2009-10 Issue 4

Spark Lakota East High School $3 Newsstand February 12, 2010

salvaging

marriage 1 | Spark | February 12, 2010

CONTENTS news

This Issue: The Marriage Issue

12

spring musical Take a look backstage at the tremendous effort that goes into making a musical.

feature

entertainment

48 28 What is Marriage?

Reb Vachon defines marriage by examining the legal, social and emotional aspects of the civil union.

Mia Carruthers Discover local band Mia Carruthers and the Retros’ journey to fame.

sports

30 Lust at First Sight

Luke Hall examines the various aspects of high school relationships.

20

karate kid Read about East graduate Majed El Mardi and his epic odyssey to success.

24

Green Club The Green Club formed to help make East more environmentally friendly.

31Couples’ Counseling

Allison Korson interviews Barbara Galbreath Brewer, a psychologist who has worked with gay and lesbian couples.

33 A Match Made in Hell

Ryan Fay discusses the legal and social ramifications of divorce as well as the emotional impact on divorcees and their families.

36 Along for the Ride

Justine Chu explores the emotional toll that divorce takes on the children caught in the middle.

56

New COach Newly-signed Head Football Coach Rick Haynes looks toward the future.

59

Cheerleading Senior Jessica Backstrom describes what it takes to be a sideline basketball cheerleader.

3 | Spark | February 12, 2010

opinion | letters

Forum Dear Spark, January 2009: the American public just elected a president who ran on the ticket of “Change for America.” The public is tired of the backroom deals, mismanaged efforts, reversal of promises and apparent lies that have streamed out of the White House for the past eight years.

This newly elected champion of the people is former Illinois Senator Barack Obama.

President Obama promised a multitude of changes during his campaign and in the months immediately following his inauguration. One of the most poignant of these promises was his call for healthcare reform.

At a White House Summit in March, President Obama pledged to create a healthcare bill across party lines and added that he would involve Republicans every step of the way. But in politics-as-usual business, Obama went back on this promise five months later during an address in Wakarusa, Indiana, where Obama stated that he “would prefer Republicans working with us,” but continued that “we will pass reform by the end of this year…We’re going to have to make it happen.”

This mentality of typical partisan politics has led to the same kind of backroom dealings that American citizens dislike in Washington. This kind of immoral politicking is extremely evident in Senator Harry Reid’s version of the healthcare bill. Most notably, the so-called “Cornhusker Kickback” has recently angered Americans by promising that Nebraska’s Medicaid expansion bill will be covered by federal tax dollars. This typical back room dealing is an example of the broken promises made by the Obama administration.

Not only does the bill include this kickback, but the “Louisiana Purchase” addendum was included to buy Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu’s vote. This addition provides an extra $300 million in Medicaid funding to the government of Louisiana, and only Louisiana.

Recently, voters in Massachusetts elected Republican Scott Brown to fill the seat left open by the late Democrat Ted Kennedy. In his acceptance speech, Brown called for a re-writing of the current healthcare bill, but also promised that he would be the 41st vote against healthcare if it was not compromised. After his stunning victory in a normally deeply Democratic state, the politicking has begun anew. Immediately, rumors of trading nuclear power and healthcare deals became rampant across the country. This again simply shows the true nature of politics, and the promises left broken by our so-called champion of the people. Scott Brown said it right: “We can do better.”

—Andrew Breland, East junior

In addition, the Congressional Budget Office has released its findings that by 2030, the cost of this healthcare system to the government would be 29 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product, totaling over $4.6 trillion. This will all be added to the nation’s already insurmountable $14 trillion debt, which eventually will have to be paid by taxpayers through exorbitant taxes on my generation and my children’s generation.

Something must be done about the healthcare market. For too long, companies have denied, delayed and defended against insuring average citizens, by hiding behind the shames of preexisting conditions and ineligible citizens. I agree that these practices must be stopped; every American should have access to healthcare, but not through the government, not through back room negotiations for a single vote for the government’s takeover of the healthcare system and certainly not by invading on the private sector and disrupting the flow of laissez-faire capitalism.

Got Something To Say? The Spark, which provides an open forum for students, faculty, subscribers and community members, encourages letters to the editor. Letters can be sent to the publication at the address below or dropped off in the journalism classroom (room 118). Letters must be signed, and the staff reserves the right to edit letters for length, grammar, invasion of privacy, obscenity or potential libel. The Opinion Editors will contact letter writers for confirmation.

Spark c/o Lakota East High School 6840 Lakota Lane Room 118 attn: Opinion Editor Liberty Township, OH 45044 Phone: (513) 759-8615 ext 15118 Fax: (513) 759-8633 Email: lehs.spark.opinion@gmail.com

Spark Notes This December 2003 issue of Spark, the staff took a closer look into diversity and faith, with a variety of in-depth stories in the package section of the paper.

The news section featured a story on East students’ participation in Diversity Week, and the feature section talked about unique style of

4 | Spark | February 12, 2010

Oxford-based radio station 97X. The sports section showcased several East athletes juggling multiple sports while still earning high grades.

In the opinion section, columnist Anna Messinger discussed Ohio’s proposed ban on homosexual marriage.

Spark Kevin Li, Dana Sand Editor-in-Chief Sally Ryan Business Manager Radhika Madhavan Design Manager Caroline Tompkins Photo Manager Tyler Castner, Anna Hartman Managing Editor Amanda Kaine Copy Director Katrina Echternacht Layout Director Lauren Ellis, Dan Garrett, Victoria Liang Entertainment Editor Alyssa Davis, Kim Shearer Feature Editor Meredith Bleuer, Liv Devitt Lifestyle Editor Jill Bange, Ariadne Souroutzidis, Kavya Sreevalsan News Editor Ryan Fay, Lisa Liu, Nitya Sreevalsan Opinion Editor Justine Chu, Mason Hood, Lucy Stephenson Package Editor Sarah Fanning, Faiz Siddiqui, Sarah Wilkinson Sports Editor Abby Buns, Logan Schneider, Heidi Yang, Sarah Zins Art Section Editor Eric Muenchen, Dan Turner Photo Section Editor Sarah Craig Business Associate Allison Korson, Anjana Jagpal Public Relations Director Brittany Bennett Survey Coordinator Dean Hume Advisor Spark is a publication that is produced at Lakota East High School. The magazine is completely student-generated through the efforts of the Journalism I, Journalism II and Journalism III-Honors classes. The publication material may not always reflect the views of the Lakota Local School District.

Content is controlled and edited by the staff editors.

The staff will publish only legally protected speech adhering to the legal definitions of libel, obscenity and the invasions of privacy.

The publication is produced every five weeks.

Production costs are covered through advertising sales, subscription sales and fundraisers. Advertising information can be obtained by writing to the business manager at the address below or at sparkbusiness@ gmail.com.

The purpose of Spark is to inform the students, faculty, subscribers and community members of news, information and issues that may influence or affect them. Spark accepts news releases, guest columns and sports information releases.

Spark is a member of the National Scholastic Press Association, the Ohio Scholastic Media Association, the Northeastern Ohio Scholastic Press Association, the Journalism Education Association, Quill and Scroll and the Columbia Scholastic Press Association.

From The Editor I’ve never been to a wedding. Now that I think about it, the closest I’ve ever been was watching Jim and Pam get married on The Office. Yet when people have asked me what I want to do with the rest of my life, marriage has always sat snugly between college graduation and kids. Without giving it much thought, I had always assumed that I’d get married.

This package, however, has made me really look at the institution of marriage. With staggering statistics, like the 50 percent rate of divorce, I’ve started to question my desire for a marriage. Paying attention to news doesn’t help either. Everything from former Senator John Edwards admitting he’s the father of his videographer’s daughter to Tiger Woods revising his prenuptial agreement to keep his Swedish supermodel spouse from leaving him suggests a world rampant with infidelity.

More importantly, the amount of divorce and adultery in the United States suggests that for many, monogamy isn’t working.

Instead of continuing with tradition, let’s welcome polyamory—the practice of engaging in intimate relationships with more than one person with the consent of all those involved.

The entire concept of a polyamorous relationship seems to conflict with the monogamous ideals that the majority of Americans adhere to, but around the nation, the number of openly polyamorous families is growing quickly. Last July, Newsweek published a story about “ethical nonmonogamy” and estimated that the number of polyamorous families is close to “half a million, with thriving contingents in nearly every major city.”

While polyamory is growing, it is running into several legal problems. In the fight for same-sex marriage, gay-marriage advocates want separation because homosexuality isn’t a choice while polyamory is. On top of that, conservatives want to use polyamory as an example of the “moral degradation” that will soon follow once same-sex marriages are legalized. Mike Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas and presidential candidate, warned that once the definition of marriage is changed, it’s impossible to know what will happen.

Yet just like in monogamous relationships, the most important qualities for successful polyamorous relationships are respect, communication and love.

While it is looked down upon by many traditionalists, the goal of polyamorous relationships is for everyone to live together happily, and when half of marriages fail, maybe it is time to look at something new.

Polyamory is not an excuse—infidelity is never acceptable. But in a world where friends with benefits and divorce are common occurrences, it shouldn’t seem too shocking that polyamory is growing. After all, polyamorous relationships rid people of the temptation to cheat by giving them an alternative—exploring other relationships with the consent of those involved. What polyamory doesn’t do for many, however, is give the same sense of safety and reliability, and that will keep the majority of people in monogamous relationships.

With the growing debate on same-sex marriage, as well as the growing number of openly polyamorous relationships, Spark chose to examine the sacred union between two people, and as the divorce rate climbs past 50 percent, it is long past time that someone does.

“The goal of polyamorous relationships is for everyone to live together happily.”

Spark c/o Lakota East High School 6840 Lakota Lane Liberty Township, OH 45044 Phone: (513) 759-8615 ext 15118 Fax: (513) 759-8633 Email: lehs.spark@gmail.com

5 | Spark | February 12, 2010

news | world map

NEWSWIRE Canada

Haiti

[Feb. 2] Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams decided to undergo surgery in the U.S. because the treatment he is seeking is not available in his home province.

[Jan.11] A 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti, destroying buildings and leaving thousands of Haitians homeless. Organizations around the world scrambled to raise money to rebuild the area and to search for anyone left in the rubble.

North Korea

[Feb. 3] A South Korean newspaper reported that North Korea’s concentrated efforts to minimize private markets have triggered runaway inflation and caused the leaders to reevaluate some of their methods.

Mexico

Somalia

[Feb. 4] Peacekeeping groups condemned the violence in Mogadishu, saying that all fighting groups are “partly responsible.”

Pakistan

[Feb. 3] Three American soldiers were killed in a Taliban suicide attack, revealing the American military assistance in Pakistan.

information – www.msnbc.com

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FACE VALUE

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percent of 620 students surveyed at East planned on attending the Swing Dance.

►

361 out of 620 surveyed students at East have recycling in their home.

infographic abby buns and radhika madhavan

[Feb. 2] The man who initiated an attack on a teenager’s birthday party was killed in a shootout with police. The man had intended to wipe out everyone in a rival drug gang but mistakenly shot at the wrong people.

news | world map

Engaging the Students story christina wilkerson

►

39 percent

Despite the many budget cuts facing the Lakota Local School District, the student engagement survey conducted in the spring of 2009 appears to have helped increase student involvement in school.

“As a part of the school district’s strategic plan, student engagement is high on our list,” said East Freshman Campus Student Activities Coordinator Craig Ulland.

“Our goal is to have our entire student body, grades 9-12, involved in at least one afterschool function, whether it’s football, French Club, intramurals, Prom Committee or marching band.”

The survey, which was supplied and created by Indiana University, focuses on three major areas of student engagement: academic, social/behavioral and emotional.

Ulland noted that East students’ academic success correlates with participation in extracurricular activities.

According to Christy Lleras, a professor of Human and Community Development at the University of Illinois, academically high-performing schools excel in providing opportunities through extracurricular activities that help create the kind of work habits, behaviors and attitudes that employers value.

In the 2009-10 school year, around 1,000 club cards were purchased by students at East who wanted to become involved in clubs.

“The club cards level the playing field,” said East Principal Dr. Keith Kline.

“Given the economy, [paying a separate fee for every club] would really price students out of joining more than one thing.”

The cards are more fair in the sense that students are not limited by finances in the number of clubs that they join.

With the goal of having the entire student body involved in an extracurricular activity and the desire to offer as many clubs to the students as East possibly can, money is definitely a restricting factor. That has not, however, stopped several clubs from being added this year, including The Green Club, Random Acts of Kindness Club, Hacky Sack Club and Eastside Sisters Club.

The Random Acts of Kindness Club, which was started by East senior Anna Hartman, focuses on exactly what the club is called.

“We will talk about doing little things like buying a pack of gum for someone, or putting a dollar in the vending machine, but not taking the drink so that the next person will get it for free,” said Hartman. “It will give students even more opportunities to get involved and to get to know more people.”

While Kline believes that the $10 club cards aid in reducing the financial burden of clubs on students so they will get involved, some students disagree.

“I didn’t have the money to join French Club, but I wanted to,” said sophomore Kaiti Collins. “I knew my parents couldn’t help me out any, so I just couldn’t do it.”

When considering the main expenses of joining a club, from the individual club’s fees to the expense of t-shirts, the additional $10 may not sound too appealing.

To help accommodate the financial needs of students, many East clubs cut their costs. The Spanish club at East lowered its club fee to $10 from the $20 fee last year and also decided against club t-shirts.

“We didn’t want the kids to have to pay so much out of their pocket,” said Dana Chapman, The Spanish Club advisor.

The initiation of club cards, lowering of club fees and addition of clubs were not only efforts to help students financially, but also to motivate them to be involved— resulting in higher academic achievement.

“Research tells us that if you’re engaged in school beyond the regular school day, you’re going to do better in school,” said Kline. n

► of 620 surveyed students at East have attended a girls’ basketball game.

POINT BLANK

“I love to hear them say, ‘This is my favorite dance,’ or, ‘I was doing this part in the back of my English class.’”

—East sophomore Bridget Lally on creating choreography for East’s winter musical (page 12)

“You start to wonder if your ship and all the people you are sailing with have everything they need to confront nature.”

—East Assistant Principal Christopher Kloesz on his time in the U.S. Coast Guard (page 19)

“I like it the way it is now, even if it’s not that good. I can pretty much get away with anything I want.”

—East junior Jessika Teran on life with divorced parents (page 35)

“It is a waste of resources for the TV companies to spend money on a pregame show where every analyst picks the Colts to win.”

—East senior Brandon Kors on the value of watching sports on TV (page 60)

“After viewing scores of men and women dying, screaming and dragging the wounded away, I was absolutely mortified.”

—East sophomore Sean Lewis on violence in video games (page 64)

East students out of 620 students surveyed support same-sex marriage.

74 percent of 620 East students surveyed do not like anime.

7 | Spark | February 12, 2010

news | senior projects

Amplifying Senior Standards Future seniors may have to fufill senior requirements in order to graduate, as determined by the governor’s education plan. story victoria liang

A

ccording to Governor Ted Strickland’s proposal entitled, “Reforming Ohio’s Education System for the 21st Century,” seniors may be required to complete community service projects to graduate in future school years.

“Senior projects mean students are working in an independent way, like in the real world.

They demonstrate creativity, work ethic and presentation skills which are needed in the workforce,” said Regional Director of Southwest Ohio Brewster Rhoads.

Kings High School already has such a program in place. Students are required to complete 75 hours of community service by January of their graduating year. In the second semester of senior year, each student creates a reflection piece under the guidance of an adult mentor and presents the project to a panel of faculty and community members in the spring.

The project must include an introduction, a visual element and a written work, which can range from a letter to a creative piece.

Kings High School counselor Heidi Murray believes senior projects are more than just another assignment.

“It’s a last bonding moment for our seniors, like a rite of passage [that they experience] together,” said Murray.

East counselor Jill Kelechi agrees that the senior projects would be helpful.

“If it’s something they work on through a whole school year, it’ll be helpful to developing and giving [students] focus,” said Kelechi. “We have a lot of bright kids who are intelligent but lack maturity, discipline, time-management skills

and decisiveness.”

Kings senior Carlo Biedenharn feels that this is a beneficial requirement for seniors.

“These reflection projects and the required hours lightly force the students into participating in an activity other than academics, athletics and socializing,” said Biedenharn. “Also, the service projects and service hours are great college application boosters. You don't even have to go out of your way to find opportunities. The school shows you some and requires you to participate.”

2009 Kings High School graduate Carrie Zaeh earned a scholarship because of her community service project. Zaeh worked at orphanages in Mexico for one month each summer for three years through Back2Back Ministries. There, she became inspired to work with her church, Grace Chapel, to start a fundraiser to stop child trafficking.

She then created a PowerPoint presentation, video and original oil painting explaining her work. All three of the judges on the panel recommended her for the $200 scholarship from the school’s sponsors.

“Some people slacked off and didn’t get much out of [their projects], but I actually really enjoyed doing this. I felt like I was impacting society,” said Zaeh.

Although not all presentations were of Zaeh’s caliber, Biedenharn feels that this project motivates seniors more than normal assignments.

“A senior can log 75 hours of community service by working the concession stand at soccer and football games, but they will realize that they did nothing for their community. Their

project will be ridiculed. The utter humiliation from a panel of three teachers is enough to entice [students] to do something meaningful at least once with their 75 hours,” said Biedenharn.

As for implementation of senior projects at East, all discussion is just speculation so far.

“Senior projects are very likely [to be a statewide requirement],” said Rhoads. “We just don’t know when it’ll kick in.”

Kelechi, however, believes that it is unlikely that senior projects will be a requirement at East.

“Virtually nothing in Strickland’s plan that involves high schools has been put in place. It’s a lovely idea [to have senior projects], but I don’t see it happening soon,” said Kelechi.

Additionally as Murray knows, organizing senior projects is a “daunting task.”

“Parameters need to be set as a way to keep students accountable. You can’t have it all in one department, to avoid giving them a burden. It’s very time-consuming for the staff to make sure [all 250 seniors] put in the effort,” said Murray.

According to a survey of 620 East students, 48 percent agree that senior projects should be a requirement.

“Senior projects can only have a positive effect on the community. There is no downside whatsoever,” said East junior Rebecka Sepela. “It may be annoying for the seniors, but it’s a good way to leave a lasting impression on Lakota, and everyone wants to [leave] a legacy.”

However, East junior Casey Clyde disagrees.

“I think that community service should be done as a choice. It takes all the fun out of helping others when you’re forced to [complete a project],” said Clyde. n

Around the School

Junior Natasia Reinhardt receives her H1N1 vaccine via a live virus nasal spray administered by a Butler County registered nurse. The shots were given out all day Dec. 17 in Room 200.

8 | Spark | February 12, 2010

Sophomores Shachi Shah and Rachel Harris at the Dec. 10 Spanish Club meeting where they watched How the Grinch Stole Christmas in Spanish to get into the holiday spirit.

Sophomores Briana Brooks and Miranda Elstun attend the first meeting of the Random Acts of Kindness Club on Jan. 26 where they thought of ideas to improve East students’ school day.

news | edline

Expanding Edline East implements a new way for students to schedule their classes online through Edline. story ameera khalid | infographic ameera khalid and radhika madhavan

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ast and Lakota West will begin scheduling classes online through Edline in the 201011 school year.

The district’s contract with Edline requires that $2.50 is paid per student each year for Edline, which results in a $46,250 expenditure.

John Laws, head of the Technology Department at Lakota, said “it was time” to move to online scheduling and put the money to use.

“Lakota receives the standard product for 22 websites with unlimited storage space per building and per teacher,” said Laws.

In fact, according to Laws, class scheduling was the originally intended use for Edline when the district purchased the program. However, Laws first wanted the students, teachers and counselors to be comfortable using it for grades before they started having students schedule their classes on the website.

The change will help the district save money by eliminating the printing of student course books, each of which cost about $1 per student.

This saves the district about $7,000 altogether.

The change also bypasses the need for each teacher to sign a scheduling form because they will be able to enter their recommendations electronically.

The new system is aimed at more efficiently

My Classes & Shortcuts My Content

Honors English 11 English 111

Command Center

Add

German III

Honors English 11 Honors Pre-Calc Honors Physics AP Government German III

Drop

CP Pre-Calc Algebra II Government Economics AP Government Honors Physics

OLIVIA O’CONNOR

Contents

Teacher Recommendations

Course List

Honors Pre-Calc Account

do not talk one-on-one with their teachers about what they want to take and what is being recommended.

East math teacher Cheryl Davis’ class recommendations were not as personal as they have been in the past.

“I made a general statement [to my classes],” Davis said.

Also, East is planning to hold elective fairs to enable students to examine elective options.

Furthermore, according to East Principal Dr. Keith Kline, counselors will meet with large groups of people. Personal meetings can be arranged with counselors, however, if the student feels that it is necessary.

Scheduling classes via Edline was pioneered in the district with summer school classes in the summer of 2009.

East junior Jess Sanders does not like scheduling classes online rather than on paper.

“Personally, I like having the hard copy in front of me that I can check,” said Sanders.

However, East sophomore Erin McNally, who also attended summer school, does like online scheduling.

“I think it’s easier to schedule online because you don’t have to worry about losing papers,” said McNally. n

Scheduling on Edline

My Edline | Home | Help | Logout

Home

utilizing the East guidance counselors during the summer months, because the counselors previously entered class codes by hand. In the past, each counselor had to enter more than 55,000 codes for class schedules. East guidance counselor Matt Rabold said that much of the counselors’ work in the summer consists of catching mistakes like students requesting classes without having the prerequisites, a student having one too many classes or repeating a class or a student not having enough classes. However, with Edline, this issue should be eliminated.

“The computer is able to monitor what students are asking for,” said Rabold.

The East administration also hopes to minimize complications by having students will register in groups of graduating classes and in order of seniority.

When students log into Edline, they will see two lists: a list of all available classes and a list of classes recommended by their teachers. They will then be able to simply click a button to add a class to a third list: a list of requested classes.

After a student requests courses, counselors will give them a draft list of classes to ensure it is correct to accommodate for any potential technological glitches.

With the Edline scheduling system, students

Users can scroll through a list of available courses at East and can choose which classes they want to take during the next school year.

Submit

Users can also select all or some of the classes under Teacher Recommendations to add to their Requested Classes list.

Requested Classes Honors English 111 German III Fine Art I Economics

Lakota Local Schools Activities Drama Club Interim Progress Report Report Cards School Info

Links Disclaimer Disclaimer (Links) Lakotaonline Home Page LEHS Freshman Campus Home Page LEHS Freshman Campus Website LEHS Main Campus Home Page LEHS Main Campus Website

Chemistry 101 Biology II information john laws

When students can sign up for classes: 2009-2010 juniors Feb. 5 – Feb. 11 2009-2010 sophomores Feb. 12 – Feb.18 2009-2010 freshmen Feb. 19 – Feb. 25

9 | Spark | February 12, 2010

news | swing dance

Jazzing It Up East’s jazz ensembles held the annual Swing Dance to raise money for the bands and entertain East students with a night full of jazz music and professional swing dancing. story alexandra wilson | photo dan turner

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n the school hallways the week before, girls were in a tizzy, asking for second opinions on what dress to wear, while the boys endorsed the event with Facebook statuses, attempting to coerce friends into attending. Held as a band fundraiser and community gathering, the fourth annual East Jazz Swing Dance was on Jan. 23 in the East Freshman Campus cafeteria.

The profits from the dance went toward the Lakota East Upbeat Club, a group of band parents that organize fundraisers for all the East bands including the concert, marching and jazz bands. The exact amount of money raised is not yet available; however, Swing Dance Committee

“

in couples and groups of teens dance all in one place,” said Gallant. “Anything goes.”

The attendees were not the only ones who learned to swing dance; three Lakota administrators were paired up with professional dancers in a swing dance contest. This year’s participants were East Freshman Associate Principal Suzanna Davis, East Freshman Dean of Students Bill Brinkman and East Freshman Associate Athletic Director Craig Ulland. After the competition concluded, the crowd chose first-time champion Ulland as the winner.

The audience also got a chance to show off their skills in a last-couple-standing battle judged by the Lakota Administrators.

East seniors Dan Garrett and Kavya Sreevalsan won for the second year in a row, and each received a $10 gift card to Panera Bread.

Even students who did not progress far in the competition enjoyed the evening.

“I love learning—well, trying to learn how to swing dance,” said sophomore Erin McNally, a third time participant in the dance and a pianist in the 8 o’clock jazz band. “It makes the dance a lot more fun when you learn to dance with everyone else.”

According to Jazz Band Director Todd Hartman, the swing dance gave the jazz band students an opportunity to play in front of a wide audience they would not reach in a normal concert setting, playing for fellow jazz students, peers, young children and adults.

“This is a real-life experience,” said Hartman.

“Our students are preparing music for an actual event where they provide the entertainment for audience members who have purchased tickets to hear and dance to the music of the bands.

This type of experience is invaluable for a high school student.” n

Our students are preparing music for an actual event where they provide the entertainment for audience members.

lead organizer Cheree Gallant said the dance made over $5,000.

Music was provided by live performances from the East Jazz Bands. The evening opened with the two freshmen bands, 12 o’clock and 2 o’clock, followed by the increasingly prestigious 7 o’clock and 8 o’clock East jazz bands. The night ended with the Eastside Jazz Ensemble, the most skilled jazz band that plays college level music. The dancers received 10 minutes of swing dance lessons in between each band’s performance from professional dance instructor Mary Ramirez-Cook.

According to Gallant, over 400 tickets total were sold, but as of press time an exact number is not available. In a survey of 620 East students, 13 percent said they were planning on going to the dance. The dance was attended by a wide variety of people, including young kids, teens and adults.

“Sons dance with their moms, daughters dance with their fathers, high schoolers dance

10 | Spark | February 12, 2010

”

Seniors Chelsea Lewis and Danny Bauer swing at the East Jazz Swing Dance.

news | book club

Sisterhood It is what the Eastside Sisters book club formed in an attempt to relieve female tension. The club analyzes problems faced by characters in novels and applies these situations to real life, bringing the girls together.

Senior Mandee Mergard focuses during a discussion at a Eastside Sisters meeting.

story victoria reick-mitrisin | photos dan turner and sierra whitlock

“S

top the drama, the bullying and the cliques.” East guidance counselor Jill Kelechi and Club President Taylor Lindeman established the Eastside Sisters book club with this mission in mind, desiring a school environment with more “healthy communication.”

Recently, the club read one of three books that it will cover this year, The Fat Boy Chronicles

by Diana Lang and Michael Buchanan. The book, which will be released as a movie this February, is based on Doug Henning, a student from Mason High School, who was bullied because of his weight.

East students had the chance to go to an assembly on Dec. 16, 2009 during their usual mentoring session in fifth period. At the assembly, students were able to ask Lang, Buchanan and Kelly Washington—who plays the main character Sable in the upcoming movie— questions about the film.

In The Fat Boy Chronicles, Buchanan and Lang wanted to show real situations that teenagers could relate to and make them into a story.

“Growing up is not easy,” said Lang. “All these hormones—it makes things much more tough and more dramatic.”

In addition to discussing characters’ problems, the Eastside Sisters use books as a forum for conversing about issues using real-

“

When kids move out of their comfort zone, it stops bullying,” said Kelechi. “We [founded the club] because staff and student services were getting so bogged down by the female drama of the school.”

According to Lindeman, all students are responsible for bullying in some way and the Eastside Sisters helps people not bottle up their feelings.

“People can get [their problem] out there and not feel like they are being [judged],” said Lindeman. n additional reporting by Ashley Wolsefer and Emily Merrick

The Eastside Sisters meet in the East library to discuss the latest book that they have read.

A book club is a great catalyst for discussions of issues.

”

life situations of members in the club. During meetings, members strive to create a comforting and confidential environment where students feel safe to share their experiences.

“A book club is a great catalyst for discussions of issues,” said Kelechi. “Book club gives us a reason to get together.”

The club hopes to expand its reach by bringing in visitors that are willing to volunteer their stories and by helping members of the community.

“We [would like to] put all our focus on one project,” said Lindeman.

Though the group consists of members nominated by Kelechi, both Kelechi and Lindeman agree that their mission is to create a support system that people can go to for help.

“Kids have to move out of their cliques.

page 46 Entertainment reviews the novel read by Eastside Sisters, The Fat Boy Chronicles 11 | Spark | February 12, 2010

news | winter play

East theater students perfect hair and makeup for the cast at dress rehearsal on Dec. 22.

When the Curtain Calls Behind the scenes of winter musical Schoolhouse Rock, East students work diligently to get the sets built, the costumes ready and the actors prepared to sing and dance on opening night. story jill bange | photos dan turner | infographic abby buns

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pon entering East’s auditorium for any theater performance, the first object that comes into view is the large, dark stage stretched across the front of the room. In fact, from the opening scene to the curtain call at the close of the play, the stage is all that most people will ever see of the auditorium. However, the stage is just the tip of the iceberg; few people are aware of what happens behind the curtain. The truth of the matter is that it takes more effort and dedication to produce an East musical than one would typically imagine.

An entirely new perspective is exposed by simply stepping on the stage, where the cast practices each scene of the winter musical Schoolhouse Rock, which is directed completely by East theater students. Various musical numbers are also rehearsed on this stage, including dances created by the play’s student choreographer, sophomore Bridget Lally.

While most of the Schoolhouse Rock cast consists of experienced choir members, few have been dancing as long as Lally, who has been involved in ballet, tap and jazz since the age of three. Therefore, her biggest challenge was keeping the choreography simple.

“I tend to make the dances too hard, and I also forget that they are singing at the same time, which is something I’m not used to thinking about,” said Lally. “Another challenge is having to type out the moves for the dancers to review at home. A simple move takes five lines to describe and can still be misinterpreted.”

Lally addresses this challenge by adjusting

12 | Spark | February 12, 2010

the choreography as practice goes on to create a dance that can be understood and performed by everyone. She also has the help of cast members Kaity Conner and Chelsea Lewis, who help individuals while Lally teaches the dance to the entire group.

In the end, the method works: the cast is often enthusiastic about Lally’s choreography.

“I love to hear them say, ‘This is my favorite dance,’ or, ‘I was doing this part in the back of my English class,’” said Lally.

Behind the curtain, even more of the action

PRODUCING A PLAY Spark goes behind the scenes of East’s Drama Club to discover how a play translates from script to stage.

takes place. All of the sets are built and painted backstage.

Painted cutouts of characters are placed around the auditorium for decoration, but the biggest set piece in Schoolhouse Rock is a platform with three levels on which the actors dance and perform.

Cast members rehearse the choreography for the Schoolhouse Rock theme song.

news | winter play According to adult advisor Sally Barker, this platform has been recycled from several past performances.

“Every time we tear a set down, we reuse the wood. This platform has been used and repainted for three past plays, and now it will be painted again for Schoolhouse Rock,” said Barker.

In most plays, ideas for the set are included in the script because certain pieces are necessary to the story. However, this musical’s script did not, and so allowed room for student set designer Amy Botos to be as creative as she wanted.

“I was given a lot of liberty; I could play with ideas that our student director team gave me to come up with a few very unique ideas,” said Botos.

For example, Botos designed two flats, which are large pieces of wood that have three flat sides which can be painted to depict different backgrounds. Botos used the sides on one flat for the song “I’m Just a Bill,” including images of the Oval Office, the Capitol Building and a town hall.

One consideration taken into account was that the props had to be light or flat so they could be easily transferred to Woodland Elementary for an in-school performance on Jan. 28. The performance itself also had to be altered because the stage at Woodland is different from the stage at East.

Costumes have to be designed not only for style, but also for function. Student costume designer Katie Iles made costumes that doubled as props or had pockets to store props during the performance.

Perhaps the most complicated costume is a train with one section for each of three cast members to wear. This costume, like any other, had to be designed so that dancing was easy and changing between scenes was quick.

Iles comments that the audience “hears with their eyes, not their ears,” so she spent several hours on each costume so each would reflect the songs as well as the characters’ personalities.

“One character, Dori, is an outspoken, spunky girl who is full of life. Her personality goes perfectly with a big, bold or bright color like purple, which also complements the actress’ skin tones and hair color,” said Iles, who will study either graphic or fashion design at the University of Cincinnati’s college of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning (DAAP) next year.

Out the back theater doors and across the hall is the choir room, where East theater members concentrate just on the music. As student vocal director Zach Reber and student rehearsal pianist Danny Bauer lead the rehearsal, the cast practices their individual parts and perfect the harmony among the entire choir.

Even under student direction, the cast is focused and quickly knocks out several songs at each rehearsal. Part of what makes practice flow smoothly is the effort that all individuals put into learning their part of the song on their own time.

This additional time allows Reber to experiment with the songs and alter them for the experienced cast. For example, in the song

Above: The “block” set revolves for each scene.

Right: Tech crewmember and senior Sam Earlywine paints a dropback set.

Schoolhouse Rock How to create a school theatrical set:

1.

2.

Read the play. Study it so that any set requirements are present in the design.

Sketch the set from above. Include any details that are needed to act out the scenes. Then, sketch the set from the audience’s point of view.

3.

4.

Create a model of the set to scale, so that the dimensions will work when building the life-sized version.

Make the set. Remember that accessibility is crucial. Make sure the set is uncluttered to ensure that it does not distract from the action.

“Unpack your Adjectives,” Reber changed the final note of the song to a six-part harmony chord, which gave the end of the song extra power.

“That’s the best part about being vocal director—being able to teach other people what I love to do,” says Reber.

East’s winter musical Schoolhouse Rock is showing Jan. 29 at 7:00 p.m., Jan. 30 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., and Jan. 31 at 2:00 p.m. This performance is different from other East plays because it focuses on a younger audience, and also because it is directed by students rather than

by East Drama Club advisor Kristen Statt.

Student director David Potter enjoys the experience from Schoolhouse Rock because he plans on majoring in theater in college.

“The best part about being director is watching an idea in my head come to life on the

stage,” said the six-year theater member.

As director, Potter had to oversee each part of the musical from cast to crew and make sure they would all fit together smoothly on opening night. Potter plans to use this experience beyond college because he aspires to perform on Broadway.

Senior and four-year theater member Kasey Dillingham, a veteran of many productions, has similar responsibilities as stage manager of Schoolhouse Rock. Although she does not plan on pursuing theater in the future, she enjoys acting as a hobby and sees it as “an opportunity to lead her peers professionally” throughout the process of creating a musical.

“My favorite part of directing is opening night,” said Dillingham. “After all the long practices, disagreements and plan changes, it all comes together better than you ever imagined.” n

13 | Spark | February 12, 2010

news | feature

8:00 am

9:00 am

8:30 am

9:30 am

Joan Powell is president of the Lakota Board of Education, having served 12 years total. As she begins her fourth term on the board, it is apparent the former chemical engineer and mother of two grown children knows the ins and outs of West Chester and Liberty Township. She has helped organize the seventh-largest school district in the state through tremendous growth, state mandates, three different superintendents and financial obstacles, but this is the reason most people are familiar with her. Spark takes a look at a day in the life of

POWERHOUSE

POWELL story and photos dan turner

12:00 pm

14 | Spark | February 12, 2010

1:00 pm

7:00 pm

9:45 pm

news | feature

Powell’s Planner Appointments

8:00 am

In a medium-sized house, nestled in a cozy neighborhood within the district, lives Joan Powell and her husband. She opens her door and the sweet aroma of a homemade pumpkin pie rushes out. Powell grew up in Richmond, Indiana before she attended Vanderbilt University for a Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering. Since her move to West Chester in 1988, Powell has been an active member of the community.

8:30 am

“Nothing like homemade anything,” said Powell with a grin. With a successful pumpkin pie already in the oven, she begins an apple pie. Powell likes to partake in activities to benefit the community, such as making quilts for needy children. Beaters, apples, knives and an assortment of mismatched silverware clutter the counters. But for those delicious pies, it was worth the cleanup.

9:00 am

Powell indulges in a Diet Pepsi at the kitchentable. Powell is always grateful to get out of her home office where she works on her job as a realtor with Huff Realty in West Chester. “With everything wireless nowadays I can sit and work anywhere. It’s such a convenience,” she said. She reads her emails from potential clients and concerned community members and individually replies to them. Afterward, Powell sits down to begin her daily Sudoku.

9:30 am

Moving from the kitchen to her desk, Powell sits on her laptop and begins sorting through hundreds of emails. Not only is she president of the Lakota Board of Education, but she also is a member of the Butler Tech Board of Education. The sound of the laptop keys click and flutter at a rapidly. The oven beeps, and as the last pie is removed from the oven, Powell’s mission in the kitchen comes to a close.

12:00 pm

Powell’s first meeting of the day is for the Facilities and Operations Committee. This is a short meeting; it lasts only fifteen minutes compared to most meetings which last two to three hours. At this specific meeting, the committee discusses new ideas, such as allowing students to ride their bikes to school. Powell listens intently to her colleagues and then contributes her ideas. After that, it is off to her next location.

1:00 pm

After the meeting, Powell heads to Wyandot Elementary for a school visit with Principal Elizabeth Spurlock. Going from room to room, Powell stands and hears about the students’ latest endeavors. As Powell visits the kindergarten section of the building, she enters, saying, “Is this kindergarten or first grade? I can’t even tell the difference!” This receives big grins from the children. “When you get down in the details or the dump, you can come here. This is what it’s all about,” said Powell.

7:00 pm

Here is where most Lakota parents, teachers and students are familiar with Powell—the board meetings. Powell sits in her designated seat directly in front of the American flag at the Lakota Central Office. She answers questions about student engagement and asks thought-provoking questions about the information the other board members present.

Being on the Board of Education is like a full-time job, but board members are paid only $125 for every board meeting.

9:45 pm

Powell is a devoted board member working from dawn until dusk with a bubbly personality. Lakota is a place she loves and she labors to better the community and the ensure to welfare of its children.

The New Board

story kavya sreevalsan

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he newly elected Lakota Board of Education consisting of President Joan Powell, Vice President Ben Dibble and board members Ray Murray, Lynda O’Connor and Paul Lohr, convened for the first time on Jan. 11. The board’s first priorities include organizing themselves, bringing the new members up to date, continuing to adjust budget and educating the community about the possibility of and need for a levy.

“I think the most important thing is just to get the board organized. My role is to help understand what the board needs to make a decision [such as] whether they want to put a levy on the ballot,” said Powell. “The important thing is understanding what this board—especially the new members—need to see, what data they want to see and what conversations they want to have before making that decision.”

At the board’s first general meeting, Powell coordinated board activities such as when each board member is to attend meetings of local organizations. The board also carried out its usual activities, including approving school trips and donations.

New members Ben Dibble and Ray Murray were also welcomed to the board.

“For the last three or four years, I have been on every committee [the board] has had and I think that’s helped me. But it is overwhelming,” said Murray, the board’s Legislative Liaison. “[It’s the board’s] terminology. [There are] things we have control over and things we don’t have control over.”

Dibble has the same sentiment about the responsibilities that come with being a board member.

“The vice president’s role is to run the meeting when the president is not there. It’s not a big stretch for me. I would not want to be President this year,” said Dibble. “The president has to know a lot more than I know. I have been in the district for 16 years, but there is a difference. As a school board member, you pay a lot more attention to the details, [while] as a community member, you look at the general idea.”

The board members agree that the most pressing concern for the board is the budget. With the economy and Governor Ted Strickland’s education plan, [the budget] in the district has been tightened. For the 2010-11 school year, the district will be faced with a $9 million deficit. Because the district is flat-funded, the state government does not provide additional revenue as the district continues to gain more students each year.

According to Powell, the state has decided that the district should receive more local funding to cover the cost of education.

“I think, at some point, the district is going to have to have additional revenue. This community needs to come to grip that the state believes that we need to take care of ourselves,” said Powell. “I believe the only options available to us are increasing revenue locally, coupled with reducing expenditures in every way possible.”

Dibble agrees with this philosophy and believes that the board will have to assess which option will work best for the community.

“You can do a traditional four year levy or you can do an emergency levy for a certain amount of time. There are a lot of options that we have to look at and gauge what the community will say yes to and hope that we choose correctly,” said Dibble.

Murray contends that it will be a long process to improve the district’s financial situation.

“We are in a situation where our budget is [tight not because] of out-of-control spending, but years of spending. And we are not going to change it overnight,” said Murray. “I call it tinkering towards Utopia.” n PART TWO in a four-part series

Each issue the Spark will cover a single budget aspect. This issue covers the Board’s plan to 15 | Spark | February address Lakota finances. 12, 2010

news | district news

Tracking Transportation As technology advances, the Lakota Local School District incorporates Global Positioning Systems to track every move buses make. story nathan dibble | infographic jordan wheeler

B

y the end of February, Global Positioning Systems (GPS) will be installed in all Lakota buses in order to provide safety and operational functions, according to Chris Passarge, Executive Director of Business Operations for Lakota.

The GPS units are being funded and installed

by Petermann Transportation without any cost to the Lakota Local School District.

“The use of GPS devices to assist the district to improve operation was discussed with our current transportation service provider, Petermann Transportation,” said Passarge. “They have used this type of technology in other districts and agreed that this could help Lakota in our initiatives to improve our system.”

As the largest busing provider in Ohio, Petermann Transportation provides busing for over 20 school districts including Monroe, Madison, Kings, Hamilton and Clermont school districts.

“The GPS units will cost [Petermann] close to $250,000 to install and operate,” said Vice President of Petermann Transportation Joe Faessler. “The GPS devices are a lot like cell phones; they have an initial start-up cost, and then have a monthly charge for service.”

Such improvements will provide real time data to Lakota and transportation administration

regarding the locations of the 231 buses.

“The ability to track the 200 buses that may be out on the road at any one time is beneficial,” said Passarge. “For example, in inclement weather, the transportation department could track the location of each bus without calling over the radio, allowing the drivers to focus on driving in the inclement conditions. We could provide updates online and field phone calls on current bus locations and approximate time of arrivals to various locations.”

“

Evaluation of routes will lead to reduced fuel consumption.

1.

The GPS device works by acquiring a signal of the tracker on the bus by at least three of the 27 satellites that constantly circle the Earth.

2.

be, they shouldn’t be worried about the GPS at all,” said the seven-year bus driver. “The installation of the GPS doesn’t concern me at all.”

East senior Mustafa Eroglu has been riding Lakota buses since kindergarten, and has seen advances in the transportation system.

“It was really annoying on days the bus didn’t show up to my bus stop,” explained Eroglu. “[So] I think the GPS devices will [benefit] the Lakota transportation system. I don’t see how it could be a bad thing at all.”

The Lakota administration had also previously contemplated the idea of using new technologies to better the transportation system.

“The district had considered the use of GPS devices over the past 12 to 18 months but took time to explore the benefits of installing them on the bus fleet,” said Passarge. “With the success Petermann achieved at other districts using the devices, they agreed to invest in the devices for our fleet.”

Although the GPS units will provide tracking information to district and transportation administration, due to safety, licensing and support issues no direct access will be permitted to parents. However, according to Passarge, the advances in technology may expand to include a parental option in the future. n

”

The GPS will also lead to better busing routes, timing the 198 bus routes which travel a total of 15,700 miles each day. Combined with modern routing software, this evaluation of routes will lead to reduced fuel consumption and shorter ride times for students.

Lakota bus driver Dede Humbert believes the GPS devices will make bus drivers physically responsible.

“If [drivers] are where they are supposed to

Global Positioning System

Lakota’s new program institutes GPS devices into all buses.

The satellite sends a signal to the tracker and by judging how long it takes for the tracker to receive the signal from the satellite, the satellite can determine its distance from the tracker.

4.

The main office can now track the location of each bus by receiving the information from the satellite.

3.

When three satellites lock onto the bus, they can, as a unit, determine the latitude and longitude of the tracker.

information www.garmin.com

16 | Spark | February 12, 2010

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feature | community feature

Through the Hurricanes story ariadne souroutzidis | photos caroline tompkins

A

T

Each issue, the Feature section is running a story covering the life of one member of each of the five branches of the military.

he 210-foot-long boat rocks back and forth on the ocean like a children’s toy in the bathtub. For several moments, the vessel is rolled onto its side in the water, feeling more like a submarine than a boat. Many of the sailors are incapacitated from sea sickness as they are tossed around inside the boat. Christopher Kloesz, veteran member of the United States Coast Guard and East Vice Principal, lived this experience three times when he sailed through hurricanes Erin, Opal and Georges on the Coast Guard vessel Cutter Courageous.

As Kloesz’s friend Petty Officer Jason Mathers recalls from the experience of sailing through Hurricane Opal in 1995, the waves were 35 to 50 feet high.

“We had to lay out an eight-inch-diameter rope that we would use to tow the other ship. The waves were so big that they would hit the ship and the rope and throw it in a big ball,” recalls Mathers. “The waves would hit us and throw us across the deck of the ship like rag dolls.”

Many members of the Coast Guard were affected from sea sickness while sailing through hurricanes because their equilibrium was thrown off balance.

“In some ways, I was too scared to get sea sick.

Then the second and third time, I was too hyped up because it is an opportunity in experiencing something that not a lot of people get,” says Kloesz. “Sometimes you look at it and say, ‘I’m 25 years old. Is this going to be it?’ You start to wonder if your ship and all the people you are sailing with have everything they need to confront

nature.”

Kloesz originally was drawn into the Coast Guard by his love of boats; the Coast Guard guaranteed that he would be on a ship. However, Kloesz did not enlist after high school, but instead waited until after he had graduated from Xavier University to make the decision.

“I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do at that point [after college]. I couldn’t decide,” explains Kloesz. “I thought, ‘It’s just the time to go [sail and see the world].’ I didn’t want to become that old guy someday sitting there wondering what it would have been like.”

From his experience sailing through hurricanes, Kloesz draws inspiration in challenging moments with the motto, “This ain’t no hurricane.” Kloesz picked up the catch phrase from Chief Petty Officer Stewart, who, despite troubling situations, would say, “I’ve sailed through hurricanes and this ain’t no hurricane.” After being honorably

“

experiences in the Coast Guard, which fortified my decision about joining,” says Gallant. “[He told me about] the ups and downs [of the Coast Guard], why to do it and for what reason. He was just really helpful.”

In addition to talking to Kloesz, Gallant also had the opportunity to talk to several of Kloesz’s military friends, one of whom was a rescue swimmer, which is one of the jobs Gallant is interested in having in the Coast Guard.

“I don’t believe [that] anyone really knows if they want to do their career in the military or not. They may think they want to, but it’s nothing you can decide until you are actually in there,” says Gallant. “Just from all the people I talked to, [I think] I’m going to really enjoy being in the Coast Guard, but I don’t know that now because I haven’t experienced it.”

Gallant was deferred the first time he applied to the Coast Guard Academy, but he plans to

“

US

You start to wonder if your ship and all the people you are sailing with have everything they need to confront nature.

discharged from the military in June 1999, Kloesz began teaching English at Sycamore High School, where his personal motto helped him handle his students.

“I remember I had this student in my second year of teaching. He walked into the room, and he was known to be sort of a trouble maker and looked at me and said, ‘You just met the biggest challenge you’re ever going to meet,’” remembers Kloesz. “I looked at him and said, ‘Hey man, I’ve sailed through hurricanes. You ain’t no hurricane.

Have a seat.’ We got along pretty well after that.”

Despite the dangers he faced while in the Coast Guard, Kloesz does not regret his choice to join the military. In fact, Kloesz has used his experience in the Coast Guard to help East senior Evan Gallant make his decision about joining the Coast Guard Academy.

“Last year, recruiters came to the school from each branch of the military and gave presentations,” explains Gallant. “I listened to the presentations and decided I really like the Coast Guard, so I looked into it and did some research.”

Gallant ended up applying to the Coast Guard Academy. The application involved four essays, supplemental forms from his math and science teachers and a physical evaluation, which included push-ups, sit-ups and running.

“Mr. Kloesz told me about all of his

apply again during the regular admissions process.

He will learn if he was accepted into the Coast Guard Academy by April 15, which will determine how long he will be in the Coast Guard. If he goes to the Coast Guard Academy, he will be in the military for nine years. Four of those years would be spent in the Academy and then the next five would be spent in service to the Coast Guard.

If he enlists, there would be a minimum of four years of service to pay for his college education, after which he could decide if he wished to remain in the Coast Guard.

Kloesz’s experiences in the Coast Guard, which he shared with Gallant, have solidified Gallant’s decision to join the Coast Guard.

“I have the endless respect for Mr. Kloesz because he is a great man. He has really helped me along in my process; he has really given me some great knowledge,” explains Gallant. “He has been willing to share his experiences with me, which I greatly appreciated.”

Kloesz’s experiences in the Coast Guard range from sailing through hurricanes to learning to shoot all types of military weapons, and to being trained for fighting fires on board.

“You can look back and wonder how you could have done your life differently, but I would go into the service again if had to make the choice,” says Kloesz. n

19 | Spark | February 12, 2010

feature | community feature

The Hardest Fight story jordan wheeler | photo dan turner

The whole arena is bursting with commotion as he bounces up and down, throwing punches in the air, waiting to step onto the red, white and blue mat. Despite the tremendous clamor, to him it is completely silent. This is his last chance to make the United States Karate Team. Competitors from around the nation compete to earn a position on this team. But just like that, it was gone. The two minutes ran out and so did his chance.

20 | Spark | February 12, 2010

“I expected to win the whole division. I said to myself, ‘Look at these kids. How could I lose to them?’” says 2009 East graduate Majed El Mardi about his qualifying kumite fighting match to gain a position on the U.S. Karate Team. The U.S. team would be traveling to El Salvador to compete in The Pan American Games, which is a tournament between North American, South American and Central American countries.

“The Pan American Games [includes] the top competitors from each country competing against each other from this half of the world,” says Stephanie Wheeler, Majed’s instructor and coach.

Majed and his family immigrated to America from Sudan, Africa when he was 14 years old. His father, Adil, who was a political refugee for a year and a half because he stood up as a union leader, wanted his children to have

a better life and education. Adil immigrated to the U.S. just two weeks after 9/11. He eventually brought his wife Naudia and his four children: Sara, Mohammed and twin sons Majed and Mazin.

“We came here for a reason: better education and just to be a better person,” says Majed.

Adil and his family dove into the American culture and were naturalized in the East gym on Dec. 12, 2008. They became U.S. citizens—a dream Adil always had for his family.

Learning a new language and all around life style was difficult for Majed and his siblings.

“It was tough. I had tutors every day for two hours trying to learn the language,” says Majed.

But there was one thing that helped him feel more comfortable with the change he was encountering—karate.

“I was walking [by] the YMCA after playing basketball and saw the karate class and just decided to take it,” Majed says.

Wheeler saw something special in Majed after his first class.

“He was a sweet kid who was eager to learn, despite not knowing the language or knowing anyone,” Wheeler says.

Sticking with this new sport, Majed eventually earned a spot on the Buckner Martial Arts Competition Team. This team is made up of the top students of the school, called a dojo. They travel to tournaments nationwide to represent their dojo.

Four years and countless tournaments after walking into his first karate class, Majed experienced something he never imagined: he had the opportunity to travel to Fort Lauderdale, Florida for the qualifiers for the U.S. Karate Team, which would compete on July 19, 2009. Competitors from all over the nation come to the qualifiers in hope of earning a spot on the U.S. team.

For Majed, this date meant more than just traveling to El Salvador; it was a month after his father passed away.

Adil battled with brain cancer for many years of his life and passed away on June 19, 2009.

Majed realized that when he looked up in the stands to see his father, he would not be there—a drastic change to Adil’s constant attendance at every tournament. “[My dad] always motivated me. He said I should never give up,” says Majed. “Having a position on the U.S. team was one of the things he wanted me to do—become better at karate and just be a better person in life.”

When Majed’s final qualifying match came around for a spot on the team, the clock ran out and he lost, making him the first alternate.

“After the match was over, it was the first time I have ever seen him cry.

He was inconsolable. It wasn’t like he had just lost a kumite match or a place on the U.S. team; it was that he had failed his father. He laid on the side of the mat with his hands on his face for at least 20 minutes,” says Wheeler.

Making the U.S. Karate Team was one wish his father had for Majed. All the work Majed put into this one match seemed like a waste. The chance he had had slipped right through his fingers because he let his hands down, an important thing to avoid while fighting.

“I felt like I failed. I didn’t succeed. I worked hard, but I didn’t keep my hands up and I got kicked in the head. The smallest mistake made me lose,” Majed says.

Wheeler always reminded him to keep his hands up so he would not get kicked in the head. Even while he was in the ring fighting, she was screaming into the ring to keep his hands up.

“When I finally got him to talk, he said that he was just so disappointed in himself that he let his father down, himself down The El Mardi family clockwise from and me down. In actuality, I was top left: Majed, Sara, Mazin, just so proud of him to be there Mohammed, Naudia, Adil.

(Photo courtesy of El Mardi family.) and compete so soon after his father’s passing. I knew what it all meant to him,” Wheeler says.

Defeat was more than just losing a kumite match for Majed.

He was competing for more than just himself; he was competing for his team. He wanted to make them proud.

“It was personal. I really wanted to do this and I let myself down. I let my team down,” he said.

But two weeks later, Majed received an unexpected phone call. He was told that he would be traveling with the U.S. team to El Salvador and would be competing on September 4 and 5.

“I was really excited for him. It was a really good opportunity for him. He worked so hard for it,” says Stephen Buckner, Vice President of the U.S. National Karate-Do Federation and owner of Buckner Martial Arts.

Majed’s mother Naudia was very excited for her son, though the passing of her husband made her hesitant to send her son to a different country instead of staying home with his family.

“I was very excited because his dad would’ve liked Majed to be on the U.S. team. This time he was thinking about his dad. Now he can do what his father would want him to do,” says Naudia about finding out her son would be traveling to El Salvador.

Though words were not enough to explain Majed’s reaction to that one phone call, there was still sadness in the air at home.

“I was happy and sad at the same time. Happy because it was going to be a good experience and a great accomplishment. The sad part was my dad wasn’t there to see it,” says Majed.

The passing of his father took a toll on Majed and his whole family. His mother did not want him to leave; she wanted him to stay home and be with his family in the hard time. His coach thought, however, he was ready to compete in El Salvador.

“I think he was well prepared to travel to El Salvador. He had many responsibilities put on him at such a young age while his father was going through his years of illness. It made him mature quickly and become a very responsible young man,” says Wheeler.

Majed was brand new to the U.S. Team, but his teammates welcomed him with open arms. Majed competed in the kumite division, for which he had qualified in Fort Lauderdale.

There were 25 competitors in his division, and he fought five matches to make it to the medal rounds, in which Majed could earn first, second or third place recognition. These matches show competitors’ talent and those who make it to the medal rounds generally have a lot of experience.

This was Majed’s first tournament on the U.S. Team and without his coach—his first competition without his dad in the stands cheering him on.

With both courage and strength, especially after the death of his father, Majed defeated his opponents and placed third in The Pan American Games after five matches.

“It felt like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. I worked so hard, and it all paid off,” Majed says.

Upon returning home, he buried his bronze medal from El Salvador with his father.

“If he was there, I know he’d be proud of me and of what I have done,” says Majed. “This whole experience, I did it for him.” n

21 | Spark | February 12, 2010

feature | dart

Catherine stands on Mt. Fuji with the crater in the back left corner.

Distant Dreams story kaity conner

22 | Spark | February 12, 2010

daughter’s hopes to live and work in Japan someday.

“I think it will be comforting to know that she’s pursuing something that really interests her and means a lot to her,” says Susan.

Catherine’s passion for Japanese culture started with manga, highly stylized graphic novels created in Japan. It then grew to include Japanese television, anime and movies. Susan, who has an interest of her own in Japanese culture, watched as her daughter became familiar with the Japanese culture and language. “[Catherine’s] fascination with Japan is totally different [than mine].

I came about it because I lived Each issue the Spark staff picks a there. Hers was random East student and covers a more exposure unique aspect of his or her life.

photos courtesy of catherine mcdonald

D

evote years to studying a different world, its language and its ways. Pack up everything and hope the college education will be sufficient preparation for blending seamlessly into a foreign culture. Make two flights, the second lasting 14 long hours. Move almost 10,000 miles away from familiar sights, sound, taste, your friends and your family.

That is exactly what East junior Catherine McDonald has in mind.

“I’m thinking about studying abroad [in Japan] when I go to college for maybe a year or so. I might end up living there,” says Catherine.

“That’s kind of the perfect dream idea, to end up teaching English in a middle school in Japan.”

Although she is worried that distance may cause communication issues, Catherine’s mother Susan McDonald is supportive of her

to the media through some of the anime things and the television shows online,” says Susan. “I lived in Japan when I was young. When I was a baby, I lived there for two years and then my parents moved back there and I lived there from when I was four until I was nine.”

When Catherine received a letter from the People to People Student Ambassador Program, it was an answer to her prayers.

“My parents were like, ‘Why isn’t she screaming yet?

Has she not read it?’” says Catherine of the moment when her parents handed her People to People’s invitation to visit Japan the second and third weeks of June 2009. “I felt so lucky that this was the year [People to People was] going there, the year I got the letter. I was like, ‘That was cool, God! You had to have some part in that!’”

Catherine had been on multiple trips with her church’s youth group, but had never travelled outside of the country by herself. But her parents were confident that this was a good opportunity for her.

“We were not hesitant [to send Catherine to Japan] with the People to People group,” says Susan. “They had a lot of experience. We were not hesitant at all.”

The letter came a year before the trip would occur, and informational meetings began soon thereafter. Beginning in September 2008, students who had received notice of the trip were encouraged to attend these meetings to decide if the trip was a good fit for them.

“If you really wanted to go, you started going to the [instructional] meetings which were every month, and we would talk about cultural differences and things we needed to know,” says Catherine. “When we got closer to the trip, we would talk about packing tips and things like that.”

The other students on the trip became a huge part of the experience. Catherine wishes she had made more of an effort to create friendships before the trip.

“I knew pretty much everybody’s names, but I was really, really shy at those meetings,” she says. “I’m not as outgoing as I thought. I wish I’d been at [more of] those meetings and talked to people so I could be friends with them because a lot of them were different than I expected.”

However, Catherine did not take long to make lasting friendships.

“Once we got on the trip, there were a few people who I got closer to and we were like, ‘Oh OK we’re awesome,’” she says with a laugh.

“Now we’re really good friends.”

One such friend is Patrick Kelly, a junior at Winton Woods who spent “a bunch of time” with Catherine on the trip.

“I met her in the terminal to take the flight to Chicago,” says Kelly of the first time he “really talked” to Catherine. “We became good friends [while we were in Japan].”

In all, the group consisted of close to 30 students, four chaperones and a “very sweet” delegation manager—a native who works with the People to People organization and works as a guide for the students.

These groups visited shrines and tourist sites, even an arcade. They were able to relax and also participate in educational activities.

“We took a calligraphy class, which is traditional writing, and we had a really insanely talented teacher there who looked at our work,” says

‘‘

Catherine enjoys the culture with locals.

620 East students 56%of have traveled outside

C a t h e r i n e.

“I was really nervous to go up there [and have her look at my work]; [I thought] ‘I don’t want to take it up there ‘cause she’s going to say it’s horrible and then I’m going to feel bad.’”

The instructor would draw a circle around each student’s work and then draw a number of flower petals around the circle, depending on the level of their work. She drew five petals, completely surrounding Catherine’s work with her decoration.

“I took the next one up there and the [translator] said, ‘It’s so good, she doesn’t want to write on it,’” Catherine recalls with a smile.

“I thought, ‘I don’t believe you, but OK.’” The group continued the trip with a climb up part of Mt. Fuji, which at 12,388 feet is the tallest mountain in Japan. They made the trek with a “really cool” guide named Jim. Catherine remembers Jim’s baffling instructions as they made the climb.

“He was leading us up there and he said, ‘Everyone get in a single file line. Now put your hands on the shoulders of the person in front of you and close your eyes. We’re going to start walking,’” Catherine says. “[I thought he was joking because] the ground was so loose and I’m really clumsy anyway. And when I close my eyes, that doesn’t help.”

Catherine admits that this was one of the scariest moments of her life. But pushing through her fear allowed her to experience something very special—the sight of a “huge, massive crater.” She feels that this scene, which quite literally took her breath away as a result of the high altitude of Mt. Fuji, was worth the shaky climb.

Her passion for the Japanese people and culture did not waver once she arrived back in the United States. Although high school graduation is still a year and a half away for Catherine, she is looking toward the future and preparing for her dream career.

“I’m probably going to study Japanese language and literature [in college]. I’m already trying to get a little bit done. I’ve got a huge dictionary of English to Japanese and I’ve got a couple of learning guides,” she says.

“But it’s hard to do without a teacher, so I’m just doing as much as I can and see what I can absorb before college.”

Catherine will use her instinct and early preparation to navigate through her college years and beyond. Like the blind climb up Mt. Fuji, Catherine’s hard work might result in a fulfilling career. n

the United States

Once we got on the trip, there were a few people who I got closer to and we were like, ‘Oh OK, we’re awesome.’

23 | Spark | February 12, 2010

‘‘

feature | club feature

G

reen.

That is certainly not the color of the East parking lot. It is black, mottled with pieces of trash that vary from empty pop cans to plastic bags. Five students stand unfazed, armed with disposable latex gloves and giant garbage bags. They stride around the parking lot, bending down to pick up every single scrap of litter. East Green Club’s Campus Cleanup is beautifying the school grounds, but the club’s main goal is to take care of the environment.

Twenty years ago, people did not discuss recycling or car emissions. People slowly became more aware of the impact humans had on the environment.

One year ago, East seniors Tori Fryman, Jenna Everson, Taylere Burnett, Tyler Castner, Daniel Tait and Cameron South planned the founding of the East Green Club.

The club began at East last year, setting out to help the environment.

"Big steps to help the environment sound better on paper, but you can't make people do things," says senior Green Club president Tori Fryman.

Instead, the Green Club concentrates their efforts on smaller actions, such as promoting good "green" habits, like recycling East is the pilot cans-and-bottles recycling program for Greater Cincinnati schools through Rumpke. The East Special Education program previously began a paper recycling program.

“I wanted us to be one of the first [recycling programs] in Cincinnati. It’d be cool to come back in 20 years and still see the Green Club. It would be like, ‘Hey, we started that,’” says senior and Green Club member Cameron South.

As the group that pushed for the cans-and-bottles recycling program, the Green Club focuses most of its attention on making people more aware of the environment.

“The more important thing is that people are recycling. If we had recycling bins and we didn't have a club, we'd be just as happy,” says senior Green Club member Jenna Everson.

Although the district is currently paying for the pickup, Green Club

Going Green story justine chu | photos caroline tompkins

24 | Spark | February 12, 2010

advisor Caroline Testerman does not know how long it will last. If the district decides they cannot afford to pay for the recycling, the Green Club plans to try to pay for it with its fundraising, For now, however, the recycling program is safe. Testerman hopes that one day, every school building in the district will participate in some sort of recycling program.

"Hopefully, the members of our community will find recycling important enough for them to fund it," she says.

East is making more and more environmentally-friendly changes.

Testerman applauds Lakota's efforts to go green. Lights in the hallway turn off in between class, saving electricity and energy. Classroom lights are also semi-controlled by motion sensors, which allow the lights to turn off by themselves after people have left.

Everson believes efforts to save the local environment are just as important as efforts to save more faraway environments.

“When a lot of people think about saving the environment, they think of saving the dolphins, saving the panda bears, polar bears are dying, except it's not just South America being affected,” says Everson. “It's here as much as there.”

Project Dragonfly, a program with Miami University’s Department of Zoology, takes primary, secondary and college level educators to 10 different countries where the class conducts inquiries about the environment, allows participants to see environmental conservation from an international viewpoint and bring their knowledge to a local level.

The participants of the classes then take what they have learned and share it with their students. In a program in the Kenyan tribal lands of the Masai, participants study and work to understand conservation in a local context, such as preserving both tribal traditions and the environment.

“One of the things we understand as conservationists is that, in this day and age, it cannot just be exclusively cutting off pieces of land from people,” says Project Dragonfly Program Assistant Connie Malone. “There's a use for preserving lands and keeping them pristine, but we need to learn to integrate people with conservation efforts, so that we establish a successful relationship.”

Malone believes that in addition to objective scientific study of the environment, participants learn the importance of conservation.

“When you're in Belize, you see firsthand people who maximally utilize the resources they have,” she notes. “It is not a disposable society because you just can't run to Wal-mart to get what you need. You have what you have, and you make do with what you've got.”

She says participants in the program come back and think about how to become more resourceful. Instead of buying whatever they want, they try to use what the already have to accomplish their means.

“It becomes not only a conservation lesson, but a way of being in the world.

What we do at our program is not just develop content knowledge, but whole people,” says Malone.

Project Dragonfly asks participants how they are interacting with their communities. Participants begin to think in new ways based on the conservation experiences they have had in class.

Malone adds that in order for people to become more aware of the environment, they need to gain more exposure of the outdoors.

“There's a terrific landscape artist named J.B. Jackson who talked about the 'indoorsing of people in America,’” says Malone. “By getting people out

into nature and making them aware of it and helping them to develop a relationship with it, they cease to become indifferent to it.”

Making green “the norm” helps society to become more aware of the environment.

“I think the more ‘normal’ you can make conservation efforts, the better off we are,” says Malone. “Every little bit makes a difference. And it's communicating that and making it meaningful.”

The Green Club has made its goal to do just that, localizing an international issue into an intimate cause.

“We're not really focused on the rain forest or anything like that, it's just little things that people can do that haven’t been done enough,” says Everson.

According to Fryman, the idea of recycling is normal to young children, who have grown up with this idea. She believes that it is impossible that recycling could just be a "passing fad" because of the diminishing supply of

“Big steps to help the environment sound better on paper, but you can’t make people do things.” fossil fuels and the constant hunt for renewable resources.

"With this generation in high school, it seems very hip to think about our carbon footprints and other environmental issues," says Testerman.

As the Green Club helps to erase East’s carbon footprint, it leaves a “green” legacy in its place.

“The thought [of being green] will always be on the table, whether in the form of peace signs on a t-shirt or the saying ‘go green,’” says Fryman. “I hope that one day ‘green’ will become a way of life.” n

76%

of East students think we can make a difference in our planet by recycling

Fashionably Green story katie szczur The outfit is the object of every modern school girl’s fantasy, the musthave wardrobe that makes jaws drop and eyes boggle. When growing up, a young girl dreams about a custom-made Cinderella gown intricately and exclusively designed just for her. Today’s vision of the same dress is, however, a creation of used potato sack clippings for a layered skirt and scraps from a vintage 1950’s poodle skirt for a bow tying around the back.

Responding to a green revolution, the value of reusing materials is instructed to today’s design majors at the University of Cincinnati (UC) through daily course lessons.

As part of the Design, Architecture, Art and Planning (DAAP) College at the University of Cincinnati, the annual spring project of a thrift store fashion show is sponsored by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. Students in the sophomore Design Construction studio experience first-hand the importance and advantages of reducing, reusing and recycling as they transform thrift store outfits into the epitome of chic apparel.

“Be it a hospital gown or a thrift store garment, with a little or a lot of tweaking you can repurpose just about anything if you have the time it takes to do the labor,” says Ann Firestone, an adjunct instructor of design at DAAP and creator of the project.

To fellow instructor Jacqueline Burris, an assistant professor of fashion and product design, the students’ “repurposed” garments emphasize the unique ability of a design to be both green and appealing in the modern market.

“A good, quality product that has minimal impact on our planet is the

hidden beauty,” says Burris, who coordinates with Firestone to complete the student project. “But nobody would wear something ugly just because of its hidden beauty. A better knowledge of fibers and production methods leads to better design choices, which lead to educated designers and beautiful designs.”

Sydney Ahlum, a student at UC, is currently involved in the thrift store fashion show. She believes a global message of recycling can be conveyed to a “younger crowd.”

“As a third year college student, I believe it is very important to portray the message of reducing, reusing and recycling. People these days would not even think to take an everyday item and transform it into something new,” says Ahlum. “For my project, my items include a table runner and two pillow cases. I rendered the pillow cases into a high-waisted pair of shorts and the table runner into a blouse. It’s amazing what you can make out of items simply lying around.”

Although she must still must work with technical aspects such as existing seams, buttons, and zippers, Ahlum’s fellow design student Jennifer Spriggs appreciates the creativity involved in producing fashions to fit the “parameters of the decade.”

“The fashion industry is one that is pretty guilty of creating a lot of material waste, so having a chance to create something new from old garments still allows us to impart our creative vision without adding to our carbon footprint,” says Spriggs. “It’s always a challenge working with old materials, but the creative challenge lies in making them new again.” n

25 | Spark | February 12, 2010

26 | Spark | February 12, 2010

what is

marriage (‘mar·ij) noun. the social institution under which a man and woman establish their decision to live as husband and wife by legal commitments, religious ceremonies, etc.

?

photos caroline tompkins

27 | Spark | February 12, 2010

Marriage

*Name has been changed for the sake of privacy. of age, females must be at least 16 years of age and the couple cannot be closer in relation than second cousins and cannot have any other living spouses. The couple then goes to the Butler County Probate Court, where they submit an application to receive a marriage license.

Bill Malone, a marriage counselor at Malone Counseling & Consulting Services, stresses that in order for a marriage to be successful, it must meet more than just the legal requirements.

He believes that if a couple is not fully prepared for the responsibilities of marriage, then their relationship will be problematic. “[I attribute the 50 percent divorce rate to] people who don’t know what they are getting into,” explains Malone. “They lack the necessary skills to make the marriage work.”

He defines those necessary skills as those required to make any relationship work, including the ability to solve differences, the ability to solve problems and the ability to negotiate.

Rittgers, who sees firsthand what happens when couples lack those skills, believes that half of the divorces she sees do not need to happen. In many of the couples she sees, one of the two spouses decides that he or she can no longer function

2,350,000

number of marriages (to the nearest thousand)

information www.census.gov

infographic logan schneider

Weddings are omnipresent in today’s culture. Television is filled with them, from shows about bridezillas to millionaire weddings to weddings in Vegas and everything in between.

Little girls look forward to their fairytale wedding with their Prince Charming. Brides and wedding planners spend months planning and perfecting every detail. Yet in all the excitement surrounding a wedding, the most basic fact can be overlooked— weddings, in their simplest definition, are the beginning of a marriage.

Defining marriage in a literal way is easy. Merriam-Webster defines marriage as the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law.

Defining the emotional side of marriage is more difficult.

Ellen Rittgers, a divorce attorney involved with legal aspects of marriage, defines marriage as a unique partnership that is financial as well as emotional. Rittgers does admit, however, that a marriage does not have to be an emotional partnership to be legal.

For two people to become legally married in Butler County, certain conditions must be met: males must be at least 18 years

2,329,000

2,327,000

2,300,000 2,254,000

2,250,000 2,200,000

average marrying age

2,150,000

Men 26.8

26.9

26.9

27.1

Women 25.1

25.1

25.3

25.3

2,100,000 2,050,000 2,000,000

28 | Spark | February 12, 2010

2000

2,187,000

2001

2002

2003

in the marriage, and rather than trying to save their marriage, this person decides that it is time to get a divorce.

“I see far too many marriages that could have been saved and should have been saved but one [spouse] felt, for whatever the reason, that he or she wanted to exit the marriage,” says Rittgers. “By the time [one spouse] shares their thoughts with the [other] spouse, they’re finished.”

Once Rittgers retires, she plans to try to find a way to salvage marriages from ending in divorce. Although she is unsure how she plans to accomplish this, she believes that pre-marriage counseling might be the answer.

Lew Davis might be one step ahead of her. As the pastor of Tri-County Baptist Church for 45 years, Davis personally performs most of the official ceremonies for his church members. Before he marries a couple, he meets with them privately for six hour-long counseling sessions.

“We talk about the basics that make the nest strong,” Davis explains. “We talk about their relationship to God; we talk about how they feel about each other and other things that could happen years and years after the [wedding].”

During his sessions with each couple, Davis tries to build equality, unity, togetherness and love—four things he believes are the keys to a successful marriage. “[Marriage] takes an understanding of the proper equality [the couple] shares. It takes a very good definition of unity and an understanding of togetherness, which is being happy and liking each other,” he says. “And love.”

Although love might be enough to keep a relationship together, Davis stresses that just love will not hold a marriage together. “[A couple] can be deeply in love but that is not synonymous with marriage,” he explains.

Simply put, love is not enough. That is the message Malone has been trying to tell couples for years. He even wrote an article on his blog titled “Love is Not Enough,” in which he

explains that a marriage requires two mature individuals who possess good communication skills, the ability to change, the ability to compromise and a willingness to work together.

Rittgers also believes that love is not enough—at least, the love that one feels in the beginning of a relationship.

“To think that you’re going to get married and stay madly in love and have that feeling stay for a lifetime is unrealistic,” explains Rittgers. “But it gets better if you let it evolve into a truly emotional partnership.

It sounds so corny, but it’s very true, at least for me. I’m much more in love with my husband today, 33 years after I married him, than I was [before].”

Rittgers often uses her own marriage to understand what her clients are going through. She believes that while people change over time, successful couples are able to change with each other, a belief that has been reinforced by her relationship with her husband. “[At the beginning of our relationship], I didn’t know him like I do [now], having lived and worked with him for all these years. I’m fortunate that we evolved together,” she explains.

“But I think you can build your life so that you can at least try to evolve together. We’re very different people than we were the day we first met.”

Although Rittgers describes herself as optimistic toward marriage, the only reason for her optimism is her own marriage.

After watching many marriages end, however, she sometimes even wonders about hers.

“I can’t tell you how many people have sat in that chair and said to me, ‘I can’t believe this is happening to me; not in a million years would this have happened to me.’ That makes me nervous because I’m one of those people who wouldn’t think that [a divorce] would happen to me,” she explains. “I don’t want it to happen to me.”

To avoid divorce, she keeps a line of communication open between her and her husband. Before they got married, Rittgers and her husband took the time to understand each other and

63% of 620 East students support domestic partnerships

2,279,000

Number of Marriages in the United States 2000-2008

2,230,000 2,193,000

2,208,000

2,208,000

27.4

27.1

27.5

27.5

27.6

25.3

25.3

25.5

25.6

25.9

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

29 | Spark | February 12, 2010

Marriage

build a strong relationship, which most experts agree helps prevent divorce.

As Malone explains it, marriage is “a contract between two people who want to be committed, who want to be together exclusively, as well as legally,” and as long as they want to be together enough, everything will work out. – Reb Vachon

Commitment Issues Perhaps one of the most beloved video games in history, the original Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo Entertainment System has sold over 40 million copies worldwide. A plumber hopping his way across the screen stomping on the common Koopa-Troopa has found his way into the homes and hearts of countless people. This game does not come without difficulty; at times, the infamous “game over” screen is inevitably displayed. When this occurs, one usually will just press the reset button and start over from a set checkpoint to eventually finish the game.

In the words of East parent Charlotte Weller*, life, as well as marriage, does not have a reset button. Once decisions are made, they cannot be taken back.

“Marriage is the commitment of knowing that it’s forever— it’s not a game,” says Weller.

Married once before, Weller decided to eventually divorce her husband because of his alcohol problem.

“I was married 23 years and had two awesome boys,” says Weller. “I asked [my ex-husband] to make a choice between me and the two boys, and alcohol; he chose the alcohol.”

This heartbreaking end contributed to Weller’s caution in exploring new relationships. She says that divorced women often have to deal with the problem of single men attempting to take advantage of their situation; she believes single men who date divorced women are mainly looking for sexual relationships.

Regardless, Weller continued to look for a new life partner and eventually met her current fiancé Henry Cleary* at a local Steak n’ Shake. It took seven years of living together for Weller and Cleary to decide to get married, due in part to trust issues Weller has developed as a result of her past marriage.

“When [Cleary] would go away, he would go with his single friends,” says Weller. “I was wondering in the back of my mind.”

Weller considers commitment and honesty to be the two biggest aspects of any marriage; she wanted to be sure she found somebody who displayed both qualities before she remarried.

Malone says one reason couples choose to live together instead of get married is that they desire the absence of a document that legally commits them to a relationship.

“What [couples who live together] don’t have is that piece of paper that binds them together,” explains Malone. “They can easily dissolve the relationship, whereas the married couple has to go through the legal process to dissolve the marriage with a divorce.”

Despite the difference in breaking up different kinds of relationships, the causes for the breakups are one in the same, according to Malone.

“I wouldn’t say that [the problems] are any different,” he says. “[Couples experience] problems communicating, solving

problems, not agreeing with each other and wanting to have things their way.”

One of the biggest problems Weller is facing with her fiancé at the moment is Cleary’s 13-year-old daughter Madeline Cleary*. According to Malone, having step-kids involved in any relationship can be problematic. “[America] has a 50 percent divorce rate, and 87 percent of the 50 percent who get divorced become remarried,” says Malone. “So now we have step-parents raising kids. That’s another nightmare in itself.”

This nightmare is exemplified by Madeline’s personality, attitude and actions and is something Weller is still struggling to control.

“When [Madeline] is here, I have to say, ‘When you are in my house you will follow my rules,’” says Weller. “She went as far as locking [my son] in the basement. Her biggest thing is to put him down. She’s an instigator of everything.”

Charlotte’s son, East junior Matthew Weller*, agrees with his mother about Madeline and says she is the “most annoying brat” he knows. As a result, he is not particularly happy with his mother’s decision to marry Henry. “[Henry’s] daughter always gets in the way. [Henry] might tell my mom they are going to go see a movie at Rave, but if his daughter calls [in the middle of the movie], they would immediately get up and go, no matter what the circumstances,” says Matthew.

Matthew would rather his soon-to-be father-in-law be “out of the picture all together.”

“Let’s just say I want him to take a long walk off of a pier with sharks and sharp rocks at the bottom,” he says. “Right now, [my mother and her fiancé] still have a hard time getting along.”

Even with Matthew’s fears, Malone thinks that living together for a long period of time before getting married can be beneficial. “[You should] try it out to see, ‘Is this thing going to work for us; can we get along?’” he says. “I think there is an advantage to that.

However, there is no real study that says those who have tried it and got along have any more success than those who just got married.”

Charlotte and Henry have had plenty of time to “try it out,” and whether it will work for them is yet to be seen. “[Marriage] is a hard game, and it’s a game that most people aren’t prepared to handle at all,” says Malone. “[People] don’t teach it. [They] don’t score it. It’s taking two people with two different personalities, putting them under one roof and saying ‘Now get along.’” – Mason Hood

45% of 620 East students believe in love at first sight

30 | Spark | February 12, 2010

Lust at First Sight The couple stands in the middle of the hallway, locked in a romantic hug. The two teenagers flirt and kiss, oblivious to the world around them. As the warning bell rings, they slowly, sadly break apart, only to reunite again 48 minutes later for another round of flirting, hugging and kissing.

These public displays of affection are daily occurrences for many teen couples involved in relationships. According to East psychologist Rachel Freeman-Hicks, these romantic tendencies stem from basic emotional and biological drives.

“I think the most basic reason [for teens to be in romantic relationships] is that it feels good to be loved,” says FreemanHicks. “When teens get to that age, they are going through changes, especially with hormones. They start to want more adult relationships.”

Many teenagers, however, are not realistic about these relationships. Freeman-Hicks says that she has seen students both with practical expectations and also with more unrealistic romantic goals.

“I have met kids on both sides,” she says. “Many teens are realistic [about their relationships], but many are not. They think this is the person with whom they are going to spend the rest of their life.”

Freeman-Hicks also says that teenagers with this attitude are not necessarily mature enough to fully understand the realities of a committed, long-lasting relationship.

“I would say that teens should be open to what comes after high school,” she says. “College is where people really get to know themselves.”

However, Freeman-Hicks also concedes that, in some cases, marrying one’s “high school sweetheart” can work.

“Many [people] know couples that have been together since high school without any problems,” she says.

Despite the success of these couples, Freeman-Hicks does not believe that those successes mean that every teenager is ready for such a commitment.

“Typically, I think that [one’s] brain has not fully matured [by high school],” she says. “I think it takes longer to understand what being in a committed relationship really means.”

Although the likelihood of a person marrying his or her high school sweetheart is low, this outcome is not necessarily impossible. Malone says that the success or failure of the relationship of a married couple who met in high school is based upon the same things that make or break any other marriage.

“It’s all based on the couple’s willingness to

marriages, the success of Nelson’s marriage proves that these relationships can work.

As Nelson says, “[My husband and I] have been in love and together for 36 years. I would not change a thing.”– Luke Hall

communicate,” says Malone.

He says that marital problems in every age group are generally caused by “money, sex and kids” and the inability of couples to communicate with each other about those things. Although he says that the longer a couple has been married, the more likely the couple is to work through any problems and stay together, Malone also states that the couples he typically counsels are not extremely young. The average age of the couples he sees is in the mid-thirties.

Although he usually does not counsel very young couples, Malone says that the “high school sweetheart” scenario is not the norm and that he would not necessarily recommend it.

Instead, he believes it is beneficial for couples to live with each other before marriage in order to “try it out.” That way, if the relationship is not working, it can be more easily dissolved. He believes that couples who commit to each other at a very young age can often miss out on important experiences in dating and relationship-building.

East secretary Gina Nelson disagrees. Nelson and her husband began dating in high school, when she was 15 years old and he was 17. They got married when he graduated from college and have now been married for 29 years. She says that committing at a young age worked for her and her husband.

“I never saw any real disadvantage to marrying the person I dated in high school,” says Nelson.

Although most high school romances do not end up as

What problems do gay and lesbian couples deal with?

Except in very few states, they don’t have legal marriages. But I certainly have worked with couples, both gay and lesbian, who have been committed to each other and lived together as a committed couple for years and years. They come in with very similar issues that heterosexual people come in with; there’s not much difference. Often, gay and lesbian couples are actually more committed to having an equal relationship, so they each contribute, whether it’s financially or working around the house. They are more committed to that kind of a partnership than more traditional heterosexual marriages that are maybe sort of stuck in old traditional rules, like men are supposed to do this and women supposed to do that. So in some ways, homosexual relationships can be healthier. It isn’t at all unusual if one partner has been married before in a heterosexual relationship; there may be children from that marriage. They have to deal with how to handle children within a gay couple.

Couples’ Counseling Barbara Galbreath Brewer is a clinical and forensic psychologist at the University of Cincinnati who has been practicing for about 30 years. Brewer’s expertise lies in psychotherapy. She specializes in couples’ therapy and has dealt with gay and lesbian couples who come into therapy for the same reasons that heterosexuals do.

Is being gay a choice?

More than 95 percent of gay and lesbian people would say being gay is not choice; they would say that’s the way they have been born. Scientifically, that’s as much as we know; we sort of accept that. So that’s a very general conclusion.

Would you say the majority recognize from a young age?

Most gay and lesbian persons know from a very young [point in] life, even if they don’t know what that means. They do figure out somehow that they feel very different, and at some point when they are exposed to more in the world, then they know that means they are gay.

How do most people come to accept their sexuality?

For some people, it takes a while for them to accept it because they realize that to come out as gay, there will be many problems in life in terms of bigotry and bias and so forth. And some would have really preferred to be heterosexual because it would have been easier that way.

Have you seen people who have come out later in life and it affected their relationships?

I have seen heterosexual couples where a person, often the man, has been struggling with being gay for many, many years and finally comes out. Trying to deal with that is of course very, very difficult. And it’s very hard for a wife to accept that,

31 | Spark | February 12, 2010

Marriage

NH VT MA RI

information www.hrc.org, www.npr.org, www.domawatch.org

Gay in the U.S.A.

CT NJ DE MD DC infographic ariadne souroutzidis, radhika madhavan

same sex marriages are allowed

same sex couples may not marry or enter civil unions

no laws regarding same sex marriage have been passed

same sex couples may only enter civil unions

Same-sex marriage in these states is justified by the state courts under the “promise of equal protection for all” in the state constitution.

Many of these states have adopted the Defense of Marriage Act or have enforced another constitutional ban on same-sex marriages.

There are no laws regarding same-sex marriage. The District of Columbia has a bill pending that will allow same-sex marriages.

In most cases, same-sex couples in civil unions or domestic partnerships enjoy the same legal benefits as married couples.

The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)–passed in 1996, this act identifies marriage as a legal union between one man and one woman for purposes of all federal laws and provides that states need not recognize a marriage from another state if it is between persons of the same sex so that’s a huge conflict and I’ve certainly helped many couples with that issue.

Have you seen people who have problems with their families accepting their sexuality?

Yes; parents of gay and lesbian people have a hard time accepting that, but I do believe much of that is really changing because we know so much more now and there are many more parents who are very accepting. There’s a large organization called PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays). They provide support and information and so forth for parents and friends of gays and lesbians. It’s a national organization that’s been around for many years, and it’s very well known.

What are some problems that gay and lesbian couples have with having children?

Many gay men couples adopt a child. In a lesbian relationship, [the couple] may decide one of them is going to be the biological mother. They may either use a surrogate [father] or a good friend to impregnate the woman. They may adopt too, but usually with lesbian couples, if one of them is fertile, then they will have their own child that way. In the last several years, there has been a lot of research on the children of gay and lesbian couples and the research shows that children of gays

32 | Spark | February 12, 2010

and lesbians are really no different in terms of psychological adjustment than children of heterosexual parents. That’s an important finding. That’s often what people criticize—if homosexuals have children, they’re going to make them gay.

But there’s no evidence that children of gay and lesbian parents will grow up more likely to be gay than any other children.

What kind of legal issues are there with lesbian and gay couples?

There has been [a legal issue] in the news in the last few months about a lesbian couple who got married because they were in Vermont, where they recognize same sex marriage. They had a child, who was the biological child of one of the women. [That woman] moved away and took the child to live in Virginia and decided to renounce being gay. Now the fight is that the other woman, who absolutely did have the rights as a mother under that law, would find it difficult to be able to be a full parent.

The biological mother worked so hard at keeping this child away from her former partner that the judge ordered that the custody be changed. It now goes to the non-biological mother due to the biological mother refusing to let the other mother have any contact with the child. The last that I heard about that case was that the biological mother and child disappeared. So you can really get into some very difficult legal battles. It’s not usual, but things like that can happen.

Do you see movement toward gay and lesbian marriages in all the states?

Yes, I think that’s going to happen in all of the states. It’s going to be slow, and there are a lot of people who are just totally against it, maybe on religious grounds. I think that’s just the way it’s going to happen in the future. – Allison Korson

A Match Made in Hell Marriage is usually cause for great celebration and happiness as two people set out to live their lives together. But often, the love and bliss is replaced by depression and grief as the marriage dissolves.

Divorce is now the way the majority of marriages in the United States conclude.

The stigma surrounding divorce ranges from social awkwardness to a political pitfall.

The process can create financial ruin and emotional trauma.

Not only can divorce hurt the spouses involved, but it can also scar those close to them.

Divorce, in a legal sense, is the dissolution of a marriage contract, the separating of spouses and the division of property owned by the couple. Bill Malone, a marriage counselor at Malone Counseling & Consulting Services, confronts many problems between couples that damage the health of marriages.

“I tell couples over and over, ‘It’s not going to be your way.

In marriage, it’s going to have to be our way’” says Malone.

Although divorce rates have statistically doubled since the 1960s, they appear to have leveled off. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of divorces occurring between 2007 and 2009 fell from 3.7 per 1,000 people to 3.5 per 1,000 people after decades of a rising divorce rate. The number of marriages that end in divorce, however, is still higher than in previous decades. Malone attributes the gradual rise during the past few decades to new problems that put stress on relationships between husbands and wives.

“I’ve been doing this for 28 years, and I wouldn’t say that the problems are any worse. I would say that the challenges are different. We didn’t have the technology that [people] have today,” says Malone.

“If [the couple doesn’t] agree and get along, we have built up conflict as a result of having to manage these new technologies.”

The presence of children trying to cope with the separation further complicates the marital struggles leading up to divorce.

Allison Kettlewell, a 38-year-old Talawanda graduate now living in New York City, experienced such struggles.

Kettlewell’s parents divorced in the 1970s when she was seven years old. Since then, she has witnessed several more divorces among her friends’ parents and believes her situation turned out better than many.

“I’ve seen a lot of kids torn apart and agonized because the [divorcing] parents bad-mouthed each other in front of the

55% of 620 East students support same-sex marriage

33 | Spark | February 12, 2010

Marriage

kid,” says Kettlewell. “But [my parents] never made me feel like I was a part of it. I feel so lucky that they never put me in the middle.”

According to the Family Research Council (FRC), an organization that focuses on marriage and family in national issues, roughly one million children experience the divorce of their parents annually. The results can be devastating. The FRC studies suggest that children raised by divorced parents suffer from more behavioral problems, demonstrate lower levels of achievement in school and work and are put at a higher risk of depression and suicide. Furthermore, children of divorced parents are statistically more likely to experience divorce in their own marriages, perpetuating the cycle.

Malone agrees that children are negatively affected and believes that the parents, not the children, are truly at fault.

“The parents don’t know what the hell they’re doing. It’s not [the child’s] fault, but the kid gets [hurt] because he has two parents who are ineffective,” says Malone.

While many social changes have undeniably occurred over the past 50 years, it is less obvious what role the legal system has played in the rise of divorce.

The FRC suggests that new laws have made divorce easier.

For decades, divorce was rooted in the fault system, in which a spouse had to prove that they had been wronged by their partner and needed to separate. However, laws changed throughout the latter half of the twentieth-century. No-fault divorce, in which a spouse simply declares that he or she wants a divorce, became more prevalent. By 1985, all 50 states had some form of no-fault divorce. Critics of this system say that it has allowed divorce rates to rise by as much as 25 percent, since it allows for

an easy declaration of divorce.

“It is easier to divorce my wife of 26 years than to fire someone I hired a week ago. The person I hire has more legal clout than my wife. That’s wrong,” says Judge Randall Hekman, a former probate court judge in Kent County, Michigan.

However, there has been some significant reform in divorce law nationwide since 2000. Some states, such as Louisiana, Arizona and Arkansas, have adopted covenant marriage laws.

Covenant marriage requires that a couple undergo premarital counseling to reinforce the enormous commitment of marriage and also accept the restrictions of a no-fault divorce.

Malone, on the other hand, does not believe the ease of divorce has made a huge impact.

“Ohio is a no-fault state, which means [the husband and wife] are not going to blame each other. I wouldn’t say that a no-fault state makes it easier. I think if people are going to get divorced, they’re going to get divorced, whether it’s difficult or not.

If they really want out, they’re going to get out,” says Malone.

But children, money and law notwithstanding, there can often be a much deeper, emotional separation that precedes the divorce.

“People get so busy and set in what they’re doing that they lose touch with each other. You’re tired and you’re exhausted, and you lose touch with what you love about each other,” says Kettlewell. “Then you grow apart.”

Malone has seen many relationships deteriorate and believes that only the couple’s willingness to come together can overcome the problems.

“Counseling doesn’t save marriages; counseling is a vehicle for a couple to get together to work on their marriage. I’m really

27% of 620 East students have divorced parents

Arranged Marriages Everyone is familiar with the story: boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, boy and girl get married. For most of the western world, this is the ideal beginning of a marriage. India and many Middle Eastern countries are now modernized but still continue the tradition of arranged marriages. Marriages formed out of love are not uncommon, but are seen as unorthodox in these countries.

“I was married at the age of 18. Prior [to the wedding], I saw my husband on two occasions one being the day of my engagement,” says Kiran Patel*, an Indian immigrant.

Before getting married, the bride and groom of an arranged marriage have very limited contact with each other. Phone calls and occasional dates are the extent of the couple’s contact until the wedding day.

Potential brides come under intense scrutiny by the grooms’ parents. The wives are supposed to be respectable and are expected not to ruin the family name.

“When finding my wife, my parents and I looked for someone who was intelligent, domesticated, [able to raise a] stable family and fair-skinned,” says Raj Patel*, Kiran’s husband.

Fair skin, which shows that a woman is not subject to hard labor and is not poor, is seen as a sign of beauty in India.

Raj and Kiran have now been married for 23 years and have three daughters.

“Sometimes arranged marriages are really successful like mine, but other times you can’t force love,” says Kiran.

According to divorcereform.org, India has a 1.1 percent

34 | Spark | February 12, 2010

divorce rate, while the U.S. divorce rate is 54.8 percent. India’s divorce rate is one of the lowest in the world.

“I will not force my daughters to have an arranged marriage, but they must marry someone of the same religion and beliefs in order to have a successful marriage,” says Raj. Over the years, society has become modernized, and so have arranged marriages. Harminder Hayer, a relative of the Patel family who has been in her second marriage for six years, experienced the modern arranged marriage first-hand.

“When I got married, it was more of an assisted marriage.

We used the network of family and friends in order to find someone [for me]. In my case, my aunt and my [soon-to-be husband] Vinny’s aunt were both talking. They found out that they both knew someone who was looking to get married.

They exchanged numbers. Vinny called me, and we decided to meet,” says Hayer.

Unlike the Patels’ marriage, where the couple saw each other on two occasions, Harminder and Vinny dated for a couple of months before their families met.

“Vinny and I dated for about three months and decided that we could make things work, so we had our parents meet,” comments Hayer.

However, arranged marriages are not always successful the first time.

“My first arranged marriage didn’t work out, but I think that [arranged marriage is] just like any marriage: sometimes it works and other times it doesn’t,” says Hayer. – Anjana Jagpal

only as good as the people I’m working with,” says Malone.

“People frankly just don’t know how to get along. They don’t know how to work things out, and they don’t know how to manage differences.”

In the lives of millions, divorce continues to cause heartbreak.

Until death do us part?

That vow, made by untold numbers of happy couples, seems sadly empty knowing that half of them will likely part long before their deaths. – Ryan Fay

But, according to her, hard times are not necessarily bad.

“Some students see what caused the divorce, and it makes them all the more resolute not to have such a stumbling block in their relationships,” she says.

Teran agrees, saying she has learned quite a few things from her parents’ separation.

“I probably won’t have kids before I’m ready to be married, like my mom did. That’s why they got married,” Teran explains.

“I won’t make a lot of the choices they made in the relationship.”

Malone believes that there should be a test to determine whether or not a couple is capable of raising child as a preventative measure.

“So here we have the most complicated creature on the planet, a human being, and there is no test that anyone has It was gut-wrenching. to take, nor is there any training on what it’s going to take to Malone let two parents use their therapy session to tell their manage that child,” he says. “Men and women view the world children about their divorce. It was, as he described it, “gut- differently. Throw them together in the same room, say, ‘Raise wrenching,” not only for him, but for everyone. Particularly the this creature,’ and you can guess the rest.” younger kids.

According to Kriner, East junior Jessika after separation, children Teran was only three years can feel like Gumby, a old when her parents green clay figure from a divorced.

TV show, being pulled by “I didn’t really know the conflicting beliefs of what was going on, but it their parents. Teran agrees, was really sad because I saying that she sees a great like my dad more than [I difference between her Countries that have passed legislation like] my mom,” she says. two parents’ philosophies. recognizing marriage rights for homosexual Her parents went “My mom doesn’t care citizens and when it was enacted: to court to decide who about my grades or my would take custody of social life. My dad is like, her and her brother. Her ‘You can’t wear skirts that mother won because she go above your knees. You The Netherlands–2001 was, according to Teran, can’t date boys until you’re Belgium–2003 “very persuasive.”

32.’ My mom lets boys Canada–2005 “My dad didn’t live stay over. If they were Spain–2005 with us. I remember always together, there would be asking my mom where my a better balance,” she says.

South Africa–2006 dad was and when he was Teran says that after Norway–2009 going to come back and she moved from Oregon Sweden–2009 stay with us,” Teran says. to California, and then “My mom told me he to Ohio, she felt like her wasn’t coming back, and I father was not a major Spain is the only country that recognizes didn’t understand that.” influence on her. When homosexual and heterosexual marriages Malone does not she was younger, she believe that kids cause listened to all of the music with the same law. parents to get a divorce. that her father listened “It’s not their fault,” to. But now, much of her Malone says simply. “It’s musical taste differs from their parent’s inability to her father’s and it has not work it out. They have a just been her music that kid, but they don’t know has changed. how to raise a kid.”

“He influences me a lot when I’m [visiting him]. When I According to the New York Times, about 75 percent of come back here, I have all these different influences from my American children see their parents divorce each year. Malone mom, and his perspective is way back there. It doesn’t affect me explains how a child factors into a divorce as lack of parental as much,” Teran notes. “I probably wouldn’t be like anything I communication. am [today] if he was full-time in my life.”

“One [parent] wants to turn left, one [parent] wants to turn However, Teran has fully adapted to this major change in right, and they don’t have the skills to talk about what they want her life. to do. They fall on their faces,” he says.

“I like it the way it is now, even if it’s not that good. I can According to Malone, the child is affected because he or she pretty much get away with anything I want,” Teran says. “It has two parents who are ineffective. sounds really bad, but it’s true. I get away with so much stuff I “The kid is left wondering, ‘Which direction do I go? I’m wouldn’t get away with if my dad lived with us.” looking for leadership and what do I have? Parents who don’t Teran may be accustomed to the way her life is now, with know what they’re doing,’” Malone says. her father living in Oregon and her mother in Ohio. That, East counselor Helene Kriner believes that it would be however, does not make the divorce 13 years ago any less gutextremely difficult to experience divorce and be unaffected. wrenching. – Justine Chu n

Along for the Ride

information gayrights.change.org

Going Gay

infographic jeff cargill

35 | Spark | February 12, 2010

Interested in advertising with Spark?

Would you and your company like to reach over 2,000 Lakota East students? Looking for a way to infiltrate the school with your product?

Want to reach out to the West Chester/Liberty Township area?

Then advertising with Spark is a great option!

We have a circulation of over 3,000 readers, ranging from elementary school students to grandparents. Our magazine is distributed from Lakota East to Alaska.

For more information, email us at sparkbusiness@gmail.com or call us at (513) 759-8615 ext. 15118 36 | Spark | February 12, 2010

lifestyle | feature

stairway to style In the ever-changing world of fashion, some styles make a reappearance.

This spring, enjoy the latest twist on 70s fashion as it returns once again.

S

story sarah zins

queezed between the tie-dye look of the 1960s and the punk rock look of the 1980s, the fashions of the 1970s held an air of freedom and sophistication. The afro, high-waisted pants and platform shoes are all icons that represent the remarkable era of the post-hippie. The outlandish styles of the 70s are being resurrected this spring 2010 in more refined and modern lines.

“70s fashion began where the 60s left off. Mini skirts were popular and the flower power influence was everywhere. 60s trends first adopted by the hippies filtered into mainstream wear. Trousers were flared and shirts had big collars. For men, the kipper tie with garish colors and patters was soon standard wear with a suit,” says Steven Braggs, founder of Retrowow, a website that specializes in vintage fashions.

While the 70s color palette of burnt yellow, orange and green is not one fashion insiders like Braggs wish to see return, certain elements of this era still hold relevance and prominence for this year’s spring fashion trends. As seen in past seasons, Braggs predicts the maxi dress will once again be a wardrobe staple.

“In 1976, Yves St. Laurent introduced the peasant look—a feminine style of loose, lightweight clothing,” explains Kimberley Heit, freelance writer for Helium, an informational website. “Virtually every summer [and spring] this style is revisited in some form or other, but this [year’s] fashions are picking up on the 1970s trend in a big way. There are lots of lightweight, off-the-shoulder tops and dresses, floral prints and tiered skirts.”

photos used with permission of www.70sfashion.org

high-waisted pants is a fashionable look.

“In the more relaxed mood of the 70s, jeans were increasingly popular.

Initially, little changed from the 60s, but by the mid-70s, most people were wearing flares,” says Braggs on the reappearing styles. “Printed T-shirts were also increasingly popular in the 70s, as were trainers and canvas shoes.”

Although Braggs thinks platform shoes for men will remain a no-no, platform shoes with ankle straps for women will reappear this spring, combining last year’s gladiator sandals with high-heeled stilettos.

“The main looks revisited include the peasant look, maxi dresses and floor length skirts, metallic styles, platforms and wedges, and flared leg pants,” explains Heit.

Mini-skirts will once again reappear as a favorite from young girls reflects Heit.

The mini-skirts seen on the Chanel runway, however, are not the ragged jean mini “The outlandish styles of the 70s are skirts found in mainstream stores. These mini skirts being resurrected this spring 2010 in These two demonstrate the 70s style of are high-waisted and often bell bottoms and floor length skirts. feature a colorful pattern. Heit a more refined and futuristic manner.” recommends a short, fitted bomber jacket, a peasant-style blouse tucked The popular styles for spring, according to Heit, will speak for into a mini with platforms to create a fun and attractive outfit. themselves and exude the persona of a free spirit. Silhouettes reminiscent “Girls loved to convert their jean pants into fashionable skirts by of the classic elegance of the 40s with simple blouses and Katharine ripping open the seams,” laughs fashion columnist Kashmira Lad. Hepburn-style trousers are appearing on the Chanel runway with particular In the 70s, homemade apparel was a way in which the younger twists from the 70s—the pattern and neckline. For the past several years, generation could revolt against the ways of the 60s into fashionable the boat neckline has been the go-to style for women’s spring wardrobes. versions of the 70s, according to Lad. The extreme nature of fashion in the This season, however, Braggs says that the v-neck is what it is all about.

60s opened the door for the crazy styles of the 70s.

Wearing a v-neck shirt with a nostalgic pattern of little yellow and orange “By the 1970s, many women were tired of the 60s look, and skirt and flowers paired dress lengths reversed back to floor length. In 2009, there were lots of with fitted ruffled and tiered maxi dresses and skirts that are a blast from the 1970s,” says Heit.

These girls of the 70s display short mini This spring 2010 floral patterns and pastel dresses (right) and bib dresses (left). colors will be seen throughout the streets, from platform shoes to high-waisted pants. The fashion of the 70s is returning in a more modern and chic style. n

lifestyle | recipe

the ultimate Super Bowl snacks photos caroline tompkins

W

ith the excitement of the Super Bowl approaching, do not forget to spice up the menu with some of these quick and delicious treats that are simple to make and offer a flavor for just about anyone.

potato skins

Freshly baked potato skins topped with melted cheese.

-Sandhya Warrier

38 | Spark | February 12, 2010

Small to medium russet baking potatoes* Olive oil Kosher salt Freshly ground pepper Bacon * Grated cheddar cheese* ½ cup sour cream (to serve) 2 green onions, thinly sliced *Adjust amount of ingredient to the amount of people serving and as desired to taste.

Wash, then bake potatoes either with an oven or microwave. Do not forget to poke holes in potatoes. While the potatoes bakes, fry bacon strips in a pan on medium low heat until crisp. Drain on paper towel, then let cool and crumble. Once potatoes are done, cut each in half horizontally. Use spoon to scoop out insides, leaving ¼ inch of potato on skin. Heat oven to 400˚F. Brush olive oil all over potato skins; then sprinkle with salt. Place in a baking pan and cook for 10 minutes on one side, flip and cook for another 10 minutes on the other side. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Sprinkle inside of skins with salt and pepper then add cheese and bacon as desired. Return to oven and broil on high for two minutes or until cheese is bubbly. Serve with dollop of sour cream and top with green onions.

simple spuds

Come Super Bowl time, it’s all about the three F’s—football, fun and food. While the first two items on the list can be covered with a television set or a pair of game tickets, there is still food on the agenda.

Potato skins are a common favorite during this event. With a few simple steps and easy-to-find ingredients, this tasty treat can be made in no time. The preparation is quick and painless—rinse, cut, scoop, bake and accessorize.

Not only is it an easy recipe to follow, but it also is a healthy alternative to buffalo wings or pizza.

Simply pick out as many potatoes as is needed, rinse them, cover them in olive oil and cut them into halves. They are then ready to bake. While the potatoes are baking, add some grated cheddar cheese or bits of bacon.

Once the potato skins are out of the oven, feel free to add sour cream, green onions or salt and pepper. This snack can be served as soon as it is out of the oven, or after it has cooled off.

“About one out of every three people order potato skins when they’re here,” says T.G.I. FRiDAY’S Manager Jeff Cooper. “They are a big seller here at Friday’s.”

This snack is not limited to football season. Potato skins can be enjoyed throughout the year and can be picked up in the frozen food section of most grocery stores or ordered at select restaurants.

clockwise from top: tortilla chips, Mexican taco dip, buffalo chicken dip and potato skins.

“

come Super Bowl time, it’s all about the three F’s: football, fun and food.” mexican taco dip

1 pkg. taco seasoning 8 oz pkg. softened cream cheese Shredded cheese Diced tomatoes Beef chunks (optional) Combine softened cream cheese and taco seasoning with spoon. Place in serving dish. Top with shredded cheese and tomatoes. May serve alone or with cooked ground beef on the side. Serve with tortilla chips.

buffalo chicken dip ½ cup bleu cheese or ranch dressing 8 oz. pkg. softened cream cheese ½ cup any hot sauce ½ cup crumbled bleu cheese 2 cans white premium chicken breast in water Combine all ingredients and serve with tortilla chips.

easy fiesta hot chicken

Buffalo chicken dip topped with bleu cheese and served with tortilla chips.

With Super Bowl Sunday right around the corner, everyone is looking for great food. Instead of the typical Skyline dip, party-goers can breathe life back into the fiesta with Mexican cheese dip. This dish has a Latino spice that adds a surprising kick.

This dish is great because of its versatility. Since it can be served with meat or without, both vegetarians and carnivores can chow down.

“You can’t have just one chip; it’s truly an addicting dip,” said East senior Jamie Turner who often eats this dip.

Another positive of this dish is its quick prep time. On game day there are so many worries that one’s attention cannot be consumed by making food. The food ought to be good, but shouldn’t take all day to prepare. This dish’s ingredients can be found at any grocery store, and the dip tastes good and is inexpensive.

This dish can be served with beef. If you decide to make the dip with meat, it will need to be refrigerated separately until serving. The dip is served at room temperature and the beef is cooked all the way through. If the beef is placed on top of the rest of the dip in a single serving bowl, the bottom becomes runny.

It is also beneficial to mix the cream cheese and taco mix with a spoon instead of a mixer. If you use a mixer, the dip often gets messy.

Hopefully this dip makes your fiesta fun and leaves your guests full.

On Super Bowl day, the family room is filled with yells of excitement, arguments over referee calls and chants for teams. But once inside the kitchen, food takes precedence. To ensure you are part of festivities as much as possible, quick and easy dips are the key.

This quick and easy dish will allow for more time with the family and less time making food. If you like the taste of wings, make this buffalo chicken dip. This dip includes all of the flavors of buffalo wings in one mouthful.

When mixing the ingredients together, make sure the cream cheese is softened. When the cream cheese is cold, it is difficult to mix with the other ingredients. Do not microwave the cream cheese, however, because the cheese becomes lumpy and unappetizing. Waiting for the cream cheese to soften is the best option.

“The first time I made this dip, I didn’t wait for the cream cheese to soften,” says East senior Emily Baumgardner. “It still tasted good, but the texture was lumpy. After I remade it, it was a huge hit.”

Bleu cheese dressing can be added to accent the bleu cheese crumbles.

For a special kick, add ranch dressing instead. This merely depends on preference.

When in a rush this Super Bowl, remember this easy recipe to please the crowd. No Super Bowl is complete without buffalo chicken dip.

-Austin Smith

-Liv Devitt

39 | Spark | February 12, 2010

40 | Spark | February 12, 2010

entertainment | playlist

Spark Playlist: Kevin Li Every issue, a member of the Spark staff is chosen to create a playlist that showcases a selection of the music that he or she has been enjoying as of late.

“Daylight” Matt & Kim .

It’s impossible not to smile while listening to “Daylight.” With a simple keyboard melody, playful percussion and lighthearted lyrics, this Brooklyn duo scores big.

“Little Secrets” Passion Pit With brilliant vocals and catchy synths, Passion Pit has created a wondrously playful song that makes them one of the hottest bands of 2009.

“Drumming” Florence And The Machine The Machine’s backing percussion beat is both complex and upbeat, but more importantly, the perfect complement to Florence Welsh’s haunting, majestic voice.

“Maybe Be Alright” William Fitzsimmons With simple guitar and piano melodies, William Fitzsimmons shines with his serene delivery of emotional lyrics about hoping for everything to work out.

“Your Ex-Lover Is Dead” Stars The Montreal-based indie-rock band has crafted a catchy song that features striking instrumentals that perfectly complement the duo’s vocals.

“The Trapeze Swinger” Iron And Wine With nothing except his acoustic guitar and his voice, Samuel Beam manages to enigmatically intertwine joy and mourning to form a timeless and sensitive love song.

“Gobbledigook” Sigur Ros Using a mix of Icelandic and Hopelandic, the band’s trademark made-up language, Sigur Ros creates an imaginative and joyful track.

“Shoreline” Deas Vail “Shoreline” is one of the mellower songs on this playlist. Wes Blaylock’s falsetto and the instrumental interlude make for a wonderfully distinctive, introspective track.

“Slow Dancing in A Burning Room” John Mayer The bluesy guitar riffs provide a perfect backdrop for Mayer’s passionate yet harsh lyrics, as he sings a tragic and poetic song about the death of a relationship.

“Nantes” Beirut The instrumental depth of this song is wonderful. It’s hard to place this song in a genre, but there’s something ethereal, brilliant and imaginative about this lovely lament.

“Lasso” Phoenix The opening drum riff blends beautifully with Thomas Mars’ catchy indie-rock voice.

The accessibility of the entire album is good, but this song is spectacular.

“The Walls Are Coming Down” Fanfarlo This entire song is filled with instrumentals— from the bells and brass instruments at the beginning to the violin heard throughout— and the result is wonderful.

“Fighters” Lupe Fiasco This rap separates Lupe Fiasco from the rest of the pack with his intelligent lyrics.

Matthew Santos’ strong background vocals create a unique listening experience.

41 | Spark | February 12, 2010

entertainment | reviews

The Music Contra

by Vampire Weekend XL Recordings

End Times

by Eels Vagrant Records

Unbroken

by Katharine McPhee Verve Forecast

My Dinosaur Life

by Motion City Soundrack Sony

The Fame Monster

by Lady Gaga Verve Forecast

Sainthood

by Tegan and Sara Sire

contra - vampire weekend Before vampires earned themselves a scoffed-at place in pop culture, Vampire Weekend became the favorite band of every college kid, urban hipster and music critic with the 2003 release of their self-titled debut. It was everything the indie music genre needed —delightfully eclectic and refreshingly original. After living up to their pre-release hype, garnering rave reviews and going on a world tour, people wondered if they could maintain their reputation.

And then they did the seemingly impossible—they out-quirked themselves in their new album Contra. Each track has a distinctive personality, instrumentation and percussion beats. “White Sky” is filled with falsetto squeals reminiscent of Akon’s backup vocals in Gwen Stefani’s “Sweet Escape,” in that they are simultaneously strange and delightful. “California English” is the soundtrack to a seizure, with a

rapid bass drum heartbeat thudding under lead singer Ezra Koenig’s jittery, uniquely auto-tuned voice. Contra concludes with the ethereal “I Think Ur a Contra,” in which Koenig’s voice sounds like a wispy cloud floating above a string orchestra.

But to truly appreciate Contra, one must examine the lyrics. The album is like The Great Gatsby, told by an outsider observing the lifestyles of the East Coast elite; it includes quips on everything from politics to pretty girls. “She’d never seen the word bombs blown up to 96-point Futura / She’d never seen an A-K in a yellowy day-glo display,” observes Koenig in the ska-influenced “Holiday.” Even the lyrically heavy tracks maintain a sense of fun.

Contra is a true testament to Vampire Weekend’s growth as musicians. Disregard the band’s stigma as a hipster fad and appreciate Contra for the brilliant piece of art that it is.

– Victoria Liang «««««

end times – eels Eels’ End Times is a melancholy masterpiece. Singer and lead guitarist Mark Oliver Everett again laments his own misery. However, this album is different. Everett, also known by fans as “E,” has the luxury of middle age on End Times. Instead of teen angst, E gives us beautiful, heart-wrenching reflection.

E writes sparse, emotionally haunting pop ballads.

This is the most stripped down that Eels has ever been, most tracks being just E and his guitar, leaving more for E’s usual mix of song and spoken word. There is something satisfying about how he struggles to get the words out, as if it takes enormous effort to express such heartache. Having gone through a recent divorce and the death of his entire immediate family, E is an expert on the topic.

Musically, the songs are teetering on the brink of an emotional breakdown, like they’re being played through some apocalyptic haze.

42 | Spark | February 12, 2010

The ballads are beautiful, but with a sense of irony. The gentle, shimmering acoustic strumming stands in stark contrast to E’s gritty yearning. The few times the band does rock out, it is still subdued.

Lyrically, E is completely vulnerable. He pours everything he has, or at least what’s left, into the record. Most of the songs are under three minutes long, not because the songs are underdeveloped but because E is succinct. He focuses less on devastation and more about how he is moving on. In “Nowadays,” E says that “trouble is a friend I’d like to leave behind.” And in the album’s closer he says, “When it’s time to look back on my life, most of it won’t seem so important.”

Break-up records don’t usually reach this level of maturity.

End Times is by far Eels’ best record. Using life experience as his guide and earnest song writing as his tool, E creates a pity party that everybody wants to attend.

– Tyler Kieslich «««««

unbroken – katharine mcphee

Katharine McPhee, who got her start on the fifth season of “American Idol,” was a pop princess on her previous debut album, misusing her beautiful voice on undeserving bubble-gum pop songs. In her new release, Unbroken, the runner-up idol lightened her hair and discarded her upbeat sweetness in favor of slower country-folk. Though these new songs showcase her amazing voice, the melodramatic lyrics and cliché subject matter detract from her performance.

The first single, “Had It All,” is a sad power ballad about not realizing what she had until it was gone. Trite topic aside, McPhee’s passionate, soulful voice adds heart to the insipid lyrics. Unfortunately, hokey themes and strong vocals are repeated through the album,

making most of the songs indistinguishable from each other. The only stand-out track is the fun “Brand New Key,” McPhee’s cover of obscure 70s artist, Melanie.

Overall, McPhee’s sophomore effort was more suited to her than her pop debut, as heard in her more confident, soulful vocals, but it was not perfect. The heavy and depressing songs featured on Unbroken would have been nice if they hadn’t all been put in the same album.

“Brand New Key” showed that McPhee is capable of performing carefree, quirky songs that still demonstrate her smooth and controlled vocals. Hopefully, McPhee will finally learn how to put her versatile voice to good use on her next album with less melodrama and more quirkiness.

– Nitya Sreevalsan «««««

my dinosaur life – motion city soundtrack For My Dinosaur Life, Motion City Soundtrack (MCS) wanted to move in a heavier, more experimental direction, but the band succeeded only in being more heavy-handed and certainly failed in being experimental. For Motion City Soundtrack’s fans, My Dinosaur Life is a letdown. It lacks the catchy melodies and witty lyrics of MCS’s usual work.

On My Dinosaur Life, Motion City Soundtrack sounds like an awkward mixture of Green Day, Jonas Brothers and Panic at the Disco. There is also a 90s rock feel, perhaps because Mark Hoppus of Blink-182 produced the album. On previous albums, Motion City Soundtrack furthered music and tried new combinations of content and style. But this album—described by some as “nostalgic”—is a rehashing no one needed.

Justin Pierre’s unique voice can barely be heard, let alone properly

featured; it is difficult to hear any of the lyrics over the constant roar of electric guitar and drums. The instrumentals have little to no definition, like an electric pencil sharpener raging on in the background.

Unfortunately, every song on this album sounds the same: shout-y, frantic, boring and unoriginal. The verses sometimes have variety, but every chorus on the album sounds remarkably similar, which causes most of the tracks to be completely forgettable. The melody and singa-long-ability of “Her Words Destroyed My Planet” makes it the only catchy song on the album.

My Dinosaur Life is the music equivalent of a bowl of oatmeal—it doesn’t matter that Motion City Soundtrack adds a few metaphorical chocolate chips or cranberries to try to differentiate and add flavor, it’s still oatmeal.

– Amanda Kaine «««««

the fame monster – lady gaga Deep and dark are not adjectives one would normally use to describe modern pop music, but The Fame Monster is an album that embodies those two words. With powerful electronic beats that portray 80s band Depeche Mode-esque sophistication, Lady Gaga brings a new, mature sound to the mainstream music scene.

From the monochromatic album cover to the pounding bass in the background, The Fame Monster builds a feeling of intense darkness that shows how Lady Gaga has matured as an artist since her debut album in August 2008 with her ability to incorporate depth into her music.

The emotion behind the vocals gives more to the songs than just words—there is a genuine passion that is missing in comparable music.

Furthermore, it takes real talent to build an album so full of feeling without falling into clichés.

The variety presented with each different track is also refreshing and makes listening to the whole album in one sitting a pleasant experience. The tracks “So Happy I Could Die” and “Teeth” sit next to each other, but the contrast between the modern ballad and the driving, semi-western song is beautiful and shows the versatility of Lady Gaga’s voice and her stylistic range, which is a strength that other comparable artists lack.

The charts all agree that Lady Gaga is moving in the right direction. The Fame Monster reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Top Dance/Electronic album list, and it will become known as one of the most influential pop concept pieces of its time.

–Dan Garrett «««««

sainthood– tegan and sara When Tegan and Sara released The Con in 2007, many fans were shocked that their switch to a major label (Sire/Vapor) didn’t affect their indie pop style. The Con was mature, cohesive and retained its underground roots. All of the songs were short and catchy, making the listener want more.

Sainthood, however, shows all the symptoms of a major label influence. Although it is the most mature album they have produced, the synthesizers mixed with their old indie style sound overproduced. Sainthood is danceable, much like its predecessor, but is more commercial compared to Tegan and Sara’s usual reputation.

Unlike The Con, the new album’s songs are too repetitive and bore the listener. “Don’t Rush” and “The Cure” have repetitive choruses

that make the songs forgettable. “Northshore” begins with electric power chords layered on top of screaming vocals that combine in an awkward fusion of anthem-like lyrics. If Sainthood was the band’s first album on Sire, the mainstream sound would have been expected and may not have been under so much scrutiny; many first-time Tegan and Sara listeners will be pleased.

However, the lyrics partially redeem Sainthood. The band has been previously criticized for juvenile lyrics, but Sainthood shows Tegan and Sara’s maturity, especially in tracks like “The Ocean” and “Hell.”

Furthermore, the album gets better as each song progresses, as well as with each listen, and the songs are filled with sunny melodies that are accessible to a broad audience. Though it doesn’t live up to previous albums, Sainthood is still worth a listen.

– Caroline Tompkins «««««

43 | Spark | February 12, 2010

entertainment | reviews

The Motio The Book of Eli begins after society’s framework has crumbled, 30 years after a war that destroyed modern civilization and almost destroyed humanity. The landscape is dead and barren, and the few people who survived the war join gangs that are willing to kill anyone for an ounce of water.

Eli (Denzel Washington) is a skillful fighter and would be valuable to any gang, but he only uses his abilities to defend the one thing that keeps humanity’s hope alive: the very last copy of the Bible. However, a dangerous man named Carnegie (Gary Oldman) attempts to steal it, and further complications arise when Carnegie’s adoptive daughter joins Eli. Along with a twisting plot, The Book of Eli also offers artistically filmed action scenes that are absolutely stunning.

Directors Albert and Allen Hughes use an array of shifting camera angles to create flurried fight scenes that are both

engaging and realistic. The hand-to-hand combat scenes are especially captivating. Also, the directors picked the perfect setting for the post-apocalyptic world, a gray-tinted desert wasteland that perfectly evokes feelings of hopelessness and desparation while giving it an intriguing “Wild West” vibe.

The Book of Eli has very heavy Christian undertones, portraying the Bible’s Book of Revelations and containing a strong sense of religious destiny. While the previews and trailers did not hint at this aspect, it is critical to the film’s plot.

To gain appeal, The Book of Eli plays to the ancient The Book of Eli fear of the humanity’s destruction. With countless other post-apocalyptic movies on the market, The Book of Eli rated –R sets itself apart with its realism and the message that length – 118 min people should not only do what they think is right, but IMDb ratings – 7.4 also to follow what they truly believe.

Rottentomatoes rating – 45% – Erika Andler Spark rating – «««««

The Lovely Bones shocks viewers with its unique perspective on life, death and love for a child. Susie Salmon (Saoirse Ronan) portrays a naïve and captivating teen. After being murdered by a cold-blooded killer, she cannot seem to let go of her life on Earth or to accept her inability to be with her family and the only boy she loved. Jack Salmon (Mark Wahlberg) plays Susie’s deeply distraught father, who shares a connection with her and tries to single-handedly take down her killer. Symbolism and hidden themes provide the viewer with a new perspective on every aspect of life.

The Lovely Bones provides a fresh plotline that veers away from the repetitive stories into which a majority of recent movies have succumbed. Because of this, the viewer is caught wondering what is going to happen next as the perspective shifts from the “in-between”—the world that lies between Heaven and Earth—to the world of the living.

Director Peter Jackson envelops the viewer using rapid scene

changes that coincide with different camera angles working to create diverse moods throughout the movie.

Although the movie softens the harsher elements of the book in order to relate to a broader target audience, the promise of hope and the severity of the situation is transferred into the movie by the strong performances from the cast of obscure actors. The power behind Wahlberg and Ronan’s role draws the audience into the tragedy that is the death of Susie Salmon. Even though it would be nearly impossible to perfectly replicate the intensity of Alice Sebold’s novel, the cast and director are capable of The Lovely conveying the mixed emotions that accompany the Bones book. Combining realistic graphics and Jackson’s unique rated – PG-13 vision of the in-between, The Lovely Bones creates a length – 136 min beautiful interpretation of the events that unfold after IMDb ratings – 6.8 the death of a 14-year-old girl.

Rottentomatoes rating – 36% – Abby Buns Spark rating – «««««

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n Pictures Youth in Revolt is an entertaining but crude coming-ofage comedy based on C.D. Payne’s novel, following one teenager on his adventure to win the heart of his dream girl.

Although the concept was unoriginal, the unusual plot and characters made the movie somewhat enjoyable.

Nick Twisp (Michael Cera) is an awkward 16-yearold who can’t get a girl. He and his best friend Lefty (Erik Knudsen) spend hours studying sex positions and techniques hoping to put them to use one day.

Nick takes a vacation to Utah with his trashy Youth in Revolt mother and her boyfriend where Nick meets the gorgeous Sheeni (Portia Doubleday), who Nick claims rated – R is the love of his life. Though Sheeni already has what length – 90 min she believes to be the perfect boyfriend, Twisp creates IMDb ratings – 7.1 Rottentomatoes rating – 71% a criminal alter-ego to try to win Sheeni’s heart, and entertaining antics ensue.

Spark rating – «««««

Cera has officially mastered the art of playing the awkward, geeky character that he has played before in Juno and Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist. His character is adorable in a cheesy way that makes it hard not to like him. Through the many difficult challenges he faces, one cannot help but cheer for him.

Doubleday was also cast perfectly to play the role of Sheeni. She is a little eccentric, but that was what made her character unique and memorable.

This movie is a good choice for those looking for a simple teen comedy that delves into the mind of teenage boys. Although the acting was good, the movie lacked substance. The film itself is somewhat lacking, but it can still be ranked at the same level as Napoleon Dynamite as far as teenage comedies go.

– Emily Lunsford

If the most popular person at East gave up everything for a “nobody,” people would notice. Especially if the popular boy’s childhood best friend had just killed himself.

That would really get people talking. The indie feature film To Save a Life portrays this situation perfectly.

Senior Jake Taylor (Randy Wayne) has a perfect life as the popular, attractive basketball star who has a beautiful girlfriend and an athletic scholarship lined up for him. But when his best friend commits suicide in front of his peers, Taylor’s life is completely turned upside down.

To cope, he begins to attend Souled Out, the local To Save a Life youth group, in search of “something more” from life.

Throughout this process, Taylor trades his popularity rated – PG-13 for the chance to save a life—to befriend the length – 120 min unwanted. Taylor takes this second chance, and when IMDb ratings – 4.7 Rottentomatoes rating – 22% his whole life feels like it’s falling apart, it begins to fall into place. He seeks out the council of Souled Out’s Spark rating –«««««

minister, Chris Vaughn (Joshua Weigel), and together they succeed in changing the lives of teenagers on an emotional level throughout the rest of the movie.

While some situations were overdramatic and the acting was amateur, the drama is extremely relevant. This movie has the potential to change the lives of teenagers. Director Brian Baugh and writer Jim Britts have shown a perfect opportunity for teens to take charge of their lives and make everyday choices that can positively impact the lives of others. While the movie includes a Christian foundation, it is not “preachy” and can appeal to a larger audience.

What’s truly extraordinary is that although To Save a Life has a happy ending, it is not a typical feel-good movie. This must-see makes the audience truly ponder their everyday decisions and sends a positive, if simplistic, message to teens.

– Lauren Ellis

45 | Spark | February 12, 2010

entertainment | reviews

The Literature

C

onsidering how prevalent bullying is among teens today, not many books know how to deal it in a sensitive yet appealing way. “I’d like to fight back, but I know I’d get pounded on big time. ‘Melon Boy’ and ‘Man-Boobs,’ they yell at me. I hate it, and it makes my neck turn red.” The Fat Boy Chronicles is an eye-opening novel written by Diane Lang and Michael Buchanan that relays the story of a 14-year-old boy who is 5’5” and 187 pounds. He is desperate to fit in but is constantly ridiculed for his weight.

Jimmy Winterpock, the fictional character based off of real Mason High School student Doug Hennig, lets the reader into his world through a daily journal assigned to him by his English teacher. In the entries that he allows his teacher to read, we see a normal, relatively content teenager, but it is in the entries his teacher can’t see that the reader discovers the deep emotional pain and humiliation that accompanies his weight.

Finding solace in only his family, church and a select few friends, Jimmy struggles through continual harassment. Jimmy’s family isn’t skinny either. Jimmy’s doctor warns him that if he doesn’t confront his obesity soon, he will forever be held prisoner by his condition. Observing the grim quality of life of his overweight grandmother and with high hopes for the future, Jimmy begins his transformation.

With his family supporting him the whole way, Jimmy changes his eating habits, starts running and even utilizes the exercise equipment he got for Christmas to help drop his weight. Jimmy sees his friends Sable and Paul struggle with their own hidden problems: Sable is a cutter and Paul has an alcoholic mother and abusive father. It is through helping his friends that Jimmy maintains the strength and motivation to continue on his quest for health.

Lang and Buchanan, both former teachers, have produced a teen-friendly piece of literature that highlights the importance of tolerance and the adverse effects of bullying. The message of The Fat Boy Chronicles is about to be spread even more widely; the novel has been converted into a screenplay, scheduled reach theaters this year.

What separates The Fat Boy Chronicles from other novels about bullying and victims is that it never preaches. Jimmy simply talks about his life experiences and the way he feels. It is like being right there with him, experiencing every moment and growing closer to his character. It enables the reader to develop compassion and understanding towards his situation rather than just feeling sorry for him. Jimmy says, “I thought of different ways to kill myself, but even that’s hard because of my weight.” The Fat Boy Chronicles, in its journal style, is accessible to the everyday reader looking for a novel full of toil, compassion and triumph.

The voice of Jimmy is essential to the story. His first person narration is especially effective in relaying the raw emotion that he feels in the moment.

What really stands out in this novel is the message it relays to readers. Jimmy always talks about his pastor and about how everyone should treat others with respect and acceptance. As the reader follows Jimmy in his journey, Jimmy never strays from this principle. Jimmy could have easily retaliated, but he knew how badly humiliation and teasing hurt.

With such an applicable moral, The Fat Boy Chronicles is sure to become a staple in schools, teaching tolerance and tirelessness in the pursuit of goals.

-Nick Tedesco

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the fat boy chronicles “People act like it’s my fault that I’m fat, and maybe it is, but I don’t eat any more than most teenagers. I just have a slower metabolism than a lot of kids my age, which means I have to work at it more.

But no one told me this when I started putting on the weight.” (73)

T

house of leaves “Little solace comes to those who grieve when thoughts keep drifting as walls keep shifting and this great blue world of ours seems a house of leaves moments before the wind.” (563)

here is a legend in Greek mythology of the Cretan Labyrinth, which was built to house the Minotaur, a half-man, half-bull monstrosity. To keep the Minotaur away from the people of Crete, the labyrinth was constructed as a seemingly endless series of stone halls where anyone who dared to enter would be lost forever.

Now, imagine that this labyrinth is not a winding stone path that seems endless, but rather a series of corridors with no features, no light, no heat.

It really does go on forever.

Those endless corridors are the backdrop for the core of House of Leaves’ narrative: The Navidson Record, the book-within-the-book written as an analysis of the movie by a man known only as Zampano. The actual fictitious Navidson Record is made up of the tapes of the explorations of the labyrinth by photojournalist Will Navidson, his brother and several hired explorers and friends, spliced with footage of Will’s personal video journal and observations of his family’s life. However, The Navidson Record presented in the book is Zampano’s analysis, so between the frameby-frame narration are chapters about the physics of echo, architecture, the psychology of the characters, questioning of the authenticity of the film and the film’s parallels to myth.

In the book’s introduction, narrator Johnny Truant tells the reader how he and his friend went through Zampano’s apartment shortly after his death. The only thing that Truant took from the place was the manuscript of The Navidson Record written on napkins, Post-It notes and the backs of stamps and envelopes. Truant then compiles it into a coherent whole.

Will, his longtime girlfriend and their two children return from a fourday vacation and find a strange new corridor in their home that makes the house exactly a quarter inch bigger on the inside than the outside. Unable to iron out the oddity himself, Will calls his estranged brother to help him.

Eventually it expands into an entirely new door in the house behind which, where there should have been only insulation, is the cold, black labyrinth.

The labyrinth is vast with no lights and is very claustrophobic. It is utterly silent, save for an extremely loud growl that’s theorized to be the rooms of the maze shifting. It’s an unearthly place that has absolutely nothing in it except for doors, walls and a single staircase. It may not even be real. Everything that is left behind decays rapidly. It’s an abyss. Most unsettling of all is that there is no reason for it.

After the introduction ends and The Navidson Record begins, Johnny appears in the book, inserting his personal story into The Navidson Record as footnotes with a different font than the Record, to differentiate the two.

In regards to font and words, the structures of the words on the page are a major part of the book. At several points, words on the page are arranged to correspond with what they are describing. For instance, when a character is going down stairs, it may look like that. This technique adds a chaotic, stream-of-consciousness sense to the book that is only used when events in the book are at their heights.

The tone of Johnny’s story is much different, being deeply personal.

His sections serve as a counterpoint to the neutral, clinical tone of The Navidson Record in which Johnny shares odd asides—sometimes dreamlike and deeply disturbing—with the readers.

House of Leaves is on one level an extremely creative haunted house story, and on another, a philosophical study of infinity. The use of words to physically represent a story is done very well, feeling like something that really was scrawled by a half-deranged old man, but the best part of House of Leaves is the idea that drives it—an endlessly changing and empty labyrinth. No matter how far someone goes into it or how much is built into it, it continues to remain empty. The emptiness is truly terrifying.

-Zach Armstrong

47 | Spark | February 12, 2010

entertainment | feature

From left: Mia Carruthers, Al Carruthers, Stefan Wright and Seth Huff.

MIA CARRUTHERS AND THE RETROS

The charts are full of familiar faces from Michael Jackson to Beyoncé. Topping even the King of Pop himself, however, is the only unsigned band in the top 200 downloaded songs on iTunes. Number 24 is a band that is recognizable in a different way—all four of the band members roamed the halls of Lakota, and with their first extended play (EP), We Will Grow, Mia Car­­ruthers and the Retros are making it big in the halls of the music industry. story heidi yang | photos caroline tompkins “If I believed in fate, I’d say it was fate,” says Seth Huff.

Mia Carruthers and Huff have been friends since childhood, but it wasn’t until a party in Clifton that they started playing music together. Huff, a 2007 East graduate, is comfortable on stage; he was Philip Lombard in the 2007 East production And Then There Were None and was involved with radio, band and choir. To further develop the band, Mia then asked her older brother Alex “Al” Carruthers to play guitar with her and Huff.

“I wanted to go on this journey with people who I knew and loved that could benefit from it, not some guy who just thought it was a paycheck,” Mia says. “I wanted people playing with me that believed in music and me and [people] I could trust and hang out with on tour.”

Al agreed without hesitation.

“It was like an automatic yes,” he says. “There are so many ways you can

48 | Spark | February 12, 2010

get screwed over in this business if you don’t have anybody you trust.”

With Mia as the vocalist, Huff on bass and Al on guitar, the band needed a percussionist. Aaron Breadon, a close friend and classmate of Mia in high school at the School of Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA), was a perfect fit for the drummer role. “[Forming the band] happened really quickly, yet really slowly,” Mia reminisces.

And just like that, Mia Carruthers and the Retros was born.

Their first gig was at Northside Tavern in Cincinnati, and everything seemed to work against them. It was Al’s first time performing as lead guitar; he forgot to turn his amp on and when he finally did, the levels were too loud. MTV had come to film Mia play that night because of her role in the reality show Taking the Stage, which follows five SCPA students in their

If you can’t play awesome guitar and you don’t have the voice of an angel, all you have left ARE lyrics.

career pursuits. MTV had a show deadline that rushed the band’s development of their song “Diamonds in the City,” which forced them to perform it without bass or guitar.

“We didn’t have a whole lot of confidence in what was going on,” Huff recalls. “If you listen to our songs now and our songs back then, you’ll just be like ‘What the hell happened?’”

Despite media pressure, instrumental mishaps and the rush to polish music, their first show was not a complete disaster.

MTV filmed again at their performance at Southgate House, a popular band venue in Newport, Kentucky, when the band was just two months old. After the band unpacked their equipment and did a sound check, Al and Huff walked around the side of the building and saw a line of people trailing out of the door, down the hill and around the corner.

Although the band commonly went to Southgate House, they had never seen so many people there, and they had all come to watch Mia Carruthers and the Retros. Though MTV’s involvement and its huge, hovering cameras diminished the full enjoyment of the live performance, the sense of accomplishment was overwhelming.

“There was that one moment where [I realized that] something I helped create was being successful, and there were a whole lot of people there,” says Huff. “It was a very profound moment, seeing what could be.”

A couple months later, Mia Carruthers and the Retros was playing another gig at Southgate, but this time, they opened for Paper Route, an indie rock band from Nashville that was one of Huff ’s favorites. Right before Mia Carruthers and The Retros came on, Mia’s father and manager Dan Carruthers announced that someone was willing to be their producer.

His name was K.S. Rhoads, songwriter, producer and performer. The band had been to one of Rhoads’ shows before and found his musical vibe to be similar to their own, so when they needed a producer for their EP, they sent him a few song demos.

“Mia’s voice is really good; they have a lot of potential,” says Rhoads, who was impressed with the level of music they were playing at their young age and agreed to produce the band’s EP. With the promise of a producer and the exhilaration of playing with their favorite band, that night at Southgate House was their best performance yet.

Shows like those bring them together, and the way they talk about it reveals their bond through the shared experiences. They are close, really more like a family than a band; they had even lived together over the summer. Unfortunately, it drove Breadon and the others apart.

“Living together [with Breadon] was a bad idea,” says Mia. “Some people just aren’t meant to live together.”

Though there were small things that created conflicts, ultimately, it was Breadon’s personality and music endeavors that created a schism in the group. He wanted the band to be a collaborative effort in every aspect, but his visions for the band began to clash with the main style of the band. He had a hard time accepting that it was Mia Carruthers and the Retros, not Mia Carruthers, Aaron Breadon, Seth Huff and Al Carruthers.

“I understand wanting to do your own thing and having your own style,” says Huff. “But this just wasn’t the place for it.”

Breadon’s style is loose and relaxed as opposed to the tight, pop sound they were aiming for. Eventually, the band needed to let him go, though kicking Breadon off made Huff uneasy. Huff and Breadon had played together before, recording and playing in a trio (along with Al) called the Merrycans. Huff and Breadon had been best friends.

“I was never all the way on board with it,” Huff says. “But I know that the decision had to be made.”

For six weeks, Mia Carruthers and the Retros played their shows acoustically without a drummer. They practiced with Stefan Wright, who was good friends with Al and graduated with him from East in 2005, but didn’t immediately sign him on.

“We wanted to make sure we were making the right decision,” says Al. Wright was previously in an indie rock band called Ellison, which had a similar sound to Mia Carruthers and the Retros. He agreed to join their

band since the activity involved with Ellison had slowed.

“They asked me to play with them, and I was like ‘Shit yeah!’” says Wright.

Though Aaron’s drumming is heard in the EP, Wright has played in live shows with the band since he was signed on.

Rhoads recorded their EP in a music studio called the ToyBox; he introduced many unique ideas into their music, including banging on a spiral stairway as a part of the percussion, a piano that makes cat sounds and strings arrangements that seem to be his specialty. It took about a month and a half.

They submitted their EP to TuneCore, a music distribution service that offers musicians an opportunity to place songs on iTunes for sale, and waited for several months.

Dec. 11, 2009. Huff was woken up by noise everywhere.

“Everyone was freaking out, seeing themselves on the internet,” Huff remembers.

Things got more surreal as they watched their placement jump to number 24. People were celebrating, and Mia was on the phone with interested label companies.

“I just felt complete relief,” says Mia. Since then, the band has been working on the long-playing album (LP), the complete version of the EP, sometimes practicing 12 hours a day.

Each band member writes songs separately. They are an eclectic group of songwriters, each with their own individual style, and they pride themselves on the resulting sound. Combined, the band plays guitar, alto sax, drums, bass and piano and also sings and beat boxes. During shows,

49 | Spark | February 12, 2010

entertainment | feature

Mia often sings and plays guitar or keyboard at the same time. Huff accompanies her on vocals while playing bass. The name “Retros” comes from their approach to music—going “back to the roots of real music”— music on piano or guitar, without auto-tune or computers.

With grandparents, a great uncle and parents all passionate about and talented in music, Mia and Al have been surrounded by sound and instruments since they were born. “[In our house], at any given moment, there’s always someone playing an instrument or just setting it down,” says Al. Dan is Mia and Al’s mentor. He ignited their passions and interests in music when they were younger.

“He never pushed or forced us to do anything,” says Mia. “But he always made it an option for us.”

Dan has a background in business and has their best interests at heart, so he is their manager for now, until they can manage for themselves in the music industry. He also gives the band tips and pointers as manager and teacher. Mia and Al still call him dad, but they are able to keep business and familial matters separate.

Mia discovered music through her parents’ divorce, when she began to spend hours in her room listening to music. Her lyrics are often about the sadder side of love and observations of human interaction—“the funny things we do.”

“We Will Grow is a collection of songs I wrote during high school— mostly right before graduation, really. It’s just wrapping up what was going on at that time,” Mia says. “It’s just my feelings about graduation and moving on and becoming an adult in this world—the struggles and triumphs of that.”

She went to the Lakota School District through junior high but attended SCPA in high school to develop her musical talent.

“I was looking [online with a friend] for acting classes. I looked through the pictures and saw the auditorium and something just struck me. It was like I had to go there,” she says. “[SPCA] is unbelievable, something out of a story, really. You know the more artsy kids at school, the drama ones? It’s a whole entire school of them. [Creatively], it’s complete spontaneity at any given moment.”

50 | Spark | February 12, 2010

It is where MTV chose her to be on Taking the Stage, after holding auditions for talented students in certain areas of study. Five people were selected for the show, including dance, vocal and theatre majors.

Mia, selected for her voice, is inspired by male singers rather than female ones. It is weird hearing the pretty blue-eyed 19-year-old talk. Her speaking voice is unusually matter-of-fact for someone with her range and style in singing.

“It really comes down to the songs and the delivery of those songs,” Mia says. “I actually wish I was less of a singer and more of a talky vocalist.

It just seems more inspiring to me. Like the difference between the sounds of Whitney Houston and Ingrid Michaelson.”

On the EP, especially during “Diamonds in the Sky,” Mia’s vocals are backed by her own, as well as Huff ’s vocals. Like Mia, Huff ’s speaking voice is surprisingly different from his singing voice. Huff focuses on lyricwriting and admires the work of Conor Oburst from the band Bright Eyes.

“If you can’t play awesome guitar and you don’t have the voice of an angel, all you have left are lyrics,” says Huff, who wrote “Gray,” the last song on the band’s EP. He has produced more songs than any of the band members, and he uses his experience to guide the band. He owns an old Mac with a trusty Garageband system and a Digirack compressor—programs that record, mix and edit music tracks—to record songs, but he hopes to upgrade it as soon as he can.

“I think I’ve gone as far as I can with it,” Huff says.

Al, on the other hand, brings the bluesy side to the band’s sound.

“I’m inspired by soulful music that’s emotional—music that you can feel as well as hear,” contemplates Al. “It doesn’t matter who the artist is; it’s that feeling you get when you listen to the songs.”

Al loves the live performance aspect of music, and it is evident in his voice as he tries, for nearly five minutes, to describe his feelings and experiences when he is playing live.

“It helps me block out everything else. I don’t remember performances at all. I can remember parts and bits and pieces, but when I come off the stage, it’s like I black out [during performances], you know what I mean?” says Al. “It’s euphoric almost. It’s definitely a high. I love it. So when I don’t want to feel anything else, I just play music; it’s therapeutic. I don’t know how I’d process things if I couldn’t express it through song.”

Mia Carruthers and the Retros is emerging now into a world that few people succeed in. It would daunt any artist from a humble town. They are already planning to go on tour within the next two months, but the fame has not really set in or affected them. They have been well-prepared and seem to have a positive, realistic attitude for their future.

“People we affiliate ourselves with are just as good, if not better musicians than we are,” says Huff. “The cool thing about that is that hopefully we’ll get the chance to get some recognition and bring everyone along with us because everyone deserves it just as much as we do.”

For Huff, the path the band is on now “feels about right.” n

sports l inside east sports

Rivalry Creates Friendships With only two seniors and practices with their rival, the East gymnastics team aims for success. story drew souders photo eric muenchen infographic logan schneider

I

n 1997, a major change took place in the history of Lakota.

The district split its high school into East and West, creating a rivalry that still lasts to this day.

Only two teams have risen above this fierce contention. The Lakota gymnastics squads, on both sides of the district, show an incredible level of maturity when it comes to dealing with their cardinal opposites.

A large portion of the camaraderie can be contributed to the constant contact the girls have with one another. The two squads practice together at Flip N’ Twist Gymnastics from 3:15 to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

Co-head coach Mardi Dagley explains how this close contact has affected East gymnasts.

“It’s not like ‘Oh, we have to beat West,’” says Dagley. “It’s a rivalry, but you’re always also rooting for the other team at the same time.”

So far, the teams’ practice and mutual support have paid off.

The East girls earned a fifth place finish at the Snowflake Invitational, came in second at the Miamisburg Quad and finished third at the Cookie Classic.

Their rivals, the Firebirds, have seen similar success in their season openers with third and

sixth place finishes in their first two competitions.

The teams’ friendship did not start as soon as their players met. East senior Kirsten Weber admitted that it took her a while to adjust and become comfortable with practicing with the West team.

“It was a little weird at first,” says Weber.

“They’re our archrivals, but we’ve made lots of friendships and we’re all really close now. We’re basically one team.”

West senior Katie McCurnin agrees that the two teams share a unique relationship.

“We’re supposed to be rivals, but we’re not,” says McCurnin. “We practice together, compete together, and we’re really all friends.”

Another factor that contributes to the closeness of the teams is the relationship between the coaches. Dagley and her counterpart, Margi Sammons, also happen to be twin sisters.

These two siblings co-head coach both West and East, and they also own their own company, FlipBox Productions. Even with their busy schedules, both make time to attend all of their two teams’ events.

In their history, the Sammons sisters have been invaluable to the East gymnastics team. The two certified Junior Olympic Level 10 judges led the East squad to two consecutive Ohio District Championships in 2007 and 2008.

All of this duo’s expertise will be needed in the tough current season.

Both East and West will have to compete against a currently undefeated Mason team, along with strong Northmont and Centerville programs.

But the coaches report that both teams are ready for any challenges they will come across this winter.

One of these challenges includes East’s program having six freshmen and only two returning seniors. To overcome this situation, the Hawks need their returning members to step up and take charge.

What’s in the Gym

*Floor exercise is also an event

Balance Beam: The gymnast performs a choreographed routine up to 90 seconds in length. The beam is 4.1 ft from the ground, 16 ft long, and 3.9 in wide.

Vault: Gymnasts sprint down an 82 foot runway, jump onto a spring board and propel off the board.

While in air, they perform a sequence of flips, and land on the mat below.

Uneven Bars: The gymnasts perform a routine on two horizontal bars set at different heights. Gymnasts may pass over, under and between the two bars.

Senior Codie Owens performs her beam routine on Jan. 30.

Senior Codie Owens will look to fill this position. East won the district championship during her freshman and sophomore years, so she knows what it is like to be part of a group that can go all the way.

Owens is one of the most valuable gymnasts on the team. She has qualified for state for the last two years on balance beam and floor exercise, and she looks to qualify for the all around event this season.

“It’s great to be a leader on a team that I have seen continually grow since my freshman year,” Owens says.

She looks to take initiative this winter to give her team the best chance for success.

Still the load does not rest entirely on Owens’ shoulders.

Weber and sophomore Alexa Brownfield have had top finishes on beam routines so far this winter and will look to continue to improve and to provide a strong foundation for their squad.

“I think that by the end of the season, [East] could easily be one of the top two teams in the district,” says Dagley. “They’re just going to get better and better.” n

51 | Spark | February 12, 2010

Quiz Team

Senior Luke Hall ponders a question.

photo emily morrell

Girls’ Swimming

photo reb vachon

Academic

Junior Abbey Cramer goes in for a flip turn during practice at Lakota YMCA.

photo caroline tompkins

Chess Junior Akash Umakantha practices in the library.

Junior Alex Espinosa swims freestyle at practice at Lakota YMCA.

photo emily morrell

Boys’ Swimming

Off to a rough start this year, Academic Quiz Team (AQT) has won only six out of 16 matches of the season.

“We just can’t seem to concentrate,” junior AQT member Andrew Breland said.

AQT practices every Tuesday and Thursday after school with advisor Heather SchoellShroeder.

“Mostly, our practices are about working together as a team,” senior Nathan Miller said.

Shoell-Schroeder encourages members to specialize in different areas.

“We know the subjects,” Breland said. “We don’t know our arts.”

To prepare for the English section, Breland recently bought an 800-page book of summaries

of “great novels.”

The team also prepares for matches by going over questions from previous matches.

“We have 12 years’ worth and what you get are what the themes of the questions are,” Shoell-Shroeder said.

In a match earlier this year, the team was surprised to come across a question about Harry Potter. Although this question was unexpected, many AQT members knew the answer.

“We’re probably going to end up this season even,” Miller said.

Last year AQT rounded out the season at 9-9.

“I’d like to see a few more wins under our belt,” Breland said. ­­—Rashma Faroqui

As the end of the season draws near, the East girls’ swim team will rely on its hard work to qualify to the District and State meets.

Junior Allison Wood knows that team unity and hard work will pay off in the final meets of the season.

“I really like the dedication this year,” Wood said. “I feel like this year everyone has worked really hard and has been improving their swims.”

This dedication has propelled Wood to success in recent meets. At the Milford Invitational, Wood placed sixth overall in the 200 freestyle with a best time of 2:14.20.

The girls’ swim team captain, senior Kerrianne Morrison, has focused this year on bringing the team together with the help of

juniors like Wood.

“This year there are a ton of underclassmen,” said Morrison. “We all are really close and support each other.”

Both girls have high expectations for the team in the District and State meets.

“I hope that we can make podium at Districts in the relays,” Morrison said. “I would like all three relays to make it and more than two individuals to qualify as well.”

Head Coach Dennis Beck, who has been the head coach for East and Lakota West swimming since 1997, also has the same high expectations.

“I hope that we will send more individual qualifiers to State this year,” Beck said.

—Jordan Drake

Despite having only five players, the East chess team managed a second place Greater Miami Conference (GMC) finish with an impressive 14-3-1 final record, just barely falling short to Sycamore’s perfect 18-0 season.

Their finish in the GMC did not surprise eight-year coach Stephen Orlando.

“I thought we would end up in the top three,” Orlando said.

The team lost two critical matches to Sycamore and ultimately could not recover to take first place when Sycamore went undefeated.

All the players finished the season with records above .500, and junior Akash Umakantha was voted “chess athlete of the year” for the third consecutive year at the GMC chess

tournament on Dec. 14.

Sophomore Dwight Hu made first team AllGMC, and junior Zach Douglas made second team All-GMC at the tournament.

Orlando and his team have reason to be optimistic for next season. Experience will favor East, as Umakantha, Douglas and Eric Fox will all be entering their third and final year with East Chess as seniors.

“We’ve got the same guys,” said Fox, who finished his season 13-5. “I have pretty high expectations.”

Douglas, who has a 15-1-2 record also is confident they will do well.

“We will win the GMC,” he said.

—Joey Armentrout

The East boys’ swim team finished third in the Classic Finals­, an annual invitational meet hosted by St. Xavier High School on Jan. 17, and it is now time for the team to prepare for its Greater Miami Conference (GMC) meets the weekend of Feb. 6 with some tapering training.

Instead of the usual 3,400 to 8,500-yard practices, East is having lighter practices, so the team is well rested, in preparation for the meet.

Head Coach Dennis Beck is currently deciding which relays will be assigned to the fastest swimmers for the GMC tournament.

Beck said that the team’s next meet will determine East’s final position. “[The next week] will show us a little bit more of where we are at,” Beck said.

Junior Kyle Morrison agrees that team chemistry will lead to a positive end this season.

“It’s an individual sport,” Morrison said. “But we are a pretty close-knit group.”

Junior Alex Espinoza predicts that the team will place in both the GMCs and Districts. “[For] GMCs, I’m thinking boys third or fourth,” he said. “Districts—seventh or eighth, and after that, we will have to see.”

Senior co-captain Casey Thompson is certain that the year will end well.

“I expect that our guys will keep up the good work that we have had so far,” Thompson said.

“Hopefully, some of us will qualify to state in relays or individually.”

— Victoria Reick-Mitrisin

TICKER: BOYS’ BASKETBALL-Trae Broadnax 1st in the GMC rebounds n GIRLS’ SWIMMING-200m relay 2nd in GMC

Climbing to the Top

HAWKS’ ALUMNI

story devin casey l photo eric muenchen

I

story sarah fanning

t is winter. It is the end of the football season and a time of recuperation for most football players. A time to lift weights, revive grades and idealize about next season.

But that is not the case for freshman varsity basketball player Rob Harpring.

After finishing the football season as quarterback for the undefeated freshmen Thunderhawks, Harpring joined the basketball team as the only freshman on the varsity team.

“Basketball always comes before any sport,” says Harpring.

In his first game of the basketball season, Harpring accumulated eight points, a rebound, a steal and an assist.

In addition to a 9-0-1 football season as quarterback, shooting guard Harpring led the Liberty Junior Thunderbirds to their first ever Greater Miami Conference (GMC) basketball championships in seventh and eighth grade.

Despite his success, Harpring did not put himself into the basketball scene at first.

“My parents [put] me onto a team to learn how to play,” says Harpring, who started his basketball career in first grade.”

According to Harpring his

Four-time All-Greater Miami Conference (GMC) honoree Elizabeth Tabor is making strides as a freshman, swimming at the University of Pittsburgh.

At East, Tabor was a fourtime varsity member and state qualifier.

She also was a three-time GMC Conference Elizabeth Tabor Champion now swims for the University of in the 500 Pittsburgh. and 200 free events. She also holds the East record for both events.

Tabor has placed in both of Pittsburgh’s meets this year.

In a meet against Villanova, Maryland and Penn State, Tabor placed 8th in the 1650-yard freestyle, helping the women’s team to place 3rd overall.

In a meet against Duquesne, Tabor placed 3rd in the 1000-yard freestyle, behind two of her own teammates. Pittsburgh won the meet 199.5-60.5.

Tabor will look to make an impact on the Panther’s swimming program. n

Freshman shooting guard Rob Harpring prepares to pass to a teammate during the Jan. 22 52-4 loss against Mason.

basketball career will not end after high school.

Harpring is looking to universities in the Southeastern Conference, like Tennessee.

“I would like to play for a Division I school,” he says.

To accomplish this goal, Harpring says he is outside playing basketball or in the gym every day.

He is currently ranked 10 in the GMC in assists-to-turnovers ratio, an important factor for shooting guards. He also leads the Thunderhawks in three-pointers and free-throw percentage through

HAWK CULTURE

A look into the lives of East athletes

n

East’s first 10 games.

Harpring understands that it will take more than just hoop skills to play at the collegiate level.

With a 3.8 grade point average, he meets Lakota’s standards, yet East has only sent one athlete in the past two years to play college basketball.

Harpring says he gets along with his teammates.

“Rob is a great asset to our team,” says junior guard Cameron Lee. “He is probably one of the best shooters on our team.”

Lee also says that he was not surprised when Harpring was put on the varsity rotation and that he was Harpring’s “biggest fan.”

“Basketball is demanding, and a lot goes into the sport,” Lee says. “[Harpring] helps out a lot.”

Men’s Varsity Basketball Coach Wally Vickers says that he too is excited to see Harpring excel throughout his high school career.

“He has a lot of potential as a freshman,” he says.

With three years left on his tenure at East, Harpring hopes to bring many promising seasons for East as a multi-sport athlete.

“I plan on playing football and basketball through high school,” Harpring says, “and hopefully turn things around here at East.” n

photo used with permission of tim buck

sports l hawk culture

infographic sarah wilkinson

Brady Williamson VARSITY BOYS BOWLING

Megan Connett VARSITY GYMNASTICS

Michael Dudley VARSITY QUIZ TEAM

Kelsey Chapin VARSITY DANCE TEAM

Francesca Reynaert VARSITY GIRLS SWIMMING

Winter or Summer Olympics?

SUMMER

SUMMER

SUMMER

SUMMER

SUMMER

Rain or Snow?

SNOW

RAIN

RAIN

SNOW

SNOW

Chipotle or Qdoba?

CHIPOTLE

CHIPOTLE

CHIPOTLE

CHIPOTLE

CHIPOTLE

French Fries or Tater Tots?

FRENCH FRIES

FRENCH FRIES

FRENCH FRIES

FRENCH FRIES

FRENCH FRIES

Favorite movie?

THE HANGOVER

STICK IT

UNLEASHED

THE BLIND SIDE

THE NOTEBOOK

BOYS’ SWIMMING-Alex Espinoza 4th in GMC 50 freestyle

n

INSIDE THE NEST On Feb. 12, the 21st Winter Olympic games will open up in Vancouver, Canada.

The first Winter Olympics took place in 1924.

Until 1994, both the Summer and Winter Olympic games were played in the same year.

They currently alternate every two years.

The next Olympics will take place in London in 2012.

GIRLS’ BASKETBALL-Molly Blomer 2nd in GMC field goal percentage

sports l feature

Sporting a new coach, a new attitude, a new perspective and a new practice mentality, the East girls’ basketball team is suddenly

In the Running story faiz siddiqui photos eric muenchen

T

he coach walked into the locker room that night to a scene of bitter sorrow. The players were devastated; some, brought to tears. It was exactly what she wanted to see after a two-point loss to the topranked team in the city, Ursuline Academy.

When Girls’ Basketball Coach Nikki Drew was hired for the position in September 2009, she believed that her players needed an attitude adjustment.

“When I first came into the picture, they were happy with just being in the game,” she says.

Four months later, the girls’ mindset had completely transformed.

“That’s what I wanted to see because it showed me that the team wanted to win [against Ursuline] that bad,” Drew says.

Three-year varsity member Megan Boice is certainly taking a different approach to games this season.

“Everything just means a lot more now,” she says. “We wanted to win [against Ursuline]. We should have won. There was not one second in which we doubted ourselves.”

With her newfound determination toward this season’s games, Boice was especially disheartened by a 39-38 loss to top-ranked Dayton team, Kettering-Fairmont.

“When Fairmont made that buzzer-beater, my heart just sank,” she says.

“The locker room was dead silent.”

Still, the team has managed to amass as many wins this season as in its past two seasons combined, through only 13 of its 20 regular season games.

Boice attributes these victories to a new outlook on game day.

“Losing is not good enough,” she says. “Coming close is not okay.”

54 | Spark | February 12, 2010

Alyssa Grevenkamp drives to the basket during a 59-51 loss to GMC rival Colerain.

The girls proved right off the bat that they would not be an easy win with their 21-point victory over Thurgood Marshall, the team’s first opening game win in three years.

Drew saw the 21-point trouncing as an ideal season-opener.

“It could not have been better,” she says.

Through their first five games, the Lady Hawks went 4-1, including a 29-point thrashing of Middletown, a team the Lady Hawks handled during last year’s postseason. Team scoring leader sophomore Whitney Wyckoff welcomed a fast and unprecedented start to the season.

“We kind of shocked ourselves by beating [Marshall],” she says. “Being 4-1 to start the season was really good. East had never really done that before. It gave us a really big boost into our season.”

Three-year varsity member Page Mayberry wants more than just victories. She looks to earn some respect.

“Teams think that because we have ‘East’ on our jerseys, it’s another easy win for them,” she says. “It’s not like that this year.”

The Lady Hawks finally appear to be garnering the respect they so adamantly crave. As a former Colerain High School Girls’ Basketball Head Coach, Drew is a well-known figure to the Cardinals. Colerain’s current head coach Christi Mack, a former assistant to Drew, knows the capabilities of a team headed by Drew.

“I know her kids will play hard,” Mack says. “They’re a scrappy team, and they’re really sharp on defense.”

Mack believes that the Hawks are gaining respect throughout the Greater Miami Conference (GMC).

“I think Coach Drew is doing a great job,” Mack says. “It’s great for the conference.”

Barry Wanninger, father of Colerain’s leading scorer Ashley Wanninger,

knows that his daughter has respect for the Lady Hawks.

“Ashley is very close with Coach Drew,” he says. “She is very impressed with East.”

Out of respect for his granddaughter’s former coach, Colerain resident Bob DeWitt made the 20-mile drive to East to watch the Cardinals face off against the Lady Hawks.

DeWitt has been a die-hard Cardinals fan ever since 1956. He was inducted into Colerain’s Hall of Fame in 2007. DeWitt was impressed by Drew during her stint at Colerain.

“She’s a good coach,” he says.

He walked onto the court and had a few words for Drew after the Lady Hawks’ 59-51 loss to the Cardinals.

“It’s strange seeing you on the other side,” he told Drew. “You used to be our coach. You’ve got some good shooters on that team of yours.”

With the addition of Coach Drew’s offensive and defensive schemes, the team works harder and plays a more upbeat game—something that Drew’s coaching style emphasizes. Throughout each and every game, Drew can constantly be heard from the sidelines instructing her players to “sprint” or “play D” and can be seen making hand motions to emphasize her points.

“I was a player, and sometimes when I coach,

Coach Drew drives a point home to the team during the 59-51 loss to Colerain at East.

Imani Outlaw prepares to shoot a free throw from the foul line during a loss to Ursuline on Jan. 20.

I feel like I’m still playing,” she says. “The players Firebirds’ 91. see the passion, and it helps them play. You’ll “It was humiliating,” says Boice, who was a never see me sit down, not even if we’re up 20 varsity player at the time. [points]. They work hard for me, and I’ve got to Drew understands the reality of the rivalry work equally as hard for them.” between the schools.

The players expect this same passion from “I would be foolish to say that the game Drew during practice. against West isn’t the biggest game for these girls, “This year, practices are a lot more intense,” especially the seniors,” she says.

Wyckoff says. “We get a lot done, and we have a Those seniors include Boice, Mayberry and good practice even if it’s short.” guard Amber Kidd. Wyckoff sees a different Drew believes that hard work during practice void to fill for all three upon their graduation. leads to four quarters of quality basketball that “When we don’t have Page, we won’t have are not hampered by fatigue. a lot of inside presence,” she says. “Amber is a “It really doesn’t come down to the last shot,” strong guard, we’ll be lacking there. And Boice is Drew says, recalling when she faced a situation as a good three-point shooter.” a point guard for Xavier University.

Still, Boice and Mayberry see a world of Drew was at the foul line with a chance potential in the underclassmen. to win the Sweet Sixteen game against the “Molly Blomer has really come a long way,” University of Connecticut on two free throws.

Boice says. “We have a freshman who is starting, She missed both. While Imani Outlaw. She is “They work hard for me, Drew was hard on really good for us.” herself initially, she In spite of a and I’ve got to work later accepted the fact potentially bright future, equally as hard for them.” that four quarters of this year’s team, a GMC basketball determined the outcome of the game contender, looks to keep its focus on the present. rather than her botched attempts from the “We used to be satisfied with just competing charity stripe. with GMC teams,” Wyckoff says. “We know Through consistent practice and play, the now that we can do more than just compete with team has reached a new level of confidence. them. We know that we can beat them.”

Wyckoff believes that confidence is key for the Coach Drew believes that her team can play team’s success. up to the level of any given opponent.

“We’re so much more pumped up now,” “If I was another team, I wouldn’t want to Wyckoff says. “We know we can beat teams. play us right now,” she says.

Last year, we didn’t have that. Confidence is the East Athletic Director Richard Bryant, who biggest thing for us, and if we don’t have it, we took part in selecting Drew as head coach, don’t play well.” believes that there is no end in sight to the For some players, the measure of this improvement that the girls are beginning to season’s success will be the team’s performance display. in its upcoming game against arch-rival “The girls are still young,” he says. “We’re Lakota West. The Lady Hawks are looking for way ahead of the curve.” redemption after a nine-point loss against the Bryant is confident that his choice for the Firebirds earlier this year. The team has steadily head coaching position will consistently bring improved in games against the “other school” winning seasons to East Girls’ Basketball. since the abysmal 2007 performance in which “She has exceeded my expectations,” he says. the Lady Hawks managed 18 points to the “I’ll sign her up for the next 50 years if I can.” n

55 | Spark | February 12, 2010

sports l feature

LIFTING Expectations

New Head Coach Rick Haynes assists junior lineman Scott Duncan during weight lifting.

story sarah fanning photos eric muenchen

With a new coach, a new work ethic and new standards, the East Football Team looks to return as a GMC powerhouse.

S

ince the hiring of new football coach Rick Haynes, the weight room for the Navy Midshipmen and East Thunderhawks football teams bears one striking resemblance. The weights in the Midshipmen weight room read ‘Beat Army,’ while weights in the Thunderhawk’s weight room have been labeled ‘Beat West.’

Haynes was inspired to bring this Navy tradition to the East football program after visiting a Naval Academy spring football practice five years ago.

“I want [the painted weights] to serve as a constant reminder of why we are here,” Haynes says.

Haynes and his newly assembled coaching staff gather with the team in the East High School weight room four days a week to begin to overcome four straight losing seasons.

In the 12 seasons since East’s founding, the team has won one conference title and has never advanced to the postseason.

Haynes was previously the offensive line coach and offensive coordinator for Thomas Moore College, a Division-III college that was conference champion in 2008 and 2009 and that qualified for the DivisionIII playoffs in both of those years.

Prior to his years at Thomas Moore, Haynes served as Assistant Head

56 | Spark | February 12, 2010

Coach and Offensive Coordinator at perennial Greater Miami Conference (GMC) and state power Colerain High School.

While at Colerain, the Cardinals won 11 GMC titles and qualified for the postseason 10 times. In 2004, they were crowned state champions, earning Haynes the Aflac National Assistant Coach of the Year honor.

Athletic Director Richard Bryant says that Haynes success set him apart from the other candidates for the position.

“He has been successful with strength and conditioning.

He has been successful with wins and losses. He has been successful in the city, in the league and in the state,” Bryant says. “It’s easy to talk to coaches and they can say they are going to be successful, and I always find more comfort when someone can say, ‘I did this.”’

Defensive Coordinator Jim Semones agreed that Haynes’ experience as well as his enthusiasm helped Haynes make an impression during the coaching selection process.

“Experience in this league and in college—both those things were vital,” Semones says. “Plus his enthusiasm for working with kids and his enthusiasm for the game, and certainly the knowledge of the league and the game.”

Athletic Booster President Darrin Ward participated in the focus group

that helped to choose the new head coach. He was looking for a coach who would excite the players, the other coaches and the community. To Ward, Haynes’ motivation and desire to change the program made him stand out from the other three finalists. “[Haynes] had a plan, down to the hour almost,” Ward says. “He had a plan on how he was going to get the program to conference championships and competing for state championships. He had it written down. He had a plan, and he had it done before [his hiring].”

Ward believes that Haynes will rejuvenate the boosters and help it thrive. While at Colerain, Haynes played a part in turning the boosters into a success, and he has already begun to promote the boosters to football parents at East.

“At Colerain, their boosters went from basically nothing to a large organization. They do a lot of things for all of the athletic programs,” says Ward. “I’m looking forward to [Haynes] getting the same excitement going at East.”

Because football has the highest attendance out of all of the sports and garners the most community involvement, it is vital to the success

the building. It is important for a head coach to have that connection with athletes and have that connection taking place daily,” Bryant says.

Haynes is certified to teach Social Studies and currently teaches at Colerain.

Many members of the staff Haynes compiled upon his hiring are currently teachers at East.

One coaching position is still open on the offensive side and will most likely be filled with a wide receiver coach.

Joining the staff will be Michael Buckenmeyer, Tom Prohaska, Dave Koger and Jim Semones, all of whom were previously coaches for East.

“They all know the league structure, work ethic and have football knowledge—all things Coach Haynes is very interested in [for] a staff,” says Bryant. “I would put our staff against any in the league or even in the city.”

Prohaska and Koger were assistant coaches at Monroe High School. Buckenmeyer was an assistant coach at Kings High School and also a finalist for the head coaching position.

Prohaska, Koger, and Buckenmeyer are all currently teachers at East.

Mike Buckenmeyer: Running Back Coach Teaches how to block and read their blockers while carrying the ball.

Tom Prohaska: Offensive Line Coach Teaches offensive blocking schemes and blocking techniques.

Rick Haynes: Head Coach/ Offensive Coordinator Main coach of the team and calls offensive plays.

O O O O

Josh Gardner: Offensive Line Coach Teaches offensive blocking schemes and blocking techniques.

Jim Semones: Secondary/ Defensive Coordinator Teaches defensive backs techniques for coverage and calls defensive plays.

of the boosters.

“Without a successful football team, you can’t have a successful boosters or an athletic department. Football makes the funds to support all of the other sports. It has the most interest in the community and the highest attendance,” Ward says.

Currently, Haynes holds a coaching contract with East. “[Haynes] was given a supplemental contract, much like any other coach that works for our school or for the district,” says East Principal Dr. Keith Kline.

However, Haynes would like to gain another contract to be able to teach in the building. “[Teaching in the building] would be preferable,” Haynes says. “All Mr. Bryant and Dr. Kline have told me is that they are working through it, and I would be in the building in the fall. I take them for their word; I have faith in them that they are going to get it done.”

Bryant also believes that if Haynes is teaching in the building, his relationships with the players will be stronger.

“We’re working on getting him a position in

WR/RB

O O O

O O O O

Offensive Line

X X X

DB

O

WR/RB

O O O

Brad Williams: Outside Linebacker Coach Teaches pass rushing, coverage and containment techniques.

OLB

X X X X X X X

ILB Defensive Line X X X

New Lakota East Football Coaches and Positions

QB

X = Defense O = Offense

Ed Brady: Inside Linebacker and Special Teams Coordinator Teaches how to read the offense and calls special team plays.

Dave Koger : Defensive Line Coach Teaches how to rush the pass and stop the run at the line.

57 | Spark | February 12, 2010

sports l feature “[Prohaska] is intense. He will get you fired up in a good way. He makes me want to beat West and win the GMC and work hard so we can accomplish this,” says junior Offensive Lineman Mike Willis.

Semones is also returning to the varsity squad after two years of coaching the freshman team, which went undefeated during the 2009 season.

He has spent 21 years in the Lakota Local School District. In his coaching tenure, he has coached with all of the new assistant coaches, and Haynes looked to Semones for advice when selecting his staff.

“A lot of [my selections] went on the recommendation of Coach Semones; I have a lot of respect for him, and he knew all of these guys that are on the current staff like Coach Brady and Coach Williams,” Haynes says.

Semones will return as Defensive Coordinator, causing Ed Brady to step down from Defense and Special Teams to focus on Special Teams and Linebackers. “[Brady] was the Defensive Coordinator along with Special Teams. He is a really, really good special teams coach. I’m not as good. To make the staff bigger, better and stronger, I can do the Defense and he can work on Special Teams,” Semones says. “ That was a sacrifice on his part, but I know it is going to make us stronger.”

Semones hopes to use his new position to get the team back to the top of the GMC, where he says they have historically been. He believes they are capable of climbing back to the top and of having a power-house defense.

Haynes has started to implement his plan for success with an intense off-season work out schedule. This work out plan has drawn 90 to 100 players in the weight room each day.

The team now meets to lift four times a week instead of three. At the player meeting, at which Haynes was introduced as head coach, slips of paper were passed out to each player. Each player had to write out numerous phone numbers at which he could be reached. If players are not in the weight room, those numbers will be called until Haynes and his staff find the player.

“How intensely we work out is going to be a change,” Haynes says. “They’re just learning; they’ve never had to do it before.”

Willis agrees that the new work out program is different from anything the team has experienced before.

“There is more intensity. We are working harder. Before, we treated it as a joke. Now it’s serious, and we know we have to work hard to win,” Willis says. “Coach Haynes is changing our whole program around. He listens to what players are saying and is going to prove that East will be a difficult week on the schedule.”

To beat the 10 teams they will face this fall, Haynes feels that everyone on the team needs to step it up to be the hardest workers in the GMC.

“

Semones will return to run East defense

“It’s not good enough to be the hardest worker in our weight room; you’ve got to think, ‘Am I the hardest worker in everyone on our schedule’s weight room?” Haynes says. “‘Would I fter retiring in the 2006 season, former be the hardest worker in Colerain’s weight room?

Defensive Coordinator Jim Semones has Would I be the hardest worker in Fairfield’s been brought on to fill his old position by head weight room?’ That’s the only way we can catch coach Rick Haynes. It will be his 22nd year up.” coaching football in the Lakota system.

Haynes and the coaching staff expect the Semones began his coaching at Lakota seniors to step up and lead the team in the Junior High in 1969 and then moved to Lakota locker room, weight room and on the field. He High School from 1971 to 1974. After multiple had a meeting with the seniors as a group and coaching and assistant coaching jobs at Ross, explained to them that the GMC is a seniorPrinceton and Hamilton Township High School dominated conference and in order to win, there in Columbus, Semones returned to Lakota in needs to be strong senior leadership.

1992 under Head Coach Greg Bailie. Semones Haynes also expects the success of East in moved with Bailie to East when the district split. the classroom to lead to strong leadership and Semones stepped down from the defensive work ethic on the team. coordinator position due to personal reasons.

“It’s a great school academically. A lot of [the “Some things were just bothering me: old players] are good students. age, teaching the same thing for 25 years and If they’re going to work hard my grandkids,” Semones said. “I kind of just in the classroom, they’re not stepped back and decided it was time to catch going to turn it off when my breath.” they get to football,” Haynes His retirement only lasted one year; Lakota says.

East Freshman Team Head Coach Ray Hamilton Hard work and intensity will be a focus at asked him to help out with the team. a newly developed summer camp. It will be an “I have known him a long time,” said off-site camp that lasts two nights and three days Hamilton. “We get along great. He is a great for grades 10 through 12. coach and great with kids.”

Haynes and the rest of the coaching staff, He has worked with the freshman team the hope that the camp will encourage past two seasons. comaradarie between the boys, and He is the first coach that Haynes they expect a lot of progress to be recruited to help rebuild the Team. made at the camp because it will be This was not the first time Haynes “all football, all the time.” wanted to add Semones’ defensive Although they will not be coaching ability to his staff. involved in the camp, Haynes could “Last year, when I was a finalist foresee stand out members of the for the Indian Hill head job, I had undefeated freshman team stepping contacted [Semones] about going up and competing for playing time. there also and he was receptive,” said In terms of goals for the season, Haynes. “So I just figured that if I Haynes says that he does not have was fortunate enough to get this job, them, but instead has expectations. he would probably come, since it’s “I don’t have any goals in terms Jim Semones only five minutes from his house.” of wins and losses. Like I told them, When he steps onto the turf this I have expectations and I want them to fulfill fall, Semones will bring 38 seasons of knowledge them,” says Haynes, who preaches work ethic. and a high level of garnered respect.

“I want them to be accountable to their “I’ve coached against [Semones] for years, teammates and their coaches; I want them to be probably since 1993, when Colerain first started competitive; I want them to have a great worth playing against him at Lakota, and I was at ethic, and I want them to be courageous and not Colerain,” said Haynes. “I always had a great deal be afraid to be the guy we turn to to make a play. of respect for him.”

I think if we fulfill those expectations, then the Semones is hoping to restore East to its wins will take care of themselves,” Haynes says. former defensive glory.

The team, including Willis, hopes and “Historically, we had always been at the top expects that these wins will translate into a GMC of the league. We need to get back and be the Championship. toughest league defense again,” said Semones. “[Being GMC Champions] is what we’re Haynes is enthusiastic about his new going to expect, and we’re going to accept defensive coordinator’s experience. nothing less,” Willis says.

When I used to coach against him, the teams Haynes plans to coach with a style aggressive that he coached didn’t always have the best enough to win games. players, but I always thought they played the best “You don’t want to do something that is defense, so I think he is going to bring a defense going to cost your team the chance to win a that is sound fundamentally and won’t make game, but by the same token you want to coach mistakes,” said Haynes. to win. We want to win. We’re going to coach to

—Sarah Wilkinson win the football game,” Haynes says. n

A

It’s not good enough to be the hardest worker in our weight room.

58 | Spark | February 12, 2010

”

sports | eight things

story jessica backstrom east cheerleader (as told to sarah wilkinson) photo eric muenchen

Be Heard

“It’s key to be loud to have everyone in the stands hear you. The goal is to engage the crowd. Once you get the crowd pumped up, the team gets pumped.”

Stretch for Success

“In order to have good flexibility, stretching is important before all games and practices to be loose and to not pull something while jumping or tumbling.”

Use Gymnastics

“A background in gymnastics helps with gymnastics-style moves like round-offs and back handsprings.”

Keep It Clean

“Crisp, sharp motions are important because they force cheers and chants to look cleaner.”

Share Your Spirit

“It’s key to use your school spirit to help pump up the crowd and cheer up the players to keep them motivated.”

Cheering Takes Muscles

8

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT SIDELINE CHEER

“Most people don’t think cheerleaders need strength. It’s very important for us to have good leg and core muscles so we have the power for jumps and gymnastics moves.”

Match Each Other

“When performing jumps like toe touches and pikes, it is very important to jump high and keep pointed toes to make us all look unified.”

Be Patient And Supportive

“In order to build good team relationships, it’s important to be supportive of your teammates when learning new dances and cheers.”

59 | Spark | February 12, 2010

sports I opinions

IN THE STANDS

sports opinion shawn baxter

For the first time since 2002, students are flocking to girls’ basketball games in large numbers.

7:30 p.m. on Jan. 19, 2010. Students and fans flocked to see the Hawks play the number one team in the city on the hardwood. In years past, the stands have been barren like the Mojave Desert, but on this Tuesday night spectators crammed into the stands like sardines, while “I Gotta Feeling” by the Black Eyed Peas played over the speakers.

Even though the crowd expected the 15th ranked team in the state, the Ursuline Lions, to pounce on the Lady Hawks, it turned out that the Hawks were not the prey in this matchup. As the buzzer sounded, Molly Blomer drained a three-pointer to bring the final score to 55-53. Unfortunately, the Lady Hawks still lost the game.

The game was not lost as a result of a lack of talent or hustle, but due to the Achilles heel of virtually every basketball player including Shaquille O’Neal­—a combination of fouls and missed free throws.

The team started the season 4-1 with its only loss coming to Kettering-Fairmont on a last second shot, but thus far the team has managed to match its best record since 2002. Currently the team has a 6-8 record “Don’t throw in the towel yet though, with six games because the team has continued to fight.” remaining. Not too bad for a group that got set aflame two years ago by Lakota West in a 91-18 debacle. Not to mention the team’s lackluster 1-20 record in that same season. Instead the team now fights for rebounds and is aggressive on defense leading in total rebounds and blocks in conference games. Additionally, the team is only giving up 50.3 points per game

compared to an atrocious 64.4 in 2008, allowing the team to amass only five victories.

For a team that has undergone more staffing changes than the Oakland Raiders, a sense of stability has been established with first year head coach Nikki Drew. With Drew training her squad, the level of intensity of the team has skyrocketed. The entire bench is involved in motivating the players on the court throughout each and every game, whether the team is up or down. Coach Drew is rarely seen sitting down during games.

Though the program is on its way to a swift recovery, there are still issues that need to be addressed. While the team is much more aggressive defensively, at times its offense can be passive. During the Ursuline game, there were numerous occasions where the Hawks would force a turnover but fail to drive to the hoop for a layup or potential foul shots. Also there were many times when the team forced prayers from the three-point line instead of taking high percentage shots inside the paint.

At the start of the year, the Lady Hawks struggled, managing only one victory in the past six games. Don’t throw in the towel yet, though because the team has continued to fight, losing five of its 14 games by 10 points or less, including one to a top-ranked team in the city, Ursuline.

Going to a girls’ basketball game in the past was like being knocked out like Allen in the Hangover by former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson. Now, with a dangerous team that shoots nearly 31 percent from the three-point line, the sky is the limit for the Hawks. n contact shawn at shawnb2@fuse.net

IN THE STADIUM

sports opinion brandon kors

In an average football game, the ball is in play for a mere 11 minutes. Think twice before buying that new HD flatscreen.

According to the Consumer Electronics Association, Super Bowl XLIII is expected to contribute to the purchase of 2.6 million high definition television sets.

With four teams remaining in the National Football League (NFL) playoffs, football is in full bloom and on track for the Super Bowl. Before you go out and buy a brand new 56-inch HD plasma television and chomp down on Tostitos and salsa, consider the following: According to a study by the Wall Street Journal of four networks— CBS, NBC, FOX and ESPN—that broadcast NFL games, very little football is actually played during the typical game. The average amount of time that the football is in play, a mere 11 minutes a game, is outdone by cameos of coaches shouting profanities and players mingling on the sidelines.

What else goes on in a football game to fill that time? Commercials take up an hour of the broadcast, which is 60 times the amount of time you can spend banging your head against a wall after a Luke Wilson AT&T commercial.

“Very little football is actually Replays take up 17 minutes. played during the typical game.” That is 16 more minutes than the referees need to determine that Miles Austin was in fact in bounds when he caught the pass.

In addition, 67 minutes are taken up by shots of players standing around the sidelines and in the huddles. That translates to 67 minutes

that you could possibly spend on putting up that giant Fathead of Peyton Manning on the wall.

In the rulebook, NFL players are given 40 seconds to get a snap off. The ratio of inaction to action in a game is 10 to one, and a lot of the extra time is spent by teams milking the clock at the end of the game. NFL games that are telecasted have become major productions in the past decade. $150,000 to $200,000 can be allocated to every game just to provide fans with pre-game and dead time analysis when the football is not in play. Networks usually have 80 to 200 people at the game with cameras, but only one shot can be seen at a time.

The short amount of play that occurs in a football game is not just unique to football. In a baseball game, the ball is only in play for just over 12 minutes. If viewers wanted to watch players adjust their cups and pop in a chunk of Big League Chew, then they would request it.

This is a stark contrast from sports like soccer and hockey, where 90 percent of the telecast is on field action. The producers of NFL and MLB broadcasts need to learn that people tune in to see the action.

It is a waste of resources for the television companies to spend money on a pre-game show in which every analyst picks the Colts to win. If all of the time that producers spent on pre-game analysis was spent on the game and all of the 80 to 200 cameras present were used during the actual game, it would provide fans with a better overall experience. If NFL games could go “all the way,” maybe it would be worth it to buy that new 56-inch plasma screen television. n contact brandon at brandon.kors@gmail.com

60 | Spark | February 12, 2010

sports I opinions

DON’T BAIL ON BAILIE

sports opinion tyler castner

The new football coach is making an impact on the students and giving East football a glimmer of hope.

A few days after the resignation of former East Head Football Coach Greg Bailie, I was perusing Facebook and a post in my news feed caught my eye. Nine mutual friends had joined the group “You’re glad Greg Bailie got fired and you know it!” which also sported Bailie’s staff photo as the group picture. Curious, I clicked the link which routed me to the group’s home page, where I found posts from members such as “Yay! The Bailie era is finally over” and “F*** Coach Bailie.”

Not only did the group consist of individuals with no connection to football, but it also included members of East’s football team, whom I would have hoped had more respect for their head coach.

Since 2004, Bailie has had a less than stellar record, with an overall win-loss record of 21-29 over that span. What many of the members of the Bailie “firing” fan club seem to let fall by the wayside, however, is that in 2004, Bailie led the team to its best record in East history at nine wins and one loss, barely missing the playoffs on an overtime field goal against the Mason Comets. In that same year, Bailie’s squad garnered its first and only Greater Miami Conference (GMC) Co-Championship, earning him Co-Coach of the Year honors with Colerain’s Kerry Combs. Another overlooked item is that Bailie was never fired; he resigned under his own volition. East Athletic Director Richard Bryant said that he had no intention of firing Bailie and had planned on renewing his supplemental contract for the coming year.

As I walked the halls of East, all I heard during the football season was how bad of a coach Bailie was, but Bailie was a winning coach.

His overall career win percentage was .550, and he has over 150 wins

at a variety of schools, small and large, rural and urban. Bailie was also the 1995 Ohio Division-I Co-Coach of the Year, so there is no question that Bailie had merely hit a stretch of a few fruitless years.

Bailie’s offense relied on a power run, which fit well with the talented running backs East has seen through its system i.e., Paul Bowen, Taylor Williams and most recently, Pedro Powell. This system was not as exciting for those accustomed to West Coast-style offenses with the spread offense and wildcat options, but it was effective.

Bailie was and still is an experienced coach with a wealth of knowledge. While his style of power run may not be the new age style of offense, it generated success for the 27 years Bailie was at the helm. Upon his registration, Bailie was the longest tenured coach in the GMC, which says something in a league as competitive and as prominent in state competition as the GMC is.

It is a matter of respect for a man who led the Hawks to winning seasons in nine out of the 13 seasons he coached here. The cowards of the Facebook group are quick to judge based on one year’s mark without truly understanding past performance and find it easy to sit behind their computer screens and kick a man when he has just left a post he loved. Students have vilified a coach who has bled East football for 13 years, arriving at school as early as four in the morning to scour game film and figure out schemes to help his team win on Friday. Bailie has been a tremendous influence on the young men who have passed through his program and it’s disappointing to see the lack of respect the members of the Facebook group, including those who have played for him, have for one of the winningest coaches in Lakota football. n contact tyler at tyler_castner@yahoo.com

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Tickets $15/person Lakota East PTSO

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We supply all shampoo, conditioner, flea & tick solution and pet deodorizer. Customers only need to bring their dog and a towel.

For grooming: 513-847-1240

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opinion | commentary

HEAD T A red binder from eighth grade is decorated in black Sharpie with my favorite invented word—“crumbdiddles”—written in bubble letters.

It was a word that was special to me—a word that far surpassed the value of any vocabulary term from the Power Word list on which we were tested on weekly. My friends even began to use the word in context: “Crumbdiddles! I forgot my book in my locker!” or “My brother was being such a crumbdiddle last night.” My word was the newest phenomenon amongst my circle of friends. However, one day, it was used incorrectly when a peer said that Skittles, his favorite candy, were “as good as a crumbdiddle.” This blatant misuse of the word was wholly unacceptable; crumbdiddles, in its various forms, was defined as meaning something negative, bad or upsetting. It was clearly not a word used when describing candy.

These experiences from eighth grade offer a parallel to my views on homosexual marriage. The extension of the word crumbdiddles to include positive descriptions is improper use of the word just as marriage should only be classified in the context of heterosexual relationships, as the traditional definition of the word states that marriage is the union between one man and one woman. A word has a set meaning to the people who use it; thus, it should not simply be altered. Candy is not “as good as a crumbdiddle,” and marriage is not the union of a same sex couple. These words have determined meanings and values to large groups of people. The institution of marriage is one which has longwithstanding tradition and value, and its definition should not be changed.

Prohibition of homosexual marriage is not a derogatory assertion toward gays, as it is not the only type of marriage that is denied by the government. All states prohibit the marriage of close relatives or marriage to more than one person. The legal recognition of marriage results in benefits at the expense of the state and tax payers since the union of two unrelated heterosexuals provides opportunity for the propagation of society. In the perspective of the government, marriage is intended for procreation—an action not anatomically feasible for gay couples.

Furthermore, Lesbian and Gay Parenting, a joint publication of the American Psychological Association, the Committee on Children and Youth and Families, stated that homosexual parents do not have poor parenting fitness. However, it did say that in the already difficult situation of child-rearing, being raised in a homosexual home adds one more wrinkle in the process, as it was found that these children may be at risk for impaired judgment of their own gender identities and roles. The study shows that children of lesbian mothers between the ages of four and eight were more likely to participate in rough activities and to play with “masculine” toys such as trucks or guns.

According to East Social Worker Dana Auer, the situation can be remedied if parents adequately educate their children, but she does acknowledge that “there will most likely be many questions as the child grows and wants to know why Johnny has a mom and dad and he has two moms.” A study from Lesbian and Gay Parenting also states that children of gay or lesbian parents will be more vulnerable to mental breakdown and subject to persecution by their peers as well as being more prone to behavioral problems. Raising children in any situation is not smooth sailing, regardless of the sexual orientation of the parents, but being raised in a homosexual home adds yet another potential pot hole.

According to Newsweek, 41 states have explicitly voted against civil union legislation. A denial of gay marriage is not, therefore, unconstitutional, but rather what the majority of American citizens want for the country. This country is one built upon democratic principles. The popular vote says that marriage is between a man and a woman. It is the voice of the American people; the beginning words of the United States Constitution are “We the people.” A democratic nation must adhere to the views of the majority.

The majority of the people who used the word “crumbdiddles” related the term to a specific meaning. Likewise, 41 states connect marriage to the relationship of one man and one woman. A denial of gay marriage is not discriminatory, but rather is the maintenance of an age-old and valued tradition. It is not justifiable to persecute people of a homosexual nature, but the institution of traditional marriage and what it offers should be preserved. n

gay m

anna hartman

“A denial of gay marriage is not discriminatory, but rather the maintenance of an age-old and valued tradition.”

girl4god@zoomtown.com 62 | Spark | February 12, 2010

O

HEAD Matthew Shepard. Twelve years ago this name was synonymous with horror in the gay community. Shepard was 21 years old when he was robbed and then brutally murdered by two strangers, not because he had money, but because he was gay. His murderers are behind bars for life, but their hateful, prejudiced sentiment lives on in the hearts of millions of people opposed to gay marriage.

Of course, not everyone opposed to gay marriage wants to brutally murder the next gay person he or she sees, but the prejudiced mindset that homosexual people are undeserving of the same rights as heterosexual people is almost as terrible. In the majority of the United States, homosexual people are denied the basic right to marry. These people are not criminals, illegal immigrants or bad people. Yet some people believe that marriage, and all of the benefits that go along with it, should not be available to these law-abiding American citizens who just happen to be in love with someone of the same sex. While everyone is entitled to his or her opinion, these opinions must not be allowed to affect others in a negative way.

An example of a negative effect is the case of Craig Dean and Patrick Gill. Dean and Gill were committed to one another and had a marriage ceremony, but their marriage was not legally recognized. So when Gill was suddenly admitted to the hospital, Dean was not allowed to see him because he was not a “spouse.” Had things taken a turn for the worse, Dean, who had been Gill’s partner for several years, would not have been able to make any important life or death decisions that normal spouses would get to make. Sadly, Dean and Gill’s story is not the only one of its kind, nor will it be the last unless the laws are changed.

Hospital visitation is not the only right exclusive to heterosexual couples. The ability to file joint tax returns, the ability to adopt children, the ability to file for medical leave to care for an ailing spouse, Social Security and Medicare are just a few of the benefits that accompany a legal marriage—benefits that are denied to homosexual couples. Civil unions are not an acceptable alternative to marriage. While civil unions do have some of the 1,138 benefits awarded to married couples, the principle behind them is the same as the “separate but equal” standard imposed by Plessy v. Ferguson, which was proved unconstitutional.

The main reason people advocate civil unions is to “protect the institution of marriage.”

However, with the divorce rate at nearly 50 percent, heterosexual couples seem to be doing a fine job destroying it on their own.

There are those who think of marriage as only a union between a man and a woman, but that definition is simply tradition. Slavery and racial segregation were once traditions too.

Just as America has reworked these traditions, America will rework marriage.

Gay marriage, like segregation, has a lot to do with intolerance. Some people believe that a certain group of people do not deserve the same benefits as others. To justify this intolerance, these people invent reasons why the group should be left out of such rights. In segregated times, people argued that it was God’s will for African-Americans to be separated from Caucasians. However, arguments such as these do not suffice in today’s enlightened society. Instead, opposing viewpoints cite that children—both children of a gay couple and children who learn about gay couples—will be harmed.

Supposedly, children of homosexual couples are worse off because they do not have both a male and female influence in their lives.

However, no study exists to prove this ridiculous claim.

Then there are children who learn about gay couples in kindergarten. A video on the anti-gay marriage website www.protectmarriage.org shows the ever so tragic story of Robb and Robin Wirthlin, the parents of a child who was forced to listen to a children’s book about gay royalty and subsequently taught to be tolerant of all types of people. While I respect the parents’ decision to withhold discussion of homosexuality until the child is of age, the lesson of tolerance is not something that should be fought. In fact, perhaps the Wirthlins could use that lesson themselves.

When the founding fathers of America wrote that “all men are created equal” in the Declaration of Independence in 1776, they were thinking of taxation and Enlightenment theories, not homosexuals. Nevertheless, the principle remains the same. Everyone, no matter what gender, race or any other immutable trait, deserves the same rights. n

arriage

nitya sreevalsan

“Everyone, no matter what gender, race or any other immutable trait, deserves the same rights.”

evilsmartie615@gmail.com 63 | Spark | February 12, 2010

opinion | commentary

SEANLEWIS

blood on our hands The holidays have granted a sea of memories for the year to come, swaying between precious moments spent with the family, peaceful relaxation time and the exciting thought of gifts received.

Among that new set of clothes, iPod or cell phone may be one of the most popular video games to hit the market this season: the renowned Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2—a firstperson shooter (FPS) game in which the player assumes the roles of several counterterrorist operatives in the midst of a fictional war between Russia and the United States.

However, aside from the superior acclaim that the game received from consumers and critics alike, the developer’s inclusion of one incredibly shocking and deplorable scene in the game’s campaign soon led to the ignition of fiery criticism and controversy.

several countries have already taken to censor the controversial mission, it is only logical to think that the “No Russian” mission crossed the line and was not entirely necessary to include in the game. The scene could have been easily substituted, heavily modified or completed removed.

People for the inclusion of the level cling to the fact that the game is rated “Mature” by the Entertainment Software Rating Board and that the game includes the option to skip this specific mission due to its “disturbing content.” Because gamers are naturally curious, I have absolutely no doubt that creators of Modern Warfare 2 included the skip option to appease parents, knowing that hardly anyone would skip.

By handing the trigger over to the audience, players— especially teenagers—will gradually be desensitized to the aspect of terrorism, and its influence will instill adverse emotions regarding violence. Although some psychologists “Having witnessed the evils of terrorism, it is may claim that violent video games serve as an outlet for players to vent their frustration, studies absolutely unforgivable that a company that by the American Psychological Association and at the Indiana University School of produces a medium of leisure can insensitively researchers Medicine have shown that playing these violent incorporate such evil into a mere video game.“ games often affects gamers in the real world.

Though not a cause, a possible influence for Eric Harris’ and Dylan Klebold’s decision to take 15 lives, The infamous scene, called “No Russian,” has the gamer including their own, during the massacre at Columbine High thrown into the first-person perspective of an undercover School in 1999, was violent FPS games akin to the contemporary American CIA agent participating in a gruesome terrorist attack Call of Duty titles. Both Harris and Klebold were particularly on a Russian airport. The player is free to rampage through a drawn into games such as Wolfenstein 3D and Doom, the latter of crowd of innocent civilians after being handed an arsenal of which Harris most likely recreated at his high school. knives, grenades and machine guns. The scene brings the gamer Oftentimes non-media factors serve as the bridge between into the hostile environment with sickening fervor and essentially ideas conveyed by the games and aggressive acts applied in allows curious players to engage in and experience fictional terrorism at their fingertips. reality. Games that use violence as a form of entertainment often lead to further isolation from reality to a point where the gamer After viewing scores of men and women dying, screaming lives life as if their greatest freedom is just another aspect of and dragging the wounded away from the wrath of the player, I was absolutely mortified. As the scene came to an end, I entertainment that can be experimented with. simply could not wrap my mind around the fact that the game’s When such obsession of violent games occurs in teens, the long-term effects can be detrimental. Primarily, the brain’s developer, Infinity Ward, decided to let this level slide into the final production of such a highly anticipated game. prefrontal lobe, which controls inhibition, restraint and I have never forgotten my experience of watching the concentration, is deprived of development, and the amygdala, the region of the brain which stimulates emotions, is exposed to horrors of 9/11 unfold live on television. Watching a live scene prolonged usage. in which 2,973 innocent human lives were taken away taught me the fragility of life. Having witnessed the evils of terrorism, it is The fact that heart rate increases and chemical hormones, such as epinephrine (adrenaline), are produced in response to unforgivable that a company that produces a medium of leisure virtual violence shows that the body is reacting to false danger. can insensitively incorporate such evil into a video game.

The Call of Duty series is known for its heroic themes of Thus, behavioral tendency is affected, leading to increased aggressive thoughts and, unfortunately, direct imitation of protecting the innocent. Not only does this scene shatter the line observed violence acts. between good and evil, but it also does so in a morally offensive manner. The entertainment that the people of this era have come Activision, the publisher of the Call of Duty series, claimed in a press release that the “No Russian” scene was included in order to seek cannot have fallen to committing virtual manslaughter.

Judging from the nature of the game, its mainstream player to “evoke the atrocities of terrorism.” Committing mass murder will never help people understand the extent of its own evil. n base, the vigor with which it was released and the quick reaction

contact

Sean at sean.lewis@fuse.net

64 | Spark | February 12, 2010

East Speaks Out “I think kids should have both a dominant mother and father figure in the household.”

David Potter, senior

“I think it should be legalized because everyone should be equal, just like it says in the Constitution.”

Elaine Laux, sophomore

What are your thoughts on gay marriage?

“Gay marriage won’t hurt anyone, so there should be no issue with legalizing it.”

Matt McCormick, junior

“Yes, it should be legalized.

What harm does it do to the straight couples? None.”

Hannah Hall, freshman

KIMSHEARER another kind of terrorism Bacteria are tiny, microscopic. The danger they present, however, is anything but small.

When biological agents are intentionally released on a group of people for the purpose of harming them, bioterrorism has then occurred. It began hundreds of years ago, when dead animals were thrown into wells to contaminate a water supply and weaken enemies. Today, anthrax, salmonella and smallpox are all threats that can be unleashed on the public.

Bioterrorism is just as real of a threat as nuclear attack, and the National Research Council predicts that there is a 51 percent chance of a biological attack within the next five years. Biological warfare has popped up various times throughout history, a wellknown incident being when letters containing anthrax were sent to two United States Senators and several news media offices, killing five people and infecting 17.

The first case against the United States was in 1984 when followers of Indian guru Bagwan “As a majority, Shree Rajneesh contaminated salad bars in 10 restaurants, trying to do if something change election outcomes in their favor and infecting 751 people with salmonella.

The public, however, is not educated about these dangers.

During the Cold War, everyone was prepared for an impending nuclear attack. Bomb shelters had been constructed, and nuclear safety was taught in schools. Some factories even had fake neighborhoods on the roofs so that from the air it didn’t appear to be a factory. When the spread of anthrax became a problem, alarms sounded. Some people would call the police, but most would be terrified. As a majority, the public has almost no idea what to do if something like smallpox spreads through the city. Having people informed and having people prepared is a necessity. It won’t be known how much of a necessity it is until after the damage has already been done.

Apart from serious lack of knowledge about bioterrorism,

accurate measures to detect and prevent biological attacks are absent. Surveillance is being developed to detect harmful biological agents in cities, but when bacteria are able to be detected by monitors, they will have already permeated the air.

Almost $2 billion was spent on the Manhattan Project to create the Atomic Bomb. Now, as the threat of bioterrorism becomes more possible and more probable, research needs to be conducted. Inspection in airports, subways and sea ports need to tighten. While we cannot keep terrorists from devising plans to harm the innocent, we can uncover those plans before hundreds pay the price.

At the 1972 Biological and Toxic Weapons Convention, development, production and acquisition of these sorts of weapons were prohibited. While 144 countries signed in compliance with the rules, the threat, as terrifying as a nuclear attack, still remains. Just because the government officials of

the public has almost no idea what to like smallpox spreads through the city.” a country comply does not mean the entire populace agrees.

Terrorist groups use a set of rules different from the ones that govern their country, and it would be no surprise for them to continue this in the future.

Although smallpox was eradicated from the world in the 1970s, samples were kept in laboratories by America and the Soviet Union. But when the Soviet Union collapsed, the samples went missing. After the elimination of the highly contagious disease, vaccination was not deemed necessary, and most people stopped getting vaccinated after 1972. There is a Smallpox Response Plan that was planned after September 2001, but most of the populace does not know about it. Should terrorists unleash smallpox in some crowded subway and allow it infect everyone in the vicinity, it will have already been too late. n

contact

Kim at live2playfutbol@fuse.net

65 | Spark | February 12, 2010

opinion | finishing touch

DANASAND help haiti

In 2005, one of the most tragic natural disasters in United States’ history hit New Orleans, Louisiana. As a level five storm, Hurricane Katrina submerged nearly 80 percent of the city, leaving homes destroyed and thousands dead. Following Katrina, no one hesitated to send aid in all forms to the troubled New Orleans citizens.

Aid was not so immediately apparent, however, when the 7.0 earthquake devastated Haiti on Jan. 12. In a Local 12 News poll on Jan. 15, 67 percent of 3,000 voters said they were not donating money to earthquake relief in Haiti. While this statistic may not accurately represent all of Cincinnati, some have actively opposed sending aid to Haiti for several reasons.

The most common of these arguments is that American money should stay in the U.S. to counteract the increasing numbers of unemployed and homeless people. But the “help ourselves before helping others” mentality shouldn’t apply in the case of Haiti.

In August 2008, when helping my brother move into his dorm at Tulane University, I witnessed the destruction still evident from Katrina. Rows of corroded houses still showed the messages previously painted on doors from people attempting to escape. If the U.S. has yet to fully recover four and a half years after Katrina, a third world country like Haiti will need a lot of help to bounce back from such an overwhelming event. To put things in perspective, Katrina led to less than 2,000 deaths, while the recent earthquake has caused Haiti at least 150,000 deaths and counting.

Another proposed argument is that Haiti brought about its own impoverished state and that there is no point in helping a country that was already in such poor condition. Some ask why it should be our responsibility to send aid when their economic situation isn’t our fault.

But while we may not be to blame, neither are the Haitian people. As Nicholas Kristof of The New York Times put it, “Doesn’t it seem rather unfair to tell a kid he’s not going to get his broken leg set because his country has a legacy of bad leaders?”

While the long-term goal may be to develop Haiti, the immediate objective is to save lives and to rebuild. Those who oppose helping Haiti cultivate itself into a better country will be glad to know that, according to a Jan. 27 Associated Press article, less than a penny of each American dollar is “going in the form of cash to the Haitian government.” The rest is going to the organizations best fit to provide Haitian needs and best fit to directly provide helping hands.

People in America should not only be willing to help but should want to help because they can. Sandra Bullock and George Clooney each donated $1 million, but even for those who aren’t rich, a little money goes a long way—the sum of the parts is what matters.

To illustrate this concept, on Jan. 22, East organized a homeroom fundraiser where students and faculty collected all the money they could in two minutes. In merely 120 seconds, East raised over $3,000.

For those who don’t want to search for organizations collecting money, texting “Haiti” to 90999 sends a $10 donation to the Red Cross that will simply be placed on the phone bill. And for those who adamantly oppose donating money, there are also the options of donating used items or volunteering to prepare care packages.

Americans won’t die if they give up the $20 they would spend on a new sweater or the two hours they would spend watching a movie, but people will die if that money and time isn’t spent to support Haiti. n

66 | Spark | February 12, 2010

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67 | Spark | February 12, 2010

68 | Spark | February 12, 2010