March 2009

BLACK WHITE the black and white. march 2009. volume 18 issue 7. 5152780449. 6501 NW 62nd ave. johnston. iowa one copy free

Vintage Prom

Infomercials discussed p.9 Teaching Technology p.10-11 Finding affordable travel p.15

Lifeguarding class removed p.5

black white

on the cover

news

to get repaired 3 { Stage Newsbriefs sings on telethon 4 { Student Citizen of the year is...

Lifegaurding class removed 5 { Jazz Band Concert After Prom not affected

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Vintage prom dresses are a great way to save money.

Read more about them on page 13. Cover design by staff writer Dwight Lykins

editorial

6 { Pornography influences

opinion

correction!

In the February issue, prom times were stated from 8:30-10:30 p.m. Prom is actually held from 8:3011:30 p.m.

Provided/Bridgewater family

review Infomercial products doubletruck

Provided/Tubbs family

news editor Caroline Byrd

Jeremy Mullen/BW

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

12 { Where to find music?

feature

13 { Vintage prom style 14 { Facebook repercussions 15 { Travel for cheap

dungeon 16 { Ballin’ boys

sports Student Climbs to success

17 { Sports roundup turnaround 18 { Intermural Overtime 19 { Boost your immune system

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STAFF 2008-2009

Stephanie Ivankovich

entertainment

10 { Teachers using technology backpage 11 20 { Great Des Moines Eateries

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BLACK&WHITE

7{ 8{

Hide your stuff!

Four day school week benefits Job benefits life experience Hu Cares

9 { The Bookworm

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the

in this issue!

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

Jeremy Mullen/BW

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.

NB 09

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news briefs

Compiled by Chris Caracci, staff writer

Mock Trial teams compete at state Mock Trial regionals were held at the Polk County Convention Center; 36 teams competed, eight of them from Johnston.

After the first round of competition, three Johnston teams advanced to the state competition, which will be held at the Polk County Convention Center on March 25-27.

Freshman Chase Wallace of Team Wallace, an all-freshmen team that will be participating at the state Chase Wallace competition. “(Mock Trial) forces you to think on your feet while under pressure,” Wallace said. “It teaches you how to be organized under stress and how to cope with your public speaking.”

Show choir finishes season at show

The show choir season will conclude at the spring show choir show.

The varsity and junior varsity show choirs, Innovation and Synergy, both made finals in at least one competition. On March 27, the eighth and ninth grade show choirs will perform at Summit for the Jordin Robinson/Dragon seventh grade Kody McCracken and Shel- to try to recruit

by Brose of Innovation new performers for next year.

Innovation placed first runner-up at Viterbo, Cedar Rapids Kennedy and Sioux City East. They placed second runner-up at Urbandale Invitational and fifth runner-up at the Linn-Mar Invitational.

Synergy placed first in the prep division at Sioux City East, third at Cedar Rapids Kennedy, and fourth at Urbandale.

The spring show choir show will take place on March 28.

NEWS

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No changes to after prom Lauren Coffey

staff writer The after-prom party is not going to be affected by the recession due to after prom being based entirely on donations. “The after prom is run entirely on donations,” Lisa Ryan, donations chairperson, said. “We haven’t really talked about cutting anything because we seem to be on budget.”

After prom usually costs about $16,000, and with asking juniors and seniors to donate $25 each, along with having local businesses donate, after prom will not be experiencing any cutbacks.

It will still include activities such as inflatables, a hypnotist, free refreshments and many other activities. Some new activities will include massage therapists, Plinko board (like on the Price is Right), bingo, caricature artists, video games, cash walk and scooter races.

“It’s a safe, substance-free environment,” Ryan said. “While some kids think it may not be the coolest thing to do, when you think about drinking and substance use has gone up, it really is a safe, free, fun way to spend a night.”

Prom and after prom will be held on April 17. After prom will go from 11:30 p.m. until 5 a.m. Doors close for admittance at 1 a.m. All juniors, seniors, and their dates are allowed to attend after prom, even if they did not attend prom.

In preparation for prom, visit Milroy’s Formal Wear or Skeffinton’s for dress or tuxedo shopping. They are offering discounts to students. In order to get the discount, go to the office and pick up a discount coupon.

Kristine Hauser/Dragon

Senior Meredith Pace slides down an inflatable during after prom in 2007.

Even though the economy is suffering a recession, after prom will not be affected and still have various activities such as inflatables this year.

Worn auditorium stage to be reconstructed in summer Chelsea Nelson staff writer

Kiera Morrill/BW

Stridng across the risers, sophomore Trevor Fish rehearses for the spring play. The risers are part of the reason the stage floor (seen right of Fish) is damaged.

Students will no longer have to perform on the old boards that cover the stage in the auditorium. Administration officials plan to reconstruct the stage floor where people in activities like show choir and drama rehearse.

Play director Paul Miller directs in the auditorium every day, using the stage floor to his advantage as he rehearses with students.

“The stage floor is falling apart,” Miller said. “It’s lost its finish, and there are big gouges in the floor from moving the risers back and forth.”

Cheap wood is one of the reasons the stage is in disrepair. The director of Buildings and Grounds Tim Kline said the front of the stage is made with strong maple wood that does not damage easily. Beyond the few planes of maple, the stage floor is made of pine, a cheaper wood that is prone to chipping easily.

This creates splinters for unfortunate students to step on.

“The other day I was pulling blue painter’s tape off of (the stage) and it created splinters sticking out of the floor,”

Miller said.

The pine’s weakness causes it to be battered by the risers used by Show Choir. The risers have to be moved on and off the stage, and in the process, they have caused ruts and scrapes on the floor.

Some students believe that the stage should not only be repaired but the whole auditorium should be reconstructed.

“Instead of fixing it for now, they need to expand the stage like the one at the middle school,” senior Linda Brown said. “There’s no room for the band to perform, it’s crowded and it would be so much nicer if there was space.”

Miller believes that it is not a problem of stage size, but a space management issue. “(The stage) is too much of a closet,” Miller said. “We have basketball stuff hanging out of stage right, we have a bunch of chorus things, there’s chairs everywhere and there’s no room to act and fit everyone.”

The space issue will have to be fixed later, however.

“We’re just doing the floor, because there’s limited expansion opportunities (with the auditorium),” Kline said.

It’s undetermined when the construction will begin, but Kline has estimated it will take place around July.

NEWS

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Karen could. Karen did.

Karen Coaldrake named Citizen of the Year 2008

Caroline Byrd opinion editor

Provided/Coaldrake family

The Coaldrake family, Karen, Justin, Tristan and Peter, pose for a family portrait at a resort in Mexico on their 2008 spring break trip.

To those who knew Karen Coaldrake, the fact that she was named the 2008 Johnston Citizen of the Year was no surprise. They’re left to wonder, though, how much more she would have done for the city had her life not been cut short.

Coaldrake died in March of last year at the age of 48 after suffering a brain aneurysm. At the time of her death, she was a member of the Johnston Community School District Board of Education, the role for which she was probably best known.

Yet she also was a community activist who worked to make residents understand that Johnston was a changing community with changing needs. Best friend and business partner Lisa Cooper said that Coaldrake enjoyed doing what she could to help others.

“She didn’t have to be a leader; she enjoyed helping,” Cooper said. “She used to volunteer at Wallace even though she didn’t have any kids there.”

Cooper said Coaldrake always took a personal interest in Johnston’s educational system.

“She would get very excited whenever people were learning,” Cooper said. “She wanted to make sure everyone had an opportunity.”

Many were aware of Coaldrake’s work, but the award last month from the Chamber of Commerce was an official way of making her efforts known throughout the community she had lived in for 11 years. Coaldrake’s husband, Dr. Peter Coaldrake, and other family members nominated her for the

award. Her son Justin, 17, is a junior, and son Tristan, 12, is a sixth-grader at Summit Middle School.

The award for Citizen of the Year is voted on by past Citizens of the Year, and at least one board member from the Chamber of Commerce. This year the voters included five past Citizens of the Year and a past Chamber of Commerce president.

Peter said he nominated his wife for the award because he wanted to bring recognition to everything she had done.

“Karen’s greatest contribution to the community was her ability to interact with members in a unique and very positive way that got them engaged, excited and willing to participate,” Peter said. “Karen was able to bring together groups of people that cut across broad areas of the community and encourage them to work together.

“Karen was the real thing. Karen could and Karen did.”

Board member Ralph Young, who was a close friend of Coaldrake’s, said although Coaldrake deserved to be named Citizen of the Year, she would not have considered herself worthy of the honor.

“She would have been very humbled by this,” Young said.

“She would have said someone else deserved it more.”

Young said Coaldrake’s most striking quality was her empathy for people who didn’t have much in the way of material things.

“She was all about the people that didn’t have a lot of power, the underdog,” Young said. “She was very instrumental in getting people involved in things that they otherwise would not have been able to afford.

“She always wanted to make sure people had a smile on their face.”

Freshman sings at telethon for good cause (Celebrities in Attendance)

Matt Knoedel staff writer

Freshman Andrew Tubbs sang “The Impossible Dream” from “Man of La Mancha” at the Iowa Variety Children’s telethon. Variety is a charity that raises money for local Iowa children and hospitals.

Tubbs was asked by the organizers of the telethon to sing at the event. He happily accepted.

“It was for a good cause that helps a lot of children,” Tubbs said. For doing his part in the telethon, Tubbs received a wheelchair. A wheelchair was a special honor given to only one participant at the event.

Variety works with ChildServe to identify a child to receive a wheelchair at the telethon. Sheri McMichaels, the executive director of the event, is frequently in contact with ChildServe. ChildServe told Variety about Tubbs and his unique situation.

“The decision was unanimously supported by our Board, and we presented Andrew with a wheelchair,” McMicheals said.

The telethon took place on Feb. 14 and 15 at the Polk County Convention Complex downtown. The event was broadcast on ABC (Channel 5) and ran for 23 hours straight.

Various local celebrities attended the event, including Jason Brown (country singer), Allyson Hovda (Miss Teen Iowa), and Shawn Johnson (Olympic gymnast).

“I wasn’t nervous because I sing a lot,” Tubbs said. “It was weird though because (Shawn Johnson) only came up to my shoulders.”

Shawn Johnson

> Olympic Gymnast

Steve Haberman

> Illusionist

Chris Flanigan

> Newscaster

Emma Samms Provided/Variety

Freshman Andrew Tubbs sings “The Impossible Dream” with legendary song writer, Tony Hatch. Tubbs was selected to receive a wheelchair, which is an honor given to only one participant.

There were over 5,000 volunteers and donors who were able to make the event successful and productive.

McMicheals cannot stress enough the importance of these volunteers.

“Variety relies on the generosity of individuals who donate their time throughout the weekend,” McMicheals said. “The telethon would not be possible without the support of the thousands of volunteers.”

> British Actress

Randy Kohrs

> Song writer/ Producer

Since the first telethon in 1975, Variety has raised over $70 million to help children in need at Iowa hospitals. Variety also hosts several other events to raise money for Iowa children, such as the Hy-Vee Triathlon, the Principal Charity Classic and the Eastern Iowa Spirits of Spring. Variety grants money to over 80 different Iowa charities every year. To learn more about these events and get more involved, contact Variety through their Website at www.varietyiowa.com.

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NEWS

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Lack of participation sinks lifeguarding P.E. Aaron Meyer staff writer

Not many students are aware that at one point in time, the high school actually offered a lifeguarding course as a P.E. track.

The class was offered only once, during the fall of the ’06 school year. A group smaller than ten signed up. It was to be offered so by the time students rolled into the spring and summer months, they could apply for a lifeguarding job.

“The class we offered took place at Summit Middle School and had a rough schedule,” George Sypniewski, P.E. teacher at Summit, said. “It could only be offered during a specific time slot during the day, so as not to conflict with the usually busy schedule of the pool’s other events.”

Sypniewski taught the P.E. class and explained as to why it did not work out as well as hoped, leading to its cut. “People just didn’t sign up, and because of that, the school wasn’t about to spend all the money for around seven kids to take the class and try to schedule times for it to work out as well.” Sypniewski said. The class was cut after only being offered once due to its lack of interest and budget required.

Cutting the class may not have been a good thing, according to Sypniewski, who stated that a new law is being passed requiring all students to learn how to perform and correctly execute Cardiopulmonary

Aaron Meyer/BW

Lifeguards stand by to ensure safety for all swimmers at the Summit Middle School pool. Because of lack of student interest in the lifeguarding P.E. that was once offered, the course no longer exists.

Resuscitation (CPR).

How does this tie in with lifeguarding and it being a class? When a lifeguarding class is taken, not only do you learn to be lifeguardcertified, but you also get certified in CPR and AED, which is a defibrillator machine.

Junior Caleb Wagner, who took a lifeguard certification course, thinks the class should

be brought back because of its convenience to students interested in getting certified.

“It would be way beneficial for students looking to get certified to take it during a class for P.E., rather than do it outside.”

Wagner said. He discussed some of the hassles brought on by taking a course the way people usually get certified, outside of

school, and also, some benefits if it were still a course through P.E. “It was for four weeks, and went from 6 to 10 p.m. It was just really annoying to be there that late” Wagner said.

“If the course was still offered as a P.E., a lot more students, I think, would take it now. It helps you all throughout your life, and you don’t just getting certified in one area but, rather, several.”

Jazz Band holds high hopes for state championships Ben Vander Ploeg staff writer

Having competed in four competitions, the Jazz One band has not taken home anything less than second place.

Band teacher Pat Kearney thinks this is the best they have been in years. “I think you go in waves,” Kearney said. They have hit a strong wave of students who are committed to being good at this, but committment is not the only thing contibuting to their success.

“There are three things that make a jazz band good,” Kearney said. ”A good full ensemble, a good rhythm section and really good soloists. Other years we have had a few of each, but it varies from year to year. This year, everything is strong.”

It is also important that the music is enjoyable. “Kearney does an awesome of picking out stuff to play,” sophomore Kyle Naig said. “I do not think we are playing anything this year that could be called boring.”

The ensemble is all the players put together. “Having a good ensemble starts with the good band fundamentals,” Kearney said. These are the things you learn starting in fifth grade and build on through out your band career.

The abilty to play well together has also been a strength of the jazz band. “You cannot really judge a band by how much they have won,” Naig said. “That’s part of it, but I think

it is mostly about having fun and playing well together.”

The rhtythm section is the part of the band that keeps them together. “The rhythm section is really experienced this year,” Kearney said. “They understand how to be the engine of the band, and they’re really smart about how to fill that role.”

Jazz is purposefully spontaneous and this is where soloists come in. “The soloists work with a set of chord changes,” Kearney said.

“They take those chords and create melodies on top of them. This year’s soloists are really good at spontaneously producing music.”

Compared to the rest of the state, Johnston has an advantage. “Johnston is one of only four schools in the state that run three jazz bands. This gives us a huge advantage because then we can be strong all the way up and down,” Kearney said. “We have a unique pooling of talent, more people right now than we ever have.”

Jazz One is not the only music program experiencing success. The marching band had a great season. There was a near-record number of All Staters this year for band, and second jazz band won at Indianola, the first time they have won a competition in five years.

“I do not think it is so much the teachers doing anything different,” choir teacher Ted Brimeyer said, “but students rising to the expectations.”

Although this year has shown much

Kiera Morrill/BW

Allyson Mayer, Leah Peterson, and Ben Warrick work with a clinician from Simpson college in January to gain feedback. growth we are not done Brimeyer said..“To say that we have arrived would be counter productive to the progress we made,” Kearney said. “The day we say we have reached the pinnacle is the day we cease to be good.”

Kearney said that they will continue to improve. “We have a lot of returning people,”

he said. “I certainly see another year or two of pretty good growth in the jazz program.”

The jazz band goes to Adventureland in on April 6 to play with the Des Moines Big Band and to the championships on April 14 and have a pretty good shot at making first.

We have beaten all the schools that will be a threat, but they have also beaten us, junior Chris Oatts said, so it really depends on the

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EDITORIAL

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Pornography

controls perception The human body has become objectified to such a drastic degree that it is often viewed as “explicit” or “obscene.” Pornography has seeped into our culture to the point that it influences our photography; it influences our advertising; it influences our thinking.

Seductive photographs of men and women litter the Internet and various magazines like “Playboy” and “Penthouse.”

Videos of people engaged in sexual activities can be rented at the local video store as entertainment.

A fine line exists between what is and is not considered pornography. The line has become so fine that no one even realizes where exactly the line sits.

According to “the New York Times,” Facebook removed photos from their Web site of women breastfeeding, marking it as “obscene.” Facebook stated in the article “that photos showing nipples are deemed to be a violation and can be removed.” Naturally, they are only referring to women’s nipples.

Today, there are three areas of the human body the camera typically shies away from unless the intent is to sexually arouse.

Although a woman’s naked chest falls under this category, a man’s does not. Many fight the claim that this is a double standard because of the differing effects the chests have on society. What they don’t understand – or admit to understanding – is that a woman’s chest is not necessarily pornographic. Human perception makes the human body explicit.

What is pornography? Typically, any content that has nudity is often flagged as pornographic or explicit content. Some may be porn; some may not. Pornography is, in its most basic definition, any content that is primarily intended to arouse sexual desire. So the photographs of women breastfeeding on Facebook are not considered pornographic.

However, revealing photographs like this are removed from such a public site because of the social stigma that surrounds nudity.

Based on the simple definition of pornography, various content arousing sexual desire straddles the line, assuming it does not cross the line altogether. Remember the Carl’s

Jr. Commercial with Paris Hilton washing a car in a skimpy swimsuit while throwing her head back? As the saying goes, “sex sells,” but Carl’s Jr. crossed the line with this video of Hilton. She struts in, drops her shawl and begins to lather herself with the suds. She grinds against the car while running the towel up and down her body, sighing. Then she takes a bite of a hamburger. Suddenly, it becomes apparent that the commercial is maybe about something besides Hilton.

Abercrombie and Fitch is another example of a company possibly crossing the line of what is appropriate. Adolescents of all ages that shop there walk away with a large bag filled with their merchandise. Said bag has a man’s well-defined chest plastered on the front. Even Abercrombie and Fitch’s posters have men half-naked, with pants riding dangerously low.

Victoria’s Secret may admit that many of its ads are intended to sexually arouse desire. As a lingerie company, it wants to make women believe that wearing Victoria’s Secret lingerie will suddenly turn them into sex goddesses. Yet the only logical way to sell a garment is to show someone wearing it.

On a different end of the spectrum, there is the controversy that surrounds Sally Mann and her body of work. In her collection “Immediate Family,” Mann photographed her children naked. On one hand, her images are stunning examples of darkroom photography. On the other, critics claim the collection is “child pornography.”

Pornography has led to our society having this warped image of the human figure. Anything with a suggestion of nudity is somehow considered inappropriate. Some companies actually use this warped image to their advantage to use sex to sell. Other advertisements or photographs become obscene only because of our skewed perception.

Pornography has made our culture think the naked body is only for sex. This perception has to change. The best way to battle the negative influence on our culture is to open our eyes and realize its magnitude. The human body is beautiful in its natural form.

Our bodies are made for so much more than sex. We create with our bodies, and at times, we destroy with them. We use our bodies everyday to live and learn. Do not let the porn industry take this from us. Let’s reclaim the human figure.

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OPINION

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Theft caused by irresponsible students Amy Lovejoy staff writer

A sophomore girl is running late to her third period Track Two P.E. class. She rushes through the door and quickly changes. In her haste, she throws her purse in the locker and forgets to shut the door.

After P.E. she returns to the locker room to find her purse sitting on the bench, with her iPod and cell phone missing. This situation is happening all too often to numerous students, and can only be caused by personal irresponsibility and neglect.

Over the course of this school year, upward of 20 items, mostly iPods and cell phones, have been stolen from students, with 95 per cent of these thefts occurring in the boys’ and girls’ locker rooms.

How could you leave your prized possession out in the open without even thinking that something could happen to it? No one can expect their items to be safe while left unattended in the locker rooms.

During a P.E. class or after school practice, the locker rooms are kept open, so anyone can come in and help themselves to your expensive gadgets. A student should never leave anything in a locker without first locking it up.

An item should also never be placed alone on a library or commons table. It is ridiculous to think that your digital camera or BlackBerry will be safe if left out while you go to the bathroom or your locker.

Preventing theft is the job of only one person: you. Many students think the school cameras are meant to protect them from theft, but how can a camera, which is reviewed after the fact, prevent anything from happening?

The footage is reviewed hours, maybe even days after the theft, and by then your belongings could be sold or damaged. If your music device was stolen, how can you be sure that an administrator will even be able to locate the thief and punish him?

For every theft, school resource officer Kenny Agan spends two to three hours filing a police report and trying to locate the stolen item. Agan and the administrators have many more pressing obligations than looking for a student’s lost or stolen item. Instead of wasting their time, students should be responsible for themselves instead of relying on faculty to help them solve the problem.

Too many people think Johnston is too safe a school to worry about theft. Students think theft cannot happen in a school where most students have cell phones or iPods. The district has the same problems as any other, whether it be drugs, truants or theft. No school is completely void of criminal activity.

For every student who has ever lost an item or would like to prevent theft, I have one solution: Lock up your stuff! If it is something that is important to you, don’t do anything to risk losing it. Take it with you, leave it in your locker, or better yet, leave it at home! Every preventative measure taken by the school against stealing cannot make up for your irresponsibility.

One, two, three, stolen.

With three steps, your prized possession can become someone else’s.

1

iPods are the most commonly stolen item in the school.

“

2

Do not leave a gym locker unlocked and open with your stuff.

3

Someone may noticed your prized possession and steal it.

Once in awhile we’ll lose a pair of jeans, a shirt; we’ve even had a pair of shoes taken.

Jerry Stratton, associate principal

“

Four-day school week lessens student stress Kyle Soyer staff writer

For high school students, “relaxation” is a foreign word. I wake up early for marching band and jazz band. I hit the sack late after piano lessons and Boy Scouts. I’m so glad I’m not in sports or show choir, or I would climb in bed even later.

Somewhere in all of that, I have to find a place for homework. By the time the weekend comes, I’m running on empty. But no time to relax now. Jazz competition all day Saturday. Mock trial on Sunday. No time to write that paper for Advanced Composition.

If only I had Monday off.

Some schools do have Monday off — every Monday off. Extra-curricular activities move to the extra day.

A four-day school week would greatly reduce student stress. Perhaps students would have time to figure out just what exactly relaxation really is.

Cimarron, New Mexico, pioneered the four-day school week in the 1970s during the energy crisis. Cimarron has one of the largest school districts in New Mexico.

“Some students come from as far as 50 miles away,” Letitia Martinez, principal of Cimarron High School, said in an e-mail interview. Cimarron switched to a four-day

Provided/Bondurant-Farrar

Unlike Bondurant-Farrar High School, a four-day school week probably won’t happen at Johnston. “I don’t think we would [make the change],” principal Bruce Hukee said. school week as a solution for busing, energy and overhead costs.

Forty years later, Cimarron still has four -day school weeks. Teacher in-services are held on the extra day. Student and teacher absence is greatly reduced because doctor’s appointments can be scheduled on the extra day off.

“We also use that time to assist students who are struggling with grades,” Martinez said.

The only thing negatively affected by the four-day school week is sports.

“Athletics might be the only place there’s a disadvantage, as students have to practice

late,” Martinez said. Practice for a Cimarron athlete ends at 5:30. “The students from far away still have 45 minutes to an hour to travel,” Martinez said.

At Johnston, however, a four-day school week would have little effect on athletics.

“We would continue to conduct business as we have in the past – still practice on non-school days and if the non-school day is a game day, we would still play the game or have the meet,” Gary Ross, athletic director, said.

A little closer to home, the Iowa Department of Education has recently denied Bondurant-Farrar’s request to use a four-day

school week.

But does the state Department of Education really know what is best for each individual school district?

“They cited professional development and [that] student achievement would not improve sufficiently under the new calendar,” Skip Anderson, principle of BondurantFarrar High School, said.

Anderson disagrees, however. “Research did not show a drop in student achievement,” he said. “It is our opinion that this would also improve professional development, collaboration, and therefore improve student achievement.”

In Cimarron, student achievement is not affected.

“In fact, we have a very good reputation for being a highly academic school. We usually score at or above the state average on state assessments. We have made adequate yearly progress four of the last five years,” Martinez said.

Seventeen states already allow a fourday school week. Why not Iowa? Anderson thinks that Iowa will soon follow suit. “Eventually the state of Iowa will move away from the current 180 day requirement,” he said.

“This would allow school districts to move to a more efficient calendar.”

And give me time to get some sleep.

OPINION

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Some things only jobs can teach Shawna Polen review editor

The working world is a tough place. As we get older, we cannot wait to start our jobs and make money. Little do we know what troubles lie ahead.

Having had a job since I turned 16, real life took over with its all too real situations.

Over the past two years I have been laid off three times due to the business closing permanently. Each time, finding a job was hard. I applied everywhere, but no one was hiring, it was too far away or they only wanted full-time workers.

Job-hunting is never easy, especially with the economy tanking. The key is to broaden your preferences for where you’re willing to work, and what you’re willing to do. When applying, it shows companies that you have a variety of skills and can use them when needed.

I remember checking my phone all the time, hoping to get a call back for an interview. Somehow, I always got a call when I had just accepted a job somewhere else or was busy with some other commitment.

I think the people who hire for jobs know when it is the worst time to contact you, and decide to call then.

Scrambling in December, I ended up at Nova 10 Cinemas, getting hired almost instantly. Working less then a month, I was promoted to head of concession. At the beginning of March, my boss was fired and two new guys from another state were brought in as replacements.

They changed many things and put all employees on a two-week probation period.

The kicker is that they proceeded to tell me how to do my job differently.

One Saturday night, they asked me to fill my warmer with small bags of popcorn for the 9 p.m. rush. I told them we would not need that much because of things going on downtown. They responded, “Just do it.” At

Kiera Morrill/BW

Sophomore Miriam Luna collects supplies for her job at Panera Bread. Luna stays busy serving customers, keeping the area clean, and making sure things are placed where they need to be. the end of the night, a ton of popcorn was thrown out.

Really, what can you do when a boss tells you to do something that you do not agree with? You are powerless. If you are in school and a teacher says that, you can at least argue your case. But in the working world you have to suck it up and try not to laugh when they regret their decision later.

Dealing with giving customer service is another issue. How do you prepare for that?

HU

cares

Kevin Hu

staff writer

Late arrivals not for juniors It is common knowledge to all the students now: many juniors have raised cries of uproar at the fact that next year, late arrivals for juniors and seniors will not be allowed anymore. That would

mean that next year, I will have to continue to rouse from my slumber at 6:45 a.m. and continue the tradition of nodding off during history, math, social studies and English.

My favorite incident was when a customer explained to me how to clean a urinal, because apparently I did not do it right (that was not even my job). It was hard deciding what to do: thank the man for his obvious genius, laugh in his face or punch him?

Choices, choices. I ended up having to cover my smile with my hand. I hope he was not offended.

With customers, something to remember about them is that they could be having a

bad day or enjoy nagging at helpless employees. Just think that you are making their day better, and they will be gone soon.

The sad part is, there is no way to practice for customer service. In school all the training you get is character education, not how to deal with difficult people and the way they act. Granted, some of the things that happened are luck of the draw, but all are things that I wish someone would have warned me about. Welcome to the real world.

AP exams cost arm, leg, firstborn child One thing that I still don’t understand is what the school hopes to accomplish by banishing late starts. One might argue that it is not convenient for attendance and offices to keep track of who is skipping and who is actually coming in late. But honestly, the management of one’s time is a good skill for us to learn now. Once we are in college and have to start waking up at different times through-out the week.

And besides, if I could just sleep in an hour or so every day, perhaps I would be able to muster the strength to actually not fall asleep during Mr. Kinder’s lectures in AP U.S. History.

If you haven’t heard yet, the state of Iowa plans to pay for half the cost for every AP (Advanced Placement) student planning to take the AP exams this coming May. This raises a question in my mind: Why the heck do the exams cost so much in the first place?

Each test costs $86, and if that isn’t enough, you can apply for reduced price if you’re in financial need! The final cost of the reduced AP exam? $56 after the school’s $8 rebate reduction.

Thankfully, with half the cost being slashed off this year, students now will be able to take two tests for the price of one. However,

Illustration/Yiming Qin

I believe that the high costs of AP exams are totally unnecessary and should be remedied with permanently reduced costs.

From my egotistical view, why should I be punished for my intellect? The way I see it, the AP board is almost punishing me for taking too many AP courses, and coming up on May, I am debating taking two tests out of

my option of five. The way I see it, if 10 kids in each AP course in Johnston takes the AP exam, you would have at least 120 tests being ordered.

Multiplied by 86 would be at least $10k from each school.

Then, multiplied by the thousands and thousands of high schools in America would translate into millions of millions of dollars... is this necessary?

REVIEW

09

MARCH

9

PAGE

Snuggie

Smooth Away

Shawna Polen

The only benefit of having the ShamWOW would be that it is better for the enviroment; because it can be washed and reused, you do not have to throw it away. It is better then a paper towel. But, then again, so is a dish towel.

This fuzzy, fleece, armed blanket proves to be warm and confortable. But pray you do not have to go anywhere fast; you will trip and cause injury to yourself and others.

Be weary of the draft in back; you might as well be wearing a hospital gown. And enjoy the free book light.

In terms of shaving, you are better off risking an artery using a razor then waste the time it takes to buff your hair away.

It says you can use it on your underarms, bikini area, face and legs. In reality, you can use it just on your arms and legs; anywhere else hurts and irritates the skin.

Evan Culbert

The ShamWOW- “You’ll say wow every time!” Or at least that’s what the ever-so-convincing infomercial says. Not only will you fail to say, “Wow,” the infamous ShamWOW holds only eight times its weight, as opposed to twelve, as the infomercial claims.

While many laugh at the sight of the Snuggie infomercial, the product is actually a great buy if you are a gamer.

Those who regularly play video games understand the importance of being warm and having your hands free for the controller at the same time.

If you feel like shaving your body but don’t want to cut yourself, the Smooth Away will make your hair magically disappear. People who use the Smooth Away will most likely be unable to resist rubbing their incredibly smooth legs for a few days after use.

Jocelyn Schneider

Infomercial Products: Do They Work?

The ShamWOW is great for cleaning up a quick mess, but the amount of time it takes to dry is far from impressive. Wring it out and hang it up at night; it still won’t be dry in the morning.

The infamous Snuggie is a blanket with sleeves. You might look ridiculous wearing it, but according to the Snuggie slogan, “Blankets are great, but they slip and slide. Plus, your hands are trapped inside!”

Smooth Away is a time-consuming, painful method of hair removal. It may be exfoliating, but it leaves a burning sensation. It you tan, I wouldn’t recommend using this product.

ShamWOW

The tale of the infomercial legend: Billy Mays

By Jeremy Mullen

Billy Mays

“Hi, Billy Mays here with…”

When people hear these words, they may mistake them for the voice of an angel.

They may also wonder how this slightly portly, very hairy man became famous.

William Mays was born into this infomercial-free world on July

The BookWorm Keturah and

Lord Death

Martine Leavitt

A+ BY: Shawna Polen

20, 1958. His salesman career started when he sold “Washmatik” on the boardwalk of Atlantic City, New Jersey. He spent the next 12 years of his life selling various products at home shows, state fairs and auto shows.

Mays’ big break came when he was introduced to Max Appel, founder of Orange Glo International. The two were pitching cleaning products for different companies at a home show, competing for the biggest crowd. Appel’s microphone broke on the biggest day of the home show, and May’s lent him a spare.

Appel came back to Mays to return the favor. He needed someone to advertise Orange Glo cleaning products on TV. This was Mays’ first big TV infomercial spot, advertising OxiClean.

Now Mays brings in about $30,000 for a two-minute spot on TV, depending on how complicated the informercials are and how long they take.

Mays will always be in our childhood memories as a star, taking red dye out of carpets and removing stained-on, tuffed-on grease from our ovens. “Now watch this!”

When most people invision finding their true love, they picture a happy beginning.

No one expects to find an ending, or even death.

But for Keturah Reeve, known for being a storyteller in her village Tide-by-Rood, finding her true love was her life’s mission. All Keturah wants from life is her true love, a small house and a baby to love and hold.

Fascinated one day, Keturah blindly follows the legendary hart (buck) in the forest.

The hart leads her deeper and deeper until she is hopelessly lost. She sits herself against a tree for support, and waits for death to come. When he finally does, she greets him as a lord out of respect.

To reason with Lord Death for life is use-

less, for he will make no exceptions. Keturah is no different. Cleverly, she begins weaving a tale about a girl who met Lord Death and wanted to live, but before the end of the story, she stops. She asks Lord Death to let her live another day to find her true love and warn her village of the plague he has foreseen, promising to return the next night to finish the tale and go with him to her death.

Lord Death gives Keturah her reprieve, saying that if she is able to find her true love before the next night, he will let her live to a ripe old age. But if she does not, she must return to the wood and become his queen of the underworld.

Back in Tide-by-Rood, Keturah sets out with a vengeance to complete her tasks in

The competition: Vince Offer Started career by making Underground Comedy Movie, which got horrible reviews.

Ex-Scientologist Did infomercials for ShamWOW and SlapChop People are calling him the next Billy Mays

one long day, dreading her return to the forest.

Martine Leavitt has composed a brilliant story of love, friendship, life and death with characters so believable that they have a life of their own. It leaves me wishing that when I die, it will be Lord Death I meet.

After reading the debates between Keturah and Lord Death, I have a different outlook on death now. Leavitt points out through the conversations that death is not the end of something, but the beginning.

Though “Keturah and Lord Death” is about death, it is also a tale of the weight that life has, and the meaning behind it.

For questions, comments or feedback, e-mail me at Batty_forlife@yahoo.com

09

DOUBLETRUCK

MARCH

e l e c t r o n i c SUPPLEMENTS

HIGH -TECH teaching

V

“The chat function for Google Docs is not accesible due to our firewall.”

Sarah Moore

G

-personal preference for file hosting Web site -http://fileave.com is an example

copy/paste URL into link field

-make sure the link fields are shown -this places URL bar under the title of the blog while you are editing the blog

5

-click “publish your blog” -you can invite students, friends and family via email to your blog

iTunes

new conveniences:

frustrations:

“I like to face the students when I give a lesson. I like to face everyone to see if people are understanding or having trouble grasping concepts.”

Smart Music

-go to iTunes to publish a podcast -use the RSS feed from blogger

f

band departments utilize this program for assignments and practicing. Vocal or instrumental microphones allow students to play or sing with accompaniment and make recordings for teachers to evaluate.

new conveniences:

Betsy Pilkington Senior

“In the sense it does catch your mistakes, but it does it in a really annoying way. It takes the slighest mistake that wouldn’t normally have mattered and counts it wrong.”

Erik Anderson Sophomore

“She can write things down on the projector; it’s much cleaner than the overhead, which is much nicer and easier to read.”

“Not really many problems; it did take us a little bit to learn how to use it and get it up and running.”

Sarah Van Waardhuizen

iMovie

bad “There always seems to be technology problems going on in the school. It seems like every week something is wrong with the servers or the computers don’t work”

V

compiled by: Kallen Kramer(Double-Truck Editor) and Philip Mortens

“It points out when you’re doing something wrong; it realy helps you work on the musical side of things”

DELL TABLET good

frustrations:

“The band has been using it for playing tests; we’ve done that too. Any music books that you would use for solo ensemble are programmed into it so it can be used as a virtual accompanist.”

What it is:

iMovie is a video editing software included on all Mac computers. It is used in creative writing and video production.

new conveniences:

frustrations:

“I’ve had students during the iMovie project say that it’s helped them apply their creative writing skills in a real-world format.”

V

“I dont like how the format can be very confusing and can get messed up easily. And sometimes sharing a file with a teacher can be frustrating.”

bad

Julie Probst

music

V

bad

“The only thing is that occasionally with technology, things go wrong, and since I rely on it so much, it can be a problem.”

What it is: Smart Music is a new addition that was added along with the music labs this year. The choral and

-copy the .mp3 link from the file host -in the new blog paste the URL into the link field

SMART MUSIC good

V

4 upload mp3 to file host

6 publish it!

math

The Dell Tablets are being used by the math department as an alternative to overheads and whiteboards. This thin, touch-screen tablet PC allows either tablet use or keyboard use. With the touch of a pen or finger, you can scroll pages and write on the notepad. Teachers utilize the tablet with a projector to make notes and problems more visual and easy to print and follow.

V

Caleb Wagner Junior

“I like it because I dont have to worry about saving stuff to my computer or worry about carrying a flash drive around with me to get my files."

“It allows me to have closer communication with my students.”

What it is:

student assessments GOOGLE DOCS good

frustrations:

Dell Tablet

V

-create new blog -name it accordingly -go to settings-formatting

blogger

-gmail or google account allows free blogger.com account -other blog accounts also create RSS feeds and may allow more file space, but they also may have monthly or annual fees.

f

change blog settings

new conveniences:

get account for RSS 2

-need Audacity (free) -microphone (most computers have a built-in mic) -edit any dead air -file-export to create .aiff file -import into iTunes -in iTunes, click Advanced-Convert to mp3

U

1. Computer 2. Web site 3. Microphone

ing online. This allows teachers and students to communicate during the writing process at home and at school.

Open documents are automatically saved to prevent losing data, and multiple collaborators can be invited to any document.

create mp3 1 h

3

what you need:

English What it is: Google documents is a feature of Google that is used by our English department for word process-

J

PODCAST

Google docs

V

making a

10&11

PAGE

“The iMovie technology is on all of the computers, but the LMC Lab are the only computers with enough gigabytes (GB) to support the movies.

Also, we have to set up a local network because the server would severely slow down or even crash with all of the space taken up by the movies.”

Sarah Moore

writing

09

MARCH

T

ENTERTAINMENT

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Where to find new music

here are many different artists and genres of music. The numbers grow by the day. With new releases of songs and artists, it can be hard to keep up with it all. Here are some sources to find new music and artists.

Facebook.com

Sounds weird for a music site, but try typing your favorite genre of music in the Groups browser. Here you will find many groups worshiping your favorite genre. Join the group. Many groups give out new tracks, artists and videos from that particular genre. Many people are in groups, so a big variety is offered.

Hit up the club

A nightclub is a great place to find new music. Most DJs that play at nightclubs play a wide range of music and remixes. If you ask the DJ what song is playing, they would feel admired because you like their work and be more than happy to give you the track title and the artist.

Pandora.com

On this Internet radio, you can type in a song or an artist and it creates a radio station based on the genre. Along with songs by the same artist, it adds new remixes of that song and other artists as well as songs that sound similar. This offers a wide variety of choices to the listener.

Projectplaylist.com

This Web site allows you to create your very own playlist of songs for their Facebook, Myspace or for their personal use. Just type in the search box the song or artist you want to listen to, then add it to the playlist. You can add up to 100 songs per playlist. Anyone can listen to other users’ playlists to find new songs they might like.

iTunes

On iTunes, there are a few ways to find new music. The first and most commonly known way is the iTunes store. There is always new music posted up for sale, and there even is a place called “Recommended for You” located in the lower center of iTunes. This is based off one’s previous purchases, what the buyer might buy and genres that sound similar to the song purchased. Another way to find new music on iTunes is the radio. On the radio, you choose the genre of interest, then click it, and many options for radio stations appear. Once a station is chosen, it is played with the artist’s name and track title listed. All the stations come in perfect sound and are commercial-free. A fun new feature on iTunes is the Genius sidebar.

Once a song in your music library is chosen, it is read by Genius, and it comes up with a playlist based on the song. The only way Genius works is by songs bought off iTunes or from an actual CD. It won’t be able to read it otherwise.

Last.fm

This Web site helps you find new songs based on an artist you like. There is a search engine on the page, and you type an artist in it. This presents you with the artist’s homepage and songs by that artist as well as other songs that are similar to the artist searched.

XM Satelite Radio

imeem.com

On this Web site, there are three main components: Spotlight, Discover and Browse.

The Spotlight navigation, or the homepage, gives a biography and track songs for a random artist, as well as top songs, videos, etc.

On the Discover navigation, you can discover popular songs in the area where you live, as well as local concerts going on. You can also see a popular artist as well as the artist’s tracks. On the Browse navigation, you can see the most popular songs or playlists on Imeem. Also, you can browse through genres to find new or old favorite songs, videos, photos, other playlists, events, groups, battles, people and polls.

Myspace.com

Myspace offers a great music selection.

So many artists are on Myspace. Just by typing a favorite song in the search box, you will find the original song as well as remixes to it because so many people upload songs.

There are always new artists on the homepage of the music selection. A way to find new artists is browsing by genre and type a particular city, mostly where the genre is popular (ie. Hip-hop is the genre, and in the state click New York and city Brooklyn), and many underground songs and artists will show up.

This is not a free radio station, but it is worth the money. This station is meant to be in a car. XM Satellite Radio delivers a wide range of music genres within each station that can be chosen from. There are 73 different music channels. When a song plays, the track name and artist is provided, which is perfect for finding new music. All the stations are commercial-free.

Complied by Stephanie Ivankovich, news editor

{ prom 09

MARCH

FEATURE

a very vintage (515)-288-9982 1733 Grand Avenue, Des Moines

The Dress: ‘60s Lee Claire pink silk dress: $225

Acessories:

Cheetah Wedges: $125 Pink/purple earrings and broach: $75

compiled by kelly mcgowan jewelry pictures/dorotheasclosetvintage.com heels picture provided/wikipedia.com

} 13

PAGE

Finding that perfect prom dress can be extremely difficult. You have to worry about style, accessories, and most importantly, make sure nobody has the same dress as you. So to find a dress you know will be unique, try this: vintage. But because finding a dress from 30-60 years ago is not an easy task, “the Black and White” investigated two vintage shops to help you find that perfect outfit for the big night.

Shopping around for a prom dress at Dorothea’s Closet Vintage, through racks of dresses, most of which range from 30 to 60 years old, senior Felicia Coleman and her boyfriend Cameron Hart found a perfect, stunning purple gown from the ‘70s, and the price was good too. “I tend to get really good-quality stuff without paying full price, and the funky [part] of it is my style,” Coleman said.

Wearing vintage is a unique and usually cheaper option when searching for a prom ensemble.

Most dresses at Dorothea’s Closet range from $40-$250. But the trick is to put it together right. “Go for a bold look, either the dress being vintage with modern accessories, or vice versa,” Dorothea’s Closet owner Angela Petraline said. “Try to mix as many eras as possible.”

Coleman plans to wear modern shoes, because vintage shoes usually do not fit right, and is still looking for some very dramatic vintage earrings.

Dorothea’s Closet carries many cocktail and formal dresses from the ‘40s to the ‘80s, along with a wide variety of handbags and jewelry, all moderately priced.

Most apparel is tagged with the decade from which the garment came. The space is newly remodeled and expanded.

“If you like simple and elegant, this is where you need to look for it,” Coleman said. “Simple is good. Don’t overdo it, because with these vintage ones, it’s easy to do that.”

Atomic Garage is more eclectic vintage shop and very different from Dorothea’s Closet. The atmosphere is much more confined and overwhelming, but the shop offers lower prices, and even a rental program where you can rent a dress for $20-$25.

“Each year, we see more and more people coming in wanting to save some money, and not be wearing the same thing as the girl next to her,” Atomic Garage employee Melissa Speridon said.

Vintage attire is also popular in Hollywood. Oscar-proclaimed best-supporting actress Penelope Cruz wore a vintage Pierre Balmain strapless gown to the event. The dress was 60-years old, according to the Web site SFGate.com.

“Every time I tell people about [shopping vintage], I tell them you are going to have to dig, don’t give up fast, because you will really have to search to find the good ones.”

Coleman said.

The Dress: Rose and lace ‘80s prom dress: $70

(515)-274-8787 127 5th St. West Des Moines

09

FEATURE

MARCH

I know what you did in Mexico Posting incriminating photos can lead to punishment Nels Engblom staff writer

While sitting on a plane sometime last week, many seniors may have considered the allure of legal drinking in Mexico. But how legal is drinking in Mexico? What repercussions could come to those drinking on vacation?

The answers to these questions vary based on the situation. The punishment for those who participate in extracurricular activities is different than those that participate in, well, nothing.

“Whether a student is in Mexico or not, it makes no difference; a violation is a violation,” athletic director Gary Ross said.

Students who are drinking on spring break are punished exactly the same as if they are at home, Ross said. This means that they are subject to the drinking guidelines as stated in the student handbook: the three strike policy.

Even though the good conduct policy treats students the same, regardless of location, the law does not. “The host country’s laws are what are enforceable,” Officer Kenny Agan said.

This means 18-year-olds do not face legal repercussions for drinking.

Principal Bruce Hukee said a student is not subject to the punishment of the good conduct policy; however, if made aware of underage drinking in Mexico, administration would likely sit down with the student and discuss the situation. This conversation would entail re-evaluating the decisions that were made.

As in all code of conduct situations, the administration advises that the student at fault self-reports. “Students that self-report can face a lesser punishment than those who do not,” Ross said.

For those students asking the question, “How will anyone catch me if I am drinking?” here are the answers. Almost all of us have one of those friends that just has to put everything on Facebook. Well, if there are pictures of an individual participating in illegal activities on Facebook, the student is subject to punishment.

While administration does not go looking on Facebook in their free time, if made aware of incriminating pictures, they will investigate. “Depending on the credibility of the source, we will look further into a situation,” Ross said.

If such pictures are found, they serve as legitimate evidence for a student to get in trouble. If an investigation leads to court, pictures are submitted as evidence. “They are given to a judge who has to make the decision what is happening in the picture. If you choose not to testify for yourself, the choice is left up to what the judge says,” Agan said.

In addition, police can apprehend pictures that are on Facebook and could serve as evidence in court.

Students who choose to party away from the Johnston district are still at risk of being caught by administration.

Whether in Johnston or out, if a student is busted at a house party, for example, they will be reported to the school. Hukee said that the police are required to send the school administration the police reports involving students.

Not everyone views Facebook pictures as reason to punish, however. “I don’t trust pictures (on Facebook) because of the technology there is to change or alter them. I need to have hard evidence to believe someone is involved like someone getting caught at the scene,” head football coach and assistant track coach Brian Woodley said.

Tobacco use does not escape the realm of administration’s enforcement either. Student-athletes caught using tobacco are subject to the good conduct policy. If the perpetrator is of age, they are treated the same as a minor would be under the good conduct policy. Ross said the good conduct policy covers all athletes the same as participants in their activity; it does not matter if they are 18 or not.

The reasoning behind this is that substance abuse and athletics can impair an athlete’s ability to perform as well as compromise health.

Similar to previously mentioned situations, students who are not participating in extracurricular activities, but caught using, are not subject to punishment by the school. “If a student was pulled over by an officer that was smoking, they would send me an e-mail saying they had picked up that student,” Agan said.

While the student would not be punished by suspension of any sort, of age or under, a school official would likely have a discussion with the individual.

facebook

14

PAGE

facts

More than 175 million active users More than 3 billion minutes are spent worldwide on Facebook each day More than 850 million photos are uploaded to the site each month Provided/Facebook

09

MARCH

Ballin’

16

DUNGEON

PAGE

Girls’ and Boys’ Basketball

Jennifer Ross

‘10

‘10

Justin Amick

]

‘09

Kate Nielsen has played two years on varsity and has a scoring average of 13.8 points per game, the highest average of her team. “A funny memory I have is when Emily Parker shot a half court shot like a free throw,” Nielsen said, “but I will miss my teammates the most because we are like family.”

Photos by: Olivia Scheiflbein and Zach Jensen/Dragon

‘11

]

This is sophomore Corey Schaefer’s second year playing on varsity, and he has a scoring average of 12 points per game. “My dad is a coach, so I was always around it and started playing young,” Schaefer said. He has worked hard this past year practicing in the summer and fall on improving his shot.

“I will always remember when we were playing Ames,” Schaefer said. “I fell as we were running out onto the court to practice.”

Corey Schafer

Kate Nielsen

In his senior year, Justin Amick has a scoring average of 10 points per game and this is Amick’s third year playing varsity. “This season I have been working on my three point shot and defense the most,” Amick said, “and at state we played really good defense.”

Madison Thompson averages 3.3 points per game.

This was Thompsons first year playing varsity and enjoyed every minute. “We improved from last year,” Thompson said, “And our team is all so close because we are friends outside of basketball.” Thompson thought this season was really fun with all the pasta dinners and how much fun they had together.

Madison Thompson

[ [

‘09

]

Junior Mitch Fondell got involved with basketball in kindergarten because his friends played and it seemed fun. This is Fondell’s first year playing varsity. He scores an average of 10 points per game and has started every game except senior night. When asked what he does to prepare for games, Fondell said, “I go over to Corey Schaefer’s house and play ping pong till we have to be at the school.”

Mitch Fondell

[

‘10

During her second year on varsity, Jennifer Ross has a scoring average of 5.1 points per game for the season. Ross also averaged 3 rebounds per game. “The team this year was really strong,” Ross said.

“We have all been playing together on different teams for most of our lives, so we had great team chemistry.”

The girls finished their season with a record of 17-6 and went on to substate, where they lost to Ames. The boys beat Southeast Polk in substate and at state they beat Urbandale, 43-37, which moved their record to 19-5.

Compiled by Brennan Winget (Staff Writer) and Julia Manning (Sports Editor)

09

17

SPORTS

MARCH

PAGE

Bridgewater pursues climbing Catherine Caracci copy editor

When sophomore Hailey Bridgewater was 12 years old, she decided to pursue a new hobby: rock climbing. “I really liked to climb trees and stuff, so I thought it would just be fun,” Bridgewater said.

“I went to SportsPlex West (in Waukee) just because I wanted to try climbing,” she said. “When I was there, the climbing coach was sitting talking to my mom and asked if I wanted to join the climbing team.”

Bridgewater decided to join, and now she is on the elite climbing team. “From my first practice on, I absolutely loved it,” she said. “I like being able to push my body in different ways.”

Bridgewater’s team practices three days each week, and Bridgewater usually climbs for fun one other day during the week.

“I also like to go climbing outside with the older kids on the climbing team,” she said.

There are three different types of climbing. Bouldering does not require ropes or harnesses; climbers move mostly side-to-side on a 12-foot-tall wall.

In top-rope climbing, a rope is secured at the top of the wall and to a climber’s harness. A belayer, who controls the slack in the other end of the rope, stands on the ground. This type of climbing is done on walls around 36 feet tall.

The third type of climbing is lead climbing.

“Lead climbing is a lot like top-rope climbing, but instead of the rope being hooked to the top of the wall, you have to clip the rope into quickdraws,” Bridgewater said. Quickdraws are pieces of webbing with a clip on the end. In lead climbing, there is less slack in the rope, so if a climber falls, he or she falls farther than in top-rope climbing.

Bridgewater competes nationwide with her team; while most of her competitions are in the Midwest, she also travels to Ohio, Oklahoma, Colorado and Texas. She usually competes one or two times each month.

At a local competition, each climber has about three hours to climb as many routes as he or she can.

“The judges score your five highest-point routes to get your final score,” Bridgewater said.

Provided/Bridgewater family

Sophomore Hailey Bridgewater climbs at her parents’ climbing gym, Climb Iowa. The Bridgewaters opened Climb Iowa in November.

Regional, divisional and national competitions have a different format, called on-sight.

“In an on-sight competition, you are in an isolation room so that you cannot see the other climbers climb the routes that your age category is going to climb,” Bridgewater said.

“You get called out of isolation when it is your turn to climb, and you get five minutes to attempt the route. If you fall, you’re automatically done.”

Bridgewater has had success at a range of competition

levels. She usually places in the top three at local competitions. She placed first at regionals last year, fourth at divisional and 20th at nationals. She also competed in the speed climbing category at nationals and placed seventh.

Bridgewater is not the only member of her family involved in climbing. She often climbs with her brother, Eric, a freshman, and her parents opened Climb Iowa, a climbing gym in Grimes, on Nov. 10, 2008.

“After traveling to many gyms across the U.S. over the last few years, enjoying the ‘community’ that exists in climbing gyms and watching the number of participants in the sport of climbing grow, we decided to bring the climbing gym experience to the Des Moines metro,” Bridgewater’s mother, Diane, said.

Another reason the Bridgewaters decided to open a climbing gym was to draw young people to Des Moines. “Most universities now have climbing facilities on campus,” Diane said. “Yet upon graduation and moving to Des Moines, there were limited options.”

Climb Iowa offers many different services to climbers, including classes for all skill levels.

“We have group events for adults, youth; we’ve done a team building event for a high school team,” Diane said. “We have recreation and competitive climbing teams for individuals 19 and under. We are also starting an adult climbing league in April and plan to start a high school climbing league later this year.”

Climb Iowa also has a fitness room and a yoga class. In addition to classes, Climb Iowa hosts at least one event each month.

“In February, Charlie Wittmack, the first Iowan to climb Mount Everest, gave a presentation on his 15 years of climbing,” Diane said. “In March we will have a climbing shoe demo, host a USA Climbing Competition and hear from an individual who has climbed Devil’s Tower over 1,000 times.

In April, Timy Fairfield, a climber who was on the U.S. National Climbing team for over 10 years, will provide climbing and route setting clinics.”

Hailey believes that her climbing has improved since Climb Iowa opened.

“Now I have more wall to climb on, so I can have a bigger variety,” Hailey said.

Big Hits&sports bits

photos by Zach Jensen/Dragon

winter state ‘09 recap...

(1)

Boys’ Swimming

(3)

Junior Madison Thompson

Freshman Brian Ross, sophomore Ryan Kitchen and junior Blake Johnson all represented the Dragons at the state meet on Feb. 14. The team went on to place fifth, the best finish in the history of the program. Urbandale senior Mitch Taylor also won two individual state championships for the team.

(2)

Boys’ Basketball

The boys qualified for the state tournament for the first time since 2006.

They upset Urbandale in the first round, winning 43-37. It was the first victory against Urbandale after six consecutive losses.

(3)

Girls’ Basketball

The girls finished their season with a 57-55 loss to Ames in the regional final. They finished the season with a 18-6 record. Senior Kate Nielsen was named to the Register’s All-CIML 2nd team. Senior Abby Sonner and sophomore Tory Knuth were named to the Central Conference 2nd team.

(4)

Wrestling

The following qualifed for the state tournament: senior Adam Badgley at 215, junior Alex Richards at 125, and junior Stephen Shaffer at 103. Badgley went on to place 3rd overall in his weight class.

(4)

Junior Alex Richards

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Dodgeball, other sports are hits Intramurals no longer lack attendance on Sunday afternoons Scott Monroe staff writer

Getting into the competitive spirit is not always easy.

Going to school on Sunday is not either. Many factors tend to work against the concept of intramurals. Senior activities director Drew Wilson decided to take on the challenge anyway, and has worked hard since to make Sunday a fun day at school.

When Wilson was elected as the student activities director last year, he immediately started brainstorming ideas to improve the current intramural program.

“Setting up activities that most people are interested in is definitely important,” Wilson said. “It’s all about introducing yourself, talking to people, and trying to make it sound like a fun and exciting experience.”

The attendance part of the intramurals is obviously critical, and has been very successful so far. One of the more recent competitions, dodging diabetes, was attended by 22 teams of ten, or 220 students.

“The set-up was great. The transition from game to game was seamless, and it was very-well thought out,” senior Zach Jensen said. “I’d do it again in a second.”

Although dodgeball was very popular, there have been a few intramurals that lacked attendance. Wilson has found that getting people to drive to school on Sunday evenings “isn’t a walk in a park.” Neither is making them aware of the competitions in the first place.

“I found that flyers don’t really do much,” Wilson said. “Hopefully (students) tell their friends and the word spreads.”

Wilson has consistently put up signs around the school to promote the games, and also tells everyone he can about the upcoming tournaments.

Another problem that Wilson has tackled is that there are rarely new faces. The same people are showing up month-in and month-out. “It seems like it is usually the same people getting involved,” Wilson said.

“I feel if those that have never participated gave it a chance, then they would see what they are missing and the attendance would shoot up.” Wilson is constantly encouraging friend groups to join as a team, if anything, just to give the sports a chance.

Even when the intramurals are heavily attended, there are always changes and upgrades to be made.

Nothing is perfect, and there is always room for improvement.

“It would be a lot of work, but I want to make each intramural like dodging diabetes, where it is more of a giant get together,” Wilson said. “But the simple ones can be nice too.” There is usually one tournament per month, but the popular ones are the most fun for students.

The upcoming schedule of intramurals is highlighted by two highly anticipated tournaments: ultimate frisbee and flag football. The first of the two will be played sometime towards the end of April, and will likely feature both large crowds and nice weather. Teams will probably be made up of five people, and students are encouraged to attend and have some fun, all while supporting our school spirit.

“Again, I try to set up activities that most people like, (but) getting them to try is my biggest challenge,” Wilson said. “I’m always striving for more.”

Zach Jensen/Dragon

Zach Jensen/Dragon

0:00 “

Overtime

You can observe a lot just by watching.

- Yogi Berra

”

Yet another quality column by Scott Monroe

A LACK OF

Smells Like Team Spirit Friday night, for some students, is reserved week in and week out months before the actual date. Friday night means one of two things: either a Dragon football game or a Dragon basketball game needs attending.

I happen to be one of those students, and that is why I found myself at the high school a couple of Fridays ago, flashing my activity pass at the bouncers. I strolled into the gym for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off against Waukee at around 7:15 p.m. It took a single glance at

the student section for my mind to wander back, back to my ninth grade year. Oh how I long for those days to reappear.

I was 15 years old, and praying for a growth spurt. It was, you guessed it, a Friday night, and we were playing the rival Urbandale J-Hawks. I was out with some friends, but we were still on track to arrive at the game a good hour before the start. I walked into the gym and stopped dead in my tracks, shell-shocked from the sight of the bleachers. Now I’m not sure what the max capacity of the south-side bleachers is, but it was without a doubt overflowing.

ONE HOUR BEFORE THE GAME. I scan the crowd for my friends, and lay my eyes on them; a good ten rows up from the floor. I fight my way up to that area, only to find out that there is indeed no room whatsoever for me. I finally take a seat in the aisle, setting myself up for a night of getting pushed, shoved, and at times trampled by other Dragon fans. It was by far the best high school game I have ever attended.

A whistle blows, and I am brought back to the present. The pathetic present. I was looking at the student section to scope out a seat. Like there was a need for that. The game was literally 10 minutes from starting, and we had filled up a total of two rows.

To be honest, two was pushing it. The first

row was what was left of actual Dragon fans, ready to cheer on their beloved team.

The last of a dying breed. The second row consisted of mostly girls and some guys immersed in their cell-phone screens, likely texting the girl sitting three seats to the left of them. If I remember correctly, the only times these spectators stood up at all during the game was for the national anthem, and to leave. What has Johnston come to?

What has happened to all of the true fans?

You know, the ones that would continue standing even during halftime, for the soul purpose of taunting the opposing student section. They must have graduated.

God must have wanted to point out the pathetic nature of our crowd, because the game was tied with eight seconds left, and Corey Schaefer was fouled in the act of shooting. It was at that time that the crowd started chanting, “Corey Schaefer,” in order to encourage his free throw shooting. I kid you not, it was the first successful chant all night. And the only reason it worked was because we warned the small amount of fans remaining that we were going to start the cheer. Turns out it worked, Schaefer made the shot, and we ended up winning by one. Thank you, God. I ask people all the time, why the lack of school spirit? There is a variation of

excuses, but one seems to be more dominant. Students claim that they would be embarrassed if they started cheering and were the only ones... I give up. News flash to all Johnston students: if everyone were to ignore that feeling, we would have a good student section! And it would replace the pathetic excuse of a crowd put on display each and every Friday night. So please, if not for the school, at least for the sake of the athletes giving their all every single night, come to a basketball game. Help us root on the Dragons, I swear, you will have a good time. Let’s go Johnston! (Anyone with me?)

Out of Bounds I firmly believe that Iowa State has hit an all-time low. Their athletics are highlighted by women’s basketball, volleyball, and wrestling. Ouch. Now, I can’t really offer a valid solution for the football program, because it is broken beyond repair. But there are two keys to turning the basketball program around. First, make sure the players actually stay at least three, if not four, years. What would this team be like if Wesley Johnson and Mike Taylor were with Craig Brackins and Lucca Staiger? That would establish a foundation, then comes the final step: Get HARRISON BARNES. Good luck McDermott.

S O 0 B

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your immune system

At least once a period, someone coughs, and the chain reaction begins – cough,cough,cough. People scramble for the Kleenex box. But who has time to blow their noses, let alone have a full-blown cold?

Being sick is just not something we can fit into our busy lives. Try some of these ways to strengthen your immune system to prevent getting ill the rest of the year and the rest of your life.

TAKE. 1. Ecinacea

Researchers who have evaluated ecineacea concluded that the herb “decreased the odds of developing the common cold by 58 per cent, and the duration of a cold by 1.4 days.” Try taking 900 to 1,800mg per day when you first realize you have the flu or cold.

2. Elderberry Extract

Supplements of elderberry, which are rich in antioxidants, can cut short a flu by as much as four days. Follow directions from the bottle, and double your dosages when you feel like you are getting sick.

3. Mushroom Extract

Taking a mushroom extract every day to activate your body’s most potent white blood cells and increases production of the “messenger chemicals” that help immunity cells communicate.

4. Emergen-C

This supplement, which is mixed in your drink, can be taken up 2 to 3 times a day. It contains 1,000 mg of vitamin C and B vitamins, a full day’s supply of zinc, vitamins A & D, selenium, hibiscus extract and elderberry concentrate.

compiled by Julia Manning (sports editor) & Brennan Winget (staff writer)

DO. 1. Laugh more

Researchers from Loma Linda University in California have found that laughter increases the number and activity of natural killer cells and antibodies in the body. Not only does it increase your immune system, it decreases stress.

2. See a chiropactor

Your immune system’s T cells are in the thymus gland, which is in your upper chest.

When you have bacterial or viral infections that just won’t go away, and you are always feeling tired, that indicates your gland is probably overworked. To help your thymus gland, try seeing a chiropractor to boost your central nervous system and gland functions. You can also try taking Thymex, a supplement that can help.

3. Acupuncture

Try going for a session of acupuncture once a week for three to six months. Studies have shown that acupunture stimulates activity in the body’s “natural killer” cells.

4. Floss your teeth

Sounds lame, but flossing your teeth is so important. The bacteria that can cause gum disease can also trigger a dangerous immune response throughout the body.

Floss at least once a day to clear that bacteria. According to Michael F. Roizen, M.D., flossing can add up to 6.4 years to your life.

EAT. 1. Say good-bye to sugar

Sugar has a dampening effect on white blood cells. Try to avoid foods and drinks that have sugar, cane juice or sucrose as one of the first three ingredients.

2. Eat crunchy vegetables

Try to eat one cup of vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and turnips at least 3 to 4 times per day. Especially try to eat broccoli, which is rich in antioxidant sulforaphane, which helps your immune system.

3. Eat fruits to enchance Vitamin C.

Kiwi, oranges, strawberries, papaya, raspberries, pineapple, watermelon and cranberries are all very high in vitamin C. 500 milligrams of vitamin C daily will fuel your cells to fight infections. When you feel like you are getting sick, double your vitamin C intake.

4. Drink your lemons

Lemon is an ideal food for restoring your acid-alkali balance.

Drinking lemon juice in water, or adding it to tea or salad dressings helps maintain the body’s internal “climate” at a pH that supports healthy bacteria instead of the viruses and harmful bacteria that thrive in more acidic environments.

Information provided by Natural Health Magazine

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Dining in Des Moines Restaurants under the radar.

When Pigs Fly 4640 86th Street 278-9777 recommended dish Brisket and fried okra

Felix and Oscar’s 4050 Merle Hay Road 278-8887 recommended dish Chicago-style pizza

Taco Casa 2506 Euclid Ave 279-7785 recommended dish Chicken chimichanga

2nd Ave.

Merle Hay Rd.

86th St.

Beaver Ave.

Meredith Dr. Cool Basil 8801 University Avenue 225-8111 recommended dish Pad Thai

George the Chili King 5722 Hickman Road 277-9433 recommended dish Hamburger Coney with cheese

Douglas Ave.

Waveland Cafe 4708 University Ave 279-4341 recommended dish Veggie Omelet

Hickman Rd.

University Ave.

ask the critics “I’ve been to George the Chili King a couple times with friends. Their food is simple and cheap. Everything there tastes amazing.”

-Hannah Palmer ’10

“I heard about Cool Basil through a friend. I like it because there’s variety on the menu and they rate everything’s spiciness on a scale of 1-10 so you can decide if you’re a spicy person or not.”

-Abbey Nelson ’09

“When Pigs Fly might have the best barbeque sauce that I’ve ever tasted in my whole life; and I’ve tasted quite a few barbeque sauces in my time, I’ve been told I’m kind of like a guru.”

-Josh Wendt ‘09

“I like Felix and Oscar’s because they have lots of different choices. They have these really good hot pocket things called wedgies.”

-Christian Lloyd ’10

“Taco Casa is little but the food is excellent quality and they have a wide selection on their menu. I like the essence of the environment.”

-Haden Allison ’10

“Waveland Cafe’s breakfast is the best. I like how the location is remote and the food tastes all homemade.”

-Maddie Mandsager ‘10

compiled by Eric Oatts (staff writer) and Haley Johnson (backpage editor)