2010-11 Issue 3

Spark

Sp

ec

ial

Ed

itio

n:

Co

lle

ge

Bo

wl

Gu

ide

Lakota East High School December 17, 2010 $4 Newstand

Hanging

the UP wired

life

CRANBERRY DETOX—Diet the Cranberry Way

December 2010

Volume XIX Issue CXXXIV Simple Six

Switching to Six Periods Wacky Jacqui Message in a Bottle iEvolution Complete Commitment H2H: Homework Policy

Contents

Package

26 A Little Online Shopping Bag Explore the revolution of shopping, which has transformed from a day spent at the mall to a quick click of a mouse.

His father was a criminal. His childhood was spent in poverty. His early teens were spent working to support his family. Yet East senior TItus Crawford beats the odds to become a star student and artist.

10 20 40 48 54 64

23 17

photo dan turner

26 A Pixelated Playland A look into the changing lives of today’s children and how their communication has changed because of developing technology.

28 Deleting Distance Skype allows a non-traditional family to communicate crosscountry and a high school couple’s love to blossom across states.

30 Club Chat Student and teacher communication has evolved from formal classroom discussions to quick Facebook messages.

32 A Theatre in a Click Family movie nights and relaxing evenings with friends are moments away with the addition of Netflix in the homes of East families.

33 Playing for Life Deconstructing the archetypal gamer in order to debunk myths present amongst contemporary society.

cover megan fogel, mason hood, logan schneider, faiz siddiqui, ariadne souroutzidis Once-wired technology that was considered revolutionary is becoming dated, affecting personal communication. Thus society has decided to begin “hanging up the wired life.” photo used with paid permission from mctcampus.com

3 | Spark | lehsspark.org

opinion | letters

Dear Spark, While I understand the law is on the side of the Westboro Baptist Church in its heinous perversion of the First Amendment rights (Head to Head: Funeral Protests), I am heartsick at the thought of an organization spewing such messages of hate under the guise of Christianity. Moreover, I cannot comprehend the lack of compassion, a trait exemplified by Christ, among the WBC protesters. The parents of these soldiers have lost their precious children, I’m certain an almost unbearable agony, yet they are unable to grieve in the privacy and peace they deserve. Finally, I am appalled by their violation of basic human decency as they disregard the rights of others when alternative means of spreading their views, distasteful, are widely available in this age of information.

—Bobbi Hume, East English teacher Dear Spark, I’m sorry to be so late, but wanted to thank you for the article in Spark magazine. It was my first experience at being interviewed, but Sara Rayburn made the process very relaxing.

I was wondering if you have any more of the October issues that I could purchase a copy.

My mother lives out of town and is interested in having her own copy.

—Sharon Frentzel, East District Staff Wellness Coordinator Dear Spark, It is my honor to offer sincere congratulations on all the awards and recognitions you received at the recent JEA/ NSPA National Convention (Kansas City— Nov. 2010). The awards you earned are significant in your field, but what is perhaps most impressive are your selections within the extremely competitive areas of journalism, news writing, design and photo journalism.

It is my understanding that the Spark was

Behan (broadcast news/commentary).

Your time, talents and dedication to the fields of journalism and news writing are clearly recognizable by all who have had the opportunity to read your work.

You certainly deserve the national honors and awards. We are proud that the Spark is such an outstanding part of Lakota East and the Lakota Local School District.

—Christopher Kloesz, East Assistant Principal

selected from hundreds of publications and thousands of student journalists for the following awards and accolades: National Pacemaker Winner; Convention Best of Show, First Place for Newsmagazine; Convention Best of Show, First Place for “Special Issue Coverage” and NSPA Hall of Fame Inductee.

In addition, I wish to congratulate the following students/Spark staff members for their individual awards: National Design of the Year: Radhika Madhavan, (First Place Informational Graphic) and Convention Write-Off Contest Winners: SUPERIOR: Emily Merrick (editorial cartoon); EXCELLENT: Jill Bange (news writing), Nitya Sreevalsan (editorial writing), Mason Hood (sports writing); HONORABLE MENTION: Victoria Liang (review writing), Sarah Wilkinson (news magazine design), Rachel King (caption/ copy academics), Megan Fogel (caption/copy student life), Nikki Kaine (in-camera feature), Sophia Li (in-camera feature) and Tommy

Dear Spark, I wanted to write to let the entire Spark staff know that they are doing a fantastic job this year! I know how much effort goes into putting out such a spectacular publication every month. This is truly a world class newsmagazine, and I am very proud to be a Spark parent.

—Shanti Sreevalsan, East parent

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: opinion@lehsspark.org

Spark Notes For the March 21, 2009 issue of Spark, writers explored the innovative field of technology as it applied to a variety of applications, including the classroom, the comfort of home and recreational improvements.

The issue also investigated the effects that technology had on less technologically advanced lifestyles, such as the Amish culture.

4 | Spark | December 16, 2010

The improving standards of education were especially discussed as they applied to East, as chalkboards were replaced with 3M machines.

Later in the issue, columnists discussed the oppressing effects of the deteriorating economy.

This issue of Spark concerns itself with how communication has changed through shifts in technology.

Spark

Mason Hood, Faiz Siddiqui, Ariadne Souroutzidis Editor-in-Chief Sarah Craig Business Manager Sarah Wilkinson Design Manager Dan Turner Photo Manager Jill Bange, Alyssa Davis Managing Editor Victoria Liang Web Manager

Fabricating friendship from the editor

Justine Chu Copy Director Tyler Kieslich, Christian Roehm, Lucy Stephenson Entertainment Editor Jenn Shafer, Christina Wilkerson Feature Editor Lauren Barker, Hannah Berling Lifestyle Editor Nathan Dibble, Shivang Patel, Nick Tedesco News Editor Tommy Behan, Sean Lewis, Nitya Sreevalsan Opinion Editor Megan Fogel, Victoria Reick-Mitrisin, Katie Szczur Package Editor Devin Casey, Kyle Morrison, Drew Souders Sports Editor Lisa Cai, Jeff Cargill, Ian Castro, Sarah Fanning, Rashma Faroqui, Emily Merrick, Logan Schneider Art Section Editor Eric Muenchen, Sara Patt, Sierra Whitlock Photo Section Editor Rachel Podnar Business Associate Brittany Bennett Public Relations Director Devon Lakes Ad Designer Melissa Gomez, Sami Knauft, Rachel Knock, Ashley Wolsefer Public Relations Reb Vachon Survey Coordinator Dean Hume Advisor

Spark is a publication that is produced at Lakota East High School. The magazine is completely studentgenerated 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 invasions of privacy.

The publication is produced every five weeks on recycled paper. Production costs are covered through advertising, subscription sales and fundraisers. Advertising information is available by writing to the address below or at business@lehsspark.org.

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, a Gold Crown, Pacemaker and Gallup winner, is a member of the Ohio Scholastic Media Association, the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, the Journalism Education Association, Quill and Scroll and a Hall-of-Fame member of the National Scholastic Press Association.

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: editorialboard@lehsspark.org

E

rin Gernon graduated from Hiawatha Senior High School in 2008 and currently attends Smith University. She enjoys softball, listens to National Public Radio and watches Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, a mini-TV series that debuted in 2008.

I have never met nor talked to Erin. My only association with this college junior is a five-minute search on Facebook, when I came across her on a Spark staffer’s friend list. This practice, known as “Facebook creeping,” has been the norm among users for a number of years. And I am a Facebook creeper.

Some businesses have taken “creeping” to the next level. They go so far as to examine a potential employee’s social networking profile to get a better insight into who he or she is as a person. Going through the right channels, anybody who types a few keys from the comfort of his or her home can uncover another individual’s interests, relationship status and personal pictures of anything from family vacations to past college parties.

Learning more about anybody is easier now than ever before. Communication has become instantaneous and a click of a button to log onto networks, such as Facebook and AIM, allows virtual conversations to take place from behind a computer screen. While this allows users to maintain connections between old high school friends and distant relatives, it also poses a problem: deteriorating in-person communication.

Hiding from issues and conversations is simple, as people choose to use phones and social networks to tell people things they would not say face to face.

In-person communication is dying, as the wires interconnecting people are being hung up, in favor of new wireless connectivity.

And this phenomenon is reaching children at a younger age. Webkinz, an online social community available to kids as young as seven years old, allows children to use select phrases to chat with each other online. According to a recent study by the charity Personal Finance Education Group, the average child gets his or her first cell phone as an eight-year-old. More than 35 percent of the same age group owns a cell-phone. Electronic communication is being utilized at an earlier age as time goes on, leading to kids being exposed to the outside world at younger ages. Cyberbullying is on the rise, and children not old enough to handle the responsibility of phones are more prone to bully or be bullied.

Yes, wireless communication is instantaneous as it can be utilized in a speed thought impossible just a decade before. Yes, wireless communication is convenient, as people can talk to anyone anywhere, at anytime. But there is one thing wireless communication is not—personal. Misinterpretation through technology is quite possible, as numerous studies have supported. According to them, 58 percent of effective communication is conducted in our body language and 35 percent in our voice inflection and tone. Only seven percent of effective communication is conveyed through our actual words—the only thing seen in a Facebook chat or text message.

In this issue, Spark examines not only the new technology evolving in today’s society, but also how it impacts the communication among individuals.

Skype, video games and Facebook have all contributed to the “hanging” of old communication, as shown in this issue’s package. We know people without truly knowing them. To Erin Gernon: My name is Mason Hood. I know you, or at least your favorite mini-TV series. n

5 | Spark | lehsspark.org

news | east news

AROUND THE

SCHOOL

news ANIME CLUB story and photo emily chao East Anime Club completed the last part of NausicaA, a movie that introduces the art of Japanese anime, during the Nov. 23 meeting. East junior Tyler Shaw (above right) also presented the history of Japan’s feudal system, beginning with the rise of the shoguns (war lords) during the 12th century and concluded with the end of the Edo era in the 1870s.

Throughout the presentation, East senior Zain Khan illustrated on the white board events Shaw described, which inspired East sophomore Casey Ballenger’s idea that each week, one nominated person should draw on the board. To close, the group planned to hold its Secret Santa event in December. n

STUDENT ACTIVITY COMMITTEES IN ACTION story sophia li, hanna thomsen | photo sierra whitlock East Student Activity Committees in Action (SACA) met Nov. 11 to discuss approaching events and plan future affairs, like the East blood drive on Nov. 19. The blood drive was hosted by the Community Blood Center and the blood that was collected will be given primarily to cancer patients, burn victims, trauma victims and surgery patients.

SACA registered 149 East students to give blood; 25 donors deferred.

East participants saved 339 lives.

Community Blood Center is governed by Food and Drug Administration regulations, and therefore is required to defer donors who do not meet certain criteria. These reasons can include low iron levels, recent illness or elevated blood pressure.

All blood donors, like East senior Alex Gentry (above), received a free T-shirt and their choice of Raymond’s Pizza or Subway.

SACA advisor John Lindeman also informed members that the Freestore Foodbank coat drive would begin Nov. 15. Lindeman stressed the importance of the ongoing cat food and kitty litter drive for One Way Farm, a safe-house for abused and sexually assaulted children. In an attempt to teach them compassion and responsibility, the children are given a kitten to care for by One Way Farm.

At the Dec. 15 SACA meeting, members planned the spirit week in January and reviewed potential spring activities, such as Relay for Life and the Senior Citizens’ Prom. n

High School

Online Edition

Lakota Executive Director of Technology John Laws is considering buying personal computers for every [Lakota] freshman student. By doing so, Laws hopes to move into a “21st-century learning model” and plans to have students rent the computers, paying between $130 to $150 per semester...

Students at St. Ursula Academy, [have] been provided with Tablet PCs (right) for five years and pay up to $600 per year.

news online

6 | Spark | December 16, 2010

East’s Junior Statesman of America club attended the Fall State convention held Nov. 13 to 14. More than 300 students from schools across the Ohio River Valley were at the conference, which was themed “Energizing America: Capturing the Winds of Change.”

Students like Elaine Laux (above left) presented six-minute debates and then opened the floor to questions from the audience. There were also “speed chess” debates, in which the two main debaters bantered back and forth. Debates covered issues ranging from schools being required to offer general religious courses, to whether or not socialism is more beneficial to society than capitalism. n

excerpt from “Transition to Tablets”

lehsspark lehsspark .org .org

High School Lakota East t n ota Eas Lak Online Editio

story and photo alex griffin

story ameera khalid

photo used with paid permission from mctcampus.com

SSpparak rk

JUNIOR STATESMEN OF AMERICA

Psych Club’s Resurrection East Psych Club returns after a year of dormancy. Sans funding from the district, Psych Club is completely self-funded and based on volunteer time. story michael tedesco | infographic shivang patel “I really liked organizing that,” said Carpenter. “I came in the first day of school and I was like, ‘Look Mr. Vogt, this is what we’re doing.’”

Vogt confirmed Rosie’s drive, stating “90 percent of all the planning is Rosie. I’m just available to make sure everything is OK.” East senior and Psych Club member Cole Holt, who is currently enrolled in Mr. Vogt’s AP Psych class, described his favorite Psych Club activity to date as a trust exercise that took place on Nov. 16. The exercise involved the factor of trusting someone even when in an awkward position.

Holt finds the science behind the way people act very fascinating. He enjoys

Fail Steps to Starting a Club

pro v

e Turn in th the form to letic East Ath t epartmen t D . d. d wai a. b. c office an val an appro e form: for East Fill out th r m o fr n. ur o inistratio a. Get fo ers. m ad b more mem e b. Decid e Go to th c cial an n fi ti le East Ath aspects. ent Departm d c. Find an e te r th office loca of advisor fo nt in the fro b. u cl ing the build the d. Have an up and pick ation adminstrator to plic sign Club Ap read and Form. . rm fo

Step 3

Step 1 Talk and ut think abo a g n ti a cre club.

p

ove pr

Step 5

d

New Club at East

cipal East Prin d an e n li K Dr. letic East Ath Director Richard lk Bryant ta e about th ub cl proposed e ak m d an ion, the decis ing consider ors many fact e th as such amount of money for required type e th , club d of club an ose the purp ub of the cl

excerpt from “Hawks Start Out Hot”

photo kali martin

Spark

ed

Step 4

photo coverhunt.com

entertainment online

story hannah lee

If not ap

Step 2

excerpt from “Rascal Flatts Review” Lately Rascal Flatts seems to be trying to fit into the pop music genre to gain a wider audience. This attempt is made clear in their new album, Nothing Like This, in which the focus is on pop music rather than their normal country sound.

“learning why people act the way they do,” and aspires to become a psychology professor and to open his own private practice.

Carpenter’s interest in psychology and the reestablished Psych Club originated from what she described as her life’s purpose—to help others.

“I’ve always been very strong-willed in influencing other people’s lives, and so I guess that is kind of where I came up with my strong desire to start Psych Club, and to get people together,” said Carpenter. “There are so many kids out there who aren’t into doing sports. I think this is a good club for those outsiders to come to. We’re such an accepting group.” n

If a

A

fter a full year of inactivity, the East Psych Club was resurrected under the leadership of club president East senior Rosie Carpenter and the supervision of club advisor David Vogt for the 2010-11 school year.

Vogt, an Advanced Placement (AP) Psychology teacher, explained that the club was non-existent last year due to minimal student involvement.

“The club is not sponsored by a stipend [from the school]. It’s 100 percent voluntary, [so] it needs to be student-led,” said Vogt.

In order for Psych Club to gain school funding, the club needs the approval of East Principal Dr. Keith Kline. Focus on issues of “critical importance,” such as next year’s elective course availability, has kept East administration from adding new schoolsponsored clubs. Members of the Psych Club fund their own activities because they receive no money from either club cards or the $11,000 to $12,000 donated by the Parent Teacher Student Organization and the Spirit Shop to East. The club remains student-led and student-initiated.

The student leader and driving force behind the restoration was Carpenter, who reasoned that because she was not involved in many extracurricular activities, she was able to fully commit and focus her time and energy on planning events for the Psych Club.

Psych Club meetings were not the first functions to which Carpenter has applied her passion for psychology. Last April, Carpenter organized a Psych Symposium, a three-hour question-and-answer session in which three psychologists from different fields explained their professions to East students and parents.

The success of the Symposium was the impetus for Carpenter’s plan to resurrect the Psych Club.

The East girls’ basketball team carried pillow pets onto the court, an idea from Varsity Head Coach Nikki Drew’s daughter. That was meant to give regarding opponentsTEA the Party impression For information rally atthat the Lakota the Hawks soft.

Butsection so far, the Freshman Campus, gowere to the news on lehsspark.org, look for far Rachel story. girlsand have been fromKing’s cuddly.

sports online story hannah lee

7 | Spark | lehsspark.org

news | transforming transportation

Reforming The District’s Busing Facing a $10-million projected deficit, Lakota cuts down on busing. story faiz siddiqui | infographic nick tedesco

T

he Lakota Local School District’s original budget-reducing transportation measures set to take effect on Jan. 18 may not be as drastic as originally anticipated.

District Superintendent Mike Taylor altered the original transportation plan at the Nov. 29 Board of Education meeting. Initial plans called for elimination of busing for K-8 students who live within two miles of their respective schools, affecting roughly 9,000 students. The amended version, however, adjusted the radius to one mile, lowering the number of affected students to roughly 6,000.

Lakota Board President Joan Powell sees the new plan, which was on the agenda for the Dec. 13 Board meeting, as a more effective approach to transforming the current system.

“The goal is to, as successfully as possible, begin to implement these transportation changes,” said Powell. “When we started seeing the number of students [that would be] affected, there were questions as to whether some buildings could even function. The numbers were just kind of staggering.”

Powell’s concern is echoed by the community’s response to the original plan. “[The change] was based on community input,” said Powell. “At Adena [Elementary School], close to 600 students were losing transportation. Sometimes [the number of] students that can successfully be delivered [to school] depends on configuration of the building.”

Powell and other Lakota officials hope that easing into the changes will allow for smoother transition into the 2011-12 school year, with roughly two-thirds of the original plan’s affected students remaining without transportation under the new proposal. For students not granted transportation under the new plan, Powell hopes to adequately

8 | Spark | December 16, 2010

prepare infrastructure, including crosswalks, sidewalks and drop-off areas, accommodating for the 2011-12 school year’s state-minimum busing.

The Board is also considering a community proposal to construct a dropoff sidewalk that runs alongside Adena Elementary in order to minimize traffic in the school’s parking lot. Similar proposals are being considered at other Lakota schools, along with the possibility of bike racks at elementary and junior schools.

Lakota Executive Director of Business Operations Chris Passarge is in charge of overseeing such infrastructure adjustments, which would be federally funded through government grants. Passarge has already sent applications for adjustments that, if approved, will maximize transportation efficiency for 2011-12 school year.

But with high school busing completely eliminated beginning Jan. 18, Passarge already foresees a rough transition into the cuts, even with the phase-in for junior high and elementary schools.

“From conversations I’ve had with people who have been through [the cuts] before, I know the first couple of weeks are [used to] adjust to the changes and work out any kinks,” he said. “It’s a little bit of a trying time.”

With Lakota facing a forecasted $10 million budget deficit, students may have to adjust for a set of transportation changes that could be more than temporary. Taylor was adamant that the budget situation was “dire” at the Nov. 29 Board meeting.

“No organization can offer the same level of services and continue to lose the type of funding that we’re losing,” he said, referring to the $23 million in lost funding as a result of the Nov. 2 failed levy.

If and when the district’s budget situation improves, it appears as if restoring transportation to the current levels is unlikely, according to Passarge. He suggests that the district’s focus is primarily instructional.

“We want to impact the classrooms,” he said. “We’re looking to cut everything outside of the classrooms in order to try to reduce or eliminate the things that are above and beyond the realm of what the state requires. Cutting down in the classroom is the last thing we want to do.”

At the Nov. 29 Board meeting, several parents, residents and even Lakota employees used the public comment session to voice concerns about the busing cuts and the manner in which they will be introduced.

District bus driver Nicole Comes insisted that education should not be sacrificed for her job status’ sake.

“As a parent, I want to ensure that my children have the best education that they possibly can, and as an employee, I want to

2

Vehicles will continue around East and exit onto either Wyandot Lane or Liberty Court. Vehicles will not have to enter and exit the north parking lot via Lakota Lane.

3

Only vehicles with parking permits will be permitted to enter the parking lots. Cars without permits have to pass through the drop-off area on the south side of the building.

earn a living so I can provide for my family,” she said. “I am discouraged by how many bus drivers will be affected by the cuts.”

Community members also voiced safety concerns. East freshman parent Diana Barten is worried about the safety of an intersection at the Lakota East Freshman School, which her daughter attends.

“It’s a very dangerous intersection at Liberty Court and Bethany Road,” she said. “There desperately needs to be a light there.”

Barten’s concerns stemmed from an incident that occurred at the intersection in which an East senior pulled in front of her as she was pulling out of the school, forcing her to abruptly stop.

“I understand that the busing will be cut and that I have to get my child to school,” she said. “But I think safety should be apparent to [the district]. We desperately need a light because it is dangerous for someone to drive for all the years that I have, let alone for these

1

What used to be the bus lane is now being transformed into a student drop-off and pick-up area with one-way traffic. Vehicles will enter from Lakota Lane.

young kids who are going to be taking their siblings to school.”

Though the transportation outlook for Lakota appears grim, Powell and Passarge agree that residents can certainly take it upon

“There were lots of people who said they enjoyed the situation in 2005,” she said. “They got to know their neighbors better. There were neighborhoods that rented buses. I’m going to assume, knowing the ingenuity and

No organization can offer the same level of services and continue to lose the type of funding that we’re losing. themselves to devise new and efficient systems of transporting their children to school. These could include carpools, neighborhood bus rental, neighborhood walks to school or even Parent Teacher Student Organization walking groups. Alluding to the 2005 half-mile radius transportation cuts, Powell optimistically suggested that the new cuts could forge new relationships.

resourcefulness of our parents, that there will be lots of plans like that, that come up.”

Passarge is equally optimistic about the situation.

“It really boils down to neighborhoods working together,” he said. “We’ve just got to find ways to make it work for each other. That means working with friends and neighbors to make that happen.” n

9 | Spark | lehsspark.org

news | east news

Switching to Six Periods The elimination of one high school class period for the 2011-12 school year because of the Nov. 2 levy failure has prompted mixed responses from East students, teachers and administration. story and infographic jill bange | photo kyle morrison

D

ue to the Nov. 2 Issue 2 levy failure, the Lakota Local School District administration is attempting to cut expenditures by reducing the number of teachers and courses for the 2011-12 school year. Lakota administration anticipates losing 130 positions district wide, 14 of which will be from East. Consequently, East and Lakota West will have six periods each day rather than seven because fewer teachers will be available.

“Being a service industry, 78 to 80 percent of our expenses are people-related, so the deep cuts that we have to make are getting into staff,” said East Principal Dr. Keith Kline. “It takes us fewer teachers to operate a six-period day than a seven-period day simply because we are no longer providing that seventh option for students.”

East administration is in the process of determining which electives will be available for students for the next school year.

According to Kline, these decisions must be made in time to send the 2011-12 Program of Studies booklet to a printer after holiday break so that registration can begin around Jan. 31.

“We are basing those decisions on enrollment trends from the last several years as well as graduation requirements to ensure that students have ample courses available,” said Kline. “Unfortunately, we have some kids that are down to the wire on meeting graduation requirements in order to earn a diploma.”

Kline believes that four less periods over the course of a student’s high school career is “cutting it razor thin” for some students to meet graduation requirements. A Lakota student needs 21 credits to graduate, and a student would be taking, at most, 24 classes during their four years of high school on a six-period schedule. If the six-period day is effective for only one year, Kline is not as concerned that meeting those stipulations will become an issue. Should the six-period schedule become permanent, however, Kline says that the administration will need to adjust graduation requirements to make them more realistic.

“I don’t know that I can say that [the sixperiod schedule will be permanent] as that is not my decision,” said Kline. “My hope is that we would be able to get back to a seven-period day at some point because I think that it gives

10 | Spark | December 16, 2010

students opportunities that they deserve.”

The numerous course selections currently offered appeal to students like East sophomore Matthew Littig, who is disappointed that elective options will decrease next year.

“I would not be able to take jazz band anymore,” said Littig. “I have to take another [period of] band anyway to be in jazz so I

however, they will no longer be allotted a duty period. According to Kline, administration has not yet determined how study halls, office duty or East Learning Center (ELC) duty will be staffed, as selecting which electives will remain in the Program of Studies Booklet holds priority over other issues.

The loss of this duty period will prove problematic for East science teacher John

would probably still do that, but it would be just one less creative art that I could take during the day.”

Although students are taking one less class each year, the six-period schedule will not cause the school day to be shortened. Instead, the length of each class is expected to reach between 55 minutes and one hour. Students would eat lunch during fourth period, and the lunch shifts would be similar to the current schedule.

Teachers will still be required to instruct five classes and will have a plan period;

Severns. During his duty period, Severns is responsible for preparing lab materials and chemicals for all of the chemistry teachers, as well as keeping inventory of the chemicals in storage. When any chemical is in short supply, Severns is responsible for ordering any needed materials. “[Next year], each teacher will have to prepare their own labs after school, before school or during [his or her] planning period.

It will be rough the first year because I have a lot of experience,” said Severns. “It’s going to be a challenge for people who haven’t

we have some kids that are “Unfortunately, down to the wire on meeting graduation requirements in order to earn a diploma. ”

East teacher John Severns uses his duty period to prepare lab materials and keep stock of the chemicals the science classes use for labs.

prepared samples before to do so on their own.”

Although he recognized the need for the reductions given Lakota’s current financial state, Severns dislikes that students would have fewer course options next year.

“For example, I might lose my Chemistry II class. This class plays to my expertise and I’m able to work with a small number of students who are really interested in the subject,” said Severns.

One decision regarding the six-period schedule yet to be made is whether Lakota high schools will still use a modified block schedule. In a survey of 30 East teachers, 63 percent disapproved of the switch to a sixperiod schedule. Of those teachers, 68 percent cited the elimination of block days as the source of their disapproval.

“I understand the need for [eliminating a class], but for science, it just makes it a little more difficult to get our labs in. It is doable; I have taught on a six-period schedule before when the high school was still combined,” said East science teacher Julie Deak. “We’ll just have to do all of our prefacing the day before the lab and go right into the lab on the second day. We’ll have to do post-lab on the third day; it’s going to take longer to go through, but the important thing is making sure we actually have time to do the lab.”

East English teacher Michelle Wilkerson is not opposed to the six-period day but is uncertain of how she will have to adjust her lesson plans for the new schedule having only taught on a modified block schedule.

“In English, block days are used for if we have extended projects, essay writing, reading a selection or watching a film clip. We use that extra amount of time to do a project in its entirety,” said Wilkerson. “I would have to fill longer time and I would have to compensate for not having a block period. It will be a new experience for everyone.”

Other facets of the six-period schedule that are still to be determined are whether study hall classes or early leave will be allowed.

Despite uncertainty surrounding next year’s schedule, East junior Tyler Shaw remains hopeful.

“Honestly, the six-period [schedule] is basically all we can do. That’s the way the levy went, and it’s going to have to be that way,” said Shaw. “We’ll deal with it the best we can; that’s Lakota­—we make the best situation out of everything.” n

Comparing 2010-11 and 2011-12 Schedules*

Comparing East to Rival High Schools

*Time frame is approximate

SSiixx iod r e PPeerr n :P iioodd e 5 1 v e 71 7:3 S 1 7:30 0 1 Eng

lish

2

Geo

me

try

9:3 0 9:3 4

. Hi s 101 tory

10

:32 10 :36

CP

m Geo

A: 1 istry 1 0 B: 1 :36-11 0 1:0 :06 C: 1 6-11 :3 1 D: 1 :36-12 6 :06 2:0 6-1 2:3 12 6 :3 12 6 :40

Hum Sex an uali ty

6

1:3 8 1:4 2

Con c Ban ert d 2:4

0

3

0 9:0 5 9:0

y stor i H .

U.S 101

4 4

3 9:5 8 9:5

d

an B z z

Ja

:46 10 1 :5 10

hem

5

2 2

7 8:0 2 1 : 8

etry

U.S

4 C

li Eng

8 8:28 :28 8:3 2

CP

3

101

0 sh 1

try mis

5 5

6 1:1 1-1 41 5 : 0 : A: 1 :21-11 6 1 2:0 B: 1 :46-1 6 1 :3 C: 1 :11-12 2 D: 1 :36

6 6

an Hum ality u Sex 29 1: 4 1:3

ert c n Co nd Ba 4 2:2

7 7

7:1

5

E

lish

2 CP

Geo

me

try

Che

11 :0 11 7 :13

try 1 A: 1 0 1:0 B: 1 7-11 1 :3 C: 1 :47-12 7 :17 2:2 7-1 2:5 12 7 :5 7 1:0 3

Hum Sex an uali ty 2:1

5

0 8:4 5 8:4

3

0 9:3 5 9:3

4

and

B azz

J

:20 10 :25 10

try mis

mis

5

m Geo

y stor i H .

U.S 101

9:4 6 9:5 2

. Hi s 101 tory

2 etry

CP

U.S

4

101

0 7:5 5 7:5

101

8:2 8 8:3 4

3

el d fi i r Fa 7:00 1 sh ngli

Eng

10

Che

12 1 :4 12

1

M Maa ssoonn

5 10

Che

:13 12 :18 12

6

an Hum ality u Se1x:03 8

1:0

t cer n o C nd Ba3

7

1:5

information east, fairfield and mason high schools

Schedule Changes from 2010-11: The length of a period will be approximately 58 minutes. Teachers will lose duty periods, which are used to staff the East Learning Center, office and other areas.

Changes to be Determined: The elective courses the school will offer, as well as the presence of a modified block schedule, study hall classes and early leave have yet to be decided upon.

11 | Spark | lehsspark.org

news | east news

Arbitrary Assignments Whether adjusting curriculum to model a college course, or attempting to aid student grade averages, East teachers are beginning to adopt new homework policies. Mahlerwein’s new assignment regulations, for example, leave homework up to student discretion.

East teacher Greg Mahlerwein’s new homework policy allows students the freedom to choose whether or not to do their homework.

story sophia li | photos sierra whitlock

I

n an effort to structure his classes to closely resemble those in college, East chemistry teacher Greg Mahlerwein enacted a new homework policy at the beginning of second quarter. Under the policy, his Chemistry I students are not required to complete any assigned homework.

This homework experiment was developed as a part of his “Phase Two” evaluation, which requires veteran Lakota teachers, such as Mahlerwein, to develop projects every three years, incorporating new trends in the classroom and reaching students in alternative ways. For the project, Mahlerwein worked with East Assistant Principal Eric Bauman

Implemented three years ago, Mahlerwein’s ChemTutor program was and has been effective in reinforcing concepts taught in class. With ChemTutor, students can earn up to 10 extra credit points by coming to school at 6:30 a.m. and completing chemistry lessons on the ChemTutor program for 30 minutes.

In regards to the results of the homework policy, however, Mahlerwein is unsure of its effect on students’ grades. He believes that the policy will improve the grades of students who are good test takers but regard homework as “a waste of time.” For other students, Mahlerwein thinks the policy has the potential to damage their grades.

“There are several students whose homework tends to be padding for their grades, because they may not be the best test-takers in the world,” said Mahlerwein. “Those students have to be careful [if they don’t do their homework] because then their tests compose more of their grade.”

With this taken into consideration, Mahlerwein is keeping an open mind. For the time being, Mahlerwein plans to continue the policy for at least second and third quarter.

To ensure that the homework policy will not hurt grades, Mahlerwein will talk with the students at the end of second quarter to decide whether or not to continue the new homework policy.

East science teacher John Severns began

think all homework...is “They an infringement on their right

to play Halo at 2:00 a.m., and they’re just not going to do it.

”

to evaluate his teaching practices and decide if any improvements could be made to his classroom procedure, leading to his idea of a homework exemption policy.

“The national trend seems to be moving away from homework and more toward having high school formatted like college, where grades are based more strictly on test scores,” said Mahlerwein.

In the past, Mahlerwein was successful with other “Phase Two” projects.

12 | Spark | December 16, 2010

a similar policy during the 2009-10 school year. While Mahlerwein’s experiment is part of a “Phase Two” project, Severns said his homework experiment was a “what-the-heck type of thing” that he wanted to try to better measure what his students had learned. After noticing that there were a handful of students who never did their homework, Severns came up with the policy because he felt that the zeroes in the grade book were not a good indicator of whether the students had learned the material. Although Severns realized that some students learn without doing the homework, he noticed that the kids who chose to be exempt from the homework were not usually good students.

“These are not students that aspire for As. These are students where a C is good enough,” said Severns, regarding the exempt students. “They think all homework is dumb, that it’s an infringement on their right to play Halo at 2:00 a.m., and they’re just not going to do it.”

Unlike Mahlerwein’s policy, which allows students to opt in or out of each individual homework assignment, Severns’ students are either exempt from all assignments or required to complete all the assignments for that quarter.

Mahlerwein chose to make his policy on an assignment-by-assignment basis because that allows for more immediate self-adjustment; students can see how skipping each homework assignment affects their grades.

East sophomore Nneka Azuka appreciates that Mahlerwein’s homework policy allows her to decide whether or not to turn in an assignment on an individual assignment basis.

While Azuka always does her homework, there

are times when she would rather not turn it in.

“Now when I’m doing the homework, and I don’t understand how to do it or I think I failed the homework, [the policy is] good for me because I don’t have to turn it in if I feel I did really bad on it,” said Azuka.

Although Azuka approves of the new policy, she has reservations about some aspects. In addition to stating that homework assignments are optional, the new policy also mandates that homework must be turned in on a table before the bell rings or it will not be graded. Azuka dislikes this because students who did their homework do not get credit if they forget or are unable to turn in the homework before the bell rings.

Mahlerwein helps East sophomore Rachel Brown as she completes a lab in a Chemistry I class.

East Principal Dr. Keith Kline has concerns regarding Mahlerwein’s new policy.

“Homework’s purpose many times is to be practice for the concepts that were taught in class. I know that if students don’t do their homework, typically they won’t do as well academically,” said Kline.

Mahlerwein understands that the policy may hurt student grades, and he will not make it permanent until he gets a better idea of how it affects student learning.

“The whole point behind this is to see if there is a better way to reach the students and to allow the students to learn,” said Mahlerwein. “I’m fascinated to see what the results will be.” n

Succeeding the Superintendent As Lakota Local School District Superintendent Mike Taylor’s retirement approaches, the district prepares for changes in its administration. story ariadne souroutzidis | photo sara patt

R

esulting from current Lakota Local School District Superintendent Mike Taylor’s upcoming retirement on Jan. 31, the Board of Education has approved current Assistant Superintendent of Secondary Curriculum Ron Spurlock as an interim superintendent starting Feb. 1 until an undecided time. The Board decided to choose an interim superintendent not only because of the current financial concerns, but also because of the timing of the Taylor’s retirement.

“At the time we were making this decision, we hadn’t hired a treasurer, we hadn’t passed a levy and we still had budget reductions we were looking at,” said Board of Education

pay, which is based on the number of days he works.

“It was important that [we chose] someone who was familiar with what was going on in the district. [Spurlock has] been in the district a long time. As a resident, he knows people in the community and has lots of connections with other residents and the business community. All those things help people feel like the district is in capable hands,” said Powell. “When you’re going across a bridge, you like feeling like it’s sturdy and you’re going to get to the other side.”

Spurlock worked as the Liberty Junior assistant principal from 1988-91, the Lakota Freshman School assistant principal from

President Joan Powell. “Plus, if the right individual is coming from the academic world, he or she may or may not be able to come until the end of the school year. January is an odd time to fill a position.”

To Powell, the interim superintendent is like a bridge, connecting the district from the current superintendent to the future superintendent and keeping the district moving forward. Spurlock will assume all of Taylor’s former responsibilities and will be paid at the current superintendent’s per diem

1991-93, the Cherokee principal from 199394, Liberty Junior school principal from 1994-2007 and became Lakota’s assistant superintendent in 2007. He was originally approached by the Board several weeks before Taylor’s resignation was announced at the Nov. 29 Board meeting, according to Spurlock.

“To be successful, I need to work closely with the Board and I need to work closely with the educators in the classroom. I am concerned that [the community’s] confidence

“When you’re going across a bridge, you like feeling like it’s sturdy and you’re going to get to the other side. ”

[in the district] is somewhat shaken. After all, we have recently lost our superintendent, our treasurer, two levies and we are about to lose a number of quality employees for the upcoming school year,” said Spurlock.

“Despite our financial problems, Lakota is still an outstanding school district. I will need to work with the staff to ensure the resources that we have left are put in a position where they will support our students in the classroom.”

To prepare for the switch from assistant superintendent to interim superintendent, Spurlock has been meeting regularly with Taylor and has begun to sit in on Taylor’s meetings. While he is interim superintendent, Spurlock plans to focus on three main issues.

“First, I need to take care of the many routine tasks and decisions that cross the superintendent’s desk on a daily basis.

The second priority relates to the budget reductions. Taylor has developed a detailed reduction plan; it will be my responsibility to ensure that the plan is implemented in an efficient and timely manner. Finally the levy.

It is critical for our district, our community, and most importantly our students that we pass the next levy,” said Spurlock. “I plan on getting out of Central Office as much as possible and talking to our internal and external stakeholders. In fact, I will probably do more listening than talking. After [Jan. 1] I will be meeting with a number of businesses and community leaders [as well as] our educators in the building.”

Spurlock’s position as assistant

13 | Spark | lehsspark.org

news | district news superintendent, however, will not be filled. “[Spurlock] is planning on reallocating the tasks on his plate that need to continue between other administrators. This will allow important projects to continue while [Spurlock’s] attention is turned to his new duties,” said Board Vice President Ben Dibble.

“Obviously, there will be work that gets put on hold as we move through the very busy early months of 2011.”

The process of hiring a full-time superintendent has not yet begun. According to Powell, as of press time, the Board is still deciding which search firm to hire to aid the process. Some candidates include Ohio School Board Association and Lovett and Lovett Executive Search, which the district used when it was hiring the new treasurer.

Although different firms provide different services, the chosen search firm will receive all the applications and resumes. The search firm first pre-screens the applicants; the process includes reviewing their resumes and references, as well as possibly conducting phone interviews. Once the pool of applicants has been narrowed down by the search firm, the remaining resumes will be presented to the Board, who selects semi-finalists for interviews. Based on the process used in the past, the finalists then have further interviews with the Board and are asked to simulate both a Board presentation and a community presentation.

“Last time, we had three different evenings where we brought [superintendent] candidates in and gave them a chance to address and answer questions from community members,” said Powell. “Then we give the community a chance to give us input as to what its

Future interim Superintendent Ron Spurlock has had 22 years of experience as an administrator in the Lakota Local School District and will assume his role starting Feb. 1.

next superintendent, which the search firm will use to recruit some applicants.

“We’re wrestling with the questions: Should this be an educator as a typical administrator superintendent? Is it time for more of a CEO

need to work with the staff to ensure “Ithewillresources that we have left are put in a

position where they will support our students in the classroom.

”

observations were. The strengths and the weaknesses of the candidates and all these things become data points to making a selection.”

The price for hiring a search firm will vary depending on the firm the district decides to use. According to Powell, however, it typically costs about a third of the superintendent’s first-year salary. According to Dibble, the district is “well aware that the cost of a professional search is a concern, but we are determined to find an excellent candidate to become our next superintendent.” The Board hopes to have chosen a search firm by January.

Once that decision is made, the district will have to decide what qualities it looks for in the

14 | Spark | December 16, 2010

business approach situation to run the district, as finances are so important these days? All those kinds of things are questions we’re grappling with and we’re interested in what the community wants,” said Powell.

Although dates have not been officially set, the Board is looking to have two community engagement opportunities in December and

Spark

January, at East and Lakota West respectively, for community members to come and discuss what qualities they want in the future superintendent.

“Once the Board has their plan in place, the district will support and assist them with what they need and help out as necessary. But the plans for this are driven by the Board, as [they are] the ones [who are choosing] our next superintendent, and that person will report to the Board,” said Lakota Public Relations Director Laura Kursman.

Although Spurlock will act as the interim superintendent for the Lakota Local School District, it is unlikely that he will apply for the full-time position.

“The superintendent position at Lakota is a dream job for anyone who aspires to get into administration,” said Spurlock. “While I have learned to never say never, this position just doesn’t fit into my long-term personal goals.

I do not plan on applying for the full-time superintendent position.” n

Go to lehsspark.org to see Justine Chu’s story about the new Lakota Local School District Treasurer, Jenni Logan, who will assume her role on Jan. 1.

dan turner images contact: (513) 593-3523

email: danturnerphotos733@gmail.com

$200 All Inclusive.

WUnlimited poses, outfits, locations

and time all compiled onto an easily manageable CD. Contact ASAP.

feature | student feature

No Stranger to the Elements story victoria liang | photo dan turner

16 | Spark | December 16, 2010

S

teady hands just take the wheel/Every glance is killing me/ Time to make one last appeal/For the life I lead.

Those words pulse out of a pair of earbuds and hold one boy in the art room in a trance while the rest of the students are flitting about sharing petty gossip. His hands reach for a white colored pencil and, delicately, he traces and retraces the same faint white line, a highlight on the edge of a table. His eyebrows are furrowed above his expressive chestnut eyes, his broad shoulders are hunched and his glasses are slipping down his face while gazing down at his ghost of a piece. To passersby, it is just an empty black slate with nothing but a few pencil lines meandering around. But East senior Titus Crawford is envisioning far more.

His trance is suddenly interrupted by the art teacher passing by.

“Titus,” she instructs. “Don’t outline the shapes. Go from the inside out.”

His last twenty minutes of work were essentially a waste, but he does not complain. It does not matter how much effort he has to put in; he is doing what he loves. It is the best time of the day, a cathartic release of all the emotions he has kept bottled up in his 18 years while growing up in the slums with an absentee father or while handling a full courseload of schoolwork while supporting his family. It is the fuel that keeps his ambitions burning in the worst of storms.

East senior Titus Crawford displays a work entitled “Identity.”

I was born by the river, in a little tent./And just like the river, I’ve been runnin’ ever since.

In the 19th century, Price Hill was an idyllic hilltop suburb for upper-middle class families looking for an escape from the cloud of pollution and noise hovering above Cincinnati.

Fast forward a century, and it’s festered into a hell. A hell with more trash than trees, more foreclosure notices than street signs. From the confines of his unadorned gray duplex on McPherson Avenue, a street that has had 65 foreclosures since 1999, young Titus and his older sister Adedrion learn quickly that violence is the rule. There was the Christmas when they awoke to find their television, Playstation and all their games stolen. There was the time when his mother Donneice returned home to find their car with a smashed windshield and blood spattered on the bumper.

In her sorrow, she reminisces back to how she came up with the name Titus. Her faith was waning and she called herself crazy, but before she even knew she was pregnant, she had dreamed that she would have a son named Titus. And he would grow up to become a leader.

Here, however, Donneice cannot fantasize for too long about her son’s future when she has to worry about his present, sheltering him the best she can from the brutality that encloses them. It is yet another worry that plagues her mind and she is already worried her three tedious jobs are not enough to provide for her family, worried she is clocking too many hours to spend adequate time with her family, worried that not having a strong father figure will drive Titus to the streets like it has so many other boys in their neighborhood.

Then again, this decaying area is a place to be grateful for.

At least now, while walking home through a torrent of insults about his Goodwill-purchased clothes, Titus knows he is going home.

Home. What a strange word for a first-grade boy who has lived as a nomad, traveling back and forth between relatives’

17 | Spark | lehsspark.org

feature | student feature

Above: Titus’ “Passion“ made in AP Art during the 2010-11 school year.

homes and a homeless shelter. Now, he will not have to worry about lining up early to enter. He can rest his weary eyes instead of watching out for pickpockets.

To avoid trouble, the family knows to just keep to themselves. After Donneice cooks dinner for her children and rushes off to another grim graveyard shift, Adedrion becomes Titus’ parental figure and best friend, because even though she is still a child herself, their father is too busy breaking promises.

“Come to my basketball game tonight,” Titus begs. “Daddy, just this once.”

Before heading out to the court, Titus looks for any sign of his father.

Once again, he is not there. Glimpses of his father are rare and when they do happen, Donneice tries to supervise the visit, completely aware of his father’s poor influence.

“Bad communication corrupts good morals,” she sighs in her motherly voice.

But Donneice does not have to worry about Titus.

18 | Spark | December 16, 2010

“He has no respect for me, does he?” Titus asks himself every night even though he already knows the answer. He makes a vow.

“I will become the exact opposite of my father.”

Back then, it was just childish anger. But it continues to grow into a mantra he embodies, a promise he keeps and a fuel that sustains him when a tide of responsibility threatens to crush him.

It’s been a long, long time coming / But I know a change is gonna come.

Oh gravity, stay the hell away from me. /Oh, gravity has taken better men than me. /Now how can that be?

Titus drifts through his next few years as a typical teenager with typical goals after his family moves to the Lakota Local School District, not yet faced with a real chance to prove himself a better man than his father.

This all changes in the midst of a gloomy storm, when two Mormon missionaries showed up at the Crawfords’ doorstep. After the death of her first daughter, Patanna, Donneice had lost her faith in God, quit attending church, detested holidays and even stopped snapping family

pictures. The space where Patanna should have been always left her feeling empty. Still, she is impressed enough that these two teenaged girls would trek through this weather that she invites them in and lets them speak.

Gradually, the missionaries’ visits become more frequent as they start teaching the kids and neighbors about the Church of Latter Day Saints.

Donneice is intrigued and begins attending their services.

They become an extended family, the men of the church treating Titus like a son. When Donneice’s car breaks down, church members show up at the Crawfords’ door promptly at 5:00 a.m. every morning for a week to take her to work and then drop off her children at daycare.

But they also notice the toll working three jobs has been taking on her family and help her find one job that pays more. Then they help her go back to college full-time so her family can escape the slums forever. The church helps with some bills and some transportation, but there is a bigger hole to fill.

As a mere freshman, Titus begins dividing a 40-hour work week between King’s Island, a landscaping firm and Kroger to help support

his family, his church and his friends.

Just keep me where the light is.

I’ve become what I can’t be./Oh, do you see what I see?

“That Titus. Always knows how to make something out of nothing,” his grandmother Mary James says.

Not nothing, but pretty close. What other people in his situation use as excuses, Titus uses as fuel for his passion.

As a toddler, Titus ignores his other toys and picks up a handful of bread ties ready to be thrown away. His grandma assumes he is just being a typical kid until he shows her a whole set of figurines, complete with capes and swords, and then puts them in the display of his aunt’s shoe repair store to try to sell them.

From then on, whenever his grandmother comes to visit, he is always hunched over a drawing and asking for criticisms.

“It’s gotta be perfect, Grandma,” he always says. “I bottle things up and I gotta let it go somehow.”

He recalls his latest heartbreak, a former girlfriend who cheated on him. But Titus is no stranger to betrayal, however, this is no ordinary, petty drama— she tries to resume the relationship while pregnant with another man’s child.

But also thanks to his father, Titus knows that suffocating his problems with self-destructive behavior never solves anything. Instead, he channels them into his distinctive brand of art, marked by a boldness and vividness that are rivaled only by Titus himself. This time he wears his emotions across his heart with a T-shirt he designed himself. Two cracked skulls stare out with empty, gaping sockets amidst a bed of blooming roses.

“Love is Pain,” the skulls declare. “How can love be so kind and gentle and then turn around and be so cold?” they ask.

Maybe people will betray him, but art never will, not even in his most difficult times. Even while Titus’ calloused hands are worked to the bone during a dreary shift, they always have the energy to pick up a sketchbook during his brief breaks and channel an idea into a sophisticated work of art.

The inspiration does not have to come from his past. Sometimes it is an everyday object or a song lingering in his mind that will blossom into an idea for his next masterpiece. Sometimes he will even fuse his own style with someone else’s idea, like when he designs tattoos for clients.

Titus’ initiative in addition to his classroom performance persuade East art teacher Linda Augutis to give him the rare honor of skipping an entire level of art to take Advanced Placement (AP) Studio Art as a senior, therefore letting him graduate with a grand total of five AP classes in hopes of improving his college prospects.

He plans to make art his career, applying to University of Cincinnati’s Design, Architecture, Art and Planning program, as well as Bowling Green State University and Brigham Young University-Idaho to pursue his dream of becoming a graphic designer or the creative director for an advertising firm.

Although his words are usually delivered in soft, measured cadences, when he talks about his future in art, passion tumbles out in unrestrained bursts. While painting, he becomes more than a quiet kid in the corner weighed down by worries. Every stroke captures another unshed tear, another unspoken worry, another unfair responsibility. This release fuels his evolving maturity. Against all odds, he even begins to forgive his father.

“Art is how I can turn something tragic into something beautiful," he says. 

“That Titus. Always knows how to make something out of nothing.” his family while his mom is going to school. During this period, his typical day begins at 5:00 a.m. when his mom wakes him up and practices scripture with him. Then he goes to seminary and brings his school books with him, using every extra minute to study.

“Can anyone think of a Bible passage that relates to their life?” asks seminary teacher Laurie Hopkins.

There is a silence as other students avert their eyes, either too timid to respond or too apathetic to think of a response. “‘Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content,’” calls out Titus. “Philippians 4:11.”

Then it is straight to school at 7 a.m., followed by a four-to-five hour work shift at night. When he finally comes home, he helps his younger siblings and sometimes even his mother with homework before finally beginning on his own pile of honors-level work.

Yet he does not even allow himself a day of rest. Every other Sunday he travels with City Gospel Mission to the outskirts of Over the Rhine.

In the shadow of the decadent Music Hall, a place where the upperclass go to sip champagne while watching world-class musicians perform concertos and symphonies, lies Washington Park, which is also filled with people.

But it may as well be a cemetery. Usually, only the police pay any sort of attention to the hordes of homeless who huddle in the park, but like always, Titus is the exception to the rule.

To most, the homeless are just filthy beggars too lazy to work. But Titus sees them through an artist’s eyes. He knows that behind every solemn face is a story. And he remembers his days of homelessness and how much a simple act of kindness can soothe a tired soul. With each meal he passes out, he also offers his sympathy.

“You know, I used to be a vet,” one of the men recalls. “I kept trying new ideas until eventually I just ran out of money. And then to top it all off, my wife left me.”

Even though Titus has faced his share of hardships, he listens intently to every person who is willing to share and offers his compassion with every meal he serves.

Maybe his grades are plummeting, maybe he is putting everyone’s interests before his own and maybe he is been forced to become more of a man than his father could ever hope to become. But he holds his head high and walks with a smile. After all, he knows he is becoming a hero to

19 | Spark | lehsspark.org

feature | dart

wacky jacqui story ashley wolsefer | photos sierra whitlock, dan turner

D

ecked out in black and neon pink Another element of music that Tackett is Each issue the Spark staff picks a striped tights, a Misfits T-shirt and interested in is the creation of songs. random East student and covers a a red dress, she sits in her basement “I really do love singing and the fact that unique aspect of his or her life. watching her favorite movie made in 1975. it takes you away from reality. You can put Lining the far wall of her basement is a set of all your thoughts down into a song,” says shelves brimming with every movie imaginable. On any free night, East Tackett. “When you express [your emotions] vocally and everything junior Jacqui Tackett can be found nestled in her eccentric world of comes together, it’s just incredible.” entertainment.

Her experience with singing sparked a passion for song writing.

Watching old movies, wearing mismatched clothing and tripping over “When I am alone, I’ll just go in my room and write,” says Tackett. “In herself set her apart and define her personality. a way, it connects me to reality because I’m focusing on what happened, “My dad and I used to go check out movies all the time,” says Tackett, but it’s just a way to let everything out.” who hails from a family of film fanatics. “I watch such a wide variety [of In addition to her lyrics, Tackett also looks to her friends for support, movies]. My least favorite are chick flicks, though, because they are so and the “therapy” goes both ways. This past summer, Tackett’s good predictable.” friend and fellow East junior Porscha Hicks experienced a tough breakup Among her vast collection, independent movies are her favorites. and Tackett supported her throughout the ordeal.

Seeing stories brought to life on film in new and creative ways inspires “She always cares about people and is always there when [her friends] her. need help,” says Hicks. “There was this boy I dated for 11 months, “[A movie] gets you thinking [about] the way these actors can portray and over the summer he broke up with me over a text. [Tackett and I] these characters. And the directors and producers, how they just put it all were actually watching a movie when he did it and she really helped me together is awesome,” says Tackett. “Movies typically are supposed to be through it.” a fantasy, but when I see a movie, I am just flabbergasted.”

One of the ways that Tackett helps her friends cope is to introduce But watching movies is not the only thing that inspires this former them to the movies and music she loves. This summer she introduced hockey player. She also is obsessed with music, poetry and photography. Hicks to dozens of movies; the humor of The Hangover allowed Tackett These creative outlets help her escape the tough experiences that she has and her friends to get their minds off their problems and escape from endured throughout her life. reality for awhile. They also went to three concerts this summer, where “My family went through a lot last year. That’s why I feel like I have Hicks had her first experience with the band Paramore. Tackett’s influence this deep connection with music and movies,” says Tackett, who feels inspired her group of friends to do something erratic: dye their hair. that the problems are too personal to comment on. “Every time I was “It was actually my and [another friend’s] idea,” says Hicks. “We went upset, I would just watch a movie or listen to music, and [the sadness] to [a hair salon called] Borics and we just got a streak of purple in our would just go away.” hair.”

20 | Spark | December 16, 2010

I always try to imagine

From left: Tackett showing off her funky everyday style, Takett posing with one of her favorite older movies, Tackett in her basement with her wall of movies and Tackett showing off her crazy style and personality.

my life as a Tackett herself has dyed her hair many different Lakota West football game. colors. From a Hayley Williams-inspired do to a fire“We were in the West stands and they were really movie; there crowded. I was already [at the bottom of the stands], engine red dye job, Tackett is willing to try anything at least once. Her hair color adds another facet to her so Jacqui asked me if I would catch her if she jumped are always personality and East junior Kyle Finnerty doubts that the railing,” says Finnerty. “So she put both legs over anyone would recognize her otherwise. the railing and right before she was about to jump she “If Jacqui dyed her hair brown and came into school, those carefree just went the other way and fell backwards. She was just no one would recognize her,” says Finnerty. hanging there like a monkey.”

The style of Tackett’s hair is not the only part of her This was not the only instance of Tackett’s clumsiness. teenagers, appearance that sets her apart. Tackett also dresses vastly On several occasions at King’s Island’s Halloween Haunt different from any of her fellow classmates. Among her and I would like with her friends, Tackett had fallen for no apparent list of favorite clothing items are her motley assortment reason. But she always seems to find the comedy in her of tights, various band T-shirts and a wide variety of to see my life spills, instead of letting them upset her. scarves.

“I’m really clumsy, but it’s OK, because it gives my “I always come into school and Jacqui is the first friends a reason to laugh,” says Tackett. like that. person I see,” says Finnerty. “She always makes me smile This sense of humor is contagious among her group because nobody else would have the courage to come of friends. Constantly laughing and poking fun at each into school and be like, ‘This is me.’ They all hide behind something other, Tackett and her friends have developed a close-knit relationship. else.”

“Our group of friends never fights. We don’t like drama and we don’t Tackett once showed up to play in a volleyball game in unusual attire. like to create it, so if we have a problem, we confront it,” says Hicks. “We “She comes out [to play] in bright yellow shorts, a Misfits T-shirt, a just love to laugh and have a good time.” scarf wrapped around her head like a little Dutch woman and polka-dot Instead of dwelling on the negative aspects of life, Tackett would tights on under her shorts,” says Finnerty. “She played the entire game rather live with spontaneity. this way and it was pretty awesome.”

“I always try to imagine my life as a movie; there are always those Her eccentricity is not only exemplified in her clothes, but also in her carefree teenagers, and I would like to see my life like that,” says Tackett, tendency to trip over her own feet and find humor in it. “as a person enjoying life rather than sticking to the norm.”

“She’s always falling,” says Hicks, who admires Tackett’s ability to As for the future, Tackett has big plans to where she is headed. laugh at herself during embarrassing moments. “But she always laughs “I just want to follow my dreams, and although I don’t know exactly at herself for it.” what that is I know what my interests are,” says Tackett. “So maybe I Finnerty recalls a time when Tackett fell off the railing at the East v. might do something with movies or music, like play in a band.” n 21 | Spark | lehsspark.org

feature | community feature

I

Crow, with all of his freshlymade doughnuts, carries on the tradition set by his father.

No c H LES BARRED story shivang patel | photos dan turner

A second-generation baker, “Stan” the Donut Man wants a hand in every donut he sells.

22 | Spark | December 16, 2010

t starts with a large vat of dough that is then systematically proportioned into workable pieces.

Then handling the dough with care, he shapes the dough into rings. Each donut is placed on a tray and stored until all of them are ready to be cooked.

Once they are ready, he cooks the doughnuts, flipping them halfway through making sure they are cooked perfectly. Finally, after they have been given an even glaze, they are ready to be sold.

Martin Stanley Crow works six days a week, every week running Stan the Donut Man in West Chester, OH. He began in July 1996 and has been successful, selling an average of 100 dozen doughnuts everyday.

“The weekend crowd is totally different from the Monday through Thursday crowd. That’s the workers, and the weekend is usually families with kids,” says Crow. “[My job] is very unconventional. I get paid differently every week. I’m the boss, the manager, the baker, the everything.

A lot of people don’t do that.”

Although Crow is the manager of his own business, there are seven other employees who help him run the business, many of which are students.

“I have a lot of kids who work with me. I’ve met a lot of really great kids who have gone to Lakota. All 75 kids [over the past 14 years], all of them have been unbelievable and mature and hard-working. They are so ahead of where I was when I was 16 [years old],” says Crow.

Adam Land, a graduate of the East Class of 2010, has been working at Stan the Donut Man since high school and thinks highly of Crow.

“He’s like a second father to me. [It is] a great job and it pays me well,” says Land.

Crow maintains a strong relationship with his employees who see him as a father figure, and he credits his father with much of the financial success he has today. He feels lucky to be born into a business that not only survived, but also thrived for many years, despite the economy.

“Everything I do I learned from [my father],” says Crow.

“He originally worked for Acme Uniform, which became Cintas. He went around delivering uniforms to different businesses, one day he came across a doughnut shop in Hamilton and something about the idea interested him. He learned the trade and figured it out.”

Crow’s father then started his own doughnut shop: the original Stan the Donut Man in Lebanon. Eventually, he spread the business to multiple locations in Xenia, Dayton and finally West Chester. Only two of the original doughnut shops, however, are left in the Crow family.

Crow’s father grew up during the Great Depression and had to support all of his brothers and sisters, who went on to receive degrees from the University of Cincinnati.

According to Crow, there is a high level of financial security in his business due to the nature of doughnut shops.

Doughnuts are not expensive items, so no matter the state the economy, people are going to buy doughnuts.

“Doughnut shops are a lot like McDonald’s; they really don’t get affected by the economy because it’s not a highdollar purchase,” says Crow. “Doughnuts are something you’re still going buy. It’s not a luxury item; people got to have their doughnuts. Doughnuts make you happy.”

Along with making and selling doughnuts, this bluesloving businessman, who plays blues music as he makes doughnuts, gives tours of his business to preschoolers.

From January to March, Crow shows preschoolers how he makes his old-fashioned doughnuts. He also supplies the

doughnuts that are sold to East students on block days every week.

Crow’s business provides doughnuts to Distributive Education Clubs of America, a business leadership club at Lakota West for students taking Marketing I and Marketing II. “We’ve been supplying doughnuts to East for years, and [the school]

So when Martin Crow started his business years later in West Chester, he continued his father’s tradition of giving back to veterans in the community.

Crow’s father also had a horse business in addition to his doughnut business, in which he raised and raced horses. While he was growing up, Crow often helped his father take care of horses and eventually raced them.

“Going to the races with my dad, running around the track and being around my horses was fun. One year at Turfway park [in Kentucky], my dad won a race on my birthday, [so it was] a pretty good day. I raced in Chicago, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Kentucky, all over the Midwest,” he says.

Crow raced until he was 25 years old. Because horse racing did not provide the financial stability that doughnut shops did, he pursued a different career. Crow, now 49 years old, still has horses on a mini-farm in Waynesville. He lives there with his wife Sherry and a daughter who is a college freshman.

Because of his love for the outdoors, Crow and his family go to Norris Lake, TN, where they recently purchased a home, every chance that they get.

“I love it out there. I’m a country boy. I grew up on a horse farm, I like motorcycles, four-wheelers and boats,” says Crow. “I’m a very outdoorsy person and I love [going] to Tennessee. If I’m not here [in Ohio] during vacation, I’m down there.”

Crow’s homegrown character and family-oriented nature have carried over into the way he runs his business.

“The biggest thing I get from people is, ‘I grew up in “Anywhere, USA” and there was a mom and pop bakery and that I would go to on Saturday and [Stan the Donut Man] reminds me of it.’ That’s exactly what this shop is. It’s an old-fashioned doughnut shop—it’s the kind of place where [everyone can relate to].” n

“I’m a country boy; I grew up on a horse farm; I like motorcycles, fourwheelers and boats.

I’m a very outdoor person.” resells them to raise money for the Athletic Department,” says Crow.

East students have grown accustomed to the doughnuts sold on Wednesday and Thursday block days and are worried about what will happen when block days are eliminated in the 2011-12 school year. “[I think the doughnuts are] delicious and they taste as good as [doughnuts from] other places such a Dunkin’ Donuts,” says East junior Megan Caldwell. “I love eating doughnuts in the morning and will be sad if [East] doesn’t sell them next year [if we do not] have block days.”

Stan the Donut Man donates day-old doughnuts to Reach Out Lakota in order to help families in need as well as to veterans’ groups such as American Legion. If the veterans want doughnuts for fundraising events or meetings, Crow happily supplies as many doughnuts as they need, saying that he has a personal connection with war veterans.

Besides being an entrepreneur, Crow’s father, Stanley Crow, was also a Korean War veteran. When he was running the doughnut shops, he would always give doughnuts to the local veterans’ hospital to show his appreciation.

Doughnut Delivery infographic rashma faroqui, shivang patel

Step 1: Dough is made and divided into workable portions, ready to be made into doughnuts

Step 3: Each tray of doughnuts is placed in oil, allowing them to cook. Once one side is cooked, a wooden utensil is used to flip the doughnuts over to ensure that both sides are cooked.

Step 2: After each doughnut is made, it is placed on a tray. Once the tray is full, it is put on a rack and stored until all the donuts are ready to be cooked.

Step 4: Doughnuts are taken out of the oil and carried to the glazing station where glaze is poured onto the doughnuts.

23 | Spark | lehsspark.org

24 | Spark | December 16, 2010

Hanging

on the

UP OLD

The clicking of a mouse has replaced traditional word-of-mouth communication. Electronics have transformed modern culture and daily interactions, minimizing personal communication and maximizing convenience. photos dan turner

25 | Spark | lehsspark.org

A Little Online Shopping Bag

feels less fake.”

This perceived impersonal touch is due to the lack of face-to-face interaction. Brohan, however, does not believe that it is too detrimental to the industry.

“There was a time when people thought that they would never buy an article of clothing over the web because [they] couldn’t try it on,” says Brohan. “But now the biggest industry in online retail is apparel.”

Lepper says her parents become worried sometimes that she spends too much money and time on the Internet; however, she “assures them that it’s OK.” Through Lepper’s experience with both online shopping and in-store purchases, she ultimately prizes developing personal communication and friendships over the simple in-and-out Internet experience of online shopping.

“If you [shop online] all the time,” says Lepper, “I feel like you are missing out on having relationships like going shopping at the mall with friends.”

—Megan Fogel

She navigates expertly, intent on buying what she is looking for. She finds the best bargains and does not skimp on finding the best quality.

She searches diligently for the perfect item to add to her wardrobe.

East junior Olivia Lepper shops online multiple times a month, buying clothing with the money she saves from babysitting.

“I started shopping online more within the last year because it is less time-consuming,” says Lepper.

Shopping through the Internet saves time, energy and gas. The real issue lies within the cultural effects that this medium has on the young generation and its communication.

“Our generation is more technology-based and dependent as opposed to doing actual physical labor,” says Lepper.

Director of Research at Internet Retailer Magazine Top 500 Mark Brohan agrees that “Generation X growing up with the Internet, cell phones and smart phones has had a profound impact on our culture.”

A study done by the 2010 Pew Internet and Life Project reports found that the percentage of the general population that has bought products such as books, music, toys or clothing online rose from 36 percent in 2000 to 52 percent in 2010.

A young girl with long brown hair sits on the floor of her room Brohan attributes convenience as the top reason for the growth in and, like the little girls in movies, gathers her stuffed animals and dolls “e-commerce.” “[Online shopping] is growing because it is easier to shop online for a meal. Because no tea party would be complete without the proper rather than drive all the way to the mall and spend money on gas,” says attire, she dutifully dresses all of her animals for the meal. Though there are endless possibilities for all the ideas that could be brought to life in Brohan.

He adds that the incorporation of social media could change the her mind, 10-year-old Katie Lakes turns to her computer and begins to interact on the Internet play land—Webkinz. landscape of online retailing as well as retailing in general.

This behavior is a stark contrast to the way “There is a growing intersection between social children played 20 years ago and this newfound media and online retailing,” says Brohan, referring to entertainment has both positive and negative effects. the new horizon of shopping options presented through “I have 12 [Webkinz] in my room, and I even Facebook, which has had a 41 percent user increase since had to get rid of some of them,” says Katie, who 2005. “The two worlds are kind of colliding.” has played with Webkinz for the last five years. “I These new spheres of retailing are great expansions like to pretend to give them food and I like to dress from the terms used to discuss sales of years ago. them up in my doll clothes. [But I play on Webkinz] Associate Professor of Dietetics, Fashion, every day. I like to dress my pet. You can interact Merchandising and Hospitality at Western Illinois with people and invite them to parties [on the site].”

University Mijeong Noh wrote her college dissertation on Though Katie is still playing with the same the psychological aspects of online retailing. She explains animals, the virtual world has allowed her to these topics in terms of what the consumer experiences see and create more than she can sitting on her when shopping online, in store or through a multichannel floor. Webkinz has opened a whole new world of retailer, which is a company that have both physical and possibilities to her like creating, decorating and online stores, or as Noh likes to phrase it, “companies maintaining a room for her animals. that have both clicks and bricks.”

“I think that it has helped her creativity because Noh also acknowledges that many people feel anxious of the role-playing especially,” says Katie’s mother, about the security of online shopping.

Deanna Lakes. “If you play with dolls, you have to “Some customers who avoid purchasing on the move them, whereas with these things you have to Internet due to perceived risk often search for information take care of [the characters] and you have to feed it, through the Internet, but then made purchases at the dress it and give it a house. They get sick if the user brick-and-mortar stores,” says Noh. does not treat them properly.”

Lepper agrees that security is always a concern in Though Katie still spends time playing “makethe back of her mind when she is shopping online, but “If you [shop believe” with her dolls, she is able to see and deal that she trusts popular apparel companies like American with more life-like experiences on the Webkinz site.

Eagle and The Limited to keep her information and her online] all the Like many other children in the nation, her life is product secure. time, I feel like immersed in technology at an earlier age.

“I only buy clothing online,” says Lepper. “I would “You have to give it medicine, and if you do not never buy anything like electronics online because I would you are missing take care of them, they will expire,” says Katie, who be worried the product would get damaged in shipping.” out on having only has a certain amount of time to play per day.

Lepper says that when it comes to important purchases, is my biggest concern—if I do not go on she trusts the service of a physical store more than she relationships like “That [Webkinz] they will turn out to be sick. They get does that of an online retailer. Aside from convenience, sick if they do not sleep, but if I want to let them there are not many reasons that Lepper chooses to shop going shopping sleep I have to have 20 beds. But I like to buy outfits online rather than in-store. at the mall with more than beds.”

“Shopping at a real store is more fun in my opinion,” Though she is only in fourth grade at Woodland says Lepper. “You can physically match something and it friends.”

A Pixelated Playland

26 | Spark | December 16, 2010

y t r ec la ll Sa ass Co .00 u p 00 yo $ 2 as

G

61

O

percent of 500 East student surveyed shop online.

Rank 1

Rank 2

Rank 3

2009: ue for Reven illion b $24.51 : iewers 9 V y l i a D y7 l e t a im approx n io l il m

infographic megan fogel, ameera khalid, christian roehm

Websit e Deed Dell.C om

Reven u $4.53 e for 2009 billion : Daily Viewe rs: appro xi millio mately 9.4 n

d te Dee Websi .Com Apple

009:

r2 ue fo Reven illion b $4.25 iewers: V Daily mately 39 xi o r p ap n o milli

Elementary, Katie is learning how to earn and manage money through the online play land. Though she plays on many different sites, including Webkinz.com, she still has to work to get rewarded. Any object that she wants or needs for her animals must be earned.

“It teaches her that in order to get something, you have to do something,” says Deanna who thinks Webkinz is the best website for kids if they start playing on the Internet at an early age. “On Webkinz you have to play games in order to make Webkinz Cash.”

Katie’s favorite games are the role-playing ones where she is able to create a character and her own imaginary world that she can revisit on the Internet. Katie’s creativity and entertainment are not hinged upon her Webkinz and other accounts—she loves all things creative, particularly drawing. “[The] Disney Channel site is cool too because it has a lot of creativity.

You can draw pictures and look at people who made other pictures. It is pretty cool,” says Katie. Deanna adds that her daughter has always been creative on her own outside of the websites.

Though the sites often offer opportunities for fun and games, many of the sites also have games with an educational mission.

“What is good about [Webkinz] is that the games are often very [academic],” says Deanna. “They teach her math and vocabulary.”

These lessons are usually intentional; however, there are other

Rank 6

Website Dee d Staples.com

e Deed Websit n.com Amazo

These top six websites for online shopping make up 35 percent of all Internet retail sales.

Rank 5

Revenue fo r 2009: $9.8 billion Daily View ers: approximat ely 3.6 million

eed ite D

Website Dee

d

Officedepot.C om

Revenue fo r 2009: $4.1 billion Daily View ers: approximat ely 1.8 million

Webs

t.com

ar Walm

09: r 20 o f e nu Reve illion b : 5 . $3 wers y Vie tely 17 l i a D a oxim appr n o milli

lessons that are taught simply through using the computer on a daily basis. According to Miami University psychology professor Dr. Michelle Abraham, children are learning necessary skills for the rest of their lives and are actually becoming better-rounded because of the additional time they spend on the computer.

“Research tells us that these types of websites are an added cognitive challenge and they actually encourage social interaction in two ways,” says Abraham. “One, children have to ask adults and peers about how to navigate the site and seek help when they have trouble, which increases social interaction and problem-solving skills. Two, the children spend a lot of time talking about the sites and sharing about what they do with their Webkinz or other Internet-based characters.”

Katie does not keep the make-believe world that she creates to herself.

She and her friends talk about their latest adventures when they meet.

“Me and my friends used to laugh so hard when we would get caught next to one of the bees,” she says describing one of her favorite games on the Webkinz site, Hungry Hog. According to Deanna, Katie’s social propensity has not changed at all even though she is on the computer for four or more hours per week.

“Katie is very social; the Internet sites have not affected [her communication negatively]. She has many friends and sleepovers, so it is not her only life, that’s for sure,” says Deanna. “[However], if it was all

27 | Spark | lehsspark.org

information provided by Internet Retailer Top 500 Magazine photos used with paid permission from mctcampus.com

Monopole-commerce

Rank 4

she did, it would affect her communication [negatively].”

According to Abraham, the time that children spend on the computer without direct communication has not shown any negative side effects.

“Recent research is suggesting that technology does not impact our face-to-face communication in a negative way,” says Abraham. “We still need to develop these skills to function socially and there has not been evidence that children have a harder time in face-to-face communication.”

When Katie is online, Deanna says that she does not spend the whole time “hovering over” Katie while her daughter is on the computer.

Katie’s independence while working on the computer has developed from years of dealing with technological problems as they come up.

“I started both of my children early on the computer because I wanted to make sure that they were not intimidated by the computer,” says Deanna. “I was one of those parents who thought it was great to have them on the computer to let them do what they want. And then I taught them that if they did something wrong, that [they] need to slow down, that [they] do not keep clicking the mouse and popping open all of the windows.”

Deanna says that problems with the computer give Katie more patience, that sometimes things do not happen automatically just because she clicks on it.

“The thing for me with the computer for [my children] is that it gave them the ability to figure things out on their own—the problem-solving and also the interaction [with other users],” says Deanna. “On Webkinz, she can design her own room and she adds her own personality to those rooms. I am not in it and it is totally her.”

Along with being an outlet for creativity and a place to be educated, the computer allows children to learn how to use the technology that will be an integral part of their lives as they get older.

“Our society is much more technology-driven [now], so early experience with technology will make children more successful in the future,” says Abraham. “Technology also increases many other types of problem-solving skills and allows for different types of creativity. In many ways, it has a positive effect on imagination and mental development.”

The positive aspects of children’s Internet sites endear them to both parents and children, but many other qualities of the Internet can be considered negative.

“Technology definitely changes our experiences—we are interacting with keyboards and remote controls rather than grass and bugs, so we may see a decline in creativity, which has an impact on other areas of development, such as vocabulary,” says Abraham. “We also know that children who spend more time with technology may develop more aggressive behaviors, because when they get frustrated, they are not getting feedback about their frustration from the computer.”

Deanna is determined not to let the time that Katie spends on the websites be a detriment to her child’s development or the time she spends with family. Therefore, she set limits on how long Katie can spend on the computer.

“We all sit down to eat at the same time,” says Deanna. “She has a schedule of homework and what to do. So as long as she is on schedule and she has free time, it is OK for her to do it.”

Some of the limitations that Katie experiences are not from the time she needs to spend on homework and with family but from her mother’s concern with the chat rooms on the websites.

“She got to the point where she would search on all kinds of sites, not just Webkinz,” says Deanna. “She is so smart that she gets on there, types in my email address and signs herself up to all these games. But the good ones, luckily, will send me messages to ask for my approval.”

Though she is a proponent of children working alone on the computer and learning to deal with problems as they occur, Deanna worries about what other people do on the websites that can endanger her daughter.

“I turned some of the chat off through Norton because my son taught me that there are people out there that can mess with the wordage as to where it bypasses the site’s ability to [censor messages],” says Deanna, who likes Webkinz best because there are only certain words a

28 | Spark | December 16, 2010

person can use in a message. “I try to watch what she is doing and the software helps me monitor if there is anything bad. If I could get rid of chat rooms, I would be a lot happier.”

According to Abraham, the communication on the websites can be a concern for the well-being of the children.

“We hear a lot about cyber-bullying, which is a serious problem,” she says. “We can try to avoid this by monitoring websites and making sure parents have open communication with children about what is going on with their Internet sites.”

Even Katie recognizes the problems with chats rooms, knowing that people can put inappropriate things on the Internet for anyone to see with applications like Facebook.

Despite the potential dangers, Katie gets on her Webkinz account everyday and takes care of her characters, ensuring their health and her own enjoyment, whether it be decorating one of her character’s rooms or creating a movie with 1,000 of her hard-earned coins.

—Alyssa Davis

Deleting Distance Senior Landon Stamper has always had his father and sister to lean on. They have been together through everything, through the divorce, the constant moving and the shifting family dynamic that now includes a new stepmom and her two adopted children.

“Jade and I have always been the best of friends,” says Stamper of his sister, who is now a freshman at East.

He cherishes the little things, be it driving her to United Dairy Farmers to get her a chocolate shake or just listening to her problems with an eager and understanding ear. She is 16 years old now, looking for someone to talk to that is not a parent, someone that will not judge.

“I guess she looks up to me in some ways,” says Stamper, who now does his schooling through Butler Tech but attended the East Main Campus during his sophomore and junior years. “And she knows [that] she can trust me with most things. I think we’ve always had that kind of a relationship.”

Landon’s father received full custody of the children after his divorce.

He worked hard to provide for his kids, but he always made sure he was there for them.

That is what will make his new job so difficult.

Landon will be moving factory parts from companies like Ford and Chrysler and driving them to locations throughout the United States. His pay will be determined by how far he goes and how much material he tows. He will be gone at least two weeks out of the month, every month.

Landon’s father was concerned that he was leaving his kids behind, but that thought never crossed Landon’s mind.

“At first I was opposed to the idea,” says Landon. “I was always more worried about him being on the road alone. I knew Jade and I would be OK.” After some discussion, it was decided that Landon will go with his father on the road. He will do his schoolwork online, while living out of his father’s van, away from home and the sister he has held dear for so long.

“She keeps saying [that] it will be all right, but I know it will be rough,” says Landon. “I know she wants to prove that she’s getting older and she can stand on her own two feet, but I worry. The three of us have always been a team, and half the time, two out of the three will be gone.”

Jade will stay with her new extended family, while her father and brother are away.

Communication, Landon says, is going to be crucial, if only to give Jade some sense of familiarity and some sense of home.

“Things like Skype and FaceTime, those are going to be key,” says Landon. “That face-to-face communication, that just isn’t something you can get with a phone call. I could be 3,000 miles away but still feel like I’m in the same room.”

The Stampers are not alone in their utilization of wireless

bookface

1

Home

Profile

Account

Kiddie-cation Wall

Info Photos Boxes

+

Numerous social networking sites for children incorporate chat functions. How much freedom is allowed in these chat rooms varies from site to site. Parents are growing weary of those that allow total chat autonomy and base their approval on the sites’ individual policies.

View Photos of Me (79) Edit My Profile Poke

Attach: infographic tyler kieslich, logan schneider, sarah wilkinson

Send Message Write something about yourself.

Share Options

Kate Koala What exactly is Webkinzchat?

December 1 at 5:12pm Like Comment See Friendship

Information

Devon Deer There are two kinds of KinzChat. On normal KinzChat,

only pre-typed phrases are allowed. On KinzChat PLUS, users can type their own responses, but they have certain restrictions.

Networks: Riverview ‘15 Relationship Status: Single Siblings: Daniel Deer Debbie Deer Birthday: June 13 Current City: Buffalo, NY

Like

Devon Deer Breaking any of the KinzChat rules can result in a twohour or even permanent ban.

December 1 at 6:47 pm

Like

Kate Koala I think KinzChat PLUS sounds cool.

December 1 at 6:51 pm

Like

Devon Deer Be sure to chat responsibly!

December 1 at 6:53 pm

Like

Write a comment...

Friends 509 friends

December 1 at 6:45 p.m.

See All

Patrick Penguin _ x

Jeff Back

Club Penguin

Woozworld 3 hours ago

3 hours ago

Pages 96 Likes

See All

_x

Clear Chat History

Clear Chat History

Patrick 8:08pm How does Club Penguin chat work?

Jeff 8:08pm What does Woozworld allow me to chat?

8:09pm Devon Woozworld allows users to chat using only pre-approved words that excludes “indecent language.” Content is not otherwise filtered by Woozworld, however, and users are responsible for what they post. The Woozworld rules prohibit users from a variety of offenses, like posting fraudulent or explicit material as well as engaging in raffles or lotteries.

8:09pm Devon There are two different kinds, Standard Safe and Ultimate Safe chat.

Standard Safe allows users to type their own messages. Each message goes through a filter that blocks inappropriate words and phrases.

Ultimate Safe Chat has pre-typed responses that users can choose from. Users can be banned for using inappropriate language.

29 | Spark | lehsspark.org

East sophomore Sophia Li Skypes her older brother, Kevin Li, who is currently a freshman at Yale University.

communication. Skype has been at the forefront of a communication revolution. According to numbers provided by Skype’s technology strategist Jonathan Rosenberg at the 2009 eComm conference, Skype has over 560 million registered users worldwide and adds 300,000 new accounts daily.

The software program allows users to make free voice and video calls to other Skype users over the Internet. Founded in 2003 and based in Luxembourg, the program has grown exponentially since its launch.

Skype’s website claims that it is the “software that enables the world’s conversations.” In fact, 12 percent of the entire world’s international calling minutes are on Skype, according to CEO Josh Silverman.

East senior Greg Reynaert is a part of that percentage, relying on the technology to maintain family communication.

Reynaert grew up in Belgium, living in a tiny, cramped suburban neighborhood on the outskirts of Brussels. His aunt and grandparents lived on the same lot, and they would come over regularly. The family would stay up all night, playing cards and board games, talking and laughing and enjoying each other’s company. Then Reynaert’s father, who works as an engineer for General Electric (GE), was transferred to Ohio when Reynaert was in the second grade. The family is now 4,000 miles apart.

The Reynaerts return to Belgium every summer to live with their family, to relive the laughter and the memories. In the meantime, Skype will have to do.

“We call every weekend,” says Reynaert. “It works out great for my grandparents. They enjoy seeing us. It’s a good way to stay in touch.”

30 | Spark | December 16, 2010

The fact that Reynaert’s grandparents do not have a computer is not too big of an obstacle. Skype has a feature that allows users to call both home and mobile phones for a fee.

According to Silverman, however, Skype is focusing on enhancing its video capabilities. Nearly 40 percent of all Skype calls use video, and the number is growing. Although Silverman was referring to his program’s potential as a business product, senior Alex Hanavan knows Skype can serve a more personal purpose.

First of all, Hanavan met his girlfriend on a Facebook application.

“It sounds kind of weird, I know,” says Hanavan, a trumpet player for the Eastside Jazz Band and the Symphonic Winds concert band. “My parents were unsure about it, too.”

It started out as something to pass the time, something for “kicks and giggles.” Hanavan’s friend showed him the application, called “Are You Interested?” in which users see profiles of others, their pictures, their interests, and decide whether or not they are indeed “interested.”

Hanavan was joking around until he saw a picture of Maitland Dunwoody.

That is when he clicked “yes.”

“What first caught my eye was the shirt she was wearing,” says Hanavan. “It had a periodic table of elements. I thought that was really funny.”

A Facebook friendship followed, and the two started chatting all the time. They soon found out about their similar interests, especially a common appreciation for video games. After some work, Hanavan got her phone number, and the two would spend hours talking about anything and everything. There was only one problem.

Dunwoody lived in Florida.

“The first time we met was over summer break,” says Hanavan.

“It was around the fourth of July. She had family she was seeing in Tennessee and they were coming up to Cincinnati to go to King’s Island.

We decided to meet up there.”

A romance blossomed, and the two started dating. Hanavan saw her when he went to Florida for vacation and during Christmas. Two years later, the two are still together, seeing each other in person every month or so, but the distance is still hard. “[The relationship] has its ups and downs, but it’s worth it,” says Hanavan. “Skype is a big help. Seeing each other face-to-face, I think that’s how we really started liking each other. And it’s what we talk on most now. It makes things a little more manageable.”

There is an end to the distance in sight. Hanavan and Dunwoody are applying to all the same colleges, but even that is not easy.

“It’s hard to find a college that has what both of us wants,” says Hanavan. “She wants to go into graphic design and I want to go into game design. Not too many schools have that. Right now we’re looking at Eastern Kentucky [University].”

In a column he wrote for GIGAOM.com, Silverman says that with video, Skype allows people to “delete distance” and “transcend place and time.” Be it giving a sister a sense of home when those she loves are away, or bringing a family together across vast oceans or keeping a romance alive when circumstance tries to break it apart, Skype can be a tool that brings people to the ones they love, even if they cannot be there physically.

—Tyler Kieslich

Club Chat As an after-school routine, East senior Zak Kloenne throws his backpack on the ground in relief in the comfort of his own home. The first thing on his mind is to head to the computer.

Once he logs on, he pulls up Facebook, but not for social purposes.

Facebook is being used as a tool for education as more and more teachers and high school students learn to network online. Many classes and extracurricular activities have Facebook groups and pages to help tell students about activities and assignments. Of 500 surveyed East

students, 53 percent are in a Facebook group for a school-related activity NHS events like their recent Powder Puff football tournament. or class.

“It made it a lot easier to communicate with the people who were in East Honors and Advanced Placement (AP) Physics teacher the tournament but who weren’t in NHS. Instead of getting everyone’s Sandee Coats-Haan is one of several teachers who uses Facebook to phone numbers, we could just send Facebook messages.” communicate with students outside of the school day. Coats-Haan uses The relationship, however, between high school and Facebook is Facebook to contact her AP Physics students about assignments and something that is slightly concerning to some people, especially parents help sessions because of the added convenience it offers. and administrators.

“It’s the easiest way to get a hold of my students quickly,” says CoatsIn the teacher copy rooms at east, the administration posted flyers Haan. “For example, I wanted to send all of [my AP Physics students] for the teachers about the Ohio Educators Association guidelines for an e-mail before the beginning of the school year reminding them of my teachers using social networking sites. The flyers do not establish clear help session. I could have looked up their emails, but I would have had rules regarding how teachers can use Facebook, but they do caution to [find them] one-by-one and then send them an email. Chances are teachers to beware that social networking can have “unintended they never would have looked at it because what teenager looks at [his/ consequences, which could impact jobs and careers.” her] email?”

Students, however, have few complaints about contacting teachers Her students seem to prefer this form of communication as well. via Facebook. A recent survey of 500 East students showed that fiftyKloenne would much rather get a Facebook message than an email four percent think that it is acceptable for teachers and students to be simply because he checks Facebook much more frequently.

Facebook friends.

“It’s obviously a convenient and nice way to get updates about the These added benefits of Facebook are starting to make parents class,” says Kloenne. “The relationship between education and Facebook realize that it can be used for more than just teenage social networking. is only going to advance. So many kids have Facebook [accounts] it East parent Kathy Szczur initially did not want her daughter Katie to makes it a lot easier for teachers to communicate with students.” have a Facebook for safety reasons until she brought up its potential Each day, Coats-Haan’s students must post a detailed blog about what educational benefits. happened in class and the recent assignments. This year, Coats-Haan “Katie is still in high school and sees her core group of friends has changed the AP Physics assignment to a Facebook every day,” says Szczur. “I didn’t see the need for group. Coats-Haan uses Blogger.com for her Honors Katie to have a Facebook page. I also didn’t think the Physics blogs, but feels more comfortable letting her risk of the privacy concerns was worth her having a AP students complete their blogs on the AP Physics Facebook page, just because ‘everyone else had one.’

Facebook page. She feels that it is easier for both I have also read about college students and graduates herself and for the students. trying to find jobs, but [because] social indiscretions “It’s really a lot easier for people. They know how to were posted to their Facebook page, and their chances use Facebook. Most people don’t know how to use the at jobs or graduate school admissions were denied Blogger website,” says Coats-Haan. “Plus, if it’s around because of what [someone] saw and read. In the end, ten o’clock and I happen to notice that they haven’t is it really worth it?” done it, I can send them a friendly little message, even But her views changed when she saw that though we’re not friends on Facebook.”

Facebook offered an easy way for her daughter to The general feelings toward the blog assignments connect with classmates and peers at other schools are more positive in AP Physics, who use Facebook, who were involved in Katie’s extracurricular activities. than in Honors Physics, who still use Blogger.com.

Still, Kathy still remains skeptical of some aspects Students are using Facebook not only to of Facebook. She thinks teachers like Coats-Haan communicate with friends and classmates, but also to should be more open with parents about the use of spread news about school activities and athletics. East Facebook. senior Nate Lasley, music director of East’s student-run “I think that the teachers should ask the parents radio station WLHS 89.9FM, says that their Facebook at the beginning of the school year to gauge the page is one of the main ways that the station reaches parents’ opinions and reactions to their children using out to the school to spread the word about itself.

Facebook.”

“We mainly use it for promotion of the station so Apart from parental concerns, the issue of cheating people who aren’t in it hear about the station and hear becomes a conflict of interest for teachers. With many what’s going on,” he says. students sharing information about schoolwork on “I have read In addition to their website and the radio station Facebook, the site has the potential to make it easy about college itself, Facebook is the main way that WLHS can easily for students to cheat by sharing large amounts of communicate with their listeners. information about quizzes and tests. Coats-Haan has students and East senior and WLHS DJ Cameron Lee believes had to deal with issues of Facebook cheating in the graduates that every person can spread the word about WLHS by past, but she still feels that the site does not increase informing his/her Facebook friends. the chances of kids cheating. trying to find “A bunch of people are on Facebook. I have 1290 “The only thing about Facebook is that it makes jobs... and their friends on Facebook. And if I can communicate to all it easier to get caught,” she says. “Students are going of those people about WLHS, we can go big one day.” chances... were to cheat if they want to cheat. Facebook doesn’t do In addition to spreading the word to others, anything to accelerate it.” denied because school groups like National Honor Society (NHS) Kloenne shares these feelings on the motivations use Facebook to communicate with each other. NHS of students willing to cheat on assignments, agreeing of [social President and East senior Stephanie Gregory says NHS with Coats-Haan in that technology provides multiple indiscretions]. uses Facebook, email and school announcements to avenues to do so. communicate, but Facebook is very effective because “I don’t think it’s any easier one way or another.

In the end, is it of its popularity.

If you want to cheat you can cheat. There’s so many Facebook presents easy ways to organize different different ways it doesn’t have to be Facebook. It could really worth it?”

31 | Spark | lehsspark.org

East senior Rebecka Sepela, whose family was drawn to the expediency of the company.

“My family uses Netflix because it is extremely convenient,” says Sepela. “About every two months, we set up a queue with twenty or thirty of our favorite films, and after that we don’t have to worry about anything except the surprise of which movie we will find in the mailbox next.”

Netflix’s elimination of late fees is also a bonus for families who lead hectic and schedule-oriented lives.

“My family is extremely busy, and we never could find the time to return our movies by their due date,” she says. “With Netflix, due dates have become the least of our worries.”

Netflix has also introduced a new feature called “Watch Now,” which —Jeff Cargill allows its subscribers to watch streaming videos online every month for free.

“The coolest thing about Netflix is the addition of the Watch Now feature,” says Sepela. “Not only can we watch TV shows and movies A spray-tanned cast member from the Jersey Shore in sequins and silk right on our computer, but we can also use the Wii disc or Xbox Live to pants or a sarcastic surgeon tackling medical ailments—the question is connect to the Internet and watch movies on the TV almost instantly.” which to watch. Every Monday during fall 2010 at 8:00 p.m., viewers Lewandowicz also sees Netflix as the best option because he can faced the dilemma of whether they should watch Mike “The Situation” watch movies and shows on different forms of technology other than Sorrentino on Dancing with the Stars or Hugh Laurie humorously healing the TV. his patients on House. “[One of the main reasons my family chose] Netflix is because I Those days are over now. After launching its service in 1997, Netflix can watch movies on my Xbox,” says Lewandowicz, who uses Netflix has emerged in the growing world of technology as a popular option for multiple times a day. “And you can watch movies and TV shows on TV and movie viewers across America. iPods, so I’ve started doing that as well.”

With Netflix, users can go to Netflix.com, choose the movies that When announcing the Watch Now feature, Netflix CEO Reed they want to watch and receive anywhere from one to Hastings made the company’s intentions clear. eight discs at a time. The number of movies chosen “We named our company Netflix because we depends on the pricing plan that the family decides to use. believed Internet-based movie rental represented The price plans range from $9.99 for one movie out at a the future,” he said. “First as a means of improving time to $47.99 for eight movies out at a time. Customers service and selection, and then as a means of movie can then return the movies through the mail in a prepaid delivery.” envelope provided by Netflix.

In response to this service, Sepela and her family Families are drawn to Netflix rather than stores such are particularly interested in Netflix’s new feature as Blockbuster because they can rent films quickly and for the appeal and benefits the come with instant efficiently and also connect Wii game systems to the gratification.

Internet and Netflix accounts. Of the 500 East students “[Watch Now] makes creating a last-minute surveyed, 19 percent rent movies on demand. family movie night really quick and easy,” Sepela East junior Adam Lewandowicz, a frequent user of says. “If we ever want to get a movie, we just get on the system, is one of the many viewers that is attracted the Internet at home, instead of driving 20 minutes to Netflix’s deals. both ways to a Blockbuster, that may or may not, “[Netflix] is so much cheaper than cable. And it’s have the movie we want to see.” like magic; you can do everything through the Internet,” Assistant Professor of Psychology at The Ohio says Lewandowicz, whose family began using Netflix in State University (OSU) Kentaro Fujita recognizes summer 2010. “The selection is wider and there are so the negative effects of Netflix customers expecting many [shows and movies] that you can watch right away.” instant gratification with their movies and TV One of the more popular competitors of Netflix is shows. “[Netflix is] like Blockbuster Video, which competes with it in terms of “If [the customers] get used to instant magic; you can prices, plans and variety. gratification, any service that does not provide it Blockbuster, founded in 1985, has a selection of will be viewed negatively,” he says. “Some services do everything about 70,000 director cuts, special versions of movies inherently involve waiting. Take, for example, a through the and alternative releases from studios while Netflix offers custom-tailored suit that requires a great deal of around 80,000 movies, documentaries and TV shows. skill. [This is something] that cannot be completed Internet. The Blockbuster has a “Total Access” plan that allows users to instantly.” return a number of DVDs directly to a local Blockbuster selection is wider According to Fujita, the anticipation of a location for free, but Netflix has plans that allow users to positive reward, such as a dessert, provides a great and there are so deal of pleasure for customers once they actually rent up to eight DVDs at one time, while Blockbuster’s highest plan allows for three DVDs. receive the product. many [shows In Aug. 2004, Blockbuster chose to restructure its “As the old saying goes, ‘Good things come to and movies] that those services to match those of Netflix, offering a very who wait,’” says Fujita, who teaches at OSU’s similar online rental service: Blockbuster On Demand.

College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. you can watch Blockbuster representatives could not be contacted for On the other hand, Fujita also sees the positive right away. It’s comments. side of instant gratification, especially in the case One customer who relies on the services of Netflix is of online movie services and their accessibility for instant.”

be email, text message or anything.”

Social and academic purposes have combined in the digital Facebook community. On the ethics of teacher and student communication, CoatsHaan feels that contacting her AP Physics students through Facebook is not violating any rules. She stresses, however, the importance of using common sense as a teacher when contacting students online. She does not add or accept students as friends until after they graduate and she makes sure that her Facebook page is set to private.

“It’s not a district policy in writing, but you’d have to be pretty dumb to add your students on Facebook,” says Coats-Haan. “I don’t want to know what they do and they probably don’t want to know what I do either.”

A Theatre in a Click

32 | Spark | December 16, 2010

The Perfect Film FAMILIES

“Netflix is cheaper than cable, and you can do everything through the Internet. The selection is wider; there are many movies and shows you can watch right away. It is very instant.”

A trip to the video store is no longer a tradition for most families. The convenience of instant films influence the opinions of the Lewandowicz and Sepela families and university psychologists comment on the benefits and downfalls of online movie companies.

PSYCHOLOGISTS

The consequences of instant gratification resulting from online movie orders include an inability for consumers to focus on quality conversations or tasks at hand.

infographic katie szczur, christina wilkerson

The attractive ease of ordering movies through electronic companies such as Netflix provides families with the initiative to decide how to best manage their time.

The recent “Watch Now” feature allows families to use the Wii disc or Xbox Live to connect to the Internet and watch movies on the TV almost instantly, which is efficient for families.

After being accustomed to ordering movies online, consumers have a tendency to be impatient with or unwilling to pay for products that cannot be delivered instantly like online movie orders.

With hectic schedules, finding the time to return movies by their due date creates an issue for families. With Netflix, due dates have become the least of worries. information from the Lewandowicz and Sepela families, Kentaro Fujita and David Pfeiffer

families.

“There is a lot of research suggesting that when people have some control over their decisions and outcomes, they are better able to make choices that are in accord with their actual wants and desires, thus making them happier,” he says.

Post Doctoral Fellow with the University of Cincinnati (UC) David Pfeiffer sees similar disadvantages and advantages of the instant gratification of companies like Netflix.

“In general, consumers are much less forgiving about expectations that have not been met than [they are] about service that is far less than ideal,” he says. “Competition will sort out those companies that deliver superior and reliable services from ones that do not.”

Pfeiffer shares Fujita’s opinion that products will be viewed negatively if they are not provided instantly.

“If rigid expectations based on experience are formed and then not met, [there will be] angry and fickle consumers,” says Pfeiffer, a UC McMicken College of Arts and Sciences faculty member.

In agreement with Fujita, Pfeiffer considers the idea of giving consumers plenty of options and choices beneficial.

“Paying a bill online, answering two emails and ordering a movie, all in the span of five minutes, surely gives consumers a feeling of empowerment and control in their lives,” says Pfeiffer.

Although Netflix may instill a sense of control in its customers, the company does not necessarily help person-to-person interactions. “[The absence of personal discussion may result in] bad interactions between the company and the consumer,” says Fujita. “The lack of personal interaction may ‘de-humanize’ the company.”

Pfeiffer adds that companies like Netflix are revolutionizing the way in which people communicate with each other.

“The consumer-driven technologies of today are teaching us how to communicate differently,” he says. “Some [people] say more efficiently. I hold firm with ‘differently,’ with deep concerns [regarding] technology’s impact on people’s ability to maintain concentration on one issue, as well as their ability to hold authentic, intimate, in-depth conversations with loved ones.”

As society is becoming more reliant on technology, the typical American’s life will revolve less around the Monday night fall TV lineup and it will be more about what works best for the avid TV show and movie viewer.

“With regular cable, your schedule has to revolve around the show,” says Lewandowicz. “With Netflix, you can watch your favorite show whenever you have the time.”

—Christina Wilkerson

Playing for Life The psychologist Sigmund Freud invented the concept of the id, the unrestrained dimension of the human mind, a senseless animal of base, amoral desire. A person’s id would not think twice about killing someone over a delicious sandwich.

Most human beings have their id under control, because most people are aware that it is wrong to hurt others, if only because they will face repercussions.

But repercussions do not carry over to electronic communication, and

33 | Spark | lehsspark.org

The Facts on Gaming

infographic devon lakes

The online gaming market is worth more than $15 Billion

Age Distribution

Demographics by Gender Age 25-44

18-49

Income $35,000 $75,000

Over 50 Under 18

Gender 58 percent are male 42 percent are female 20 million players have spent 17 billion hours on Xbox Live. That is more than two hours played for every person on the planet.

65 percent of U.S. households play video games.

without those repercussions, people let their id loose. Being anonymous online does something to people. At least that was the reasoning Blizzard Software, makers of the popular online game World of Warcraft (WoW), had for forcing users on the company’s public forum to identify themselves with their real first and last names.

By removing “the veil of anonymity,” as Blizzard called it in their July 2010 press release on the decision, the company hoped that it would be able to regulate the sort of uninhibited screaming matches that occur regularly on the Internet.

There was massive public backlash against Blizzard’s decision, with individuals claiming that making their identities known in public would make them targets for identity thieves and stalkers. Blizzard quickly rescinded the decision because of all of its angry paying customers, but the point stands that a company with a lot of influence and stake in online business found the issue of anonymity problematic enough to address it in an extremely aggressive way.

Yet according to Loyola University of Chicago Sociology Professor Dr. J. Talmadge Wright, people’s interactions with others remain similar to how they would in real life when they are online, and more specifically, playing online in games like Call of Duty: Black Ops and World of Warcraft .

“My experience with that is that people are pretty consistent in how they act across venues,” says Wright. “If they’re rude and impolite in real life, they tend to be rude and impolite in virtual life, and vice versa.”

Anonymity online does not cause radical shifts in someone’s personality. A person’s personality is a core part of his or her identity, and rather than modifying it, an online game reflects it.

“Video games don’t do a thing to a person,” says East senior and gamer Kevin Kozan. “If you’re weird, you’re going to be weird no matter

34 | Spark | December 16, 2010

what. Video games just allow people more leeway.”

Kozan has been playing video games since he received his Super Nintendo when he was five years old. He is a dedicated WoW player and has had a lot of personal experience with the game’s community, which currently has over 1 million subscribers. With such an enormous segment of human beings playing, Kozan said that the game’s social interactions were like those in real life, that the array of people he met were oddly not all pasty middle-aged men, but children, teenagers and even women.

Gamestop clerk and East student Kristen Baldauf has also encountered a variety of people who come into the store.

“I have [a customer] who always comes in and buys games for his kids and then buys himself a video game,” says Baldauf.

Baldauf and Kozan agree that simply playing a large quantity of video games does not make a person any less able to interact in a social setting and that gamers do not always fit their stereotype, people who find themselves timid and unable to communicate their ideas face-toface.

“There are a lot of people with no social skills who play WoW,” says Kozan. “But, that’s a generalization to make. I mean, if you spend a decent amount of time with me, [you see that] I have social skills. Yes, there are people who take it too seriously, but there are people who take building model planes too seriously, or people who take sports too seriously. It’s a hobby.”

—Zach Armstrong

Spark

For information regarding communication and technology, go to the package section of lehsspark.org.

information from huffingtonpost.com, grabstats.com

By 2012, 190 million households will use a next generation console

holiday classes

lifestyle | detox diet

Spilling the Details of Detox story rachel podnar | photo dan turner

The cranberry detox takes the health benefits of this berry to the extreme, requiring a one to three day purge by means of drinking only cranberry juice.

East junior Rachel Podnar put this diet to the test and relays her experiences.

L

et’s get something straight: I like my food.

Three square meals a day usually just aren’t good enough for me. I frequently enjoy a before-fourth-period meal and an afterschool meal. In my opinion, any time of the day equals grazing time.

But on Nov. 22, things changed. I decided to follow in the first steps of Regina George from Mean Girls and try out the cranberry juice detox diet­: a cleansing method involving consuming nothing but cranberry juice for one to three days. A week prior to the cleanse day, it seemed like it would be all fun and games. I could handle one day without food—or so I thought.

Cranberries may seem like an odd choice for a diet staple, but according to CranberryInstitute. org, cranberries are a powerhouse for the immune system. It explained that cranberries have proanthocanidins that fight free radicals, which are destructive cells. In addition, cranberries lower the risk of urinary tract infections, stomach ulcer and cardiovascular disease. They stop the growth of breast, colon, prostate, lung and esophageal tumor cells.

Cranberries may be small, but they pack a lot of punch.

To learn more, I called Jere D. Downing, executive director of The Cranberry Institute, an organization whose goal is to represent the cranberry industry by supporting cranberry

36 | Spark | December 16, 2010

growers, encouraging sustainability and prevention properties. educating the public on the health benefits of As I researched the diet, I realized that it can cranberries. My hope was that Downing could assume two forms. A three-week-long strict clarify whether or not legitimate organizations diet involves drinking a glass of cranberry juice devoted to cranberries would endorse the before each meal and omitting the finer things cranberry detox. Surprisingly, Downing had in life like meat, sugar, fats, dairy and wheat. never heard of it. He did mention, however, that Alternatively, a one to three day period requires cranberries can be enjoyed in a variety of ways that only cranberry juice is consumed in place other than the purging method—cranberry of all food items. juice, dried and sweetened cranberries and I couldn’t decide which method would be cranberry sauce are some of the favorites.

I am proud of myself for adhering Next, I contacted the Cranberry Marketing Committee and to strict rules and exercising spoke to Domestic Promotions Manager Ashley Chard. Her job self-control, but it did nothing in is to promote cranberries by regards to trimming my figure. showcasing the culinary versatility of the fruit in addition to its health benefits. Fortunately, Chard had heard of the worse. Three weeks on a meager sustenance cranberry detox diet on which I was about to did not sound attractive, but neither did a day embark. She said that the Cranberry Marketing of starvation. The decision came down to the Committee cannot endorse a diet that is not fact that I did not have three weeks to devote approved by United States Department of to eating like an herbivore, so I chose the oneAgriculture because the committee is a quasi- day fast. I also decided to take the advice of government agency. Chard, however, offered Livestrong.com and restricted my eating habits that the detox is probably a very healthy thing for roughly a week before the fast. to do because cranberries possess great health Before undergoing the one-day cranberry benefits like antioxidants and photochemicals. detox, I tried to refrain from eating meat, Antioxidants are cells that fight damaging free sugar, excessive fat, dairy and wheat. It was a radicals, and photochemicals have disease- wonderful time, because those foods are the

main staples of my diet. Fully committing myself, I eliminated milk, almost cut meat out entirely and drastically limited my fats and sweets. During this time period, I learned that oatmeal with water, instead of milk, is detestable. These dietary reductions led to intense headaches as my body reacted to the decline in food consumption, but after a few days my hunger levels decreased and I grew accustomed to less food.

Before the big day rolled around, my mother often complained that I would be hungry. She insisted that I forget about the whole thing and stop being ridiculous, because “It’s not like you’re preparing for a colonoscopy.”

By Sunday, I had a fully stocked refrigerator with two bottles of Kroger Brand Natural Cranberry 100 percent Juice with no sugar added for my daily nutrition.

Well, I wasn’t completely stocked. All the recipes I encountered for the mixture called for water, pure cranberry juice, psyllium fiber and apple pectin. I did not have the slightest idea what psyllium fiber or apple pectin were, so I chose to omit them from my detox concoction.

Since then, I have learned that psyllium fiber is fiber of a plant found in the dietary supplement Metamucil, and apple pectin is an indigestible fiber used as an anti-diarrhea agent.

And so it began.

The arrival of Sunday morning brought sunshine and only a small amount of hunger.

I slept until 11 a.m. and took advantage of my mid-morning energy by working on homework.

As the day dragged on, I felt fine. Occasionally I experienced dull hunger pains, but I just drank my cranberry juice mixed with water to

The hunger settled to a dull ache in my belly. I almost felt like apologizing to my stomach for my neglect. restore my resolve and tried my best to forget about food.

Later on, while watching my best friend enjoy a delicious-looking Wendy’s chocolate Frosty, I slipped.

“Give me a bite of that,” I hissed.

But she supported me, as best friends do, and yanked away her frozen treat to keep me on the path to a lighter existence.

At about 5 p.m., serious hunger pangs began to set in. I worked on homework with intense jealousy as my family enjoyed a delicious pasta and chicken dinner. I tried harder than ever to forget the substance and heartiness of good, solid food. A few minutes later, a tiny Boy Scout rang the door bell.

“Hi, I’m Jason from Troop 182,” he squeaked out from my doorstep, “And I’m here to deliver the popcorn you ordered.”

Game Over for Free Radicals Cell Membrane

1) Free radicals are groups of atoms with an odd number of electrons.

2) When free radicals react with DNA or the cell membrane, they cause damage to the cell.

3) Antioxidants found in cranberries react with free radicals berfore they can damage parts of the cell.

Nucleus infographic rachel podnar, devon lakes

Popcorn? Not just popcorn—caramel corn. Normally a delivery like this would be annihilated by my brother and I in an hour, but today I had to retreat as my family opened the bag of Scout-supporting, caramel-dipped, fluffy goodness.

Surprisingly enough, my head did not hurt as it did during my preparation for the day, but my energy levels were slumping fast. At this point, I gave up all hope for completing my homework and sunk onto the couch. As I watched 60 Minutes, the hunger settled to a dull ache in my belly. I almost felt like apologizing to my stomach for my neglect.

At 8 p.m., I tapped out of the day and retreated to my bed where I hoped that sleep would come fast, swiftly delivering me to a bountiful breakfast table the next morning.

Mercifully, sleep arrived soon, but it did not last long. The hole in my stomach awoke me around 11:30 p.m.

During the next hour, I was tempted to dash downstairs and devour a bowl of cereal, but I stuck to my guns. I was determined to make it through the entire two nights and one day. I was roughly six hours from deliverance and I would not sway from my path. Thankfully, my resolve was strong enough. My 5:45 a.m. alarm signaled a new personal record—32 hours without food.

I was not insanely hungry, however; I was able to get ready first instead of racing to the pantry. It was almost as if my body forgot about food. Nevertheless, I was still excited to sit down to a bowl of oatmeal, a scrambled egg, a cookie and some caramel corn.

My stomach felt better, and I was off to school.

From my research, I discovered that there may be some negative side effects to the juice fast. Among these included headaches, nausea, acne and stomach pain. After escaping

headaches the day before, I thought I was in the clear. I was wrong.

A look in the mirror before first period revealed a massive pimple forming above my lip. At first I was worried, and then I remembered that it just signified toxins leaving the body. First period passed uneventfully, but as I arrived to second period, the weight of the food that I had consumed about two hours earlier hit my stomach like a pound of bricks.

I’ll assume my body was not ready to handle such a large quantity of food after fasting for a day. I felt terrible; thankfully the nurse was sympathetic and let me go home. In the end, it was the breakfast of champions that took me out of the game. I would advise eating a small meal after a detox in order to not overwhelm the stomach.

After my detoxification, I spoke to Beth Dennis, a woman highly experienced in detoxes. She has completed several fasts, like fresh vegetable juice fasts, and kept to them for up to a week. Dennis says that detoxes are effective if done properly, and one cannot binge right after one. Also, she says that every ingredient is important and everything in the recipe must be followed.

Her comments make sense. I failed to follow the detox recipe exactly and I ended the experience with a massive binge. Looking back, I should have hunted down some psyllium fiber and apple pectin and eaten a light breakfast on Monday morning.

Personally, I don’t have fond memories of my day spent detoxifying. I am proud of myself for adhering to strict rules and exercising self-control, but it did nothing in regards to trimming my figure. It may have even caused slight weight gain because of my overcompensation the next day. My time would have been better spent eating wholesome, nutritious food instead of starving myself. n

37 | Spark | lehsspark.org

lifestyle | 8 Things

Each issue, a member of the Spark discusses his or her current favorite eight items.

Xbox Kinect:

Pretzel M&Ms:

A major improvement on the motion-based gaming revolutionized by Nintendo Wii, this new Xbox 360 accessory, with a hefty price of $150, allows for controllerfree gaming. The Kinect also listens to spoken commands and can be used as a webcam.

A combination of one of my favorite after-school snacks and my usual candy of choice makes for a delicious treat. The crunch of a salty pretzel combined with the sweetness of savory chocolate is delectable. These are even better than regular M&Ms.

“The Middle”: A hilarious show on ABC that the whole family can watch and laugh at together. The family in the show is crazy, though often relatable, adding to the appeal.

08

North Face Fleece: My North Face fleece is one of my favorite things to wear during the fall and winter months. It is soft, comfortable and not too bulky.

Cargo Bridge: Although considered a “math game” by the website, this is an addicting architectural game found at hoodamath.com. The objective is to build various types of bridges on a strict budget so tiny characters can cross and retrieve items.

things of the moment

Sierra Mist Natural:

As a “health freak,” I try to avoid synthetic food whenever possible. Sierra Mist Natural has the same great taste as the original, but it is made with real sugar and 100 percent natural ingredients.

Pumpkin Pie Pop Tarts:

Samsung Fascinate:

Pumpkin is my favorite type of pie, so I enjoyed the treat in breakfast form. After it is toasted, the filling tastes just like a warm pie, tucked into the traditional Pop Tart that I have grown to love.

A great alternative to the iPhone for Verizon customers. The Android software runs smoothly and is equipped with a stunning 4.0 inch Super AMOLED display screen.

38 | Spark | December 16, 2010

CHRISTIAN ROEHM ROEHM CHRISTIAN

lifestyle l fashionable student

Our Last Days as Children East senior Jake Hess is the epitome of personality with his urban attire, rugged beard and artsy attitude. story megan fogel | photo dan turner

S

ome day he wants to be a bipolar, shellshocked schizophrenic with amnesia. Or maybe a poetry-writing, 10-instrumentplaying, tea-drinking, dog-whispering Eskimo.

Or maybe an assassin. Or maybe a sorcerer. Or maybe a romantic transcendentalist professor who moonlights as a janitor.

East senior Jake Hess interprets his daydreams during moments of self-reflection.

He jots them down to remember, then returns to reality.

In reality, he is a high school student living in West Chester, OH. “West Chester is nice and all,” says Hess, “but it’s not really my style.”

According to Hess, his style is more urban and less suburban. He likes to wear scarves, button-down shirts, corduroys and peacoats. His short boxed beard resembling a lion’s mane also attracts a lot of attention.

His mother, Theresa Tritlett, says that the beard was actually something that did not initially grab her attention.

“I really didn’t pay mind to [his beard] at first,” says Tritlett. “It wasn’t until he came to visit me at the hospital when I had a heart attack that I started to realize that it really represents his style and personality.”

“My beard is really what people recognize me for,” says Hess of the scruffy facial hair he has been growing for a year. “It really marked a turning point in my style and also in my social life.”

Before that style conversion Hess listened to only classic hard rock music, like AC/DC and Led Zeppelin. He wore band tees and jeans every day, styling his hair in a “Beiber-esque” swoop.

Today, Hess listens to the indie genre which gives more precedence to quality instrumentals, something that attracted Hess’s musical side.

“One of my biggest hobbies is listening to music and playing guitar,” says Hess of the aspect of culture he claims to be the largest influence on his life and style.

Another major influence on Hess’s fashion has been his affinity for art, which started when he was a child. Hess is currently taking Advanced Placement Art, a class which

prepares him for the pursuit of an art career in his future.

Hess desires to attend Cleveland Institute of Art or Columbus College of Art and Design, and is expanding his portfolio to enhance his college applications.

“The major that I would want to focus on is Illustration,” says Hess. “It’s a mix of fine art and graphic design.”

This major would incorporate Hess’ drawing and painting skills, as well as his ability to computerize those images. While Hess is unsure of a future art career, his former English teacher Lisa Schmaltz is sure that any future job he may obtain “won’t be a job wearing a suit and tie.”

This ambiguity doesn’t seem to bother

West Chester is nice and all, but it’s not really my style.

Hess; in fact, he says he would rather live his life as unplanned as possible.

“If someone gave me a million dollars, I wouldn’t spend it on material things,” says Hess. “Sure, I would have some material things, but the majority of the money I would spend on just gaining life experiences.”

These experiences might include things that would seem bizarre to the average person, like ghost hunting, traveling to obscure villages or even living in isolation.

“Whenever Jake raised his hand in class with a new thing he would love to do, I would add it to a list,” says Schmaltz.

Schmaltz says that Jake would spend the majority of her English 111 class daydreaming about his future. These thoughtful periods have allowed Jake to expand his portfolio, music taste, and aspirations.

“Jake has been through a lot in his life, he is capable of comprehending music and art through his own pain and experiences,” says Tritlett. “He is very observant and is able to learn from these things.” n

39 | Spark | lehsspark.org

lifestyle | perfume

Message in a Bottle Perfumist Fabienne Christenson explains what it takes to concoct the perfect scent. story rashma faroqui

T

he perfume Bandit by Robert Pigue is colored, in a dark chypre and comes in a fabulous bottle: crystal with a cut crystal column-like stopper. The bottom of the stopper is of ground glass, and it is attached to the bottle with a wrap of dried membrane of perfume and golden thread, which has to be cut to release the stopper and open the bottle.

After it matures, the perfume transforms into a dark, thick, strong, passionate potion.

This fragrance was worn by the mother of Fabienne Chrisenson, creator of Possets Perfumes. Bandit was the first scent she experienced, as her mother put it on before going into the delivery room. Ever since her exposure to the “very French and 1950s sophisticated” fragrance, Christenson’s passion for perfumes has blossomed.

When Christenson expressed her aspirations to be a perfumer to her mother, she was told that it was a nice goal, but an impossible feat.

Rather than discouraging her, however, her mother’s limited faith propelled Christenson to pursue her dream career.

“In order to be a perfumer, you had to be from a perfuming family, be able to speak impeccable French, be able to grasp chemistry and mathematics, go to the best schools in France, be taken under the wing of a master French perfumer and then, only then could you ever hope to become a true perfumer after years of patient apprenticeship,” said Christenson.

Christenson exceeded her mother’s

expectations and has become an international perfumer for more than 20 countries, including Australia and New Zealand. Christenson creates over 100 scents each year, and her ultimate goal for Possets is to branch out and begin offering complimentary products along with perfume.

Although a resident of Cincinnati, she has yet to open up a store in the U.S. Christenson communicates with many of her consumers through the Internet and creates her products in her office, which she calls “The Possetorium.” Christenson finds that the “word of mouth” approach to advertising works best for her company. Her campaign formula involves creating a first-class product, selling at the lowest possible price and giving impeccable customer service.

“You can buy any amount of advertising you like, but one good word from a satisfied customer is ten thousand times more effective,” said Christenson.

Another aspect of Christenson’s customer service is which scents appeal to different cultures and countries.

“The French seem to be more partial to red fruit scents,” said Christenson. “I sell a lot of Madeira and Penelope over there. It doesn’t have to be sweet, like raspberries, but the fragrance must come through.”

Dr. Gerald Kasting, University of Cincinnati chemist, identifies Christenson’s perfumes as “fine fragrances,” meaning that the perfume is a mixture of “the essential oils or natural

products that are [included in a perfume].” The materials ethanol and phenoxyethanol are the most common bases used in these fragrances, as opposed to water.

Other natural ingredients in perfumes are chemically synthesized to allow for more of that ingredient to be able to be included in the mixture. In addition, it contains ingredients that evaporate at different rates. Because some fragrances evaporate quicker than others, it is recommended that they be stored in a cold dark closed bottle; otherwise, the perfume oxidizes and loses its fragrance.

“Ingredients with lower molecular weight tend to be more volatile, which means they evaporate quicker off of the skin than higher boiling, higher molecular weight materials,” explains Kasting. “Initially, you have high molecular volatility agents called top notes that come off and give the first impression. Soon, their concentration is depleted because they have evaporated for a while. This is when the middle notes come more into play. Eventually, they evaporate and their concentration is depleted and the base notes come into play.”

The top notes of a fragrance play a crucial role, as they introduce the wearer to the scent.

“If I smell cologne and I really like it, I usually buy it right then,” says East senior Nathan Hankins who was given the cologne Jake by Hollister for a Christmas gift.

Although Hankins enjoys wearing the cologne, he saves it for special occasions and

Fragrance Notes Fragrance ingredients are always kept secret. The best way to describe scents are by the notes, which work together like music notes in the song.

Top Notes These ingredients are immediately noticed with the first whiff of a scent. Top notes are usually crisper and brighter.

Examples: lemon, peppermint, pine, orange and eucalyptus

Base Notes Base notes last the longest, giving the fragrance staying power for up to four hours. They mix with a person’s body oils to create a natural, one-of-a-kind scent.

Examples: sandalwood, jasmine, patchouli, vetiver 40 | Spark | December 16, 2010

Middle Notes These ingredients emerge after top notes, typically after 15 to 20 minutes after the scent is put on. They carry the bulk scent of the fragrance.

Examples: rose, lavender, juniper, rosemary and tea tree infographic rashma faroqui and emily merrick

Scentology International: Christenson sells to more than 20 countries around the world.

69 percent of East students wear perfume or cologne every day

indigestion or sinuses in pressure. These ingredients, like menthol and eucalyptus oils, can carry over into perfumes, but not at high levels. Otherwise they would smell more like drug products instead of perfumes.

“Perfumery is an art and a science. The science part of it includes risk assessment and chemical stability—how you formulate the ingredients into a product and make it shelf stable. Even the best chemists in the laboratory, and most people, do not have sensitive enough noses to distinguish the fragrances,” explains Kasting. “Most companies hire people simply for their noses. They often don’t have a science.

It’s a job that not many people can do even if they wanted to do it because they don’t have the right kind of nose for it.”

Although, Christenson considers her nose universal, she acquires the advice and criticism of her personal acquaintances, the five “Beta Testers,” whose identities remain confidential.

These fragrance testers are also residents of Cincinnati and they know Christenson personally. Each of the testers are handed a small vial with a sample of the perfume and asked to offer their thoughts. “[The fragrance testers] generally come up with what is going to be a ‘hit’ and [which perfume] is going to be ‘just okay’,” says Christenson. “They’ve been pretty right so far.

I don’t know how they do it, but they do it.”

Christenson’s testing comes after sessions of trial and error when combining notes. Basic chemistry principles such as thermodynamics, the transfer of energy through heat, allow for thousands of perfume possibilities.

“What makes a good perfume has everything to do with the ability to handle harmony among the perfuming elements and come up with a scent which is greater than the sum of the parts,” says Christenson. “If you are good at perfuming, you can come up with something where the individual ingredients combine in three phases to make a seamless whole and beautiful perfume.” n

infographic michael tedesco

Eau de What?

Perfume: The most expensive and longest lasting form of fragrance. It contains the highest concentration of perfume oil (20 to 25 percent). Perfume is meant to be lightly dabbed on the skin.

Eau de Parfum: The most popular

and least expensive form with 15 to 20 percent perfume oil. This is meant to be sprayed onto the skin.

Eau de Toilette: A lighter dose of

scent, originally made as a refresher is less concentrated with only 5 to 10 percent perfume oil. Eau de toilette meant to be sprayed on.

Eau de Cologne: A form of

fragrance used by men and women. This is the most diluted form of fragrance containing only three to eight percent essential oils. This is meant to be sprayed on.

infographic rashma faroqui

prefers to wear Old Spice deodorant daily instead due to its lighter fragrance.

Christenson does not have trouble obtaining her perfume ingredients, as she is not concerned with purchasing the rarest ingredients because they do not always smell good.

“The natural extract of butter sounds like it would be divine, but it is closer to rancid, and that is from a great house of essential oils such as rosewood,” said Christenson.

Although Christenson knows where to obtain extracts such as civet, castoreum, musk rat and other natural fragrances made with musk sacs of living animals, the thought of using animal by-products makes her shudder.

The fragrance ingredients Christenson favors the most are rose and patchouli. The choice of ingredients in Christenson’s fragrances depends, however, on her suppliers, as well as the concentration of the ingredient in the fragrance.

“Sometimes I rely on top notes, like citrus notes,” explains Christenson. “They smell great, but they fly away really quickly from your skin. A fragrance that contains heavy citrus ingredients is generally short lived, but then I add some base notes that will keep lasting. Base notes stay on for hours, sometimes days.”

Some of the ingredients used in perfumes may cause allergies. According to Kasting, a big part of making fragrances is eliminating or minimizing exposure to the allergens and risky ingredients, so the risk of sensitizing an individual from the product is very low.

An example of an ingredient with lowered exposure is cinnamaldehyde. Aldehydes are reactive chemicals that are easily oxidized to carboxylic acids. According to Kasting, aldehydes have been suspected of causing skin sensitization. Synaptic aldehydes are considered moderate sensitizers at a high level, yet they can be put into products at a low level so long as they are not absorbed into the skin.

Some specific scents in products like Vick’s Vapor Rub create an illusion of clearing

41 | Spark | lehsspark.org

lifestyle | how to

How To: Deck the Halls

Embellishing the house for the holidays can be time-consuming and frustrating, but with simple changes to the approach it can be an enjoyable experience. story lauren barker | photos sierra whitlock

D

ecorations and trees are dragged out of dusty closets to transform houses into candle-lit kitchens and mistletoe-laden hallways. A neighborhood glistens with a magical array of lights, setting the mood for the holiday season. The end result of adorning a home for the holidays may be divine, but the process can be arduous if not approached correctly.

“The decorating itself isn’t hard,” says East junior Shaumia Turner. “But so many of us doing it at the same time makes setting up so confusing and chaotic.”

To alleviate such stress, a plan of attack is necessary. When decorating surfaces such as table tops, start with deciding what supplies will be incorporated into the design. The materials can be as simple as pinecones, berries, nuts and evergreen pieces. A bowl filled with these elements is an inexpensive way to incorporate the greenery of winter into an indoor design.

“I like bringing the outside in with the garland and the evergreen trees,” says Liberty Township resident Kelly Tedesco.

For outdoor holiday décor, be careful to buy efficient and green friendly lights that will not burn out soon after installation.

Spend More, Save More Buying energy efficient LED lights this season is a great way to give back to the planet.

“Net lighting that goes over the trees.

They make [the process] so much easier,” says Liberty Township resident Barb Lozier. “I also really like the colors of the LED lights. Not only are they good for the environment [by using 80 percent less energy than the average Christmas lights], but they are also pretty.”

Outdoor decorating can be time-consuming, which is why identifying quality products is important. Superior lights can be purchased at Home Depot, Lowes or other hardware stores.

“Spend a little more money and buy better quality products,” advises Turf-Care owner Ed Holcomb. “A lot of people buy their lights quickly and have to take them back down after putting them up because [the lights] don’t work. Then, they have to buy new lights every single year.”

Although being aware of product quality is useful, the embellishments should be a reflection of the decorator’s own personal style.

“I don’t worry so much about being [a] designer,” says Tedesco. “I decorate to make myself happy, to make [the atmosphere] feel homey and to reflect on who we are [as a family]. I always think if people came to look at our decorations, then they

Type: Traditional Length: 33.0 feet Cost: $19.35 Found at: Lowes

42 | Spark | December 16, 2010

Type: Path Marker Length: 18 inches high Cost: $21.97 Found at: Home Depot

Type: Classic Length: 10.0 feet Cost: $19.35 Found at: Lowe’s

Type: Ball Length: 25.0’ feet Cost: $21.99 Found at: www.holidayleds.com

infographic emily merrick

Type: Icicle Length: 11.5 feet Cost: $29.99 Found at: www.holidayleds.com

would get a sense of what we are like.”

One method to personalize decorations is to create and to maintain a holiday design theme throughout the entire house.

“We put nutcrackers inside and outside: we put the nutcrackers on the piano, on the mantle and on the ground if they’re too big,” says Lozier.

Like Lozier, Tedesco also adds a special touch to her design by using tiny white lights and reflective surfaces. Tedesco continues the “winter wonderland” theme with vases filled with fake-glitter snow. Additionally, napkin rings, pine cones, cinnamon and scented candles create the perfect touch in her home.

Homeowners should perceive decorating as an opportunity to spend time with loved ones rather than as a rushed hassle.

“I like the concept of unpacking everything and recalling the memories I’ve attached to some things. [Some are] ornaments the kids have made, or the things given up from relatives that have passed away, like a snow globe or the lightup ceramic tree my husband’s father made us,” says Tedesco. “I never like to rush decorating; I always make sure I do it on a day when I can take my time and [reminisce about] everything.”n

lifestyle | healthy eating

Healthy Holidays While attending holiday parties, many tend to overindulge on calorie-laden junk food.

This diet pitfall can be easily avoided with a few simple tweaks in the dishes and diets. story nugeen aftab | photos sierra whitlock Each issue, Spark explores nutritious dining options for each meal.

T

he image of the winter holiday season is typically one of delicate, snow-covered streets, someone curling up by the fireplace with a mug of steaming hot chocolate in hand, and people eating piles of finger foods.

But with the excessive amounts of unhealthy foods being consumed, many tend to gain weight during this time.

“The first thing that comes to mind when someone says ‘holiday party’ is that there will be a lot of fattening foods,” says East parent Kelly Casper.

of Sound Bites Nutrition, recommends interchanging high-calorie ingredients with low-fat substitutes, without sacrificing the taste of the food.

“You could substitute plain yogurt for sour cream, and you could substitute light mayonnaise for regular mayonnaise. So you still have the seasoning and the texture, but you don’t have all the fat,” says Andrews. “The yogurt is high in calcium and protein, so it’s more filling than just eating sour cream.”

In order to please the majority of guests, hosts should provide a variety of appetizers.

“Not everybody wants something high in fat or high in calories so it’s good to have some healthy stuff to offset some of the more unhealthy items,” says Andrews.

In addition, the food should not be the highlight of the party.

Hosts should provide games and other activities as a focus instead. “[Try] not making the food the centerpiece of the party but making the activities, like caroling [the focus of the event]. Think about the other things you’re going to do at your party besides stand around and just eat food,” says Joliffe.

“The more people are doing, the less they will feel that they need to eat because they’ll be busy and active.”

Andrews also recommends eating a filling snack, like an apple or a handful of almonds before arriving at the party in order to “curb your appetite so that you don’t overeat at the party.”

While keeping appetizers traditional is tempting, it is important to use as few ingredients as possible.

“I think the easiest thing with healthy food is to try to keep it simple,” says Casper.

When the menu for a holiday party is being decided, the appetizers should stay nutritious— but scrumptious—in order to ensure a healthy break and consequently, a healthy year. “[Eating healthy during the holidays] does give me motivation [to eat healthy for the rest of the year],” says Casper. n

“You can still make fun things that look appetizing but are healthier, but it just takes a little thinking and a little creativity.”

According to the New England Journal of Medicine, a weekly medical journal, a person gains an average two and a half pounds from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Eve. “I always feel really guilty after two weeks of eating whatever I want,” says East sophomore Alicia Morris. “But I think everybody comes back after the break thinking that.”

Tanya Jolliffe, a nutritionist for Spark People, an online diet plan aid, believes nutritious appetizers should be present at holiday parties to curb appetites.

“The biggest reason it is important to have healthy appetizers is that you’re helping people make advantageous choices,” she says.

Joliffe proposes taking traditional appetizers and adding a twist to them, which makes them beneficial to the consumer’s diet.

“You can still make fun things that look appetizing but are healthier, but it just takes a little thinking and a little creativity,” says Joliffe.

She suggests cheese cubes with pretzel stems as a salubrious, but appealing, snack.

Lisa Andrews, dietician and co-owner

Guacamole Dip Ingredients 3 large ripe avocados 1/2 c fat free or light yogurt 1 c low fat small curd cottage cheese 1 roma tomato 1 green jalapeño 1/4 c sweet onion 1/4 c cilantro 2-3 tsp lime juice Pinch of sugar Salt, pepper and chili powder to taste Directions Blend all the ingredients to desired consistency in a food processer. For a holiday twist, serve with a ring of salsa around the top of the dip to simulate a wreath.

Nutritional Info Serving Size: 1/2 cup Servings per Recipe: 20 Calories: 54.2 Total Fat: 4.6 g Cholesterol: 0.0 mg Sodium: 399.0 mg Total Carbs: 3.8 g Dietary Fiber: 2.2 g Protein: 0.7 g 43 | Spark | lehsspark.org

Burlesque

N w showing



MOVIES:

Burlesque Paramount Pictures PG-13 119 mins.

Love and Other Drugs

Bedward Falls Productions R 112 mins.

Tangled

Walt Disney Animation Studios PG 100 mins.

127 Hours Cloud Eight Films R 94mins.

Movie Posters: impawards.com

44 | Spark | December 16, 2010

There are music videos with more substance than Burlesque. In fact, it should come as no surprise considering that its writer-director Steven Antin is related to Robin Antin, who is responsible for founding the travesty known as the Pussycat Dolls.

In the movie, poor waitress Ali Rose (Christina Aguilera) travels to LA with dreams of becoming a singer and gets hired by neoburlesque club owner Tess (Cher). She then falls in love with the good guy and helps save the club from being destroyed by the bad guy, all while living the dream as a singer. It’s like the director was trying to make the plot skimpier than a showgirl’s outfit, but not as sexy.

A lackluster story line can be forgivable in a musical that is successful on other fronts, but Burlesque isn’t even good at being burlesque. It feels like Cabaret stripped of all

the emotion and artistry that made it great.

In fact, it’s not really good at being anything.

Moulin Rouge has more decadence, Hairspray has more heartfelt acting, even High School Musical has a better plot. And (gasp!) its songs actually relate to the plot!

The one positive feature of the movie is Aguilera’s powerful pipes. Sadly, Antin does a pathetic job of showing them off, waiting until the movie is half over before completely unveiling the one formidable weapon in his arsenal. Cher’s return from the dead isn’t bad either. Her reanimated vocal cords’ performance of “You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me” is impressive, if somewhat threatening. Still, it would be much more enjoyable to just watch a music video of either star instead of wading through 119 minutes of tedium to see them dress up like drag queens and do a few numbers audiences will forget the next day.

Basically, there’s no reason for this movie to exist. At least Aguilera and Cher have impressive former achievements and actual talent to be remembered for. But Antin is going to have a hard time being taken seriously again. —Victoria Liang

Love and Other Drugs  Love and Other Drugs is not the typical romantic comedy, even though it may start and end like one. This movie has depth and underlying criticisms of the medical industry during the 1990s, when flip phones and pagers were considered high-tech.

Jamie Randall (Jake Gyllenhall) is the black sheep in a family of successful people. After being fired for sleeping with a co-worker during his shift, Jamie finds a new calling in life as a pharmaceutical sales representative.

He meets Maggie Murdock (Anne Hathaway), a step one Parkinson’s disease sufferer.

Interestingly enough, Randall and Murdock waste no time wooing each other.

Aside from the comedy and romance, the film does a great job showing the corrupt side of the pharmaceutical industry. Randall begins his career by selling Zoloft from the Pfeizer company and soon is promoted to selling Viagra through bribing doctors with

his wit. As his fling with Murdock continues, the greatest problem for him is dealing with the future he will have facing Murdock’s Parkinson’s disease as it slowly takes over her life. Doctors, the husband of a Parkinson’s patient and Murdock herself agree that he is making a mistake in continuing their relationship.

Audiences see the doctors troubles as well as those of their patients throughout the film.

One of the most touching scenes displaying such troubles is when Murdock is alone and in dire need of her medication. Watching her struggle to open a medication bottle with shaky hands with sweat dripping down her face, only to find it empty, is heart-breaking.

Hathaway and Gyllenhall create the most honest on-screen relationship, which is much better than their Brokeback Mountain performance. The comic relief throughout the film does a great job of not interfering with the seriousness of the movie. Much of the film shows love scenes between Randall and multiple females, but most are necessary to watch in order to understand the film.

Comedy and nudity aside, this film is moving and quite genuine. —Rashma Faroqui

Tangled 

EDITORS’ PICK

hidden tower.

Rapunzel’s dream has always been to go to a peculiar floating lights display that happens every year on her birthday, and with her 18th birthday just days away she is determined to finally leave her tower. Meanwhile, a crafty thief by the name of Flynn Ryder (Zachary Levi) has just stolen the kidnapped princess’s crown. As he runs away from the palace guards, he stumbles upon Rapunzel’s castle.

Once there, Rapunzel knocks out Ryder and uses the crown as leverage, forcing him to guide her through the outside world and take her to finally experience the mysterious display of lights.

Tangled is enjoyable for the entire family, and like Disney’s other princess films, contains quite a few musical numbers. Although Moore and Murphy are talented singers, their songs will most likely be forgotten. There is no “Hakuna Matata” or “Under the Sea” here.

Disney made great use of 3-D technology opting for subtlety over flashiness.

The comedy in Tangled keeps audiences laughing from beginning to end. The jokes, like the movie, are targeted for children, but are humorous and not all childish. Viewers will laugh at the comical relationship between Ryder and Maximus the horse, especially their frying pan v. sword duel.

At times the film is very emotional, enough to bring a tear to the viewers’ eye. Throughout the movie, Rapunzel is presented with heartwrenching decisions mostly centering around her romance with Ryder. But, the film is not all sad. When Rapunzel is surrounded by lanterns on the water, the beauty is almost unreal.

The plot is well-executed, and the animation is magical. The effects and quality are breathtaking, to say the least. Disney masterfully brings the movie to a close in the usual fairy tale ending. Tangled is excellent on all levels and is certainly worthy of joining the Disney lexicon. —Sabeel Qureshi

Aron Ralston sets out on his hike in Blue John Valley that would eventually change his life forever.

127 Hours  The story of Aaron Ralston is well known. While hiking in Utah, a boulder he was using for support dislodged and crushed his arm against a canyon wall. He was trapped there for five days before amputating his arm to get free.

He then walked eight miles before he reached help and was taken to a hospital by a helicopter.

A year later, Ralston wrote a book detailing his experience, which was subsequently made into a movie.

127 Hours tells the story of Ralston starting the day before his accident and ending with a heartfelt montage of his exploits afterwards. Directed by Danny Boyle of Slumdog Millionaire fame, the cinematography is excellent. The film consists of breathtaking panoramic shots and close-ups on Ralston (James Franco).

Franco plays the reclusive hiker in a dire situation very well. After three days without water, Ralston begins to talk to himself like he is on a morning show.

The scene is poignant, showing Ralston’s deteriorating mental state, and pushes the movie towards its most disturbing sequence—the depiction of Ralston amputating his arm. The amputation is extremely grotesque, which has caused some audience members to vomit or pass out. The gore is necessary, however, as it serves to show Ralston’s physical and mental desperation to achieve freedom.

The portions of the movie in which Ralston is trapped by the rock would be dull if not for the flashbacks he

experiences. The flashbacks center on Ralston’s failed relationship with an unnamed woman and his withdrawal from his family. They show Ralston entering his reclusive state, and give further detail to why Ralston did not tell anyone where he was going. Without these flashbacks, the movie would just be a constant struggle to gain freedom. The flashbacks save the movie’s pace and add great background information that is vital to the movie.

Despite being such a serious movie, some parts are oddly humorous, including the scenes where Ralston is trapped. The morning show sequence was sad, but still funny because of the way Franco presents his lines. This lack of seriousness could have been easily avoided if a small change to the dialogue had been made. It does not hinder the movie in anyway, however, it only weakens the tension the film created so very well.

127 Hours is not just a tale of a man who cut off his own arm, but also a tale of one man’s will to survive. It is both heart breaking and uplifting. The amputation scene may be too gruesome for some viewers, but it is critical for the movie to be as touching as it is. With Boyle’s directorial expertise and Franco’s top notch acting, 127 Hours is one of the most harrowing and powerful films of 2010. —Dillon Mitchell

45 | Spark | lehsspark.org

picture used with permisson from allmoviephoto.com

Once again, Disney delivers an original twist to a classic fairy tale. This time it’s the story of Rapunzel.

Princess Rapunzel (Mandy Moore) is kidnapped for her magical golden hair by Mother Gothel (Donna Murphy) and kept in a

N w Playing

Lee Dewyze 

ALBUMS:

Lee Dewyz

Live it Up Captol records

My Chemical Romance Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Kiljoys Reprise

Kid Rock Born Free Atlantic

Kanye West

My Dark Twisted Fantasy Roc-A- Fella

Album Covers: coverhunt.com

46 | Spark | December 16, 2010

Lee Dewyze was the quiet one on American Idol.

He was definitely there, but he didn’t stand out. His post-American Idol album’s first track “Live it Up” is comparable to his start on Idol —forgettable.

The melody isn’t impressive and the lyrics don’t help his cause. “I could be your Romeo/You’ll be my Juliet/Maybe I’m the one/That you’ll never forget.” Nobody wants to hear another song about someone comparing his own love life to that of Romeo and Juliet’s.

Unlike his time on American Idol, however, he sounds more confident and comfortable with his style of pop rock as the album progresses. Dewyze’s first single “Sweet Serendipity” is everything “Live It Up” is not. It’s an energetic, fast-paced song that’s unforgettable. A lively song about running into luck and not worrying about what’s coming, it’s clearly one of the top songs on the album.

Live it Up slows things down with songs such as “Dear Isabelle” and “Beautiful Like You,” the only song on album that Dewyze didn’t write. “Dear Isabelle” is a dull song that could use a little more creativity on both the musical and lyrical side. “I pretended I was doing well/But without you, it’s been hell/Dear Isabelle” lacks the powerful lyrics that other songs on Live It Up have.

“Me and My Jealousy” is an engaging ballad that incorporates both strong lyrics and melodies. One of the better songs on the album, it’s relatable and sure to be a favorite of listeners.

Live it Up is the kind of album listeners would expect from an American Idol winner. Although Dewyze released two independent albums before winning Idol, he is still trying to find his niche in the music industry. Some songs are definitely his style, but he needs to weed out the songs without much substance. He seems to only write songs about relationships.

Overall, however, Live it Up is a great first post-Idol album with more hits than misses. —Christian Roehm

My Chemical Romance  My Chemical Romance (MCR) has an identity crisis. Their first three albums being filled with dark, moody punk anthems, but their newest release, Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys, embraces a more pop-rock sound that works surprisingly well.

The album opens with a skit, “Look Alive, Sunshine” that introduces the most unique part of the album—the fiction. The concept album operates on a bombastic radio station set in post-apocalyptic California in 2019. The three skits feature radio-style interruptions from Dr. Death Defying, adding a refreshing layer of fiction to the otherwise typical pop-rock album.

“Na Na Na,” the first single from the album, is a quick and eccentric song filled with ripping guitar chords and crazy lyrics. The style is reminiscent of MCR’s sophomore album, Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge. In fact, many of the songs are done in a similar style. All of the tracks on this album are either fast-paced, hard rock songs,

such as “Party Poison,” or slower, more lyrical songs, such as “Sing.”

Two songs that break this mold are “The Kids from Yesterday” and “Bulletproof Heart.” “The Kids from Yesterday” has a slow beat and great falsetto, while “Bulletproof Heart” is a punk rock ballad that is comparable to Green Day’s “21 Guns.” The only song that doesn’t fit the album is “Summertime,” a soulless and drum-filled Katy Perry-esque song.

As with all their albums, the lyrics have a satirical burn to them. “They sell presentable/Young, and so ingestible/ Sterile and collectable” screams Gerard Way on “Planetary (GO!),” a techno song that differs from their typical style.

MCR took a big risk with their new album, departing from their familiar style for a more pop sound. The album is different from their previous records, and even though this may anger hardcore fans, it is undoubtedly a great album. The fictional radio station is a unique, original addition that more albums should include.

After four years of anticipation, Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys is well worth the wait. —Dillon Mitchell

Kid Rock 

My Dark Twisted Fantasy debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart and sold nearly 500,000 copies during the first week. photos labeled with commercial reuse

After the success of his last album, Rock and Roll Jesus, Kid Rock brought in Rick Rubin, who has produced albums for artists ranging from Public Enemy to Johnny Cash, to produce the follow-up, Born Free. The album features a number of high-profile guest artists, including T.I. and Sheryl Crow, who he previously worked with on “Picture” in 2001.

Despite the all-star supporting cast, this latest record is one of Kid Rock’s poorest efforts.

The album’s lead single “Born Free” is a feeble attempt to match the success of “All Summer Long,” Kid Rock’s biggest hit to date.

Unlike that song, “Born Free” is not catchy enough to be an anthem. In fact, like much of what Kid Rock does, it’s kind of annoying.

His voice is mediocre, but he doesn’t seem to realize that. He aims for notes just outside of his range throughout the entire album. It serves as a fitting metaphor for Rock’s career, as he has always seemed to be irrationally optimistic about his musical capabilities.

Born Free features some of Kid Rock’s most nonsensical lyrics to date, which says a lot considering Rock once made a habit of calling himself “The Bullgod.” On “Times Like These,” he sings,“The lakes and pines they bleed of beauty and grace/And the rivers they run wild like an endless race.” When he isn’t singing about lakes and pines, he’s jumping on the purple drank bandwagon. On “Slow My Roll,” he utters, “Mixin’ loneliness and whiskey, heartache and cocaine.” The only real statement this album makes about Kid Rock is that he needs an intervention.

The only bright spot on the album is “Care,” which features vocals from Martina McBride and a verse from T.I. Although it sounds contrived, it is easily the most enjoyable song on the album and is the closest thing to a meaningful anthem Kid Rock has ever written.

Kid Rock spent the better part of his career attempting to bridge the gap between rap and rock. Many, including Rock himself, have tried and failed at this. With Rock and Roll Jesus he reinvented himself as a southern rock artist, and lost his edge in the process.

As annoying as the “American Badass” was, he was also interesting, and more importantly, entertaining. The new Kid Rock is boring. As difficult as it is to admit, he was better when he was singing “Bawitdaba.” Whatever that means. —Zach Fulciniti

EDITORS’ PICK

Kanye West  To respond to the first line of My Dark Twisted Fantasy, which asks, “Can we get much higher?”

No, Kanye. You can’t.

You’re on top of the world. To put this in perspective, you stood in front of a disaster-stricken nation and declared that “George Bush doesn’t care about black people,” and people thanked you. You interrupted a teenage heartthrob’s Video Music Awards acceptance speech to the dismay of millions, and people toasted you. You performed the song “Runaway” off of Fantasy, a song that offers a toast to “the douchebags,” “the assholes” and “the scumbags,” and people actually toasted you. You, Kanye West, are invincible. And that’s because you’re a musical genius.

The controversial Chicago rapper’s fifth studio album has an ego of its own.

While lyrics such as “Have you ever had sex with a pharaoh? I put the p***y in a sarcophagus,” display a level of general knowledge far beyond that of Soulja Boy’s “Kiss me thru da phone,” they certainly don’t constitute “conscious rap.” But that doesn’t matter. Kanye isn’t trying to be someone who he’s not.

Instead, Kanye displays his true colors beginning with the first track, “Dark Fantasy,” in which he fails to spit three lines before mentioning his Lamborghini Murciélago. But Kanye’s egotism combined with the darkest, most chilling beat in recent memory creates an album opening that immediately prompts listeners to nod their heads to its rhythm, a coping mechanism for the song’s almost inconceivable, inhuman display of hip-

hop prowess. If Kid Cudi is a moonman, then Kanye is Apollo 11.

Still, the rocket couldn’t fly without the astronaut behind the wheel.

Cudi’s presence is a welcome addition to Fantasy, adding a hip-hop force that actually has pipes to back it up. Mr. Solo Dolo’s addition to the track “Gorgeous” sharply juxtaposes the eery tone set by “Dark Fantasy” and does so successfully. Whereas Kanye’s verses mask the album in darkness, Cudi’s voice is the light at the end of the tunnel.

It is only fitting that Fantasy closes with “Lost in the World,” a bass heavy, Bon Iver sampling dynamo that is reminiscent of an era dominated by the Quad-City DJ’s “Ride the Train.” And it’s only fitting that the final song expresses Kanye’s desire to “break out of this fake ass party/And turn this into a classic night.” “Dark Fantasy” might envelope listeners in a “fake ass party,” but “Lost in the World” inevitably leads to a classic night.

And the conclusion of My Dark Twisted Fantasy inevitably leads to depression.

Depression stems from the realization that it all had to end, the realization that absolutely nothing else is like it. And the realization that it has to be the work of the most egotistical man whose talents lie outside of South Beach.

And once the listener replays the album and hears “Dark Fantasy,” the head-bumping inevitably ensues once more. —Faiz Siddiqui

47 | Spark | lehsspark.org

entertainment | apple

iEvolution

original price: $299

8GB iTouch (2007)

original price: $199

8GB Nano third gen. (2007)

original price: $349

8GB iPod Classic (2007)

Shuffle second gen. (2006)

original price: $79

iPod Nano (2005)

original price: $199

original price: $99

iPod Shuffle (2005)

original price: $249

iPod Mini (2004)

original price: $399

iPod (2001)

story and infographic lucy stephenson

Verizon on the Horizon On Oct. 28, 2010, Verizon Wireless began selling Apple’s iPad, taking the first steps to the highly anticipated Verizon-Apple union. Now, according to unnamed sources within the company, Apple has begun making iPhones compatible with Verizon technology that will go on sale early 2011.

Apple has been under pressure to make phones that work under the Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) technology, which is used by Verizon. Currently, Apple works exclusively with AT&T, which uses Global Systems for Mobile Communications (GSM) technology.

Verizon is currently the largest cell phone company provider in the United States, at 93.2 million customers. If Apple were to expand to Verizon customers, they could one-up the competition between the iPhone and Google Inc. smart phones, such as the Droid and Android.

48 | Spark | December 16, 2010

East senior and Verizon costumer Jasneet Dhillon believes that the partnership would not only benefit Apple but also Verizon.

“Verizon has great service, but they don’t have very many good phones,” says Dhillon. “Everyone I know who has Verizon has the same phone—the EnV3. If [Verizon] offered phones like the iPhone, they would probably gain a lot more costumers.”

Verizon was recently named the world’s best wireless service provider by the 2010 Global Traveler Magazine’s Tested Reader Survey awards. In May 2010, ChangeWave Research found that Verizon had the greatest degree of customer satisfaction when compared to other cell phone service providers.

The survey revealed that 49 percent of Verizon customers are very satisfied with their service, while AT&T tied for last place with only a 23 percent satisfaction rating. East senior and AT&T customer

80

original price:

iBangle (?)

original price: $49

Shuffle fourth gen. (2010)

original price: $149

8GB Nano sixth gen. (2010)

original price: $599

iPad (2010)

original price: $79

Shuffle third gen. (2009)

original price: $149

Nano fourth gen. (2008)

original price: $499

Jake Benjamin believes that people looking for a better service provider, but an Apple phone, would likely become Verizon customers if the iPhone were compatible.

“I’ve been looking for a reason to switch [to Verizon] because AT&T has given me such poor service for the past two years, such as dropped calls and terrible customer service,” says Benjamin.

“The iPhone is the only reason I’ve stayed with AT&T. But now that the iPhone could be coming to Verizon, there’s a good chance I’ll move to Verizon.”

However, the iPhone coming to Verizon is based on speculation—there has been no confirmation from either company. When asked about the collaboration, both companies respond with “no comment.” But with the iPad officially available at Verizon, it seems as though a Verizon iPhone is very likely in the near future. n

photos labeled with commercial reuse

4GB iPhone (2007)

percent of students own an iPod according to a Spark survey of 500 students.

iBangle: The Way of the Future Though it has not been officially announced by Apple, the iBangle was designed by Gopinath Prasana back in 2008. It is basically an iPod Shuffle in bracelet form.

There is no screen to view the music, but there are several buttons that control the music. A button controsl the size of the inner blue band to adjust to the wearer’s wrist.

The iBangle would come with wireless headphones for a more convenient and sleek design.

49 | Spark | lehsspark.org

entertainment | book review

Decision Points O

50 | Spark | December 16, 2010

photo used with paid permission from mtccampus.com

ne soot-covered fire-fighter told me that his station had lost a number of men. I tried to comfort him, but that was not what he wanted. He looked me square in the eye and said, ‘George, find the bastards who did this and kill them.’ It’s not often that people call the president by his first name. But that was fine by me. This was personal.” In the wake of 9/11, President Bush rallied the nation to fight the “War on Terror.” Instead of going down in the history books as the humanitarian president like he had planned, he would be known as the “War President,” much like his father.

George W. Bush’s Decision Points is an honest and personal perspective of the 43rd president’s eight years in office. The former president uses the opportunity to tell his side of the story, including his thoughts on all of the biggest decisions he made during his two terms.

Bush admits that he may not have always made the right choices but had good intentions behind his actions.

Unlike Bush’s typically poorly executed speeches, Decision Points is clear and eloquent. While the word choice and style may be simplistic, Bush gets his point across. Overall, the storytelling is interesting, but it can be dry at times, especially during the beginning.

The first two chapters focus on Bush’s early life, including meeting his future wife, Laura, his first run for election and, most importantly, the “awakening” of his faith which became the foundation from which he based all of his future decisions. Bush’s early political career established the ideals that would eventually be tested throughout his presidency, in situations such as the use of questionable interrogation methods, Hurricane Katrina and especially the frenzy that followed 9/11. “My blood was boiling,” says Bush. “We were going to find out who did this, and kick their ass.”

Decision Points is creatively organized and stays interesting. Rather than detailing every decision of his time as president, the later chapters center around only the major decisions he would make during both terms and his thoughts on each. He goes on to explain his stance on the recession, stem cell research and fighting AIDS and malaria in Africa. At times the book can seem to drag on, but the inclusion of humorous anecdotes throughout keep the book interesting. Bush frequently uses flashbacks to give background for his decisions.

Bush, however, is a bit whiny about the way he is perceived, especially by the media, whom he criticizes countless times for their attacks on himself and his staff. He mentions that the worst moment in his presidency was being called a racist by Kanye West.

“But the suggestion that I was a racist because of the response to Katrina represented an all-time low. I told Laura at the time that it was the worst moment of my presidency,” writes Bush. “I feel the same way today.”

Overall, Decision Points provides good insight into President Bush’s eight years as president in a very personal light. The book enlightens readers as to what really went through the unpopular leader’s mind but still leaves much to be desired. Bush expresses his pride in serving the country for eight years and hopes that critics will someday understand why Bush made the decisions he did.

“Decades from now, I hope people will view me as a president who recognized the central challenge of our time and kept my vow to keep the country safe.” —Sabeel Qureshi

author george w. bush publisher random house pages 497 cost $35.00 (hard cover)

BPT

sports | inside east sports

2.

1.

3.

1. East junior Alyssa Grevenkamp, leading a fast-break, pushes the ball down the floor in a game against Notre Dame Academy. 2. East sophomore Imani Outlaw fights past the Notre Dame Academy defense as she tries to put up a shot. 3. Varsity players huddle to talk strategy with Varsity Head Coach Nikki Drew during the game. 4. East junior Whitney Wyckoff squares up at the three-point line before she shoots.

Expanding on Success story eric muenchen | photos kali martin

The East varsity girls’ basketball team is working towards a state title by forming strong pre-season bonds on and off the court.

52 | Spark | December 16, 2010

O

n Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2007, the East Girls Basketball program hit rock bottom.

The team walked off its home court game against Lakota West after an 18-91 brutal defeat, bringing its record down to 0-8. The Lady Hawks finished the 2008-09 season in last place in the Greater Miami Conference (GMC) standings with a 1-20 record and no conference wins. Three years later a completely renovated team steps off the court, not only as a powerhouse in the GMC, but as one the best in the city.

“This team is special,” says East shooting guard Megan Costa, who is the team’s only senior. “We have each other’s backs, no matter what.”

While Costa only played 13 minutes in the game against Lakota West her freshman year, she still felt every one of the 91 points scored against the Hawks.

4.

The East varsity girls’ basketball team comes together to get pumped up before the second game of their 2010-11 season. The Hawks won the game 61-35.

“The coach had us run a play called ‘the weave,’ where we basically ran in a loop and handed the ball to each other,” says Costa. “We all played hard, but it was just embarrassing.”

A renewed sense of sisterhood, mixed with young talent, equated to the program’s first winning record in East’s history last season, as well as a second-place finish in the Regional Championship Game.

“We’ve been going to school together our whole lives and we’ve been on the same team since fourth grade, so we’ve spent a lot of time together,” says East junior guard Whitney Wyckoff, who has led the Lady Hawks in points per game during each of her two seasons with the team.

Wyckoff learned very early on in the season that the team’s future success would largely depend on the progress of herself and her fellow underclassmen on the team.

“We had five freshmen on varsity that hadn’t played too much together and we didn’t have that much game experience,” says Wyckoff. “It was disappointing, but it was an improvement from 1-20 the year before.”

Ranking second in the Cincinnati Pre-Season high school basketball poll, the team attributes its success in last year’s postseason to the bonds they have formed with each other.

“Our team is an extended family,” says East junior guard Alyssa Grevenkamp. “We do almost everything together so we all get really close.”

The special bond the players developed off the court quickly translated to success on the scoreboard.

‘just East’ anymore. Everything was changing.” says Pashi.

One of the primary changesg for the team this season is the attention it is receiving not only from the local media, but also from teams that in years past had blown East completely out of the gym.

“We know going into every game that our opponent is going to want to beat us, whether it’s the 30th team in the city or Princeton, who’s above us [in rankings],” says Pashi. “We know walking into every gym that we have a target on backs now. And that’s something that we’ve never had before.”

Second-year East Varsity Head Coach Nikki Drew does not believe that the players have a problem with dealing with the new attention they have drawn to themselves through the team’s recent successes.

“For this team I believe it is a positive influence,” says Drew. “For so long they hadn’t had any recognition and I’m not really fearful [that] they would become complacent because they have big goals to accomplish this year.”

Drew entered the floundering program knowing exactly what the challenge ahead of her was.

“I knew they struggled in the past, and I knew there was room for improvement.” says Drew, who quickly earned the respect of her young developing players.

“She can be an intimidating person,” says Wyckoff. “But we respect her because she respects us. She always relates with us and lets us know she has our back and proves that too. It makes us want we try to do the same for her.”

While the team’s success last season and promising start this year are accomplishments in and of themselves, the girls still feel that they have more to accomplish.

“We want to improve,” says East sophomore Imani Outlaw. “Our success from last year was great, but we want to get further than we did last year.”

Outlaw still feels a sense of urgency in improving her skills and seeing the team’s efforts translate into wins.

“Our success from last year is motivation for this year to get better, to get further in the tournament,” she says. n

“West always enters games like ‘Oh, it’s just East.’ But we weren’t ‘just East’ anymore. Everything was changing.”

The 48-32 victory at home against Lakota West last year highlighted the Hawks’ 13-11 season.

“We were just done with how everyone was talking about how much better West was than us,” says East junior guard Aleth Pashi. “We just wanted to get rid of all of those assumptions.”

As the scoreboard counted down the final seconds of the victory, an exuberant and relieved wave of East students crashed onto the hardwood and joined the players in a celebration that the program had waited 12 agonizing years for.

Pashi and the team welcomed the postgame celebration.

“The storming of the court was the icing on the cake,” says Pashi. “It made everything feel like it was worth it. It felt amazing, to see everyone behind us. The crowd was huge, especially for a girls’ basketball game.”

While the game had positive implications for the team and their position in the standings that year, the game meant much more to the players than any other victory could.

“West always enters the game like ‘Oh, it’s just East’. But we weren’t

53 | Spark | lehsspark.org

sports | wrestling

East senior Neema Mohammadi and freshman Jacob Gati compete for a varsity 140-pound weight class spot during the pre-season black-silver wrestle offs.

Complete

Commitment East wrestlers must survive weigh-ins, a heavy-lifting “Strongman” training program and year-round tournaments before they ever take a step onto the mat. story drew souders | photos eric muenchen | infographic sarah fanning, kali martin

T

he final buzzer sounds. East senior Ryan Miller rolls off of his opponent exhausted, barely hearing the shouts from parents in the home stands as he tries to regain his breath.

His opponent tries to regain his strength while Miller uses all of the energy he has left to keep his knees from buckling. The referee comes over and takes both competitors by the arm. He raises Miller’s hand.

“You have to work hard to be able to win those matches,” says Miller. “Getting your hand raised is the biggest motivation. Winning the match that’s what drives me.”

That motivation drives Miller and his teammates to dedicate themselves to the sport.

As soon as post-season tournaments and the East wrestling season officially ended, the pre-season began. East junior Eric Sullivan, who had a 16-19 record last season and finished seventh in the Greater Miami Conference (GMC), reported that he hit the gym and ran daily a month after he turned in his East gear.

54 | Spark | December 16, 2010

But the spring is only considered the “offseason.” After school was over and the days became hotter, wrestlers chose to put on singlets instead of swim suits in order to compete in a variety of tournaments that lasted through the end of July. Miller, a two time district champion and four year varsity letter-winner, worked to improve his skills in these tournaments, including Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) National events in Fargo, ND and Virginia Beach, VA. Varsity coach Jim Lehman says that he was very impressed with his wrestlers’ pre-season work.

“There were a good six to seven [wrestlers] we had that competed in more than 40 matches in the offseason,” says Lehman. “They didn’t just sit around Cincinnati; they travelled and they wrestled the best in the country. I think the improvements that our guys are making are really tied closely to what they did in the offseason.”

Training did not end with the summer tournaments, however; as soon as school picked up in August, fall workouts began. The training schedule consisted of two-hour sessions, three times a week,

in which the athletes ran through a variety of different strength and conditioning routines. This year the coaches introduced a number of new routines to the program, including a video workout called P90X that forced the wrestlers to utilize every inch of the weight room.

Hawk wrestlers could also be seen flipping tires and sprinting with sand bags as part of their “strongman” routine.

“I thought [the workouts] were good for the kids that we have in our program right now,” says Lehman. “We like to mix it up a little bit, so they’re not doing the same thing all the time.”

Along with worrying about after-school commitments, fall also marks the time when wrestlers have to watch their weight. Sullivan remarked that cutting weight is the worst part of wrestling, and often becomes a “sport of its own.”

Miller, who finished at the top of his weight class in the GMC last year, says that a long-term plan is the only way to control weight.

“If you balloon up right after weigh-ins and gain eight pounds, then it’s going to be hard to cut back down,” says Miller. “But if you manage your weight well and you eat healthy things, it’s not as hard as it sounds.”

Practice also helps to maintain weight. Wrestlers consistently drill for two hours after school, with extra conditioning and drills starting in January to prepare the team for tournament time.

During the January training, coaches such as Varsity Assistant Coach Rico Hill make an extra effort to push the individual competitors.

“Coach Hill is probably the one who pushes me the hardest,” says Sullivan. “All the coaches really try to push you and make you work hard, but Coach Hill just has this edge of almost mockery towards you. It gets under your skin and if you take it the right way, it’s really

1. Determining Weight Class skin fold calipers

skin fat

good for you. [The coaches] really make us work harder and harder every day.”

Once the wrestlers have made it through the “dog days” of the season, practice tapers off. Everything that happens in the season prepares the Hawks for the tournament, the ultimate test for a high school wrestler. Once they compete in the state meet the season ends and a month later, spring training begins again.

Last season the Hawks ended with a 14-5 dual match record and finished sixth in the GMC’s, third in the sectionals and 14th in the district tournament. Sophomore Austin Daly finished third in the GMC for the 103-pound weight class during his freshman year in the program. East senior Neema Mohammadi and junior Tim Bowman

You get your hand raised at the end of the match and you know that all the work paid off. also topped the division, both placing fifth in the 140-pound and 285-pound weight classes, respectively.

Coach Lehman says that the team will be looking to improve from last year through strong leadership from the 11 returning members of the varsity squad. In order to do this, all members of the program must dedicate themselves to the training that has already consumed 10 months of their schedule.

“Getting your hand raised makes it all worth it,” says Sullivan.

“You get your hand raised at the end of the match and you know that all the work paid off.” n

Cutting Weight Subscapular Chest Midaxillary Tricep

Skin fold calipers measure the amount of fat under the skin. An examiner puts the measurements into an equation to predict body fat percentage.

muscle

Subprailiac Abdominal Thigh

front

back

After the measurements of a wrestler are taken, a certified evaluator uses the information to determine the minimum weight class in which the wrestler can compete, which is the wrestler’s weight with an estimated seven percent body fat.

2. Cutting and Maintaining Weight A typical lunch during wrestling season, according to Eric Sullivan, consists of water, a granola bar, an orange or french fries. Something “light and healthy.”

In order to “sweat out” more weight, wrestlers will often practice, sleep in and wear heavy layers.

55 | Spark | lehsspark.org

sports | faces

Player Spotlights photo kyle morrison

photo dan turner

Tyler Phillips

Dwight Hu

Boys’ Swimming

Chess

E

ast junior Dwight Hu thinks that he must fulfill the prophecy by winning GMCs. “I [also] use my right hand, instead of my left,” says Hu. Hu’s eccentricity is prevalent when he talks, and though chess is a silent sport, Hu is known around the school and among his teammates as a comical guy. His facade of jokes and light-spirited remarks fool many, but Hu is the second best player on the team, or the second chess board of five that count toward the team’s score in each match.

Hu has been a varsity player since freshman year, but he has been growing as a chess player since he began the sport.

“I run 10 miles before each practice,” says Hu. “We flex our fingers the entire time, it helps with the blood flow.”

Each chess match begins with two teams vying for five points. One point is awarded for each game that one of the top five team members win.

The team with the most points at the end wins the match.

The Hawks attempt to maintain camaraderie and a positive attitude, though chess is an individual sport.

“Before a match, we try to huddle up and get feisty,” says senior and first board chess player Akash Umakantha.

For Hu, this approach has helped him to win against five of his seven opponents this year, helping the team win six of its matches.

Since freshman year, as an individual Hu has managed to have a winning season each year.

Umakantha agrees that Hu tends to lighten the mood before and after match, but remains serious during the actual game.

“He takes chess very seriously,” says Umakantha. “But when we have short interruptions in a game, he generally has a funny comment about what happened.”

East chess coach and math teacher Stephan Orlando agrees that though Hu has a charismatic personality, he takes matches very seriously and dedicates a great deal of time to improving his game.

“Dwight is very talented,” says coach Orlando. “He is smart, he is good at chess and he is a hard worker—and also he’s just a nice guy.”

Orlando is glad to know that this talented player will be here to help grow the team for another year after this season.

Hu hopes that the team is prepared this year to win GMCs, which were on Dec. 13. The team has only two more meets before the end of the regular season.

“Our adversaries tremble with fear at the sight of our team,” says Hu. n —Victoria Reick-Mitrisin

H

e swims over a mile at the beginning of every meet, without breaking a sweat. He stretches and eats his GU Energy Gel, a ritual he cannot break, taking up nearly all the rest of his time before the meet.

But all the training and preparation would be for nothing without the last step of his pre-race ritual.

“I always go to the bathroom before every race,” East sophomore swimmer Tyler Phillips says with a laugh. “I don’t know why. I’ve just done that since I was little.”

This humorous and quirky behavior is what makes Phillips a great person and swimmer according to senior swimmer Rebecka Sepela.

“His laid back personality carries over into his swimming and keeps him humble, making him a great competitor to swim with and against,” says Sepela.

Phillips, who has swum competitively since he was six, competes for the Cincinnati Marlins, a USA Swimming club team, as well as for the Hawks. The six-day-a-week commitment for both the Marlins and the Hawks exhibits his dedication to the sport. Phillips’ perseverance stems from a fear of letting his teammates down in the event of a poor performance or injury.

Despite such an injury, when his hamstring was torn from the tendon of his right leg in 2009 and corrective surgery in the summer of 2010, he continues to swim.

Lakota swimming head coach Dennis Beck believes that Phillips’ intent on getting back in the water after the injury is very important to his development as a swimmer, a notion echoed by Sepela.

“I was almost positive that this major leg surgery would affect his swimming,” said Sepela, “But Tyler is already swimming [his] best times.”

Phillips agrees that he is better than he has ever been.

“I’m already doing sets that I wasn’t able to do last year,” said Phillips, who has set grueling goals for himself.

With a smile he states his goal for the year as “to compete with the upperclassmen and show them what I’m made of.”

Coach Beck wants Phillips to live up to his potential by getting stronger, faster and progressing as a swimmer.

“I think he’s capable of being a state qualifier, and from there we’ll see what happens,” says Beck, who agrees with Sepela that Phillips is a future leader of the swim team. Phillips shares the same aspiration for the future.

“I would like to go to state by the end of high school,” he says. n

56 | Spark | December 16, 2010 — Mitch Geers: Fourth in GMC pins TICKER: BOYS’ BOWLING

—Jeff Back

n

CHESS — East: Second in GMC standings

Baseball Pressbox Condemned story andrew breland photo eric muenchen

F

ollowing safety inspections last month, the Lakota Local Schools Buildings and Grounds Department declared the East baseball press boxes “condemned,” but district administrators are unable to acquire the funding needed to reconstruct them.

The all-wood press boxes were built 12 years ago in the field between East and Interstate 75 by former East Athletic Director Jim Rouff and were funded by the East athletic boosters.

In the past ten years, they have experienced much damage due to high winds, as well as general wear.

“We are worried about the structure,” said East Athletic Director Richard Bryant. “It’s a high wind area and we want to make sure [the press boxes] are safe. We keep a close eye on all of our facilities and currently they are unsafe for students to use, as well as adults.”

Plans for reconstruction have stalled, however, as funding could not be obtained after the failure of the Nov. 2 levy. Bryant anticipates no funding from the district, and said that this prevents any further action.

“I have some community support to put up a new press box, but there is no district support. We are on hold until we acquire the funding to finish the job,” said Bryant.

Lakota Buildings and Grounds Director Robert Fischer confirmed that the district does not have the resources to fund the reconstruction.

“The district is concerned primarily with protecting students and maintaining facilities,” said Fischer. “We are obligated to do what is

A look into the lives of East athletes

the best for students, so we had to shut [the press boxes] down, and we are looking into what has to be done to fix them.”

Fischer, who is working to develop a blueprint for the new building, said that funding for rebuilding the press boxes will not be available this year. Boosters are tapped out and the levy failures have frozen funding.

Head Baseball Coach Ray Hamilton expressed concern for both the future of East baseball, as well as lamented issues already present without the availability of the press boxes.

“Our daily storage is compromised,” said Hamilton, current Greater Miami Conference (GMC) Baseball Coach of the Year. “[The press boxes] are where we store everything.

It will have considerable impact on people coming to the games, seating areas and people announcing the games. We also have to sell concessions somewhere.”

Bryant has plans for developing a new press box, including a larger storage area and new concession stands. The new cinderblock boxes would be moved to the area between the current baseball and softball fields to allow for more seating. He has little hope, however, in the furtherance of his plans.

“Cinderblock buildings would stand up to the wind, [and] moving the press box would allow us to put bleachers behind home plate,” said Bryant. “That is the best place to watch baseball, but until we get money I see very little happening.” n

HAWK CULTURE Cheryl Davis VARSITY CHEERLEADING COACH

infographic claire feyche

Whitney Wyckoff VARSITY GIRLS’ BASKETBALL

Jacob Landers VARSITY BOYS’ WRESTLING

Emily Cottingham VARSITY QUIZ TEAM

Favorite Song?

“HIDE ‘N’ SEEK”

NONE

“FALLING SLOWLY”

“NO LOVE”

NO IDEA

NONE

FUN

FESTIVOUS

AWESOME

STRESSFUL

EXCITING

WINTER

WINTER

WINTER

WINTER

WINTER

WINTER

Harry Potter is...

LAME

AWESOME

SUPER AWESOME

CRAZY

MAGICAL

HAVE NEVER READ

Favorite School Subject?

SCIENCE

SOCIAL STUDIES

CHEMISTRY

BAND

MATH

The Holidays Are...

Fall or Winter?

East’s press box will be torn down after serving 12 years as concessions for the varsity baseball team.

n

AWESOME

QUIZ TEAM — East: First in GMC standings

n

Stedman Lowry Ian West VARSITY BOYS’ BASKETBALL VARSITY BOYS’ SWIMMING

SCIENCE

57 | Spark | lehsspark.org BOYS’ SWIMMING — Scott Aleshire: First in GMC 100-yard backstroke

sports | eight things

story brady williamson east boys’ bowling (as told to drew souders) photo eric muenchen

Focus

“When you’re getting up there, you have to really concentrate because you only have about five or six inches on the lane to work with.”

Be Consistent

“You’ve got to make sure your setups are the same every time. If you turn your hand a half-inch one way or the other it can throw off you entire shot.”

Step Up

“I do a five-step approach. You’ve got to make sure you take even steps every time.”

Take Your Time

“Don’t rush the approach. You can’t go up too fast, or it will usually make you pull [the ball].”

Keep Your Elbow In

“On your back swing you don’t want to get too open. Keep your arm close to your body.”

Plan Your Approach

“When I go up, I put my arm out so I can get more hip rotation. You’ve got to think about not throwing it too high and just laying it down in the center.”

Perfect the Release

“[The] hand release is the most important thing. You have to come around the ball and get the right rotation and not lay it flat or turn it over. Your hand always has to be consistent and smooth.”

Don’t Dwell on Mistakes

“If you miss a spare, forget about it.

Move on to your next ball, and don’t dwell on your mistakes.”

58 | Spark | December 16, 2010

8

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT Bowling

Jenn Shafer

Tumbling Together

Many in Lakota glorify the cross-town rivalry, but it is the complete opposite in a handful of district individual sports.

A black cloud fills the stands on one side contrasting the sea of red on the opposing side. “Beat East” and “Beat West” shirts are worn by many passionate spectators, demonstrating the bitter rivalry within the Lakota Local School district. The fierce opposition attracts considerable crowds.

Usually the most popular game of the sports season for mainstream, team-oriented sports, like football and basketball, is the East v. West showdown. It seems the rivalry has become not just a competition in sports, but also in the classroom and extracurricular activities.

In some Lakota sports, however, the rivalry is basically non-existent.

It’s better that way.

Three years ago, the Lakota West and East gymnastics teams basically became one big team after the former Lakota West coach was unable to continue coaching. The East coaches then stepped in to take on the combined programs. Each team has different leotards and is scored separately, but because they share the same coaches, they practice together on a daily basis and are often in the same rotation at meets.

With two teams, there are twice as many girls, making it more difficult to give each athlete the personal attention from the coaches that was available before the combination. As a freshman gymnast, I needed help figuring out what skills to perform and how to do them.

Assisting me was the expanding coaching staff to accommodate for the expanding team. Now, different assistant coaches come on various days of the week for practice and all coaches are present for the meets.

Unlike many popular sports, gymnastics competitions do not consist of one team against another, but rather many teams competing at once, similar to cross country, track and swimming. For these individual sports, there is no “East v. West” game to showcase the rivalry and pump up the fans.

The individual sports do not rely solely on the team to succeed. How well a gymnast, swimmer or runner competes is based on his or her own personal skill. When I am competing four feet above the ground on a four inch wide beam, the pressure is all on me. Hearing my teammates cheering for me helps calm the nerves slightly, but at that moment there is nothing my team can do to help me from falling. I can’t kick the ball to someone else like in soccer or pass the ball like in basketball. The competition between teams is not as intense as other sports because athletes can succeed exclusively. Of course the athlete wants to perform well for him or herself, as well as for the team. But if another teammate messes up, it is not detrimental to the individual’s score or time.

While gymnastics may be an individual sport, three hour practices almost every day of the week make it difficult for East and Lakota West gymnasts not to become close and consider each other teammates.

“

We see each other in our best and worst moments, through the cheers and the tears. Tough workouts and long bus rides help us bond with one another. During practice we ask our teammates for help on skills; whether they are from East or Lakota West, it makes no difference. When we split into groups the team is rarely divided into the different schools.

Sometimes people even forget who is on which team. At meets, cheering for Lakota West gymnasts becomes more like just cheering for friends and teammates, because that is what they are. When the East and Lakota West gymnastics teams go to competitions together, a gymnast has twice the amount of support because both teams want everyone to succeed.

The dream for the Lakota gymnastics teams is to make it to the state meet. At the District Championship meet, both teams want East and Lakota West to take first and second in either order, so the teams can be state-bound together. East wants to score higher than any team, including Lakota West, but instead of praying for their demise, it’s fun to watch Lakota West do well especially after witnessing the hard work they put in and progress throughout the season.

Last year, the Lakota West gymnastics team won districts and went to state without East. It was disappointing for East, but the whole team was excited for the West girls and participated in the celebratory whipped-cream pie fight at the end of the meet. We weren’t crushed over losing to a rival.

Instead, we were more excited about Lakota West beating the Mason High School gymnastics team. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the competition but I remember text messaging every single girl on the Lakota West team the day of the state meet, wishing them good luck and constantly asking for updates on how they were doing.

The year I joined the gymnastics team at East was the first year the teams were merged. I never got a chance to experience high school gymnastics without the presence of Lakota West at our practices. If we went back to complete separation, it wouldn’t feel right. I can’t imagine practicing without them, especially for a whole season. There will always be an East-West rivalry, but many athletes miss out on friendships with people who have similar interests because of the stiff competition.

I may never feel the adrenaline while competing against our Firebird counterparts, but I will leave high school with friends I wouldn’t have otherwise. These friendships will last longer than any adrenaline rush. n

We see each other in our best and worst moments, through the cheers and the tears.

“

Spark

Want more sports opinions? Find out why Kyle Morrison thinks the National Football League is like Jersey Shore at lehsspark.org.

59 | Spark | lehsspark.org

opinion | column

Emily Chao

World Expo 2010

I

It was 9:30 p.m., July 4. We had 30 minutes left, 30 minutes before we left Shanghai World Expo 2010 behind. Last destination: the USA Pavilion. The eagle-shaped gray mass of steel proclaimed to the world its “Rise to the Challenge.” The look was a stark contrast to the luminous, temple-like, bright red China Pavilion. But both had HaiBao, the blue mascot, a symbol of Shanghai’s position as a city bridging the seas, standing in front of the entrances. Both were majestic.

I do not know why we put it off to the last minute, but for a wheelchair-bound grandfather, a petulant brother and an exhausted mother, 30 minutes was probably enough time to give the pavilion one last glance before we left the magnificent park.

Fantastic. There was no line. We wheeled my grandpa through the empty barriers to the only one of the two exits still open. Only one section of the pavilion still had lights on and that was our target.

Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC)—the first thing I saw. Wal-mart, Apple…the names rolled on. From those first companies, I knew the United States was proud of its ability to go above and beyond other countries and start to do business in the once secluded nation. The influence from that economic expansion has nonetheless changed China—but the endorsing of American products is just too much.

In every city I have visited in China, there is at least one KFC on the street with a Canon or a Kodak camera supply store nearby. There is a McDonald’s on a street corner with a multitude of other American brands tucked away in a crowded pedestrian section. Chinese cities have become like Times Square. The recipes are generally identical, but with some Chinese twists: more oil and flavor in the meat, for instance. People can buy a Coke anywhere, and the flavors are generally the same as their American counterparts. I even bought Tropicana orange juice once and it tasted just as good as the American version.

China is assimilating into American culture. Ever since KFC was the one of the first American businesses to venture into China in 1987, other companies have followed. Businesses there have experienced increases in profits. Yum Brands Inc., the owner of Pizza Hut, KFC and other fast food chains, reported a seven percent increase in its overall third-quarter profit as of Oct. 2010, with its operating profit in China increasing 23 percent. Along with fast food chains, state economies are also benefiting from China. In Washington, exports to China soared by 322 percent and as of 2009, they have been valued at an astounding $5.8 billion; offering anything from apples to Almond Roca candies, China is helping the United States’ overall economy.

That section of the USA Pavilion was probably the most ironic and most risqué our country would probably ever institute. China has a mostly communist regime, despite the gradual loosening of its economic policy over the years. But power is still consolidated and censorship still exists. The U.S., throughout history, has used diplomatic, political and negotiating means to try to persuade China to change its ways. Some attempts worked. Others did not. But with this display of capitalism in

60 | Spark | December 16, 2010

Contact Emily at elchao96@yahoo.com

one of the world’s most popular tourist sites, the United States took one last stance: democracy rules—communism does not.

Democracy itself is a well-structured political policy. The granting of freedoms to all is what I accept as one of the most treasured things a person can have. Regardless of race or religion, all are given freedom and equality in the United States. Moreover, every legal adult can have his or her say in government and politics. But no policy is perfect. Many justify communism as a way to make everyone equal in society ever since the flaws of capitalism and the Industrial Revolution, extreme poverty and corruption, played out. Others see communism as a way for a few individuals to gain power.

Communism, however, is not all bad in China. Under the communist regime, I am sometimes not able to say what I want to say in public, but I can still have fun and enjoy my vacation. My extended family lives well; my relatives all have decent apartments and good schools to attend. Food is plentiful and sold in nearly every store. China’s prosperity and the United States’ dominance show that these two government structures are both somewhat successful. Either one can run a country. These two political views are on the opposite ends of the spectrum and neither are the truly perfect solution to the world’s current political concerns. There should be no push to control what another country chooses.

In fact, China has loosened its strict communist policy, but censorship and consolidation of power in a few individuals is still present. Criticism over lack of human rights still exists. In fact, Liu Xiaobo, a well-known Chinese dissident who participated in the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, was jailed for his beliefs.

American influence, however, is not always the best solution either.

Despite the tremendous success of China’s economy, now rising to become the second largest just behind the United States, the impact of the American fast food industry has caused China’s obesity rate to increase dramatically. Many weight loss hospitals are now set up to help combat the so called “obesity epidemic” and prevent further health problems which could then lead to health insurance issues. Other factors play a role as well. For example, the fashion of China is mostly Western.

The traditional high-collared, button-down shirts and dresses are now out of style, only to be kept alive by the elderly. Other things include English phrases like the phrase “bai bai” replacing the traditional “zai jian” for goodbye. The traditional arts are slowly becoming hackneyed by the overpowering influence of the United States.

Maybe it is time for the United States to relax. Relax on the need to pursue manifest destiny. Relax on the necessity to change other people.

Relax on the enforcement of democratic values. The subtle propaganda that I saw that day hinted at just how badly the United States thought democracy and freedom were needed throughout the world. Some people do not change; some nations just will not comply. It is up to the people of China to decide if they want to welcome Colonel Sanders with open arms. n

You will embrace our ideals of democracy and freedom at the World Expo!

World Expo 2010 Shanghai, China

If you say so...

Welcome to the USA Pavilion at the 2010 World Expo! Come and experience freedom at its best!

What is this...?

Some things never change.

61 | Spark | lehsspark.org

editorial cartoon tommy behan

Welcome to China’s Pavilion!

opinion | column

Sean Lewis

The Hallowed Path

W

When someone is constantly exposed to all of the sins and disasters in this present-day world, the blame falls upon the church for a lack of guidance in the moral lives of its youth followers. Weekly church attendance is pressed upon today’s youth by parents who want their children to have a relationship with God. Children accept the profound teachings in church as facts, simply because they are reminded that the Bible is sacred. Such belief should not be construed as blind following, but as a dedication to spirituality and a willingness to be good.

Studies find that the majority of Christian followers gradually stop attending weekly mass after entering college. The Higher Education Research Institute at the University of California in Los Angles reported that 52 percent of college students frequently attended church one year before entering college, but the number dropped to 29 percent by their junior year. While society concerns itself with the issue of whether this is acceptable, the absence of church is bleeding into the lives of kids. Religious groups attribute this to the fact that society encourages children to push religion out of their schedules. Others who recognize that church is struggling to convince older youth that putting time into developing one’s relationship with God is an investment that will be beneficial later, believe that church has little to offer. When life gets hard, and ethics are constantly tried by temptations, people are more likely to lose their faith. The way that churches deal with sin is out of touch with fast-paced society. Many religious establishments, especially

Contact Sean at sean.lewis@fuse.net

the Catholic Church, condemn those who commit sin and ask that they repent. Instead of going to a place where they are told that such actions are sins, youth seek the easy route by prioritizing another medium, such as counseling centers, which attack their problems headfirst and don’t allow them to solve their problems alone.

What many people in our evolving society fail to recognize is that one of the most important roles of church is to give its followers the necessary tools to overcome temptation. For those who are willing to hear it, church serves as a viable medium to help people overcome the sins of the world. As a dedicated follower of the Catholic Church, I believe that it is essential that the whole of society needs to work together, despite our different beliefs, in order to promote the common good.

Whether those who do leave their religion do so because they felt that personally disagreed with their church’s teachings, or simply because they long for a separation from spiritual matters, God remains with His people. Although the cultural tendencies of Catholicism, specifically, are criticized for remaining the same for the more-than-2000 years of its existence, the morals established back then should still apply to today’s society. Regardless of whether an individual wishes to leave church or remain in the House of God, the religious path that one chooses to follow in life results from his or her personal beliefs. Church is a mutualaid society; we simply need to acknowledge the fact that we will always need help. n

Stan the Donut Man Come enjoy fresh donuts today!

(513) 759-0016 7967 Cincinnati Dayton Rd West Chester, OH 45069 (Located in the Lakota Plaza)

FREE ½ Dozen Donuts with the purchase of 1½ dozen (4 dozen limit) Expires 1-15-11

Rachel King

For the Sake of Security

Contact Rachel at mymail@racheleking.com

R

illustration Kaitlin Lange

Retired special education teacher and bladder cancer survivor We cannot expect to be protected when the very document that Thomas Sawyer boarded his flight humiliated and in tears, reeking of dictates the purview of national administration is neglected. The wellurine from when a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agent being of the country at large has become top priority, and consequently, inadvertently punctured his urostomy bag. liberty is lost.

Three-year breast cancer survivor and U.S. airways flight attendant And if we neglect the case for liberty, we neglect the very makeup of Cathi Bossi was forced to remove her prosthetic breast during an this country. Liberty singles out America’s greatness among that of other aggressive pat-down check at the Charlotte Douglass International world nations. Liberty was the dream of the founding fathers.

Airport. Avoiding the radiation from the scanners, Bossi chose the Unless society begins to recall and revere history, that dream as alternative to the scan, a pad-down she called “horrific.” intended by America’s founders will be compromised. Although the Daily, more and more stories appear on the news detailing the obscene government has good intentions when it comes to protecting its people, nightmares of the recently revised airport security procedures. The new trying to maintain personal safety while ensuring the permanence of full-body scanners, which can be found in 70 United States airports, Fourth Amendment freedoms is, in itself, a double-edged sword. are not just invasive—they are the latest threat to the Constitution. The There is no easy solution but there are different approaches the democratic, autonomous principles upon which this country was built government can take to be more effective and democratic. The TSA have been manipulated by the government for the sake of national is unable to provide specific cases over the past nine years in which a security. scanner caught a potential terrorist. The government is investing too Threats and attempts of terrorism challenge not only American much time and money into a cause that has proven itself to be ineffective. liberties, but also government administration. The Fourth Amendment, It makes sense for the American people to be frustrated. Security which guards against unreasonable search and seizure, has been didn’t stop al-Qaida. Security didn’t stop the underwear bomber. It was disregarded. Travelers who wish to board a flight must go through either the passengers on the plane who stood against the hijackers. It was the an extensive screening, which displays naked X-rays to a TSA agent, or passengers who noticed the underwear bomber’s suspicious behavior. an intensive pat-down procedure. As a result, frustration has surfaced Thus, the TSA and the government need to stop enforcing a strict toward the TSA’s invasion of privacy, as well as the government’s neglect airport security policy. Odds are the TSA will overlook a would-be of constitutional rights. terrorist at security checkpoints. Instead of relying on security to detect But there is a flaw in the U.S. security system. Every time a terrorist threats against peace, the attention needs to transition toward the threat surfaces, security customizes itself, lest a related means of attack American people. occur again. The reality is that terrorists always come up with something The solution is simple. Remind travelers to be aware and observant. new to cheat the system, and we naïve Americans (hoping to “outsmart” In this way, Americans would hold themselves and each another them) revert to the same method of thinking by changing policy, accountable for keeping a watchful eye and reporting strange activities. administration, technology, etc.

Before a flight takes off, flight attendants should explain what to do if Take the underwear bomber, for example. As an attempt of terrorism, the plane is hijacked. Like school fire drills, a routine reiteration of what nothing to that level of absurdity had been done before. Thus the to do in an emergency would inform and prepare passengers. full-body scanners were The transfer of developed and deployed responsibility from the in airports nationwide. federal government to With the scanners, individual U.S. citizens exposure is imperative. ensures that all peoples’ Forget about rights to constitutional rights remain privacy. Remember, it’s all intact. “for the sake of security.”

The price of liberty This ideal disregards has become an inadequate, This isn’t exactly personal liberty and inappropriate trade-off for PAT what I expected...

They’ll weakens the efficacy of a temporary security and survive.

DOWN the Constitution, thus quasi-peace, which is at SCAN restricting the power present accredited to the of the people. This new scanners and pat-down circumstance grants procedures. Regardless, the more authority to the current system will last government and paves only until the enemy strikes the way for tyranny. again. n

SCAN

63 | Spark | lehsspark.org

opinion | head to head

Nathan

Dibble I

It’s OK not to do your homework. Seven hours is plenty of school time for learning, and homework only adds to the workload. Homework feels like busy work; time-consuming, easy and, often times, forgotten.

Finally, however, teachers have begun to feel the pain of their students.

Under his new homework policy, East Chemistry teacher Greg Mahlerwein doesn’t require his classes to do the assigned homework. If the student chooses to do it, he or she gets a grade. Otherwise, grades are determined by tests in the class. Students face the personal decision of whether they know the material.

Herein lies the double-edged sword of Mahlerwein’s homework policy. If a student doesn’t comprehend the material, they should probably complete their homework. Otherwise students are less likely to do well on Mahlerwein’s notoriously difficult tests. But other students may understand the material faster and test better, therefore making the homework useless. One of my friends is very good at Spanish but isn’t so great in math class. The problem is that she gets a large amount of Spanish homework which keeps her from having extra time to study math. Teachers like Mahlerwein have realized students’ dilemmas are making the revolutionary move to make homework voluntary. He is educating the students in something stronger than completion— responsibility.

If students try to avoid homework, it’s generally because they get too much of it. Homework that is assigned continuously or simply because a teacher fears that his or her efforts to educate aren’t enough will not benefit students’ education. It will have the opposite effect, shutting down the mind of the student that the teacher is trying to educate. Too much homework is rejected by students, hence rejection of learning.

Author Alfie Kohn writes and speaks accross the country on human behavior, education and parenting. Kohn is described in Time magazine as “perhaps the country’s most outspoken critic of education’s fixation on grades [and] test scores.” His criticisms of competition and rewards have helped to shape the thinking of educators as well as parents and managers across the country and abroad. In The Homework Myth: Why Our Kids Get Too Much of a Bad Thing, Kohn expounds on the negative effects that homework can have on students and family relationships. Furthermore, every unpleasant adjective that could be attached to homework—time-consuming, disruptive, stressful, demoralizing—applies with greater force in the case of students for whom academic learning doesn’t come easily.

Curt Dudley-Marling, a former elementary school teacher who is now a professor at Boston College, interviewed some two dozen families which included at least one struggling learner. In describing his findings, he talked about how “the demands of homework disrupted...family relationships” and how they led to daily stress and conflict. As parents are more stressed with work and bills, the added pressure of homework doesn’t mesh with family life. Instead it induces more stress into the already high running family dynamic.

“Teachers and students ought to be able to exercise their personal judgments.”

64 | Spark | December 16, 2010

HEAD t

Homewo

According to Marling, the “nearly intolerable burden” imposed by homework was partly a result of how defeated such students felt. He added how they invested hours without much to show for it and parents felt frustrated not only when they pushed the child, but also burdened when they didn’t push. “You end up ruining the relationship that you have with your kid,” one father told Marling. Homework takes the quality and comfort of family time and turns it into regimented work time. Subsequently, parents are seen in a negative light by the student, increasing family tensions over homework. No parent wants to be the bad guy just to see his or her children succeed.

The American Educational Research Association (AERA) released the statement that whenever homework crowds out social experience, outdoor recreation and creative activities and whenever it usurps time that should be devoted to sleep, it is not meeting the basic needs of developing children and teens. This announcement from the AERA embodies the mindset of what function homework should have for students­—encouraging learning. It is the few and far between schools that respect the value of those activities. But some courageous teachers and innovative schools are taking up the challenge.

Teachers and students ought to be able to exercise their personal judgments in determining how to deal with homework, taking account of the needs and preferences of the specific students in their classrooms, rather than having to conform to a rigid policy that has been imposed on them. When students are treated with respect and when the assignments are worth doing, most will step up to the challenge. n

East Spe What is your opinion home

“

Lauren Buck, Junior “I think it makes students more responsible. The reason I do well in my classes is because I do my homework well. If a student feels [that] they benefit by just studying for a test on their own, then they should be able to do that.”

Tori Eldridge, Senior “It allows students to get what they want out of school. However, I also think that it will result in worse grades. Overall, this is a bad idea.”

o HEAD

r k Policy

S

Sometimes in life, people have to do things that they do not want to do. It is a tough lesson to learn, but there are times in life where people must complete tasks that seem meaningless or arbitrary. East chemistry teacher Greg Mahlerwein’s homework policy, which allows students to opt out of homework, does not teach this principle.

The new homework policy, which was implemented at the start of the second quarter, allows students to either complete a homework assignment and have it graded for accuracy, or to not complete it and receive no penalty towards their grades. Students are able to choose whether or not to do their homework on a day-by-day basis. They may choose to complete one assignment, while deciding to forgo the next.

Fellow East chemistry teacher John Severns started a similar homework policy for his Chemistry II students last year. His policy differs from Mahlerwein’s in that it required students to decide whether or not to complete their homework for an entire quarter. This is more effective than Mahlerwein’s policy because it requires students to commit one way or the other. Under Mahlerwein’s policy, a student can forget to do his or her homework and not be penalized.

While the forgiving nature of the policy is kind to students who normally do their work and just forget once, it does not educate students on the importance of being organized, staying on top of things or adhering to deadlines. These are skills that will prepare them for the real world, where there is no safety net for missing deadlines or being unprepared.

Mahlerwein says that the new policy is similar to a college structure

a ks Out on the idea of optional work?

Rachel

Podnar

in which homework is of little importance and most of the grades come from tests. This is valid, but high school isn’t college.

In high school, homework is a valuable tool to prepare students for college and their careers after college. It reinforces what is learned in class and helps students learn the information each day so they will be better prepared for tests. Better preparation leads to higher test scores, which results in a higher grade point average (GPA), which then culminates in a more marketable future. If students choose to not do their homework, they will not reap its benefits.

According to research done by Harris Cooper, a professor of psychology at Duke University, homework improves achievement scores at the high school level. Out of 50 studies conducted on the relationship between homework and achievement levels, 43 found that for high school students, spending time on homework amounted to a 25 percent increase in achievement. Also, a high school student in a class with homework will outperform a student in a class without homework 69 percent of the time.

Students need to learn that in the real world they will be penalized if they don’t complete the tasks that they are asked to complete.

If students believe that work is optional and that if they do not feel that a task is important then they don’t have to complete it, they will take that approach with them and apply it to their future jobs. These students, however, will inevitably find that tasks delegated by employers are never optional.

While Mahlerwein started the policy as part of an effort to improve education methods, Severns says that he started his homework policy because there were students that consistently failed to complete their homework. He thought little was accomplished by giving those students zeroes and he wanted them to succeed.

This, also, does not teach students that sometimes they have to suck it up and deal with it. Even if English students stopped writing essays and students stopped coming to school, English essays and attendance would still be required.

So far, Mahlerwein has noticed that about a fourth to a third of his students opt out on individual assignments. Severns has noticed that three to four students opted out of homework each quarter.

Mahlerwein’s wish is that students will come to realize the importance of homework on their own and all students will decide to complete their homework.

In reality, students shouldn’t be given the option to forgo homework just so they can learn a lesson. They are just as able to realize the benefits of homework while it is mandatory.

By giving students the opportunity to say “no” to homework, Mahlerwein is giving his students responsibility for their own grades, which is commendable. The benefits of homework impacting every student’s grade are stronger.

Chemistry students, homework is good for you. Tough love. n

“There is no safety net for missing deadlines or being unprepared.”

Thomas Vidas, Senior

Matt Bowman, Junior

“If I didn’t have to do my homework, then I wouldn’t.

Making [it] optional gives students a sense of false security when they have an A in the class after cramming for a test the night before.”

“That would be sweet, but it would give students no incentive to work.”

65 | Spark | lehsspark.org

opinion | finishing touch

FAIZSIDDIQUI don’t grope me ,bro T

here is no denying it; I am a national security threat. With the stunts I’ve pulled, I probably shouldn’t be allowed within 50 miles of an airport terminal.

Take, for example, my recent trip to the Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky Airport (CVG). I was preparing to board a plane to Kansas City, MO in order to attend the Journalism Education Association/National Scholastic Press Association Fall 2010 Convention.

For starters, I forgot that liquids were not allowed past the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint. As a result, I almost snuck my raspberry mocha into the terminal. Even though the latte was no longer at its tongue-scalding serving temperature, I surely could have thrown my lukewarm beverage onto an innocent bystander in an attempt to drown him and take over the airport.

I had to dispose of my mocha.

But once I had survived the TSA checkpoint, the real danger ensued.

Instead of riding the moving sidewalks through the terminal, I walked on the ground that was moving under me, probably reaching speeds upwards of 10 miles per hour. At speeds like this, I surely could have rammed my 120 pound, all-muscle body into innocent bystanders in an attempt to take over the airport. I didn’t seize the opportunity.

But the most dangerous act was still to come.

I stood at the end of the moving sidewalks facing a difficult decision.

Everybody in my group seemed to be riding the escalator on the left, leaving it congested. I decided to be the rebel. Halfway up the ride, I realized why my escalator was so empty. This was the international escalator. My mind raced as I considered the potential consequences. This escalator could have been leading to a different terminal, or even a different country. As I struggled to conceive how my snap-decision escalator ride could land me in Guatemala, I quickly searched for my passport, hoping that I could at least gain admittance into the magical stairs’ destination. The escalator ride came to an end. I was standing on the same ground as my peers and fellow journalists. The international escalator led me to the same exact point in the same exact terminal as the domestic one would have. “How anticlimactic,” I thought. Still, I had broken protocol.

Perhaps my risqué activity in airports should deem me worthy to be pulled aside for “random” security checks. Perhaps that is why a TSA agent groped me during a “random” pat-down. Perhaps that is why I was forced to stand on a platform with my hands held to my head so another TSA agent could inspect a computer-generated version of my unclothed body. Or maybe it was my raspberry mocha—a risky alternative to the simple mocha latte—that warranted a full body search.

Or maybe it was the sweatshirt that I was wearing. Hoodies were in clear violation of a practiced policy which states that a hooded sweatshirt cannot be worn through the security scanner. Even though I placed mine into one of the gray bins on the conveyer belt as advised, maybe the suspicion was drawn from the fact that I was wearing the clothing article of choice of millions of teenaged Americans. Maybe it was just the hoodie.

Regardless of the reason, I received a “random” pat-down at CVG courtesy of the TSA. Clearly devoid of potential weapons as a result of the screening and the confiscation of my deodorant, I walked past the checkpoint. Little did airport security know there was a Starbucks inside of the terminal too. In an unprecedented threat to national security, I pulled my most dangerous stunt of all­—I bought myself another raspberry mocha. n

66 66| Spark | Spark| December | December16, 16,2010 2010