Vol. 80 Issue 5
815 E. 13th St. Des Moines, IA. 50316
Des Moines Independent Community School District
December 2, 2011
East High Scroll “For the Service of Humanity”
Occupy Iowa pitches tent near East High School Riley Bacon
Copy Editor/Sports Editor
PJ Graham Journalism Intern
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ents, campfires, staying outside under the stars and roasting hot dogs sounds like a perfect camping trip, but to some protesters in Des Moines, it means standing by their point until change is reached. Since October, protesters participating in an “Occupy Wall Street” movement have been camping out in Stewart Square Park on E. 14th and Grand. The protesters are enraged about government tax exemptions and the wealthiest Americans and corporations not paying a fair amount of taxes. “Our government doesn’t have any democracy. The corporations are getting the money and people that need money are getting fired and losing their jobs,” said Clark Davidson, 27. Davidson is currently unemployed, but was at one time a director for KCCI Channel 8. Starting at 9 a.m. every morning, the protesters eat breakfast together and then proceed to “vigil”, or stand on corners and hold up their signs. Examples of the signs are: “This is what democracy looks like,” “Let big $$$ speak for you,” and “Always free.” The age of the protesters ranges from middle school students to elderly folks. The campsite provides a learning, school-like atmosphere for some children to pursue their educations. The campsite also has
Occupiers have made Stewart Squre Park next to the Capitol their home for the past few months. The movement began in New York City on Sept. 17. Photo Credit: Aaron Hosman, Stephenie Gabriel, & Chris Johnson.
a kitchen for food and a medical house. East High School junior Heaven Chamberlain was arrested for her involvement in the movement with her mother and 37 other people in October. “The Juvenile Court System decided to not go through with charges and let me off with a ‘warning’ back on the November 2nd. My role in the movement varies, though. Usually, I’ll help make signs, bring desserts if I have time to bake them, and attend meetings,” said Chamberlain. Some of the meetings Chamberlain attends are planning for the “First in the Nation Caucus Occupation.” Because Iowa holds the first caucuses (Republican caucus is on January 3rd), the protestors plan to “occupy” the candidates’ offices’ to hopefully send a message of disapproval to America’s leaders.
“Of course, we will probably be facing the police who will most likely, as past events have shown, try to invoke a riot, thus abusing their power, as usual with peaceful protests,” said Chamberlain. Chamberlain wants to recruit more East High students because “the occupation will affect them too.” The richest 400 people in America make more money than the combined 150 million American population. “I am the 99%, and I am done with the bad treatment I receive. This is why I help occupy,” said Chamberlain.
www.facebook.com/ OccupyIOWA www.occupywallstreet.org
WHO-TV reports on violence by teens in DMPS Lindsey Smith Co-Editor-in-Chief
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n Oct.27, WHO News Channel 13 released an investigative report on the Des Moines Public School (DMPS) district on the rise of teenage violence and on how many calls are made, or not made to the police during the school days. WHO’s repor t on DMPS focused on the amount of calls made to police: they reference 5,091 calls from what they said were made from “the 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 school years.” However, WHO left key information out with that statement. The list referred to, and then posted on their website, included all calls made from Thursday June 2, 2009 to Thursday July 14, 2011, not just Aug. 2009 to June 2010 and Aug. 2010 to June 2011 which was stated.
The difference is that WHO didn’t mention the number of those calls that took place when school was not in session: after school hours, holidays, in services, weekends, summer, spring and winter breaks. “Most of those are fairly routine kinds of things; vandalism on the weekend, a presorted theft of an item at school,” said Sebring in an email to district employees. “Very few of those calls are related to specific incidents of assault, for example.” The list was broken down and calls made on Saturday’s and Sundays were removed, that alone took 507 calls off the list. When broken down further, the list of calls was reduced from 5,091 to 3,167. Taken off of the list were calls that didn’t require the police actually coming into contact with a fight, assault, or the involvement
of weapons. The new list excluded categories ranging from animal calls, health problems, and incomplete 911 calls to structure fires, wires down and traffic accidents. (A complete list can be found on the East High Publications website.) There were four categories that were unknown as to what they meant so they stayed on the list of remaining calls to the police. As a reminder, that brings the list of other, more threatening calls to 3,167 from 5,091, a reduction of 1,924 calls. If you then divide the numbers of dangerous calls (3,167) by how many schools are in the DMPS district (68), Pre-K to senior high including the Charter School, Central Campus, and Scavo, but not including any district offices, that’s an average of roughly 46 calls to the police per district in a full two-year period. That’s 23 calls per school a year.
WHO 13, continued on page 12
The Occupy Movement “Of course, we will probably be facing the police who will most likely, as past events have shown, try to invoke a riot, thus abusing their power, as usual with peaceJunior Heaven Chamberlain ful protests.” was arrested while participating -junior Heaven Chamberlain
in Occupy Iowa protests. The charges were later dropped. Photo credit: Katelyn Worple.
Educational Talent Search Program supports students on their journey to college Aaron Hosman News Editor
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orking toward successfully completing high school and attending college is on the minds of most high schoolers. This also happens to be a main goal for an organization serving 874 students around the state of Iowa, including East. Educational Talent Search (ETS) helps students from six Iowa high schools and seven Iowa middle schools form positive habits to create a better educational and real-world future. ETS educates students in small groups once a month on a wide variety of topics. “We assist students with improving study habits, time management, goal setting, academic planning, and leadership skills,” said EHS co-coordinator, Katie
Whipple. Students involved in the group also attend college visits; have opportunities for career exploration, assistance in the financial aid process, filling out college applications, and ACT prep. Austin Jungers, a sophomore, joined ETS while a sixth grader at Hoyt Middle School. Jungers said he feels more prepared for college now that he has been a part of Educational Talent Search. “ETS helps me prepare for college and I try to maintain better grades,” said Jungers. ETS is one of three programs that is run through TRIO in Iowa. Other TRIO groups include Upward Bound and Student Support Services. The support ETS provides is possible thanks to a federal grant TRIO receives from the U.S. Department of Education. ETS obtains $365,000 per year from that grant.
ETS, continued on page 12
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December 2, 2011 / Page Editor : Katelyn Worple
Table of Contents: Page 1: News Page 2: Info Page 3: A&E Page 4: Opinions Page 5: Opinions Page 6-7: Cancer Page 8: Features Page 9: Features Page 10: Scroll Staff Page 11: Sports Page 12: Photo Essay
Information
East High: ON THE WEB
Scan this code with your smart phone! It will take you to the East High Publications web site.
East’s Website: www.dmeast.com Publications:
www.easthighpublications. wordpress.com
Get Schooled:
www.getschooled.com
from s p u gro r Find witte T n o East Scroll: @EastScroll NHS: @EHS_NHS EHS Theatre: @EHS_Theatre East High: @DsmEast
Shout-outs from some of the East High groups and classes ART: For Intro to Art, the current project is CHEERLEADING: Fall cheer is now over, now it’s time IJAG: iJAG volunteers every Friday at Wesley 3-D block letters with a 3-color combo.
for Winter Cheer. We have a new head coach for our Acres. Winter season and her name is Brooke Parsons. We wish her the best!
Chemistry:
In Chem, they did the Element Project and the Glowing Things project. After that was over, they finished the Flame Test lab.
DRAMA: NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY:
East High seniors (from left) Jessica Kincaid, Junior Kemdirim, Haley Larson, Tenea Fabray, and Lindsey Smith volunteered to help Chuck’s Resturant deliver meals to families on Thanksgiving Day.
ll a b t e ask
’B s l r i G
WHO: EHS vs. Waukee WHEN: Tues, Dec. 6 WHERE: EAST TIP-OFF: 6:15 p.m.
ng
Boys
mmi i w S ’
WHO: EHS vs. Fort Dodge WHEN: Thurs, Dec. 15 WHERE: EAST START TIME: 5:30 p.m.
Grease is currently being presented in the auditorium. Catch the last two shows on December 2 and 3. Tickets cost just $5 for the show. Come support the cast of Grease!
SENIOR BOARD:
Committees need to be getting together, especially t-shirt committee! The next meeting is December 15. *If you would like to send a shout-out for a class, contact Ben Graeber in room 200W or Natalie Niemeyer in room 201W.
Who’s playing when?
Seniors Janie Smith, Jessica Grochala, Riley Fisher, LJ Putzier, and Meredith Henrikson sign to their colleges on 11/9/11.
SOFTBALL:The Softball Senior Leadership
Council is writing team expectations and planning for Scarlet Santa. Also, there’s a new assistant coach, Dakota Navotny.
Boys’ B
asketb
all
WHO: EHS vs. Waukee WHEN: Tues, Dec. 6 WHERE: EAST TIP-OFF: 7:45 p.m.
Wrestling
WHO: EHS @ DCG Invite WHEN: Sat, Dec. 3 WHERE: Grimes START: 10 a.m.
Entertainment
December 2, 2011 / Page Editor : Erika Kommavongsa
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Grease hits the EHS auditorium East High’s got talent Brianna Boner
Wondrous music will range from the famous titles of “We Go Towop baba lu bop a wop gether” performed by the whole bam boom can be heard cast to “Sandra Dee” performed by echoing from the East senior Gillian Randall, who plays the High auditorium each character Rizzo. day after school. These infamous The play, like the movie, creates lyrics are from the production fun for the audience. The cast has Grease. There are many differences been working their butts off and between the should put on movie and the a wonderful play. play. The Grease “T he stucast at East is dents who very diverse, have been so everyone showing up to fits in; unlike practices and the movie choreography where the are the ones whole cast is who will shine white back in the brightest the seventies. onstage,” said The cast director of has a g reat the play and time workteacher Jamaal ing with each Allan. other and are It will defifinding the nitely be excitexperience ing to see the worthwhile. costumes as “ M y e x - Members of the cast discuss Danny’s summer the cast brings perience in vacation and how he met Sandy. to life their this produc- Photo credit: Jackie Khamma. characters. tion with the “I put cast has been phenomenal,” said weights in my shoes so when I am sophomore Sarah Bennett who onstage I am dexterous,” said junior plays Sandy. Jacob Beigger. “My character starts The play has all of the same to come into my life more and more characters and dilemmas but has so it is more natural.” different places in which the events The movie Grease was a box happen. In the movie Grease, the office smash in 1978 with John actors all have long floor length Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. dresses. The cast has a lot to live up to, but “I am wearing a fifties skirt, and a they will be great. Come and see or wool sweater,” said senior Stephanie be greased. Nowels who plays Marty. Reporter
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When: Dec. 1-3 7:00pm Where: EHS Auditorium Cost: $5 students, $10 adults Cast Male Roles: Yeltsin Rodriguez Jacob Her Demarkus Horton Jake Biegger Hunter Stapes Philip Bui Matt Mendenhall Michael Osman Arnold Sengsirivanh Blake Sunkle John Fudge Ricky Butler Female Roles: Jozie Butler Sarah Bennett Gillian Randall Stephanie Nowles Vanessa Smith Paige Groves Fatima Fadel Brianna Boner Hailey Galloway Jasmin Munoz Tenea Fabray Devon Roberts Jennifer Fetters Brooke Wilson Hailey Rusk Caitlynn Bruscher Kayla Duong Kara Cipperely Eva Fabray
Looking for something to feed your hunger?
Reporter
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on’t count the days; make the days count, haters talkin stuff, imma ball bounce” raps senior Cole Myers in one of his tracks “The Good Life.” Myers is one of the many East High students with a unique talent. Myers has always had a thing for music since he was little, but didn’t start rapping until a couple years ago. “I rap, because it’s the only time I can truly express how I feel,” said Myers. Myers looks up to many different rappers; Tupac Eminem, Kayne West, and Wale. “I look up to them because they rap about real things they’ve experienced, but they also make fun overall uplifting songs,” Said Myers. Myers gets his inspiration from all his friends, family, and fans. Myers writes his own raps, he gets his inspiration for what he writes from his past and daily experiences. “I write everywhere I go, and I get ideas from just everyday life,” he said. Myers is releasing his very first mix tape “The Roots” on Nov. 28.The upcoming mix tape will have 13 tracks, Including “The Good Life”. The title “The Roots” signifies the beginning of his life and career. Myers has been working hard on his mix tape for the past few months and according to him, he’s “very happy about it.” “We’ve put a lot of hours into it and were trying to prefect every track and make it sound as good as possible,” said senior Skyler Prenosil from Lincoln, who is also Myer’s producer.
Reporter
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were only certain differences, such as California being under water and the government beating its people. Other than that, nothing else seems to have changed. This book may pose as difficult to anyone that is unaware of geography, however. So, if you skipped your geography lesson of America in first grade, this book may not make sense to you logically. Think Colorado is located somewhere near Maine? Well, then, please get out your map and learn your states, because without that simple knowledge, you will be able to follow the books just fine, but you will not be able to accurately understand the world Collins (or, technically we) has destroyed. The Hunger Games, released in 2008, is the first book in the trilogy. If I had picked it up knowing
it would leave me with a cliffhanger ending instead of a satisfying one, I would have prepared by grabbing the second book along with it, because these books have some of the most enthralling plots I have ever read. And while the plot is definitely what drives the book, the world that Collins has created to go along with it and the concept of The Games is also both impressing and terrifying. All in all, The Hunger Games is a must-read for anyone looking for the perfect combination of action, romance, and mystery. The movie is set to be released in March of 2012 for anyone who is already a fan of the books and cannot seem to get enough of Peeta’s bread or Katniss’ fiery personality. The twists and fast-paced thrills are guaranteed to leave you hungry for more.
Another East High student with his very own special talent is sophomore Jacob Her. He plays guitar and he has an amazing voice, if you didn’t guess by now Jacob sings. He started singing around the age of 10. “I started singing because I always wanted to be good at something, but I wasn’t good at sports, or with any other extracurricular activities, so I started practicing singing and this is where it has taken me.” Said Her. Her has won and received trophies at a few school talent shows for his singing. Her has written a couple of songs, but he generally, does ‘covers’ to songs, Her chooses a song to cover based on their lyrics. He tends to pick songs that include what he is feeling. “Singing has helped me gain confidence, and it’s a plus with the ladies,” said Her. He perfor ms in Grease next weekend too.
To the left: Cole Myers www.soundcloud.com (search, Cole Myers) To the right: Jacob Her: www.youtube.com (search, JacobHerBOY)
Big Sean comes to DSM Jazmine Heard Reporter
Hailey Galloway magine North America in an unidentified future time: citizens are starving, poor, and ruled by an oppressive government. That is exactly what author Suzanne Collins of The Hunger Games imagined and created. The engrossing plot filled with nerve-racking tension, an engaging love story, and thrilling plot twists will keep your eyes moving and your fingers following suit as you flip each page to learn more about the fascinating life of “The Girl on Fire.” When the book opens, North America as we know it has been completely destroyed. Instead of having states, there are twelve districts that take up the land. Katniss Everdeen is the sixteen year old, female protagonist from District 12. The real action begins when Katniss takes her sister, Primrose’s, place as one of the 24 contestants to compete in the annual Hunger Games. The writing style and futuristic feel of the book can easily be compared to Scott Westerfield’s Uglies series. The Hunger Games seriously made me take a look at the way our country is today and how the book described it. I realized there
Erika Kommavongsa
“I do it,” and yes he does. Popular rap artist, Detroit native 23-year-old Big Sean who recently signed to G.O.O.D Music/Island Def Jam records performed at downtown Des Moines’ very own People’s Court on Nov. 8 at 8p.m. for his Finally Famous Tour. Sean was accompanied by acts CyHi da Prince and a few of his hype men who exerted the motto “I am finally famous.” “I don’t know why that ‘Cy guy’ was shouting ‘finally famous,’ I’ve never heard of him,” said junior Breann Young. Doors opened at 7p.m. but a line full of ecstatic fans began the hectic line on the flight of stairs around 5:30p.m. Many were equipped with VIP tickets that enabled fans to have the chance to meet Big Sean and even take a few photos with him. The crowd was thrilled when Sean finally came onto the stage roughly around 9:30p.m. Sean performed many of his hit singles such as “I do it” and “My Last” featuring Chris Brown, Dance
(A$$) his newest hit single. He would take moments to speak on his journey to fame and reminisce on moments when the only thing he had in his wallet was air. “When he handed me that Egg McMuffin before I paid not knowing I had no money, that was a sign from God,” spoke Sean. The audience was quick to listen to all of Sean’s advice even when he had to use profanity to let a few excited fans know it was time to calm down. T h e r e we r e m a n y explicit content where Sean touched himself; the large amount of overwhelmed females weren’t concerned at all, they constantly tried to seize his hands when they got the chance to. Sean was extremely involved with his fans; he spent time towards the end of his show giving out signed materials and taking pictures on his iPhone with the crowd. The exhilarating artist continued his tour in Iowa City on Nov. 9 and additional cities located in the Midwest. He ended his performance by putting on a robe, sipping from a wine glass and began to sing his single “Marvin and Chardonnay.”
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Opinions
December 2, 2011 / Page Editor : Courtney Custard
STAFF
Co-Editors in Chief Lindsey Smith Katelyn Worple
Staff Members Riley Bacon Copy Editor
Aaron Hosman News Editor
Brianna Boner Literacy Editor
Chris Johnson Reporter
Courtney Custard Opinions Editor
Erika Kommavongsa Reporter
Hailey Galloway
The Twilight Saga’s new ‘box office hit’ is causing controversy between twihearts and anti-twihearts
Reporter
Jackie Khamma
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Reporter
Jazmine Heard Reporter
Kara VanDeo Reporter
Karla Hernandez Reporter
Stephenie Gabriel Community Editor
Taylor Bougher Features Editor
Principal Steve Johns
‘Breaking Dawn’ is breaking out arguments
Adviser Ben Graeber
The Scoll is a public forum for student expression.
LETTER POLICY The Scroll welcomes letters but reserves the right to edit for space as needed. Outside contributions are subject to the usual restrictions of libel and obscenity and must conform to general paper policy, which is available upon request. Signed commentaries represent personal opinions, not views of the staff. Also, your letter needs to include your full name and grade. Unsigned letters can not be printed. You can deliver your letter to Ben Graeber or Natalie Niemeyer in room 207W. NOTE: All contents are the product of the EHS newspaper production staff. Occasional stories are contributed from the Journalism Intern program.
ADS POLICY
Ads are $4 per column inch and are avilable by calling (515) 242-7729 on school days from 7-3p.m. The Scroll reserves the right to reject ads demmed not in the best interest of East students. The paper is printed every 3 weeks by Wilcox Printing in Madrid, IA.
DISTRICT EDUCATIONAL EQUITY STATEMENT
The Des Moines Public Schools prohibits discrimination in educational and employment programs and activities based on age, race, creed, color, sex, marital status, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, or disability. in addition, the District prohibits acts of intolerance or harassment toward employees or students that are not related to the individual’s employment or education.
WE ARE MEMBERS OF THESE GROUPS:
hut up all you haters of the Twilight saga! It is the twihearts time to shine. I am just going to put this out there…I love Twilight. People who say the book sucks, shut your mouth because at least Stephenie Meyer Brianna Boner who is the writer of the Literacy Editor Twilight Saga actually has done something with her life, unlike you. I have read the books and have seen the movies, so if you personally have not, your opinion is not valid here. From vampires to teenage dilemma, Twilight is definitely something you can sink your teeth into. Yes, they are sparkly vampires. Get over it; nobody wants to read a dumb book were the vampire bursts into flames at the touch of sunlight upon their skin. Girls are always going to squeal over sparkling vampires, it is in our nature. If you were actually mature then you would know how it feels to be squealed over. Men, you’re not mad because girls like the vampires you are just jealous because all the girls are Team Jacob and Team Edward, not Team You. Maybe the girls do not want you because you are rude and arrogant and possibly ugly. Now let’s analyze Kristen Stewart’s acting. Kristen Stewart is a great actress and is always in character. If you don’t like her acting why don’t you become an actor and show you are better which is most likely not going to happen. Until then, shut your face. The first time I picked up Twilight and read it, it opened so many doorways. I want to be a writer just like Stephenie Meyer because she created a world for everybody who loves vampires and are in different cliques. The vampire trend is here to stay. The wolves in Twilight are cool too. They are not my favorite in the books but the animation in the movies look so real. I am not going to even start in on all the cute boys in the movies. Words elude from my brain to even describe what I want to say. I am just going to explain the first book so listen up. Obviously Bella falls in love with a vampire after moving to her father’s little town of Forks. This just goes to show you can find love anywhere at any time. Edward finding Bella wants to be turned refuses because he is concerned for her enjoying the little things at being alive. Edward may be one hundred and ten but he does not look it and he is not human so he does have an excuse. Edward and Bella’s love for each other is majestic. They are two lonely souls who understand each other’s need for someone to give their love to. When does anybody get off saying that their love is wrong because he is so old? Yeah, so what, in our day in age we have eighty year old men marrying twenty year old women. You’re not disgusted with that or maybe you are. I just don’t care either way. I at least have something to give my time positively to instead of sitting on a couch eating chips and drinking hateraid. My name is Brianna Boner and I am a Twiheart forever. Till next time, twiheart out.
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wilight. Just saying the title almost guarantees some girl in the room will start to freak out. For some unknown reason, the Twilight saga has a profound effect on young women. They fawn over the two main men, they talk about how great the story is, Chris Johnson and everyone is happy, right? Reporter Is the story all that great though? Let’s take a look. We start off with Bella as she moves to Forks, Washington with her father. The pale, bland, vacant-expression clad 17-year-old Mary Sue falls in love with a tall, sparkly, 110-year-old Gary Stu who happens to drink blood. His hobbies include getting hit by vans, watching Bella sleep, and not knowing he can get women pregnant. He wants to drink Bella’s blood, but he can’t cause uh.. reasons unknown. Nothing special so far. Later on, the author introduces a squinting Indian dog-man so that Bella has a choice between pet dander and old men. It’s not long before Edward and Jacob are at each other’s throats, fighting for Bella because she’s just.. so .. attractive. They snarl and make animal noises at each other while Bella does little to nothing. No really, Bella leads them both on and just lets them fight it out because she’s the worst woman in the world. Rather than just picking a boyfriend, she stares off into space while they growl at each other. Eventually Bella marries Edward a whole four books in and immediately he gets her pregnant. Sort of a “Whoops!” moment between the two of them. Edward wants to abort the parasitic fetus, but Bella says she loves it. She ends up having the baby two months later because even the fetus wants out of this plot as quickly as possible. The vampire child breaks Bella’s spine during labor, forcing Edward to bite the uterus open and yank the baby out in a spectacular makeshift c-section. Jacob imprints on it, something like marking his territory for LOVE. Some mean vampires come along and plan to kill the Cullens and their baby, who grows extremely fast for some reason, but then don’t because they don’t actually have a reason to. Then it’s happily ever after! Doesn’t sound too amazing, does it? That’s because the Twilight saga isn’t anything special. The movies are long, boring, and completely pointless to anyone who isn’t a giddy little girl. It plays off of hormones and presents two overly emotional, attractive men without shirts, and then expects an audience to sit there and drool for an hour and a half in exchange for $8. Worse yet, Twilight ruins the entire image of both vampires AND werewolves. They’ve both always had a set of rules that people go by, but Stephenie Meyer throws these out the window without even thinking. Suddenly vampires are walking around in daylight and werewolves transform at any time, in any place, anywhere. Going off of the rules, this book shouldn’t even exist. Edward shouldn’t be a pretty boy, Jacob shouldn’t turn into a chow chow whenever he wants, and Bella shouldn’t have any blood left. “Harry Potter is about confronting fears, finding inner strength and doing what is right in the face of adversity. Twilight is about how important it is to have a boyfriend,” said critically-acclaimed author Steven King, and he’s right. Twilight is a shallow attempt at teasing pubescent emotions. The acting is fairly bad, the special effects aren’t great, and the plot isn’t anything to write home about. When you think about it, Twilight isn’t anything more than soft core porn for teenage girls.
Opinions EDITORIALS
No warm welcome for the Winter Wonderland
Thumbs UP
Thumbs DOWN
We, the Scroll staff, would like to say we are very proud of our school and the way we stepped up our ‘attendance game’ during the MTV Get Schooled Attendance Challenge. We were at the top of the scoreboard for most of the challenge, and attendance numbers sky rocketed during the event. On top of that, 823 of our 2,232 studends have had NO tardies this school year! Also, a shout out to the seniors for being at 95% attendance! No matter whether we win or not, the school has changed for the better, and this challenge gave EHS the boost we needed to start getting students to class. Hopefully we can keep up the good work and maintain our high attendance now that the challenge has ended. Good job, Scarlets!
Kara VanDeo Reporter
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The bright side of winter: * Hot chocolate * Sledding and ice skating * Beautiful snow * Layered clothing * Winter break * Decorations & Lights * Holiday scents * 25 Days on ABC Family * Black Friday
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Props to the attendance challenge but thumbs down to cockroaches
Photo credit: Chris Johnson
t’s the most wonderful time of the year… NOT. Cold winds blowing snow on your face, wearing wet socks, and scraping your windshield in the morning, in my opinion, isn’t beautiful. However, you can make the best of it by preparing early little by little. Instead of wearing your favorite short shorts, start wearing your jeans. I’m 99.98% sure they keep you way warmer than shorts. Even leggings are warmer than shorts. Personally, I gradually wear flats to tennis shoes and then finally to boots. Keeping your toes and legs warm is the first step to preparing for winter. I absolutely hate winter coats. They are uncomfortable; restricting movement and are a nuisance. So, instead, I do the next best thing: LAYER. I layer clothing a lot, even during spring. It’s very warm and keeps your arm underneath only one layer of cloth. Last but not least, hats. I love beanies. They keep your ears and head warm while reducing the risk of catching a cold. Another great thing about winter is all the soup and hot chocolate that comes with it. They both keep you warm inside and out while you look out the window and let the blizzard mesmerize you. Winter is my least favorite season of the year, but it doesn’t mean that you can’t have fun either. While the snow is falling, there are many activities you can do such as: skiing, ice skating in downtown, sledding by the capitol (although it could be dangerous), snowboarding and how can you forget, snowball fights. There are also a lot of holidays during winter time such as, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, and Valentines! To me that means: turkey, gifts, money and chocolate!
Issue 5 / Page Editor : Kara VanDeo & Hailey Galloway
Having cockroaches and other insects roaming around in our school = not cool. We whine about how our school is filled with them yet far too many members of the student body feel the need to leave their lunch trays on tables in the cafeteria or even around the school, sometimes hidden in corners. We are all in high school, so please pick up after yourself! It’s not someone else’s job to pick up after us. If you think that it is, that’s just plain rude. Please start picking up after yourselves and your friends while at lunch. If we do, think about all of the benefits: we would have a building that is clean and we would be much less likely
STAFF EDITORIAL
WHO 13 investigation is an unfair stab at East and other schools in the DM area
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feel the story was fair and accurate,” said Sonya Heitshusen, the reporter from WHO-TV who covered this story. “It took me approximately three months to gather the data, conduct interviews, write and edit the story.” Within a two-hour period looking at the list of calls to the police from the Des Moines Public School district it is very clear that the story was not “fair and accurate”. WHO News Channel 13 aired an investigative report, led by news anchor Sonya Heitshusen, on the Des Moines Public Schools. The topic was on violence in children and adolescences, along with the number of calls made to the police during the school days. While the actual broadcast was supposed to be of the entire school district it ended up mainly targeting two of the high schools, one of those being our dear old East High. The list of calls referred to had a number of 5,091 calls made to the police from June 2, 2009 to July 14, 2011. Several things were over-looked, missed, or intentionally left out though, the list doesn’t lie.
The list shows more than just the just the Des Moines Public schools and district offices. Also counted in the number were Douglas Elementary (which is now an old DMPS building that is no longer in use), the DM School Bus Garage, Holy Family and Holy Trinity Schools which are private catholic schools, along with St. Augustine and St. Theresas Schools, and the Iowa School of Barbering & Hairstyling. The district offices should be taken off the list because they’re district offices not an actual school, which is where the report said the crime was happening – in the schools. Those places together accounted for 121 of the total 5,091 calls, bringing the list down to 4970. Now yes, it’s only 121 calls which only makes up 2.4% of the entire list, but it’s a mistake they didn’t care to mention. And the fact that it’s wrong in general. WHO also made it sound like the 5,091 calls were all calls for crimes that the teachers and administration could not control in the statement “There are hundreds of miscellaneous calls and many infractions are minor, like illegal parking or disturbing the
peace and quiet. But more serious crimes occur more often than you might think,” said Hietshusen during the live broadcast. And yes again, there are many minor infractions, in fact most of the calls are for minor things, and calls on the list that involved violence (which is what the WHO report was supposed to be all about) included: assault, bomb and suicide threats, general threats, domestic fights, general fights, gunshots, harassment, and sexual assault. Those incidents together only make up 10.2% of the entire list. Maybe the report should have been on the police department filing information incorrectly by including schools that aren’t part of DMPS rather than trying to make not only East but the entire Des Moines School district look like we have a bunch of bad kids doing bad things all of the time. In fact DMPS literally has thousands of hard-working, studious students trying to help their families, get ready for college, volunteer, and be good people while people have to throw rude remarks in our faces making, as students, feel like we’re in a hole that we can never get out of.
Here is how the WHO-TV story started. The report aired on Oct. 27 and can still be found on their website as: “Classroom Concern: Police say more kids are committing violent crimes at a younger age.” It’s like a small city. On any given school day, more than 31,000 students walk the halls of the Des Moines School District. That’s about the size of Urbandale. “Just like any community of that size we do have incidents that occur,” says Nancy Sebring, Ph.D., the Superintendent of the Des Moines District. Many of those incidents are handled by teachers and school administrators. When they can’t control a situation or a crime takes place, police are called. The total number of calls for the 20092010 and 2010-2011 school years: 5091.
Above is a photo from the TV aired broadcast of the report. This photo is from a video clip of a fight supposedly including Lincoln students although the video is blurry and no one was wearing Lincoln attire that was visible. It also only shows the side view of a car and did not have the Lincoln building in the background. This clip was shown repeatedly throughout the broadcast to say that violence has increased in teens and how much of a problem the violence is in the Des Moines Public School district.
Get involved in your student newspaper!
Let us know what you are feeling about an issue that’s going on around East High! You can write a letter and deliver it to room 207W, or you can email your letter to benjamin.graeber@dmps.k12.ia.us.
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Cancer Awareness
December 2, 2011 / Vol. 80
Ways to Help
There are several different ways to help find a cure for all of these illnesses. You can donate, walk, and brighten a child’s day. DONATE: Stand Up To Cancer has a web site where you can buy all kinds of merchandise from clothing to wrist bands to support and give money to cancer research. WALK: There are walks that happen all year round to support different types of cancers: - Race For A Cure supports Breast Cancer - Light the Night Walk supports Leukemia and Lymphoma - Break the Silence on Ovarian Cancer MAKE A CHILD SMILE: - Make A Wish Foundation grants children and teens their wishes as they battle cancer or other life-threatening diseases. A way to support is to go to Jolly Holiday Lights at Waterworks Park. The money made from that goes to Make A Wish Foundation.
Types of Cancer: Colorectal Cancer: starts in the colon or the rectum. Colon cancer and rectal cancer have many features in common. They are discussed together in this document except for the section about treatment, where they are discussed separately.
Kidney Cancer: it grows as a single mass or tumor within the kidney. But can sometimes have more than one. It might be found only after it has become very large and like most cancers, it is hard to treat once found.
Throat Cancer: forms in a hollow tube inside the neck that starts behind the nose. It can develop three different spots: the middle part of the throat/base of the tongue, soft palate of the back of the mouth or in the bottom or lower part of the throat.
Pancreatic Cancer: The pancreas holds the exocrine glands cells and endocrine cells, both form completely different types of tumors which each have their own symptoms and effect the body in different ways.
Leukemia: a cancer of the early blood-forming cells; it is a cancer of the white blood cells, but some leukemias start in other blood cell types. Leukemia is the most common cancer in children and adolescents. It accounts for about 1 out of 3 cancers in children.
Skin Cancer: (melanoma) a cancer that begins in the cells that produce the skin coloring or pigment known; it helps protect the deeper layers of the skin from the harmful effects of the sun. It accounts for a small percentage of skin cancer, but is far more dangerous and takes the most lives.
Other cancer types include: Breast Cancer, Lung Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Thyroid Cancer, Hodgkins Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, Stomach Cancer, Blood Cancer(s) and many others. All of the cancers stated here are the most common types of cancers or have the most cases.
Cancers common in teens & young adults : - Leukemia - Lymphoma - Brain Cancer - Bone Cancer
In most cases childhood/ teen cancers arise from non-inherited mutations (or changes) in the genes of growing cells.
Supporting all of the fighters, admiring all of the survivors and honoring all of the taken Breast cancer is one of nearly 100 different cancers takes lives every day Lindsey Smith While this cancer is common, Co-Editor-in-Chief
The top 12 cancers, according to the American Cancer Society, include: bladder, breast, colon and rectal, endometrial, kidney, lung, pancreatic, prostate, and thyroid cancer, along with leukemia and nonhodgkin lymphoma. To be on that list, the cancer incidence and mortality statistics are put into consideration, and to qualify for the 2011 list there had to be 40,000 cases or more. Don’t be surprised if you haven’t heard of a lot of those different types of cancers. Some get more recognition than others, not that there’s a problem with that. They get recognition for a reason – thousands of people are diagnosed with them or they take a lot of lives. Breast cancer is one of the most known and recognized. Every year Susan G. Komen For A Cure has a walk/run “Race for a Cure”. This gets a lot of attention because of the amount of cases and deaths. According to cancer.gov in 2011 there were 230,480 new cases in women and 2,40 new cases in men and the number of deaths were 39,520 in women and 450 in men. We as a school know this a common cancer due to the fact that three of our East High teachers have been diagnosed with breast cancer: Jennifer Weir, Michelle McPherson, and Shawna Green.
it doesn’t mean others should go by unrecognized. And there is one campaign that supports all – Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C). They bring awareness to cancer in by hosting a show with live performances by popular celebrities, testimonies by celebrities who have had cancer themselves or had a family member or spouse go through cancer, and they let people call in, talk to celebrities and donate. Donations help them financially support multiple cancer organizations do more research on cancer types. T heir website http://www. standup2cancer.org/ has tons of information on other ways to help, including: the constellation, starting a team, being a leader, and sharing your story. The Constellation is when you donate a dollar and launch a star for someone you know and care about that has cancer. The teams are fundraising teams that gets people to join and give to cancer research. Being a leader is by starting a SU2C group in your school or community and do fundraising events. You can also share you’re story about living with someone who has cancer or dealing with it yourself. It’s a very cool website with tons of information and videos to learn about cancer and see celebrities supporting the cause.
Sheryl Crow - Breast Cancer Lance Armstrong - Testicular Cancer Suanne Somers - Breast Cancer Diahann Carroll - Breast Cancer Sharon Osbourne - Colon Cancer Christina Applegate - Breast Cancer Regis Philbin - Skin Cancer Bob Marley - Skin & Brain Cancer Cynthia Nixon - Breast Cancer Hoda Kotb - Breast Cancer Michael Douglas - Throat Cancer Roger Ebert - Thyroid Cancer Wanda Sykes - Breast Cancer
...Who Endorse or Support cancer research:
(The data table above is from St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital’s web site.)
Katie Couric - after her husband Jay passed away, she co-founded the National Colorectal Cancer Research Alliance (NCCRA) with Entertainment Industry Foundation.
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Jennifer Weir
Type of Cancer: Breast Cancer Diagnosed: April 9th, 2010 between 5th and 6th period here at school that she had breast cancer. There are multiple ribbons with several different meanings. The following list is just of the ribbons that represent types of cancer. Pink Ribbon: childhood cancer, breast cancer Yellow Ribbon: bladder cancer Purple Ribbon: thyroid cancer, pancreatic cancer, testicular cancer Lavender Ribbon: general cancer awareness Light Blue Ribbon: childhood cancer, prostate cancer Teal Ribbon: ovarian cancer, cervical cancer, uterine cancer Green Ribbon: kidney cancer White Ribbon: bone cancer Pearl Ribbon: lung cancer Brown/Blue Ribbon: colon cancer, colorectal cancer Gold Ribbon: childhood cancer
“I was stunned, overwhelmed, scared, angry and in disbelief all at the same time. I thought…”This can’t be true? Why me?” I immediately thought of my aunt that died of breast cancer and thought I might die much earlier than I had anticipated. I thought that once I got through the surgery, the testing that had to be done prior to chemo to see if you are strong enough to handle chemo, then chemo and then radiation that I would get my energy back and be just like I was before energy wise. Well, that hasn’t happened exactly Photo Credit: ????????? and I am in the process of accepting my NEW NORMAL. Recovery takes time…even years I have come to find out. Lymphedema may occur any time. I am taking a class through John Stoddard entitled “Life After Breast Cancer.” It has been very beneficial. In the mean time I take it one day at a time and I am thrilled to be alive and grateful to share my life with so many wonderful friends, family and colleagues.” Type of Cancer: Breast Cancer Diagnosed: June 2010
Shawna Green
“It goes very quickly in many senses, and I don’t have any family history, and I’m much to young for a normal sort of thing. I guess I just got lucky. There are so many choices, there are lots of options as far as how you want to go about treat it. Which is wonderful that we live in a time when we have so many options, but I’m not an expert. And so it feels a little overwhelming, how do I know which the right thing, and the doctors are like, well whatever is best for you, but I’m like I don’t know what’s right for me. It’s overwhelming so I spent a lot of time weirding myself out. [I feel more] paranoid. It seems like I know lots of people now, and I’m amazed, I’m appalled, I wonder do we just do a better job of diagnosing Photo Credit: Lindsey Smith. or is there something really wrong with our environment or the way we live. Why is this happening? Those are some scary questions that keep me up at night. But certainly, I’m far more aware and more concerned.”
A view from the other side: Watching a family member cope with cancer Jessica Grochala’s mom, Jill Griffin, was diagnosed with breast cancer. “It was said and scary at the same time. At first I didn’t really know what to think about it all. It was a hard thing to deal with. But my mom told me that everything was going to be OK and that we as a family and our friends will all fight though it. And we did! You can’t really be sad and cry all the time about it because that gets you no where and it’s just something that happens in life that you have to deal with. My family all had to stay strong for my mom and help her get through it all. We had so many friends that were there for us and my mo. After it all you look back and realize how many people really care and that are always there to help. I would say yeah I am more aware about others going through it all because I went through it all with my mom. It definitely makes you think about things and realize a lot of stuff. You know what those families are going through and you care more about it. Before my mom had it all I didn’t really care as much about cancer and didn’t realize how much you have to go through with it. It just hits you.”
...Who have passed away Due to cancer:
...Who have Survived cancer:
From fighters to survivors:
Meanings of the ribbons:
Celebrities...
Patrick Swayze - Pancreatic Cancer Farrah Facett - Anal Cancer Paul Newman - Lung Cancer Ted Kennedy - Brain Cancer Loretta Young - Ovarian Cancer Walt Disney - Lung Cancer Audrey Hepburn - Colon Cancer
Issue 5 / Page Editor : Lindsey Smith
Photo Credit: Lindsey Smith.
“The mission of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is to advance cures, and means of prevention, for pediatric catastrophic diseases through research and treatment. Consistent with the vision of our founder Danny Thomas, no child is denied treatment based on race, religion or a family’s ability to pay.”
Facts about St. Jude: - St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital opened on February 4, 1962 and was founded by the late entertainer Danny Thomas. Its mission is to find cures for children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases through research and treatment. - St. Jude has treated children from all 50 states and from around the world. - On average, 5,900 active patients visit the hospital each year, most of whom are treated on an outpatient basis. - St. Jude has 78 inpatient beds and treats upwards of 260 patients each day. - St. Jude is the only pediatric cancer research center where families never pay for treatment not covered by insurance. No child is ever denied treatment because of the family’s inability to pay. - St. Jude has developed protocols that have helped push overall survival rates for childhood cancers from less than 20 percent when the hospital opened in 1962 to 80 percent today. For the reasons and facts stated above, it is important to know that the reasons St. Jude is able to help to many patients is by private organizations donating and by people like YOU. They need money to be able to help people without having to charge them. You can donate directly or shop where ever you see one of their magnifying glasses. For more information about other ways to help, like volunteering, check out their web site:
http://www.stjude.org
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Feature
December 2, 2011 / Page Editor : Taylor Bougher
Diversity at East High School Katelyn Worple
dents just brush it off like it’s nothing. iversity (N): 1. A point “I would tell people that just of difference. 2. Vabecause here at East we have a riety. 3. The state or variety of races, backgrounds, fact of being diverse; and cultures, doesn’t mean that difference; unlikeness. you should judge. Everyone has Students at East come from feelings,” said junior Jeromy many unique backgrounds. PeoBacon. ple from all over the Des Moines Being a part of a very diverse area would most likely say that school, students get the opporwe have become one of the most tunity to experience how the real diverse schools in the DMPS world is going to be. As an East District. student, you will learn to be not “Diversity is the story of my afraid of people being different life, day in and day out,” said than you. Whereas people from Gear Up adviser Carrie Romo. small towns or suburbs have People here at East who make never had the opportunity to assumptions based on race are experience something different o bv i o u s l y from their norm. not open“I like being a part Diversity is the minded and of a diverse they limit story of my life, school, you’re the type of going to run day in and day out. people they Gear-Up adviser Carrie Romo into people associate that are difthemselves ferent then with. Stereotypes are just misyou in the real world,” said Baconceptions held by people con. “You might as well get used who don’t have real experiences to it now.” or connections with the people Some students’ peers take that are being stereotyped. Even stereotypes from different races though stereotypes can hurt too far. This may cause fightsomeone’s feelings, some stuing to occur. Diversity can be Co-Editor-in-Chief
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“
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good in some ways, but, it can also cause a conflict. Based on how students have been treated in the past because of their religion or race, they might say that they’ve had it hard through school. Diversity has many benefits that apply to student life here at East. Being a part of the East High student body, you already have the opportunity to get used to people not being the same as you. One of the many other benefits from attending a diverse school is how the student or faculty have more of an open mind to not letting people affect the way you live your life. “Instead of thinking diversity be a bad thing, let’s celebrate and embrace it,” said Romo. “We are very fortunate to have a diverse student population and it would be nice to have students celebrate and invite others to learn about their cultures,” said Gear-Up adviser Laura Negrete.
What bums you out? “Cursing in the hallways. It’s beyond rude and disrespectful.” Senior, Devon Roberts
“People who are rude to you because they think they are better than you.” Sophomore, Rick Butler
“People that make rumors about you when they’re not true.” Freshman, Glynnis Sevillano
“Mr. Mahler’s class.” Senior, Nick Williamson
“Rainy and cloudy days.” Junior, Mackenzie Drew
Artwork by: senior John Mburu
Diversity through the years at East
1984 American Indian 0.2% Asian 1.7% Black 7.8% Latino 1.9% White 88.5%
2010 American Indian 0.5% Asian 6.3% Black 13.7% Latino 25.2% White 48.5% Multiracial 5.7% Pacific Islander 0.1%
What ruins your day? Jackie Khamma Reporter
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s the customer was eating lunch her hand accidently hit the cup sitting on the table and BAM! Coffee was everywhere, leaving an unhappy customer with a mochasoaked lap. It’s the little things in everyday life that can ruin a good day. From famous celebrities to ordinary folks, we all have those days where something small and insignificant is capable of disappointing us. Though the littlest of things that disappoint are not anything threatening or dangerous, it just gives that annoying and unpleasant feeling that blows. What almost everyone at East can agree on is how much it sucks to have your phone die during the day. Living in an era where technology is a big part of our lives, having a phone die on you is definitely one of those 21 st century problems. “I really hate when my phone dies during school, it’s so irritating,” said junior Johnathon Mayes. For junior Kaylene Drayton, she finds it incredibly disappointing when she’s hungry and there’s no food available. “I like food, and when someone eats my food it ticks me off, especially when I go home to find out my brother ate the food I have
been saving for after school, said Drayton. When sitting in an extremely boring class many times it’s hard to pay attention and our mind wanders off. When our minds come back to reality sometimes we realize that we just missed an important lesson and is screwed for the next assignment. Three out of five people that were interviewed agreed that bad hair days can really ruin their day. Bad hair days are just one of those pet peeves that almost everyone can relate to. It’s unimportant yet it tends to bother people so much it becomes distracting. Senior Darlene Keointhavong hates it when she has to explain jokes. “When I have to explain a joke it just ruins the moment,” said Keointhavong. “Nothing is super funny when you have to elaborate.” Though whatever even may occur, if you don’t want it to get to you it’s best to remain optimistic. For example, if a vending machine doesn’t take your dollar, just think how it saved you from possibly eating an unhealthy snack. Same goes for a bad hair day, unless it’s extremely drastic no one else really notices. So when any minor problems occur, just think on the bright side. Life could be a lot worse.
Feature
Issue 5 / Page Editor : Stephenie Gabriel
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Create the perfect holiday dinner
H O W
T O
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Stephenie Gabriel Community Editor
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ll the family is over at your house; everyone is around the table and the smell of turkey and mashed potatoes fills the air. This is the time of the year that everyone loves: holiday season. The holidays are sneaking up on us, and our families are beginning to talk about the plans for this time of year. Typically, adults cook the food for the holiday dinners and the children wait anxiously. This coming season, the children and adults should switch roles, and here’s how to do it. Cooking a simple meal can be tricky if you’re not used to being in the kitchen, let alone cooking a meal with turkey, sides and deserts. “Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold. It is more than a slogan,” said East High foods teacher Kathy Crum.
Safety in the kitchen should always come first. Be aware of what you are doing, and always know what your next step in the recipe is. Some basic rules to follow are as follows: Always wash your hands, workspace and equipment thoroughly keeping it sanitary as you work. “Keep your hygiene up before your foods mess up!” Don’t thaw foods on the counter! The refrigerator or ice water baths are the safest. Foods that are more susceptible to sharing Food Borne Illness include: tomatoes, red meats, poultry, sprouts, melons, tofu, eggs, mayonnaise, etc. Take care, to avoid the Food Borne Illness snares. Thinking about preparing a huge meal for all of your family can sound stressful. But if you follow all the tips and safety tips, you’ll be able to make the best holiday dinner your family has ever eaten.
Awesome Holiday dishes Hominy Casserole
Ingredients Preheat Oven: 350 1 pkg. of Stove Top Stuffing (or leftover) 1 can of Cream Corn 1 can Yellow Hominy (juice, too) Chunks of leftover Turkey Directions Combine in a casserole dish. Cover and bake for 25-30 minutes in the oven.
Cranberry Jello Salad
Ingredients: 1 bag of fresh cranberries-washed thoroughly and chopped small 1-1/3 cup of granulated sugar stirred into cranberries 1-3 oz. package of cranberry or orange flavored gelatin 1 cup of boiling water to dissolve gelatin 1 stalk of celery washed, halved lengthwise, and diced Optional: 1 small can drained mandarin oranges folded into cranberries ½ cup chopped walnuts Directions: Stir together cranberries, sugar, celery, mandarin oranges and walnuts. Pour into jello mold. Gently stir in gelatin and water mixture. Chill until set.
Five-inch Pie Crust Recipe (two crust recipe)
Ingredients ¾ cup All-purpose flour Pinch of Salt 2 Tablespoons + 2 Teaspoons Shortening Directions Enough ice cold water to form a non sticky dough- about 2 tablespoons. Sift the flour and salt together. Cut in cold shortening just to pea sized pieces. Add cold water and stir gently with a fork. Press into dough ball. Divide the dough into a 1/3 ball and a 2/3 ball. Roll out the larger piece for the bottom crust on a clean, very lightly floured counter. Fit in 5” pie pan. Trim the crust even with pan edge. Fill with vegetable, meat, and soup. Roll out smaller ball about one inch larger than top of pie pan. Gently moisten the edge of the panned crust. Center top crust over pie and tuck under the top crust to the bot tom crust. Gently press together and flute your edge all the way around to close the crusts together and give a nice appearance. Cut slits in a decorative fashion on top crust. You are now ready to bake in a 400 degree oven or seal in a freezer bag or later use.
Nearing the age to vote...but will you vote? Taylor Bougher Features Editor
T
he percentage of teens who are registered to vote according to rockthevote.com is 66%. Not bad, right? Iowa is currently ranked number two on the list for young voter registration, casting a ballot, and young voter preparation. Iowa is just 2% behind Washington state. You may not think that is a low number, but what if you scored 66% on a test at school? If that was the case, you would have received a D for your grade. That percentage isn’t that high now is it? A lot of teenagers are probably questioning why they should even vote. They may wonder if their vote even counts. According to results from voting, it does. And you may not change the results of the election just by being another person to walk into the voting booth, but it does make a difference in more ways than one.
So many teenagers talk about how they will be so happy when they are legally an adult, and can do things they couldn’t do before. Many teenagers look forward to buying tobacco on their own, getting their license restrictions off, going to a bar, so why can’t being able to vote be something you look forward to? When you vote, you are voicing your opinion, you are speaking out. Everyone knows teenagers are the most outspoken group out there. If you feel someone would be horrible as a president, or if someone would really make a difference if they took office, you can stand up and speak out. The government collects statistics on what age groups are registered to vote. If you register, it will get back to the government, and if enough young people vote, politicians will start directing their campaigns toward young people and will be more willing to convince them to vote for them. Voting shows you care and you are deciding who you want to be
the leader. The majority of people who vote are the older generation. That means it’s that generations ideals and thoughts coming out and deciding who will lead us. Don’t you want to help decide who will be the leader for the next four years? Election year after election year, fewer and fewer young people are registering to vote. Young people just like you have been fighting in other countries for the right to vote. Living in the United States gives you the type of rights that many other teens fight for. So many teenagers take voting for granted, but what would it be like if that right was taken away? How would the younger generation be able to voice what they wanted? Voting shows that you are active in the government and your country. When you turn 18, register to vote; let the younger people have a voice. They are the ones who are going to be running the country in a matter of time. Start early, get out there, register, vote, and be happy.
Locations to participate in the caucus on Jan. 3
*Des Moines Public Library *Pleasant Hill Library *St. Joseph Parish Center *Sheridan Park Methodist Church *Pleasant Hill South Complex *Wesley United Methodist Church
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Scroll staff
December 2, 2011 / Page Editor : Chris Johnson
“I’d like to have Kim Kardashian.”
What do you want for Chirstmas this year?
-Riley Bacon, Head Copy Editor
“I want Edward Cullen to be mine :D”
-Stephenie Gabriel, Reporter
“$$$!” -Courtney Custard,
“Taylor Lautner, chocolate, vampire stuff. Did I mention Taylor Lautner?”
Opinions Editor “An iPhone 4S.”
-Aaron Hosman, News Editor
-Brianna Boner, Reporter
“All I want for Christmas.. is you <3”
-Katelyn Worple, Co-Editor in Chief
“A puppy and a white Christmas.”
-Lindsey Smith, Co-Editor in Chief
“I want sleep. WAY too stressed.”
-Karla Hernandez, Reporter
“I’d like a new phone.”
-Kara VanDeo, Reporter “A Michael Kors tote and a studded Belsey Johnson watch.”
-Jazmine Heard, Reporter
“A magical unicorn to bring me pudding!”
-Erika Kommavongsa, Reporter
“Waterproof Converse.”
“A car that I won’t be able to drive.”
-Chris Johnson, Reporter
-Taylor Bougher, Features Editor
ONE CAN CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! November 18th through December 9th! Feed families of Des Moines in the 2011 Food Drive by bringing canned foods. If every student brings 10 cans, we can reach our goal of 22,000! Help beat Scavo, North, Roosevelt, Lincoln, and Hoover in this district wide competition!
“A hedgehog named Skippy.”
-Jackie Khamma, Reporter
“An 80” flat screen, Harry Potter Part 2, and Rupert Grint to watch it with me!.”
-Hailey Galloway, Reporter
Hey, what’s your Twitter? Follow the Scroll for photos and updates:
ll o r c S t s @Ea
More content can be found on our website!
www.easthighpublications.wordpress.com
Yearbooks are for still for sale!
There are two easy ways to purchase the 2012 yearbook: 1. Bring a check for $60 to the EHS bookeeper in the main office. 2. Use a credit card to buy one on-line from home! www.YearbookOrderCenter.com Once at the website, put in order #8093. Next, just click on “Buy a Yearbook”.
Sports
Issue 5 / Page Editor : Riley Bacon
Lady Scarlets look to prove everyone wrong Courtney Custard Opinions Editor
N
o East High team has ever gone to the state championship game three years in a row, let alone WIN the state tournament two years in a row. The Scarlets are currently preparing for what has never been done. “I expect my team to continue to work hard to maintain the level of success we have experienced over the past eight years at East. We fully expect to compete for the conference and make another trip to Wells Fargo,” said head coach Sam Powell. Losing eight seniors, including all five starters, is not exactly ideal for any team. But of course, the show must go on. Sophomore Roichelle Marble said, “My expectations for this team are pretty high because I know how good we can really be.” This year’s team is young, having only two seniors, two juniors, and six sophomores. “Losing all of the starters from last year provides a huge opportunity for our current seniors, juniors and freshmen to step into starting positions and prove their value to the team,” said Activities Director Ric Powell. From November 4-6, the team took their annual retreat this year to kick off the season. This year the girls stayed at the Chase Suites for a night
and then the YMCA Boone camp the next night. “The main goal of the retreat is to work on team chemistry and bonding. It helps us become stronger, and communicate more effectively as a team,” said senior Haley Larson. After the retreat, the team then began their two-a-days, which consisted of morning “defense” practice before school, and afternoon “offense” practice after school. Junior Artichala Wise said, “Those practices are really hard, but they really benefit us as a team and definitely get us into shape.” With so many young players, returners from last year’s championship team have to step up and become leaders. “This year no one knows what to do, so we (returners) have to show everyone how we run things,” said sophomore Shareece Burrell. “I’m excited to have the chance to lead on this team.” Defending a state title will not be an easy task, but Coach Powell and the girls are ready to take on the challenge. “The ingredients are quite simple for our program. We must commit ourselves to being the very best players, dedicate our self to the team and defend our state title with Scarlet pride, and continue to out work our opponents. We must be the hardest working team in the state,” said Powell.
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Scarlet A DAY IN THE LIFE Sp tlight OF WRESTLER
Austin Robbins 5 a.m. “I’m definitely sleeping
on my bed.” 7 a.m. “On the DART bus going to school.”
9 a.m. “In biology, it’s a pretty fun class.”
11 a.m. “I’m in that reading program, I don’t like it at all.”
1 p.m. “I have English class.
That class is so crazy.” 3 p.m. “Sitting and waiting for practice.” 5 p.m. “In practice, practicing my wrestling technique.” 9 p.m. “Laying down and getting ready to sleep.”
Sophomore Austin Robbins poses for a picture before wrestling practice. He wrestles at 170lbs. Photo credit: Katelyn Worple.
MidAmerican Energy is allied with East in a business partnership. Once a month they proudly sponsor this recognition of EHS achievement.
Softball signings: five East seniors sign their letters of intent Five East High softball players signed to their college of choice on November 9, 2011. At the ceremony, Principal Steve Johns, Head Coach Bob Ligouri, Activities Director Ric Powell, Mount Mercy head coach Glenn Johnson, and Grand View head coach Lou Yacinich all spoke highly of the girls’ softball success.
From left: Seniors Riley Fisher, Jessica Grochala, Janie Smith, Meredith Henriksen, and Kaylee Putzier pose together after signing their letters of intent. As juniors, the girls led East High School to a 4A state championship. Photo Credit: Lindsey Smith.
Riley Fisher
Jessica Grochala
Meredith Henriksen
Kaylee Putzier
Janie Smith
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December 2, 2011 / Page Editor : Brianna Boner
ETS, continued from page 1
WHO 13, continued from page 1 “46 really isn’t bad when you think of the size of some of these schools [in the DMPS district],” said EHS assistant principal Kathy Clausen. “Would we like it to be 0, yes. Is that reality, no.” This list was then looked at from a different angle. If the list is looked at by just violence calls, the number would drop even more. Violence only related incidents on the call list include: assault, harassment, sexual assault, fights, dispute/disagreement involving a weapon, threats including bomb and suicide, general threats, gun shots and domestic fights. The list was emailed by Sebring to the schools in her district wide email. The list was in an excel spread sheet which is what helped break the list down in many different ways including: by school with how many of each type of call was made, by incident and how many times it happened district wide, and it showed all the calls that weren’t DMPS.
Community
Out of 5,091 total calls only 521 of those calls involved any of the above violent incidents, making the violence calls come to 10% of the entire list of calls. When the number of violence calls 521 was divided by 68 (the number of schools in the district) it would round to about eight calls per school in the whole amount of time from June 2, 2009 to July 14, 2011. Sonya Heitshusen was contacted and asked for a comment on this new information but claimed the information could not be broken down by school. “There is no way to find out how many times police have been called to your son/daughter’s school without going to the police department and accessing the records, as we did,” said Heitshusen in an email. More of this story, along with the excel sheets, can be found on http://easthighpublications.wordpress.com.
Central College, located in Pella, is the host institution which makes it possible for ETS to receive that grant. Central College is also home to the ETS offices and helps host ETS events. Students usually begin the ETS program during their sixth grade year. To qualify, students must show a good academic standing. Currently, the East group can only accept a small number of students; no seniors. Perspective students can contact Ms. Rebel in Guidance Counselor’s offices or ETS coordinators Katie Whipple (10th -11th) and Chantelle Wilson (9th & 12th0. They can be contacted through email: whipplek@central. edu & wilsoncm@central.edu. “It is very important that our students are strong academically and show potential for college. We also look at whether students are taking a rigorous curriculum (college prep courses) and guide all students who are in our program to take a rigorous curriculum,” said Whipple.
Recommendations from teachers and counselors also help the acceptance process. To receive the grant that sponsors ETS, students participating must receive a college degree sometime in the six years following their high school graduation. This shows the program is successful. Another requirement for the grant states that two-thirds of students should meet an income requirement or qualify for free or reduced lunch and be a potential first generation college student. ETS helps many students and has an abundance of successful former students, including Marcus Newsom, Assistant Athletic Director at Wartburg College and has been named U.S. Track Coaches Association Division III indoor women’s coach of the year many times. The current SE Polk Principal was once a member of a TRIO program.
Students vs. Faculty: volleyball game for SRO Armstrong On Nov. 4, 2011, campus monitor Dawn Kasper put together a volleyball tournament, student teams vs. Faculty teams, to raise money for Officer Ryan Armstrong. “I feel like EHS, students and staff, need to feel like we are one big family,” said Kasper. Armstrong was our SRO until he was diagnosed with non-hodgkin lymphoma, a type of cancer. All of the donations that came from the tournament were donated to Armstrong. The amount of donations ended up being $525. Armstrong plans on returning to work soon.
Officer Ryan Armstrong (center) stands with his wife (in sweatshirt), fellow officers, and Dawn Kasper at the volleyball tournament. Photo credit: Katelyn Worple and Jessie Vance.