One Copy Free
The Black & White
Johnston High School Student Paper
May ‘07
Vol 16 No. 9
Experience in Sudan enlightens graduate BY LARISSA FRENCH NEWS EDITOR Class of 2000 graduate Sarah Coleman-Lubbs recently went on a learning tour, and spent a month in Sudan and a week total in Kenya and Uganda. Coleman-Lubbs was invited to go on the trip in January with the non-profit organization New Community Project. According to Coleman-Lubbs, the organization takes the tours to provide aid and raise public awareness. On the trip, Coleman-Lubbs learned about two main programs of New Community Project. Give a Girl a Chance provides scholarships to girls, because education is not readily available to them. According to the New Community Project web site, educated girls will marry later, have fewer and healthier children and will have
options if stuck in abusive relationships. “Most girls don’t go to school anymore; when you have six to eight children, you can’t afford to send them all to school,” Coleman-Lubbs said. “What the deal is that once girls get to about 12 or 13, they usually stop going to school. This happens because Coleman-Lubbs they need to stay home and help their mothers or because they sell items to help put their brothers through school because the boys will have more opportunities to use their education.” The other major program, Every 30 Seconds, works to reduce the number of malaria cases, a deadly disease that kills three million annually and is spread by mosquitoes. The name comes from the
fact that every 30 seconds a child under the age of five dies of malaria in Africa. “If you were to donate $10, that would buy a mosquito net. Two-thirds to threefourths of the people don’t have mosquito nets, which is the most basic form of protection against malaria,” ColemanLubbs said. Although children are most likely to die from the disease, everyone is susceptible to contracting it, and there are 500 million cases of malaria annually. “I’ve never seen kids so sick; they get (malaria) like we get colds. Parents can’t afford to buy medicine for their kids, and clinics don’t have enough to go around,” Coleman-Lubbs said. The Sudanese have suffered other horrors than lack of education, poverty and disease. According to globalsecurity.org, the Sudan civil war began in 1983 after north Sudan attempted to make its Mus-
lim religion law over the entire region, despite the fact that south Sudan consists of non-Muslims. The conflict began between the Sudanese government and the opposition group the Sudanese People’s Liberation Army (SPLA), who received outside help from other countries to attempt overthrow the government. Peace talks began in 1989, but failed when the military assumed control of the country. Other African countries tried to push for peace, but the government refused to talk until serious losses against the SPLA in 1997. There has since been a series of peace talks, and in 2004, the SPLA and the government signed key protocols, bringing the country closer to peace. However, civil war has still continued in Darfur, and there are still clashes over territory and resources.
see SUDAN page 2
STUDENTS COME TOGETHER
Dan Haight/BW
Senior Scott Cronin and junior Rachel Spurgin laugh to each other as the candlelight ceremony comes to an end. The service was held on May 2 in support of At-Risk coordinator Vickie Cronin. For a related story, see page 3.
Muscular dystrophy fundraiser attracts volunteers
In this issue... Staff members debate school starting date Page 6
Students track spending to learn how to budget their money Page 8/9
Sophomore steps into male role on stage Page 12
BY CHELSEA NELSON STAFF WRITER Librarian Jane Behrens and history teacher Alicia Rollison participated in the Lock Up fundraising event on April 26. The event raised money for people with muscular dystrophy, a heredity disease characterized by the gradual wasting of skeletal muscle. At 3:00 p.m. on April 26, two fake police officers arrested Behrens and Rollison and took them to a mock jail setup and located at Trostel’s Greenbrier. “We knew (the cops) were fake because when they arrested us, Behrens they were wearing high heels,” Behrens said. Rollison and Behrens shared a cell and called district employees to ask for a donation. They would then write down how
much the people were willing to give on pledge slips. “Whenever someone there got a $50 pledge, they would ring the bell and the other volunteers would applaud,” Behrens said. “That never happened to us, but that’s okay.” Behrens and Rollison together raised $833. They raised $700 prior to being arrested by emailing people employed by the district. Overall, the event raised $42,310, an increase from last year. The amount of money raised by Rollison and Behrens was above average, compared to the amount raised by other volunteers. The Muscular Dystrophy Association first Rollison approached Behrens at the beginning of March when someone suggested that she would be a good volunteer. Behrens thought that Rollison had made the suggestion, so she nominated Rollison to volunteer
with her. “It was funny because Mrs. Behrens thought that I was the one who volunteered her, so she had me be her partner in crime,” Rollison said. Behrens and Rollison liked the way the fundraiser was organized, and believed that it was a great way to volunteer. According to Rollison, it is common for teachers to be asked to volunteer at such events. “As a teacher, you’re used to being asked to do things, to be a model for the kids. I just thought that it’s a good chance to do a little service, so to speak,” Rollison said. Behrens moved to the district about two years ago and believed that it was time that she did something to help. “It was my first real opportunity to give back to the community. I’ve been here almost two years, and I wanted to do something and make a difference,” Behrens said. “I know there have been other chances besides this, but this one really sparked my interest.”