HiLite 4.2 Issue

(I,ITE . . .

CARMEL HIGH SCHOOL

INSIDE THE ISSUE

• On the governor’s new technology high school plan, Page 2 • New Kiva Club merges economics with goodwill, Page 3 • Students attempt to slim down before spring break, B1

SPRING SPORTS PREVIEW A look into the upcoming season’s sporting events.

PAGE 10

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520 E. Main Street

Carmel, IN 46032

Volume 54, Issue 12

April 2, 2009

Kyle Straub named Distinguished Grad

BY AMY FLIS aflis@hilite.org

DON’T (SPRING) BREAK THE BANK

STEVEN CHEN / GRAPHIC

F

BY KENDALL HARSHBERGER kharshberger@hilite.org

reshman Ariel Harrison usually spends her days before spring break packing her clothes for vacation. This year, though, it will be different for her.

“My parents just told me, straight out, that we weren’t going to go anywhere this year because of the economy. I might’ve been upset if it was for another reason, but I pretty much understood where they were coming from,” Harrison said.

Some CHS students this year, like Harrison, have to change their plans and stay home for spring break because of the economy’s problems.

According to Jan Orr, travel agent for Carlson Wagonlit Travel, during tough economic times people think more about ways of saving money and prefer to use their cash to cover the essentials of life such as food, shelter and some family necessities. Traveling is seen as a luxury and one of the things people could cut back on, which means more people will not be traveling in the near future.

“There’s a significant amount of the population that will be staying home. Most traveling businesses’ rates, like mine, have gone down anywhere from 35 to 50 percent since the economy’s recent problems,” Orr said.

Orr also said that many hotels and resorts are trying to lower their prices for vacation season.

Economic downturn forces students to reevaluate vacation plans

“They want to get more people in, so they’re trying to make some good deals,” she said Orr said that people are often surprised when they look at their airplane ticket prices.

“The airplanes often underestimate the cost of fuel, so the ticket prices go up. When I get ticket plans together for people, they look at the price and are really surprised. A lot of people are just trying to wait this out before they go on vacation,” she said.

Freshman Adele Zhou, who is also staying home from vacation this year, said it is a good thing that families are taking the economy crisis seriously.

“I think there are a lot more important things than vacationing right now,” she said.

Harrison said she is looking forward to relaxing at home over spring break.

“Of course, I am a little sad that we aren’t going anywhere this year, but I can always do something fun at home. It’ll be a great chance to spend a little time with my family,” she said. “I’m sure I’ll find something to do at home.”

Harrison also said it’s better for people to take the crisis seriously than not confront it at all.

She said, “I think that it’s good of my family to be taking the economy seriously. Changes like not going on vacation might help our family in the long run. It might give us extra money to do other cool things in the future.”

PLANS THAT WON’T BREAK THE WALLET Barbados $88 savings; down 72% from last year Banff, Canada $56 savings; down 55% from last year Las Vegas, NV $48 savings; down 54% from last year Puerto Rico $106 savings; down 52% from last year Taos, NM $70 savings; down 51% from last year Dominican Republic $151 savings; down 48% Winter Park, CO $84 savings; down 48% from last year Whistler, BC $160 savings; down 36% from last year St. Lucia $197 savings; down 34% from last year Turks & Caicos $254 savings; down 34% from last year

When senior Kyle Straub was called down to talk to Principal John Williams, he said he had no idea why he was there.

“Honestly, I thought I was in trouble,” Straub said.

“So when Principal Williams and (Assistant Principal Amy) Skeens-Benton told me, I was shocked.“ The news the administrators had for Straub was that he is this year’s Distinguished Graduate.

Williams said he enjoyed giving Straub the good news. “I think he’s an outstanding young man, heavily involved in our performing arts department, and like all our Distinguished Grads have to be, he’s an outstanding student,” Williams said.

Straub’s list of activities includes being an Ambassador for three years, playing on the tennis team, being a GKOM and performing in the spring musical every year. Straub said his advantage was that he has been involved in a wide range of activities including volunteer clubs, performing arts and sports.

As the Distinguished Graduate, Straub will be one of three students to deliver a speech at the graduation ceremony. In addition to Straub, the class president will speak, and the third speaker will be determined through an audition occurring closer to the date of graduation.

Skeens-Benton, the administrator in charge of the Distinguished Graduate program, said letters will be sent to the other students who will be honored as distinguished and commended graduates. She said students will hopefully receive the letters during Spring Break.

“I think it’s a r eally gr eat pr ogram that recognizes a lot of students,” Skeens-Benton said.

Skeens-Benton said she thought the program represented the “true spirit” of this school, which she described as “academically challenging with a wealth of opportunities.”

There will be 100 distinguished graduates as well as 50 commended graduates recognized at the graduation ceremony.

Williams said the feedback the administration has received concerning the program, which began last year, has been very positive. “We had over 300 applicants this year, and I think that indicates the prestige of this recognition and is a strong indication of the involvement of the Senior Class,” Williams said.

Although Straub said he is nervous about his speech, he said he’s excited to be the Distinguished Graduate. “(To be named the Distinguished Graduate) means a lot to me,” Straub said. “It’s a huge honor.

I’m proud that my work has paid off, and I hope to represent Carmel High School well in the future.”

ORBITZ.COM / SOURCE

Earth Day becoming more mainstream

30: number of years that garbage stays in landfills 10: percentage of every landfill that can be cleaned up 3,091: number of active landfills in the United States 82: Percentage of landfills that leaked into the surrounding area

KNOW AND TELL

EARTHDAY.GOV / SOURCE

3.6 million “I DON’T KNOW WHAT THIS SAYS ABOUT THE ONLINE AUDIENCE.” BARACK OBAMA,

commenting on the fact that legalizing marijuana was one of the most popular questions submitted to his online town hall

number of votes cast

100,000 approximate number of questions submitted

92,000

number of people who submitted questions

do their part to help,” Wiegand said. Once more people became environmentally conscious, the social shift to environmentalism began.

Ohmer said it is the parents of teens who have instilled a love for the environment in them. “Parents of the younger generation are kind of the children of the ‘60s and ‘70s, when those kinds of things were starting, and it’s just kind of been embedded in the parents and they’re now being able to pass that on to their children,” he said.

For Wiegand, having a Democratic president also heightens global awareness. “I think a lot of (the Democrats’) policies are more ecofriendly, and when they’re passing bills and laws I think they definitely make sure the environment is a part

SEE ‘EARTH DAY’ ON PAGE 2

KYLE STRAUB / SUBMITTED PHOTO

SINGING OUT: Senior Kyle Straub participates in a quartet during the Huntington Competition as part of the Ambassadors’ performance. His involvement with the top choral group, in addition to a host of other qualifications, gave him points for the Distinguished Graduate program.

A list of some of the world’s most pressing headlines

GO ONLINE ABC News: “Lettuce nose-stuffer To read the avoids jail” articles accompanying Associated Press: “Prison smoke these headlines, traced to inmate cooking in toilet” visit us online for the links.

BBC News: “God ‘will not give happy ending’” BBC News: “Hero in underpants ‘tackles ‘roo’” Time Magazine: “Can marijuana help rescue California’s economy?”

www.hilite.org

4: number of pounds of garbage each person throws away every day

Once the lunch bell rings, sophomore Lauren Wiegand stands up, puts her reusable water bottle into her tote bag labeled “Manic Organic,” and walks away. Wiegand, who strives to lessen her impact on the globe, is one of many students here dedicated to bettering the world.

With Earth Day on April 22 and Arbor Day two days later, there is more emphasis than ever on improving the state of our planet. However, with the everpresent environmental propaganda aimed at today’s youth, for people like Wiegand, she said it is unclear whether being environmentally friendly is a passing trend or a longlasting craze.

“It’s really fashionable, it seems, because a lot of the high-fashion places are starting to sell recycled

tote bags and organic clothes, and I do think it’s become so mainstream that almost anyone can really afford or be able to be eco-friendly,” Wiegand, who also recycles paper, cardboard and plastic, said.

George Ohmer, AP Environmental Science teacher, describes the recent eco-conscious enthusiasm as a positive trend. “‘Trendy’ sometimes is a negative connotation, and I think this is one that is a very good trend, and I am very encouraged to see a lot of young people so interested,” Ohmer said.

According to Wiegand, the media is responsible for affecting how teenagers view the environment. “I think it started because the media started publicizing how the earth is getting harmed by human impact to the environment, and I really think that the more publicity it got, the more people started to realize that they had to do little things to

RECENT HEADLINES

GARBAGE BY THE NUMBERS

BY LAUREN BURDICK lburdick@hilite.org

Page 2 • Friday, April 2, 2009 • News

GREYHOUND NEWS BRIEFS Superintendent With the recent board approval of the district budget, Superintendent Barbara Underwood said now the district must prepare for the cuts and start implementing them.

L a s t T h u r s d a y, A s s i s t a n t Superintendent Libbie Connor met with the leadership of the teachers’ association to compile a seniority list to determine what teachers might be reduced in force (RIF). When the district RIFs a teacher it does not terminate employment but rather notifies the teacher that he or she will not have a job next year due to RIF. According to the contract, the teachers are on a recall list.

“All that has to do with staffing next year and what does our contract say and that is certainly our biggest issue. The others are a little easier.

For example, we are cutting seven custodians but we have already had three or four resignations and we’re just not filling them as we go,” Underwood said.

To figure out the enrollment and necessary staffing among other issues, Underwood said this week there was to be a meeting among building principals to look at staffing for next year.

Under wood said, “We think most of our teachers will have a job. We have 19 positions that we’r e eliminating. We’ve had about 15 resignations that are retirements. Not all of them are in areas that we need to reduce. It is a very complex process.”

Among the difficulties in reducing is the lack of retirements this year.

“Just because of the economy we have had many, many fewer retirements. I think we normally average somewhere around 20 retirements and I think we have had five this year,” Underwood.

Teachers were to be notified no later than yesterday if they were to be reduced in force, according to Underwood. She said most teachers would know in the summer if they will have a job next year.

“The sad thing about RIFing teachers or notifying teachers is that you notify them by April 1 and in June or July or August or whenever we call them back that they have had to just worry and fret not knowing if they are going to get called back,” she said.

Underwood said this district is not alone. “Many districts notify dozens of teachers each year, knowing that they are going to be called back. I have a friend that was RIFed every year for six or seven years and every time was called back before school started,” Underwood said.

According to Underwood these changes will not affect class size. She said if class size increases it is due to increased district enrollment.

“We do not have enough money to add teachers (next year if enrollment increases),” she said.

Underwood said, “We won’t be as fortunate next year if we have to do this again because we were able to look at what we could do to avoid impacting class sizes and course offerings and we have some options this year. It will be harder to find those options a year from now.”

By Brittani Wheeler

Gov. Daniels: By 2013, all Indiana public high schools to become New Tech schools Changes at Carmel not as drastic as they seem, assistant principal says

pooja mathur / Photo

TECH UPDATE: An industrial technology course works on a computer-related project. Gov. Mitch Daniels’s recent proposal to convert all Indiana public high schools to New Tech schools would provide every student with constant access to a computer.

I

By Afra Hussain ahussain@hilite.org

n the next four years, public high schools across Indiana may move towards adopting a completely new curriculum, one that would allow laptops on campus and involve more technology. These drastic changes are part of the New Technology or New Tech program first suggested by Gov. Mitch Daniels early this March.

The proposal calls for all public high schools in Indiana to change before Daniels leaves office in 2013 if the state implements the proposal.

As for the proposal’s effect on students, junior Luke Bunting once visited a school in Kailua, Hawaii called Kailua Christian Academy with a program

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similar to the New Tech program. He said he liked the technology-based approach the school had.

“I did like it because I felt like I was able to get more out of it,” he said.

Bunting described one classroom with individualized cells and laptop ports for each student. The cells also doubled as workstations. Bunting said the role of the teacher was mostly to supervise and guide students through their individual work. He also said if a student needed help, they would simply place a white flag outside of the cell and the teacher would help.

Bunting said in the Kailua program, work and curriculum seemed based more on the individual student.

Here the program Bunting described differs from the New Tech proposal, which focuses on more group projects and hands-on learning as well as technology.

According to the New Tech High School Web site, it was founded by a group of business leaders in Napa Valley who saw the importance of implementing more technology at the high school level.

Since then, a non-profit organization has been set up by the school to promote the program at other high schools around the nation.

As far as what else the curriculum entails, Assistant Principal Ronda Eshleman, who oversees the curriculum at the schools said, “Our biggest thing would be to look more at problem-based learning and higher level thing.”

Eshleman said the goal of the New Tech program is to allow for more real world skills.

However, she added that the transition would not be

CORRECTIONS and clarifications From the 3.13 issue In the student section story “Spotlight on Stage Fright,” Lamonte Kuskye’s quote should have read “rather than excited,” not “other than excited.”

Quick Facts about New Tech Schools Six Indiana schools are already New Tech schools It costs

$500,000 to convert each school

project portfolios, presentations and evaluations of teamwork Emphasis on team projects rather than Grades based upon

teacher lectures

Indianapolis Star / Source

Mandatory AP meeting set for SRT on April 20

By Susie Chen susiechen@hilite.org

Orchestras Orchestra students attending the spring break trip to New York will leave tomorrow. Students should meet at the school by 8 p.m. and depart by 9 p.m. on an overnight bus ride.

Orchestra members will then compete in the National Orchestra Cup competition, which is hosted annually at the Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center. At the event, a select group of 15 orchestras will compete. Performances will then be preceded by a clinic with a member of the adjudication panel.

Orchestra members will also have a chance to sightsee and attend a New York Philharmonic performance.

Faye Dipatuan, orchestra member and sophomore, said she is looking forward to visiting New York.

“We’ve been to Chicago before in middle school,” she said, “but never New York. I’m really excited.” By Sarah Sheafer

as drastic as it seems. “I think our teachers do a good job of that already,” she said.

One hurdle that the school might face, Eshleman said is its size. Eshleman said she has been researching New Tech schools and observed their sizes compared to a school like this one. Most of the schools, she said, are smaller charter schools with about 300 to 400 students.

She said it would be difficult to find a model school the size of this school.

Additionally, the transition to a New Tech high school is not an easy one in terms of cost. Estimated costs for making the switch reach up to $500,000 per school. Also, Daniel’s proposal still has not defined where the money will come from to finance the change for about 350 public high schools.

Another potential snag in the program, according to Bunting, is the pace at which students learn.

“It was a problem when some of the kids fell behind, they stayed behind,” he said.

However, he said if students learn faster, they are able to move faster through the lessons and students who learned at a slower pace could still get help and work at their own pace.

Bunting said having each student use his own laptop also helped make the program better. He said each student was able to put all of his programs on a laptop and keep everything in one place. The school he visited in Kailua had a mainframe, to which all students and teachers were connected. Bunting did, however say said some students might abuse the Internet. He said the school in Kailua was able to block use of the Internet during classes and, because of the mainframe, block certain Web sites as well.

As for the transition, Eshleman said she thinks changing to a New Tech program would have to be gradual, especially here.

“I hate to see a drastic all-or-nothing change, but I think we can update the curriculum towards incorporating problem based learning,” she said.

As far as the changes that might happen soon, Eshleman said, “I think we can take the best parts of the model and put it into the system we already have.”

Kate Grumme / Photo

ROLE MODEL: Senior Avery Sanders speaks to her freshman SRT as a GKOM. If other students are interesting in becoming a GKOM like Sanders, there is a callout meeting on April 14.

GKOM callout meeting April 14 By hope Boyer hboyer@hilite.org

The GKOM callout meeting for the 2009-2010 group of GKOMs will take place on April 14. It will take place in the auditorium during second session of SRT. Students in grades 10 and 11 are welcome to attend the callout meeting. Next year at CHS, the GKOM organization will be led by Jennifer Powell.

“GKOM is a really fun position. It teaches a lot about responsibility and teaches students a lot about leadership and what it takes to be a leader,” Avery Sanders, GKOM representative and senior, said.

The GKOM organization was created in order to make entering the high school an easier transition from the smaller middle school according to Sanders.

Sophomore Natalie Addington said, “When I was a freshman, the first day I came to the high school I was lost. But thanks to my GKOM, it was a lot easier to find my way around and figure out where all of my classes were. After seeing how beneficial it was for

me, I really want to take a part in it sometime during high school.”

Normally, GKOMs will spend the first semester with their freshman SRT, showing them around the high school and showing them their different classes.

Sanders said, “After the first semester is over, most GKOMs don’t go back to visit the freshman that they helped show around. But I met so many new kids in the SRT that I was in charge of, that I went back as much as I could to visit them. I also began tutoring one of the freshmen.”

At the callout meeting, current sophomores and juniors will have the opportunity to apply for the position of a GKOM. Students who are interested in becoming a GKOM next year will receive applications for the position.

If students are interested, they must be willing to spend first semester SRT working with the new freshmen, according to Powell.

Applications are due April 22 by 3:30 p.m. to the activities office.

Sanders said, “Being a GKOM was one of my favorite things about CHS. It was a really fulfilling experience that I encourage many students to do.”

On April 20, students who will take AP exams in May must attend the AP preregistration meeting during SRT. According to counselor Mary Lou Curless, students will fill out their information o n t e s t packets. This James Sun is in order to save time before each exam.

This year, around 900 students are registered to take at least one AP exam; more than 1,665 tests will be taken during testing week, which Curless said is about 300 more than last year.

Curless said it is important

for students to show up for the preregistration. “We understand that many times during SRT, there are many activities that take place,” she said. However, she said students who don’t attend could cause problems for the counselors.

For those students taking AP science and math exams, there is the question of whether or not the state will continue to pay for their tests or whether the $8 fee will be terminated and students will have to pay the full price. Curless said the school will find out from the state on May 1 whether or not the $8 fee will remain.

Senior James Sun, who will take two AP math and science exams, BC Calculus and Chemistry, said he thinks the state should definitely keep paying for the exams. He said, “It encourages AP students to attempt to take the exam, instead of being unconfident and skipping out on it because of the money.”

EARTH DAY, from Page 1 when it needs to be without being ridiculous and trying to change everything,” she said. “It’s incorporating small changes into our everyday lives.”

Ohmer said ther e’s hope President Barack Obama will improve the environment, although most of his policies remain to be seen. “It’s a little early to tell, but I guess I could base it on what he said the was going to do (about the environment), that being better than what was done in the last eight years, but what will actually happen remains to be seen. I’m hopeful that some of the plans that he has will take place,” Ohmer said.

In addition to being an avid

recycler at home, Ohmer also offers a special program to his students every Earth Day. For extra credit, his AP Environmental Science students can volunteer at the annual Earth Day Indiana Festival. The festival has many vendors to promote being eco-friendly in our changing world.

“It’s interesting to walk around to all the booths and see what’s going on,” Ohmer said.

According to Ohmer, while Earth Day and Arbor Day make the environment significant for a day, those habits should continue year-round; students at this school should strive to continue the habits they begin this spring season. He said, “If they’re thinking in terms of one day, it’s a start, but it needs to be a lot more than that.”

NEWS • THURSDAY, APRIL 2, 2009 • PAGE 3

Kiva Club sponsors third-world entrepreneurs Local school chapter of national organization to help with process of ‘micro-lending’

A

BY BEVERLY JENKINS bjenkins@hilite.org

few weeks ago, sophomores Aneesha Kamath and Caroline Stephens became co-presidents of a club that will bring a micro-lending organization known as Kiva to students here on a much more personal level. They have done so by creating the Kiva Club, which according to Stephens, will both promote and fundraise for the organization.

“We heard from (Kamath’s) mother that other schools were lending to Kiva,” Stephens said, “and we thought it was a great idea.”

In 2005, the world’s first person-to-person microlending Web site launched under the domain name kiva. org. Since then, the organization has been working hard to alleviate poverty worldwide, though its concentration is on third-world countries. In that time, Kiva has financed entrepreneurs around the world with nearly $65 million in micro-loans.

What makes the Kiva organization different from any other is how it helps people in developing countries.

Instead of donating like other organizations or getting large loans from banks that charge high interest, Kiva operates using micro-loans.

Economics teacher Dan Bates said, “It’s the principle of giving a man a fish for a day or teaching him to fish for a lifetime. All giving someone a handout does is teach them how to receive, but as little as a $100 loan

can help someone get on their feet.”

What Kiva does not make explicitly clear, according to Stephens, is that someone who gives through the Kiva organization is technically donating.

“You won’t get your money back,” Stephens said.

“As soon as the person you’ve lent to pays you back, you give that same amount or more to another person in need, and it goes from person to person; it’s an endless cycle of just a little bit of money.”

According to the Web site, donors may pull their funds at any time, but hopes that the money they donate will continue to circulate around the world.

The organization has gained thousands of supporters and raised millions of dollars, but Kiva’s popularity perplexes those who do not understand the specifics of the club. How does Kiva thrive, and why would someone sign up for Kiva instead of getting a loan from a bank?

The first point Bates made was those involved are not trying to make money off of the organization, as micro-lending typically charges very little, if any, interest. Also, the idea behind microlending is to help the impoverished, especially impoverished entrepreneurs trying to get on their feet. Otherwise, microlending would be no different from a bank, which does very little to help those in actual need of a loan.

“Banks aren’t out to help people, they’re out to make money,” Bates said. “(Banks don’t usually help) the people who actually need it. They lend money to people who don’t need money because they trust that those people can pay it back. People who do need the

POOJA MATHUR / PHOTO

PRINCIPLES OF GIVING: Economics teacher Dan Bates instructs his AP Microeconomics class. In regards to Kiva’s mission, he said, “It’s the principle of giving a man a fish for a day or teaching him to fish for a lifetime. All giving someone a handout does is teach them how to receive, but as little as a $100 loan can help someone get on their feet.”

KATE GRUMME / PHOTO

MICRO-FINANCING: Caroline Stephens, president and sophomore, sorts through money raised for Kiva Club. The funds go toward struggling entrepreneurs in third world countries for essential business needs such as purchasing office space or starting a business. money are considered a risk.”

Another major reason for Kiva’s success is the fact that those who donate are not required to fund a great deal of money, and the money donated helps someone, is repaid and donated again to another person in need.

The Web site allows a lender to lend as little as $25 to as much as someone’s entire requested loan, which usually ranges from $800 to $1,200, because in developing countries, that’s all a person usually needs at one time. (Although Kiva members can request another loan after the first has been repaid.)

Although the Kiva Club here is just in the groundwork phases (club officers were elected at the last and only meeting thus far), the club has already drawn in quite a few members who have already established plans to fundraise including a booth for the annual Houndstock event.

As for fundraisers, Stephens said, “We also want to sell flowers before prom so someone can ask their date and host a few bake sales.”

In addition, members also bring in monthly dues of $5 that will go toward helping sponsor a Kiva member in need, who, according to Stephens will be decided by members in one of the future meetings.

One of the problems the club does face, however, is how that money will be transported to the organization.

Stephens and Kamath both said the school is not willing to grant the club a PayPal account which is the dominant method the site uses other than credit cards (which if used would make the club officially not schoolsponsored).

“We’re still trying to see if the school might grant us an account, but we’re also going to see if we could mail checks to Kiva instead,” Stephens said of the options they are left with.

In the meantime, the club is not stopping its goal to raise as much money as possible while simultaneously focusing on how it will be transferred.

“It doesn’t take much,” Stephens said. “All it takes is one dollar, bringing cookies for a bake sale, and you can dramatically affect someone’s life.”

ABOUT KIVA First organization that allows person-to-person microfinancing

child sponsorships Inspired by

People may donate as little as toward business owners using their credit cards or PayPal

$25

Entrepreneurs repay loans in as little as

6 to 12 months

Kiva’s partners also provide and other assistance to maximize the entrepreneur’s chances of success

training

After the loan is repaid, people may that choose to money toward another entrepreneur, pay for administrative costs or withdraw their donation

re-donate

KIVA.ORG / SOURCE

Bands prepare for Jazz à la Mode on April 23 to 25

BY STEVEN CHEN stevenchen@hilite.org Jazz à la Mode, a jazz band performance, will be on April 23, 24 and 25 at 7 p.m. each night in Room P105. All four jazz bands will perform all three days in a night club setting while the guests receive pie, cake, coffee and soft drinks. The concert will conclude around 9 p.m.

“What we do is we take the band room, and we kind of turn it into a night club setting. We bring in special lighting and tables, so it’s a very relaxing atmosphere,” band director Richard Saucedo said.

The concept of Jazz à la Mode started a few years ago. “We just got an idea of turning our own band room into a night club and seeing how it would work and seeing if people would enjoy,” Saucedo said. “It started out just

being one night, and now we have so many people who like to attend that we have to go three nights.”

Accor ding to Saucedo, the purpose of the concert is a fundraiser to help the band program cover its costs.

Tickets can be purchased in advance at the Bookstore, and limited tickets can be purchased at the door for $13. Complimentary pie and beverages will be served from 6 to 7 p.m., while the music begins at 7 p.m.

Alan Hill, Jazz 3 student and sophomore, plays the trombone and has been in jazz band since the sixth grade.

According to Hill, some of the pieces that Jazz 3 will play include “Gravy Waltz,” “Blues in the Closet,” “Afro Blue” and a jazz remake of “Thriller.”

Jazz 3 has two major performances each year, Jazz at the

Roof and Jazz à la Mode. However, ther e was a bit of scheduling change last year as the jazz band experimented with different dates for the two events.

Saucedo said, “We found that Jazz at the Roof always works better on a Friday. So we went back to doing that in a Friday in March, which we’ve always done.”

Jazz à la Mode was scheduled near the end of the year, so that the jazz bands could work on practicing their pieces with more time since it is a second semester course only.

“That gives them the fi rst half of the second semester to work on Jazz at the Roof and the second half of the second to work on Jazz à la Mode,” Saucedo said.

“It’s fun. It’s rambunctious,” Hill said. “It sets up a good atmosphere for eating pie and listening to jazz.”

SHIRLEY CHEN / PHOTO

JAZZ AGE: Sophomore Kelvin Dieser practices his trumpet in jazz band rehearsal. The next major event is Jazz à la Mode, which will feature pie and coffee.

Page 4 • Thursday, April 2, 2009 • Ads

Beats / Ads • Thursday, April 2, 2009 • Page 5

Spring Art Show plans underway Art department prepares for show as well as waiting for the CAC awards

By Rosemary Boeglin rboeglin@hilite.org

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Art department chair Jen Davis said the Spring Art Show is to take place May 7 through 10 and will be located in the lobby outside the Dale E. Graham Auditorium.

“Basically it’s open to anyone at anytime, although we plan it to open on the same night as the opening night of the musical, so that more people come see it,” Davis said.

Davis said that because Carmel did not participate in the Scholastics Art Competition this year, that the Carmel Art’s Council (CAC) is considering awarding monetary prizes to students who demonstrate exemplary talent and hard work in their pieces.

“They probably won’t be worth much money, but it’s mostly just recognition for students. Being considered and a small monetary prize is exciting for students,” Davis said.

Davis said that Joyce Burrell, member of the CAC, spoke with Davis about possible awards for students involved in the show to be given by the CAC. “We wanted to represent every content area and grade level, so that all students had an equal opportunity to be recognized. She was going to present it to the (CAC) and I haven’t heard back from her yet so we’re at a standstill until we get the final okay,” Davis said.

Mark Kremer, AP Studio Art student and junior, said he participated in the show last year and plans to again this year.

“I’m not sure what’s going into the show this year, but I think it would be really nice to get recognized.

The money would be great, but just knowing that you were chosen (by the Carmel Art’s Council) is exciting,” Kremer said.

Davis said that teachers are starting to gather pieces for the show, although no decisions have been made on what is going to be considered for reward.

Kremer said this type of recognition from the CAC would be meaningful not only to him, but potentially helpful for this future.

“I’m considering applying to colleges for architecture and it’s nice to have (awards) like this to put on your application. Especially the (students) in my AP Studio Art class would appreciate this because I know a lot of us are starting to look at schools,” Kremer said.

Davis said that she should hear back from the CAC soon on whether or not they will be giving awards for pieces at the Spring Art Show. If so, they ask the teachers pick out the best work to be considered.

“First they ask the teachers to take a look at the students work and then we will submit pieces depending on the number of awards they decide to give. We might send in six or eight of the most successful and then the (Carmel Art’s Council) make the final vote,” Davis said.

According to Davis, the CAC has been “really good through the years. They’ve supported us whenever they can.”

For More Info For more information on other events in Carmel, go to www. carmelartsanddesign.com

What you might see • • • • • •

photography ceramics jewelry paintings drawings computer graphicc • 2D and 3D pieces

By the numbers • About 500-1000 pieces displayed • Beginning and advanced classes displayed • Display runs for about four to five kaitlyn lampe / photo days Gallery Opening: Junior Emelie Havard works on her Jewelry project during SRT. The art department is now preparing for its annual Spring Art Show. jen davis / source

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Page 6 • Thursday, April 2, 2009 • Beats / Ads

Daily Photos American sign language

Clubs, Activities at a Glance

For more information, go online to hilite.org and click on ‘Beats’ CCPR

CCPl

Junior Class

Media Center

From April 20 to 25 the Carmel Clay Parks and Recreation (CCPR) is scheduled to have Arbor Day. Arbor Day is a voluntary program where kids can learn about trees and plant them as well.

The Saturday Volunteer on after, there is Earth Day at a dedication the Earth Day ceremony Indiana Festival. scheduled t o t h a n k ever yone that Go to www. participated and earthdayindiana. volunteered. org to sign up.

Students that volunteer earthdayindiana. for the activity org / source can help keep things in order, make sure ever yone follows the instructions and even participate in the event itself.

“They (students) can actually lead a group and tell them how to plant the trees,” Lindsay Holajter, marketing manger for CCPR said.

According to Holajter, volunteering is a great way to feel better about yourself and give back to the community.

And since most of the activities are geared toward younger children, volunteering is a great way to have fun and participate in the events.

“It is you as an individual who will have an impact on the guests that come here and take part in the programs,” Holajter said.

Holajter suggests that students should volunteer during spring break.

According to Holajter, the CCPR needs as many volunteers as possible to help organize the events and also participate. By Audrey Bailey

Applications to become a Summer Desk Assistant are available at the Carmel Clay Public Library (CCPL) and are due May 18.

According to Hope Baugh, the Young Adult (YA) Services Manager, Summer Desk Assistants volunteer for two hours a week at the library during the summer and help the Children’s and YA departments with their Summer Reading Programs. All volunteers must be entering grades 6 through 12 for the next school year.

She said via e-mail, “Space is limited so make sure to apply early.”

In regards to this volunteer opportunity, junior Tina Wang said, “I think this is generally a good (library) volunteer program because it is consistent and it kind of shows (that the volunteers) are determined.

Usually the librar y volunteer programs are not consistent. It is kind of when you want to do it, you can do it and when you do not want to do it, you don’t have to do it. So this (volunteer opportunity) shows more determination because (volunteers) ar e obligated to volunteer at those set times.”By Michael Wang

The Junior Class officers have recently decided on the Orient as the 2009 Junior Prom theme. Fitting nicely with it, they have planned for fortune cookies as this year’s party favor.

“As of now, we are focusing on ordering the party favors,” Junior Class treasurer Deanna Daly said.

“We have already decided the message for the fortune cookies (which are this year’s party favor).”

The officers have also begun to plan for the prom after-party at Woodland Bowl.

In the coming weeks, the Junior Class officers will be meeting to finish planning the backgrounds and finishing touches of the prom.

It is scheduled to take place on May 2 by the Carmel Clay fountains off Carmel Drive and Keystone Avenue, according to the Junior Class sponsor Jennifer Williams via email. “Even if you can’t remember anything from high school, you will remember prom,” Williams said.

While sophomores and freshmen are not allowed, the overall layout of the prom will be similar to the homecoming dance. The only difference is that prom is much more formal, according to Daly.

H o w e v e r, t h e r e a s o n w h y the prom is generally deemed a more memorable experience than Homecoming is in its subtle differences.

“Homecoming is much more casual than prom. Even though couples go out to dinner and then go to Homecoming, prom is more exciting. I think part of it is because students plan the prom; the PTO plans Homecoming. When there are more students involved, the more exciting it becomes,” Williams said. By Arthur Shou

The media center will participate in National Library Week, which celebrates both school and public libraries, April 13. It ends April 19, with many activities planned throughout, according to media center specialist Bonnie Grimble.

One promotion that Grimble said students should take advantage of is amnesty for late book fines.

According to Grimble, if a student has a late book, he may turn it back in with a non-perishable food item for the Food Bank, a local food pantry. The fine will be forgiven if students do this.

Freshman Matt Barker said he plans to take advantage of the opportunity. “I think it’s a good idea,” he said. “It’s for a good cause.

I’ll definitely (participate).”

Grimble said in the past, this system has been successful. “We’ve been able to collect bags and bags of food,” she said, “which is especially important in these hard times.”

There are several other plans for National Library Week, including a CHS Staff Day. Check out the Hilite Online calendar for more details. By Maria LaMagna

help out

Pooja mathur / photo

Sign OUt: ASL teacher Joseph Wheeler teaches his students to communicate with sign language.

Wheeler is also the sponsor of ASL club here.

ceramics

Hera ashraf / photo

Carving Pot: Junior Kristin Anderson practices a carving technique in her Ceramics II class.

For more Photos of the Day, go online to www.hilite.org.

Leave comments on photos you like online.

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Hera ashraf / photo

Helpful Hand: Teen Volunteer

Corp coordinator Jamie Beckman helps patrons find books.

Hera ashraf / photo

No Fines for Food: Junior

Merysa Perez-Mohr checks out books for a student.

ADS • THURSDAY, APRIL 2, 2009 • PAGE 7

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Page 8 • Thursday, April 2, 2009 • Ads

Sports/Ads • Thursday, April 2, 2009 • Page 9

Pitching? Hitting? What’s More Important?

The baseball team hopes to find an answer to the age-old question on its way to a State championship by andrew browning abrowning@hilite.org

F

kaitlyn lampe / photo

THE ANSWER? Pitcher and junior Robby Shea kicks his leg before throwing a pitch during a preseason workout.

Shea will contribute what he can from the mound this season for the Hounds, as they hope to make a postseason run backed by a strong rotation.

or the past three years, pitcher and senior Kyle Lloyd has watched as the varsity team has cruised through the regular season—winning conference championships in 2006 and 2008—and then faltering in the Sectional playoffs. This year, Lloyd said he hopes to help lead the team to heights it hasn’t reached in the history of this school: a State championship.

“Our goal is to win State,” Lloyd said. “We want to make it all the way.”

Yet to capture the Class 4A State title, the Hounds will have to find an answer to the timeless debate: what wins titles, offense or defense? Head Coach Eric Lentz said to be consistently successful in the post-season, he believes the team will have to be able to shut down opposing offenses.

“I think pitching and defense wins big tournament games. If you have the ability to manufacture r uns, that’s great. Historically we’ve always, offensively, been a pretty solid team in terms of overall team batting average and also the ability to do the small part of the game,” Lentz said. “But I think in tournament play it really comes down to if you have the ability in terms of pitching and defense. If you can get good pitching and prevent the other team from scoring…I think that’s the key to advancing in the tournament.”

However, in the past seven 4A State championship games, the winning team has consistently put on an impressive of fensive performance. The championship team has averaged nine hits and six runs, both solid totals at the high school level.

Ye t L l o y d s a i d h e r e m a i n s convinced that he and his fellow pitching staf f will be a more critical component of the Hounds’ tournament success.

“Probably pitching (will be more important) because pitching is defense and defense wins championships. You’ve got to have a good defense before you have a good offense,” Lloyd said.

Despite the solid of fensive numbers put up by the last seven 4A State champions, the numbers prove Lentz and Lloyd’s belief about the power of pitching true.

During the last seven 4A title games, the starting pitcher for the winning team has failed to pitch a complete game only once, and those seven winners have averaged less than two earned runs during their championship outings.

Conrad Gregor, junior and right

fielder, might be the last person anyone would expect to admit the importance of pitching. Lentz said Gregor has made a name for himself at the varsity level with his performance at the plate, and Gregor said that much of his offseason work has been focused on his hitting. However, even Gregor said he concedes that pitching is the cornerstone to a successful baseball team.

“Pitching wins close games,” Gregor said. “Being a hitter, I like to hit, but I know you can’t win close games without pitchers.”

Luckily for the Hounds, Lentz said the team will return with a strong core of senior pitchers who

should carry the team through the regular season. Once the postseason rolls around, Lentz said he hopes to have developed two strong starters to carry the team to a title.

“I think the key to advancing in the tournament is really the pitching element…That’s why you have to develop those one-two pitchers, so you can advance in the tournament,” Lentz said. “I think that for us, obviously, we work pretty hard at it, and we’ve had a lot of success during the regular season. I think everybody would like to see a nice tournament run, and I think the pieces are in place.

We just have to go out and get it done.”

Experience will be key to lead team in tournament run by faith mwalwa fmwalwa@hilite.org As the varsity baseball team attempts to pick up its first Sectional championship since 2000, it will look to the ability and experience of the team’s leaders to garner a long-awaited playoff run.

Although the team lost some key players to graduation like Greg Vogt ‘08 and Brooks Weidman ‘08, the important returning players on the team, such as Conrad Gregor, right fielder, first basemen and junior, and pitcher and senior Brooks Fiala, are hopeful that the team will build on its success from last season. conrad gregor Gregor, who has played since the third grade and has been on the varsity team since the second half of his freshman season, said, “I think that we have got a great group of guys who bond well, and we are confident that we can have success in the playoffs.”

About last year’s season, Eric Lentz, head baseball coach and social studies teacher, said, “(Last year) we were 25-5 in our regular season and 11-3 in the

MIC (Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference) conference, making us co-champions with Lawrence North. This year we (hope) to (push ourselves) even further, and make progress even beyond the Sectional championship.”

The team fell just short of a Sectional championship last season, falling to Westfield 9-2 in the final.

Lentz said that last year the team had several key senior starters, but was mostly composed of junior players and, this season, those seniors must step up and lead the team to potential victories.

With 14 seniors on the varsity roster and only nine starting positions, the Hounds are loaded from an experience standpoint. Not only that, the Hounds also have an unusually high number of juniors, seven, opening the season on the junior varsity roster, so the Hounds have a veteran group from top to bottom.

Fiala, who is a Miami University of Ohio recruit, is an example of a senior player in a leadership position.

Fiala pitches, but also contributes by playing various positions such as third basemen and shortstop. He has played since the first grade on Carmel Pups and other travel teams, and brings necessary experience that is pivotal to the team’s successes.

After finishing as MIC champions two of the last three seasons, the Hounds will look to capture the Sectional 8 title.

Page 10 • Thursday, April 2, 2009 • Sports s p r i n g s p o r ts p r e v i e w

Men’s golf team plans to gain experience to start season by ryan duffy rduffy@hilite.org

connor o’neal

The men’s varsity golf team hits the links again to start off a new season.

Chad Carr starts his second season as the varsity head coach for the golf program, and said he is feeling good about the team this year.

“Our team will be young. We have no returning players from last year who are current seniors,” Carr said.

“But I am optimistic about the season because I know I am surrounded by a bunch of dedicated players who want

to improve every day.”

Junior player Connor O’Neal said he also feels pretty good about the team’s chances for success this season. “We lost four key seniors, but we have a few other juniors who have a lot of talent,” O’Neal said.

“I’m confident all of them will do great throughout the year.”

Carr said he thinks that the team will need to improve its game around the greens to have success this season, along with just overall experience. “Getting experience is going to help us tremendously,” Carr said. “I would say that we are

going to focus a majority of our season on the short game.”

O’Neal said that steady play is his biggest concern for this season. “We definitely need to play consistent,” O’Neal said. “We had a few players last year who shot a few lows and a few highs and we really need to improve on eliminating high scores and careless mistakes.”

Though the team has lost many of its varsity players from last season, Carr said he thinks the team will be able to play just as well as it did last year. “(We can match our success) without a doubt,” Carr said. “But

it will take a lot of hard work and dedication to achieve our goals.”

O’Neal said he thinks that they will be a contender again this season as well. “I’m feeling we could be a surprise team. We have zero returning seniors, so we’re pretty young, but full of talent,” O’Neal said.

“I’m looking forward to coaching these individuals this season. (And) despite our youth I believe we can accomplish great things,” Carr said. “We will fly under the radar for most of the season, but hopefully we’ll be peaking at the right time and make it to the finals.

From there, it’s anyone’s game.”

upcoming matches April 18: Avon Invitational April 18: Spring Preview April 21: Cathedral April 28: Zionsville CARMELHIGHSCHOOL.NET / SOURCE

Men’s lacrosse staying focused for season by david zheng dzheng@hilite.org

Rugby Gaining Ground Old sport remains less popular than football, but still growing in numbers every year

nick johnson / photo

STEADY GAINS: Senior Kyle Yoon races past a teammate for a score during practice. Like many others, Yoon is in his first season with the team, which has increased in numbers over the last few years. Senior Taylor Wagner said the seniors will look to lead the Hounds to a State championship victory this season.

By maggie brandenburg mbrandenburg@hilite.org

RUNS WILD: Senior rugby player Taylor Wagner holds the ball during a line out and tries to score. Wagner played football in the fall, and is used to the physical contact.

Many Americans have long considered football to be the roughest contact sport in the country. But for senior Taylor Wagner, rugby, especially with its lack of padding, is far rougher.

A n d Wa g n e r, w h o plays both football and rugby, said he can’t imagine it any other way.

“I love the guys I play with and it’s just an awesome sport.

It’s real fun to play.

It’s laid back, but at the same time, there are times you need to get serious about it. I love how everybody can have their own nick johnson,

lily zhao / photo illustration

chance to score and everybody can do everything on the field at once,” Wagner said.

As the ancestor of modern day American football, rugby shares many aspects with its padded counterpart. The goal of each game is to reach one of the two zones at the end of the field, and teams are also able to kick for points through a pair of uprights.

But then the two sports diverge.

One of the main differences between football and rugby comes from how the ball can be moved. In rugby, the ball must either be passed laterally or backwards and can only go forward on a kick. Also, play is continuous in rugby and only stops for a penalty or an outof-bounds ball, sort of like in soccer.

Assistant coach Don Craft said, “(Rugby) is such a challenging game.

Every player has the opportunity to score, and every player will be in contact with the ball. There aren’t set plays that the coaches call, once the game starts, it’s in the player’s hands. They make the decisions. It’s not like you get to run a set play every time the ball starts. The ball is (in) continual motion. You have to

react to what you see on the field.”

According to Craft, even though rugby is the second most watched sport in the world behind soccer, the sport has not seen as much success here as with the rest of the world.

And while the Carmel rugby program has seen major growth in the past few years, with programs beginning as young as elementary school, the men’s high school program still has not managed to garner much attention from spectators.

“Ever yone in the U.S. is so obsessed with football and everyone kind of has their mind on that,” Jonathan Purnell, both a rugby and football player and senior, said.

But for now, the players of the men’s rugby team are concentrating on winning a State championship, a goal which Wagner say the entire team is dedicated to achieving.

“Our captains got together during the off-season and decided our number one goal, no matter what, is the win State,” he said, “In the past ther e have been different goals to make it to certain tournaments, but just cut and dry, we want to win State this year."

Women’s softball players preparing for season by mackenzie madison mmadison@hilite.org With the knowledge of starting the season off against some tough competition, the Carmel women’s softball team has been preparing since the fall to fulfill their goal of winning State this year.

“Conditioning started in October and that was more weights and running.

Once Februar y came, we focused more on throwing and catching and improving other aspects of the games itself,” Sarah Cretin, varsity softball player and sophomore, said.

“I think it helps to keep exercising, and fitness as a priority. We can’t practice (until the season starts). So it’s really just keeping endurance up and building their strength. This year, I’d say we started off ahead of the game from last year. I think a lot of it has to do with conditioning and kids enrolled in Advanced Physical Conditioning,” assistant coach Amanda Holman said.

The team starts their season off with five home games against Chatard, Fishers, Hamilton Southeastern,

North Central and Brebeuf Jesuit.

“I think that our team has a good chance of winning all the games against them because our team practices hard and we have

always been prepared for each game,” Cretin said. Holman also said the team will do well against the competition. “I’m sure the competition will be fierce, but I have

kate grumme / photo

BACK TO THE DIAMOND: Varsity softball players work on throwing mechanics during practice. The team began practicing fundamentals in February.

confidence in the team,” she said.

Although players have not been taking practice and conditioning easy, they do have confidence in winning State this year. “I’m very excited for this season because I think we have a very good chance of winning State this year. I think the team works really well together and we have a lot of very talented players,” Cretin said.

Holman said she agrees. “We have high expectations for the team. We were impressed by the talent that tried out. We want to win all the games we play,” she said.

To improve on her own personal talent, Cretin is setting goals for improvement for this season. “I think I’ll do a lot better with my catching this season because I worked on it this summer, but I think I need to improve on my arm strength,” she said.

Holman looks at the bigger picture of the team as a whole.

“I think we need to focus on the fundamentals, I’d also say the mental aspect of the game (needs to improve) too; knowing what to do and what to expect.”

This school’s men’s lacrosse team has been doing well this season and will play against Westfield at Westfield’s field tonight. The junior varsity game starts at 5:30 p.m. and the varsity game starts at 7:30 p.m.

“Westfield is usually a pretty tough opponent but I'm pretty sure that in past years we’ve beaten them handily,” Zane Anderson, JV attack and sophomore, said. “They’re one of our rivals, so we don’t take them lightly. It’s not like they’re on the same level as a State championship contender, so it’s always a big game, but not our biggest.”

“Westfield has some big wins so far this season, and appear to be a strong team,” Head Coach Brandon Burke said. “The Shamrocks are still looking for their first win against (this school’s) varsity team. This will likely be our toughest in-state competition to date. If our boys are not focused from the start it could be a tough game for us. The JV team will be looking to get back on track after a loss at home last year.”

The Westfield game is right before spring break, but Anderson said that the players will continue to be training hard during break. “We want to stay in shape like how we are right now, so we don't have to backtrack after break,” Anderson said. “After break we want to keep going ahead instead of having to start back over from two weeks ago then keep getting better.”

Burke said the varsity team will be required to do individual workouts over break to maintain their conditioning and strength levels achieved so far. “(These workouts) will entail a combination of body weight workouts for strength, interval running for conditioning and wall ball workouts to maintain their stick skills,” Burke said. “This is important. A week and half off is enough to experience a notable setback, which can be tough to overcome. April will encompass some of our toughest opponents, so we have to be ready.”

According to Anderson, the team is going to be going hard after break and getting ready for the rest of the season. “The State championship is always one of the main goals, and we are definitely going to be a contender for that,” Anderson said. “Beating Culver is always a lofty goal and we always take it as seriously no matter how good they think they are and how good we think we are. Zionsville is also pretty tough, and beating Westfield is always a pretty solid goal. Our main focus right now though is going to State and bringing home a trophy this year.”

The varsity team has fallen just short of the State championship the past several years with a 1 or 2 goal loss in the semi-finals, according to Burke. “While there are several teams peaking this year, the Greyhounds should focus on making it back to the State championship game,” Burke said. “They’ll need to focus on taking each practice and game one day at a time. The team needs to take pride in getting better every day. The offense is being asked to not just score goals, but take better care of the ball to help control time of possession. The defense is being challenged to step up and become a more aggressive unit in both individual and team play. The team has to resolve these issues to be successful.”

“I just really want people to come to the games,” Anderson said. “All the games are fun to watch and it’d be really nice if we could just get some more fan support.”

got goals?

Varsity lacrosse players give their personal goals for this season

SENIOR BARRETT SCHWARTZ “I’d like to either be an All-American or an All-State player.”

SOPHOMORE ALEX EATON “(I’d like to) make some form of All-State. But winning State (is the main thing).”

SENIOR JAMES PRUITT “To get some (more) scores (this year.”

CARMEL HIGH SCHOOL

3POT,ITE

recruiting outsiders Marching Band fills gaps in its formations by using students outside of the performing arts department See Page B7

www.hilite.org

520 E. Main Street • Carmel, IN 46032 • Volume 54, Issue 12 • April 2, 2009

Students attempt to slim down before they hit the beach but find it is important to do it safely and effectively. By Maddi Bourgerie

W

hile the arrival of spring break brings the hope of warm weather and sunshine, for many it also means the start to bathing suit season and a time to bare all. And that leaves students like junior Megan Bournique feeling the need to tone up for spring break due to the pressure society creates to be stick-thin.

Bournique said everyone sees flaws in themselves and spring break brings pressure to get rid of them quickly. Using many different methods, students try to shed pounds fast. However, for teens, being healthy while losing weight isn’t always factored into the plan. And many students try to lose weight not realizing it’s harmful to their bodies, according to health teacher Emily Good.

Crash dieting is the first idea for a quick result, Good said without a doubt, crash dieting, or not eating, is very harmful to the body and is the wrong method for weight loss.

“People don’t understand bodies go into starvation mode, not knowing when the next meal will be,” Good said. “It actually reduces the burning of calories and weight loss. Food for the body is like fuel for a car. Without fuel the car doesn’t run efficiently and the same will happen to a body without food. Diets where people stop eating all

together actually slows metabolism down, counter reacting the plan to lose weight in the first place.”

Other concerns are that weight loss methods can lead to anorexia or bulimia nervosa, conditions students are educated about in heath class. However, there are a number of other disorders that aren’t quite as obvious. Many students can obtain these disorders without realizing it.

St. Vincent Physician Deborah Davis, a pediatrician with several teenage patients said, “Many think they are simply being healthy, but in reality they are being over-obsessive about diet and exercise. For example, eating less and working out more may be mistaken for healthy dieting, when in reality it’s not. Eating less calories and working off more is depriving the body (of) nutrients.”

Recently, there has also been a trend of taking a prescription pill called Adderall as a diet supplement.

The pill is prescribed to students with ADD/ADHD, but many have recognized the side effect of weight loss. Junior Kaylee James takes Adderall for ADD- like symptoms. “It helps me pay attention more and then my mind is solely set on finishing my work,” she said.

“However, since I started taking it, I have noticed many side effects. It makes me in a bad mood, and I lose my appetite as well as interest in food.”

see spring break on page b2

healthy weight loss Cut back on junk foods that are high in sugar, such as candy and soda. These foods will give you more calories than needed and will not leave you feeling full. This is because foods high in refined white flour and sugar are digested very quickly.

Avoid white breads, white rice and or any grain that is not 100 percent whole wheat. Food that is digested quickly means you’ll be wanting to eat more.

Eat low-calorie foods that are digested slowly. Foods that are high in fiber will accomplish this, such as fruits, vegetables, 100 percent whole grain, brown rice and oatmeal.

Eat smaller, frequent meals instead of three large meals per day. Eating less calories more frequently will allow your body to better utilize the calories you provide without storing them as fat.

To avoid hunger, eat snacks between meals and drink plenty of water. straighthealth.com / source

arjuna capulong / photo

slimming down: Junior Megan Bournique eats an apple. Bournique works out at least four times a week and maintains a healthy diet not only to get in shape for spring break, but also to make herself feel confident.

sarah sheafer / photo illustrations

Consistent sleep patterns trump quality, quantity by julie kippenbrock jkippenbrock@hilite.org As junior Shataakshi Dube finishes her homework, she looks at the clock.

It’s 2:30 a.m.

“I’m taking five AP classes this year. For me, staying up that late is a necessity to get good grades,” Dube said.

And Dube’s lack of sleep is not atypical. College and high school students report at least two times as many sleep difficulties as the general population, according to the 2007 Oregon State University Student Health Services. To solve this problem, it is impor tant to compare sleep quantity and sleep quality, which includes how restful your sleep is and how frequently it is interrupted.

School nurse Carol Gelatt advises students to keep a similar wake-up time and go to bed at shataakshi a consistent time to keep an dube overall good quality and quantity of sleep.

For Dube, she said she can get by with four hours of sleep and not experience the common lackof-sleep symptoms including an increase in tension, irritability, depression and confusion.

“Maybe what I’m doing isn’t healthy, but it will be over after this year. I plan to lessen my (class) load next year,” Dube said.

Dube said she never normally stayed up so late in the past and she only does now because she has to finish all her homework.

“I’m (staying up late) for the right reasons.

I know lots of people who stay up late playing video games. If I didn’t have homework, I would definitely sleep,” Dube said.

When Dube does finish her homework and finally goes to bed, she said she sleeps very soundly.

“When you’re that tired, as soon as you hit the pillow, you’re asleep. It’s really hard to wake up in the mornings,” Dube said.

Whereas Dube sleeps very soundly for only four hours a night during the week, sophomore Kaitlin McBane said she sleeps fitfully for approximately eight hours a night.

“I’m a really restless sleeper. I scream in my sleep so that’s why I go to bed so early,” McBane said. McBane said she tries to be in bed by 10:30 every night.

When McBane was younger, she used to sleep walk, but now it has grown into what she calls “sleep screaming.” “It wakes me up so it takes me longer to get back to sleep,” McBane said. “I get tired around third period and I get headaches from being sleepy. I have to drink lots of coffee.”

According to both Dube and McBane, they make up for lost sleep on the weekends. “I like to sleep until 12:30 on the weekends if I don’t have anything to do. I feel less tired on Mondays when I sleep a lot on the weekends,” McBane said.

But Gelatt said she feels differently about catching up on sleep on the weekends. “You probably shouldn’t sleep more than two or three hours extra on the weekend. It disrupts your sleep patterns,” Gelatt said.

Gelatt also said many students come to the nurse’s office to lie down because they are tired.

Gelatt said, “Most kids won’t admit that, but I’m sure it happens.”

McBane said she has seen that scenario happen many times. “I’ve never done it, but I’ve thought about it. I know people that do though. They say they have a stomachache. It’s a good excuse to lie down,” McBane said.

Gelatt said, “If I had to choose one, I would say sleep quantity is more important. If you have good sleep quantity, not too little or not too much, then you probably will have a good quality of sleep.”

But as for the “right” amount of sleep one should get, Gelatt was more vague. “People are different and require different amounts of sleep,” she said.

Recent news in Mexico raises travel concerns, students disregard warnings by erin lowe elowe@hlite.org Despite recent headlines regarding dangerous incidents in Mexico, students and teachers here still plan to travel there for spring break. But Spanish teacher Dora Mulcahy, who has family in Mexico, is not one of these people. In fact, she has been warning students in her classes about the possible dangers they could face if they travel south of the border.

“I’m worried for (students).

I’ve talked to them (in class). The kids think nothing’s ever going to happen to them. They think they are safe in a resort. They already paid and don’t want to lose the money,” Mulcahy said. Mulcahy’s past visits have taught her that

Mexico is full of dangers.

However, students here think otherwise. Senior Molly Pearson is traveling with a group of friends to Cancun for the week and said she believes there are no real dangers in going to a resort.

“We are going to an all-inclusive resort. My mom and my friend’s mom are going with us. I don’t know a lot of the details (about Mexico). I just know there is drug trafficking and kidnappings. I don’t know specifics.”

Cur r ent news ar ticles have warned against teens going to Mexico. According to a recent article from The Orion newspaper from California State University, “Students who are considering traveling to Mexico for spring break should stay away from red-

light districts, visit only legitimate stores and tourist spots during the day and avoid traveling alone.”

Although Pearson is staying in a resort, she said she still wants to know what to look out for.

“The most I feel I could do is be aware, and I take a parent. We’re not going outside of the resort and we will stay in groups,” Pearson said.

Pearson said she has heard not to tip very high as this will alert people that you have quite a bit of money.

Information found on travel. state.gov includes some important facts that teens should be aware of. “Make sure you have a valid passpor t with you. If black or red flags are up, do not enter the water. Do not swim in pools or at beaches without a lifeguard. Use only licensed and regulated taxis

(sitios).Do not carry a pocketknife (results in weapons charge).” The site also states that travelers should contact the embassy or consulate.

Overall, though, Pearson said she is not very concerned. “We bought our tickets through Costco and we could get close to a full refund. If things got too dangerous we would probably stay home,” she said.

Mulcahy said she warns students in her classes and has even managed to convince some to stay home, but three are still going.

“I think they should stay in groups,” she said. “You can’t trust anyone. Do not leave the resort. Do not go to clubs. Don’t mingle with the locals. Do not be out in early mornings, there have been rapes.

Don’t get into a taxi or take a bus.

Stay with adults.”

evelyn forbes / photo

safety first: Dora Mulcahy, a Mexico native, teaches one of her Spanish classes. Because of the recent news stories about the dangers in Mexico, Mulcahy does not recommend anyone to visit there on spring break.

Page B2 • Thursday, April 2, 2009 • Feature / Ads

Fame in the Internet Age Internet, social networks help aspiring artists promote music

S

By Celina Wu cwu@hilite.org

itting at the piano, senior Cadey Phipps experiments with different notes to find the right combination for the perfect melody. For her, the purpose of creating a new melody is to pair it with her own lyrics, making an original song of her own creation. Composing isn’t just a hobby, but Phipps also said it will hopefully become a future career for her as a singer.

“I started writing my own songs in third grade, and then I started writing more complicated ones with the piano my freshman year,” Phipps said. “I sit at the piano and experiment with different chords and melodies trying to find things that sound good and different from anything else I’ve ever done or heard. I love singing and it would mean so much to be a successful singer.”

Phipps is among the countless aspiring singers who are trying to make it big in the music industry. Of course, breaking into the business and becoming famous are difficult tasks only some individuals achieve. However, with the wide availability of the Internet, it has become easier for unknown singers to promote their music through various Web sites. By posting songs online, artists can make their music known to an extensive amount of people, hopefully garnering attention that could lead to discovery, initiating a career in the industry.

Sean Kingston Choral director Diana Lily Allen Gillespie said via e-mail, “It is Arctic Monkeys definitely easier to market your Ingrid Michaelson own music nowadays with the Kate Voegele Internet. There are so many ways to introduce your music Colbie Caillat to millions of people now artsjournal.com / than there were even five years source ago. Artists are putting their music on their own Web sites, putting their songs on MySpace, Facebook and the list goes on. One can’t help but hear somebody’s music when visiting a Web site, and that song might just be an emerging artist trying to market his or her music.”

Phipps has already used some Web sites because she said the Internet would be a useful tool to get discovered.

She said that she has used both YouTube and Facebook as means to have her music heard by uploading videos of herself singing her songs.

Phipps also said a positive result has come from uploading videos on Facebook. “My cousin who owns a recording company heard the stuff I posted up on Facebook and recently asked if I would ever want to team up with a professional songwriter,” she said.

Singer, songwriter and guitarist for his band, the Two-

Man Bandits, junior Owen Yonce is also hoping to pursue a career in music. He said the Internet benefits aspiring musicians, like himself, as well. “There is definitely an advantage to using the Internet because you can reach more people that way,” he said. “People can sample or preview your music whereas before, singers had to have a CD out there for people to listen to.”

Yonce also said that his band has a MySpace page, on which he has posted some songs, such as “Troubled,” “Orleans,” and “Frog.”

According to the New York Times article, “MySpace Music Store Is New Challenge for Big Labels,” approximately 3 million independent-label bands and unsigned artists have found MySpace to be an effective, inexpensive way to spread the word about their recordings and concerts.

Phipps said that soon she might join the millions of artists who have MySpace pages. “Once I get some things recorded I would like to maybe make a MySpace page.

I’d also put the videos I already have up on YouTube and Facebook on it,” she said.

The Internet has changed how unknown singers market their songs and gain recognition or possibly fame. “More artists are getting discovered by promoting themselves

through the Internet,” Gillespie said. “Just think of how many talented musicians there are out there who are just waiting to be discovered. Virtually every local musician I know has his or her own Web site where I can find their performance schedule for the month or year. This kind of promotion was unheard of 10 years ago.”

Having already begun to promote her songs through Facebook and YouTube, Phipps may be on her way to achieving her aspiration.

“To be a successful singer would mean so much,” she said. “I’ve always written songs because it’s the only way I can get all my ideas and feelings out of my head. There’s really nothing else that I have ever done or can imagine doing with my life that would make me as happy. The feeling of knowing other people like something that you have created all by yourself is really cool. I just think being able to put myself out in front of people who appreciate what I’m trying to do is a really amazing feeling that I would love to feel for the rest of my life.”

To watch a video of Two-Man Bandits, go to www.hilite.org

Artists discovered on MySpace

Spring Break from Page B1

It is the side effect of loss of appeite, Davis said, that can attract people to the drug. However, Davis warned these are only temporary fixes and, in the long run, can be very unhealthy.

Without doctor supervision, she said, people can easily take the wrong dosage and potentially harm one’s kidneys or liver. For the students who are prescribed Adderall they are monitored and watched closely for safe results, Davis said.

Additionally, use of Adderall can turn into a disorder just like anorexia or bulimia in the way that someone can be obsessive with losing weight and will do anything to get there. “Many don’t realize that their life has become consumed with losing weight, working out or eating,” she said. If you start getting abnormal thoughts about these subjects, seeking counseling may be needed.”

Good suggests alternative healthy ways to reduce weight. Forgetting all the short cuts and combining eating well and exercising is the healthy way to lose weight, she said. The biggest tip, however, is eating in moderation and watching portion sizes. Good also said for students to see quick results they should work out at least five days a week for at least 30 minutes Bournique said she works out at least four times a week and maintains a healthy organic diet. She said she is confident about herself and has found a routine that works for her to stay healthy while staying in shape.

“Everyone is self conscious at some point but there is no need to harm yourself to be thin. Just eat healthy, work out and don’t over do it. Not everyone is the same size, so be confident.”

arjuna capulong / photo celina wu / photo

strike a cHord: The Two-Man Bandits, comprised of Andy Painchaud, Taylor “Tate” Riner, Owen Yonce and Brian McGowan, performs one of its songs. The band utilizes the Internet to promote their music.

Drink Up: Junior Kaylee James, who takes Adderall for ADD-like symptoms, said some use the drug for its appetitesuppressing qualities

Students face difficult decisions, values influence motives by ellie seta eseta@hilite.org While walking thr ough the parking lot of a local Walgreen’s, senior Billy Kouroupis found a wallet lying on the pavement.

Expecting to find only a few dollars, he was suprised to find not only multiple credit cards and a social security card but also $1,758 in cash. He was then faced with a very difficult decision, whether or not to return it.

According to Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development, when adolescents reach 11 years old they begin a new stage in moral development when they begin to make decisions based on the what is the right thing to do, in contrast to previous stages when an adolescent makes a decision for a reward or to please an adult.

However despite Kohlberg’s Theory, many teens today struggle with this concept. As found in an

Ohio State University study on teenagers and decision making, the most important step in making a decision is to evaluate the problem, as well as the solution.

While, based on the information in the study, this is the most important in the decision-making process, it is also the most neglected step by teenagers.

Two days after finding the wallet, Kouroupis eventually returned the wallet to its owner, despite the influence of his friends.

“I really thought about keeping it,” Kouroupis said. “But I felt bad because it basically had her life in there.”

Kour oupis said his par ents have always instilled in him the importance of making the right decision.

Psychology teacher Peter O’Hara said parents hope their kids make good decisions, but with the influence of peer groups and social interactions sometimes it can

be hard to control. He said during the teenage years it is normal to sometimes make bad decisions because of the lack of input from their parents. “(The teenage years) are the first time in their life when they are forced to decide for themselves and not just do the right thing because of their parents,” O’Hara said. “It is only natural to rebel at some point.”

Kouroupis said he does not think a lot of teenagers would have done what he did. “There are just a lot of untrustworthy people,” Kouroupis said.

While O’Hara said parental influence plays a big part in teh decision-making of their kids, he also said there is definitely a correlation between religion and making moral decisions.

However, psychology teacher Robin Pletcher warns that even though religion does cause some people to make good moral decisions,

this is not always the case.

“This does not mean if you are not religious then you won’t make moral decisions,” Pletcher said. “(Religious people) just have more of the guilt.”

Pletcher said making moral decisions is a pr ocess that is learned behavior. She said that the more experience a person gains, the more they begin to realize the consequences for their actions, which not only affect themselves but others as well. She said soon after this realization, making moral decisions becomes much more natural.

Kouroupis said in the end he felt he made the right decision, and the lady was very grateful he returned her wallet. He is also glad that he decided to ignore his friends.

“It was the right thing to do,” Kouroupis said. “Only good things can come from (doing the right thing).”

KOHLBERG’S STAGES OF MORAL DEVELOPMENT This theory contends that moral reasoning has six stages, each better equipped to respond to moral dilemmas than the previous stage

Stage 1: Punishment-Obedience Orientation Stage 2: Naively Egoistic Orientation Stage 3: Good Boy-Nice Girl Orientation Stage 4: Law and Order Orientation Stage 5: Social Contract Orientation Stage 6: Universal Ethical Principle Orientation HAVERFORD.EDU / SOURCE

Entertainment • Thursday, April 2, 2009 • Page B3

Reviews

Books. Movies. Food. Music. Shopping. Previews.

‘Duplicity’ pleases with story, confuses with plot twists

By Lexi Muir lmuir@hilite.org It’s impressive to say that a movie I barely understood kept me entertained and on the edge of my seat for 125 minutes, but that’s the reality of “Duplicity.” It’s not often one can leave a movie saying “I have no idea what just happened, but I liked it!” The film, while twisted and entangled in its own lies and deceit, proves to be one of the more entertaining films I’ve seen all year.

Clive Owen and Julia Roberts play the roles of Ray and Claire, two corporate spies working for competing corporations. Their first encounter, which takes place in Dubai, consists of Claire drugging and stealing from Ray as an assignment from her adviser. This act sets the tone for the cold, distrustful personalities of both characters, which evolves into the main conflict between the two forces throughout the entire film.

A few years later, Claire and Ray meet up again, fall in love and plan to combine forces for a con job that will score them millions for their ultimate goal: to live happily ever after with a lavish lifestyle beyond

imagination. Through lying, stealing and many actions that leave the audience wondering if they are still in fact working together, Claire and Ray work to get closer and closer to scoring the jackpot, which is a multi-million dollar patent for an upcoming revolutionary idea. The trick, however, is to get to it before anyone else does.

Their search for wealth leads them to all areas of the world, including Dubai, Rome, Miami and the Bahamas. The high-class characters are perfectly matched with the gorgeous settings throughout the film. The setting alone could have kept me entertained through the film (that, and Clive Owen’s charming smile and perfectly tanned body).

The audience, instead of simply watching the film, is forced to piece together the puzzle, which is broken down into flashbacks and present day clips. I couldn’t help but feel that director Tony Gilroy was purposefully trying to confuse the audience just because the genre of film usually calls for that type of story line. Had each clip been in its chronological order, not only would I have been able to breathe during the film, but I also wouldn’t

have left scratching my head and wondering where all those missing puzzle pieces went.

Along with the confusing timeline is a puzzle piece that seemed to stick out like a sore thumb. The multi-million dollar patent, which Claire and Ray work to discover through the entire movie, seems to be a device to mock both the American people and corporations as a whole. Ray thinks he has the big ticket when he discovers frozen pizza is a billion-dollar industry, but Claire discovers their true golden ticket: a cure for baldness. Both of these industries do not seem to fit into the wittiness and sophistication of the movie. One would think that the golden ticket would have been something more intelligent or lifechanging like a cure for cancer or an alternate energy source, not a frozen food item or an over-thecounter shampoo.

Overall, the corporate intelligence paired with the romantic spark proved to be quite pleasing, while creating two distinct parallels. Whether going for the romance or the insidercorporate war, “Duplicity” will be sure to leave the audience entertained.

‘Duplicity’

duplicitymovie.net / Photo

Directed by: Tony Gilroy

Rated: PG-13

Starring: Julia Roberts, Clive Owen

Overall: B+

‘I Love You, Man’ easy to love with warm-hearted, feel-good humor ‘I love you, Man’ Directed By: John Hamburg Starring: Paul Rudd, Jason Segel Overall: B+

By Mitch Ringenberg mringenberg@hilite.org “I Love You, Man” is the type of comedy that is almost impossible to dislike. Its two main stars are the kind of lovable, funny average Joes that moviegoers have grown accustomed to rooting for. Unlike most comedies in the genre, it has protagonists that aren’t just foul-mouthed stereotypes, but rather, actual people we can sympathize with. Not to mention, the movie dons a smart and often hilarious script written by John Hamburg (“Meet the Parents”) and “Seinfeld” co-writer Larry Levin.

The film’s main characters are played with a wonderful ease by Paul Rudd and Jason Segel. Rudd, who has starred in some of the finest comedies of the past decade (“Anchorman,” “Knocked Up”), is in a slight departure from his usual smart-aleck roles playing an awkward and socially inept real-estate agent named Peter Klaven.

Shortly after popping the question to his girlfriend (“The Office’s” Rashida Jones), a terrible truth dawns on Peter: he has no one to be his best man at the wedding. Peter,

we learn, has always been more of a “girlfriend guy” and too in touch with his feminine side to obtain any longlasting male friendships.

Rudd’s character spends a good portion of the film’s beginning searching for his new male friend through a predictable (albeit hysterical) series of “man dates.” The dates are a disaster and leave Peter in even worse spirits then when he started.

At this point, the film truly picks up. Peter meets Sydney Fife, played by Jason Segel, at an open house for Lou Ferrigno’s mansion. Sydney is almost Peter’s polar opposite. Whereas Peter is often shy and very uptight, Sydney is always speaking his mind and constantly at ease.

The pair quickly bond over their mutual obsession with the classic rock band Rush, and a friendship is formed.

Segel recently gave his breakthrough performance in the excellent “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” (which he also wrote) and is equally great in this. The dialogue between Rudd and Segel is the film’s strongest point. It’s obvious that the two were allowed to ad-lib many of their lines, and the movie is all the better for it.

While “I Love You, Man” ultimately falls prey to the genre’s cookie-cutter formula, it does a good job surprising the audience with some unexpected gags and plot twists. Also, while Judd Apatow was not involved in making this film, he may as well have because “I Love You, Man” looks and feels exactly like an Apatow film, and can (almost) hold its ground against some of his best.

Another highlight of the film is its terrific supporting cast; the standout among them being “Saturday Night Live’s” Andy Samberg, who also starred in 2007’s goofy and criminally underrated “Hot Rod.” Samberg, playing Rudd’s brother, just about steals every scene he’s in and shows enormous potential. Also in the supporting cast are J.K. Simmons (“Juno”) and Jon Favreau (“Swingers”), whose performances give certain scenes a huge boost.

“I Love You, Man” is a movie that has you laughing the entire time and leaving the theater feeling better than when you came in. For all its raunchy dialogue and excessive swearing, “I Love You, Man” is never meanspirited and has a warm-heartedness that is hard to find in most comedies today.

PAGE B4 • THURSDAY, APRIL 2, 2009 • ENTERTAINMENT

R Call

1

With its ever-increasing popularity, the HiLite offers a brief look at sushi dishes from local groceries and how well they stack up against a tried-and-true establishment.

By Tim Chai and Rosemary Boeglin

TOP PICK

Whole Foods Market

As the world’s largest retailer of natural and organic foods, it is not surprising that Whole Foods had the best sushi of any grocery store. I immediately noticed the difference from the first bite I took. The prevalent hard casing and oftentimes stale fish that I had almost become accustomed to throughout the day (an occupational hazard, I know) miraculously disappeared. The rice was absolutely delicious, and trust me, I know my rice. The vegetables (avocado, carrots, and cucumbers) were also fresh and crisp, contributing to an overall consistency that was quite impeccable.

VEGETABLE ROLLS

8 PIECES - $5.50 GRADE: A-

2

THE RESTAURANT STANDARD ASPARAGUS WITH CREAM CHEESE

8 PIECES - $3.49 GRADE: A

Marsh

While both the crab/shrimp and tuna seemed fresh and were of good quality, the salmon was obviously mushy and almost certainly overlyprocessed. The rice was better than the rice found in the other grocery stores, although it was a little stale and the grains were indistinguishable.

Naked Tchopstix establishes itself with delicious, intriguing rolls

This was my first foray into the cult (at least in the HiLite room) of Naked Tchopstix, and they recruited me for life. Although not a personal fan of cream cheese in sushi, the flavors and textures blended very well with each other. The asparagus was very fresh and crisp, and the justaposition of creamy and crunchy was an extremely enjoyable treat.

Adding to this experience, the décor was an interesting mix of both traditional and modern elements, contributng to a pleasurable atmosphere for both the eyes and the mouth.

TIM CHAI, MATT KANITRA / PHOTOS

SPICY VARIETY

3

12 PIECES - $5.59 GRADE: B

Kroger

In just 15 minutes, I probably changed my mind about this batch of sushi more than anything else in my life. Leaving me quite conflicted, Kroger’s crab variety box took me on a roller coaster ride, from bad to good to bad again. If you’re looking for any semblance of flavor, I suggest completley foregoing the regular immigation crab roll. It wasn’t bad, but the sad fact was that there was no taste whatsoever. Likewise, the last one I tasted (the “sweet” shredded crab) suffered from the same quality.

While there was a slightly sweet flavor, it was neither pleasant nor obvious enough; I kept asking myself whether this was a regular or sweetened roll. The spicy shredded crab roll somewhat made up for the other two, but not even the satisfying core could make up for the poor excuse of rice surrounding it, which was basically a hard, white casing.

VARIETY CRAB

12 PIECES - $5.50 GRADE: B-

THE WORST: MEIJER Be prepared to get food poisoning with this sushi. This was the worst sushi of the day, and perhaps the worst I’ve ever had in my life. The rice was clearly past its prime, and it only got worse from there. The tuna was spongy and fusty.

In fact, this was the only place where we didn’t finish the box. While I applaud the store for using a variety of vegetables and having a tuna option, the execution was completely lacking.

SPICY TUNA

9 PIECES - $5.99 GRADE: D

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The 2008-2009 HiLite Staff wishes to thank our Gold Patrons: Andrew R. Klein Carmel Clay School Board Ty Interiors owner Pamela Hobbs

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Page B6 • Thursday, April 2, 2009 • Ads

Student Section • Thursday, April 2, 2009 • Page B7

Marching band recruits outsiders to fill holes in formation

Jinny zhang / photo

Everybody Has a story According to the HiLite student name list, there were 4,199 students registered at CHS as of the first day of school. We plan to cover some of them randomly. This week, we feature number

3,896

For more information on our selection process, visit www.hilite.org

Filling in: Junior Tyler Walls practices with his tuba during SRT. Walls has been in the marching band since eighth grade when he was recruited because there were too few tuba players that year in the marching band.

F

by Amanda nguyen anguyen@hilite.org

or non high school students, participating in a high school organization can be a frightening experience. This was the case for Tyler Walls, tuba player and junior, when first he joined the Carmel Marching Band in his eighth grade year.

“I was mainly scared at first. I thought (the high school students) were going to shun me or something, but it turned out to be really cool. The other high school students embraced me. I think a lot of people liked me more just because I was in eighth grade,” Walls said.

Although Walls said he was nervous in the beginning, joining marching band wasn’t a difficult change for him.

“My friends (outside of marching band) didn’t really support me, but I was having fun with it so I didn’t

really care. The music was harder (than the eighth grade repertoire), but I was ready for it,” he said.

Andrew Cook, the associate director of bands, said, “Tyler was taking private lessons with me so I knew him since his sixth grade year. We designed the marching band formation with a certain number of tubas and one of our tuba players moved to another school. We needed to fill the hole, so we asked Tyler to play with us.”

Walls said he joined marching band because he knew Cook and also because his brother participated in it. He said, “Marching band is a big part of my life because it’s made up of 200 people and I get close to all of them during the season. I just wanted to have fun with it.” Walls said.

Even as an eighth grader, Walls was well-qualified to play with the high school marching band. He said he won the Director’s Award from Wendy Higdon, director of bands at Creekside Middle School. He

ComedySportz player shares tips, tricks for improv, stage presence and humor Guest Columnist Laura Palmer

There is nothing like the adrenaline rush you get before running onstage for a ComedySportz match. For me, it is almost impossible to rationalize the fact that I am going onstage for the next hour and a half with no idea as to what I’ll do or say.

Some of my best friends constantly say that they could never do what the members of the ComedySportz team do. They would freeze onstage and not know what to do or say “on the spot.” Maybe it’s a matter of having inhibitions or being overly self-conscious, but a lot of people would rather do ANYTHING besides be caught onstage, unscripted. So why do we do it?

I guess the easy answer is that the six of us Carmel ComedySportz “Actletes” are just twisted and weird for loving the whole experience.

If you’ve never been to a ComedySportz match at Carmel, it really is a crazy evening. The Studio Theater packs around 250 audience members who are all screaming and energized for a good show. It is the only kind of performance where the audience actively participates in the show by offering suggestions (people, objects, locations) that the performers build our scenes or jokes around. It’s staged like a sports match, and we compete against other Indiana schools for a meaningless trophy. The audience decides who gets the points and eventually, who wins the match.

When I made the team sophomore year, I was taught

some guidelines that are said to shape “good improv.”

So for all of you aspiring ComedySportz auditionees out there, here they are: 1) Don’t be a stage hog. We all know THAT GUY. THAT GUY must always be the center of attention. In improv, THAT GUY is universally hated because he doesn’t know how to share onstage. THAT GUY looks like an idiot for not working with his team.

Don’t be THAT GUY. 2) Pay attention! If you’re in the middle of a scene and someone leaps onstage saying something completely irrelevant that screws up the plot or confuses the audience, it’s not funny.

3) Agree. The big no-no in ComedySportz is disagreeing with a teammate on stage.

It makes everyone look bad.

4) Commit. Whatever you do, do it big.

If you’re a 35-year-old woman living in your parent’s basement and you hold the Weightlifting Champion title, you better drop your voice a few octaves and flex. Make big choices, because little choices make you look like a wimp.

5) Have fun. This is the easiest part, because at Carmel, we have awesome fans.

So this is my thank you to all of you ComedySportz fans. From the kids in sleeping bags in the ticket line to the masses singing Backstreet Boys outside the theater an hour before show time, you are the best! I speak for Mike, Jason, Bethany, Phil, Jon and myself when I say that Carmel has the best ComedySportz fans in the world. Maybe we’ll even win State this year…

Upcoming Meets April 14: North Central (Away) April 24: Guerin (Home) May 5: Chatard (Away)

May 8: Guerin (Away) May 9: All Star Meet (Cathedral) INDYCOMEDYSPORTZ.COM / SOURCE

also earned gold rankings in several ISSMA solo and ensemble competitions.

Regardless of a player’s talent, marching band students must practice many hours, according to Walls. Marching band members practice before school at 7 and after school until 6 on weekdays and all day on Saturdays. During the summer, members have three-a-day practices that start from 8 or 9 in the morning and lasts until 9 at night.

When Walls was an eighth grader, he said he had to leave right after school to go to the marching band field.

He said, “One of the directors would pick me up because it was legal back then, and I practiced with the rest of the band, but I didn’t have to go to the morning practices.”

Like Walls, Bailey Cook, mellophone player and junior, also joined marching band her eighth grade year. “I got involved in marching band before high school because my dad is one of the band directors at Carmel and seeing his involvement made me really interested and influenced me to do it in eighth grade,” she said via e-mail. “Because I was involved in the marching band in eighth grade, I was surrounded by high schoolers and made a bunch of friends at that time. It helped a lot when I went into high school because I already knew people.”

Walls said there are many exciting events that occur prior to, during and after competition.

According to Mr. Cook, each year the marching band’s first performance is the Fourth of July parade. He said, “We meet with the incoming ninth graders in January and February to talk to them about all the activities they can do like jazz band and marching band. We rehearse in June with the students. It’s usually our first tradition of the new marching band season.”

Another tradition that the marching band participates in is the dress up days during the week of State competition.

Walls said one of most exciting events that he experienced his eighth grade year was winning the Grand Nationals competition.

“My experience of winning Nationals was crazy because the whole front half of the RCA Dome was filled with people. It was the first time and you can’t prepare for an experience like it. It was hard to imagine we could win Nationals, but somehow we did,” Walls said.

Walls said he enjoys most aspects of marching band, but he enjoys one thing above all else. “My favorite part is going on the trips, getting to know everybody better on the bus ride is fun,” he said.

Even with another year and a national competition experience under his belt, Walls said, “I don’t have as much experience as the seniors do this year, but I have more experience marching so I can teach others how to march better. Even though I have a year on other people, I don’t boss them around.”

Bailey agreed with Walls in that another year of marching band doesn’t impact her tremendously. “Next year will be my fifth year and having that extra year may not do a whole lot, but it definitely has helped me in my leadership skills and helping the freshmen transition from middle school to high school,” she said. “I love marching band. It is really stressful and time consuming, but I’ve enjoyed it every year and I’m always disappointed when the season is over.”

Walls said his experience in marching band has been great so far. He said, “Through marching band I’ve met new friends and I’ve become a better musician.”

In the Suitcase: Spring Break Edition Alexander “Alex” Upwards, orchestra member and sophomore, dicusses the group’s upcoming NY trip Compiled by Jade Schwarting Where: New York City When: Spring Break; April 3 to 9 Why: Orchestra competition against five other high schools from across the nation in Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall

Bow: It’s used to play my bass, so I’ll definitely need it. iPod: (I’m bringing this) for entertainment during the long bus ride.

Playing: “Huapango” by J. Pablo Moncayo, “Symphony Number 9” by Sibelius and “Nocturne for Orchestra”

by Richard L. Saucedo

Pillow: I’ll sleep on it on the bus since my iPod won’t last for the long ride.

Since we’re traveling through the night on the way there and on the way back, I’ll need to get some sleep too.

Expectations: “We want to do well but regardless, it’s an opportunity to play in a word-class performance center in a world-class city,” Upwards said.

Cell phone: I need to keep in touch with my family and friends since I won’t be with them on the trip.

IN THE SUITCASE Suitcase: It’s easy to carry and can hold everything I need. Plus it’s the only suitcase I have.

Bass: I’m bringing my instrument to play in the competition. They’re bringing a separate truck just for the large instruments so I won’t have to carry it on the bus with me.

Tuxedo: We’re having a competition on Sunday night so we wear our concert attire which, for boys, is a tuxedo.

Sheet music: We’re playing in our competition so I’ll need the music for that.

Kate Grumme / Photos Beverly Jenkins, Min Qiao / Photo illustration

PAGE B8 • THURSDAY, APRIL 2, 2009 • PERSPECTIVES STAFF PERSPECTIVE

“

SPEAK UP

Earth Day time to reflect, take action for environment A

Compiled by Steven Chen and Mackenzie Madison

s April 22 approaches, we are all reminded of the importance that enter water supplies from groundwater systems and from the of protecting the environment. Earth Day, a day devoted to the atmosphere by acid rain. Groundwater contains the residue of celebration of our environment and a time to assess the work human agricultural practices and improperly disposed industrial needed to protect the natural gifts of our planet, comes only once waste. The effects of water pollution vary. Some include poisonous a year. Today, many people have become more conscious than ever drinking water for both people and animals but water pollution can about the environment and protecting it. But in a time where a also unbalance river and lake ecosystems to a point where they can great debate rages over the magnitude of Global no longer support biological diversity.

Warming and mankind’s contribution, we all need Earth Day is important for all of us to reflect to step back and agree on one thing: there is only on the environment and its delicacy, and we OUR STAND one Earth and we need to protect and preserve it. need to be cognizant of the interrelatedness We live in a time when air pollution has of environmental areas. Smog, for example, Students at this school affects air pollution in large cities and acid rain reached all-time high levels. In recent years, the amount of cars on the road, some 250 million have an obligation to also contaminates the water supply. This makes according to the U.S. Bureau of Transit Statistics, do their part to help protecting our environment even more important. has contributed to roughly 60 percent of all April 22 is not a day to argue over carbon emissions nationwide. Carbon monoxide is the environment. With Global Warming and its truth but to look at an odorless, colorless gas and is formed when the Earth Day approaching, the physical evidence that, to some extent, carbon in fuels does not completely burn. Carbon it is a perfect time to mankind is polluting the Earth. Many people monoxide leads to air pollution which threatens want to reverse these effects but don’t know the health of people and other living things. This is start helping out in any where to begin. You don’t have to make large, way possible. a major problem in urban cities like Los Angeles. drastic lifestyle changes. Just take Earth Day as Even though it is often invisible, pollutants in the a starting point of your more conscious mind air can produce smog or acid rain. These cause cancer and other and your actions on the environment; and start small. Make serious health risks, along with depleting the ozone layer. sure your computer and monitor power management settings And as pollution affects our air, it also affects our water. There are optimized, so they go into sleep mode when you’re away are direct and indirect contaminant sources. Direct sources include from your desk, for example. This simple task actually reduces waste treatment plants and effluent contaminants from factories greenhouse gas production. Carpool or ride your bike more or refineries. These emit fluids directly into urban water supplies. to help reduce car emissions. This helps both air and water In the United States and other countries, these practices are pollution. One can also use the microwave to cook small meals; regulated but that doesn’t mean contaminants can’t be found in it uses less power than an oven. The Earth needs protecting and the water. Indirect sources of water pollution include contaminants your small changes can make a huge difference.

JUNIORS, WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO BE DOING THIS TIME NEXT YEAR? A year from now, I hope to be going to Purdue, or Michigan as a backup, to be a biochemical engineer.

” “ ” “ ” “ JUNIOR NICK PEARSON

I hope to be going to IU for marketing and management.

JUNIOR SEAN WROBEL

I want to be going to either Vanderbilt, DePauw, Xavier or Butler to major in medicine and biology.

RENNY LOGAN / ART

Middle Easterners should be proud of their heritage BAND GIRL

BY SHIREEN KORKZAN After 9/11, we became more aware of the existence of Persians, but not in a positive light. Many Americans started calling these people “terrorists” because “they” were the ones who killed 2,974 civilians in one day even though the 19 terrorists physically involved in the attacks were Saudis. The same goes for Osama bin Laden, the enigmatic man behind the horrendous attacks.

Many Persians - myself included still deal with this sort of verbal bullying despite more people becoming tolerant of the culture over the years.

Although I’m half Iranian, I thought I’d never have these kinds of problems because I live in an openminded and educated community and attend a school where the kids here know better than to call someone discriminatory names. I regularly state the Pledge of Allegiance and I don’t talk about being Iranian unless the subject is brought up.

I’ve never been to Iran, and the only time I’ve ever left the country, other than my three trips to Canada, is when I visited my Latino relatives in Nicaragua twice and toured the Costa Rican rainforest for one week. I was also baptized in the Roman Catholic Church (my middle name’s Maria).

The only way people would care to know where my roots lie, I thought, was if they asked about my name.

I thought wrong. Early in December 2007 I was reading a book during passing period before class. I was so into my book I didn’t realize everyone was standing for the Pledge.

It wasn’t until the student who sat behind me asked why I didn’t stand for the Pledge when I realized what I did. Then someone in the room said, “It’s because she’s a terrorist,” and that’s when it started. Throughout half the period, the entire class kept calling me that offensive word and my teacher either didn’t notice or ignored everything.

When I got home, I was angry, but my Iranian father said to let it go because no one would do anything and all it would cause me is extra unneeded stress. I didn’t agree with him then, but I obeyed.

Now, more than a year later, I finally realize what my father meant.

Yes, calling someone a terrorist is wrong, but Iranians shouldn’t care what the few uneducated people in this country call them. After all, Iranians consist of some of the brightest people in history. I shouldn’t have taken a gaggle of ignorant and immature students seriously; what is important is that I know I’ll actually go somewhere in life and succeed at what I do. Today, I can laugh off what offended me a year ago, mainly because I now know what true Persian pride is.

Iranians have bragging rights.

Some of the best doctors, engineers and mathematicians are Iranians. In fact, some mathematicians claim Omar Khayyam, Iranian poet, astronomer and mathematician, should take the credit for Pascal’s Triangle, which he used for finding nth roots based on binomial expansion nearly 600 years before Blaise Pascal was even born.

Shirin Ebadi, founder of Children’s Rights Support Association, was awarded the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize for her extensive efforts for democracy and human rights. This latter example is especially encouraging for me since we share the same name (my spelling

is the “Americanized” version). And Persians know the list of successful Iranians is never-ending. With this being said, Iranians shouldn’t be ashamed of who they are and shouldn’t sulk about being called a terrorist.

Iranians are some of the hardest working people earning their high statuses in life. I know I work hard, and though my efforts may never pay off while I’m in high school, I know they will soon. After I graduate this year and attend the Missouri School of Journalism, what is often considered one of the best journalism schools in the country, the next time most students here will see me is when I’m reporting for a major news outlet. Laugh at me if you want, but with my strong Persian will, I know it’ll happen.

Who knows? Maybe I’ll someday become a chief international correspondent for CNN like Christiane Amanpour, or an anchor for the same program like Rudi Bakhtiar, who was also a general correspondent for Fox News, and no terrorist-calling will ever get in my way. Shireen Korkzan is a writing coach for the HiLite. Contact her at skorkzan@hilite.org.

JUNIOR ALLISON NAUM

I don’t know exactly where I want to be a year from now, probably ASU or IU for nursing.

JUNIOR DEVON THIMMES

Perspectives • Thursday, April 2, 2009 • Page B9

Public school offers education in diverse cultures There is a great diversity...at this school. Despite stereotypes that we are a bunch of preppy, rich kids, the students here form a rich community of different ethnicities, social classes and beliefs.

dancing thru life by amy flis Cultural diversity is a fantastic thing, and it wasn’t until I had fluorescent-colored powder ground into my hair and down my shirt that I realized how thankful I am for that.

The reason for the colorful powder was Holi, also called the Festival of Colors, a Hindu celebration for the arrival of spring. Apparently all of India erupts in frenzy, throwing powder at everyone and everything and covering whole neighborhoods in a splash of color.

As my own experience has shown, there is a great diversity in students’ cultures and backgrounds at this school. Despite stereotypes that we are a bunch of preppy, rich kids, the students here form a rich community of different ethnicities, social classes and beliefs. Personally, I still feel like I am sheltered living in Carmel, but it is disconcerting to discover how ignorant some other people are, simply because they

have never been exposed to many cultures.

For the past several months, I have attended a class called Anchors Away, which prepares Christians to maintain their faith as they go to college, and many of the students there are shockingly sheltered. For example, when asked who knew a Muslim, only a handful of them raised their hands. Most of them had never met a Muslim, and the same was true for Mormons.

It is difficult to foster a respect for different religions and beliefs when the only personal exposure to the people who practice them is through television and public perceptions, and I am sad to see these inherently good people be deprived of such an enriching opportunity. Many went to private school and will go to a small, Christian college and will never get the chance to understand and accept the variety of cultures that public school has allowed me to see.

From that Indian celebration, I left with a red eye, a Technicolor face and a new appreciation for the people around me. After that day, I became an “honorary Indian;” throughout high school, I have been classified as a bit of a white Asian; and some day, maybe none of that will be significant, and this world will be able to completely break down the cultural divisions. I dream of the day when people will simply be people, judged by who they are and not by what the world has made them out to be. Amy Flis is the editor-in-chief of the HiLite. Contact her at aflis@hilite.org.

With current violence, Insincerity is effective if used cautiously keep your head during spring break get happy

oh yes he did!

By meher ahmad

by bennett fuson It’s that time of year again: spring break. Among the banter about tanlines, wild nights and lazy days, ever yone is begging one question: “Where are you going for spring break?”

It comes as no surprise to me when I receive worried glances and frightened whispers when I answer the aforementioned question with this statement: “I’m leaving for Cancun, Mexico in three days.”

The American media has done a fantastic job of portraying Mexico as Dante’s newest circle of Hell. To be honest, they’re right, for the most part. Throughout Mexico over the past 12 months, the fight between the drug cartels and the Mexican government has claimed at least 2,000 lives, including more than 1,800 in Ciudad Juarez, a town on the Texas border, alone. Yet most of this violence is centered on the delivery channels flowing into the United States, thereby making the northernmost region of Mexico a war zone. Cancun lies on the far east coast of Mexico, relatively isolated from the main country. So far this year, three people have been claimed by the drug war, all government officials - a relatively small number, considering the death toll of the border towns.

This is a scary situation, to be sure, and it only gets worse. According to Newsweek, the war has spread upwards into the United States. Two hundred and thirty cities, including such criminal bastions as Anchorage, AK;

Greenville, TN; and Sheboygan, WI have witnessed crimes in the past few months that are directly stemming from the drug cartel wars.

The war has struck everywhere, and it seems that nowhere is safe.

So what, then, qualifies Destin, FL as a safer place than Cancun if the war is already here? My spring break plans include flying into the Cancun airport (full of military personnel) and taking a resort-sponsored van for the 10-minute drive through southern suburban Cancun from the airport to the resort, where I will not leave until I take the same van another 10 minutes back to the military-occupied airport and fly back to the good ol’ U S of A. I would say this is a pretty safe excursion. Unless coked-up drug pushers capture the resort by air or sea, I feel pretty safe. I would not say the same thing about Florida right now, where the basis of recreation is traveling around the city in search of entertainment.

This isn’t sarcasm; it’s fact. By eliminating stupid, risky behavior from the formula, the trip is rather solid. I feel like the proverbial parent waggling their finger, but it’s true; if you act stupid on spring break, you’ll suffer the consequences. Only this year, instead of detox, the punishment could be kidnapping or worse.

Keep it safe next week, Carmel.

Bennett Fuson is an Entertainment editor for the HiLite. Contact him at bfuson@hilite.org.

After years of selling Girl Scout cookies and a few months of waitressing, I’ve perfected, in my opinion, the art of faking it.

Most jobs require faking it, since most jobs are 90% mundane. Jobs in service are especially heavy on the fake, since there is no way every hostess, waitress and bartender could be genuinely friendly to every rude and inconsiderate customer.

However, I’ve found I’ve carried over this habit of faking it into my daily life, outside of work and selling Girl Scout cookies. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, since most activities in life couldn’t occur without some sense of fake-ness. In some situations, faking a good attitude can save everyone involved from an unpleasant experience. Students have to be genial towards adults who are sometimes, frankly, irritating and neurotic. Teenagers have to force conversation with their parents to get some extra cash for a night out, or an extended curfew.

For a good number of people, though, that element of fake translates into acting fake in front of the majority of people, including friends.

I’ve caught myself laughing at jokes I don’t think are funny in front of people just to make it less awkward, forcing smiles in situations that would deem it appropriate.

In order to keep a steady income from waitressing, I push aside a bad mood or an emotional day to greet people with a smile. I do the same at school, to avoid embarrassing situations and to try and attempt to focus on classroom activities. But

there has to be some release in life for true emotions.

Perhaps it is because, due to recent events, I’ve become more cynical towards the good in life. If I didn’t fake a smile, I’d probably be scowling or sneering at someone else. If I didn’t forcibly laugh at immature jokes, I’d be perpetually stone-faced.

One notion I’ve heard repeatedly in these last months of school is the thought that all this fake behavior will end when seniors go to college. I have to admit I’ve fallen victim to this thought process as well. I’ve entertained the idea that in college, I’d meet the perfect group of friends that would never cease to entertain me, and I’d never have to fake even an idea of a smile in front of them.

Once I thought about it, though, I came to realize that, on the contrary, being fake is almost mandatory in college. Meeting new people is virtually impossible unless one feigns interest in someone’s class, major, hometown, etc. When I moved schools sophomore year, it was a solid month of fake. Once I moved past the frivolities of meeting new people, however, the level of fakeness slowly leveled off.

I often think about how tiring it is to constantly act in front of others, and whether it’s obvious or not. I recognize when others are faking it many times, and it’s a little embarrassing when noticeably evident.

If I was to be, for lack of an un-cliché phrase, ‘the real me’ all the time, I have a feeling I’d turn into the cynical girl everyone hates.

I’ve instead resolved to reach a happy medium. While I recognize I need to stop forcing a certain personality to please others, I also know acting how I feel all of the time would result in utter disaster and possible alienation from the rest of society. Meher Ahmad is a reporter for the HiLite. Contact her at mahmad@hilite.org.

Advanced technology will change world chai town by tim chai Give me one of today’s now ubiquitous touch screen phones, and I’ll immediately hand it back with the prompt (and sometimes scathing) reply of “I can’t use this.”

I don’t understand and frankly don’t want to learn how to work all of today’s devices that are rolling out faster than the stock market’s up-and-down rollercoaster.

More evidence of this? In my study room, there’s a huge box with a stateof-the-art 1080 dpi HDTV. My parents bought it several months ago, and it has, as of the end of March, failed to see the light of day. I’ve gotten through hundreds of weekends with my standard analog television that has the resolution of this school’s computers—okay, probably even worse—but it has never failed to broadcast my favorite shows.

In the HiLite room, the static

in the air is all about Twitter (shameless promotion note: visit hilite.org to sign up for our Twitter feeds). For all of you who aren’t reading Wired magazine every month, Twitter is a social networking utility that allows family and friends— and complete strangers to be copletely honest—to stay connected in real time by “tweeting” status updates v i a t e x t messages on mobile devices.

At first, I thought to myself, “Great, a n o t h e r overindulgent service that creates no tangible or positive change in the community or the world in general.” I was totally wrong.

On Feb. 12, more than 200 international cities hosted a Twestival

to bring Twitter communities together in an effort to raise money for charity: water, an organization dedicated to bringing clean, renewable sources of fresh water to the 1.1 billion people around the world who are currently sharing their water supplies with parasites, animals and disease.

Tw e s t i v a l w a s organized, with the aid of text message updates through Twitter, 100 percent by volunteers, and 100 percent of the money raised from these events around the world went directly to building reliable water wells for those living without this basic necessity. By rallying together even under an extremely short time scale, the Twestival brought worldwide public awareness to the global water crisis; the projected amount raised was

Twestival was organized with the aid of text message updates through Twitter...and 100 percent of the money raised from these events around the world went directly to building reliable water wells.

$250,000—that’s 55 wells improving the livelihood of 17,000 people around the world.

Givology is another example of technology changing the world.

Created as an online P2P community, Givology uses the basic concepts of microfinance to invest in the world’s most renewable resource, education.

By leveraging the Internet, Givology can create a global community of people connected through their belief in the power of learning. Since its inception just half a year ago, Givology has grown tremendously, and its goals for the future, if successful, will change the model of education financing for decades to come.

As much as I hate companies like Twitter and Apple for introducing technologies that I have a slow learning curve with, I can no longer deny that these mediums will have an impact in global development for the future.

As for me, I guess I’ll just have to stock up on phones with physical keys before they become extinct.

Tim Chai is front page editor for the HiLite. Contact him at tchai@ hilite.org.

Contact information Mailing Address: 520 E. Main St., Carmel, IN 46032 Phone: (317) 846-7721, Ext. 7143 Web site: 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, Amy Flis will receive mail sent to aflis@hilite.org.

Responding to the HiLite

Letters to the editor will be accepted for the April 30 issue no later than April 22. Letters may be submitted in Room C147, placed in the mailbox of Jim Streisel, e-mailed to letters@hilite.org or mailed to school. All letters must be signed.

Names will be published. (Letters sent via e-mail 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.

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Page B10 • Thursday, April 2, 2009 • 15 Minutes of Fame

Choral Department considers changes in performances by michelle yun myun@hilite.org Though nothing has been decided, the choral department is considering changing some aspects of Holiday Spectacular and the spring concert for the coming years. One of the more prominent reasons behind this is the large number of students who will participate and sing for the choir.

“We have a problem because we have so many students now who sing, which is a lovely problem to have,” Choir Director Ann Conrad said.

“It is very difficult to get them all on stage as we have done before. We have talked about possibly changing the concept of the show but there has been nothing decided.”

According to Matthew Hook, member of Ambassadors and junior, Holiday Spectacular has consisted of two acts. The first act consists of individual choirs, mostly choreographed with some featured songs by only a few people. The second act is where each choir sings eight numbers without choreography and ends with Silent Night. Next year, according to Hook, Holiday

Phil

Kirk

Spectacular may be a mix of Act I-type songs and Act II choral-type songs.

“People have felt that Act II has become too boring,” Hook said. “Some people don’t like to sit through eight choral numbers after watching a whole act filled with crazy choreography and costumes.”

In addition, there are also safety issues involved. One of the reasons the choral directors are thinking about changing the format of Holiday Spectacular is it is not safe for all the students to be on stage at once. Caroline Marshall, member of Blue and Gold Connection and

junior, said the choral directors are thinking about changing the format of Holiday Spectacular so that dance numbers and traditional holiday songs will be in both acts. Also, they considered having two spring concerts this year, but it looks like there will be only one.

“The department is changing (some plans) because the amount of people enrolled in choir this year and next year,” Marshall said.

“It’s not safe anymore for the entire department to be on stage at once, like we had been for Act II of Holiday Spectacular. It will probably

Carrie

barnthouse

be safer for everyone and less timeconsuming. But, some traditions will also be lost, such as the mass numbers in Holiday Spectacular.”

Hook also said he hopes the discussed changes, if carried out, will make people more excited for Holiday Spectacular. “(Changes) will mix up the types of songs we do, so it won’t be quite as predictable,” Hook said. “While I personally loved Act II, I think this is a good idea for the show. I know people get a little anxious during Act II, and I hope this way Spec will be a bit more entertaining.”

Kyle

STRAUB

“ ” We have talked about possibly changing the concept of the show but there has been nothing decided.

CHORAL DIRECTOR ANN CONRAD

H G I T AS RAIN R

Seniors Phil Kirk, Carrie Barnthouse and Kyle Straub star in the upcoming spring musical ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ Compiled by Tommy Sneider

To submit nominations for 15 Minutes of Fame, email Stephanie Hodgin at shodgin@hilite.org

kaitlyn lampe / photo illustration matt kanitra / graphic

Who are you playing and what role does he have in the musical?

I’m playing the role of Cosmo Brown, and he’s the role of the sidekick of the main character, Don. In a lot of ways, I’m the third wheel to Don and Kathy. Since Don and I were kids, we were traveling and trying to entertain, so that’s how we knew each other.

Who are you playing and what role does she have?

I am playing Kathy Selden, and she is Don’s love interest, I guess is what you would call her.

What is the toughest thing about play preparation?

Who are you playing and what role does he have in the musical?

I am Don Lockwood and the show is about him and his love and his career as an actor.

Practicing tap dancing because we have some hard dances.

This year, since I have a bigger part, I have a lot of dances that are by myself, so I have to make sure they are perfect because I can’t really hide behind anyone.

What made you want to try out for the part?

I think the most stressful part is trying to perfect the dance moves since I haven’t really had dance training. The acting and singing kind of comes naturally to me; it’s just the dancing I haven’t had as much training with compared with the other leads.

What are you most excited about?

How do you relate to the character?

What challenges have you run across throughout the whole process?

I think they’ll really like it. It’s a really funny show and not really heavy, so they’ll leave in a good mood.

What are you most stressed about in getting ready to act out your character?

One of the biggest challenges is time management and staying on top of schoolwork. Rehearsals are every school day except Fridays but then Friday I usually have Comedy Sportz, so it’s not always easy to get all my homework done and get a good amount of sleep.

I’m most excited that they’re going to try to make it rain on stage. I don’t dance in the rain, only Don does, but it’ll probably make the stage slippery. I’m still excited to see it though.

How do you think fans will react to what they see?

What is the most enjoyable part of it all and why?

It has to be being with my friends because my friends are in the show, and so it’s fun to go to rehearsal and also being with your friends.

I have seen the movie, and everyone knows Gene Kelly for his role in the movie. I thought it would be fun to sing and tap dance on stage.

We both love being in the spotlight and performing, and we’re also both quite romantic.

Who would you recommend the play to?

Everyone because it’s a good story. It’s entertaining, it’s funny, it’s just a good time.

What is your favorite scene that you act out and why?

I love the “Good Mornin’” scene. We all get to just cut loose and tap for about five minutes and just perform, so that’s just a lot of fun in itself.