9.19 Issue

SEPT. 19 , 2012 I VOL. 77 I ISSUE 2

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

A

POTENTIAL

LIFESAVER While student body mourns the loss of a graduate, police and loved ones work to promote the new Lifeline law

Join the conversation.

Follow HiLite online.

PAGE 2 | TABLE OF CONTENTS | HILITE.ORG | SEPT. 19, 2012

Offbeat Happy International Talk-LikeA-Pirate Day! What be happenin’, matey?

Take a look at some unknown pirate facts.

Inside this issue: NEWS

FEATURE

22

4

8

Many women became pirate, but they had to dress, fight and swear like men. It is thought that many who managed are unknown because they were disguised so well.

16

The recent local upsurge of West Nile Virus has students questioning its risks.

The performing arts department starts the year with a variety of events including a choir concert, talent show and Studio One Acts.

Legal Lifelines Hurrah, we’re number one!

See CHS’s role in Carmel being voted the best place to live.

Walking the plank is a Hollywood myth.

ENTERTAINMENT

COVER STORY

After a new law allows minors to call for help for an intoxicated friend without fear of criminal charges, focus on the alcohol issue at CHS grows.

Find out about the activities and history of homecoming week at this school.

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Pirate costume isn’t just fashionable: When a pirate needs to go below deck, his or her pupils need to adjust to the dark. Wearing an eye patch allows the pirate to keep one eye out of the sun, enabling easy transition between hull and deck.

Pirates pierced their ears not only for added glam, but also for practical uses.

At the time it was believed that earrings made of silver and gold improved one’s eye sight. Today, the art of acupunture proves this to be true.

TONY TAN AND LIANE YUE / INFOGRAPHIC DAILYGALAXY.COM, MYTHBUSTERSRESULTS.COM / SOURCE

15 MINUTES

SPORTS Flip for some other stories:

24

STUDENT SECTION Dean of Discipline John Newton speaks up about high school, extracurriculars and relationships 15

Athletes compete at elite levels despite injury setbacks.

32

PERSPECTIVES Feature editor Sheen Zheng emphasizes the lack of creativity in schools 29

Editor in chief Victor Xu discusses the importance of keeping in touch with past tragedies 30

Junior William Baach is a co-founder of the new yo-yo club.

OMEED MALEK / COVER PHOTO ILLUSTRATION

SEPT. 19, 2012 |HILITE.ORG | JUST A MINUTE | PAGE 3

Fall into fun:

September marks the beginning of fall (or as some like to call it, sweater season). Make the most out of longer nights and cooler weather by participating in fun local activities and events.

Carmel Farmers Market: Find delicious, locally made food right in the shadow of the Palladium.

Everything from farm-made honey to waffles can be found here every Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Cooking demonstrations take place from 9 to 9:30 a.m. and 10 to 10:30 a.m.

Address: 5 Center Green in Carmel. IN; the corner of City Center Dr. and Southwest 3rd St.

Friday Night Swing Dance Do you feel groovy? Let loose! On certain Friday nights, the Fountain Square Theatre offers beginning swing dance lessons at 7:30 p.m. for $12. If you’re a seasoned pro, come out at 8:30 p.m., when the swing band comes out. Admission is reduced to $10 at later hours.

Address: 1105 Prospect St. in Indianapolis, IN

Zionsville Farmers Market: Located only a short bike ride away from west Carmel, the Zionsville Farmers Market is a unique start to the weekend. Come here to get your fix of fresh produce and live music every Saturday morning from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. until September 29.

Address: the intersection of Main St. and Hawthorne St. in Zionsville, IN

Traders Point Creamery: Want to try artisanal and organic dairy products? Traders Point has what you want; they milk 60 to 90 grass-fed cows each day, right on the farm. Join for a hearty and utterly bovine meal at the restaurant, or just grab an ice cream cone and a block of cheese for the ride home. It’s open every day from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. to satsify your calcium cravings.

Address: 9101 Moore Road in Zionsville, IN

Stuckey Farm This orchard and cider mill has been a family favorite since 1972. Come pick their famous apples, or get a taste of their just-picked tomatoes, peaches, and green beans. The farm also has an annual corn maze. This year’s is a salute to the Hoosier poet, James Whitcomb Riley. Visit on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or during weekdays when hours are extended to 6 p.m.

Address: 19975 Hamilton Boone County Rd. in Sheridan, IN

RACHEL CHEN, ANTHONY KO, LIANE YUE / INFOGRAPHIC TPFORGANICS.COM, ZIONSVILLEFARMERSMARKET.ORG, CARMELFARMERSMARKET.ORG, STUCKEYFARM.COM, FOUNTAINSQUAREINDY.COM/ SOURCES

Homecoming Week Green Day Schedule (Friday) 1B 2B 3B 4B 1G 3G SRT G4 Booths Parade

7:50 a.m. to 8:15 a.m.

8:25 a.m. to 8:50 a.m.

9:00 a.m. to 9:25 a.m.

9:35 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.

10:10 a.m. to 10:35 a.m.

10:45 a.m. to 11:10 a.m.

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

1:25 p.m. to 1:50 p.m.

1:50 p.m. to 2:25 p.m.

2:25 p.m. to 2:50 p.m.

Spirit Week Schedule

Monday Neon Day

Tuesday Superhero Day

Wednesday Disney Day

Thursday Stay Classy Day

Friday Blue and Gold Day

PAGE 4 | NEWS | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | SEPT. 19, 2012

Want more?

NEWS

Scan this QR code to watch a YouTube video about RISE.

RISEing Expectations

Indiana’s new method for teacher evaluation is here, but several questions remain

Especially in performance-based classes, student evaluations take different forms

BY DENNIS YANG dyang@hilite.org

B

efore her audition for her sophomore year of band, Stephanie Caress, Wind Symphony I percussionist and junior, said that she remembers practicing timpani on five pillows laid upon the ground. Then, recalling the actual audition, she said, “I went into audition not knowing how to play full mallets, and I ended up playing it all wrong. But I still got a good score.”

When it comes to student evaluations, band, like many other elective courses, is different from a “core” class. Whereas written assessments dominate a student’s evaluation in a core course, in a class such as band, Caress said, student evaluations are primarily based on performance-based tests. And because of the new RISE evaluation system, these differences in student

The standards that we set, we like to feel, are already at the state standard level and even past them, a little bit.

Richard Saucedo

performing arts department co-chairperson

evaluation now play a larger role in teacher assessment.

Trying to push educators to be more effective and to thus improve education, school districts across Indiana introduced RISE to provide a professional method of evaluating teachers, according to riseindiana.org. In this new evaluative system, teachers are assessed in four areas, two of them being heavily based upon how students themselves perform.

These two categories combine to occupy 20 percent of a teacher’s overall evaluation. Thus, the difference between a core course and an elective course would not be on how much student data impacts a teacher’s performance, but rather how students are evaluated. For pre-calculus/pre-stat, math teacher Dan Perdun said, student data would be mostly based on the finals at the end of each semester.

“If I’m going to be assessed as highly effective, effective or one of the others on student data,” Perdun said, “do students understand the impact that they may have?”

On the other hand, in courses such as Physical Education I and II, the FitnessGram, a method of measuring cardiovascular health, is used to collect student data, according to Kim TenBrink, physical education department chairperson.

Similarly, in a course such as band, instrument mastery plays a large role in student evaluations, according to Richard Saucedo, performing arts department co-chairperson. For instance, Saucedo said, a student may be assessed on sight reading at the beginning and at the end of a semester.

“What we’re hoping to see is that (students) sight-read it completely differently and completely better than they did early on,” Saucedo said.

SCOTT LIU / PHOTO

MEASURING FITNESS: Students use heart-rate monitors in physical education. This data is used for the FitnessGram, which is an evalution system.

Despite these differences in assessment strategies, courses across CHS still have common ground. For instance, Caress points out that while student evaluations differ, they’re all equally challenging—just in different ways. And because of this level of rigor, Saucedo said he was optimistic about RISE. “The standards that we set, we like to feel, are already at the state standard level and even past them, a little bit,” Saucedo said.

“I definitely chose to come to Carmel because of that,” Perdun said. “I wanted to be somewhere where the expectation on me as a professional was to do the best job that I can.” H

New teachers learn about RISE evaluations on the fly Getting Ready What teachers have been doing to prepare for RISE evaluations Training Sessions • Faculty meeting • Department meetings • Professional learning communities

Summer Workshops • Literacy • Effective classroom instructional strategies • Pinnacle data to help drive instruction JENNIFER MARLOW / SOURCE

BY ANNI ZHANG azhang@hilite.org Although new teachers like Kara House, AP Environmental Science and Biology I teacher, have not had the same training as the veteran teachers for the new RISE evaluation system, many feel like they have no problem adjusting to the change.

House is both new to CHS and the RISE evaluation system. She said although she didn’t have a year to prepare for RISE, she attended multiple training sessions in the summer to help her prepare for those standards. In addition to summer sessions, on Aug. 14 she and all the other teachers in the school attended a four-and-a-half

hour morning session that discussed all the new components implemented this year for RISE. “They showed us all the structuring for what we were going to do and introduced new expectations for the year,” House said.

“It’s all new for me. I knew parts of the system because my old school was going to do RISE, so I’m not worried at all about what’s going on this year.”

Jennifer Marlow, science department chairperson and chemistry teacher, said these new teachers will have no problem adjusting to RISE because things have not changed content-wise, but more reinforcement is now placed on instructional strategies implemented in the classroom.

“Change is always hard, but I think that

what we’re going to see is that there is a bunch of good strategies already going on at Carmel High School, and I think teachers will continue to communicate with each other and bounce ideas off each other,” Marlow said.

Despite the changes in teacher and student evaluations throughout Indiana, Marlow and House said they are not too worried about transitioning and see it as a great opportunity for teachers to carry on good classroom instruction.

“These teachers are all well-qualified and prepared for instruction this year,” Marlow said. “Although RISE is now in use, they will continue teaching as effectively as they used to and it will not matter if they’re new or not H to the school.”

SEPT. 19, 2012 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | NEWS | PAGE 5

Teachers rank students based on performance level

BY CRYSTAL CHEN cchen@hilite.org With the first nine weeks well underway, students can assume that teachers will have already conducted a thorough background check on their academic performance, perhaps even more so than in previous years. Starting this year, teachers are required to sort students into three categories of preparedness: low, middle or high. This is a component of the freshly implemented RISE system, which bases a portion of teachers’ pay on student performance.

According to English teacher Amanda Richmond, evidence of a student’s preparedness is drawn from prior academic achievements, and that’s not always easy to do.

“Right now, that’s kind of what we’re playing with, is trying to figure out how many things we can use and what’s at our disposal to try and figure out high and middle and low preparedness,” she said.

The Student Learning Objectives Handbook, which is a handbook that outlines RISE guidelines, states that teachers may look at cumulative GPA, class selection, prior year tests and pretests as long as it pertains to the class they are teaching. After this data has been collected, teachers

Around the World How other countries deal with education South Korea Emphasizes private education with learning centers Canada Focuses on potential drop-outs Finland Creates new developmental plan every four years VISUALECONOMICS.CREDITLOAN.COM & NCEE.ORG / SOURCE

How evaluations will be measured Under the RISE standards, teachers must categorize their students into three categories—high, middle and low performers—and then use data to determine the overall learning of each of those students. Student learning objectives (SLOs) then make up a portion of each teacher’s overall evaluation.

RISEINDIANA.ORG / SOURCE JIVA CAPULONG / GRAPHIC

will create a portfolio and review their evaluations and objectives with an administrator.

Principal John Williams said one of the reasons why teachers are assessing their students is so that a student’s improvement may be appropriately measured throughout the year.

“The teachers are asked in one of their classes to set a learning objective…and it has to be tied in to the end-ofcourse assessment,” he said. “In order for that goal to be realistic, (teachers) have to have some idea of what the makeup of the class is.”

Not only will this system allow teachers to track a student’s progress, but it may lead to more effective teaching. According to Assistant Principal Brooke Watkins, this categorization forces teachers to look at each student individually.

“The more you know, the better equipped you are to address any areas of concern or things where students need help. We’re being asked to be more mindful and specific about knowing where our students (are) as learners,” she said.

Junior Rachel Dowley said she agrees that the new requirement will cause teachers to focus more attention on a student’s explicit needs.

“It could help teachers take a lot more responsibility for their kids because I feel like in the past, teachers could simply write somebody off as a bad student, except now they could take more initiative to help them,” she said.

Although students will be assessed in each class, they will not be privy to the levels assigned to them. In addition, teaching methods and treatment toward students will remain the same.

Richmond said, “We aren’t categorizing kids so that kids may know what level that they fall in, so I don’t think that they will ever feel like, ‘Oh, I’m a low performer, so I have to increase more than anybody else.’”

Watkins said assessing the amount of preparation for a course is not synonymous with ranking students. “We’re not giving a hierarchy of where students are; we’re just looking at where their skill sets are,” she said. “We all have strengths and weaknesses.”

Although the evaluation process will require a lot of time and data collection for both teachers and administrators,

there may not be a noticeable change in the classroom.

Dowley said, “I feel like in a school like Carmel, it really won’t change much…I feel like the teachers at this school really already do take a lot of responsibility for their students, H so this is just going to solidify a checks-and-balances.”

Negotiations Update Teachers, central office work to settle new contract According to social studies teacher Peter O’Hara, negotiations are currently ongoing between the teacher’s union Carmel Clay Education Association (CCEA) and the Educational Services Center (ESC).

While the negotiations are still underway, O’Hara said that many of this year’s policies have already been decided.

“There will be no change in our salaries this year,” O’Hara said. “The new RISE standards will affect teacher raises.”

According to O’Hara, the negotiations are currently deciding the pay method to be used for future years with little change to this year’s teacher’s base pay. The new RISE standards would mainly affect the grading rubric for teachers. By Kevin Mi

CCS Board’s First Proposal $1000 2% $500,000

stipend for teachers who attend five days of professional development added to base salary when contract ratified one-time bonus performance pool

CARMEL CLAY EDUCATION ASSOCIATION / SOURCE

PAGE 6 | NEWS | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | SEPT. 19, 2012

There’s No Place Like Home CNN Money Magazine votes Carmel best place to live in nation, school officials cite influence of Carmel Clay Schools in success of city

BY JASON KLEIN jklein@hilite.org

By the Numbers

It’s official: According to CNN Money Magazine, Carmel is the best small city in the country to live in.

“I feel like everyone kind of has that sense of pride, to know that other people see us as a great place to live,” said Olivia Patterson, member of the Carmel Mayor’s Youth Council and junior. Patterson was featured on the cover of the magazine.

“It’s pride, you know, we’re the best,” she said. “Kids, we represent Carmel.”

According to mayor Jim Brainard, this school played a large role in determining the ranking.

“One of the factors that Money Magazine looked at was test scores,” he said. “Graduation rates and schools are absolutely number one when it comes to economic development for a city.”

Carmel Clay school board president Layla Spanenberg echoed Brainard’s sentiment.

“Schools really are the root of any community and since we have such a strong school system I think it heavily impacted our ranking,” she said.

According to Jeff Swensson, Superintendent of Carmel Clay Schools, the school system and the city are looking to benefit from the ranking.

“Those kind of metrics from Carmel High School, it’s showing great success, neat things for students and good futures, (which) attract families,” he said.

“We get calls, interesting enough, all the time either in our office or at Carmel High School or the various elementary and middle schools. One of the things that we will say is, ‘New family, whoever you are, we have great classes, great teachers, great kids and did you know that we are Money Magazine’s number one small city in the country now?’” Swensson said.

Brainard said he also believes that being ranked number one can help CHS students.

“Having this sort of name recognition and national attention is going to help with admissions directors at colleges, and that’s going to affect an awful lot of high school students,” he said.

According to Patterson, another benefit of the number one status is that it could motivate youth to get involved in the community.

“What we’re trying to do for the Youth Council is getting the youth involved and I think that with this kind of national ranking, maybe the kids will be like, ‘Carmel’s not that bad, we actually have it pretty good,’” she said.

Regardless, this is not the peak for the city of Carmel,

Money Magazine took many factors into account when calculating the rankings of each city. Here are some numbers from Carmel’s ratings in leisure, quality of life, finance, housing and education.

24

movie theaters within 15 miles of city

34.4 80,100 average age of resident

population of city

HEEJUNG KIM/PHOTO

DOWNTOWN: Junior Olivia Patterson strolls through downtown Carmel. Leisure activities such as those downtown contributed to the city’s ranking as the best place to live.

Swensson said.

“We really didn’t intentionally aim to be number one in Money Magazine and neither did the city so...what it really tells people is (that) we are always going to strive to get better,” he said.

Spanenberg said that the ranking is only one of many things for residents to be proud of.

“This is just one more advertisement (for Carmel),” she said. “We all knew we were number one. It just took everybody H else to realize we are number one.”

Graduation rates and schools are absolutely number one when it comes to economic development for a city.

Jim Brainard

median commute time in minutes

2,240

restaurants within 15 miles

4th 121,000

ranking in lowest tax rates in state

median income in dollars

35

Mayor

percent of students performing above school standards CNNMONEY.ORG/SOURCE

News Briefs Saturday

Thursday, Sept. 27

Green Day with shortened class periods and trike races. See page 2 for a full schedule.

The Marching Band and color guard will compete in Avon Invitational at 9:50 p.m.

The Studio One Acts kick off in the Studio Theater at 7:30 p.m. and run to Sept. 29.

Saturday

Monday

Wednesday, Oct. 3

The Homecoming Dance will be in the fieldhouse at 8 p.m.

Choir will have its first concert of the year at 7:30 p.m. in the Dale E. Graham Auditorium.

College Information Night will be in the Dale E. Graham Auditorium at 7 p.m.

Friday

21

Scan this QR code to visit hilite.org, where you’ll find even more updates on clubs and activities at CHS.

SEPT. 19, 2012 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | NEWS | PAGE 7

SAT, ACT to require photo upload with registration

BY LINSU HAN lhan@hilite.org Senior Surina Gangwani had a slightly different experience than before when she registered for the Oct. 6 SAT. In addition to the usual requirements, the College Board website asked her to upload a photo of herself to the application. She did as she was told, but the system did not administer her upload.

Gangwani then had to upload a different photo that would fit the requirements.

“The registration—excluding the picture—took me like a minute and a half. The picture took me forever,” Gangwani said. “Finally, I went to Photo Booth, and I took my own photo—which was stupid, because it was the most pixelated one.”

Many more students will have to go through the same procedure as Gangwani. This photo requirement will be fully in effect by March 2013, and all students at that time will be required to upload a photo to register for both the SAT

Want More?

To learn about more changes to the SAT and ACT policies including late registrations, center changes and more, scan this QR Code:

and ACT. Until then, the College Board customer service department said this policy is not mandatory but advisable.

Counselor Stephanie Aikins said the new policy was probably intended to combat cheating and any possible fraud. With a photo of the test-taker on the SAT admission ticket, it should be easier for proctors to identify who is in the testing room.

“You have heard quite a few scandals lately where students have other students taking the test for them and were being paid for that. I think this (policy) is just to prevent any kind of possible fraud,” Aikins said. “The news broke last year where (prosecutors) found that there was a ring going on several years back on the east coast.”

While these policies are designed to ensure authenticity, contention still lies on whether these new measures will improve security.

Senior Grant Goodman, who had similar difficulties to Gangwani in his registration process, said he doubts that the new policies will make much of a difference.

“If you’re bringing your ID card, it doesn’t make sense for them to have (another photo),” Goodman said. “If you show them your ID, and you look like the person, and the name matches your name, then I don’t see how can people cheat.”

Despite these conflicts, Aikins said the new policy is just another way to uphold the integrity of the tests.

“These tests are so high at stake that students feel a lot of pressure with them and sometimes will go to means that are unfair and break the rules,” she said. “I think this policy now is H just to prevent the fraud and prevent any scandals.”

New Policies Photo • Non pixelated, properly focused, well lit • Full-face view (directly facing camera) • No others in photo except test taker • Depict appearance of test taker on test day (same hair color, hair length, facial hair) • No hats

Rejected photo

Accepted photo

SURINA GANGWANI/SUBMITTED PHOTOS COLLEGEBOARD.ORG/SOURCE

Homecoming dance to have sales, ping-pong, lights

BY CAITLIN MULLER cmuller@hilite.org While many aspects of this year’s Homecoming are the same, there have been many changes to the usual activities, and there will be more to come. This year, for example, due to a scheduling conflict with the Tour de Carmel, the Homecoming 5K was canceled and replaced with a t-shirt sale.

The dance itself, scheduled for Saturday

in the fieldhouse, will have several more changes.

According to Assistant Principal Amy Skeens-Benton, there will be faculty chaperones on the dance floor making sure people dance appropriately, instead of having parent chaperones.

There will also be alternative activities available to students in Greyhound Station, including ping-pong tables.

Junior Taylor Ellison attended the

Homecoming dance during her freshman and sophomore years; however, this year she is not sure if she will attend this year.

“At first I was pretty confident that I would not be attending the dance. It’s really just because I’m not into school dances. I’d rather do something different with a group of friends, but the alternate activities sound pretty cool. They would actually make me more likely to go to the dance,” Ellison said.

According to Skeens-Benton, there will be

another major change to this year’s dance: while the majority of the fieldhouse’s court lights will stay off, one of the court’s lights will be kept on.

“This dance will be just like the winter dance that was after a basketball game last year,” she said. “We will have one court of the gym with its lights on, and that’s just so we can see peoples’ faces. Although there are changes to this year’s dance, a high attendance is still expected. It’s the most H popular dance at CHS.”

Dance Changes The Homecoming dance will have several changes this year. Make sure to bring money for the following items and be prepared for new activities.

Visit hilite.org for online coverage, photo slideshows and extra info on the happenings of Homecoming.

TONY TAN/ GRAPHIC AMY SKEENS-BENTON/SOURCE

Games Ping-pong: tables in Greyhound Station available for playing

For Sale Cookies: $1

Flip Flops: $2

Supervision Lights in one court of fieldhouse turned on

Photo booth: $5 per photo

More staff chaperones than parent volunteers

PAGE 8 | FEATURE | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | SEPT. 19, 2012

FEATURE

More than a Mosquito Bite Given the recent outbreak of West Nile Virus, students are more aware of its dangers

BY LAUREN LU llu@hilite.org The members of the women’s cross-country team sprayed one another with bug spray before their meet on Sept. 1.

“It started at the Noblesville meet because they have lots of woods,” Sophia “Sophie” Longest, cross-country runner and sophomore, said. “They actually had to come on the overhead speakers to say, ‘Please don’t spray mosquito spray by the runners. It’s getting in their mouths and eyes.’”

Longest, along with the other cross-country runners and spectators, was trying to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes, which may carry West Nile Virus (WNV).

WNV is a mosquito-borne illness that originated from birds in Uganda. It has been sweeping across the United States as a seasonal epidemic. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), as of Sept. 11 this year, there have been 2,636 cases of WNV in people in the United States, the highest on

record since 1999. The U.S. National Library of Medicine said WNV is most potent in the fall, so the number of people affected increases in the months of August and September.

There has already been one confirmed case of WNV in Carmel this year. According to Jeanette McGavic, vector control biologist for the Hamilton County Health Department, the health department sets traps that collect adult-biting mosquitoes. From this procedure, WNV-carrying mosquitoes have been detected in four different Carmel traps.

“Carmel has just as many mosquitoes as anywhere else,” McGavic said via email. “You should know that WNV is present in the mosquito population; there have been human cases of WNV in Carmel already this year, and if you are going to be outdoors, you need to take precautions.”

WNV is a virus, meaning that it has no “cure.” There is currently no antibiotic, vaccine or medicine that fights it.

McGavic said, “Once you are bitten by a mosquito, there isn’t anything you can do to prevent WNV. That

Age Distribution

is why the best form of WNV prevention is avoiding mosquito bites in the first place.”

According to McGavic, once patients contract WNV, hospitals can only monitor them and try to relieve their symptoms.

The CDC said that roughly 80 percent of those infected with WNV show no signs of infection, 20 percent have mild symptoms, and less than one percent develop severe illness. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, severe WNV can lead to brain damage, permanent muscle weakness and death.

In students, reactions range from disinterest to concern.

Some students are unworried, like sophomore Haley Ip. Ip’s friend contracted swine flu and was worried about it, but nothing happened.

Ip said, “I feel like it’s like the swine flu. It’s just like a normal disease, but since people don’t know about it they get all worried.”

Others are passive, like junior Sameer Manchanda.

“I’m not doing anything special,” he said, “But I’m keeping

Hot Spots

A direct comparison of different age groups and their susceptibility to West Nile Virus

As of Sept. 11, 48 states have reported West Nile Virus infections in people, birds or mosquitoes.

Here are the states at risk.

40%

South Dakota 144 cases reported so far this season

of people who contract West Nile Virus are 60 or older

5.5 percent of all cases in the United States

Indiana

22% of people who contract West Nile Virus are 50 to 59

31 cases reported so far this season 1.2 percent of all cases in the United States

California 97 cases reported so far this season 3.7 percent of all cases in the United States

4%

of people who contract West Nile Virus are 20 or younger

CLAUDIA HUANG AND SHEEN ZHENG / GRAPHIC CENTER FOR DISEASE CONTROL / SOURCE

Texas

Safe states Infected states

1,057 cases reported so far this season 40 percent of all cases in the United States

JIVA CAPULONG AND CLAUDIA HUANG / GRAPHIC CENTER FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND DISEASEMAPS.USGS.GOV / SOURCES

SEPT. 19, 2012 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | FEATURE | PAGE 9

Prevention

Knowing the Facts

Advice on how to avoid contracting West Nile Virus during this seasonal period

Various statistics on West Nile Virus in the United States By the Numbers

Symptoms

high fever tremors

The best way to evade the dangers and risks of West Nile Virus is to avoid contracting the disease in coma the first place. Here are tips on how to prevent from being bitten by paralysis an infected mosquito.

headache muscle weakness neck stiffness

Avoid going outside and participating in outdoor activities during dusk and dawn, as that is when the Culex pipiens mosquitoes are the most active.

Wear long sleeve shirts, long pants, shoes and socks while outdoors, especially if you are going outdoors at dusk and dawn.

Apply insect repellent on exposed skin and clothing.

Make sure the insect repellent contains DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon, eucalyptus, or IR3535, as those are most effective against mosquitoes.

Drain pools of standing water,the such as in trash Infections Throughout Year bins and plant saucers, because mosquitoes breed in stagnant water.

disorientation

numbness vision loss

One in 150 people infected with the virus will face severe symptoms.

40%

100

increase in number of U.S. cases of West Nile Virus, compared to last year

80 60 40

118

Month

September

August

July

June

May

April

March

February

20 January

Number of Mosquito infections

estimated cases of West Nile Virus so far this season

One in 150,000 people will contract West Nile Virus from a mosquito this season.

stupor

0

160,000

deaths due to West Nile Virus have occurred so far this season

JIVA CAPULONG AND SHEEN ZHENG / GRAPHIC PUBHEALTH MED, CENTER FOR DISEASE CONTROL, REUTERS, WEBMD.COM / SOURCES

ANTHONY KO, TONY TAN, SHEEN ZHENG / GRAPHIC CENTER FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PUBMED HEALTH / SOURCES

McGavic said she knows it is unreasonable to ask athletes it on my radar.” “(WNV) is really dangerous,” she said. “You should treat it to wear long sleeves and long pants; therefore, she suggested Still others, such as sophomore Tanya Mangalam, are like any other disease, like malaria, for instance.” and using worried about the West Nile Virus. saidand thatrisks her of family The mosquito that mostthe commonly transmits WNVHere is theare tipswearing The best way to evade the She dangers West Nile Virus is to avoid contracting disease in the first place. on howshirts to prevent from repellent. being bitten by an infected mosquito.

“My advice is to wear as much clothing as you can stand has mosquito repellents and uses them regularly. Also, she Culex pipiens. It is most active at dusk and dawn, so there is and to always wear a repellent,” McGavic said. said that since mosquitoes breed innow) standing water, she and a greater chance of being bitten by a mosquito—possibly one (these are all bulletpoints Although WNV is not as lethal to healthy teenagers her family keep their surroundings clean and void of anything carrying WNV—around those times. outsideor and participating in outdoor activities during dusk and dawn, asand that the is when C. pipiens mosquitoes are as most it is active for those with chronic health conditions that that would avoid attractgoing mosquitoes allow them to breed.

According to Rutgers Newthe Jersey Agricultural weaken the immune system, McGavic says it is still a Experiment Station, Culex pipiens is the most common type wear long sleeve shirts, long pants, shoes and socks whileofoutdoors, especially if you going outdoors dusk and dawn cause for concern. mosquito in urban andare suburban settingsatand carries St. McGavic said, “While the risk of serious disease Louis encephalitis as well as WNV. The mosquito targets apply insect repellent on exposed skin and clothing transmission is low for young people, even the mild form of mostly birds but occasionally targets humans. According to WNV will adversely affect athletic performance.” the U.S. National Library of Medicine, researchers believe make sure the insect repellent contains DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon, eucalyptus, or IR3535, as these are most effective against mosquitoes She said that the risk of being infected makes taking WNV is spread from birds to humans through mosquitoes. precautions against WNV and its mosquito carriers necessary.

“Since mosquitoes are most often active at dusk and drain pools of standing water, such as in trash bins and plant saucers, because mosquitoes breed in stagnant water Longest, however, remains complacent towards WNV. dawn,” McGavic said, “I think it might be a good idea to stress “We keep a bottle of bug spray in the locker room to WNV prevention to the student athletes and band members. spray each other before practice,” Longest said.

I set traps near a lot of high schools in the county, and I see a She said the women’s cross-country team often runs lot of marching bands, cross-country teams and soccer teams in the woods behind the school, where there are many practicing at dusk and dawn.” mosquitoes. They often compare the number of mosquito Performing arts groups, such as marching band or bites they get after practice. symphony orchestra, have practices that let out late at night.

“People joke and when somebody gets bitten, we’ll all be Students therefore have to wait for parents at dusk, which is like ‘West Nile Virus!’ If you think about how many mosquito mosquito prime time. Some sports teams, such as the football Jeanette McGavic bites we get, what are the odds that one of those mosquito team, have practices into the evenings; during the summer, Vector control biologist for the Hamilton County bites would have the West Nile Virus?”

H many activities were held in the early mornings.

Health Department

You should know that WNV is present in the mosquito population; there have been human cases of WNV in Carmel already this year, and if you are going to be outdoors, you need to take precautions.

PAGE 10 | FEATURE | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | SEPT. 19, 2012

Changing Minds?

While prominent companies, organizations publicly state stances on issues, students say they make up their own minds regarding tough topics

BY MAHAM NADEEM mnadeem@hilite.org

R

ecently, several large organizations across the nation—most notably Chick-fil-A and the Boy Scouts of America (BSA)—have made headlines by expressing their views on such subjects as homosexuality; some have even created policies regarding those views.

However, instead of being influenced by these organizations, Sanjeev Rau, Boy Scout and sophomore, said he has developed his own personal thoughts and ideas.

According to Rau, being part of BSA, an organization that prohibits homosexuals from joining, has not really made him change his own views.

“No one really has that kind of attitude toward certain people,” Rau said. “An organization consists of a lot of people, so you can’t generalize all of them with a particular opinion.

Honestly, I’m outraged because it just goes to show how a few people on top can influence the whole group.”

In July, Dan T. Cathy, Chick-fil-A’s chief operating officer (COO) confirmed the business’s support of organizations fighting against same-sex marriage. His statement ignited critics throughout the nation. According to Rau, the BSA’s situation is similar to Chick-fil-A’s. Earlier this summer, BSA also chose to continue with its policy of excluding homosexuals from its activities.

Still, Rau said, “Just because the head of the organization announces he is anti-gay doesn’t mean that if you go to any given Chick-fil-A all the people there will agree with that mentality.”

In the end, Rau said, people do not necessarily always agree with the organization’s views.

Rau said, “My personal opinion has actually become the reverse of the BSA’s opinion. After hearing about people (in) other troops being kicked out because of how they lead their lives, I definitely can’t support that. I imagine the people who are gay and haven’t come out yet feel scared because it becomes an important part of your life, and no one wants to lose that.”

Rau said this issue has sparked much debate on the issue, especially when it is revealed that leaders and scouts are kicked out for being CONTINUED gay. For him, the debate changed ON NEXT PAGE his perspective.

BSA also has policies prohibiting

Just because the head of the organization announces he is anti-gay, doesn’t mean that if you go to any given Chickfil-A all the people there will agree with that mentality.

Sanjeev Rau

Boy Scout and sophomore

SANJEEV RAU / SUBMITTED PHOTO

ROCKET OUT: Sanjeev Rau, Boy Scout and sophomore, constructs a model rocket for a competition at a “camporee” event.

According to Rau, a camporee is where troops from a district compete for awards in various categories.

Where They Came From This map indicates various company headquarters and their political affliations Democrat Republican

CONNIE CHU AND SHEEN ZHENG / GRAPHIC WWW.BUSINESSPUNDIT.COM / SOURCE

SEPT. 19, 2012 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | FEATURE | PAGE 12 atheists and agnostics from membership as those disrupt he group’s stated fundamental principles.

In the past, the organization has revoked membership or leadership status because of these issues, and the organization’s right to do so has been upheld repeatedly in both state and federal courts.

But the issue isn’t limited to BSA and Chick-fil-A. Other well-known companies, including Forever 21, Tyson Foods and Hobby Lobby, also promote religious and political beliefs through their businesses. For example, on the bottom of Forever 21’s shopping bags is the biblical citation “John 3:16.”

The effect of a company’s open views may hold one of two outcomes for a particular business. According to business teacher Holly Hochstedler, the consequence of endorsing personal beliefs can largely depend on how the media portrays it.

“In any given case, the end product is a sum of the organization’s customer base and the type of media attention the issue receives,” Hochstedler said. “Financially, it can be either detrimental or extremely helpful.”

Mathew Padanilam, Boy Scout and sophomore, said that even though he disagrees with the BSA’s position, he still can’t disregard all the programs BSA has to offer. “(The BSA is) essentially being the Catholic Church in the 1500s,” Padanilam said. “It takes a lot of hard work to be in some positions, and having all of that thrown away just because you say you are gay is most certainly not right.”

Thinking along the same lines, Hochstedler said, “A normal person would support a business if they agree with the idea and not support it if they don’t. But then again, I go to a restaurant because I like the food, not because of what the owner’s political stance is.”

Hochstedler said establishments do leave an impression on public opinion.

“Typically I think most businesses don’t want to take a stance on current social issues because they don’t want to divide their customer base,” she said. “Occasionally, when one does take a stance on it, then apparently they must feel so strongly about it that they are not worried about influencing the customer base they have.”

Disinterest due to how these groups directly vocalize tense issues is a likely effect, according to Rau. The research paper “Corporate Political Donations: Investment or Agency?” published in 2012, revealed that over a five-year span, every $10,000 donated by businesses to organizations associated with political beliefs led to an a overall commensurate fall back to investors.

Logan Farrell, Boy Scout and sophomore, said, “Individually I don’t think most of the Boy Scouts care as much; it’s mostly just the heads of the organization being concerned with the security of the youth and being a private organization; they have the right to do that even if everyone doesn’t necessarily agree with them,” Farrell said.

In regards to the BSA’s position, Hochstedler said perhaps the organization’s concern comes from the type of work it does. “(With the BSA) You are trying to work with a person who you think is a role model. I think most boy scouts would consider their leaders role models in their lives,” she said. “An organization has ideas that they support, and because of that relationship, in this instance, the ideas might shape the way students form as well. As time goes on, that person may not necessarily keep that philosophy, though.”

Padanilam said, “At the end of the day, (the BSA has) the constitutional right to (its opinion and policy). The BSA, Chick-fil-A and other businesses are private organizations; they can do anything they want. I don’t think they should, but it’s like a restaurant kicking you out; there is not much you can do.”

H CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

Despite protests from the organization One Million Moms, JC Penney kept Ellen DeGeneres, who is homosexual, as its spokesperson

$203,324,649 in total has been donated to the Republican Party by companies

Chick-fil-A’s COO Danny Cathy announces he is against gay marriage, sparking national controversy

Where the Money Goes A study presents which companies donate more to which party

96% 86%

83%

99%

of Costco’s donations go to Democrats

97%

of Walmart’s donations go to Republicans

Maggiano’s Arby’s McDonald’s

$142,730,028 in total has been donated to the Democratic Party from U.S. companies

Microsoft Corporation donated a total of $443, 748 to the Democratic Party

Goldman Sachs donated a total of $676,080 to the Republican Party

JIVA CAPULONG, ANTHONY KO, RACHEL CHEN, SHEEN ZHENG AND CONNIE CHU / GRAPHIC WWW.OPENSECRETS.ORG / SOURCE

Online Classes Now Available!

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Students must be 15 years old to register

CHS HOMECOMING 2012

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 22nd 8 - 11 P.M. • AT THE FIELDHOUSE • $15 *** GREYHOUND STATION ACTIVITIES * PINGPONG AND GAMES *** *** TICKET SALES: SEPTEMBER 17-21 DURING LUNCH *** *** AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE AT THE DANCE *** *** PHOTO BOOTH $5 * COOKIES $1 * FLIP-FLOPS $2 ***

SEPT. 19, 2012 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | STUDENT SECTION | PAGE 15

STUDENT SECTION Ask the Expert Q&A with Assistant Principal John Newton about everything important at the start of a new school year. Compiled by Taylor Acton

KATHLEEN BERTSCH / PHOTO

How important is it to get involved in extracurricular activities?

It’s extremely important for high school students to be involved in extracurricular activities; it just gives them an outlet from their day-to-day studies to show self-expression somewhere other than the classroom.

What is the best advice you could offer to a student at CHS? To realize how important education is to their future and that they need to try and have as many experiences as possible to learn from. Whether that be vacations or extracurricular activities, to go along with their classroom schoolwork.

If you could go back in time, what one thing would you change about your high school experience?

I’d be more serious about my schoolwork so I can understand the value, more so than I did then.

What is your view regarding relationships in high school?

When you’re in high school, as many friendships as you can develop will be helpful in the total makeup of yourself. You can see how other people live and react to various situations that may help you make wise decisions on the good things and the bad things. (It can) help you see things from a different perspective, from a variety of perspectives.

As far as girlfriends and boyfriends, of course that can be more of an intimate kind of a thing.

That’s really a test of emotions, and that’s why I say you don’t want to get kids too deep into emotional relationships at a young age in high school; especially without some guidance to make sure they keep the parameters as just a friendship and not get too caught up into that. You’ve got a H long way to go.

Homecoming 2012 Students share expectations for this year’s festivities

I’m expecting a very strange assortment of costumes and just a fun week overall.

Elizabeth “Maddie” Ellery Freshman

(The) Homecoming game is going to be great.

Everyone always has a good time, and the stands are a party.

Duncan Moran Sophomore

Be Part of the Conversation Tweet your favorite Homecoming news and photos with the hashtag #chshc12 for a chance to be featured by the HiLite.

I’m really excited for Homecoming.

I think Homecoming will be lots of fun with great music.

Every year it’s been a little hectic, but it’s a lot of fun and a big relief once we get everything done.

Alyssa Smith

Charles Walker

Junior

Senior

GAVIN COLAVITO / PHOTOS

PAGE 16 | COVER STORY | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | SEPT. 19, 2012

COVER STORY

A Life Not Lost i

By Claudia Huang chuang@hilite.org

After the death of recent graduate Brett F parents, friends and police now work to ed public about the new medical amnest OMEED MALEK / PHOTO ILLUSTRATION

SEPT. 19, 2012 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | COVER STORY | PAGE 17

in Vain S

Finbloom, ducate the ty law

enior Steve Abbenhaus, childhood friend and soccer teammate of Brett Finbloom ’12, said he was completely taken aback when he found out Finbloom was hospitalized on Aug. 2.

“I felt awful, and I just went right to the hospital and saw him on life support,” Abbenhaus said.

A few days later, the tragic news followed suit.

“My heart just dropped,” Abbenhaus said.

“It’s weird that someone that I’ve known for so long and so well passed away quickly. You know, I talked to him three days before it happened. I had no idea.”

According to police reports, Finbloom’s death was consistent with alcohol poisoning.

By the time police arrived at the party in Carmel, Finbloom was intoxicated and without a pulse. Police are still investigating whether those with Finbloom might have waited too long to call 911 out of fear of arrest. Notably, it is uncertain if those at the party were aware of the new Lifeline law, passed just a month earlier.

The law grants immunity to minors who seek emergency assistance and cooperate with police when a person is suffering a medical emergency due to alcohol consumption. While there are no guarantees, this law, which could have potentially saved Finbloom’s life, was relatively unknown before his death, and the Carmel community still remains largely unaware of the law. The Lifeline law also sparks debate on whether it blurs the lines between encouraging student safety and enforcing the law.

History of Law

According to Jim Merritt, author of the Lifeline law and Indiana state senator, the Lifeline law began as a collaborative effort between himself and several groups of college students. They approached Merritt from schools such as IU and Purdue University, advocating the implementation of a medical amnesty law across the state.

“There were a variety of campuses where the students and the police had been working on some sort of good communication regarding emergency situations when kids would be over-served,” Merritt said. “For instance, Indiana University had a very good relationship with the police, and (if) some of this (policy) is already going on, it ought to be statewide and as a state law.”

The bill passed through the State Senate and House of Representatives with a unanimous vote, and the law was officially enacted on July 1 of this year. Similar legislation has been passed in a growing number of states, including California, Colorado, Michigan and Texas.

According to Merritt, the main intent of the law was to save the lives of minors in danger of alcohol intoxication. He said that he believed the law was made because people shouldn’t be eternally punished for a single wrong decision made.

“Sometimes individuals make poor choices, and just because you made a mistake doesn’t mean you have to die,” Merritt said.

Lack of Publicity

The law did not garner much media attention when it officially went into effect, and consequently, many students like Abbenhaus were unaware of it.

“Honestly, I had no idea about the Lifeline law until the news was churning a storm, talking about it (after Finbloom’s death),” Abbenhaus said. “…I guess I still don’t CONTINUED understand it fully.

ON NEXT PAGE

PAGE 18 | COVER STORY | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | SEPT.19, 2012

How It Works

1

In order for underage Americans to qualify for immunity under the Lifeline law, they are required to adhere to the following guidelines

Cooperate with authorities and

2

911

provide your full name and any other requested information.

STAY

on the scene. Wait for law enforcement and emergency medical responders to arrive.

3

If you think someone near you is dangerously intoxicated and needs medical attention, call 911.

HAFSA RAZI / GRAPHIC INDIANALIFELINE.ORG / SOURCE

I think there should be more awareness about it.”

Merritt said that the bill had only been publicized up until the point when Gov. Mitch Daniels signed the law on March 16.

According to Finbloom’s mother Dawn Finbloom, there was little opportunity for those who helped create the law to publicize its enactment. There was a lack of money available to devote to publicity, she said, and the law’s timing was also inconvenient.

“I don’t think they had time to make a choice because the law was passed on July 1 and that the law came about a lot because of IU,” Mrs. Finbloom said. “School was over by July; kids had gone home. And there was no funding to get the word out about the bill, so there wasn’t the money to make posters and do things (to) get the word out.”

However, Merritt, Mrs. Finbloom and her husband Norm Finbloom have now started a publicity campaign in which

they travel to schools and churches in the Indianapolis area to discuss the Lifeline law, along with the dangers of underage drinking, texting while driving and other dangers relevant to teenagers.

Mrs. Finbloom said, “Our message is, take care of yourself and take care of your friends. Be smart. However, if you do make a mistake and drink and you have a friend or acquaintance who has been drinking and needs help, then do the right thing and call 911.”

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

Hesitant to Help

One point of confusion about the Lifeline law regards which people will receive immunity.

According to Merritt, it can either be an individual or a group of individuals who call 911 that can qualify. Additionally, the people who can potentially receive immunity have to stay on the scene until emergency help arrives, cooperate with the authorities and answer questions truthfully.

The number of places in America that are implementing medical amnesty laws is constantly growing and changing.

Here’s where the issue has taken hold throughout the United States

Across the Nation WA

considering medical amnesty laws

ND MA RI

NY MI UT CA

“Obviously if you are some person who is drunk and belligerent and in the corner, and you’re not helping, you wouldn’t be someone who would get immunity,” Mrs. Finbloom said.

Also, according to Abbenhaus, another misconception about the law is that it grants immunity for all cases of underage drinking.

“If someone is dangerously hurt, that’s why the law was made,” Abbenhaus said. “It wasn’t made so people can drink, so if worst case they can just call the police and get immunity. That law was literally made...to save lives, not to abuse (the law).”

According to Abbenhaus, the issue of trust between police and students could possibly deter people from utilizing the Lifeline law in emergency situations. When many students see the police, he said, they become apprehensive and fear the possibility of arrest. Therefore, students may be less willing to communicate and comply with the authorities regarding the Lifeline law.

IL

CO

PA

CT NJ

IN

MD

seeking medical help as a mitigating factor in court, but no immunity

amnesty laws for illegal drug use, not specific to underage abuse

NM AK TX HI CONNIE CHU / GRAPHICS SSDP.ORG, INDIANALIFELINE.ORG, LAW. JUSTIA.COM / SOURCES

FL

amnesty laws extend to underage alcohol and/or drug abuse

91

Over colleges and universities have adopted medical amnesty policies like the Lifeline law, including Indiana schools

Ball State University, Hanover College, IU and Purdue University.

SEPT. 19, 2012 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | COVER STORY | PAGE 19 Although alcohol use among minors has decreased over the past decades, underage drinking is still prevalent and remains a topic of concern in this nation

The Alcohol Issue

Every year, underage drinking and related accidents contribute to the deaths of 5,000 Americans ages 12 to 20.

Minors are four times more likely than of-age drinkers to consume alcohol with other illicit drugs, primarily marijuana.

About one

Among current drinkers ages 12 to 20, the last time they consumed alcohol,

81.6%

13.1%

5.2%

12.4%

of 14 to 15 year olds

24.6% of 16 to17 year olds

48.9%

of 18 to 20 year olds

out of five

Americans ages 12 to 20 recently drove while intoxicated.

First-time drinkers under 21 years old are

over 10 times more likely

than more mature drinkers ...were with at least two other people.

...were with one other person.

...drank alcohol in the past month. ...were alone.

17.1% take part in binge drinking.

5.1% are heavy drinkers.

to develop alcohol abuse or dependence later in life.

CONNIE CHU, HAFSA RAZI / GRAPHICS 2010 NATIONAL SURVEY ON DRUG USE AND HEALTH, NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON ALCOHOL ABUSE AND ALCOHOLISM / SOURCES

This confusion may result in student reluctance to the use of the law. However, Mrs. Finbloom said she highly encourages students to act in an emergency situation to prevent future regret.

“I do think there will still be some reluctance, and what we really want to do is discourage reluctance, because if you do not help, you’re going to have to live with your conscience,” Mrs. Finbloom said. “And I think that would be really hard to do for a lot of people.”

Controversy

According to school resource officer Phil Hobson, opponents of the Lifeline law claim that it will encourage students to consume alcohol without fear of the consequences.

These people, Hobson said, are concerned that teenagers will take the Lifeline law as a license to drink excessively and then have no fear of either injury or arrest.

However, Mrs. Finbloom said she disagrees with these opponents because she believes the Lifeline law is a last resource.

According to her, it will not promote underage drinking because people don’t knowingly put themselves in situations where their lives are endangered.

“Well, I think you don’t want to get yourself into a position where you need a lifeline, because if you think about it, it’s the float with a rope that you throw to somebody hoping to save their life,” Mrs. Finbloom said.

“You don’t want to drink where you will get into the position that you will sink and die, but if there is someone who is drinking that

needs medical assistance, and let’s say the only people who can call are also underage drinkers, then the reason the law was enacted was so that that person could be saved.”

According to Hobson, as long as students have a clear understanding of the Lifeline law, this problem will not be prevalent.

“We would never want them to avoid calling emergency services because they’re afraid of getting into trouble,” Hobson said.

“The safety of the kid is more important than worrying about whether or not you’re going to get into trouble. But we do need, as we educate about the Lifeline law, kids (to) understand what it is.”

Local Impact

Brett’s influence still resonates among the students here and can be witnessed around the school. For example, during men’s soccer games, members of the team wear wristbands bearing Brett’s initials and jersey number in remembrance of him.

According to Lifelines sponsor Rebecca Overbey, students in Lifelines and Student Venture are working with Mrs. Finbloom to promote awareness about the Lifeline law and the consequences of underage drinking. Also, according to Mrs. Finbloom, a $500 scholarship has been set up in Brett’s name for a student who is involved with Lifelines or underage drinking awareness at this school.

Hobson said he believes that a local tragedy like Brett’s death has had a much greater impact than something that

happens nationally.

“With young adults, you hear about tragedy so much across the country that unfortunately, sometimes people get used to it,” Hobson said.

“But I think anytime you have tragedy in your peer group and in your community, it really does hit home and raise awareness because you realize it can happen here.”

Mrs. Finbloom said she wants students to learn something from Brett’s life and to prevent others from making the same mistakes.

“I would ask them to never forget and, any time when they are at a situation where there is partying, that they not forget Brett and that they remember how smart he was, how strong he was, how social he was, and that if this could happen to Brett, it could happen to them or one of their friends,” Mrs. Finbloom said. “So be very careful.”

Abbenhaus shared similar sentiments to Mrs. Finbloom’s regarding what he hopes students will learn from Brett.

“Every school has drinking problems.

Kids just break the law. Brett was not the first person to die because of too much alcohol, and he won’t be the last,” Abbenhaus said. “But hopefully this law will gain awareness and start saving lives. I hope people use (Brett) as an example that it can happen to you…Brett was days away (from) going to college, and I bet this was the last thing on his mind. He’s probably partied many, many times and (it) just happened that this one time, unfortunately, this one time he made the bad decision to drink, and he paid the ultimate price.” H

PAGE 20 | ENTERTAINMENT | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | SEPT. 19, 2012

ENTERTAINMENT

Are you ready for #chshc12?

It’s got spirit and tradition as well as some new twists and, yes, it’s even got a Twitter hashtag; it’s Homecoming 2012, and we’ve got you covered

Dress-up days increase morale, student participation

BY ELYSE GOLDBERG egoldberg@hilite.org

D

ress-up days: The one time all year when students have the freedom to dress as creatively and wacky as possible, as long as they relate to whatever the theme is for that day.

“I like to call them spirit days,” Leo Biette, Cabinet member and junior, said. “You get to show your school spirit and it shows people that you are still having fun even though you are at school.”

However, some students do not take advantage of these days, and Senate sponsor Michelle Foutz, who works with the student government in planning the days, said that’s a shame. “(Students) should want to get involved in their school and it doesn’t take a lot of effort to do. It’s fun for the students; you’re more of a part of what’s going on when you’re involved,” Foutz said. “Some people don’t

realize and some people don’t appreciate the Homecoming events that we have. There are a lot of schools that don’t have Homecoming at all or do much less than what we do, and I think that we take that for granted sometimes.”

In correlation with other Homecoming week activities, such as playhouse building and penny wars, all students are encouraged to participate to help their grade level win in the grade competition. Points are awarded based on the number of people per grade level that participate on a given dress-up day.

“We are fortunate that the administration gives us so many opportunities to do so many things during Homecoming week, and most people don’t have that,” Foutz said. “I like people to participate because not everyone gets that opportunity in other schools.”

“Students should participate because it’s a unique thing we always do once a year for Homecoming week,” senator and senior Ryan Cason said. “You got to make the most of it and go all out; looking like an idiot can be fun sometimes.”

H

AMIRA MALCOM / PHOTO

EVENT PLANNING: Senate sponsor Michelle Foutz works with members of the student government to plan Homecoming activities. This year features several new activities in addition to older traditions.

Homecoming traditions: A brief history Some have been around for a while, while some are relatively new, but every tradition at this school started somewhere.

Here we look at a couple of them.

Tricycle races

The trike races are a really fun way for teams to show their creativity and have the student body come together to cheer for their peers.

Julian Batts

Senior Class president

According to former social studies teacher Dave Bardos, who taught at CHS for more than 35 years, the tricycle races began almost 25 years ago. There was always a Homecoming pep session, but many people thought a new activity would add more excitement for the students.

Bardos said the first year students could bring their own trikes. Some teams decided to build their own to ride faster, which gave them an unfair advantage. So, the school decided to buy some from a bike shop, but a few disappeared or were stolen. Eventually, the school had tricycles custom built for the races, and students chose to personalize their outfits instead of their tricycles.

COMPILED BY OLIVIA WEPRICH

Playhouse building According to Principal John Williams, Greyhounds have been building and decorating playhouses since 2003, when the school abandoned the tradition of making floats.

Williams said, “There were many problems with the floats. Because of their size, they had to be built off site, and probably only a few kids actually worked on them. They were also very expensive and became trash at the end of the week.”

I love the playhouses because they bring each class together and help out the community. I can’t wait to see the themes everyone chooses this year.

To make the tradition more sensible, the student government thought of building playhouses to auction off to families in Carmel. Williams said the playhouses were very popular the first year, especially because there were no rules. The Senior Class built a three-story house almost 30 feet high. Currently, each class must use only the provided kit for the structure of the house, but students still enjoy decorating their themed playhouses every year.

Julian Batts

Senior Class president

SEPT. 19, 2012 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | ENTERTAINMENT | PAGE 21

Homecoming week 2012 features several changes We need more room

BY JOSEPH LEE jlee@hilite.org

Luckily, we have a website and we know how to use it.

With all of its activities, in the midst of Homecoming week, it’s easy to forget about the planning that’s involved to coordinate this major event at a school this size, and this year includes Photos several differences that class officers had to plan before the Playhouse building week kicked off, which made their challenge even greater.

Trike races According to Senior Class president Julian Batts, Football game there have already been some differences from last year’s Tailgate 4 Life Homecoming. For example, students were able to buy T-shirts the week prior to Homecoming to raise money Stories for their class’s designated charity. In addition, if a student General updates ate in downtown Carmel this past Monday, that student Spirit day schedule got discounts on his or her meal at selected restaurants.

Weather updates and Scan it Additionally, student government did not host the annual rain schedules Just use the Trike race results Homecoming 5K because of an overlap with the Tour de QR code Carmel, scheduled for the same day. above to Social Media Despite the changes, some events have remained the gain access Follow us on Twitter same.

Playhouse building, which will take place today to all of our @HiLite_news after school, is a charity event when class officers select a Homecoming Like us on Facebook theme and execute it with a playhouse. Whether through coverage painting, decorating or detailing, students decide how And more... they want to portray that theme with the playhouse.

When time is up for the construction of the playhouse, the Use the hashtag #CHSHC12 to houses go up for sale. Each class donates the money it receives join in the fun, and tag us in your to its selected charity. For example, the Senior Class’s adopted Facebook posts to share your news, charity is Chaucie’s Place. photos and stories.

Batts said, whatever the events planned, the goal is for students to participate.

AMIRA MALCOM / PHOTO

SENATORS PLANNING: Senator and junior Jessica Chiang and senator and senior Stephanie Deremiah plan for Homecoming week. They talked through events and designed flyers.

“I would definitely like to encourage every student to get involved as much as possible during the spirit days,” Batts said.

“That means participating in the spirit days and going to the events that are held after school. You make the best out of your Homecoming. If you don’t go, your Homecoming isn’t going to be that great. If you do get involved, then you are bound to have a great Homecoming week.”

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PAGE 22 | ENTERTAINMENT | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | SEPT. 19, 2012

CHS’s Got Talent

Annual talent One Acts to premier Sept. 27 show to feature variety of acts

All four of these productions are comedies and emphasize romance, yet each has a unique plot and cast of characters. “I think they all have their own little spins and plot twists to them,” Keller said.

Rehearsals have already started for Studio One Acts, (a According to Bannourah, a lot of preparation went series of) four annual theatre productions directed by students. into these plays. The four directors each had to prepare The performances begin on Sept. 27 and continue to Sept. over the summer by going through the play script and 29. Shows will be in the Studio Theatre, and they will start working out technical kinks such as lighting, stage setup at 7:30 p.m. and costumes.

The productions this year are “Mirror, Mirror,” Bannourah said she first became interested in directed by senior Samantha “Sammie” Bannourah; directing a play when she heard about Studio One Acts “Mary Just Broke Up With This Guy,” directed by senior as a freshman. “Right when I came into freshman year Kathryn “Katie” Camp; “The Wedding Duet,” directed by and heard that you could direct a play for the Studio One senior Carolyn Keller; and “Pizza: A Love Story,” directed Acts, automatically I was, like, trying to find the best by senior Jessica MacNulty. information,” Bannourah said.

Although the directors are chosen by drama teachers and are helped by teachers in the planning of the production, they direct independently from the first rehearsal to the day the curtains open for the first show.

Bannourah said she was attracted to the amount of freedom that comes with being a director. “(Studio One Acts) give students the freedom to choose your play, to choose your actors and to choose, you know, so much. And I feel like that’s what makes it stick out and be so unique,” Bannourah said.

According to Jim Peterson, adviser to Studio One Acts, directing a play is a tough task because there are so many responsibilities that the directors must take on. “(The students) are in charge of everything, from casting to design to the performance,” Peterson said.

Bannourah said she believes good planning is important to producing a successful show. “Trying to do things in between to make sure you’re not stressing (is important) because it’s very easy to get stressed.

You (could be) doing casting and you want to find the right person for the role,” she said.

Bannourah also emphasizes the importance of making good decisions. “(It’s important) not to choose your friends over, you know, other people,” Bannourah said.

HAILEY MEYER / PHOTO “You have this vision in your mind ACT IT OUT: Senior Taylor Glickman and sophomore John “Jack” Coleman and you want to make sure you rehearse for “Mirror, Mirror,” one of four comedies theater students will get to that vision and not choose present during the Studio One Acts. Performances will be Sept. 27 to 29.

H something you’ll regret later.”

BY AINING WANG awang@hilite.org

Previous years featured everything from singers to flashlight symphonies

BY KYLE WALKER kwalker@hilite.org

Auditions for the annual Talent Show will take place on Sept. 26 and 27 from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. in the Dale E. Graham Auditorium, according to Jim Peterson, drama and film teacher.

Sophomore Kristina “Nina” Pitchkites plans to play the piano and sing a Regina Spektor song for her audition.

Last year, she performed as a guitarist in a band.

“There was a lot of talent in the show overall,” she said.

“Not a lot of people come usually because it’s more of a middle school thing, but I really enjoyed it.” This year, she will prepare by playing through her song and trying to correct errors. Pitchkites said she is not anxious yet about the audition. “I’m Nina Pitchkites trying to prepare myself and Sophomore kind of clean up the song I want to do and make sure it’s perfect for when I audition.”

For the directors, the primary task is to inform people about the details of the auditions and the show, which will take place in the Dale E. Graham Auditorium on Oct. 4. “For a talent show, there’s really nothing to prepare, because we don’t know what kind of talent we’re going to see until we actually see it,” Peterson said.

Peterson also said that he expects a lot of vocal soloists, but that the show has featured all manners of acts, including those of a student who did impressions, a teacher who balanced objects on his face and a student who played “Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5” with flashlights in his nose. “We’ve seen everything from traditional Japanese instrumentalists to all kinds of bizarre things, and that’s what I think is the fun part,” he said.

Pitchkites said that the Talent Show is an important opportunity for students to showcase their abilities. “I think there’s a lot of undiscovered talent here that no one really notices, and I think that once people get on stage and start performing, they can really show off their true colors.”

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I think that there’s a lot of undiscovered talent here that no one really notices.

SEPT. 19, 2012 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | ENTERTAINMENT | PAGE 23

Choir department welcomes new teacher positive view of their new teacher.

Maggie Baker, member of Counterpoints and freshman, said she enjoys Brush as her choir director.

“Mr. Brush always has a good attitude, The choir students have spent the past several weeks learning and you can tell he really likes his job. He’s songs, cleaning choreography and meeting a new member made my first year of choir at CHS really fun of the choir faculty, Christopher Brush. As he temporarily so far,” Baker said. replaces a teacher on leave, Brush said he’s excited to teach the On the same note, Charles Binion, choir department everything he has to offer. member of Blue and Gold Company and A graduate of Ball State University, Brush received his junior, said, “I was already looking forward master’s degree in choral conducting and his bachelor’s to choir this year, but it’s cool degree in music education. to have a new teacher in the He also taught for five years room. (Brush) has already at Chesterton High School, taught us some new ways to where he experienced the improve our singing in just a common mishaps of a first few weeks, so I’m excited to year teacher. However, CHS see how we improve by our has proven to have its own first concert and by the end of challenges. the year.”

Brush said, “The biggest Charles Binion The first choir concert of difference (between Chesterton Junior the year will be on Sept. 24 and Carmel) is the size and the at 7:30 p.m. in the Dale E. number of kids in the choirs. It’s Graham Auditorium. Just like a huge program here, which is all other performances, admission is $5 to see pretty unique.” all CHS choirs perform.

Although his time here is temporary for now, Brush said “Carmel has such popular music he wants to focus on teaching the students as much as he can programs, and the opportunity to about singing, which can be difficult considering all the classes experience music is really great here, even if he teaches and helps with. He currently directs the Encores, you’re not involved in the performing arts,” Descants and Counterpoints choirs and assists Lamonte Brush said. “I would encourage all students Kuskye and Ann Conrad in Blue and Gold Company, Select H to come.”

Sound and Applied Music. So far, students seem to have a

BY OLIVIA WEPRICH oweprich@hilite.org

I was already looking forward to choir this year, but it’s cool to have a new teacher in the room.

JENNA RUHAYEL / PHOTOS

Choirs prepare for Sept. 24 show OLIVIA WEPRICH oweprich@hilite.org Each choir concert gives students the opportunity to showcase how much they have worked in classes and extra rehearsals to prepare. According to choir director Lamonte Kuskye, the first concert of the year gives the audience

Concert FAQs WHAT The first choir concert of the year featuring all CHS choirs.

WHEN Sept. 24 at 7:30 p.m.

WHERE The Dale E. Graham Auditorium

COST $5 for adults, and $3 for students

the chance to make its first impressions of the 11 choirs at this school. For the Sept. 24 concert, the choir directors have planned a program with a wide range of music styles.

“There’s really just going to be a complete variety of music. There are groups singing Lady Gaga and popular hits, while others sing more classical songs,” Kuskye said.

“It’s really going to be a fun show.”

Sara Levine, member of Accents and senior, said her favorite song to perform is an Adele mash-up of “Rumor Has It” and “Someone Like You.” Levine said, “This first concert is going to be really high energy and fun. (The Accents) have been practicing since the summer, so we’re ready to perform.”

Kuskye said the choir members have to focus to be ready for their show. However, he said everyone is working hard for a successful performance.

Kuskye said, “It’s always fun to see where the choirs are in the beginning of the year and how much they improve by the end.

The variety of music makes the show even H more enjoyable.”

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NEW DIRECTOR: The CHS Choirs welcome their new teacher, Christopher Brush, who directs the Counterpoints, Descants and Encores. He uses past experiences and training from Ball State to bring new techniques to his choirs.

JENNA RUHAYEL / PHOTO

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT: Choir members rehearse their repitoire and learn choreographed dances to prepare for the fall concert(for all choirs.) The Accents choir rehearses one of its songs for the fall concert.

PAGE 24 | SPORTS | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | SEPT. 19, 2012

SPORTS

Always Reloading

Despite returning only six starters from last year’s squad, team expects new players expected to contribute to quest for State Championship

BY MATT WEHNER mwehner@hilite.org

T

he football team began its season with something to prove. With only six players returning as starters, the team had some holes to fill. After hard work all spring and all summer, the men return to the field ready to get to work.

According to Head Coach Kevin Wright, the coaches work with players in the off-season to prepare them for the rigors of Carmel’s football schedule, and this summer was no different.

“I felt good about how our kids worked all summer in the hot sun. They worked hard in (Advanced Physical Conditioning class),” Wright, who is in his third year as head coach, said.

APC allows the players to get stronger in the weight room and prepare for the upcoming season filled with difficult competition.

With a tough road ahead of them, the team plays some of the best schools in the state, mostly in the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference (MIC). It’s important for the team to stay on task and do what they usually do, according to quarterback and senior Brandon Lugar.

“We continue to watch film, see how (MIC) defenses do against our structures,” Lugar said.

That preparation often pays off. Some of the players, like

Austin Roberts, starting receiver and junior, have more than one year left to play. For coaches, that helps.

“He’s just one more piece the defense has to defend,” Wright said. “It’s a big plus for us and will be for the next two years.” H

Next man up Some key players on this year’s football team Defense

Offense

Race Johnson, safety and senior John Kenny, linebacker and senior Vic Roe, defensive lineman and junior Loukas Sinnis, linebacker and senior Layton Schmale, defensive tackle and senior

Thomas Baldwin, receiver and junior John Lampe, quarterback and junior Brandon Lugar, quarterback and senior Austin Roberts, receiver and junior Matt Sinclair, offensive lineman and senior Jack Thompson, running back and senior

Friday Night Football NEED MORE LOOKS AT THIS YEAR’S TEAM? We’ve got a few slideshows of photos from recent games online.

Here are a few taken by photographer Kyle Crawford.

WANT TO SEE THE REST? Go online to http://hilite.org/archives/22995 or scan this QR code and enjoy.

HAND OFF: (Clockwise from bottom left:) The football team forms a circle after their first game of the season. The team gathers around to hear a pregame speech. Senior Brandon Lugar hands the ball off to Senior Jack Thompson. Lugar takes a snap during Carmel’s first game.

SEPT. 19, 2012 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | SPORTS | PAGE 25

Family Tradition Stepping into former star’s shoes, younger brother feels pressure to succeed

BY ERIK KELSCH ekelsch@hilite.org

MARY BROOKE JOHNSON / PHOTO

GAME FACE: Sophomore Sameer Kumar gets ready to hit a forehand during a tennis practice. The tennis team will go for a third consecutive State title this season.

For the past five years of CHS men’s tennis, the Kumar brothers have dominated in every aspect of the game. First, Mihir played Number 1 singles throughout his entire high school career.

Last year Sameer, a freshman at the time, played Number 2 singles next to his brother who was a senior at the time. With the Kumar brothers playing 1 and 2 singles during the 2011 season, the men’s tennis team had a true dynamic duo that was unstoppable.

But the Kumar brothers only had a short one-year reign together; Mihir left to go to Northwestern University, and that left Sameer with the responsibility and pressure to carry the tennis team to victory.

“There’s always pressure to lead your team to a state victory, but I try not to think about it during a match,” Sameer said.

Sameer picked up a tennis racquet at age 6. He entered his first tournament at age 8 and he said he has been drawn to the competitiveness ever since.

“I love competing at a national level,” Sameer said. He practices two hours a day at the high school while in-season, and off-season he practices at the University of Indianapolis. His practice has paid off because he did not lose a single match last

year and has only lost once this year.

Head Coach Mike Bostic said, “I am confident that Sameer can thrive in the (Number 1) singles position. He has played in so many big matches on the United States Tennis Association (USTA) circuit as well as the IHSAA season. Last season he was undefeated at (Number 2) singles and he has something to prove this year.”

When Mihir lost in the individual State Finals to a North Central player in 2011, it left Sameer with a chance to exceed his brother in something.

“You always want to do better than your siblings,” Sameer said.

Bostic said, “Carmel High School has been fortunate to have so many great players over the years.

Playing (Number) 1 singles for this school is an honor Mike Bostic and I think Sameer really Men’s tennis head coach appreciates the history and wants to make his mark. He wants that individual State title that eluded his brother and I believe he H will get there.”

(Sameer) has played in so many big matches…

Last season (Sameer) was undefeated at (Number 2) singles, and he has something to prove this year.

Tennis team strives for third State title After losing former Number 1 player Mihir Kumar, team looks to rebuild with depth and hard work

BY ERIK KELSCH ekelsch@hilite.org Last year’s men’s tennis team finished the regular season undefeated, won the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference (MIC) championship, and won the State Championship. But now that Mihir Kumar ‘12, Number 1 singles player last year, has graduated and is attending Northwestern University, his brother Sameer has stepped in to take over his role on the court.

Head Coach Mike Bostic said, despite the loss of Mihir, he thinks the team has a shot to repeat its State Title. “There are so many things I look forward to in (this) season,” Bostic said via email. “It has been a great start. This year’s senior leaders are fantastic. They are hardworking, loyal and very unselfish.” With four starters returning from last year’s title team and three other highly ranked juniors filling the remaining spots, they have a good shot at turning their hope into a reality.

Want more information about Greyhound athletics? Follow us on Twitter at @GMN_Sports “A lot of it goes beyond the playing field. Teams come together in the moments between practices and games,” Bostic said.

Coaches teach that when a team works together, success follows. Expressing exactly that, varsity player and senior, Chris Quammen said, “I am looking forward to team bonding and being able to play for the team and to get a third State championship.”

As they play throughout this year Quammen, being Number 2 singles, will play a big role in determining this year’s path. He said, “It will be tougher than last year (to win State) but I think we can do it.”

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MARY BROOKE JOHNSON / PHOTO

STRETCH FOR SUCCESS: Senior Chris Quammen reaches to hit a volley during a recent tennis match. “It will be tougher than last year (to win state) but I think we can do it,” he said about his team’s chances at a third consecutive State title.

PAGE 26 | SPORTS | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | SEPT. 19, 2012

Staying in the Game

Athletic trainers say many injuries could be prevented through simple techniques

BY ARSALAN SIDDIQUI asiddiqui@hilite.org

taking time to even go over minor factors such as stretching.

Also, Ellington said that there are some athletes that try too hard and push themselves too much for their body to handle.

“The biggest thing that we see is that they’re (athletes) just not prepared for their sport at times,” Ellington said.

During the fall of 2011, Waits said that he pulled his right hamstring during a soccer tournament. He said his injury could have been prevented if he warmed up more often and stretched carefully. According to Waits, he would rush through warm-ups and would not take that much time stretching. Before the injury, Waits said he did not warm-up much since he thought warm-ups would not be effective for preventing injuries.

While he was injured, Waits had trainers stretch him more carefully and strengthen his hamstring. He also stopped running quite as hard when he felt his hamstring pull, and he had to go through physical therapy to recover. Waits said he has learned from his injury, and he will be more cautious while stretching and warming up. Ever since the injury, Waits said he has spent more time warming up to prevent more future injuries. Waits added that he would focus on stretching his hamstring now to prevent drawbacks from the injury.

“Before I haven’t stretched as much as I needed to. Now I stretch more so I don’t get hurt again,” Waits said.

Waits is not alone, as many high school athletes around the nation suffered an injury that they felt that they could have prevented. According to WebMD.com, some of the athan Waits, varsity men’s soccer forward and most common injuries that could have been prevented senior, pulled his hamstring last season and was are ankle sprains, hamstring strains, shin splints and knee out for two weeks. Kelcy Welch, varsity women’s injuries. It recommends that athletes start workouts with cross-country runner and junior, suffered a a light warm-up to increase blood flow to the muscles back injury during the post-season and had to miss the and to improve flexibility. Fatigue and overuse also play Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference meet. Patrick “Pat” a role in injuries. WebMD also recommends that athletes Appleton, varsity men’s cross-country runner and senior, condition themselves slowly since rapid changes in suffered a stress fracture on his right tibia last season after intensity can cause a strain on the human body. running on the injury for two months.

Like Waits, Welch also underwent an injury during The common angle? Each of these athletes experienced the fall of 2011. Welch got injured in a meet during injuries that could have been prevented if they had taken the 2011 season when she was running and stepped on certain precautions. something during a wet and muddy day. Welch also said “I could’ve spent more time warming up and stretching to that her running form was slightly off and different. avoid getting hurt,” Waits said.

According to Welch, her back started to hurt pretty badly Athletic trainer Dawn Ellington said that she has when she finished running, and she had to sit out during witnessed many athletes getting an injury that could have the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference (MIC) been prevented. Ellington said that around 10 to 15 percent meet. Ever since the injury, Welch has done constant of athletes at this school that visit her suffered a preventable exercises to make sure her back is aligned. Also, Welch injury. According to Ellington, athletes can minimize their risk has to be conscious about the way she stands to keep her of getting injured by wearing proper equipment, hydrating, back constantly aligned. However, Welch feels that she eating well and dynamic stretching. She said that the main did not suffer any long-term counter effects other than causes of preventable injuries are lack of preparation and not keeping her back aligned.

“Ever since I got hurt, I had to be careful about how I stand and how I run,” Welch said.

Appleton suffered a stress fracture as a result of running on his injury. Appleton said he knew about his injury but did not tell his coach because he did not want to sit out. He said that he regretted his decision to run on his right tibia when he should have sat out. Ever since the injury, Appleton has cross-trained, which is exercising multiple parts of the body with one exercise, often.

He also iced his leg and avoided playing as much basketball to prevent his tibia from getting worse. Appleton has also started telling his coach every time he feels hurt.

“If I had the opportunity to warn myself before I got hurt, I would have told myself to tell the coaches when I’m hurt,” Appleton said.

The three athletes said they agree that they could have found some way to prevent their respective injuries. These athletes said that they could have avoided their injuries if they were more cautious. Also, they have changed the ways that they work out and practice to prevent future injuries.

They have learned from their injuries in order to not repeat the same mistakes again.

For Waits, that could mean stretching more often and paying attention to warm-ups.

For Welch, that means improving on her running form. It could mean for Appleton to start listening to his body and telling his coach every time he feels hurt.

KATHLEEN BERTSCH / PHOTO “I definitely know what to do now,” WARM UP: Patrick “Pat” Appleton, varsity cross-country runner and senior, stretches before a practice in order to prevent further injury.

Appleton said. “And I learned from my According to Stop Sport Injuries, overuse injuries account for half of all sports injuries.

H mistakes, so I won’t get hurt again.”

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SEPT. 19, 2012 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | SPORTS | PAGE 27

Fall Sports Quiz

Stretching Tips Tips and information about stretching activities to do before exercising in order to prevent injury.

How well do you know your Carmel fall sports teams?

Where did the men’s cross-country team place in last year’s State Final? a. 3rd place b. 1st place

c. 2nd place d. 4th place

What place did the women’s golf team place in last year’s State Final? a. 7th place b. 4th place

c. 8th place d. 2nd place

What team defeated the women’s volleyball team in last year’s Sectional? a. Westfield b. Fishers

c. They won the Sectional d. Hamilton Southeastern

What team did the women’s soccer team defeat in the State Final last year? a. Westfield b. Penn

c. Guerin Catholic d. Hamilton Southeastern

What team did the men’s tennis team defeat to win last year’s State Final? a. North Central b. Park Tudor

c. Brebeuf Jesuit d. Hamilton Southeastern

Want to know how well you know these sports? Follow this QR code to find the answers.

STRETCH OUT: Kelcy Welch, varsity cross-country runner and junior, stretches before she runs. The women’s crosscountry team uses a dynamic stretching routine before running in order to prepare for meets and practices. Clockwise from top left: Welch performs a static stretch for her hamstrings. Welch performs a stretch called the straight-leg march, which stretches the hamstrings and gluteus muscles. Welch lunges to stretch her back before a practice.

CARMELGREYHOUNDS.COM / SOURCE

Fall Sports Schedule

What is static stretching?

Static stretching (Top left picture) is holding a stretch for a certain amount of time to prepare for a workout.

According to a study by the University of Nevada, athletes who used static stretches generated less force from their muscles than when they did no stretching at all.

Here’s a look at some upcoming games and matches for fall sports Men’s and women’s cross-country: Saturday Culver Invitational at Culver (9 a.m.)

Women’s soccer:

What is dynamic stretching?

Today at Cathedral (7 p.m.)

Dynamic stretching (Top right picture) is stretching muscles while moving. It should be used before races or workouts and is most effective when it is specific to the particular sport.

Men’s tennis: Friday v. Homestead at home (5:30 p.m.)

Men’s soccer: Tomorrow at Cathedral (7 p.m.)

What kind of dynamic stretches are good for particular sports?

For runners, squats, lunges, and “form drills” (Bottom left picture) are helpful warm-ups. For other sports such as soccer and basketball, where athletes need more lateral movement, dynamic stretches which involve multiple parts of the body are more effective.

KATHLEEN BERTSCH / PHOTOS NEWYORKTIMES.COM / SOURCE

Football: Friday v. North Central at home (7 p.m.)

CARMELGREYHOUNDS.COM / SOURCE

Women’s golf: Saturday at Regional (TBA)

Volleyball: Today v. Noblesville at home (6:30 p.m.)

CARMELGREYHOUNDS.COM / SOURCE

PAGE 28 | PERSPECTIVES | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | SEPT. 19, 2012

PERSPECTIVES Staff Perspective

Government must improve communication with teens With the recent and untimely death of 2012 graduate Brett Finbloom still fresh, it is difficult but ultimately necessary to ask: Could this accident have been prevented?

The answer to that is yes, according to proponents of the new statewide Lifeline law, which went into place July 1 of this year. This law, written by Sen. Jim Merritt and championed by Brett Highley, student body president of Purdue University, effectively grants legal immunity to those who need to call 911 for help for someone else who consumes too much alcohol. When Finbloom died on Aug. 5 from alcohol poisoning, this law had already been in place for over a month.

However, few really knew about the law or what it meant. Where was the campaign for this new law? How were young people supposed to know about this law if they didn’t read newspapers or regularly watch the news, as most do not? Friends who were with Finbloom at the party that evening even told his parents that they had not known about the law. Honestly, this law is pointless and cannot save any lives if it remains unknown.

Indiana’s government should have worked harder to inform residents of this vital information as soon as the law was officially put into place. Although Finbloom’s tragic death has now shed much light on this law, we still need a Lifeline campaign for teenagers and young adults, with the information readily and easily available to them.

While the Lifeline law does have a website (www. indianalifeline.org) which is helpful in explaining the details and stipulations of the law, this information is frankly not accessible to the intended audience. The

Indiana government needs to utilize media outlets that are more commonly frequented by young people, such as Twitter or Facebook. A simple Twitter campaign is free, can reach thousands in just seconds and do so in 140 characters or less.

Our Stand:

Indiana’s government should have worked harder to inform residents of this vital information as soon as the law was officially put into place.

According to the Indiana Department of Health website, more than two dozen Hoosiers under the legal drinking age have died due to alcohol poisoning since 2004, which is without a doubt more than two dozen too many. These deaths are 100 percent preventable, but beyond that, if help is called at the first sign of serious trouble, the chances of avoiding fatality can be vastly reduced. A campaign would be vital to

halting the rising death toll and spreading this information to the proper demographic.

However, the government cannot take all of the fall for the lack of effective communication. It is vital that young adults grow up and take on the responsibility of being adequately informed about new laws, especially those that could affect them as greatly as this one. Both the government of Indiana and the citizens need to work together to become a knowledgeable and well-oiled unit, addressing and respecting the wants and needs of the other.

The only way that the new Lifeline law can be effective is if people – young adults, namely – know about it. Creating the law was the first step. In this circumstance, just passing the law was not enough.

The consequences of binge drinking are devastating, especially when we consider that a life could have been saved if proper procedures had taken place sooner. With the new Lifeline law in place, we must now work together to spread awareness of how this law can save lives in the future and make sure that young adults know the steps to take in dire situations.

The media, when tapped into properly, can be an amazing and powerful tool. The deaths of Finbloom and others who have passed away similarly were unnecessary.

We must do everything we can to make sure that these types of tragedies stop happening. The Lifeline law is a great start, but Indiana’s government must now take it upon itself to educate the youth about the law, while at the same time youth must rise to the occasion and pay attention to the H laws that could affect them or those around them.

Speak Up!

What can CHS do to make alcohol education more realistic?

They could make it better by not necessarily telling people not to drink but showing the short term and long term effects.

Senior Valarie Kumalo

They have told us the same things since middle school. They should get new stories.

Freshman Graham Hardie

As adults we need to educate students on the dangers and consequences of alcohol use from a safety and health aspect along with the legal aspects.

School Resource Officer Phil Hobson COMPILED BY MICHAELA CARPENTER

SEPT. 19, 2012 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | PERSPECTIVES | PAGE 29

SHEEN

ZHENG

feature editor / szheng@hilite.org

Paint with the colors of the wind “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.”

Pablo Picasso’s words are still a reality in the classroom, where a child’s capacity for creativity has proven to diminish with age. In recent years, as American children develop, they have gradually grown out of creativity rather than into it. Or, more likely, are educated out of it. Take the Torrance kids for example. According to Po Bronson’s recent article “The Creativity Crisis,” professor Ellis Torrance from the University of Minnesota conducted a study in 1958 with nearly 400 children. The premise was simple: give a child a fire truck and ask how he plans to improve it.

The results proved to be nothing short of impressive. One by one, they listed various improvements, all practical yet imaginative. One by one, they brainstormed designs, never stopping to doubt the potential of their ideas. One by one, they passed with exceptional marks.

In time, Torrance’s test has grown to be a 90-minute series of tasks designed to measure a child’s creative capacity. Much like IQ tests, it is now administered worldwide in over 50 languages.

But the two tests contrast when scores enter the picture.

Because of stronger curriculum and more efficient resources, it’s no surprise that intelligence is thriving among children. But as evidence has shown, their ability to develop innovative, groundbreaking ideas is in rapid decline. Their creativity scores are suffering.

Nurturing creativity. Schools need to foster imagination in students.

In a study conducted in 2010 at the College of William and Mary, researchers evaluated 300,000 Torrance scores among children and adults, and a clear decline soon emerged. Where is it most evident? In the scores of American children, deterioration takes place the most from kindergarten to sixth grade.

However, after examining the American education system more closely, these results are not at all surprising. From a young age, we’re tested on concepts, rather than taught how to apply them. We’re given the tools yet are never allowed to create. We’re told there is one clear, concise answer and any other response is simply wrong.

But beyond the walls of the classroom, there is yet to be an answer that cures cancer, brings peace to Afghanistan or gives us the next revolutionary device. And creative minds are still needed to tackle the problems that have not yet been resolved.

Indiana University professor Jonathan Plucker, who recently reanalyzed Torrance’s data, toured the now innovative schools of Shanghai, China. There, he met a boy who, for a class science project, rigged a tracking device for his moped using parts from a cell phone. Yet in America, schools continue to focus on standardized curriculum, rote memorization and nationalized testing.

Ultimately, the gift of taking creative risks originates from confidence in one’s ideas as well as a lack of fear.

Statistically, children are more willing to explore new ideas simply because they are not yet aware of how society will

perceive their ideas. But as the years pass, a gradual mindset takes shape and many lose that capacity. Of course, being wrong does not equal being creative.

But the key to success may lie in the desire to pursue a thought, even in face of failure. As English writer Ken Robinson said in his 2006 TED Talk, “If you’re not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come up with anything original.”

But after years of test taking, students are trained to see only one answer. Their grades depend on a series of single answers. And as a result, they learn to fear mistakes. I learned this in my sophomore year when I opted to take “Introduction to Engineering Design,” a class that trains students to be engineers. On the first day, my teacher instructed my class to create an invention – any invention – that we desired.

At six years old, I would have created something new, revolutionary even. But in that room, I struggled. I would think of an idea, only to whisper to myself, “No, that’s ridiculous.

Society would laugh at that idea.” Such a thought process came from the habit of constantly telling myself that I am wrong.

School taught me to stigmatize mistakes and so I was careful to not create anything too extreme. But such a habit is toxic. With it, nothing new may ever arise.

The American education system is headed down a risky path and only when it implements more creative outlets will it produce more effective graduates and a more openH minded society.

Graphic Perspective JIVA CAPULONG / GRAPHIC

PAGE 30 | PERSPECTIVES | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | SEPT 19, 2012

What goes around comes around

NATALIE

MAIER

managing editor / nmaier@hilite.org

Always expanding. This school needs a plan to deal with its large class sizes and the increasing district population.

As I walked into CHS on the first day of school, I realized something: either this school is shrinking or its population is expanding. I am not quite sure when I realized this. It might have been when I was standing in shoulder-to-shoulder traffic in the senior hallway. It might have been later on in the day, when the main cafeteria ran out of room for everyone eating C lunch; however, it was probably at the all-school convocation during SRT, which, I will admit, certainly had me wondering about the maximum capacity of the varsity gym. With around 4,700 students and many staff members, I am sure we almost reached capacity.

This probably is not a shock to most people; the growing amount of students in this district is nothing new. And with CNN Money Magazine’s recent ranking of Carmel as the best city to live in, why wouldn’t more people consider moving here? Our schools and our city have a great reputation. But teachers, staff and students will only benefit if the school does something to lower population size or expand the building.

The growing number of students does not just affect hallway traffic, either. Earlier this year, the administration had to change lunch times on Blue Days so everyone could

have a chair and a table to sit at in our three cafeterias. The number of parking passes for students has been reduced due to construction of the new weight facility, which will only make parking at the stadium more crowded and potentially more dangerous. In addition to these student parking problems, the teacher parking around the Freshman Center seems less than ideal.

Parallel parking close to a student drop-off zone couldn’t be fun.

It is also important to remember how this population increase limits extracurricular activities, too. This year, over 1,000 students applied to be in the House of Representatives.

Around 430 students made it. Coaches continue to cut many athletes, because some just weren’t good enough. While this is a good formula for winning school awards, it doesn’t really encourage shy or uninvolved students to participate in the events that make this school great.

It can be argued that taking the necessary steps to fix the problem would not be ideal. Many people would be against splitting the school because this would split Carmel’s accomplishments as well, and more students at Carmel could be seen as a benefit to the school. There is more diversity, higher test scores, a wider range of athletes to make the teams

and a greater number of people to meet.

However, the consequences of continued growth at the school outweigh the benefits. We could split the high school, just like Hamilton Southeastern did a few years ago. In fact, in the future Carmel may have to do just that. However, for the time being, the school really just needs to expand. Instead of building a new weight room, it should expand the designated room for academic areas or crowded hallways. Construction is bearable, but neglecting obvious reasons on why Carmel needs to expand is not.

If Carmel would expand the building, people could spread out in the hallways. All students would be able to access their lockers with greater ease. More classrooms would mean fewer teachers who have to share rooms. A new cafeteria would allow students to easily find a table or a seat. If something as simple as rearranging the lunch schedule benefited that many students, imagine what else could happen to make life easier.

I am not saying we have to start tearing up the school right now, but we need to have a plan in place for when there are even more kids in the district. What will Carmel be like in 10 H years if nothing changes? Worse than it should be.

VICTOR

XU So we beat on, boats against the current People naturally tune out events that happen often. In many instances it’s a relatively benign matter: a student ignores his parents who incessantly ask him to pick up his clothes from the floor. However, it becomes dangerous when the public becomes desensitized toward news, even if that news is filled with seemingly endless waves of violence and negativity.

News of the shooting outside the Empire State Building erupted across several media outlets the morning of Aug. 24. Apparently, a gunman had shot down a co-worker before being killed by police officers in the ensuing gunfight. Nine pedestrians suffered nonfatal wounds as a result of the clash.

When I returned from school that afternoon, I logged in to Twitter, expecting an outraged or animated response to the shooting on my feed. But I was surprised to see only three tweets related to the New York shooting—from the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and CNN. The public reaction to the shooting showed a steady decline in interest from the Aurora shooting in July, when a gunman opened fire on an audience watching the premiere of “The Dark Knight Rises,” killing 12 and injuring 58.

I clearly remember social media sites lighting up with

editor in chief / vxu@hilite.org

In one ear and out the other. Don’t lose touch with repeated bad news, even if it’s hard to bear. statuses expressing prayers for victims and dumbfounded tweets. A study by Pew Research later showed that about 73 percent of the public said they followed the story very closely or fairly closely.

Just 16 days later, another high-profile mass shooting took place at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin, where six were killed and four were injured. On Twitter, I saw a couple tweets referencing the shooting, but nowhere near the number after the Aurora shooting.

Looking back, I probably shouldn’t have been surprised to see such a small, if not nonexistent, reaction to the New York shooting from my peers on Twitter. It’s relatively apparent over the last two months and over three major shootings that most students have tuned out these major news events like they would tune out their parents asking them to clean their rooms.

Of course, analyzing my Twitter feed is admittedly not the most scientific of study methods, but the conclusions are straightforward: people have become increasingly desensitized to these high-profile shootings.

It might be due to the start of the school year and less attention being paid to news, it might be due to the

bombardment of bad news in the media or it might be due to a failure on media’s part to put a human face on the violence.

Whatever the reason, tuning out these major acts of violence is potentially dangerous for society as a whole.

Society doesn’t undergo dramatic policy changes unless a large portion of its constituents demands it. The gun control laws and attempts to address the mass shootings that have been so prevalent in the last several months will have no hope of success unless the issue is one the public starts caring deeply about. We can’t care deeply about something we don’t pay attention to.

A study by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence showed that the media reports on over 20 mass shootings per year, defined as having three or more casualties. In 2012 alone, there have been 26 mass shootings already, and we still have more than three months to go. If the currently desensitized public no longer reacts strongly to these shootings, it’s unlikely that the status quo will change.

The recent upturn in mass shootings may foreshadow an increase in related violence in the future. If we hope to address this problem any time soon, we first need to make sure the public stops tuning out the problem itself.

H

SEPT. 19, 2012 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | PERSPECTIVES | PAGE 31

JAMES

BENEDICT

GMN liaison / jbenedict@hilite.org

You’re not going to publish this, are you?

Political figures twisting the truth to fit their personal agendas has always been commonplace; however, usually there is at least a kernel of truth buried beneath the heap of distortion.

These misrepresentations are not ideal, but they are expected in any ideological debate such as the presidential campaign.

However, there is a vast difference between distorting the truth and blatantly ignoring it. The current election shows how much U.S. politicians have casually begun to disregarded facts, saying anything that will further promote their ideology.

Addressing the Republican National Convention last month, Representative Paul Ryan vehemently criticized President Obama’s administration. Of the many issues he raised, Ryan criticized Obama personally for the closing of a General Motors plant in his hometown.

The only problem with that criticism is that it actually closed before Obama was even sworn into presidency. Ryan continued by blaming Obama for the U.S.’s credit score downgrade, despite Standard & Poor’s (the organization responsible for the downgrade) statement: “We have changed our assumption on (the rating) because the majority of Republicans in Congress continue to resist any measure that would raise revenues.”

Ryan was Chairman of the House budget committee through the downgrade, and his current budget continues to oppose any new taxes. On the other end of the spectrum, Democrats are not immune from the lucrative ease that comes with inventing one’s own reality.

Senate majority leader Harry Reid said Mitt Romney went a decade without paying taxes, and “(Romney’s) poor father must be so embarrassed about his son.” These claims are without any factual basis, and would be more suitable among aggressive YouTube comments or paranoid chain letters than the Senate floor.

However, Romney is not immune to problems that the Democrats experience either. The Obama campaign ran ads saying Romney opposes abortion even in the cases of rape and incest, despite Romney specifically saying the opposite.

These points only represent a small selection of the outright lies spewing from the presidential campaign. These are not policies applicable to debate or studies waiting to be analyzed, these are facts that have only one truth, regardless of political party.

Finding the truth. Voters must be skeptical of political rhetoric released.

Some individuals backtracked, blaming their lie on misspeaking. Representative Todd Akin, infamous for claiming women cannot become pregnant if they were “legitimately raped”, released a slew of statements saying that he had simply misunderstood what others had told him and misspoken.

If he was truly too ignorant to be held accountable for what he said, he should have never opened his mouth to begin with.

However, he has yet to change his stance on abortion, even in cases of rape.

This leaves one of two options available: either Akin knowingly lied on television, hoping to promote his views on an outright ban of abortion, or he is so stupid that he cannot control his speech. Either reason is more than enough to keep him far from Washington.

According to “Speech, Lies, and Apathy” by Jason Stanley, professor at Rutgers University and New York Times columnist, “The expectation is that any statement made either by a politician or by a media outlet is a false ideological distortion. As a result, no one blames politicians for making false statements or statements that obviously contradict that politician’s beliefs.”

Numerous independent organizations, such as PolitiFact or the Washington Post fact checker, point out this glaring difference between political rhetoric and reality, but this seems to have no impact.

These malicious and flagrant falsehoods will continue until voters hold their representatives responsible for their actions and statements. The overwhelming quantity of fallacies has corroded the public’s expectations, allowing politicians to lie with little to no consequences.

It is easy to look at the situation and become politically apathetic or write it off as “what politicians do”, but doing either is only throwing gasoline on the fire. Approach politics with a healthy dose of skepticism, most of what you hear will be a distorted, and it is up to you to twist the rhetoric back into the truth.

We cannot write off political statements just because “that is what politicians do.” We must hold political officials responsible for their actions and statements, as those who intentionally lie to manipulate the public do not deserve a job H representing them.

Graphic Perspective If it’s legitimate food, the body has ways to try to shut that whole weight gain thing down.

If it’s a legitimate iceberg, the Titanic has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.

If it’s legitimate stupidity, the brain has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.

IN’S TODD AK IC G LO

..or does it?

CONNIE CHU / GRAPHIC

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

Responding to the HiLite Letters to the editor will be accepted for the Oct. 23 issue no later than Oct. 5. Letters may be submitted in Room C147, placed in the mailbox of Jim Streisel, emailed to letters@hilite.org or mailed to school. All letters must be signed. Names will be published. (Letters sent via email will be taken to a student’s SRT for him to sign.) Letters must not contain personal attacks against an individual and may be edited.

Purpose

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

Credentials

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

Advertising

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

Editor in Chief Victor Xu Managing Editors Natalie Maier

Tony Tan

Melinda Song

Ryan Zukerman Accountant Brendan Roddy Acumen Dhruti Patel

Julie Xu Ads Team Ken Li

Garrett Sullivan

Lucy Terhune

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

Miriam Hu

Helena Ma

Lauren Lu

Naomi Reibold

Cynthia Wu Cover Story Hafsa Razi Entertainment Jacob Botkin

Mikaela George Feature Claudia Huang

Sheen Zheng Front Page Omeed Malek

Liane Yue Graphics Jiva Capulong

Rachel Chen

Connie Chu

Anthony Ko

Melinda Song

Liane Yue GMN Liaison James Benedict News Rochelle Brual

Aruni Ranaweera Perspectives David Choe

Eric He Photography Mary Brooke Johnson

Hailey Meyer Sports Bobby Browning

Andrew Wang

Social Media Matt Barnthouse Student Section Taylor Acton Web Staff Kevin Fei Patrick Tan Reporters Madison Adzema Haley Bracken Crystal Chen Matthew Del Busto Eric Dick Chrishan Fernando Elyse Goldberg Linsu Han Caroline Harbour Miriam Hu Erik Kelsch Nida Khan Jason Klein Joseph Lee Lauren Lu Helena Ma Jill Massengil Kevin Mi Caitlin Muller Photographers Kathleen Bertsch Michaela Carpenter Gavin Colavito Kyle Crawford Mikaela George Henry Jackson

Adit Chandra Aaron Kearney Aining Wang Maham Nadeem Pablo Paliza-Carre Rushi Patel Kim Qian Naomi Reibold Aster Samuel Arsalan Siddiqui Molly Surette Sean Truax Aining Wang Isaac Warshawsky Kyle Walker Lindsey Walker Matt Wehner Olivia Weprich Cynthia Wu Dennis Yang Christine Yang Alexander Yu Anni Zhang Heejung Kim Scott Liu Amira Malcom Omeed Malek Nivedha Meyyappan Jenna Ruhayel Sam Patterson

Adviser Jim Streisel Principal John Williams Superintendent Jeff Swensson

PAGE 32 | 15 MINUTES OF FAME | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | SEPT. 19, 2012

15 MINUTES

Yo-Yo Aficionado Junior William Baach is a yo-yoer and co-founder of the new Yo-Yo Club BY: HALEY BRACKEN hbracken@hilite.org How did you first pick up this unique hobby?

One day, my sister brought home a yo-yo from an arcade game and I just picked it up. I got really into it after that. But I think that YouTube videos have kept me interested. YouTube videos are coming out constantly, which means I can stay updated on new tricks and new ways of performing tricks.

I find a bunch of trick videos on there and a bunch of contest videos. They really furnish my growth as a yo-yoer.

Who has been your greatest inspiration to you as a yo-yoer? Why?

(CHS Graduate) Harold Owens has been my greatest inspiration, and he was just amazing. He was a senior when I was in my freshman year. The following year, when I was a sophomore, he won the National Competition, which was pretty awesome.

Why is yo-yoing a great hobby?

Anyone can do it if you put your mind to it, just like anything else. It’s really fun to practice, and it’s just a great hobby. It’s one of the coolest hobbies you can participate in because you can do it anywhere. And everyone likes yo-yos. You cannot not like yo-yos.

What goes on at yo-yo club?

We listen to music, yo-yo, talk about tricks, talk about competitions.

We just let it flow. Sometimes we shoot videos and stuff to put on the announcements. Usually this attracts some attention and is pretty fun to do. We also teach lower classmen new tricks. To teach someone a yoyo trick I’d give them one of my yo-yos and go through the motions a hundred times, and hopefully, by then, they will have picked up on it. H

HENRY JACKSON / PHOTOS

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