll see us playing a heavier set or a laid back set. It just really depends on what kind of rock we are into at the time.

LIVE PERFORMANCE: Sophomores Matthew Carson (vocals and guitar), Zach Salerno (drums) and Brooks Morales (base) perform live at St. Thomas Aquinas 2015 SausageFest in downtown Indianapolis on Aug. 21.

Oxford Comma played multiple modern rock covers and some of the classics from Led Zeppelin.

WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE MOMENT AS A BAND?

Watch Oxford Comma perform Good Times Bad Times by Led Zeppelin and their video interview at http://hilite.org/ category/fame/.

Carson: When we had been playing together for about a year we entered a competition (IndyStar Search) and made it. It was a small talent show with about ten acts that made it in, and we ended up winning the thing. The prize was that we got to open up for Wayne Brady at the JW Marriott.

Morales: We got to spend a free night at the hotel, and it was pretty great.

LITEBOX

LITEBOX

TRUMPETING HIS ARRIVAL Sophomore Jack Roy plays his trumpet during a marching band practice on Aug. 27.

This is Royâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s second year of participating in marching band. The marching band will compete in the Lawrence Central Invitational on Sept. 19.

SARA YUNG // PHOTO

TRUMPETING HIS ARRIVAL

SEPT I6, 2015