February 2009 by JHS BlackandWhite

BLACKWHITE the black and white. february 2009. volume 18 issue 6. 5152780449. 6501 NW 62nd ave. johnston. iowa

one copy free

Art Exhibition Johnston hosts CIML page 4

Johnstonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Got Talent page 4

Take Classes for Future Career page 6

New Coaches page 17

in this issue

black white

news

17)

3 { Newsbriefs Week of giving Talent Show 4 { CIML art exhibition Adviser/advisee 5 { Beason the energy czar

12 { picking the winners

opinion

dungeon

feature

13 { Recession Affection syndrom { POTS 14 Sexting Scandals editorial 6 { School’s wasting resources 15 { Romona Barber spotlight

on the cover The cover photograph is the same one seen on the CIML Art Exhibition flyers and exhibition catalogue. Permission granted thanks to the art department.

Drug Rehab

16 { Bowling Extravaganza

7{ Hu’s Happenin’s display cases 8{ Fill Donate clothes

Transition success

Kiera Morrill/BW

18)

entertainment And the Oscar goes to...

sports

review

restaurants The Bookworm 9 { Chinese

doubletruck

Coaches Sports roundup 17 { New 18 { Boy’s swimming 19 { Keep your heart healthy!

backpage 10 { Everday saving: 11 Getting through the crisis 20 { Palm reading 9)

the

BLACK&WHITE

Julia Manning/BW

10&11)

Evan Culbert/BW

Provided/Haley Wiggins

STAFF 2008-2009

Stephanie Ivankovich

news editor Caroline Byrd

opinion editor Catherine Caracci

copy editor Brittany Deal

editor in chief

Kallen Kramer

double truck editor Haley Johnson

backpage editor Shawna Polen

review editor Jeremy Mullen

Lauren Gehrke

feature editor Julia Manning

sports editor Kiera Morrill

photo editor

managing editor

STAFF WRITERS: Lauren Coffey, Evan Culbert, Chris Caracci, Nels Engblom, Jonathan Houp, Kevin Hu, Matthew Knoedel, Kelsey Kruse, Amy Lovejoy, Dwight Lykins, Kelly McGowan, Aaron Meyer, Scott Monroe, Philip Mortens, Chelsea Nelson, Eric Oatts, Jocelyn Schneider, Kyle Soyer, Ben Vander Ploeg, Brennan Winget

what we’re about

“The Black and White” is published solely by the Johnston High School newspaper staff. Its goal is to inform, enlighten and entertain Johnston students. It is an open forum. In accordance with Iowa law and board policy, students assign and edit material. The paper is published nine times per school year. The paper will avoid material that is libelous, obscene or an invasion of privacy. The law does not require parental permission to use student quotes. Ethically, we believe students can speak for themselves. Staff editorials represent the opinion of a majority of the editorial board. Editorial and opinion pieces do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the adviser, school officials or the district. Letters to the editor must be signed. Like all material, letters may not be libelous, obscene or an invasion of privacy. Bring letters to room 413 within one week after publication to be considered for the next issue. “The Black and White” strives to report accurate and timely information. If you believe that an error has been printed, please contact the Editor at bblosee@gmail.com. “The Black and White” is a member of CSPA, NSPA, Quill & Scroll, and IHSPA. Recent issues of the paper earned these honors: Columbia Scholastic Press Association Gold Medalist, National Scholastic Press Association First Class rating, Quill & Scroll Gallup Award, IHSPA state placings.

FEB

news briefs

Compiled by Kevin Hu, staff writer

Seminar changed to elective for freshmen

The freshman course Seminar has been voted by the School Board to be an elective. The school board voted 4-3 in favor of changing Seminar to an elective. Seminar is a course offered to freshmen in order to promote better character development. “Seminar focuses on Character and Leadership Development, community service, career planning and an opportunity for academic support 2 days a week,” Bruce Amendt, Executive Director of Academic Services, said. “A focus of Seminar is to provide a teacher with whom students have regular daily contact with to develop an advisor relationship.” Amendt also commented that 8th grade students have been asked to complete a second sign-up for possible courses due to the decision to make Seminar an elective.

Prom to be at 7 Flags Event Center

Prom will be held at the 7 Flags Event Center on April 18 from 8:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. The grand march will be outside this year, along with another entrance for those who do not want to participate in the march. The theme this year is Moonlight Masquerade, with the colors being blue and black. Tickets are currently priced at $20; this includes a photo from Portraits by Deena, similar to the Homecoming ones. After Prom will be at the high school at 11:30 p.m., doors closing at 1 a.m. A number of inflatable games from TJ Party Rentals will be on hand. The hypnotist is also rebooked and is scheduled to appear around 3:15 a.m. Numerous prizes for the raffle this year include three flat-screen TVs, DVD players, dorm-sized refrigerators and more. Other activities include black jack, massage therapists, caricature artists, bingo, cash walk, and scooter races.

Kevin Hu/BW

NEWS

Week of Giving

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Catherine Caracci staff writer

From Feb. 2-6, student council held a school-wide event, called Week of Giving, consisting of activities that were sponsored by clubs and groups throughout the school. All proceeds from the activities were donated to charities designated by the individual groups. Some of student council’s main goals were to get clubs involved in giving and to build excitement among students during the week leading up to the winter dance. Junior Julia Manning, Student Body President, said that she got the idea while looking through national leadership magazines and was inspired by President Obama’s inauguration speech. “We wanted to give the school an opportunity to give back,” Manning said.

Monday

Juila Manning/BW

National Honor Society (NHS) members sold Livestrong bracelets outside the cafeteria during all lunches. Senior Adam Helgeson, NHS President chose the topic of cancer. “It is something that has really hit Johnston, as well as the rest of the country,” Helgeson said. He explained that one of the biggest ways to combat cancer is making people aware. “Therefore, it made sense, when it came to giving that we should give the gift of awareness,” Helgeson said.

Kiera Morrill/BW

Tuesday

Kiera Morrill/BW

The journalism department held a bake sale outside the cafeteria all day. The proceeds were sent to the Cedar Rapids Library Foundation to help the construction of their new library in place of the one that was damaged in the floods over the summer. The proceeds from the basketball game against Waukee went to the American Cancer Society. Tickets cost $10 each, and fans were asked to wear black in support of cancer awareness.

Kiera Morrill/BW

Thursday

Friday

Students Active in Leadership (SAIL) held a clothing and coat drive. Thirty boxes of clothing were donated to Clothes Closet in Johnston. Teacher Alicia Rollison said that SAIL decided to put on a clothing drive in order to provide students with another opportunity to give back to the community and to serve others. If the Johnston Clothes Closet does not end up using all of the clothes, Rollison said that they will be donated to the Salvation Army or Goodwill.

There was a Superfan raffle at the basketball games against Southeast Polk. $60 was raised, and the proceeds went to cystic fibrosis research. Junior Libby Elmitt, who helped organize the raffle along with senior Annie Gray, junior Ashley Quick, and sophomore Paige Collison, said that they chose the raffle bebecause they wanted to have a fun activity during halftime. “We thought it would be good to give money to cystic fibrosis,” Elmitt said. “We know that there are people at our school that are affected by it.”

All Week

Student council sold compatibility test results during lunch outside the cafeteria. The results cost $2 each. A total of $556 was raised for the student council scholarships. A food drive took place all week during 5th hour. Over 1000 items were donated to the food pantry. The vocal department sold singing valentines. The proceeds, totaling $133, went to VH1’s Save the Music Foundation. This organization restores music education in public schools. The valentines were delivered on Feb. 13.

Wednesday Sledding for Scholars was cancelled because of lack of snow. It would have benefitted Dollars for Scholars.

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NEWS

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Talent show reveals hidden talent to student body Stephanie Ivankovich news editor

Student Council hosted Johnston’s Got Talent, an opportunity for students to share their skills. Sophomore Lincoln Eppard came up with the idea. “I wanted to do a high school talent show because when I looked back at the talent show at the 8/9 building, I realized the it was a student activity that ‘everyone’ including the teachers could enjoy,” Eppard said. Student Council Advisor Chris Beguhn agreed. “It is a great way for the entire student body to see the talent the kids have,” Beguhn said. “I wish the cultural group would do something to let the students see the different cultures they have and also for the staff members to show students their talent beyond teaching. It’s a great way to show what the school has to offer.” The last talent show was held 25 years ago in 1981. French teacher Mary Moermond remembers it. “There was a lot of kids on stage with no talent,” Moermond said. “Some had talent, but most of the students were up there to make fun of teachers and other students.” Her thoughts have changed. “I’m not crazy about it, but there are tons of talented kids at school that are not in singing or sports but still have talents. I think it will be a great show,” Moermond said. Senior Zerina Duric also likes the idea of a talent show.

“It will be a fun experience for people to get involved and watch other students show their talent,” Duric said. Altogether, there were 11 acts ranging from one to four people. The auditions were held Jan. 26-27 and everyone that auditioned made it to the show. Seniors Heidi Bibler and Lauren Rogers participated in a duet. “We didn’t expect to make the auditions, we just wanted to do it for fun,” Bibler said. The talent show was held during seventh period in two shifts. Sophomore Dane Van Brocklin performed a solo and played the guitar for two parts. Van Brocklin participated in the talent show at the 8/9 building both years it was held. “I did it to show everyone I’m not just the singing kid, I’m the singing rock kid,” Van Brocklin said. Sophomore Mackenzie Berger enjoyed the talent show. “It was cool seeing people that you would never think would get up on stage and sing. Also it was a good way to get out of class,” Berger said. The event was held on Feb. 12.

(Right) Sophomore Dane Van Brocklin sings “I Love Rock N’ Roll.” Brocklin is used to performing. “I can only describe it as an ecstasy where everything comes out and flows,” Van Brocklin said.

Johnston hosts art show Kyle Soyer staff writer

Fifteen students will display their best artwork at the Central Iowa Metro League (CIML) Art Exhibition hosted by Johnston. Urbandale, Indionola, Dowling, Ankeny, and Southeast Polk will also be entering student artists. “The show is so that the art and design departments from different schools share collectively what is being learned and produced in our visual studies classes,” art teacher Daniel Weiss said. The exhibition will be on display from Feb. 17 through Feb. 25. The show will take place at the Heritage Galleries in Des Moines on 2nd Street and Court Avenue.

Eats Away at You

I guess it’s just nice to be part of something like this, especially since it’s my senior year. The photograph I put into the exhibition is a symbol of achievement for me, since I’d never even picked up a camera until this year. Lauren Rogers

Dandelions (Imprinting is a) technique of getting an object and placing in clay. It leaves behind a design or marks. I used danadelions. I really put a lot of effort into everything I create.

Felicia Coleman

Performers: Tim Gerzerra piano

Eric Oatts Jeff Oatts JT Minor Lindsey Timmons acoustic Lauren Rogers Heidi Bibler singing Nate Johnson Ben Vander Ploeg guitar Sasha Markland singing Brittany Huettman Taylor Coakley dancing Austin Kinsey singing Kyle Soyer bagpipes Alan Nagel Kyle Naig singing/piano Dane Van Brocklin singing Nick Vogel Dane Van Brocklin Kyle Naig Brandon Miller Blake Schlawin Blain Schlawin band Jordan Sandquist/Dragon

Students in CIML exhibition Francesca Angeloni Heidi Bibler Aubrey Conrad Felicia Coleman Nicohelle DeBrouse Jenna Devens Rosemarie Freymark Simas Petrauskas Yiming Qin Lauren Rogers Katie Schmitt Jordan Spain Matthew Trillet Collin Ward Haley Wiggins

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NEWS

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Advisor-Advisee program, possibility Matt Knoedel

Pictured left: Every seminar class created a puzzle piece that was put together to make three giant hearts that are on on display in the commons. An Advisor-Advisee class would welcome more activities like this.

staff writer

Students and teachers have been wondering what homeroom will be like next year. It is possible that homeroom will be extended to meet more times a week and for longer. Although nothing has been confirmed yet, it is possible that in the coming years we will have an advisor-advisee class (that is the possible name) that takes the place of homeroom. The rationale behind this class would be that it benefits both students and teachers. Associate principal Randy Klein likes the idea of having an advisor-advisee program. “Research says that the more times people meet, the more consistent and comfortable they are in an environment,” Klein said. “The purpose would be to help build relationships, build skills, and build better people.” There are other schools in the metro area such as S.E. Polk, Waukee and Saydel that already have something similar to advisoradvisee in place. Some schools meet more than twice a week and do activities that promote communication and build relationships while others use it as a time similar to our homeroom. “A lot of other schools are doing this and it would be beneficial for everyone at Johnston if we did something like it too,” Klein said. Klein hopes that Advisor-Advisee will reverse the trend of students dropping out and will encourage students to come to school because of the friendlier atmosphere. “The more one-on-one time between

[

]

Other Schools that have an Advisor program:

Waukee:

When? 3 meetings per week How long? 14 min. meetings Why do it? Incorporates tech early/ makes easy for staff students and staff means that students will have someone they can talk to if they need help,” Klein said. While the high school is adding a community and skills building class, the middle school just made Seminar an optional class. Student council sponsor, Chris Beguhn, is disappointed in the idea of getting rid of seminar. “It could have provided a good base for the advisor-advisee program,” Beguhn said. Beguhn thinks that in order for the advisor-advisee program to be successful, students and staff have to buy into the idea

of an advisoradvisee type program and back it fully. In addition, there needs to be time for fun, not just curriculum. “If done right, an advisor program could improve school spirit and the atmosphere,” said Beguhn. Beguhn thinks that in order to build a more friendly atmosphere and promote relationships at school, the advisor-advisee program needs to meet regularly and have intentionally diverse classes where new students can meet each other.

SE Polk:

When? 1 meeting per week How long? 25 min. meetings Why do it? Builds positive school enviornment

Ankeny:

When? 1 meeting per week How long? 30 min. meetings Why do it? Mixes different grades

Valley:

When? 2 meetings per week How long? 10/15 min. meetings Why do it? Incorporates team building activies

Beason chosen as energy education manager Philip Mortens

Energy Education

staff writer When our nation is being hit hard by economic recession, Johnston is taking renewed action to save money and the environment. Recently, PE teacher Dave Beason was chosen to be the new Energy Education Manager for the district. “Basically, I’m looking for ways to reduce our energy consumption to try and save some money,” Beason said. Working closely with Buildings and Grounds Director Tim Kline, the pair is trying to make positive changes to the schools. One of Beason’s new responsibilities as Energy Education Manager is to input all of the Mid-American utilities bills into a special program on his computer that will allow him to see if the changes he implemented have had a positive effect on the costs of school’s utilities. Beason’s new position does not take priority over his prior teaching and coaching responsibilities. The idea originally came from a company based out of Texas. The Company specializes in helping reduce energy costs over an extended period. Johnston has contracted this company for the next four years, when the contract expires, we would have the opportunity to re-contract with the company or continue on our own. Beason is constantly patrolling the schools looking for all different types of problems.

•Americans consume 26% of worlds energy

•The United States

spends $440 billion on energy ever year

•Heating and cooling ap-

plainces make up for 90% of total usage in America

•The United States Consumes 17 million barrels of oil every day Philip Mortens/BW

Dave Beason enters data from Mid-American bills into his special program. Beason constantly monitors temperatures from the district. “I go around to all the schools and I audit the buildings, I walk the buildings looking for unnecessary uses of energy. That can be anywhere from electrical appliances to heating and cooling systems not working right,” Beason said. Both Beason and Kline have both spent ample amounts of

•The United States

energy rate is expected to increase 15% by 2015.

time going through the schools looking for energy solutions. “You know we’re just starting and we’re doing what we call picking little fruit, by adjusting thermostats and things like that, and we’re trying to get into the lighting too,” Kline said.

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OPINION

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Poor decision making, wasted resources Students miss opportunities of classes offered on campus Caroline Byrd opinion editor

Every Tuesday students file into homeroom to spend 20some minutes talking aimlessly with the person they will sit next to at graduation to solve tricky hangman puzzles. Occasionally, we talk about ways we could be volunteering our spare time or fill out surveys to see who we are compatible with. But most importantly, homeroom gives the underclassmen time to do a simple yet thought-provoking task: sign up for next semesters’ classes. While many students will get in their required biology, Algebra 1 and English credits, there seems to be an entire part of the course guide kids skip over: the elective section. By junior year, many students have some sort of idea of what they might want to do when they graduate, but how many of them are fully preparing to walk down that path that they choose? How many students are using their resources wisely? It is safe to say that a good chunk of the senior class is not at school for all eight periods of the day, and with 142 courses offered on campus, it is highly doubtful every student has taken them all. Some students leave early for classes at DMACC or Central Campus, or spend their time not in school working. It is not necessary for every student to be at school from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., but it is such a waste of time when there are classes being offered all over campus to help students in their futures. Take Betsy Pilkington for example. She comes to school

for periods 1-7. Pilkington plans to major in Music Education next year and is taking as many steps as she can to prepare for it. As a drum major in band, a section leader for the top choir, and a 3-year all-state member, Pilkington has taken advantage of opportunities that will help prepare her to be a music education major, and eventually, a teacher. Some other students aren’t so prepared. Say a student may want to go into photography and has taken journalism and is a member of the yearbook or newspaper, but hasn’t taken a photography class. What? It doesn’t matter “how hard the class is” or whether you think “it will lower your GPA,” if you want to go to college to be a photographer, and haven’t taken photography how can you honestly say you want to do it? It makes much more sense to change your mind when the class is free, then to spend hundreds of dollars at a university on that same class. Other countries say America is the laziest in the world, and no wonder. Americans think they can get by doing the bear-minimum for their education. There are standards in high school, but there is no extra-credit, or the next assignment in the real world. You get paid for how well you perform, and if you have a bad performance, that might be the end of your tour. Just like any sport or activity, you have to practice before you face the competition. In a time where our economy is slipping, the job world might be the most competitive game students will see. Why wouldn’t you want to be as prepared as you can be? Think about that when you’re hitting snooze tomorrow morning.

SO, you want to major in:

Below is a chart of popular college majors. Each is detailed with recommended classes for each year of high s1chool.

art 9th: freshman art 10th: Drawing, Painting, Clay 11th: Photo Art 1, Design 1 12th: Photo Art 2, Design 2

education

10th: exploring childhood, exploring parenting 11th: sociology, psychology 12th: social issues, AP Psychology

engineering political 8th: Algebra I science 9th: Intro to Engineering Design, 9th: Topics of History Geometry 10th: Principles of Engineering, Algebra II 11th: Mechanical Design Architectural Design, Pre-Calc 12th: Graphing Communications, Computer Drafting and Design AP Calculus

10th: AP World History, Applied Economics 11th: AP U.S. History, Principles of Economics 12th: Government, Advanced Speech

pre-med

9th: Physical Science 10th: Blocked Biology, Blocked Chemistry 11th: Anatomy & Physiology 12th: AP Biology

business

9th: Intro to Business and Computer Applications 10th: Accounting 1 11th: Accounting 2 12th: Advertising and sales, sports entertainment and marketing

special education 9th: Adaptive PE 10th: Skills development 11th: Experienced Based Career Education 12th: Work Experience

communications

9th: journalism 10th: newspaper/ yearbook, video production 11th: newspaper/ yearbook, advanced speech 12th: newspaper/ yearbook, AP English

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OPINION

A Peaceful Transition

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While shifting of power around the globe can cause violence and disorder, the transition of parties in Washington D.C. has maintained the structure and peace that our founding fathers wrote in the Constitution. Kallen Kramer

double-truck editor On Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008, voting booths all over our nation were flooded with 190 million Republicans and Democrats. The 61 percent turnout of registered voters exceeded 60 percent for the first time in 40 years. From the comfort of our homes we watched the results. In Iowa, 46.6 percent of voters did not vote for Barack Obama, the announced president-elect. In Damascus, Syria on Jan. 30, 2005, 8.3 percent of the Iraqi population living in Syria was registered to vote. Outside each voting location, patrol was required to thwart car bombers. Each voter was searched from head to toe by Iraqi soldiers before entering the facility. Attacks were reported in seven cities that day across Iraq. Despite strict regulations, 10 Iraqis and five U.S. troops were killed in the area. Soon after the election, Barack and Michelle Obama met with George and Laura Bush for a tour of the White House. The president and president-elect shared a private meeting in the Oval Office. Bush described the meeting as “relaxed and friendly”. On Dec. 31, 1980 Robert Mugabe assumed office in Zimbabwe. This election was significant because it was the first free election that the country had held, and Mugabe was elected as the first prime minister. The previous party in control was the white minority, and by popular vote, Mugabe was elected by the black majority. He was expected to completely reconstruct the country, and to say he exceeded expectations would be an understatement. A man once viewed as a war hero

and nationalist has turned the country to disaster economically and healthfully. 3,500 die from cholera every week in Zimbabwe, and due to printing an extreme excess of currency, the country has gone into hyperinflation. On Jan. 20, over one million Americans attended the chilly inauguration of Barack Obama in Washington D.C. All races, ages, and classes in the country celebrated the event. Despite differing opinions, President Obama and former president George W. Bush had friendly relations during the transition of parties. Unlike the shifting of power in governments around the globe, the Constitution has continued to maintain structure and stability for over 200 years. It’s hard to put into perspective the opportunity and the hope we have as Americans. Too often our worldview is watered down due to the daily comfort and security of our lives in this country. In the recent election and inauguration, a lot of skepticism rose about both candidates as is common in all elections. Republicans and Democrats held fast to their candidate and many would mudsling at the opposing party. However, when all was said and done, Obama was elected and inaugurate and our government has remained unchanged. Obama will have no more and no less power over congress than President Bush had. I was disappointed when I heard complaints about the past Bush administration because most of the arguments made were not logical. President Bush did not create all of the problems our country faces today. Our founding fathers created a threebranch government so that no one branch would have too much power, and whatever hardships the country faces, all three have

cares

Rounding is unfair for all Kevin Hu

staff writer So it’s that time of year again. The time when we young adults all over the nation wait with abated breath as we standby, just waiting for the mailman to bring the

mail. Why? Because of our report cards, and the grade. I, for one, am not an amateur when it comes to intercepting my report card before my parents. You

Provided / The White House

Former President George W. Bush gives Barack and Michelle Obama a tour of their future home and holds a private meeting in the oval office. Bush described the meeting as “good, constructive, relaxed and friendly”. influence to override or support the others. There shouldn’t be a time when we hear our national anthem or gaze at a flag and

think nothing of it. Respect our government whether or not your candidate is in office or your party is in power.

Later start time beneficial in all aspects guys are probably saying to yourselves, “but Kevin, why would YOU hide your report card from your parents? Surely you have all A’s?” Nope. But I’d like to take a moment to discuss rounding grades. How, a 4.0 is any type of A, how a 3.0 is any type of B, and so on. Students are complaining about their 89.92% B+ or their 79.99% C+, and begging teachers to bump them up. All they do is whine about how unfair it is. This isn’t the end of the injustices of rounding. Get this, my 90.02% A- would be treated like Kevin Shi’s 99.99% A+. How’s THAT for fair?

In my previous edition of “Hu’s Happenin’s,” I acknowledged that students need more in order to do well in class. In this edition, I propose the following solution: make school start later. Now let’s take this topic seriously (for once). Before you start complaining about your numerous after school activities, the benefits of a later start time are supported by research done in several states already. States such as Virginia and Connecticut have pushed start times back and were met with increased attendance, increased standardized test scores, lower drop rates, and

better academic success overall. In Kentucky, later start times were met with fewer fatal teenage traffic accidents. Critics say that teenagers just need to go to bed earlier, and that’s that. But recent studies also show that some teenagers’ body clocks are set so that they can’t even achieve sleep until 11 p.m. (or in my case, 1 a.m.). Combined with getting up at 5:45 a.m. or 6:00 a.m. for some students, this would mean students could only achieve around 6 hours of sleep, more or less. With tiredness comes inattentiveness, and with inattentiveness comes lower grades.

Illustration/Yiming Qin

You might think that scheduling would be hectic. But think about it this way, if kids got out of school at around 5 p.m., that would mean parents could pick up their kids on the way home from work. Seriously now, ask yourself tomorrow at 6 a.m. while trying to get out of bed, wouldn’t you want a few more hours of sleep?

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OPINION

Empty display need filled Brittany Deal editor in chief

The first thing students notice upon walking into the school through the common’s entrance, besides the ridiculous size of the hallway, is the amount of display cases. Empty display cases. The purpose of a display case is to do just that: display. What is the point of spending money to install display cases in the school if they are not even going to be used for their intended purpose? There is one display case that is actually completely filled. In that display case, there are pictures and plaques of outstanding alumni. Not to diminish the importance of alumni, but really, this is a school, not a museum. Unfortunately, at least two of the new display cases will be used to display Foundation Hall of Fame honors. That was the reason the school installed them. However, that still leaves other, unused display cases. What should go in them? Coaches may wish to present trophies in the common’s display cases. However, there are other display cases closer to the gyms that could be used for this purpose. Art teachers may wish to exhibit student art and design work. But, just like the coaches, they already have a display case set aside that purpose. Even the music department and the industrial technology department have display cases already in use. So, what is to be done with these empty display cases? The best solution is to fill the display cases with samples from various depart-

ment curriculums. Each display case should be sectioned off between the departments equally. However, if the department head of math, for example, realizes there is too much room in the math display section, then that extra room can go to another department that needs it. This way, the display cases will be used to showcase student work. Students curious about a specific department can get an idea of what they may learn from the examples shown in the display cases. Parents wanting to know what is going on in the school can easily view various pieces of school curriculums at once. These display cases will be perfect for open house and orientation, not to mention the day-to-day traffic through the commons. Even Principal Bruce Hukee wants to show off school accomplishments. “I am trying to encourage staff members to use the empty trophy cases,” Hukee said. “I have offered to teachers to display current year recognitions to display in empty cases.” This leaves only one possible problem. The school is left with old, outdated trophies that do not fit in the updated display cases throughout the school. Eventually the school will run out of storage room. These trophies, after so many years, should be auctioned off to alumni and community members. This will help the district raise money and get rid of clutter. Even Hukee agrees that this would be a good idea. So now it is up to the staff. Teachers, please, display the work that everyone wants to see! Let’s say goodbye to empty display cases for good.

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Jeremy Mullen/BW

The display cases in the commons’ hallway stand empty. Staff should fill these cases with examples of student work.

Stop hoarding old clothes, donate to others Ben Vander Ploeg staff writer

Many people struggle to keep a shirt on their back while we struggle with the decision of which one to wear. With piles upon piles of clothes, the thought of being cold because of lack of them never comes to mind. Instead we think about what is in, and what looks good with what. Unfortunately, not everyone is as well off as we are. Westchester Evangelical Free Church had a clothing drive to

meet the needs of refugees from the Congo and from Burma. There were people coming in wearing sandals while there was snow on the ground. Not because they chose to, but because that is all they had to wear. Little boys were picking up frilly, girls coats and putting them on because they wanted to stay warm. These people did not have the luxury of worrying about what they would wear each day, but instead had to worry about having anything to wear at all. Looking at my wardrobe you would not think this would have to be a problem. I have so many clothes that I might never wear yet there are probably people in my own neighborhood who would love to have just one of the sweatshirts that clutter my room. If this is how people in the United States, one of the most blessed nations in the world, live, how then do you think those in less fortunate countries live? In Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, clothing is in the first tier, but for many humans this need is not being met. There are kids in Africa who do not even have shoes to wear. The blisters that develop from walking around barefoot can lead to worms, bacteria and other infection that enter into the skin. Once this has happened they do not have the medical care to treat it. These problems can lead to serious illness and even death. Not only is clothing a physical need for people all over the world it is also a mental need. In a society where looks are valued above so many things it’s hard for kids

to go to school wearing something that is tattered, torn or out-dated. It would be very encouraging to these kids to receive nice clothes for a change. There are countless things we can do to help with this situation. One very big way to help is by holding a clothing drive. Special Ed teacher Dan Scannell held one on Feb. 5. Students Active in Leadership (SAIL) collected 30 boxes of clothes that were given to the Johnston Clothes Closet. Another way is giving your extra clothes to Goodwill and other thrift stores. Not only does this allow people to buy clothes for cheaper, but Goodwill also provides jobs for people who couldn’t normally get one for them self. Overall people could just stop buying so many clothes. Yes, clothes set people apart, and yes people enjoy shopping, but when you think about it we do not really need anymore. Spending less money on clothes gives more money that you can save or spend on things that really matter. This could include college, hanging out with friends and meeting the needs of people around the world. Lastly, you could hand down clothes to other people. Giving the clothes you have outgrown to your relatives or other people you know puts them to good use. Not only that but then they will not have to spend as much money on their clothes. In a time when the economy is bad and people are having to take money more seriously it would be nice to free people from having to worry about clothes, to use our material things to meet other people’s needs.

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Choosing Chinese

REVIEW

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Buffet City

With six different buffet lines, Buffet City has the typical Chinese buffet appetizers such as egg rolls, barbecue chicken on a stick and crab rangoons. The main courses served were chop suey and sweet and sour pork, shrimp and chicken. The soups lacked flavor. They also offered a sushi bar and a grill. Almost all of the food served was cold. The service was practically nonexistent: this was strictly a self-serve operation. The service crew never came by to pick up our dirty dishes or refill our drinks, and I had to get the bill myself. Chris Caracci

Nutrition Facts Calculated for 1 tbsp Calories 10 Calories from Fat 0 (1%) Amount Per Serving %DV Total Fat 0.0g 0% Saturated Fat 0.0g 0% Monounsaturated Fat 0.0g Polyunsaturated Fat 0.0g Trans Fat 0.0g Cholesterol 0mg 0% Sodium 1005mg 41% Potassium 38mg 1% Total Carbohydrate 1.0g Dietary Fiber 0.1g 0% Sugars 0.3g Protein 1.9g 3%

Shangri-La After arriving at Shangri-La, one is immediately greeted by a waiter at the door. Drink orders are taken upon sitting down. There was a great variety present, but my personal favorite was the sesame chicken. The pieces were large and full of flavor. Everything was above par. The one downfall to Shangri-La is the price of the buffet. Ten dollars is just too much for any buffet, while $6 to $7.99 would be perfect, especially considering the force-people-to-jump-offof-bridges economy we all must live with in this day and age. Scott Monroe

China One International A large variety of food is held on eight minibuffet lines at China One International. The restaurant serves foods that would fall into many categories, but has lots of Chinese food as well. The crab rangoons and jalapeño chicken are a couple of the better dishes, as opposed to the egg rolls and Mongolian beef. They focus on variety so much that it takes away from the quality of the food. The service was up to par; waiters kept drinks full and did a good job of keeping customers content. The building itself is very spacious with a lot of seating, so customers can count on being seated right away. Although the service is nice, it doesn’t make up for how rubbery the food is. Evan Culbert

The BookWorm The Arrival

Shaun Tan

A+ BY: Shawna Polen

Immigration is never easy. Its a journey to find a new life and with it, contentment, safety and a sense of belonging. “The Arrival” is just that. Living in a country that is in turmoil, a father decides that he must leave his wife and daughter to travel to a new land, looking for a new home. Not speaking a word of the new country’s language, the man finds shelter and a job, looking for a ways to reunite his family. An oddity of “The Arrival” is that there are no words, only pictures. It is not a children’s book, it incorporates a deeper meaning that children would not fully comprehend. Shaun Tan’s breath-taking drawings submerge the reader into a make-believe yet similar world kin to our own. The immigrants come on a boat, they do not speak the same

Shawna Polen/BW

language, and work to better themselves. It is the animals, transportation and food that differ. To come up with this book, Tan has to have an amazing imagination. When I say make-believe world, I mean it. There are flying boat-like things and funny creatures everywhere. To get food, you must go to a huge wall with drawers on it. Each drawer opens to reveal odd-looking foods that you take and put in your basket to take home and eat. The creatures Tan created in “The Arrival” are similar to our pets and wildlife, but at the same time they are one of a kind. So much so that it is hard to accurately describe them. The bird-like animals look kind of like origami except in the cold, when they have fur. The man soon acquires a pet - it seems

that everybody has one - it is about the size of a medium white dog, with a mouth like a frog, and a long tongue like a snake. It is really cute, and helps the man and his family a lot. Although “The Arrival” has no words, emotion seeps from the pages. Readers can feel the fear, confusion and contentment along side the family on their journey. This is a book all readers will want to add to their collections. With an aged look to the cover and pages, the story can never grow old, for it captivates anyone who reads it. Tan’s silent cinema was created in 2006 and read in the book club last semester. For questions, comments or feedback, e-mail me at Batty_forlife@yahoo.com

DOUBLETRUCK

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10&11

PAGE

Saving on...

watering tips FOR A WILTING

money tree saving money during an economic crisis

cheap dates  board games

rediscover the beauty of board games, you’ll be surprised with the time you can kill playing without noticing

greauopvxbz

FEB

volunteer

unforgettable, rewarding time spent volunteering is never time that is wasted, and often more fun than you think

window shop at a flea market or thrift store you’ll laugh at all of the bazar things you find, and who knows, you might find a great deal

go to a free concert

try this instead of a pricey concert at Val-Air. Amateur groups are always looking for a crowd, and when it’s spring try the outdoor venues

bake together

meals

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don’t forget a thermos with hot apple cider or hot chocolate!

classic movie marathon

much cheaper than paying for a new release at the theater, and you may discover a new favorite movie

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make a picnic meal

go on a hike

research bike trail locations or just walk through the neighborhood

frisbee golf

try this instead of paying to go to watch a sporting event. It saves money and endorphins put you in a better mood!

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Compiled by Kallen Kramer(double-truck editor)

DOUBLETRUCK

L q ryzo bb f be jb dbeb

money tree saving money during an economic crisis

cheap dates A board games

rediscover the beauty of board games, you’ll be surprised with the time you can kill playing without noticing

volunteer

Saving on...

FOR A WILTING

unforgettable, rewarding time spent volunteering is never time that is wasted, and often more fun than you think

10&11

PAGE

watering tips

greauopvx,bz

FEB

window shop at a flea market or thrift store you’ll laugh at all of the bazar things you find, and who knows, you might find a great deal

go to a free concert

try this instead of a pricey concert at Val-Air. Amateur groups are always looking for a crowd, and when it’s spring try the outdoor venues

bake together

meals

Teens spend 20% of their money on food Order water when you’re out to eat and wait to drink other beverages at home before or after. Restaurants often charge between $1.50-$3.00 for a soft drink when it only costs them a few cents every refill. Also splitting meals is always a good idea at restaurants that serve a good size portion of a meal. If you ask your waiter they can probably give you an approximate size of their meals.

don’t forget a thermos with hot apple cider or hot chocolate!

classic movie marathon

much cheaper than paying for a new release at the theater, and you may discover a new favorite movie

Bring your own bucket Tuesday

On Tuesdays at Wynnsong theaters, popcorn is 50 cents to fill up a bucket that you bring from home. Also tickets are sold at a discounted price all day.

Saturday Night

ticket large popcorn + large drink

Okoboji Grill

$12.49 $1.75

Garlic Alfredo di pollo

bake a meal, or bake cookies for friends and deliver them! The possibilities are endless

go sledding

movies

soft drink

$14.24 Okoboji Grill

Garlic Alfredo di pollo

water

$12.49 $0.00

$9.00 $7.50 $4.75

$21.25

Tuesday Night

ticket large popcorn + large drink

$6.00 $0.50 $4.75

$11.25

$12.49 = $6.25 2

make a picnic meal

go on a hike

research bike trail locations or just walk through the neighborhood

frisbee golf

try this instead of paying to go to watch a sporting event. It saves money and endorphins put you in a better mood!

Dress

There are lots of boutiques around the area with unique dresses that no one else will have under half of the price of a retail store dress. Schaffer's

$200-$500+

Repeat Boutique/ Fashion Junction

$50-$275

Manicure/Pedicure Plan your own spa day with friends at some ones house. Have all of your friends collaborate and bring their color selection and spa accessories. While this saves money, it’s also fun being in the company of friends.

Bella

manicure + pedicure

nail polish

+borrowing polish

you save $7.99

$22.00 $45.00

$67.00 Home Spa

once spring comes... try this instead of an expensive restaurant meal

coffee

prom

you save

$10.00

$6.00 $0.00

$6.00

you save

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Set a budget Making your own coffee is always a cheap alternative to a daily fix of caffeine, but with a busy schedule it’s hard to make time for that. To keep a Starbucks bill low, buy a gift card for a set amount every month and pledge to not spend more than is on the card. If it runs out, try to make time at home to make your own. Try a new flavor of instant coffee that you only need a few minutes to make!

Starbucks Mocha

grande mocha

+ two-a-week/year

$3.95 x104

$410.80

Gift Card gift card

+every month/year

$20.00 x12

$240.00

you save

$170.80

Compiled by Kallen Kramer(double-truck editor)

FEB

ENTERTAINMENT

What AreThe

OSCARS

ture c i P ire Best Slumdog Milliona

n of both instru iting compilatio su m lu ry “S ve , a d film drop an ar-nominated A colorful back how the Osc 120 mincal music is vo running time of d a an l ith ta W . en ed m rib s audisc ep de ke be ly us ”, can end, continuo to Dog Millionaire g g the in rin nn gi ie, from be especially du utes, this mov of their seats, may rs ge we ed e vie , th le on tit de ie with such a ov ences worldwi mes m co a l to al in it . Going ct. In the end, last 30 minutes of what to expe phrase, describes the e clu st te gh not have the sli with its simple two-worded title together. The le. one and st way possib a runner for ph movie in the be mal, a chai-te peatedly Ja t re d ee m an d we It begins as a. He is torture di In in tant on s es er nt rk co pport wo mal was a technology su he cheated. Ja by the time the show w ho er ov d d d asked over an Millionaire an from the gran ants To Be A question away e n on India’s Who W va a ly on to in is is pulled e, Jamal runs out of tim stead of heading home, he cause be g tin ea ch in r, sed of r prize. Howeve ediately accu to identify, fo ay. He’s imm ldn’t be able ou sh en d and taken aw ev an s a ha di yone who slums of In n $100 bill. An he’s from the well, rsion is just, on the America ve s n o’ ica wh er e, pl Am e th exam rent. on ffe di ize is pr such a , however, come close to eable. Jamal al grew dg m le Ja ow . kn ay pl ry to ve es in rt very lucky or Slum dog, com rts, taking pa the films title, est of poor pa or po . This is where e et th rg fo In s of India. he’d not soon up in the Slum cur in his life ters a ving events oc ha , Jamal encoun act d up an g s in itie ow gr activ ut nt ho co ug in ro ay th ney l lengths to st Along his jour o he goes to al ing story st wh re a, te in tik d La an h, ue long-time crus es a very uniq and misfortune The film provid verty stricken, po e, with and find. bl rri lf based ho a eone from educate himse line; that som periences and es and ex lin y life or s st hi sh ke fre d ta e of the most filled life, coul on t ented ou im pl ab m gs co film brin y which is off them. The colorful imager d in a while including ng gi in br , ile ideas in a wh undtracks hear es its Best Picture rv best movies so definitely dese by one of the has an film e th Overall, r anyone who the artist M.I.A. Oscar, and is a must see fo is. th as e ch th r ts su nomination fo unique concep joys fresh and open mind en

PAGE

Who’s Oscar? Every February the film industry engages in a battle for the most important man in the movies. Standing only 13 inches high and weighing in at only 8 pounds, each studio tries to out do the other to win him: Oscar. “The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences” has been honoring achievements in the movie industry for the last 80 years. Trophies are awarded to actors, directors, and other artists involved in ground breaking movie magic. But who is Oscar? While no one can for sure answer why the trophy was dubbed the notorious name, according to the Academy’s Web site, the statue is officially named the Academy Award of Merit, but upon seeing the trophy for the first time in the 1940’s Margaret Herrick, who was then a record keeper for the academy, remarked that it resembled her Uncle Oscar and the name stuck.

How do You win? A studio must impress others in the film community to win a nomination. They do this by having outstanding acting, ground breaking special effects or some sort of unique style that separates them from any movie before. They must appeal to some 6,000 voting delegates. Whom include actors like Will Smith, Salma Hayek, Ryan Gosling, Keira Knightle. Musicians Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, John Williams and Steve Jobs of Apple computer fame. Delegates then can nominate a person or film for a specific category, actors nominate actors, directors nominate directors, and so on. Everyone has the ability to nominate in the best picture category. The deadline for these nominations is January. The winners of the nominations are announced at a press conference in the third week of January. The final ballots are then sent out and are due back the Tuesday before Oscar Sunday. This time all delegates are able to vote in any category not just there specific discipline. And after the final count only two officials know the outcome of the votes until the opening of the famous envelope on stage. This however was not always the case. For the first Academy Awards, on Thursday, May 16, 1929 the winners had been announced some three months prior so there was no shock and surprise at the awards ceremony. This did change the next year, when the academy kept the results a secret only releasing a list to the newspaper publishers the night before so they could print it in there morning edition. According to the academy, this policy continued until 1940 when the Los Angeles Times broke the rules and published the names of the winners in its evening edition – which was readily available to guests arriving for the ceremony. That prompted the Academy in 1941 to adopt the sealed-envelope system which we use today.

Who Has won? TOR C E R DI ILK) M ( t t n s a S e B nomiGus Van n Sant, was

or Gus Va ctfilm by direct ure and dire “Milk”, a new ing best pict ud t, cl rip in sc ds e ar th g t academy aw for visualizin n job ai nated for eigh , Van Sant is responsible m is H . rs ctor crew membe ing. As a dire on screen. helping hire come to life t design and ie se ov g in m a ov pr of ap and actors ons e artistic visi technical crew is to make th ntastic job of guiding the a fa n for his Van Sant did ar nominatio image. is th te ea ceived an Osc cr of Van re to lp nn he Pe e th an Actor Se vey Milk. With ar aracH ch t is e th tiv ac noted gay . He captures Sant was on ad de portrayal of as w t flaw. Van performance nation withou 1997. Sant, Penn’s d speech into ill Hunting in an s W m d ris oo G ne r fo g seen in be ct ter’s man d re ul di nominee in ms, which co be an to previously a hods in cult fil et en m ov n pr tio s uc y prod 3), he ha With his arts ephant (200 (2005) and El n Sants in Last Days ris Savides Va d director. ographer Har camera at accomplishe g em in in st C re te to Thanks the use of in gh ou ey both th nv en co jects to to life on scre in reflective ob g and leadership vision came es en sc g in in m ing fil ul direct angles includ n Sant’s skillf mbolism. Va . in w mood and sy d an d academy no warrant this

PAST WINNERS The 1st Academy Awards Best Best Best Best

Picture: Wings Director: Frank Borzage Actor: Richard Barthelmess Actress: Louise Dresser

1927

The 49th Academy Awards Best Best Best Best

Picture: Rockey Director: John G. Avildsen Actor: Howard Beale Actress: Faye Dunaway

1976

The 74th Academy Awards Best Best Best Best

Picture: A Beautiful Mind Director: Ron Howard Actor: Denzel Washington Actress: Halle Berry

2001

The 76th Academy Awards Best Best Best Best

Picture: The Lord of the Rings: III Director: Peter Jackson Actor: Sean Penn Actress: Charlize Theron

2003

The 80th Academy Awards Best Best Best Best

Picture: No Country for Old Men Director: Joel Coen & Ethan Coen Actor: Daniel Day Lewis Actress: Marion Cotillard

2008

The oscar, statue is property of the The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and can not be used with out written consent.

Page Compiled by: Dwight Lykins, Staff Writter. Aaron Myer, Staff Writer. Jocelyn Schneider, Staff Writer.

FEB

FEATURE

PAGE

Senior deals with drug court process Eric Oatts

staff writer In the past dozen years over 400 people in the Des Moines area have gone through a rehabilitation process known as drug court. The basis of it is simple. Either recover from a drug abuse problem, or go to jail. Senior Garret Manuel entered the drug court system in March 2008 after he was arrested on drug related charges. Manuel was surrounded by police cars in a Newton parking lot during an attempted drug deal. “They put me in the back of a police car and asked me a couple of questions. I asked them for my phone call,” Manuel said. His request was temporarily denied as a transport vehicle came to take him to the Jasper County detention center in Eldora. Manuel continued to ask for his phone call but wasn’t given the opportunity until he arrived at the detention center. “When I finally got my phone call I called my parents.’” Manuel said. Manuel’s parents, however, where unable to talk on the phone because their household was being raided by police. “I had court the next day and plead guilty to my charges. They sent me back to Eldora until the 28th of March, when we asked for a transfer to Polk County because it was closer to home, and we brought the trial up in drug court.” Drug court accepted the case but let Manuel know that he had to take the rehabilitation process seriously or else it would result in him being tried as an adult. For Manuel, he was first required to do one month on house arrest. “I had to wear

Eric Oatts/BW

Senior Garret Manuel practices his bass clarinet before a band rehearsal. Manuel has been selected to the prestigious Iowa All State Band the past two consecutive years. After having to drop out of his classes last year, Manuel returned to the high school this year and has a regular schedule. an ankle bracelet, which told how far away from the transmitter, (which was on the phone line), I was. I never got in trouble.” After those several weeks on house arrest, Manuel had several things he was obligated by the court to do. This included a curfew at 8 p.m., checking in with probation officers and “dropping” U.A.’s for them, (U.A. stands for urine analysis, which traces any usage of illegal substances), and attending out-patient counseling a total of three days a week. These counseling sessions took place at C.F.I., Children and Families of Iowa, of Des Moines, and consisted of a two-and-a-half hour group discussion session two days a week, and an individual therapy/discussion

session one-day-a-week. These sessions continued for ten weeks. As the weeks passed, Manuel followed the rules and did everything the court asked of him, so he was rewarded with a steady extension of his curfew and only had to attend the C.F.I. sessions once-a-week for another ten weeks. “After the second ten weeks all I had to do was check in with my tracker. I either went to Global on 25th and University (Global is the central location for Juvenille Court.) or she’d come meet me somewhere. I also had two months of individual therapy, one every other week or so.” According to “The Des Moines Register” the Polk County drug court system has a 66%

was laid off after 21 years of working at Wells Fargo. His lay-off was expected and was planned two months ahead of time. Although he did not want to lose his job, he felt Wells Fargo treated him well and respected his 21 years of service there. “Its affecting me emotionally, I’ve lost my sense of security,” Allison said. Luckily for Allison’s father, working for 20 years earned him a good severance package. Allison also feels like her situation is getting better. Her father being home makes a change for the family. “We’re making the best of it,” Gene said. “It’s been a change since I’m home more.” For some like McCormick the recession might be a sting. “(We haven’t) had to make many lifestyle changes right now they’re putting more money towards (my) college fund,” McCormick said.

The job market is dry in Humphreys’ area of underwriting right now. He is almost to the point of taking a minimum wage job to cover bills and keep food on the table. At 40 years old this could be a tough move, but he has three boys from nine to 17 to care for. If Humphreys does not get a decent paying job by the end of February, he said he will begin to look into a much lower paying job like Target. Although McCormick has not felt much change in lifestyle, his parents are now put away more money quicker for his college fund so its there when he needs it. McCormick’s stepfather tries to stay busy around the house by making sure dinner is ready and keeping up with the laundry. Recession is not easy for families to deal with, the McCormick’s and Rawls’ would tell you first hand. Famiies have to pull togehter and work hard to get through these difficult times that affect so many people.

success rate, and besides the fact that it has this high success rate, rehabilitation costs quite a bit less than spending time in jail. Therapy sessions help past drug users to live a sober life and become happier people. In a sense, drug court is an alternative that helps people learn how to live normal lives again. Manuel got off probation on Jan. 28 and has been sober for nearly eleven months. He is planning on staying out of trouble, keeping good grades, and is going to attend Morningside College next year to get a degree in music. ”I’m just glad it all happened early, because if it didn’t happen now, it would happen later on in my life,” Manuel said.

Recession hits home for students, parents Jon Houp

staff writer It is Monday morning as senior Justin McCormick’s stepfather, Jeff Humphreys, walks into work at Wells Fargo. He was told two weeks previous that his department was overstaffed. He was told again that the position was overstaffed and that is when they let him go. “You work at a company for 10 years and they just turn the page on me like that,” Humphreys said. His boss then walked him to his car to relieve him of his security card (for access to the building) and his parking tag. There have been some changes in the family budget. “We’re tightening up the belt, only buying what’s necessary and making sure its on sale,” Humphreys said. Junior Allison Rawls’s dad, Gene Rawls

Unemployment in Iowa Nov. 2008

Dec. 2008

Initial Claims

32.286

51,841

Continued Claims in Iowa Number of Claims

34,218

66,757

99,033

213,125

Weeks Paid

Amount Paid

$28.699.085 $62.246.467 Iowa Workforce Development

FEB

FEATURE

PAGE

Senior suffers rare syndrome What is POTS?

Lauren Gehrke feature editor

Senior Chelsea Bisenious looks perfectly healthy. Her long dark hair is pulled back in a ponytail and her brown eyes are bright. Her cheeks are filled with color. She looks fine on the outside but when Bisenious stands up, her heart races, going from around 80 beats per minute, to 115, just by standing up. The fact is Chelsea has POTS. POTS stands for Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome. It is a nervous system malfunction that often occurs in over achieving teenage girls. It is found in 1 in every 100 students. POTS is not easy to diagnose and is often misdiagnosed. “We’ve been through a lot,” Bisenious’ mom said. “It’s been a difficult road.” It started in Bisenious’ sophomore year. She was diagnosed with what the doctors said to be mono. Her body was saying slow down but her doctor said to toughen up. She switched doctors found out they were wrong about mono. In the spring of the same year, she was then diagnosed with chronic fatigue. Bisenious still went to school and just dealt with it, but she started taking online courses to make her days easier. “Going to school was hard,” Bisenious said. “I would get so tired.” After trying to tough through school, Bisenious’ mom decided it was time to do something. They made a trip to go to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. Bisenious was not sure that they needed to go. She felt that she was not sick enough to be there.

1. POTS stands for 2. People with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome. It affects the involuntary nervous system

POTS get dizzy when they stand up. Their body is unable to compensate for gravity.

3. People with

4. POTS is more

5. POTS was only

6. Common

have to drink lots of water and eat salt to retain the water. They need to exercise regularly. recently discovered. Doctors are working to learn about it but no case is the same.

Lauren Gehrke/B&W

Senior Chelsea Bisenious works in Melissa Johnson’s classroom. Bisenious only comes to school for a couple of hours a day to work on some work or take tests because she takes all of her classes online. “Look at you,” Bisenious’ mom said. “Something’s wrong.” Bisenious and her mom went up to Mayo in April of 2008. There they had several days of testing including drawing blood and a tilt table test. After the tilt table test, where the heart is extensively monitored, Bisenious doctor Philip Fischer diagnosed her with POTS. Bisenious learned about POTS and how it happens. She also learned how to take

care of her body to overcome the POTS. Skepticism was a big thing that Bisenious dealt with when she first got sick. Since she did not look physically ill, her friends and doctors seemed to think it was all in her head. Bisenious is still working through the syndrome but is much better than before. She takes all online classes so she can save her energy. She does not do much with her

staff writer

Type “sexting” into dictionary.com and you will come up with 0 hits, but type that same word into Google and about 341,000 articles pop up. Among these hits is a video from a CNN broadcast in early January about six Pennsylvania teenagers facing charges for sexting. Sexting can be defined as exchanging naked or semi-naked photos from one person to another through picture messages on cellular devices. Sexting is illegal because it is categorized as child pornography. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, “Child pornography is defined by law as the visual depiction of a person under the age of eighteen engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The legal definition of sexually explicit conduct does not require that an image depict a child engaging in sexual activity.” The sexting charges do not just stop in Pennsylvania. ABC news reported a 16-year-old boy in Rochester, NY, who forwarded a text message sent to him by his 15-year-old girlfriend. He is facing up to seven years in prison. In Alabama, four middle school students were charged for exchanging nude photos.

symptoms of POTS include dizziness, tiredness, a racing heart, and head rushes.

friends, but when she does, she makes sure she does not do too much. Bisenious mom also quit her job so she could spend Bisenious’ last year home with her. “The hardest thing is the isolation,” Bisenious said. “I don’t get to see my friends as much. I don’t even feel like a senior.” Bisenious along with another girl and a boy are the only three POTS affects has affected in the school.

Sexting sends minors to court Kelsey Kruse

common in females than males and it only occurs in every 1 in 100 people.

Even in Sioux City, Iowa, senior Andy Dougherty was charged with dissemination of obscene material to a 17-year-old friend. According to “The Des Moines Register” Dougherty pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 20 days in jail, 100 hours of community service, and was ordered to pay $300 in fines. The obscene material was a 10-second cell phone video that showed Dougherty with his pants down, messing around with his teenage girlfriend. A nation-wide survey done by The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy and “Cosmo Girl” found that teenage sexting is not uncommon. One out of every five teenagers ages 16-19 admitted to sending or posting nude or semi-nude pictures of themselves. The survey also found that 11 percent of pre-teens ages 13 to 16 admitted to the same thing. “Let’s send a message to all teens. This is not a game. This is serious business,” former sex crimes prosecutor Wendy Murphy said on CNN News. Murphy said the charges were brought to teach the teens a lesson. However, she doubts that the Pennsylvania teens will have any jail time because she believes a plea bargain will be settled, similar to the situation in Sioux City, Iowa.

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Ramona Barber, “the college info” Adviser reaches to organize a path for students who seek her help

Kiera Morrill photo editor

Walking into Ramona Barber’s house causes you see college from all different angles. Books with titles like 366 Colleges, A is for Admission, and Summer Programs cover her kitchen table. Pictures of her four children before and after graduation can be seen on the walls. Magazines to far off colleges are within reach where ever you choose to sit down. Barber is a specialist in college info; her job is to make sure her clients can succeed through high school and on to college. “I find that my clients don’t need to be told what to do, they need to be told their options,” Barber said. Barber began this process of thinking as a school counselor when she lived in Colorado. She started developing personality tests for students to take to better understand their interests. These tests include answering multiple-choice questions. The questions are centered around what the student prefers to do with free time, activities the student does not enjoy, and where they see themselves in 10 or 15 years. With that in mind the student could focus on the area of study that is right for them. Barber has seen many students over the years and received clients from all over the country. “I’ve gone from Oklahoma, to Massachusetts, to Virginia, to D.C., all over the U.S. solely because somebody said ‘Oh you know that kind of worked for me,’” Barber said. For parents and students who want her service they can receive Barber’s contact information from satisfied clients. “I do no advertising, I have no Web site, you cannot find me if it’s not word of mouth,” Barber said. From Florida to Salt Lake City, Utah, and even in parts of Europe, Barber sits down with students to discuss their abilities and what makes them unique. “A number of years ago a soccer group, in Florida, brought me in to work with soccer students,” Barber said. The parents were quite pleased and in response they directed Barber to the non-soccer students they knew. From there Barber was even recommended to clients in Portugal. She flies to Utah about twice a year to direct seminars and sessions that parents and teens can attend. “A lot of times what will happen is a consortium, or a group of parents will call me in,” Barber said. Interviews are most common for Barber. She begins with an interest test to see what type of personality you have. This part of the process lasts an hour and a half and includes Barber and the student. The second part of the interview brings the family or parents into the interview. There they will review the test results and come up with points of action by deciding how to best apply the students abilities to school. Next, the options for schools are evaluated, as well as the best plan to get to the clients preferred college or university. “A lot of it is about putting you in the environment where you’re going to shine,” Barber said. The last part of the interview discusses how you can improve your chances of getting into the college of your choice. Barber’s job is to ensure students the path to make them successful. She works hard to place them where they will feel free to use their capabilities in the path they have chosen.

Kiera Morrill / BW

Ramona Barber writes her college info packet for a potential client. Barber sees students from all over the country to organize them a path for succeeding in high school and in college.

The Right Path to Four Years of Success Freshman

Sophomore

Junior

Senior

Work to make sure your grades are up. Set aside time for a tutor or study sessions. Don’t be too conceited to get the help you need. Keep your schedule open to get your work done on time.

Take PSAT in October. To see how you score without preparing, don’t study for the test. Get your test analyzed to find areas that you should work on. Also choose 20 potential colleges or universities by May.

Take the PSAT again October and this time, prepare. In April or June take the ACT. Take the SAT in May or June. In the summer before your senior year get applications for admission and scholarships. Also find out if essays are required, if so use the summer to work on them.

Keep your grades up. Take the ACT and=or SAT for improvement if possible. Have admission and scholarship applications prepared by Dec. 1. Stay on top of application deadlines. Apply as early as possible.

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Boys and Girls

Bowling { } Few people know of the upcoming state bowling competition in March, which the second ranked boys’ and girls’ bowling team has been preparing for twice a week since November. The Black & White sat down with three top bowlers to find out more about this lesser-known game.

5Things 1 2 3 4 5

Junior Jordan Thompson’s father owns Plaza Lanes, where the team practices every Tuesday and Thursday. There are 29 members of the boys’ and girl’s bowling team.

The season begins with tryouts in November and finishes with a state competition in March.

Boys’ bowling became a sanctioned sport at a school board meeting on Feb. 9. Girl’s bowling was already considered an official sport. The girls’ team won third place in the conference meet held on Feb. 12, the boys’ team won second place.

Alex Peichl, Bailey Knapp, Jake Hermanson, Jerrid Michener, Luke Bormann, Jocelyn Kleinschmidt

3Bowlers The Brandon McBride Files:

} } }

Sophomore Brandon McBride began bowling competitively when he was 10 years old, making him used to the smoky atmosphere of a bowling alley. After July 2 all bowling lanes became smoke free due to the newly created Iowa smoking ban. “I was used to [the smoke], and it didn’t bother me,” McBride said. “But, I am happy they stopped it for the little kids who bowl.” He noticed no change in his bowling games.

Best Score: 279

The Jordan Thompson Files:

Junior Jordan Thompson has been bowling since age 3 when his dad owned a bowling center in Texas. Now he is a team captain on varsity, and is very encouraging to the team. “Before meets, I always do a pep talk. I’m not sure if it helps, but it always lightens the mood,” Thompson said. These peptalks are not planned. “During the Urbandale meet, I compared Johnston vs. Urbandale in all sports to the Cy-Hawk series. I talked about how we beat them in everything so why not beat them in bowling?”

Best Score: 286

The Amanda Teel Files:

If you happen to be at Plaza Lanes on any given Sunday morning, it is likely you will find freshman Amanda Teel there. “It’s awesome, it has become a habit my family has gotten into every week,” Teel said. This tradition is one reason she took up bowling with the school, but she also enjoys how laid-back the sport is. “It’s not nerve-wracking, and I have made a lot of good friends, it’s fun to cheer them on.”

Compiled By Amy Lovejoy and Kelly McGowan Pictures by Matthew Courtney Bowling ball Provided/Wikipedia

Best Score: 207

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SPORTS

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The process of becoming a coach Lauren Coffey staff writer

Coaching vacancies filled in time for winter, spring seasons

Jeremy Mullen

managing editor

New Coaches Soccer

street cred: Coached 4 years,

Heath Weeks

Right: Posegate shows pitching technique to players. Bottom left: Tecklenburg with assistant coach. Bottom right: Posegate.

won District championship three times.

Doesn’t tolerate: Language. Your goals for the team?: To learn everyone’s names. That and that the players understand every year has the potential to be a great year. Can the U.S. play soccer?:Definitely. Weeks

Baseball

Bret Posegate

street cred: Coached 15 years, won all star high school coaches.

Doesn’t tolerate: Any type of behav-

re Je

ior that’s detrimental to the team.

Do you enforce the phrase “no crying in baseball?”: I bet there was

lle

a lot of crying when team won the state tournament, so I’d say it was okay.

Six a.m. It’s a typical winter morning with single digit temperatures and dark skies. New soccer coach Heath Weeks is the first to arrive at the school and unlocks the doors for open gym practice, all with a smile on his face. Only a month earlier Weeks was interviewing for the job. At the start of the school year, the school was without a head boys’ soccer coach, a head wrestling coach, and a head baseball coach. To fill the voids, a long procedure has to be conducted by both the applicant and those choosing the coach. Athletic director Gary Ross said that in order to become a coach, you must first receive your coaching authorization. According to the Application for Coaching Authorization, you must complete classes in human structure and function, human growth and development, prevention and care of athletic injuries, techniques and theory of coaching, and ethics and legal responsibilities of coaching. Once you have received certification, you can coach. Ross said that getting applicants for a coaching position is very easy, and that the school hardly ever has to seek someone out to take a coaching job. In addition, Ross said that applicants must initially pass a background check. After that, coaching qualities are assessed. These qualities include experience, either coaching or playing the sport, previous success in the sport, leadership, and also how well the applicant works and interacts with students. Anyone can apply for a coaching position, even if they are not faculty within the district, as long as they are a certified coach. Once a coach is selected, they sign a one year contract. Coaches are not committed to coach for a certain period of time. “We find a person that would be the best person for the job assuming they will be there forever,” Ross said. Ross added that people have certain circumstances where their lives change, and cannot be required or locked into coaching. Payment for a coach is determined by the sport coached, years coaching it at Johnston, and if they are head coach or an assistant. Bonus pay is not given for coaching awards or team success. The soccer season kicks off April 6. against Norwalk while baseball starts May 26.

Posegate

Wrestling Aaron

street cred:

Coached 8 years and had Tecklenburg three individual and two dual champs. Doesn’t tolerate: Unsportsmanlike conduct.

Wrestling singlets, comfortable or not?: I highly doubt they could be deKiera Morrill/BW

Jeremy Mullen/BW Tecklenburg

scribed as comfortable, it probably wouldn’t be the first choice for the guys on the team.

Big Hits&sports bits Boys’ Swimming

(3)

Oliva Schiefelbein/Dragon

Senior Abby Sonner

The boys finished the season 7-1 in their dual meets and won both the dual meet and the conference championship on Jan. 31. At the district meet on Feb 8 the boys took the championships. Members of the state team include: freshman Brian Ross, sophomore Ryan Kitchen and junior Blake Johnson.

Girls’ Basketball The girls are currently second in the conference with a record of 7-2 and they have an overall record of 164. The girls played at Roosevelt on Feb. 10 and won 45-38. Senior Kate Nielsen scored 24 points and senior Abby Sonner added 7.

Boys Basketball

Wrestling

The boys are currently 3rd in conference with a record of 6-3, and an overall record of 14-4. They beat Roosevelt Feb. 10 with sophomore Corey Schaefer leading the team with 22 points.

The boys had their district meet Feb. 14. in Boone. State qualifiers include senior Adam Badgley at 215, junior Alex Richards at 125, and junior Stephen Shaffer at 103.

(4)

Zach Jensen/Dragon

Junior Stephen Shaffer

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Swimmers place fifth at state

Julia Manning/BW

Brennan Winget/BW

Julia Manning/BW

(Left)The only freshman on varsity, Brian Ross, swims the backstroke in his 200 individual medley at the conference meet. (Center) Sophomore Jason Kane and junior Brad Waldorf partake in their tradition of shaving freshmann Perry Leysens’ head. (Right) Urbandale senior Mitch Taylor swims the 50 yard freestyle. Taylor won the state title in the event with an All-American time of 21:10. Taylor went on the win the state title in the 100 yard butterfly.

(

)

17 class records, 5 school records, 5 pool records, 3 automatic All-American times, 2 individual first place finishes at state, 1 conference championship, 1 district championship, and an overall fifth place finish at state. All achieved by 1 team, over the course of 1 season.

Solid Start

It all started with the first practice on the afternoon of Nov. 10. Since then the team, made up of swimmers from Johnston, Urbandale, Waukee and Dallas Center-Grimes, have swam an average of 7,000 yards for at least 4 hours a day. In the beginning, many had mixed emotions and expectations going into the season. “My expectations for the team weren’t very high because we lost a strong senior class, I expected we’d win conference but we wouldn’t be that competitive compared to the rest of the state,” Urbandale senior Mitch Taylor said. Although, within the first couple weeks the team started to take shape and make progress towards exceeding those expectations. Taylor said once the team realized their potential he noticed a change in their attitude and focus. “From the start it was a lot more serious, Taylor less messing around, and more focused,” junior Blake Johnson said. “It was straight up conditioning with way more yards, I feel the upperclassman and Shari really set that tone.” Head coach Shari Walling agreed. “The team really developed their strength early on. They came into the season stronger and people filled in spots that were made by the graduating class. There’s a lot of respect for individual skills. No matter their skill level the boys were there to improve the team and their personal times, and the team as a whole had great respect for everyone’s ability.”

Team Chemistry Not only was there an immediate focus and drive, the boys noticed a strong team chemistry that continued to build throughout the season. “Everyone’s really really close on the team,” junior Caleb Wagner said. “We all know everything about each other, heard all of the same stories and know each individuals likes and dislikes. To me it really feels like we’re all more than brothers.” If the guys are not already with each other enough, the two hours in the morning, and another two hours at night, they usually spend a lot of their time toghether outside of the pool as well. “This might have been the most fun I’ve ever had in one season. I feel like we can just sit down and talk to each

other about anything,” Urbandale junior Patrick Albright said. Along their tight knit friendships came many practical jokes and traditions that were carried on throughout the season. One being freezing of the freshman’s boxers; it’s an annual tradition that Walling gives the seniors the keys to the freshman’s lockers to take their boxers and freeze them in the snow. Another tradition that started this season was Taylor, along with Urbandale senior Nic Staub, decided to keep live beta fish in their lockers for the whole season as a way to motivate them to come to practice. Strolling through Jordan Creek Mall during winter break you could also find the team, where they all went shopping for Christmas gifts for their coaches.

Competition Another important ingredient in the make-up of the team was their work ethic and their competitive nature. It geared them to a 7-1 record in dual meets and an undefeated 4-0 record in the conference. It is said that swimming is a sport that is about 80% mental, and staying focused and getting prepared for meets is something the team worked for. “We have elite athletes on this team that know they have to focus and know what they have to do,“ Walling said. The team had to step up mentally and physically. “Our work ethic played a big role in our success this season,” Wagner said. “This is the hardest year we’ve worked since I’ve been on the team, the yards and the sets have been so grueling but it’s all worth it. We don’t have a bunch of superstars but we have depth and that’s because we work so hard.” Going into the conference meet the team had a lot of goals they wanted to achieve, one being winning the meet for the fifth year in a row. They met this goal, beating Ankeny 388-371.

State After also winning the district meet, the team who qualified 10 people, including freshman Brian Ross, sophomore Ryan Kitchen and junior Blake Johnson, began channeling their focus on the state meet. “We were excited about our district times, and we were surprised at how fast the rest of the state was,” Taylor said. “Our seeding gave us some anger and motivation for the meet. It really hit us when we realized how much we’d have to step up for the state meet but we had the hard work behind us and we were ready to hit our peak performance.” The meet began with the medley relay beating a school record and placing ninth. Then Johnson went on to place 13th in the 200 free, and Ross, placed 23rd in the 200 IM. The next race was the most anticipated race of the meet, the 50 yard freestyle.

Taylor, who was seeded second, would be racing lifetime rival, first seeded Cedar Rapids Washington’s John Sevier. “I wasn’t as nervous as usual, I was more confident. There was a sense of me knowing the whole week that he was number 1 and I had to beat him,” Taylor said. “Usually my first 25 is my weakest point but I knew I had to have a fast breakout and a good turn. It was just a sense of the fact that I’ve been swimming towards this since last April and it’s finally here.“ Sevier took the lead early on, but after the turn Taylor took control of the race. A moment of utter silence hung over the pool as the last seconds of the race played out. Taylor finished strong into the touch pad and glanced up at the scoreboard to see his name, followed by a number one. “I got a rush of goose bumps and it was just overwhelming, everything I’ve worked for, it finally happened, I finally won state,” Taylor said. A state of pandemonium came across the crowd as the cheers erupted. “Oh my God, it was an emotional roller coaster!” Taylor’s twin sister, Lindsey, said. “The only thing I could think about when he won was the fact that winning the title was the one thing that he had been working towards his whole life. I knew that it was all that he wanted and I was just so proud of him.“ After the race was over, Taylor immediately had to begin re-focusing, since he was also swimming the next event, the 100 yard butterfly, in which he was seeded third. “I wasn’t as nervous for the ‘fly, a weight was already lifted off my shoulders with winning the free, but I was more confident than usual and I just put in my iPod and got ready,” Taylor said. Out-touching Ames’s Ben Utesch and Ottumwa’s Dustin Rhoads, and with a new school record and automatic AllAmerican time of 50.67, Taylor won his second state championship. “While swimming I could hear the presence of the crowd and I could see Ben ahead of me but then, I was like it’s happening, I’m doing this. I feel like I really had it by the third lap when I came out of the water, and I just went for it,“ Taylor said. “I didn’t even believe it at first I saw the one by my name and I was like is this for real? I worked really hard in the off-season to beat Ben and it was the best feeling that all the hard work paid off and I finally beat the guys I’ve been racing my whole life.” In the end, the team rallied to the highest overall finish in the history of the program and reaching their goal, finishing in fifth place. “The boys were at their best today, (they) prepared for a host of great competition, and raced with everything they had,” assistant coach Darin Robertson said. Compiled by: Brennan Winget (Staff Writer) & Julia Manning (Sports Editor)

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Make your heart healthier!

HEALTH

PAGE

According to “Natural Health Magazine,” stressful emotions account for roughly 30% of all heart attacks. As teens, heart attacks aren’t always at the top of our worry list, but how we handle our emotions now, will have an effect on our heart health in the future. The negative ways we use to channel our stress with emotions like anxiety, depression and anger are dangerous to our heart. Learn what these emotions can do to you and ways to decrease your stress and help your heart!

Stress

Anger Anxiety

Stress from negative emotions also makes the blood clot faster, adding to heart disease risk.

Depression Feelings of rage put extra strain on the heart, and incredible strain on your blood vessels. Make sure you’re not penting up your emotions and instead are expressing your thoughts and frustrations, especially in your close relationships.

Too much anxiety can lead to high blood pressure. Signs of distress include a feeling of tightness in the chest and excessive sweating. When anxiety runs rampant, blood pressure increases, heart rate climbs and blood vessels dilate. To calm your anxiety try meditation, cut back on foods high in sugar and/or fat, and try to delegate tasks that trigger your anxiety.

{Easy ways to decrease your stress...} Sleep

Being depressed can cause a hardening of your heart’s arteries which revs up your stress hormones. This causes platelets in the blood to become sticky. You need to make sure you continue to interact with people because social isolation and loneliness can aggravate high blood pressure and dampen immunity which makes your more suseptable to sickness.

Herbal Tea

Exercise

According to Natural Health Magazine’s Susan Hayes, sleep is one of the best ways to lose weight, beat depression, and ward off heart disease.

Information and pictures from “Natural Health Magazine”

Kate Hanley said that all types of exercise, especially relaxing types promotes the release of endorphins, and mood-boosting compounds.

Herbal tea, especially Ashwagandha has been proven to calm and relax the mind. It is a simple and easy reliever to your stress.

Complied by Julia Manning and Brennan Winget

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Palmistry: lines of 3.your life Heart Line

1. Life Line

The Heart Line is a key to how you deal with emotions and your affections towards people.

The Life Line shows how much enthusiasm a person has for life and how willing they are to fight for something they want.

If your heart line:

If your life line:

-is deeply-etched you are a peacemaker and posses deep ties with your family. -is faint you enjoy being pampered. You do better with a partner, than being alone. -is long you are a romantic and become attached easily. You are very protective and devoted. -is short you tend to take relationships very seriously, but you never jump into love too quickly. -if this line starts beneath the index finger, a person will have a normal and content love life

-is deep it represents a life full of vitality and health. -has breaks it means that you are a worrier. You can be very jealous and highly emotional. -is short it suggests that you are more of a dreamer than a doer and you lack motivation. -has a swooping curve it means that you are a generous and reliable person. You enjoy every day. -hugs close to the thumb means that you enjoy helping others and are considerate. You feel more comfortable in the background and are more mental than physical.

2. Head Line

The Head Line shows quality of mind and how intellectual of a person you are.

If your head line:

-is joined with the life line, it indicates you have a strong sense of mind. -is long it suggests you have a very logical way of thinking and like to learn new things. You respect knowledge and equal rights, but tend to overestimate yourself. -is short you have a one-track mind. You are conservative and assume authority easily. -is faint or broken you have a wondering mind and lack organization. You insist on doing things your way. -is deeply-etched you are optimistic and idealistic. You always find good in a situation. -has double-lines you are said to have very strong mental abilities.

Meredith Belding ‘10

“My heart line is deep but I don’t think I’m a peacemaker. I do have a good relationship with my family though.”

Jacob Clabaugh ‘09 “My life line isn’t close to my thumb but I enjoy helping others.”

information found in Guide to Palm Reading by Dennis Fairchild

4. Fate Line

1 4 Spencer Hyde ‘11

“I don’t think that your palm defines who you are.”

The Fate Line tells the effect society and world events have upon your life

If your fate line:

-is clear and straight you are content with what you have. -is broken/split/faded you desire more money and are dissatisfied with your status. -curves away from the thumb it means you depend on other people and have a need to be needed. -has double lines you work best in partnership.

Tessa Fenimore ‘09

“A lot of it is true and shows my inner Tessa, especially when it says I enjoy every day.”

compiled by Haley Johnson (backpage editor) and Nels Englom (staff writer)