Lakota East Spark 2011-2012 Issue 7

Spark Lakota East High School lakotaeastspark.com April 26, 2012 $4 Newsstand

INSIDE: EAST ADJUSTS TO A NEW LEADER

WOMEN, AND MEN, ARE STRUGGLING TO FIND THEIR PLACES IN SOCIETY WITH ITS CHANGING PERCEPTION OF

GENDER ROLES PLUS: SPARK SITS DOWN WITH EAST ALUMN AND ARCHER’S PARADOX FRONT MAN SETH HUFF SPORTS: LAUREN BUCK WINS GMC SHOT PUT TITLE SPECIAL INDEPTH: THE MIRACULOUS STORY OF PROM PRINCESS JESSICA ELAM

10

faces of east

6/1/12.

Spark

Contents

16

24

After Chinese Principal Yuan Ye Jingmen of No. 1 High School visited East in Fall 2011, Dr. Kline trekked across the Pacific to experience Chinese education at its fullest potential.

Tea drinking is a large part of many world cultures. Tea enthusiasts share their favorite ways to enjoy tea and its many health benefits.

PRINCIPAL DIPLOMACY

TEA TIME

58

THE UPSIDEDOWN J

This East junior has undergone more strife and turmoil than most people, but with the unfathomable aid of friends, family and faith she is able to prevail.

Volume XX Issue CXLIV SENIOR PROFILES: Spark profiles 10 East seniors from the class of 2012. Learn about the varied faces of this year’s graduating class.

64

SETH HUFF INTERVIEW

Spark staff member Rachel Hartwick sits down to discuss hip-hop, Bon Iver and Bunbury with East alumni Seth Huff, the front man of Archer’s Paradox.

38

78

CARRYING TRADITION

After finishing the season second in the Greater Miami Conference the East girls’ varsity softball team is glad to have built its team traditions over the years.

GENDER ROLES

ON THE COVER: photo illustration devin casey, ellen fleetwood, bridget lally Spark lifestyle editor Bridget Lally dons suspenders in an attempt to portray society’s ever changing perception of gender roles in respect to fashion.

29...................................NO TEARS SHED 30.....................................MEN IN TIGHTS 31........................................FEMINEERING 34..............................WOMEN OF POWER 36...........................................SUPER DAD

opinion | letter to the editor

Dear Spark, First of all, I thought that you had a quality publication, especially considering that this was a high school publication. You all should be very proud of your publication and hopefully many of you will have a bright future in journalism. I was saddened to read the article about budget cuts and the loss of some of your teachers. Unfortunately, I know this all too well. I earned my Master’s degree in Elementary Education from Xavier University in 2006. I have also had a Middle School Language Arts and Social Studies license for 5 years. Unfortunately due to the extensive budget and personnel cuts and the economy, I have had absolutely no luck with finding a permanent job. In the meantime, I have been subbing for several local districts in Butler, Clermont, and Brown Counties, including Lakota. Even worse, there are several other recent graduates like me that would be willing to do almost anything to get a chance in their chosen field and unfortunately can’t find the door. The door is usually slammed in our faces and deadbolted.

Also, I enjoyed the article about Bad Veins. I don’t know if you realize this, but the frontman for the group, Benjamin Davis, is from the Cincinnati area. Benjamin graduated from Bethel Tate High School in Bethel (Clermont County). I actually went all through school with Ben and I was also in the band with him. He played drums and I played the trumpet. We graduated from Bethel-Tate in 1997. I didn’t know that he had recorded some music until a friend sent me a link over facebook. I can actually say that I knew Ben when he was little, because we were in the same Kindergarten class together.

Keep up the good work!

–Jennifer Goldberg, East substitute teacher

Downtalking teachers that are only trying to make sure that their students achieve to their fullest potential.

Kids bash on each other all the time, leaving others constantly worrying about what rumor is circulating about them today. That’s no way to succeed. I’m tired of the negativity flowing around this school. Someone has to be that guy that stands up and says that we’re all being ridiculous. Can we all please grow up and act like the adolescents we claim to be?

–Hannah Hall, East junior

Dear Spark, There is an issue that has come to a lot of people’s attention since the “Be The Difference” assemblies: how fickle people are.

When I was a part of the first assembly, I was thinking how wonderful things were going to be now that we have uncovered just how much people have been hurting and how we’re really all the same. I really couldn’t have been more wrong. The assemblies were wonderful, we all had fun, and we grew closer to each other. For the day, at least.

I personally try to at least smile at people if I make eye contact in the hallway because I know a simple smile can change a person’s day around. I try to make sure no one is feeling left out of conversations or events. I don’t always succeed, because I’m human too.

Every day I hear people making up rumors.

Talking about their friends behind their backs.

Dear Spark, First, I would like to say that Spark has done a great job this year continuing to provide both entertainment and education to its readers. Even as I sit at my desk in Columbus, Ohio I am able to check the Spark website for the latest in Lakota. For as much negative press the school system gets, especially in the fast few years, I think that Lakota has done a great job.

Despite having failed numerous levies in a row and being forced to cut both programs and teachers, the Lakota Local School District earned a silver medal from U.S. News and World Report. Lakota prepared me among many students to succeed both in university and beyond.

Through AP and honors classes I was able to earn more than a year of university credit. Talking to other students from schools around the country I noticed that although it seemed like Lakota lost so much, we are in fact fortunate to have the programs that were maintained. Lakota will continue to prepare their graduates to go above and beyond expectations because of the tireless teachers and the ever-dedicated community members.

–Nick Tedesco, Columbus, Ohio

Website Commentary www.lakotaeastspark.com Jasmine Tuazon’s “The Blindside” I think that was a really intelligent article.

It really shows his true colors and how much he is improving himself for the better. His coaches and teammates are very impressed with him. I recommend this article to everyone who struggles sometimes.

SPARK SURVEY: Do you believe that women play a significant role in American politics?

NO:

39%

—Brooke Colomb That is amazing that even though he cannot see he is overcoming his disabilites and doing water-skiing. I cannot even do water-skiing while being able to see so the fact that he cannot see and can still be amazing at it is, well, amazing.

—Kelsey 4 | Spark | May 28, 2012

YES:

61%

GOT SOMETHING

TO SAY?

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 on the following page, dropped off in the journalism classroom (room 118), comments on our online stories and tweets to our account listed below.

Letters must be signed, and the staff reserves the right to edit letters for length, grammar, invasion or privacy, obscenity or potential libel. The opinion editors will contact letter writers for conformation. facebook | facebook.com/lehsspark twitter | @LakotaEastSpark email | lehs.spark@gmail.com website | www.lakotaeastspark.com

opinion | letter from the editor

from the editor

EVOLVING PERSPECTIVES

W

hen I was in eighth grade, I decided that I when I grew up, I wanted to have a job with a lot of power and a really nice office. I wanted to work for the government and hold an elected position.

I wanted to be President of the free world. Not just a female President, but the first female President, smashing the glass ceiling for future generations of young girls with dreams like mine.

My plan included joining the Peace Corps out of college, then working as an unbiased journalist across the country, getting to know the American people before working my way to elected

Spark

office and probably taking the route of governor to the White House. I held onto this narrative through high school, even warning my speech class last year to watch for me in future elections.

But over the past year, as I’ve had more brushes with hard work and power than in the rest of my life, I’ve decided the Oval Office might not be for me; I’d like to spend more of my time relaxing with my future family than solving the nation’s problems and being picked apart by the media. As I’ve grown older, I realize that maternal hormones start kicking in and I would rather coo at babies than argue about politics.

That’s not to say I’ve jumped from my goal of President to housewife, but I am grateful that women in the 21st century do not have to choose all-career or allfamily life: everyone is free to carve their own way.

I am not the first girl to dream of being President but I can only hope that by the time I reach an age where I could be President, that our country has finally broken the barrier and elected a woman to the Presidency.

For all of the incredible gains that women have achieved in the past 100 years, roadblocks to success still exist, and they may be fueled by the perception of gender roles. Women’s median wage is only 81 percent of men’s median wage.

Recent trends, however, show that traditional gender roles are disintegrating: 60 percent of U.S. students in college are women and in 2009, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, four out of 10 working women out-earned their husbands, up 50 percent from 1999.

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

Devin Casey, Rachel Podnar, Christian Roehm Editor-in-Chief Victoria Reick-Mitrisin Broadcast Manager Devon Lakes Business Manager Shivang Patel Graphics Manager Megan Fogel, Sean Lewis Managing Editor Sierra Whitlock Photo Manager Tommy Behan Webmaster Zach Armstrong, Christina Wilkerson Copy Director Rachel Knock Public Relations Director Zach Fulciniti, Dillon Mitchell Entertainment Editor Michael Tedesco, Jasmine Tuazon Feature Editor Tabbatha Hall, Bridget Lally Lifestyle Editor Alex Griffin, Kaitlin Lange, Mohinee Mukherjee News Editor

Raika Casey, Emily Chao Opinion Editor Nugeen Aftab, Rachel King, Sophia Li, Drew Souders Package Editor Jeff Back, Hannah Lee, Natasha Rausch Sports Editor Lauren Barker, Lisa Cai, Ian Castro, Irfan Ibrahim, Arvind Madhavan Art Editor Ellen Fleetwood Photo Editor Amber Jagpal, Maddie McGarvey Business Associate Jill Stelletell Public Relations Associate Cheyenne Blanchette, Samantha Hauck Survey Coordinator Brett Colburn, John Grasty, Ian Smith Multimedia Editor Dean Hume Adviser

Our nation may be on the cusp of gender role overhaul if the balance of wealth and power continues to shift.

What role would traditional gender roles hold in society when more women are the primary breadwinners in families?

This issue, Spark examines that question in our package exploring gender roles, produced by a journalism I class.

Read about young male dancers, defying high school stereotypes and the rise of women in politics. Meet girls who take STEAM classes in science and math fields, the next generation of women engineers. The package takes a national issue like gender roles and breaks it down into specific issues, issues that are connected to East and or community through poignant characters.

Also in this issue are the traditional end-of-the-year senior profiles, where the poignant characters of the graduating class stand out. The Class of 2012 is represented by a variety of students, representing the unique niches at East.

Whether they be leaders in the classroom, in National Honor Society or in athletics, these seniors also have surprising lives outside of school like the beauty queen, karate enthusiast or artist. These seniors are a window into the graduating class— showing that we have all found our own paths in high school, and those paths will take us in different directions after we graduate on June 3.

Thank you for joining us for this year of Spark—seven issues of compelling stories, serious conflicts, hopeful solutions and most importantly, the cast and characters of our community through which we tell those stories.

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 or the publication as a whole. 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 sparkbusiness@gmail.com.

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

Spark accepts news releases, guest columns and sports information releases.

Spark, 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.

lakotaeastspark.com | Spark | 5

news | stay connected

Stay Connected www.lakotaeastspark.com @LakotaEastSpark Lakota East Spark Scan this QR Code with a smartphone to access more news stories online.

Sophomores who score well on their OGTs will have preferred parking.

n School News

Incentives for Success

East junior Caitlin Graska hopes to be a Thunder Crew mentor next year.

n School News

Future Thunder Crew

As sophomores receive their scores from the March Ohio Graduation tests, they will also receive their rewards, which have been revamped from previous awards.

The current Eastside Mentor program will be replaced next year

by Thunder Crew, a variation of nationally syndicated program Link Crew and will require more intensive involvement.

story jaime etterling | photo ellen fleetwood

story ameera khalid | photo ellen fleetwood

n School News

End of an Era story elaine laux | photo justin york

Bill Thomas conducts fifth period symphonic Photovoltaic solar winds in his last panels help power weeks at East.

IKEA West Chester.

6 | Spark | May 28, 2012

l

“It is a lot like being a senior in high school,” East band director Bill Thomas said. “You are constantly thinking about how this is your last time doing certain things. You don’t know whether to be happy you did it, or sad it is over.”

Thomas is a thirty-year veteran in music education, with sixteen of those years spent in Lakota. His first year was spent at the original Lakota high school. He was the assistant director under Lakota West’s current band director, Greg Snyder. This current school year will be Thomas’s last as he will be officially retired as of August 1.

“When East opened in 1997, I became the band director,” Thomas said. “Fifteen years later and here I am doing the same thing. I love it.”

With a 30-year education career under his belt, Thomas decided to retire due to incentives through Lakota’s teacher union, Lakota Educators Association. Thomas does not have tenure, and if he waited to retire, he would have been cut after next school year due to reductions in force stemming from the failed Lakota levies.

With the absence of Thomas next school year, current East associate director Rob Tanis will take over as director. East plans to hire an associate director to fill the void. The interviews and selections are still in progress, but must be decided before July as that is the start of the marching band season. “[Thomas] is one tough guy to replace,” East principal Dr. Keith Kline said. “He will be sorely missed here at East.”

story continued on lakotaeastspark.com

East Freshman/Sophomore Spring Fling Sidelined story by Marissa Alsip

news | east faculty

KLINE

MOVES

ON;

DAVIS

MOVES

IN

Kline discusses his career change at his final Spark press conference.

Kline ends his five-year tenure as East principal to serve in the West Clermont district and Freshman Campus associate principal Davis moves up to become East’s third principal. story rachel podnar | photo ellen fleetwood

N

ext year, East principal Dr. Keith Kline will drive past East every morning, but instead of pulling into the parking lot, he will pass by on the way to his new job.

After 15 years in the Lakota Local School District and five years as East principal, Kline is moving on.

At the same time, East Freshman Campus associate principal Suzanna Davis will move into East as the building’s third principal. Her hire was finalized by the Lakota Board of Education on May 14 by a unanimous vote.

Kline will serve as the assistant superintendent of the West Clermont Local

School District starting in the 2012-13 school year. The West Clermont Board of Education approved the hire on April 25. Kline’s position will be effective on Aug. 1 when he replaces the current assistant superintendent Al Delgado. According to West Clermont treasurer Alana Cooper, Kline’s salary at West Clermont will be $123,746.

Kline said that he applied for a job outside of Lakota because he was ready to be challenged with new professional responsibilities aside from running a building and serving as a building principal, and he hopes this move may set him up to be a

information lakotaonline.com, westcler.org, the buckeye institute

Kline’s New Endeavor

Comparing the demographic points of Lakota to West Clermont.

Lakota

West Clermont

County

Butler

Clermont

Size

18,000

9,000

Schools

22

10

Rating on State Report Card

Excellent with Distinction

Excellent

Salary

$106,844

$123,746

8 | Spark | May 28, 2012

superintendent in the future.

“I practice being a life-long learner and at this point in my career I’m looking for some different challenges,” Kline said. “We certainly have challenges here and we have worked through some of those and East is in a pretty good spot. Professionally, I need to look for things that will challenge me as I move forward. Maybe this move will open some opportunities for the future as well.”

In his new position, Kline will be focusing more on human resources and the operational side of West Clermont, which may range from negotiating contracts to organizing bus routes. West Clermont is roughly half the size of Lakota and is located in Clermont County, which is east of Cincinnati.

Like Lakota, West Clermont is experiences financial difficulty, as their November levy failed. Kline said when thinking about potential new jobs, he ruled out the financial situation of the districts because it would be too difficult to find a district on solid revenue ground.

Kline informed the East staff of his decision to leave Lakota in an email on April 25. He formally informed students and parents of the change in his Thunderhawk Newsletter when he introduced Davis as the new Main Campus principal.

Davis has spent much of her career in education at East, starting out 14 years ago as the physical education and health teacher when Kline hired her for her first teaching job.

She worked as freshman assistant principal and associate principal of the freshman

campus.

Davis said that she is looking forward to continuing her time at East and working with the great staff.

“I’m honored,” she said. “The majority of my career has been connected to this building and that is very special for me. I couldn’t ask for better teachers, better parent support.

I really think East is well-respected in our community and I want East to continue to be a huge part of the community.”

Student input will be highly valued, Davis said and is also looking at diversifying communication and branching out to social media. She has been working on a technology pilot program for East to use student technology in the classroom, which may be implemented when she is principal.

Davis, who is pregnant, said her due date is Aug. 31 and she plans on taking some maternity leave, but the specific details have not been discussed.

East athletic director Richard Bryant

49%

of 623 East students surveyed were not aware that Dr. Kline is leaving his job as principal of East.

coordinated the hiring effort between East and Central Office that resulted in Davis’ hire.

Bryant and the selection committee “optimistically” hoped the hiring process would take two weeks, and it was completed in little more than one.

According to Lakota human resources

“I’m honored. The majority of my career has been connected to this building and it is special for me. I really think East is well-respected in our community.” partner Aimee Watkins, the process that Lakota follows when new administrators are hired is posting the job offering, reviewing and selecting a pool of applicants, conducting interviews followed by reference checks and finally, offering the job.

When the 2012-13 school year begins, both Lakota high schools will have new principals.

Lakota West principal Richard Hamilton will retire after this year and West Freshman Campus associate principal Elgin Card will succeed him as principal.

Kline said that his departure from East will be bittersweet, he will miss the friends he has made, he is proud to look back at the

Rise of Liberty Town Square story alex griffin

F

or five-year West Chester resident Connie Edwards it was a win-win situation. For the rest of the Liberty Way residents, development and construction company Steiner + Associates, the Liberty Township community, and surrounding businesses, it was also a winwin situation.

Steiner + Associates develops mall strips and contracts different businesses, and is contracted with the construction of Liberty Town Square. The new development consists of retail, entertainment, residential, offices and hotels excited the community, generated predominantly positive responses.

“Most of the people that Steiner + Associates approached, the ones on Liberty Way, are renters. All of us on the street knew

thousands of graduates that East has sent into the world and see that he has played a role in their success.

“I hope that staff and students would think of me as a hard worker who was very committed to making sure our school was successful,” Kline said. “That has been a

what was happening, so we were all prepared for it,” Edwards said. “We knew they were going to buy, which is fine with all of us. We’re all ready to roll and move on with our lives.”

News about Liberty Town Square involving Steiner + Associates and their future development project spread to residents of Liberty Township, but Edwards’ doubts were confirmed when she saw the future construction site sign her front yard.

According to the sign which Steiner + Associates has placed along the Liberty Way Interchange of Interstate 75, the Liberty Town Square development will be open in 2014.

“Back in 2007, when the economy was at its peak, Liberty Township and Butler County began working with Steiner + Associates to

major goal: ‘How do we help young people meet with success and be prepared to go out and conquer the world?’ Hopefully I have been able to add to that over fifteen years.”

Davis is very excited for her new opportunity. She has taught with many of the faculty members at East and looks forward to working with them to continue to improve East.

“We’re in an exciting time in education because things are changing, [and we must keep up with that change and be creative],” she said. “I want East to be at the forefront of innovation. I want to be the ones out there doing new things.” n bring a lifestyle to our region. A year later the market took a steep downturn and the project was put on hold,” Liberty Township Board of Trustees President Christine Matacic said.

“Last summer, Steiner + Associates asked that we extend their Business-Planned Unit Development District (B-PUD) for two years in order for them to explore the possibilities of bringing this project back to life.”

The project, however, was delayed in the fall of 2008 due to economic hardships, but Steiner + Associates said they would continue developing Liberty Town Square once economic conditions improved.

Liberty Township Trustees held a public meeting on Jan. 27, 2012 and approved a resolution to execute a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Board of County Commissioners of Butler County and Liberty Township.

Spark

High School Lakota East n Online Editio

Story will be followed up on in later issues and continued on

lakotaeastspark.com | Spark | 9

news | district trends

Turning Tides

Enrollment numbers in Lakota have decreased in recent years, signaling the end of the district’s rapid growth. story mohinee mukherjee | infographic shivang patel | photo michael tedesco

W

hen a member from the audience addressed the community during a Lakota Board of Education meeting saying that she planned on transferring her children out of the Lakota Local School District because of the budget cuts, Lakota treasurer Jenni Logan was not disconcerted.

She knew all too well that the loss of students was an inevitable outcome. “[The decrease in student enrollment] has been a large number for the last couple of years,” Logan said. “I don’t know if we have detailed data to tell us exactly. We’ve had a lot of students coming, but there’s more going.”

Whether it be through natural population changes, fallout from the levy failures or individual factors, Lakota has lost approximately 502 students from the 2010-11 school year to 2011-12 school year.

Lakota enrollment coordinator Kim McGowan said that she would “hate to come to conclusions without data to support” as to

why students are leaving the district. She said there are many factors that could determine the reasons students leave and mentioned that the number of students in the district changes every day.

“I can tell you that the enrollment center has, since that number was published, seen more students come in for the remainder of the year,” McGowan said. “The number I have is closer to 300 fewer than 500 and since that number’s been run, we’ve had more new students for the remainder of this year.”

Currently, data specialists at Lakota’s 22 schools have each individual school’s data regarding students withdrawing out of the district. In March, the Board passed a district-wide budget reduction proposal that included restructuring the enrollment center to consolidate and manage data from the entire district.

“Right now, [the data] is so spread out that there’s not a central way to manage it,”

McGowan said. “The enrollment center’s role will be to centralize the data regarding withdrawals so that we can look at why students are leaving and where they’re going.”

According to Lakota business manager Chris Passarge, a reason for the decrease in the enrollment was the stagnation in the housing market. Prior to this, Lakota was seeing constant growth and there was a large number of children coming into the district.

These classes of students have graduated and are continuing to graduate, however, the number of students in Lakota appears to be decreasing.

“Typically, families who already had kids go through the schools [are] hanging onto their homes a little bit longer,” Passarge said.

“They don’t want to take a loss in their homes right now, so they’re not selling their homes or staying in their homes longer instead of turning over and letting new families come over with students.”

A demographer stepped in to do a forecast for Lakota over the next 10 years and predicted that the district’s enrollment would be in a declining phase, and then it would be steady for a period of time. Yet, Passarge was taken aback to see the slight decrease in the number of students to happen so quickly.

“I think [the decrease in students came] a little bit sooner than we thought and a little bit deeper than we thought,” Passarge said.

Despite the decrease in student enrollment from the 2010-11 school year to the current school year, Passarge finds that a few schools in the district are heavy in population while most of the schools are “right where we should be with our capacity.”

Logan sees the decrease in the population as “a little bit of breathing room” for Lakota.

“Honestly, if we had a large influx of Liberty Junior student Ally Sharrock will not attend Lakota next year, choosing to attend Fenwick instead.

10 | Spark | May 28, 2012

students coming into this district right now, it’s difficult enough to try to find the dollars to operate on,” Logan said. “I can’t imagine trying to deal with additional facility use. It’s one less problem.”

According to Logan, when a student leaves Lakota and goes to another district, a charter school, a electronic school or takes post-secondary classes, the money follows the student, meaning that Lakota’s flat funding from Ohio decreases and goes to the new school. Although there is a decrease in the number of students, Logan said the cost per student is not guaranteed to increase.

“If you think about it as a mathematical equation, you got your total expenditures as your numerator [and] your denominator is your number of pupils,” Logan said. “If you have less expenditure and fewer pupils, then I don’t know how much is exactly going to be impacted, and we won’t have that until we finish up the year.”

If Lakota’s expenditures remained constant and there were fewer students in the district, the ratio would increase. Logan said that both

16%

of 823 East students surveyed considered transferring out of Lakota for next school year. the number of students and the expenditures in the district are decreasing, so she does not expect the cost per pupil to increase.

The consequences of consecutive levy failures are among the many reasons why students choose to leave Lakota. East freshman Brian Herring is considering leaving Lakota because of the recent budget cuts at

After growing by 9,070 students in the past 21 year, the Lakota Local School District faced its first drop in student enrollment.

17,782 Students

18,554 Students 18,261 Students 2007-08

18,359 Students 2008-09 $9,503

2009-10 $9,806

18,426 Students 2010-11 $9,287

$9,129

2006-07 $8,518

Enrollment increase from previous year Expenditures per pupil

Enrollment decrease from previous year

information ohio department of education

Unlocking Enrollment Data

the high school level.

Lakota employees and siblings of current Although he has been a student in the Lakota students. district since kindergarten, Herring is worried While the policy may help stabilize that he will not be able to take the classes he enrollment and bring some additional revenue needs to graduate. to the flat funding Lakota receives, Logan said “The fact that we’re going down to six the district has to be cautious and make “dataperiods [will make it] harder to get my credits based decisions” because there will be a great in” said Herring, who is looking at Bishop deal of work to do to implement the policy Fenwick High school and Father Stephen T. effectively. For instance, if a student were to Badin High School. “Some of the classes that enroll in a school that is already at capacity, the I would’ve wanted to take this year, I won’t district would have to spend more money to have the chance to take next year because of “Some of the classes that I would’ve wanted the six-period day.”

Although Herring said to take this year, I won’t have the chance to that it is a 50 percent chance that he will leave take next year because of the six-period day.”

Lakota, he does not want to leave because of friends and family. support the additional student.

Liberty Junior High School eighth grade “If we could take those students and student Ally Sharrock is planning on going to spread them evenly out, then it would be a Fenwick, but she also does not want to leave win-win,” Logan said. “We want to make her friends behind. Fortunately, some of her sure we’re not just chasing money then friends are planning to join her at Fenwick. end up costing ourselves an unintended “[Because] the levies aren’t passing, they’re consequence.” cutting a lot of things which would be nice to While Logan does not think open have to get ready for college,” Sharrock said. enrollment is absolutely necessary, Passarge Currently, Lakota does not allow open said that the open enrollment policy may also enrollment, in which students outside Lakota help Lakota become more competitive with could be enrolled in the district, because of neighboring districts. the rate of student enrollment increasing “You need to be competitive in what in the past. Due to the sudden decrease in you have to offer,” Passarge said. “As a enrollment, however, the district is considering community, they need to realize that if you’re passing a policy to allow open enrollment going to sell your home and build homes, you for other students from other districts. The need to have a competitive school district with proposal states that applications for students your neighbors to influence people [to come outside of Lakota will be considered on a first here.]” come, first served basis, depending on certain Logan said that the Lakota is trying to be guidelines. Preference will be given toward the best district it can be. applicants in the order of students who were “We want to be their school of choice,” previously enrolled in Lakota, children of Logan said. “We really do. That’s our goal.” n

news | scheduling

SCHEDULE ANXIETY With the Lakota Board of Education’s announcement of 102 academic classes cut due to class enrollment, students and teachers alike must adjust to scheduling and enrollment sizes for 2012. story jasmine tuazon photo justin york infographic irfan ibrahim

W

ith the possibility of losing 24 faculty members to Reduction in Force (RIF) cuts in the East Freshman and Main Campuses, as well as a change to a six-period day, class-change flexibility will be virtually nonexistent with at-capacity class sizes and teachers instructing the entire school day, making this year’s scheduling more stressful for students, counselors and parents alike.

“In the past, students who needed to change levels, like from honors to college preparation, could do that after teacher and parent consultation,” East guidance counselor Lauri MacNeel said. “I fear that may no longer be the case [because classes will be completely full] and students [will be locked] into fewer and fewer options.”

According to the Feb. 13 Lakota Local School District Board of Education Budget Recommendations, classes like Advanced Placement (AP) Chemistry, AP Statistics, AP Drawing, American Sign Language, French and Jazz Band––to name a few––may not run in the future because of potentially low enrollment. Other courses, like German, will not only be cut, but also be completely phased out of the curriculum within the next few years.

“Many of the students are sad to see German go. I am in German III, and I plan on taking AP German next year because I love [the class,]” East sophomore Jarred Noffsinger said. “I feel like [it] is an extremely useful language in the real world, and my ancestors

12 | Spark | May 28, 2012

East teacher Kristen Young teaches her German I class, which will not be included in the Program of Studies at East next year.

are German so it felt right for me to take it.”

The Board released official course offerings on May 14 for the 2012-13 school year. Based on student enrollment for next year, the offerings for East called to combine 102 academic classes with College Preparation level classes, cut 3D Art and Publications, move Multimedia Communications I and II into the Butler Tech Digital Media Arts Program, and gradually phase German out, beginning with cutting German I. East German teacher Kristen Young, one of four other East foreign language teachers on the RIF list, said she had made several different attempts to persuade younger students to take her classes and prevent it from being cut.

“I try to be authentic and make class exciting so students can tell their friends and family what fun things happen in German,” Young said. “I’ve also gone to all the elective fairs and to try to promote the foreign language department as a whole.”

Other than foreign language, some higher level honors or AP courses faced being cut because of the few number of students willing and skilled to enroll in those classes. “[My teachers] are really concerned for the future of AP classes,” East junior Hannah Hall said. “The flex schedule seems to be worrying them because a lot of students will probably [not register for] AP classes if they don’t need to take them, [even if] the kids who will be taking AP classes are the ones who will

be serious.”

The uncertainty of whether some classes would run caused many students and their parents to seek out other academic options.

“The number of students pursuing educational options has grown with the switch to a six-period day,” MacNeel said. “[Counselors have been busy communicating with] students and parents who want to pursue certain credits and other options outside of the school day like credit-flex plans, testing out [of classes,] Physical Education waivers, online courses, summer school, PostSecondary Enrollment Options and so on.”

One such student working to get credits outside of the regular classroom is East sophomore Evan Striker, who has spoken to MacNeel about taking his required government and economics classes online to open up his schedule for other classes that could be cut in his junior or senior year.

“Students don’t quite grasp how serious the situation is,” Striker said. “Most cannot imagine Lakota being anything less than what it was this year. Once they realize classes that were once taken for granted will not be available, they will try to fix the problem, but by then it may be too late.”

Like Striker, Hall also must look to an outside alternate credit source to get all her needed credits for graduation.

“I hate that we don’t have seven periods because now I can’t take gym in school,” Hall said. “I have to take a course through

Brigham Young University that is more than 100 dollars, [and that is about half the cost of] summer school.”

Other than the six-period school day, MacNeel stresses that another factor that will affect scheduling will be the newly implemented senior flex schedules.

“Counselors will have to work through senior schedules that [are not in the morning, afternoon, or middle of the day] like the students want,” MacNeel said. “I am curious to see if more sophomores and juniors are closed out of their first elective choices because with reduced elective options, seniors will likely get first priority, forcing underclassmen into alternate electives.”

After counselors verify the student requests, administrators will begin creating the master schedule at the end of the school year.

According to East principal Dr. Keith Kline, this master schedule includes when and where all the staff members and students are in the building, and for each class, it shows what period it is, what classroom it is in, and which teacher is teaching that class.

Kline, East associate principal Suzanna Davis, East assistant principals and department chairs are responsible for organizing the master schedule and minimizing conflicts, a process which usually takes several weeks. A hierarchy of those in charge of creating the master schedule was established to increase efficiency and decrease the massive workload on one person.

Lost Arts

East math department head Michael Floyd said Kline, Davis and East assistant principal Michael Broadwater always consider his teacher suggestions for the master schedule. “[The administration] gives me the numbers of students in each class and how many sections we will have for each class, and then I can talk with the teachers in my department to find out what classes they want to teach,” Floyd said.

“The administration is nearly 100 percent effective in making all of my recommendations work.”

Floyd said that the reduction in teachers and periods will not only affect scheduling, but also how much out-of-class help teachers will be able to provide students.

“The most important concern I have is how we will provide extra help for students who need it during the school day,” Floyd said.

“Currently we have a math teacher in the [East Freshman] Learning Center every period, and this [resource] will be gone because everyone will be teaching six periods next year.”

According to Kline, who will tell the teachers by the end of May what classes they will be teaching, one of the biggest challenges will be arranging a schedule that creates as few conflicts for students as possible.

“My major goal is to give students everything they signed up for,” Kline said. “[For the upcoming school year,] we have a good number of kids who take all AP or a lot

of AP courses, so do we fit all the AP classes into a six-period day so they do not conflict?”

The scheduling process will continue through June and into July if necessary, and Kline said that students should receive their

“The most important concern I have is how we will provide extra help for students who need it during the school day.” schedules around August 10-12, about the same time schedules were released last year.

“I’ll send a letter out saying that students will be able to go onto Home Access Center to see their schedules,” Kline said. “We have to get counselors back at the beginning of August to [further] clean up the conflicts.

Schedules will be available around [the middle of] August, which is about the same time as last summer.”

Despite administrator and counselor efforts to maintain courses and periods that best correspond with most students’ schedules, many remain wary about the status of East’s educational opportunities.

“My main concern is for the future generations,” Hall said. “I wanted to teach at Lakota and have my kids go here, but now that it’s going down the drain, I fear for the district’s future.” n

Both East and Lakota West High School have to phase out German I due to budget cuts, as well as all academic level courses like English 92 and Algebra III. Both campuses are taking cuts in both business and art departments.

Dropped by East and Lakota West Dropped by Lakota West Only

Publications I-III English 92-112 Biology II Physical Science 102 German I 3D Art Geometry Algebra I-III World Studies 92 U.S. History 102 Current Issues World Cultures

Entrepreneurship Financial Planning Personal Information Technology I-II Sports and Entertainment Marketing Journalism I-III Honors Multivariable Calculus

lakotaeastspark.com | Spark | 13

news | going green

IKEA Goes Green

The West Chester IKEA location installed solar power in January, making it the 14th store nationwide to run on photovoltaic energy.

story laura shrake | infographic emily chao | photos ellen fleetwood and used with permission of IKEA

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n Swedish culture, it is custom to respect nature. In accordance with their Swedish roots, IKEA stores around the world are dedicated to using as many renewable resources as possible.

Since IKEA’s beginnings in 1943, the corporation has been committed to promoting sustainability in order to reduce its impact on the environment. One specific way IKEA fulfills

this vision is by utilizing the latest technology in solar energy.

On Jan. 24, the West Chester location of IKEA officially integrated solar power into their current system. This branch was among the first of 17 stores in the United States to complete this project in the 2012 fiscal year. “[Solar energy] is a national project, and right now 85 percent of IKEAs are [powered

by] solar energy,” IKEA West Chester’s public relations director Kitalena Mason said. “We’re the 14th store [in the United States]to [install solar power].”

The energy-conserving project for this location began in early spring 2011 when IKEA was notified by corporate IKEA of the upcoming changes. By the end of August, the provider and installer of the solar panels,

Powered by Solar IKEA West Chester recently installed a 128,000 photovoltaic array consisting of 4,186 solar panels atop its roof. This is the 14th store to undergo such an installation, with 23 more locations underway. One-third of IKEA’s electricity usage will be completely clean, solar energy. tempered glass cover aluminum frame Plastic EDA meld

solar cell 99.999% silicon

14 | Spark | May 28, 2012

DC to AC Inverter IKEA’s meter

information Ben Collinwood, IKEA West Chester Press Release

Electricity generated by the photovoltaic system is sent to the inverter within IKEA. It is then converted from Direct Current (DC) electricity into Alternating Current electricity (AC). It then travels to a meter which determines if the electricity will be used for running appliances in IKEA or back to the utility.

A REC Solar panel, the same kind used on the roof of IKEA.

A roof view of the solar panels at the West Chester IKEA location.

“They have committed to their environment and their customers and want to have an impact on the environment.”

REC Solar, had arrived with their equipment and began installing in September.

IKEA’s investment in solar energy is the company’s largest project currently in progress. “[Solar energy] is a huge investment,” Mason said. “We own all the panels. We don’t rent them.”

According to Mason, who has been at IKEA West Chester for almost five years, this investment in renewable energy is wonderful.

IKEA’s commitment to being green is much more than the label of “environmentally friendly” suggests.

“Generally, everybody wants to be ‘environmentally friendly,’” Mason said. “You don’t have to know the numbers to know that it’s a huge financial investment. That shows how IKEA is committed to the project.”

According to IKEA’s 2011 Sustainability Report, IKEA U.S. is in the midst of investing $150 million in photovoltaic (solar) systems.

Upon outfitting 11 U.S. sites with solar panels, the systems combined will generate 6,800 kilowatts of electric power, each providing anywhere from 20 to 70 percent of the electricity needed to power any given IKEA. Their carbon footprint will be decreased by 7,700 tons due to these installments.

IKEA is unique in their commitment to being green because to the global company, being green is not just a buzz word.

“It’s good to know that we aren’t just going to talk about it,” Mason said. “We’re going to lead the way and force people to change their ways and lessen their impact on the environment.”

To aid in lessening their impact on the environment, IKEA contracted with REC Solar.

“Our goal is to shower the U.S. with solar and get the entire country to invest in solar energy as an option,” REC Solar’s Director of

National Accounts Ben Collinwood said. “Our tagline is ‘bringing solar to the mainstream.’”

According to Collinwood, IKEA’s installment of their own solar system makes them a great leader in their community.

“IKEA has accepted the financial risk and investment of going solar,” Collinwood said.

“They have committed to their environment and their customers and want to have a longterm impact on the environment.”

Typically, after investing in owning a solar energy system, the savings can increase two to three-fold over the course of 30 years.

“The financial economics often speak for themselves,” Collinwood said. “What we do for a company like IKEA is go through their utility bills for the last 12 months and compare that with what it would be if they had a solar energy system on their roof.”

Although IKEA does not discuss their specific financial returns, Collinwood estimates that about one third of the energy needed to power IKEA is produced by the solar system, and the system is expected to pay for itself between five and 10 years after installment.

REC Solar currently woks with 16 IKEAs, and also works with other large companies such as Kroger and Costco.

IKEA West Chester also commits to its environment in ways other than solar energy.

The store follows the company’s mission to reuse and give second life to an object by housing a large in-house recycling plant. This reduces IKEA’s carbon footprint and allows customers to do the same.

“We recycle as much as we can here,” Mason said. “We have recycling centers where people can recycle their bags and light bulbs.”

Another method of IKEA’s eco-friendly efforts is their reusable bags. At IKEAs around the world, customers are still adapting to the absence of plastic bags.

“IKEA was the first major retailer to start that, and other retailers followed,” Mason said.

“So now people either bring their own bags, or don’t mind paying 59 cents for a bag.”

The West Chester location also participates in local events that advocate sustainability.

“We’re sponsoring a Cincinnati event called Eco Sculpt,” Mason said. “They have artists make huge sculptures [out of reusable material] that will be displayed on Fountain Square. The event is right up IKEA’s alley because it promotes the same things as us: giving something a second life.”

In addition to their local sponsorships, IKEA is a very humble and globally charitable company according to Mason. As the largest contributor to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and partners with World Wild Life Fund (WWF), Save the Children, Forest Stewardship Council and the Better Cotton Initiative, IKEA further promotes its own mission of sustainability.

According to the 2011 Sustainability Report, more than 165,000 environmental and social improvements have been recorded by IKEA, making a difference in people’s lives and the environment around the world.

Sustainability is a part of the IKEA culture and values, and it is integrated in every part of the business.

“Some things you just do because it’s the right thing,” Mason said. “People are demanding that big businesses have talked enough, and that now it’s time to show them what we can do. We see ourselves as leaders in the community and hope that [installing the solar panels] will inspire other businesses to find different ways to be more sustainable.” n

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news | chinese exchange

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hen East principal Dr. Keith Kline stepped into Jingmen No. 1 High School in Hubei Province, China, he was hoisted to celebrity status. Not only did TV stations and reporters stop by to capture the moment, but the students also “spent days” planning a welcome party to greet the foreign star. “[The other educators in the program and I] were welcomed graciously wherever we went,” Kline said. “Their generosity is so moving.”

As one of the 33 American educators selected in the country, Kline spent two weeks at various schools in China, through the Chinese Exchange Initiative (CEI), whose goal is to facilitate friendships between educators in the two contacts to reduce conflict. He, along with CEI Deputy Director Ryan Martinson and other administrators, also spoke with Chinese national officials regarding the education system in China.

Reciprocating Jingmen No. 1 High School principal Yuan Ye’s visit in November, Kline interacted with students at Jingmen No. 1 High School. For his two days at Jingmen No. 1 High School, Kline taught a ninth grade English class, had lunch with students and observed classrooms. “[The class was] so good.” Jingmen No.1 student Selina Green said. “We all think he is a kind man.”

Kline felt that he was able to engage the students and have them experience a class that did not follow the Chinese system’s traditional structure of lecturing and memorizing. He made a slideshow with pictures depicting East students going about their daily lives and shared some simple English phrases with the students. Afterwards, he posed some questions like “What are you planning to do tonight?” for the students to answer.

“The comment I got from the assistant principal was that [the class] was very active and interactive,” Kline said. “The big term that they learned from me [was] ‘I will hang out with my friends’ and they didn’t know what ‘hang out’ meant. [Then], all the adults on my trip kept saying, ‘Well, let’s just go hang out.’”

Kline spent some time “hanging out” with the students. He had lunch with six students from Jingmen’s high school and middle school who all had very different personalities.

According to Kline, one student was so outgoing that she decorated the photo she and

16 | Spark | May 28, 2012

PRINCIPAL DIPLOMACY After Chinese Principal Yuan Ye Jingmen of No. 1 High School visited East in Fall 2011, Dr. Kline trekked across the Pacific to experience Chinese education at its fullest potential. story emily chao | photo used with permission from keith kline

Kline took together.

“We had a picture taken and she put bunny ears behind my head,” he said. “[She had a] great sense of humor.”

Kline realized that all students had something in common, despite being from different countries.

“Kids are kids regardless of where you are in the world,” he said. “Originally, the misconception was that American students didn’t do anything and they didn’t work at all. We corrected that. [The students] were really curious about the life of an American teenager.”

After talking with the students, however, Kline realized that there was still a drastic difference between Jingmen’s students and students back home at East.

“Most of the [students at Jingmen] expressed to me [that they] would like some more latitude in making decisions for themselves,” he said. “Their focus is very different from what we focus on here [and] they really wanted more opportunities to have more free time to go hang out with their friends and relax.”

As he observed the classrooms, Kline found out quickly that relaxing was a hard

thing to do for students. They were in class from 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. with a twohour break in between for lunch and a nap.

Although a midday nap “would be awesome” in Kline’s mind, he noticed that the students have to nap to have more fuel to persevere through their day. Most kids, Kline observed, had classes on the weekend, making Sunday evening their only free time.

Another difficult stress that Chinese students have is passing a comprehensive test to get into Jingmen No. 1 High School. Some students had to relocate far from home in order to get a good education because their future depends on their performance on the high school entrance test.

Half of Jingmen No. 1 High School’s students live on school grounds and only visit home on the weekends. For some students, moving back and forth between home and school frequently is not feasible, and they may only go home once a year. “[Going to school is] their life,” he said, “[Going home] depends on their family situation and whether their family can afford to get them home.”

Kline observed that the students in other schools were in different environments while

Kline meets a group of young Chinese school children on his trip to China.

“The big term that they learned from me [was] ‘I will hang out with my friends’ and they didn’t know what ‘hang out’ meant.”

learning. According to Kline, Beijing National Day School was one of the premier schools in Beijing and was “very well appointed,” while the rural schools were “very poor.” “[Rural schools] maybe have two computers in the entire school compared to Beijing National Day School, [which] had a lot of technology and a lot of equipment for kids to use in the learning process,” he said. “[There are many] discrepancies between the haves and the have-nots in all areas of China’s [educational system].”

Even in the schools that allow students to move out of the “caste system,” Kline saw that the learning environment at most of the schools he visited did not allow much mobility within the classroom. All students are placed in classes that range from 50 to 60 students.

They sit in rows and the teacher’s lessons are mainly rote-based.

The students then “study for an inordinate amount of time” to memorize scientific facts and math formulas instead of writing papers.

As a result, creativity is limited.

“I didn’t see a creative writing class,” he said. “They do a lot of reading of Chinese literature, but they don’t do a lot of writing of Chinese literature and that’s the creativity part that’s built in schools in this country.”

Because of the students’ driven mentality as well as the restrictions placed by the instructional techniques, Chinese officials are noticing drastic changes in student motivation after students take the university entrance exam, otherwise known as the “Gao Kao.” “I think they’re starting to experience that their teenage students are so driven to do well academically, that they don’t really have a very balanced life,” Kline said. “So when they go to the university, it goes from one extreme to the other.”

Kline also addressed the issue of teaching creativity and problem solving while adhering to the required curriculum with Chinese national officials. He stressed the concerns of

how to train teachers to “pull the best out of their kids” and “blend the two [systems] so that the kids have a better life in the long run.”

Nonetheless, he found the experience very “eyeopening,” realizing that the Chinese system and the American education system differed extremely.

For Martinson, this was exactly the purpose of the trip.

“As a program organizer, I am rewarded each time I see a participant—American or Chinese—learn something new or correct a mistaken view or understanding,” he said.

“The friendships that are born as a result of our work also give me a jolt of happiness.”

Kline, however, found that there were some aspects of the Chinese system that he would like to bring back home.

“I would love to package their work ethic and bring it back to America,” he said. “We can take their work ethic, combined with our structural strategies and how we teach.

There’d be no stopping the United States in the future.” n

lakotaeastspark.com | Spark | 17

lifestyle | food

breakfast of champions A balanced breakfast is key to a successful day.

There are many ways to fit the right variety of nutrients into a time-cruched morning routine before the school day. story hunter miller | photos michael tedesco

T

he classic pancake with syrup, or eggs and toast with a side of bacon and hash browns. Maybe a buttery belgian waffle with powdered sugar or a bowl of cereal topped with fruit.

The traditional breakfast has been sidelined as more and more people favor not eating breakfast.

Noted as the most important meal of the day, breakfast is skipped by high school students on a daily basis. Some skip the morning luxury to sleep in, other students claim to be more alert without eating it and a lucky few are fueled by only a granola bar or light snack as the day continues.

Approximately 39 percent of East students surveyed either skip the meal or choose a granola bar for their breakfast.

In any case, breakfast is not the staple it once was.

East senior Lauren Buck is one student who eats a wholesome meal each morning. She eats oatmeal, bagels or muffins based on what she is able to make quickly in the morning.

“If I don’t eat breakfast,” Buck says. “I can’t focus in class because I’m so hungry all I can think about is how hungry I am.”

According to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital dietician Laurie Dunham breakfast is essential to jump-starting the body in the morning.Without it, the body is not prepared for the school day ahead.

“By not eating breakfast it’s going to be harder to focus and concentrate because you’re going to be more tired, even if you don’t feel those hunger pangs,” Dunham says. “Somewhere in there, is some hunger. You might be thinking about food a little bit or not able to focus on the topic at hand.”

A student who feels these pangs and does not eat breakfast regularly is East junior Kelsey Smith. She usually does not feel the effects of skipping breakfast until later in the day, around third period.

If she did eat the meal, she would notice a difference.

“I wouldn’t be hungry as fast,” Smith says. “I wouldn’t be as hungry for lunch.”

By eating breakfast in the morning, high school students are more

18 | Spark | May 28, 2012

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High Schoo Lakota East Online Edition

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alert and prepared for the school day ahead.

“Eating breakfast is going to give you more energy first thing in the morning,” Dunham says. “It’s also going to help to increase focus and concentration for somebody going to school, or even work. It basically jump starts your metabolism.”

This jump start is what provides high school students with the ability to take on the day ahead and focus during their classes.

East junior Matt Littig chooses to eat breakfast because otherwise he feels the effects of not eating, in the form of a headache.

For breakfast he usually eats a protein bar, because it is a quick and easy choice.

“It’s fast and it tastes pretty good,” Littig says. “And it gives me enough protein to get to lunch.”

For him, eating breakfast is a necessity.

Evaluating Littig’s breakfast, Dunham would say that he has chosen well, because of the protein and grains in the protein bar, but she would recommend more nutrients.

She says eating a variety of food groups on a regular basis, is key to a healthy lifestyle.

“I always try to promote getting a variety of different food groups for breakfast,” Dunham says. “For example a bowl of cereal would be a great idea if you use whole grain cereal with some milk and some fruit, that would get three food groups right there.”

According to these qualifications, Littig’s breakfast could use some help. Littig’s breakfast, of only a protein bar, is primarily carbohydratepacked. Adding fruit or other food groups to his meal would enable Littig to obtain a greater variety of nutrients.

The classic breakfast of eggs, toast and bacon leans toward the side of caution.

“You just want to make sure it’s not something that’s too high in fat,” Dunham says. “You want wto make sure you’re getting a good balance of protein, carbs and fat.”

Few students have time in the morning to prepare such a daunting meal and may even wait to eat breakfast until later in the day, when there is time to eat or when hunger strikes.

East junior Austin Dew says that eating breakfast for him does not usually happen until later in the day. He usually eats breakfast around ten. This puts him in a class, so his breakfast choices are limited and getting a variety of food groups is a struggle. Dew says he eats a Pop Tart or some Fruit Loops for his morning meal.

He only gets grains, sugars or fats when he consumes these items

for breakfast; however a cup of milk would help to balance the meal, providing some protein for the day.

Both Littig and Dew agree that eating breakfast affects academic performance.

“Sometimes if I don’t eat and I have a test or something, then I’m distracted and my stomach growls,” Dew says.

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital assistant professor with the Division of Pediatric Psychiatry Suzanne Sampang says eating breakfast is vital to proper functioning of the body.

“Your brain is an organ of your body, just like your heart, like your lungs, just like your muscles and it needs adequate nutrition,” she says.

“Your brain runs on things like glucose, your blood runs through your brain, which carries nutrients to it, and so just like any other organ of your body your brain needs healthy nutrition to function optimally.”

The lack of breakfast can lead to malnutrition in the brain, and when it is malnourished it does not function at its top capacity.

Sampang says that the brain is composed of neurons, which send out chemicals throughout the brain. These chemicals are produced based on nutrition and a lack of adequate nutrition will cause an unbalance in the chemistry of the brain.

“I think a general, healthy food intake is going to be better for your brain function overall and your mental state as a result,” Sampang says.

Breakfast is essential for a healthy mind. By skipping breakfast, students are actually damaging the chemical balance in their brain.

For Dunham, skipping breakfast does not make the cut. She advises students to choose breakfast over the snooze button.

The number one thing Dunham says is to eat breakfast.

“That would be the most important thing,” Dunham says. “And I would also say that eating something is better than nothing. I’ve told high school students, a piece of cold pizza in the morning is fine because you’ve got a few food groups there. Ideally, you have a whole grain source, some dairy, possibly fruit, but even nontraditional breakfast food items are fine. Maybe you could do a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

You could do some sort of lunch meat and cheese wrap. You could do a granola bar and some milk. The bottom line is to make sure that you eat something.” n

Granola bars make for a quick and nutritious breakfast.

Sitting down and eating a full meal in the morning is key to a sucessful day.

lakotaeastspark.com | Spark | 19

lifestyle | photoshoot

The Modern Age Lauren Barker shares her opinion on how hipsters are failing as a counterculture movement, while Spark showcases how past countercultures are influencing summer fashion. column lauren barker | photos michael tedesco and sierra whitlock | sidebars halley davidson | models in order of appearance ethan leonow, alessandra blackburn, hayley conaway, adam lewandowicz, nick smith, christina wilkerson, michael sell, hannah downs, keith brady, emily grzeskowiak | clothing provided by H&M

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very generation has a counterculture movement that will become the decade’s definitive identity in both history books and Halloween costume apparel. From the thrill-seeking flappers of the 1920s to the anti-war hippies of the 1960s, the fashion industry is a staple in the expression of historical activists. The clothing embodied the movement as the people behind the clothes strived for a redirection in the social order. That is, until the rise of the 21st century hipster.

“I’m a hipster.” That is one statement that will never be uttered by the mouth of a hipster, along with remarks like, “I prefer PCs” or “Taylor Swift is a talented artist.” There is a particular set of behaviors that qualify a person as a hipster, most of which relates to a specifically unique taste in clothing and a rejection of mainstream media. This counterculture is the first to be produced by the Information Age, comprising of a cluster of conforming non-conformists whose only notable goal is to express their individuality. This expression is achieved not through protests demanding change or cross-country journeys of enlightenment, but rather through religiously partaking in consumerism. Stereotypically sporting thick-rimmed glasses, thrift store flannels, skinny jeans, scarves

khaki button down: $34.95 embroidered vest: $27.95 fring tank: $15.50

and beanies, this infectiously expanding social group silently demands a spotlight. A spotlight to showcase their superior taste, intelligence and originality. A spotlight that broadcasts the message, “Hey, we’re different from the rest of society.”

While they subtly strive to convey this idea, hipsters have paradoxically

1960s- The Hippie

The Look: Clothing of this time closer reflected freedom of expression. Dressing in loose and free style clothing that reflected an earthly connection was characterized as “hippie.”

The Movement: With growing unrest with the workings of society, a “generation gap” began to widen in households. Many young people joined both anti-war protests and peace-promoting musical festivals, turning life into a party in their quest for change.

The Modern Spin: Many of the styles of the 60’s are present in today’s world in the styles of “color blocking” wearing bright and not always matching colors has been a prominent spring and summer style for the last few years.

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Victorian Era- The Femininist

The Look: Elegant dresses covered in lace, satin, silk and other fine cloths were used often to create dresses full of movement and feminine beauty. Men also dressed to impress with vests and jackets.

The Movement: This era was the beginning of feministic individualism. Women created their own style and opinion, especially towards women’s rights. The women’s suffrage movement began in the years surrounding this style.

The Modern Spin: Men have begun to dress nicely in vests and blazers once again, while women’s fashion has rebirthed high neck lines, layers of lace, and enticing silk or chiffon. Many of these styles are shown in spring and summer trends. patterned vest: $27.50 lace dress: $24.95

white tank blouse:$9.95 pink lace skirt: $24.95 faux leather jacket: $49.95

1950s- The Greaser

The Look: Opposing the conservative trend of poodle skirts and lettermen jackets, the “greaser”, identified as wearing lwhite wife-beaters, tight jeans and leather jackets was a growing fad for men, while women followed suit with tight pants and jean jackets.

The Movement: This new age of fashion was a branch-away from the majority. Instead of studying, people drag raced cars and indulged in the beginnings of rock and roll. The idea of “living your own life” was becoming more prominent, and the greaser style personified that.

The Modern Spin: In N. Hollywood’s September 2011 show, Daisuke Obana showcased many “greaser” styles in the men’s collection. Women’s fashion has begun to recycle the fullcircle skirts and necklines of the 50s.

transformed into ultimate American consumers, thirsting for the latest technology, fashion collections and indie-rock albums. The pop culture industry should practically mail them thank-you cards. A Forbes magazine article published in 2008 said that hipsters hold even more buying power than past countercultures due to the fact they are less focused on one specific idea or purpose, and more so on viciously consuming anything that falls under the vast category of trendy. While retailers such as Gap and Abercrombie & Fitch have suffered economically in recent years, hipster-magnet Urban Outfitters has reported a 30 percent

22 | Spark | May 28, 2012

increase in sales for the second quarter of the 2008 fiscal year and a nine percent increase since then in the 2011 fiscal year. Giving them an edge on the competition, this retailer provides hipster-centric trends that attract every fad follower in the surrounding areas. While hipsters may be a healthy phenomenon for the economy, they are a sad excuse for a counterculture movement. Perhaps they are unable to squeeze time for initiating revolution into their jam-packed schedules occupied with online shopping and blogging from the comfort of their local coffee shops. It’s taxing enough to fight mainstream media, let alone fight for a cause.

All countercultures have found the time to develop their signature looks. The uniforms of their movements that become symbols of their missions. Hippies were associated with a Bohemian grace, flappers with shortened dresses mimicking a boyish figure and Victorian women with hourglasses bodices provoking a new form of femininity. They turned fashion into a tool as they sought greater goals. Hippies channeled their “flower power” and collaborated peaceful protests. Although the Vietnam War may have dragged on longer than they were aiming for, the group’s adamant stand against meats and processed foods continues to influence the American diet. Reshaping grocery stores, organic food sales have grown from $1 billion in 1990 to $28.6 billion in 2010 according to a study conducted by the Organic Trade Association (OTA).

white blouse: $17.95 pink shorts: $29.50 green polo: $9.95 yellow polo: $9.95

lifestyle | photoshoot

1920s- The Flapper

The Look: Women’s clothing was mainly characterized by the loose, draped dresses, showing off more skin than women had ever dared in the past. Men set the precedent for the modern business suit, sporting blazers with handkerchiefs tucked into the pockets.

The Movement: Women’s clothing was characterized by loose, draped dresses, showing off more skin than women had ever dared.

Men set the precedent for the modern business suit, sporting blazers with handkerchiefs tucked into the pockets.

The Modern Spin: Marc Jacobs has brought back the Jazz Age vibe, designing a collection of “flapper” style dresses for his spring 2012 fashion line.

1980s- The Frat Boy The Look: While maintaining the bright colors of the 70s, the youth of the 80s began to dress in a preppy style. Men began wearing layered polos and sweaters, while girls wore collared shirts and colored pants.

The Movement: The fashion of the 80s reflected the independence of teens. An eruption of freedom from parental control spread amongst adolescents, driving them to act more as individuals deciding their own destinies. College became a new widespread life stage, characterized by the “frat boy” and “valley girl” looks.

The Modern Spin: Styles from the 80s are present in today’s world in the summery styles of “color blocking.”

Clothing stores such as Ralph Lauren and Lacoste have also adopted the “frat boy” polo look.

loose black dress:$29.50 white button down: $25.95

Countercultures are key motivators when inspiring growth ina country. They are the livelihood of democracy, reminding observers of the strength in numbers, reminding politicians that there are voices to be heard outside the confines of the Capitol and reminding Americans that sometimes average citizens can encourage change. A lack of determined visionaries would result in a lack of improvement as a nation.

And determined visionaries seem to be in short supply in the hipster community. Sure, they have ideas, exchange witty banter and reblog photos of gay rights protests on Tumblr, but that is about as far as their ideas will travel. Because one of the main qualifications of being a true hipster is to avoid attracting attention to these ideas. Initiating a

revolution would completely shatter the “too cool to try” facade the group has so successfully upheld.

Hipsters may not be rearranging the social order or persuading the minds of politicians, but they are victorious in their own way. Each destined-to-be-popular band discovered two weeks before the rest of their Facebook friends and discount price vintage tee unburied from the sale pile at Urban Outfitters is a triumph that segregates them from the mainstream. What they own, what they wear and what they know embodies who they are as individuals. Unique, unlabeled individuals, of course. Being branded with the “hipster” title would mean they are an adherent to a group. And somehow, hipsters see themselves as different from the rest of the consumer driven society. Perhaps it is that their products are simply edgier than the uncultured majority. Maybe hipsters are not looking to change the world by following in the footsteps of countercultures before them. Maybe their only goal is to simply broadcast their quirkiness. If that’s true, then that’s a loss for America. As controversial as countercultures are, they have always been that driving fuel that keeps this country shifting forward. Without them, the nation is just a jumble of bandwagon followers waiting for a leader to tell them their next move. If only hipsters invested as much effort into a purpose as they do into their Tumblr accounts, then this generation might have something worthwhile to be credited for in history textbooks. n

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lifestyle | tea

Tea drinking is a large part of many world cultures. Tea enthusiasts share their favorite ways to enjoy tea and its many health benefits.

Tea Time story dominic franco | photo michael tedesco | infographic shivang patel

I

ndian folklore tells the tale of Prince Bhodi-Dharma, the Buddhist monk responsible for bringing Buddhism to China from India, and his quest for spiritual awakening. Prince Bhodi-Dharma took a vow and spent nine years staring at a wall in meditation.

After five years of incessant meditation, Prince Bhodi-Dharma became encumbered by an agonizing tiredness, and fell asleep. Enraged by his inadequacy, he proceeded to cut off his own eyelids and throw them to the ground. The tale goes that the spot where his eyelids fell became the birthplace of a legendary plant. Using this newly discovered herb, the enlightened Prince was able to complete his meditation.

Prince Bhodi-Dharma’s mythical plant sprouted into what modern botany recognizes as the Camellia Sinensis, also known as the tea plant. Through a multitude of growing, picking, procuring, blending and brewing methods, cultures past and present have transformed this solitary plant into the variety of tea types available today. The Tea Association of the United States reports that tea is is the number one

“When I got appendicitis, I decided that I should quit the soda and switch to something healthier, [tea].” most consumed beverage in the world, after water, and can be found in 80 percent of American homes.

Not only is there an immense variety of flavor options to choose from, but also every tea shares it’s own special health benefit with every particular blend.

Site manager of Freeze Frozen Yogurt Bar James Vincent shares his knowledge of the health benefits of tea drinking as he pulls a pomegranate iced tea out of Freeze’s retail refrigerator. Vincent explains that although pomegranate tea is not “real tea” (it is not made with tea leaves), it is fruit-based and contains many of the same vitamins and anti-oxidants that pomegranates have.

Vincent also explained that earl grey, and other black teas, can be a healthier alternative to coffee as the natural caffeine in coffee has been

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know to cause heart palpitations and a definite “peak” and “crash”, while the naturally occurring caffeine in tea provides its consumer with a healthier and more steady form of energy. Despite the controversy between coffee and tea advocates, Vincent identifies with the “tea people.”

“Tea people say [tea provides healthier energy than coffee], coffee people says tea people are crazy.” Vincent says.

This diverse young man picked up much of his tea expertise during a business internship in China, where he learned how tea is used in Chinese culture for its purifying, soothing and healing qualities.

“They drink tea religiously [in China],” Vincent says. “Drinking iced tea is like a sin.”

The tea knowledge Vincent picked up while living among the Chinese currently helps him in his positin at Freeze Frozen Yogurt.

He says that although he drank tea before going to China, his internship abroad deepened his appreciation of the beverage and its health benefits.

Another positive attribute of tea is it’s antioxidant content.

The National Institutes of Health, a branch of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, reports that tea contains polyphenol compounds, particularly catechins, which are antioxidants and whose biological activities may be relevant to cancer prevention.

Antioxidants particles isolate and destroy free radicals, irregular cells that have been linked with cancer.

Though many people choose tea as a temporary replacement for a less healthy beverage like soda every once and a while, few have the determination and perseverance to go as far as long time tea drinker and East senior Natasia Reinhardt did when she gave up soda for good.

“When I got appendicitis, I decided that I should quit the soda and switch to something healthier,” Reinhardt says. “Once I got better, I would go over to my boyfriend’s house and drink tea with his mom.

She has a huge cabinet full of tea and we would just talk and drink tea forever.”

At age 11, Reinhardt participated in karate tournaments as a brown belt. After each competition her father took her out to Japanese restaurants where Reinhardt first discovered her love for tea.

Worldwide Tea Production: 4,518,060 metric tons Camellia sinesis 235,000 metric tons

Contains flavanoids and cathechins which are anti-oxidants n Decreases lowdensity lipoprotein (bad cholestrol) and increases high-density lipoprotein (good cholestrol) n Reduces risk for heart disease n

1,467,567 metric tons

Percentage of total tea production in 2010

991,180 metric tons

Less than 0.5 percent or non-significant quantities

399,000 metric tons

0.5 to 1 percent

282,300 metric tons

1 to 5 percent 5 to 10 percent 10 to 20 percent Greater than 20 percent

How It’s Made:

1.

2.

Tea leaves are wilted either by sunlight or by wind in an indoor facility

4.

3.

The machine moves a stone around the tray breaking the leaves and bruising the surface, which brings out flavor and aroma.

Different blends of tea are poured into a drum mixed together 12 times per batch.

“When we went [to the Japanese restaurants] my dad would always get green tea,” Reinhardt says. “I tasted it once after a tournament, and I loved it.”

Reinhardt continues to drink tea even since her recovery because of it benefits and the way it makes her feel.“I drink tea to help my stomach functions so I can have a happy belly.” says Reinhardt with a laugh.

Though tea’s physical benefits are very apparent, the pure enjoyment of relaxing with a cup of tea is enough to prove its worth for some tea drinkers.

Starbucks Manager Christopher Phares drinks pu-erh tea, one of the oldest know teas that is highly regarded in China for its soothing properties and calming flavor.“My mom had been drinking pu-erh tea for a while before she got me to taste it, and I’ve been drinking it ever since.” he says.

Phares has spent the past six years blending and drinking his own tea creations.

5.

Depending on how much the tea leaves are pummeled and heated, different kinds of tea are produced.

Tea is packaged in many ways. The tea bag is the most popular packaging method especially for largescale production

“[Blending tea] is a lot of fun,” the tea connoisseur says. “But the hard part is getting the right blend of teas and herbs so that one doesn’t overpower the other. Infusions like dehydrated fruit and ginger are hard to blend with the aged black teas I like to use.”

Phares also uses cinnamon, vanilla bean and cloves as well as less common herbal infusions like star of anise, a distinctive Chinese herb.

His favorite blend is aged oolong, dehydrated blood orange rind, and cinnamon sticks.

With all the different types and uses of tea, it is no surprise that it has flourished in nearly every culture in recorded history.

When Prince Bhodi-Dharma severed his eyelids he probably did not think that it would lead to such an epic international phenomenon. n

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GENDER ROLES F

story lauren fang photo illustrations ellen fleetwood

ourteen years ago, when University of Cincinnati assistant professor of psychology Stacie FurstHolloway was in her early 30s, she was maintaining, like many people, a fairly active dating life. Whether she was mini-golfing with friends or grabbing something to eat, she would meet men who were always willing to talk. But no matter how their conversation was going, she was faced with the inevitable question every one of them asked—“What do you do for a living?”

“As soon as I said I was in graduate school working on my Ph.D, [the guy] would immediately back off and become disinterested in getting to know me,” says Furst-Holloway who studied at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “That’s when I saw that men were threatened by [women who were getting] a doctorate.”

While “Guy A” made it clear that he would abandon her, “Guy B,” who continued to engage in deep conversation, also sent negative signals.

“They would become insecure and start making jokes about how smart I must be or ‘I’m not going to be a real doctor,’” FurstHolloway says. “Both signaled, to me, either an insecurity in being around a well-educated woman or disinterest in getting to know me or date me because I was more focused on [my] career than following a traditional path.”

As a result of her college dating experiences, Furst-Holloway became extremely self-conscious. Because she found so many men reacting to her in an uninviting way, she started to spin her answer from an altered angle in order to create a different picture of herself. “[I started saying] ‘I teach,’” Furst-Holloway says. “[Then] a guy would ask what grade and I would just say ‘the big ones,’ never saying that it was college.”

While she was not accepted for being highly educated and career-driven in 1998 when she was starting graduate school, she would probably be been more accepted today. In a recent Time article titled “Women, Money, and Power,” a study shows that high-earning women, the majority of which are highly-educated, are seen as more desirable partners. Only a few decades ago, education applied differently to each gender and even though it was encouraged, there was clearly still a double standard. While most people

lakotaeastspark.com | Spark | 27

outwardly agreed that males and females were equal, both men and women were still held to the “cult of womanhood,” which maintains that women are meant to stay at home and care for children.

The gender role discussion continues nonetheless as the demographics of college campuses continue to change. According to Liza Mundy’s The Richer Sex, females presently make up about 60 percent of college students and earn the majority of master’s and doctoral degrees.

Of 342 female students surveyed at East, 56 percent are planning on completing four years of college and 34 percent plan on entering graduate school.

Many women are beginning to take on new roles in society and are bridging gender gaps. The driving force behind this, says Miami University sociology professor C. Lee Harrington, is education.

“Attitudes are changing, laws and policies are changing, [and] people are less likely to believe that males and females are suited to very different things,” Harrington says.

“There’s recognition that there is more common ground between men and women rather than a lot of differences.”

The increasing acceptance the blending of gender roles may be the reason why so many men and women are less tolerant of their stereotypes and are more repulsed by the criticisms. In fact, Furst-Holloway says that people like stay-at-home dads are finding ways to deal with the blending of gender roles.

“To support themselves, stay-at-home dads feel a little ostracized from the moms [because] the stay-at-home moms don’t welcome the stay-at-home dads,” FurstHolloway says. “There’s still a misperception where if the woman is the head honcho and the dad is staying at home, it’s because he can’t find a job or he’s lazy.”

family life and work have emerged along with this increase in education, because although girls were encouraged to go to college and pursue a Ph.D, they did not realize what would transpire when family life occurred.

“As women were pushing [into higher levels of education], they didn’t see the ramifications of how women’s entrance into the workforce was going to change the family dynamic,” Furst-Holloway says.

Although more women are pursuing higher degrees and spending more time in school, many are delaying opportunities to start families and are having to make sacrifices.

While 397 females out of 748 East students are taking Advanced Placement courses,

“[I started saying] ‘I teach.’ [Then] a guy would ask what grade and I would just say ‘the big ones,’ never saying that it was college.”

There are still more women entering into male-dominated roles, however, than men entering into female-dominated roles due to the fact that women’s roles are more socially flexible, according to Miami University psychology professsor Elizabeth Brown.

“According to the data, males aren’t changing a lot,” Brown says. “Femaledominated fields are typically considered low status positions and not considered as powerful, [which] might not appeal to men.”

In the face of women’s rising presence in higher education, the new role of the career woman has shattered male stereotypes and traditional masculine roles. According to Furst-Holloway, problems with balancing

28 | Spark | May 28, 2012

some are not planning to pursue high levels of education. One major reason why they are choosing to opt out of higher educational opportunities is because they feel that they would be giving up a family life in place of a prestigious career.

“Part of [a woman’s role is] to take care of the family,” East sophomore Rebecca Christner says. “Childhood development is affected by parents and I don’t want to have a [lack of an] influence on my child.”

As a whole, gender roles have materialized as the general indicator of other trends that are occurring in society.

Licensed professional counselor Gary Dittrich says that gender roles are not the

problem, but rather that people use them to cover up a bigger issue.

“The problems that come out of gender roles are symptoms,” Dittrich says. “I don’t think [problems with] gender roles are any different than [problems with] substance abuse. There are always going to be core issues under that. This is the way it comes out and surfaces but the real issue is underneath.”

Issues are amplified by the media as the image of the empowered woman is increasingly depicted through female protagonists in TV and movies. While more women are becoming less compliant with traditional gender roles as they enter into the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields (STEM), many are still hesitant in breaking the traditional mold.

“There’s still a huge amount of public concern about the lack of representation of women in STEM,” Miami University associate professor of psychology Amanda Diekman says. “The best way to increase the quantity and the quality of the STEM workforce is to use the very capable 52 percent of the population that has the skills and maybe doesn’t see itself as fitting or doesn’t see [STEM] as a [career] opportunity.”

As a social scientist, Diekman says that people hold the beliefs they have about men and women because people see them occupy different roles in society. Still, others argue that there is a biological explanation that accounts for gender roles.

They claim that no matter how much social change occurs in regards to gender roles, biology acts as the mediator for the modifications in behavior.

Despite the fact that gender roles are becoming more fluid, there are still those who choose to conform to their gender stereotype because they are afraid of the social consequences that may occur if they do not meet the expectations.

“The power of gender roles is substantial.

It’s much harder to do those things that fulfill you that are outside of your gender role than the things that fulfill you that are inside your gender role,” Diekman says. “[When] it comes down to making choices, we go with the things that are easier.”

Nevertheless, while gender roles continue to blend and change, a different sense of possibility radiates as it becomes more evident that it is more socially acceptable for both males and females to defy traditional gender norms.

“We used to think of gender as two points, male or female, but then people started saying ‘Well, maybe [gender] is on a continuum where there are more [boyish] boys and more girly girls,” Harrington says. “People now think of gender as a constellation—there are males here and females there—and that gender can be manifested in a whole variety of ways.”

NO TEARS SHED

story kyle culp | photo alyssa weisman The referee calls the opponents to the mat.

They square up face-to-face, and an intense stare-down ensues at the center of the ring.

They shake hands and the knock-down-dragout fight begins. They circle around, poking and prodding for an opening, waiting for an opportunity to bring the other down to the mat. The East wrestler pounces and takes down the opponent, but he reverses the attack as he rolls his shoulder out, avoiding

the pin. They exchange attacks and reversals through a long match, but the Thunderhawks’ 106-pound wrestler gains an edge on top.

The sweaty shoulders hit the ground and the referee calls the match.

He raises East junior Laurel Casteel’s hand and her face lights up in victory.

According to the National Federation of State High School Association’s (NFHS) athlete participation in 2010-11, East’s wrestling team is one of only 1,215 programs in the country to have a female wrestler. In a sport dominated by men, Casteel feels right at home in the weight room and on the wrestling mats of East.

“I’m just kind of there,” Casteel says. “I’m part of the team. They make jokes but they do the same with everyone else.”

Flipping through the photo album that is stuffed with photos from Casteel’s days before she donned a singlet, the phases of her life fly by as the pages turn. Pictures from dance dominate the pages of her fourth to sixth grade life but her face sours as she sees her tutu-clad self.

“I hated every second of [dance],” Casteel says. “I only took it because my mom made me. Dancing just wasn’t for me.”

Casteel left the mirrors and bars of dance studios behind when she quit dance in sixth grade. She then joined the Liberty Junior School cross country and track teams in seventh grade. Wrestling was added to her athletic repertoire in eighth grade, making her a three-sport athlete; cross country in the fall, wrestling in the winter and track and field in the spring.

“Laurel has always been athletic,” Laurel’s mother Lesa Casteel says. “She has always liked to run and move so [track and cross country] were easy to do.”

When the pay-to-play fee increased in the Lakota Local School District, however, Laurel could not keep up with the rising costs of her three sports. Laurel stopped running track her sophomore year and cross country her junior year. The only sport that she has continued is the one that sets her apart­–wrestling. In all of Jim Lehman’s 15 years of coaching East wrestling, ten as varsity assistant and five as head coach, he had never coached a female wrestler until Laurel.

“99.9 percent of the girls that have ever come out for the wrestling team came out to try to make a statement,” Lehman says.

“None of them ever lasted more than a couple of days because they realized how hard it was to endure what we endure during the season.”

Laurel separated herself from the pattern of girls before her by just making it through tryouts. But that wasn’t her goal, she didn’t want to be just a girl on the team, she wanted the respect of her teammates. Once on the team her performance during her three years of East wrestling has earned her a spot as “one of the guys.”

“Laurel has earned the respect of every guy on the team,” Lehman says. “That is why they don’t treat her any different than they do each other. I honestly couldn’t even tell you the names of some of the other girls who I have tried out because they were in and out so fast, Laurel however has stuck.”

Laurel’s body has withstood its fair share of punishment over her three grueling seasons of wrestling. During a practice match her freshman season, Laurel twisted her knee and sprained her medial collateral ligament (MCL), but not a tear hit the mat. At a tournament during her junior season, her male opponent picked her up and slammed her down, East junior Laurel Casteel is the only female in the wrestling team’s history.

lakotaeastspark.com | Spark | 29

PERCENTAGE OF MALES WHO WOULD STUDY DANCE IF... infographic bailee jessee

58 68

There were more male role models in dance There were more friends who dance

72 85

Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD) contestant Anthony Bryant was told that he would not be advancing to the next level of the competition would be unforgettable. Head judge and executive producer Nigel Lythgoe publicly denounced him on national television by saying that his contemporary dance style was not “masculine” enough.

He already knew the harsh reality attached with holding a profession in the field of dance. A soon-to-be professional dancer who got his start in southwest Ohio, 17-year-old Matt Luck was ridiculed for being a male dancer by his peers at school and started homeschooling online for his sophomore year. “[School] was just getting to be too much for me with traveling every weekend and not being accepted for what I do,” says Luck, who lives in Dayton. “I was not someone who lied or hid who I was because I wasn’t part of the ‘normal’ boy cliques. It got really hard at times

“In football if you mess up, you can just go on to the next play. It’s different for dance. There is no next play in dance; you only get one chance.” by the best wrestler within the circle, not just by some lucky girl. That does not always sit well with her opponents but that is the point of Laurel’s training: not to be the best girl in a tournament, but the overall champion.

“Her opponents still see her as a girl,” says Lesa. “That just makes them push even harder. She has to push even harder than them to succeed.”

MEN IN TIGHTS

story haley collins

It was the look of rejection. Tears, cold stare, motionless.

The moment that first season So You

30 | Spark | May 28, 2012

but I always had dance to turn to.”

Luck has been dancing since the age of five and participates in several dance styles, but has found his forte to be contemporary, which combines elements from ballet and modern dance. He now spends most of his time independently traveling across the country to teach and receive training. In June, Luck will move to Los Angeles to begin auditioning for professional jobs. He eventually wants to travel the world on a dance tour and be cast in the Cirque Du Soleil “LOVE” show, a performance that celebrates The Beatles’ musical legacy.

Associate Professor of Dance at Wayne State University Doug Risner reports that men

Their parents were more supportive

40 08

There were more male dance teachers Dance was instructed more like traditional sports

They were not harassed or teased

amount to approximately 15 percent of the overall dance population. In addition, males make up only 11 percent of the students enrolled in dance training and education among people ages 12-22. The minority status, however, benefits rather than impairs the male dancers. They are cast more frequently, receive better roles and obtain more scholarships.

“Dance teachers frequently emphasize the need to make boys and young men in dance feel more comfortable,” Risner says. “[They invite men] to take leadership roles and to contribute ideas for movement, music, costumes and choreographic theme.”

As a male dancer, Luck feels he catches instructors’ attention more than his female peers.

“When a teacher is teaching, they notice boys because of their strong dancing and presence,” Luck says. “It’s not something you can really avoid, it just kind of happens.”

Recent East graduate Jayson Rodriguez entered the dance world last year by becoming part of an all-boy hip-hop team at Art in Motion School of Dance. Observing the relationship between the girls and the instructors at his studio, Rodriguez is aware that the guidance received by the teachers varies according to gender.

“In a class with just guys, if we start messing up, [the instructor tells us to] take a quick break and get some water, and then we tend to come back to where we are supposed to be,” Rodriguez says. “[On the other hand], when the girls practice and they start messing up, it’s more of a zero-tolerance thing and they have to keep going until they get back up to par.”

Another factor that boys are faced with as minorities in the field of dance is that they receive special treatment from the judges while competing. This bias is not always negative, as it was for Bryant on SYTYCD. In most cases,

information Wayne State Univeristy dance professor Dr. Douglas Risner

spraining the acromioclavicular joint (AC) in her shoulder. Laurel got up and continued to fight, without movement of her left arm. Still, no tears were shed.

According to Lehman, who is around her every day during the season, he is amazed with her mental and physical strength. “[Laurel is] absolutely the toughest, most committed girl I’ve ever been around,” Lehman says. “She is the only girl I have ever had make the team, much less stick out an entire season here at East.”

Her fellow teammate and East freshman Daniel Roth, who is her practice partner and competition for the varsity 106-pound spot, also attests to the tough-as-nails attitude Casteel wrestles with every match. “[Laurel] is just like every one of us [guys],” Roth says. “She works hard and in my view she is the toughest girl in the school. She is not afraid to break a nail. She just goes out and fights.”

While her toughness is what shines through in her tournaments and is what first struck her fellow teammates, her commitment to bettering herself for the team is what helped her stick around.

Laurel dropped two weight classes during this past winter from 120-pound to the 106-pound weight class because she wanted to reach the best strength-to-weight ratio. This meant cutting calories and spending countless hours on a treadmill at the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) off of Yankee Road. Every night she would come home with her East wrestling hoodie drenched in sweat.

“I cut out all sugar and junk food from my diet,” Laurel says. “I pretty much lived off granola bars and water for three months and ran on the treadmill every day after practice.”

All the work Laurel puts in is for “respect.” She wants her opponent to walk off the mat thinking about how he was beat

it is advantageous.

East sophomore Megan Myers, a dedicated dancer at Off Broadway Z Company and a former teammate of Luck’s, is aware of the bias that judges hold toward males at competitions.

“When you go to a competition, even a decent boy—who may not be the best but is as flexible as any girl—is beneficial,” Myers says. “Things called ‘boy points’ are given because the judges are happy to see something different on stage.”

Techniques and style are another example of differences observed among the two genders. Award-winning dance specialist and educator Cheryl M. Willis researched 800 boys and girls enrolled in an elementary school dance program. The results showed that the boys used more physical energy, moved faster, took physical risks, covered an abundant amount of space and approached presentations with more confidence than girls. Girls spent more time standing still, worked slower, took no physical risks, used a limited amount of space and approached presentations with apprehension.

Throughout Myers’ experience, she has observed that men are more likely to step up to the plate as leaders.

“I see [male dancers] as good leaders because you can trust them and they come across stronger [than the women dancers],” Myers says.

In general, the motivations for dance study are similar among both sexes. In a survey conducted as part of a study by Risner and his research team, both males and females answered that the reasons they were driven to study dance dealt with self-expression, performance and creativity.

Another conclusion from Risner’s survey was that female adolescents seek support from different sources than do males their age. Boys in dance heavily rely on their best friends, mothers and favorite dance instructors. Girls, on the other hand, receive the most support from their parents.

Boys in the same study also made it clear that dance was not a sport and they saw themselves as “dance artists.”

Luck views dance as both an art and a sport, but he focuses more on the creative aspect of performing.

“To me, all the other sports run together and have so many rules to follow in order to succeed,” Luck says. “With dance, there really are no rules. In soccer you have to get the ball in the goal. You can’t just go out there and say, ‘Maybe I’ll just try something new this time.’

With dance, you can.”

Similarly, Rodriguez notices differences between dance and the sports that are more gender-specific to males.

“In football if you mess up, you can just go on to the next play,” Rodriguez says. “But it’s

different for dance. There is no next play in dance; you only get one chance.”

Myers personally believes that dance training is a sport in itself and that performances are art because dancers have to apply their knowledge of training with their knowledge of emotion to create a combination that comes off as clever and appealing to the audience. She also feels inspired by the male dancers’ motivation and drive to succeed.

“The boys still have the work ethic [needed] if they played football or basketball,” she says. “I actually think dancers have a better work ethic than football players because they have that drive to be able to convey art through it, not just play a sport.”

Although an unfavorable stereotype concerning male dancers may exist in society, millions of men continue to proceed with their passion and encourage other males with the same interest to do what they love.

“Someone asked me one time if there was anything else that I could see myself doing besides dance,” Luck says. “Without them even getting the last word out of their mouth, I said, ‘No way!’”

FEMINEERING

story angela ferguson

On the first day of school, a peppy, blond-haired, blue-eyed football cheerleader sauntered into fifth period. Up to that point, the day had been filled with little more than first impressions and snap judgments, but that was all normal. Now as she scoped out her new classmates, she scanned the dimly-lit room for a familiar face. Instead, what dawned upon her was the realization that she was one of only four girls in the class of 23 other Computer Science I students.

Surrounded by the soft glow of Christmas

lights strung up along the walls and rows of indigo computer monitors, East sophomore Katie Dunaway defies the typical computer science stereotype of what she calls a “nerdy guy with glasses who just sits at a computer and types all day.” While only 33% of 623 surveyed East students think that computer science is a “nerdy” field, Dunaway remains a gender role outlier—one of the nine girls amongst 80 total students enrolled in second semester Computer Science I and on top of that, a cheerleader who wants to double major in computer science and business. Dunaway is representative of the mere nine percent of college-bound females who rated computer science as a “very good” career choice, according to a nationwide 2008 survey by the WGBH Educational Foundation and the Association for Computing Machinery.

But the gender inequity in computer science does not stop there. Rather, it is indicative of similar trends in other technical fields such as science, technology, engineering and math (STEM)—the key facets recently emphasized in Lakota Local School District’s further-developed STEAM2 proposal, which adds applied arts and medical studies to the STEM framework. While half of the fastest-growing careers in the United States are STEM-related, women only possess 27.5 percent of STEM college degrees.

“Society’s stereotype of people in computer science has carried over into high school, so a lot of high schoolers do see computer science as nerdy,” Dunaway says.

“This is an issue because a lot of girls in high school are worried about their image. I get teased a lot about taking computer science.

People tell me, ‘You are such a nerd.’”

East computer science teacher David McKain has similar thoughts on the issue, and recounts one occasion when he asked a female student and her friend why more girls

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did not sign up for computer science.

“Her friend said without batting an eye, ‘That is social suicide,’” McKain says. “The social pressure amongst these young ladies was intense. At least in their own circle, it was considered to be, ‘Wow, [if you take computer science], you aren’t going to have a social life because nobody is going to talk to you.’”

Oakwood High School (OHS) in Dayton, OH has been at the forefront of the STEM movement since the inclusion of Project Lead the Way pre-engineering courses into OHS’s curriculum last year. Oakwood senior Kelsey Rieger, however, has nevertheless experienced a glaringly unbalanced male-to-female student ratio in these classes. She is one of three girls in her 24-student introduction to engineering design class, which aims to simulate a realworld engineering environment using STEMbased learning. Last spring, Rieger worked with her engineering teacher and several other students to launch a “Femineering” club as “a nerdy way to get girls interested in engineering.”

“Before taking the Introduction to engineering design class, I did not really realize that the gender gap was a problem,” Rieger says. “Girls just assume that engineering is a guys’ field. [The Femineers] try to help students realize that engineering is

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about solving problems and finding out how things work and improving them, rather than just about cars, machinery and factories.”

The Femineering club’s existence indicates that many people are reluctant to embrace girls’ potential in STEM areas. This is despite the passage of legislation such as Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, which outlawed academic and athletic sexual discrimination in schools.

“While Title IX affected all aspects of public education, people should consider the limited progress for women in STEM equity in comparison to its success in sports equity,” says Tasha Lebow, leader of the Ohio Girls Collaborative Project, an initiative to encourage girls to pursue careers in STEM fields. “Our society demonstrates its acceptance of the ‘highly athletic woman’ in the wide public support of women’s professional sports teams like the Women’s National Basketball Association. I do not see the same public support and acceptance of STEM roles for women.”

East physics teacher Sandee Coats-Haan, who graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1987 with a degree in chemical engineering, experienced this persistent STEM gender gap in both college and the workplace.

“Because the campus buildings were

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built when there were no female students, they usually only had one floor with a female bathroom,” Coats-Haan says. “I understood this, so in college I didn’t feel like [the gender gap] was that big of a deal.”

The issue, however, arose again when she came back to Cincinnati to work for Proctor and Gamble after working for the company’s Florida location.

“This was in the 1990s, and there was no female bathroom [where I worked],” CoatsHaan says. “That was shocking to me.”

Being a female has also given Rieger a unique perspective of STEM fields. She was admitted to engineering schools at the Ohio State University and Purdue University, and both schools granted her several unexpected scholarships aimed toward female engineers.

“For the first time in my life, I am considered a minority,” Rieger says. “Because women are so outnumbered in the field, more opportunities exist for girls than guys.”

Until recently, this female-engineer minority was thought to be due to society’s belief that women cannot succeed in technical fields, but according to research by Abigail Norfleet James, Ph.D., the reason for this minority is backed by scientific evidence. Whereas the left side of the brain develops first in girls, the opposite is true for boys, whose brain begins

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infographic dan turner

Oxytosin

Adrenaline

The “love hormone.”

It is responsible for social recognition and pair bonding, also known as the “tend and befriend” theory.

The “fight or flight” hormone. It raises heart rate and dilates air passages and blood vessels.

information http://www.thebodysoulconnection.com

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3 2

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1. Befriend: Other people are a defense for the female.

2. Tend: By caring for individuals, they are less likely to be harmed, socially or physically.

3. Fight: Men will take on a conflict and try to “fight” it aggressively.

4. Flight: Fleeing is also a tendency of men if the fight tactic doesn’t prevail, due to the perceived intimidation caused by adrenaline.

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developing on the right side. This leads to girls being more auditory and verbal learners versus boys who are kinesthetic and visual learners.

Considering that STEM subjects are taught in a hands-on, visual fashion, female students are placed at a direct disadvantage.

“The first quarter of the year, I am very careful to assign homogenous groups with respect to gender,” says Coats-Haan, who has been teaching for 15 years. “If I put two girls and two boys in the same group, the boys will do the experiment and the girls will take care of the data. I put students in groups of all girls or all boys.”

There is also a hormonal explanation for the lack of girls in STEM areas. Known as the “fight-or-flight” mechanism, a man’s adrenaline level increases when he is threatened, thereby heightening his ability to move away from danger and essentially think more clearly. On the other hand, research by James shows that women are more prone to a “tend-and-befriend” reaction, in which the hormone oxytocin has the opposite effect of adrenaline. In this case, a woman experiences decreased heart rate and blood sugar, rendering her motionless in what is thought to be the root cause of female test anxiety.

Because STEM courses and professions involve taking tests and doing lab experiments in which participants are forced to react quickly in stressful situations, male students have an evolutionary advantage over their female counterparts.

As a stepmother, Coats-Haan believes that regardless of biological factors, childhood upbringing has a significant impact on male and female mentalities later in life.

“When I first started teaching Advanced Placement (AP) and Honors Physics, my stepson was rolling half of a wheel axel on the floor and, of course, it spun in a circle,” she says. “Boys walk into STEM fields with more confidence because they have broken their toys and done stupid things with them.”

As one of the five girls in her 30-student AP Physics class, senior Chelsea Duran is proof that the playing field has been leveled in Coats-Haan’s classes.

“There is some stereotyping about women in engineering, but it is not like guys treat me differently in this class [because I am a girl],” Duran says. “Even if they did, that would probably just make me want to do better and show them that the stereotype is not true.”

Duran hopes to major in mechanical or electrical engineering at the University of Cincinnati, where the Undergraduate College of Engineering and Applied Science designates a few scholarships every year for aspiring female engineers. Despite this financial benefit, only 15 percent of the 3,500 engineering school applicants were women this year, and the engineering class of 2015 had 130 women out of 875 total students.

East sophomore Sihame Almal sports traditional female Muslim apparel.

Lakota is also making an effort to recognize females gifted in STEM fields.

This is most notably through assistant superintendent Lon Stettler’s plan for STEAM2, which aims to prepare all students for high-demand STEM careers and will be implemented in the 2012-13 school year. This involves a requirement mandating that all junior school students take a year-long Design and Modeling course.

“The seventh-grade course Design and Modeling will be required of all our students, male and female,” Stettler says. “We would like to whet the appetite of all students to go into these STEM areas and careers because we know the jobs are going to be there.

We just want to provide students access to opportunities to learn in these fields.”

For now, the issue of the ever-present gender gap in science, technology, engineering and math is still at the forefront of real-world technical fields and Lakota as it plans to embrace STEAM2.

“The male-female disparity in STEM areas is a very complicated issue with no silver bullet to cure it because so many ideas have been thrown around,” McKain says. “This has been an issue for all my 20 years of teaching. If the solution were easy, we would have found it by now.”

GIRLS OF PRAYER

story emily haynes

The blood, sweat and tears that come with being a mother are not for the faint of heart. Taking on the role of the caretaker and nurturer requires more than everlasting patience and a high tolerance for bodily fluid; it requires love, sensitivity and a whole lot of faith, as the Williams’ family has learned.

The matriarch of the family, Kristi

Williams, happens to possess an exceptional amount of faith in relation to her role as the stay-at-home mom and her involvement with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Many religions across the board similar to Mormonism, such as Islam, Judaism and Christianity have laid down the law when it comes to gender roles.

Williams, a member of the Mormon religion since birth, says that Mormon teachings play an important factor in her role as a woman and a mother of her children.

“Family is the most important thing to us,” the 45-year-old mother says. “We are taught the importance of family and the opportunity [to be] a family forever.”

The Mormon Church released a specific decree in 1995, “The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” pertaining to the family and the roles of each member of the family unit.

The decree says “by divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children.”

Kristi and her husband Winslow Williams raised four children: Nathan, Trevor, Zach and Paige. After moving from Utah to Liberty Township eight years ago, she started working locally at The Cone last year once her youngest entered the eighth grade.

“I think a lot of the members of the church try to be home for their kids,” Kristi says. “We influence our kids more than they may know, at least until they leave the little nest and go off.”

Stay-at-home moms currently make up only one-fourth of the percentage of married women in America with children under the age of 18 according to the U.S. Census Bureau of 2010. Because of the feminist movement,

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there has been a war-cry erupting from women across America and even the globe to leave the traditional role as caregiver and find a job. The balancing act between career and family, however, is a tough maneuver to execute and often leads to the neglect of one or the other.

“I think it’s hard to balance career and family,” Kristi explains. “It’s sad that a lot of working women feel that staying home with their children is not a value at all.”

A fellow Mormon and friend of the Williams’ family, Dawn Weyl, considers the woman’s role as a mother equally as important as the man’s role of the primary financial sponsor.

“The woman has just as much say, if not more. It’s a partnership,” explains Weyl, who also works part-time at The Cone. “A lot of the time, financial responsibility will fall on the man and he sees that as his job. A woman’s responsibility is raising the children and teaching them properly.”

Throughout history, religion has preached the ideals of each gender role as a guide for the women and men in the culture.

“A very important function that religion has played historically is to help define gender roles,” professor of American Religious History at Miami University (Oxford) Dr. John-Charles Duffy says. “Teachings that religion communicate about gender tend to be very powerful in the lives of the people who are in that religion.”

Men and women even play different roles during church and prayer services.

Duffy explains that the main separation between men and women in a religious temple, whether it be a church, synagogue, or mosque, is that generally men are in positions of leadership over women. For example, in an orthodox Jewish synagogue, women are not

women of the same age group are left out of that knowledge, because they will never possess the power to become a leader.

“We believe the church is led by a prophet, and the Lord has always said that priesthood is for men,” says Winslow, a member of the church’s ward priesthood executive committee.

“Unless the prophet says otherwise, that’s how it will stay.”

On the other hand, the young women are prepared for motherhood. They are taught values, such as honesty and hard work. The ward leaders also stress a good education for the girls so that they can be better people and be better equipped “to take care of [their] needs and the needs of the future family.”

Mormonism is not the only religion that has separate roles for the women and men.

It is common for religions to have different, defined roles for each gender.

“A common pattern is that a religion will tend to put restrictions on women or to put them in a secondary or subordinate role,” Duffy says. “Usually a woman’s role is to be a mother and be primarily responsible for caring for the children. Religions might say that God has made women better equipped to do that.”

Islam, as Duffy specifically mentioned, is one of the religions that puts restrictions on the female. Asmaa Elayyadi, a Muslim women, believes that limitations are there plainly because it is “common sense”.

Elayyadi asserts that the restrictions imposed on a Muslim woman, according to the Quran, are not as extreme as one might notice on CNN. Contrary to the clips of women in Afghanistan with a veil draped over their face and gloves covering their hands, the Quran states that a women should only wear a kind of scarf, called a hijab, to cover her chest and hair. Asmaa doesn’t think that this is a strict code, but rather a safeguard.

“It’s hard to balance career and kids. It’s sad that a lot of working women feel that staying home with their children is not a value at all.” allowed to be rabbis. This is very similar to the Mormon Church because women are not permitted to be leaders or bishops. “[In] America, women in ministry is a hot button issue because it is so divided,” Duffy says. “Liberals will tend to want to adapt to make greater gender equality and conservatives will tend to want to maintain older, traditional ideas about gender differences.”

Winslow described his family as very conservative. Every Sunday at the Liberty Township ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the latter end of the three-hour church service is spent divided by gender and age. The young men, ages 12-18, are taught priesthood duties, while the young

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“It’s kind of a protection for women against rape and abuse,” the stay-at-home mother of three says. “[Wearing the hijab] is for modesty, for showing God that we are respecting and obeying him, for gaining respect, and for protecting ourselves.”

Elayyadi compared the wearing of the hijjab by just women to wild birds. Women and female birds need to be camouflaged to stay under the radar, and protect her nest; therefore, her clothing or feathers should not stand out or draw attention.

Another way women fly under the radar is during prayers at the mosque. Muslim men sit in the front of the temple and women sit in the back. This is how it has always been in Islam. In fact, at the turn of the century, when

a few liberal Muslims tried to integrate the prayer floor, there was mass opposition and their endeavors were quickly shot down.

“We sit in the back as not to distract the men. When we pray, we bend over. If we were in front, the men would be too busy looking at our behinds and their concentration would be ruined,” she explains. “It is not about double standards. Our religion is built so that we are all equal.”

When it comes to clergymen, imams and priest-like positions, women are again left out of the leadership roles, despite the recent acceptance of female leadership in the workplace and politics. Duffy says that it is more about tradition and generalities than

actual discrimination against women.

For these two women, whose religions play a pivotal role in their lives, fulfilling their tradition’s expectations for a female is an honor and a privilege. Kristi and Asmaa are upholding their promise to a higher power, and will continue to do so no matter how difficult it may be.

“Being a mom and raising kids is one of the hardest jobs I’ve ever had,” Kristi says. “But it is also the most fulfilling job. I’m honored to be a mother.”

WOMEN OF POWER

story nick lombardi

It is one of a politician’s worst nightmares.

It often means the difference between winning support from a huge demographic and committing political suicide. Just the mere thought of it is enough to cause dread and confusion in candidates. Whenever someone questions a woman’s role in politics, all rules go out the window, all bets are off.

For years, female candidates have had to run a gauntlet of doubt and hardship in order to win political positions. In the past, it seemed like women would never play a significant role in politics. But with more women than ever in high government offices such as Nancy Pelosi, Hillary Clinton, Sonia Sotomayor and Condoleezza Rice, the traditional view of a submissive housewife has begun to dissolve.

According to the 2010 U.S. Census, females make up the majority of the nation’s population. Although females constitute nearly 51 percent of the populace, they only hold about 17 percent of the elected offices in the country. This has landed the United States at the rank of 78 out of 189 on a list compiled by the Inter-Parliamentary Union in March 2012, which compares the percentages of men and women in the lower house of the government. Rwanda currently tops the list, with 56.3 percent of its politicians being female.

East government teacher Tisha

Powerful Women of the White House

Hilda l. Solis: 25th secretary of labor -leads U.S. department of labor -promotes welfare of and protects employees -links employees and employes -enforces labor laws and minimum wages

Hillary R. Clinton: 67th secretary of state -Leads u.s. department of state -advises president on foreign affairs such as “arab spring” -serves as a diplomat for all foreign relations

Valerie Jarrett: senior advisor to president -advises towards public engagement and intergovernmental affairs -chair of white house council on women and girls

Alyssa Mastromonaco: deputy chief of staff for operations: -serves as aide to president -director of scheduling and advance for obama

Kathleen Sebelius: 21st secretary of health and human services -leads department of health and human services -advises president on health, welfare, and income security

Nancy-Ann Deparle: deputy chief of staff for policy -top aide to chief of staff and president -ensures equilibrium among white house bureau

Janet Napolitano: 3rd secretary of homeland security -leads U.S. department of homeland security -concerned with protecting U.S. and protectorates from terrorism, and natural or man made disasters

Karen G. Mills: 23rd administrator of the U.S. small business administration -leads SBA by providing support to small businesses through relief, training, and government contracts

Lisa P. Jackson: 12th administrator of environmental protection agency -leads EPA -protects human health and environments through regulations passed by congress

Susan Rice: 27th ambassador to the U.N. -represent the U.S. on the U.N. security council and the general assembly -provide information and advice to state department and president regarding what occurs at U.N.

infographic sihame amlal Menchhofer feels the United States is lagging behind in female representation because women believe they have more to prove than their male counterparts.

“Females are constantly trying to show themselves in ways [that are appealing to males],” Menchhofer says. “They know majoritarian politics, but the trick is how to appeal to a male sector without losing feminimity.”

According to Menchhofer, female candidates often find themselves actually playing to traditional gender roles in order to win support.

“Women have always been the glue holding the family units together,” Menchhofer says. “And it translates to a local, grassroots platform.”

Organizations such as Emilyslist reaffirm this assertion, specializing in convincing new female candidates to enter the political ring and fostering support for candidates who are currently running.

“Women take a more collaborative approach to lawmaking than men do,” says Jess McIntosh, a representative for Emilyslist says. “In today’s hyper-polarized congress, that seems like a pretty good trait to have.”

Executive Director of the Barbara Lee

Family Foundation Adrienne Kimmell says that voters respond to candidates that they can relate to. Her organization, which works to promote female candidates through statistics gathering and advice giving when it comes to running campaigns, has conducted research showing that female candidates appeal to voters as a “real” person.

“Women candidates must talk about the need for more women in office who are in touch with real life, who know the price of food, who understand how tough it can be to make ends meet and who value benefits like health insurance, because they are important to families,” Kimmell says. “Voters find women candidates appealing if they reveal they are ‘in touch’ with voters’ everyday lives.”

It is not just a more-grassroots approach to campaigns, however, that give many female candidates an edge in political races as a study conducted at Northwestern University in 2008 shows, voters of both genders based their voting decisions almost entirely on a first impression of a candidate’s physical attractiveness and approachability, rather than his or her beliefs or policies.

Voters perceived male politicians as more competent than female politicians, the 2008 study reads. The researchers also

found, however, that female politicians were considered more attractive and more likely to win votes than their male counterparts if given equal face time.

Image is an important part of any candidate’s campaign and can make or break a candidate, even before the official race has begun. 2011 Miss America Teresa Scanlan, who will attend Patrick Henry College this fall, plans to pursue a career in politics and intends to run for president. She says that while the United States has made tremendous strides toward equality, it often comes down to image for women.

“One of the most important things females can and should do is focus on the image they portray,” Scanlan says. “The media in general can often bring out and exaggerate character flaws, so we must pay extra attention to showing that we are capable, confident and honorable leaders.”

Scanlan also says that part of the reason women are becoming more prominent in the field of politics is that society is changing to reflect the demographics of the people.

“More and more people are beginning to understand that today’s political issues affect everyone, therefore every group should be represented,” Scanlan says. “Our government

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is a representative republic, which means those in elected positions should represent the people in totality, every gender, religion, etc.”

Women also have the added benefit from running campaigns that, even on a large scale, appeal to voters locally and personally.

They have a wide array of resources and organizations from which to gain aid.

Through an initiative called East sophomore Shelby Vargas WOMENVOTE!, Emilyslist with her father, Jeff Vargas. promotes female candidates by providing information about each candidate in an effort to promote the electoral power of women. run, but then a vast gust of wind blew him 30 “Being a woman is definitely not a barrier feet into a ditch. Feeling fine, Vargas shrugged to passing good legislation,” McIntosh says. the incident and walked back to the train. But “Some voters still have some preconceived after three days, he began to feel excruciating ideas to overcome about women candidates, pain in his back and could not walk. He but [gender discrimination is] rarer and rarer.” decided it was time to go to the hospital, East senior Rachel King, however, does where doctors performed x-rays and MRI’s to not believe that gender plays a significant role discover just how badly he was injured. in politics. As the former chair of the Butler “I had two spinal surgeries. It was just kind County Teenage Republicans, King has had of up there about how [life] was going to be more experience in politics at a young age after the surgeries,” Vargas says. “I tried to than most have in a lifetime. Although she work [as an electrician] after leaving the job at does not disagree that a gender stereotype the railroad, but it was impossible.” in the political field does exist for women, In 2006, four years after his injury, he she says that it is the candidate’s beliefs and finally felt it was time to stop working and policies that make the difference, not gender. become a stay-at-home parent. Although “Sometimes you have to put aside the fact Vargas was devastated that his injury meant that you’re a woman,” says King, who sees the that he had to to quit working, he was happy issues as more important in a candidate than about being able spend more time with his gender. “We blow out of proportion [gender’s] daughters, East sophomore Shelby, freshman importance in politics.”

Livi and 12-year-old Lindsay.

In Butler County alone, local women hold “I thought [my dad being a stay-at-home public office positions such as the Clerk of dad] was different. It wasn’t a positive or a Courts, a state representative and a judge. Past negative, [for me]. It’s the norm,” Shelby says. and present trustees round out the palette With Jeff no longer able to work, his wife, of positions that women hold. Females have Angela, went to school to become a nurse. She found a place in politics and, in doing so, had a degree in music, but had previously been have impacted society and the concept of a stay-at-home mother while Jeff worked on established gender roles. the railroad. Now that the roles in the Vargas “[Women] can do the job, and we can household have switched, Jeff realizes how do it very well,” King says. “But we all bring hard a stay-at-home position can be. something different to the world of politics.”

Jeff spends his time trying to make his family’s home life easier. Life as a stay-at-home dad is much harder than he ever expected it to be, but nevertheless, he makes the best of story alyssa roehm | photo nick kanaly the situation. As a stay-at-home dad, he does everything from washing clothes, to cooking It was three in the morning, but he was dinner, to cleaning the house. wide awake. As an engineer on the railroad, “I do everything [around the house], but Jeff Vargas was used to long days and late I’m not able to keep the house clean like my nights transporting cargo. But this night was mother [did when I was a child],” Jeff says. different. The wind blew faster and the snow “[At] her house you could eat off the toilets. beat down on the train. The engine shut down But I try to keep the house straight.” and Vargas slowly walked through the blizzard Jeff also found a new interest in building to find out what the problem was. He walked furniture. So far, he has built a shed, a desk, a to the ice-covered engine that was sitting on dresser, headboards and an awning. the railroad next to a creek and a large gully.

“When I first got hurt, it took me forever Carefully, he examined it and tried to fix the to do something,” Jeff says. “I was just so problem in order to continue the late night bored at home that I started [building things].”

SUPER DAD

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Not only does Jeff do household chores, but he is also involved in his daughters’ activities.

This spring, was tge announcer at Livi’s lacrosse games.

“It’s cool having him announce my lacrosse games and being in the [press] box watching my lacrosse games and calling out who scored,” Livi says.

This was not something Jeff had planned, but he was happy to step up when his daughter’s team needed someone.

“Nobody wanted to do it,” he says. “I did it once, [the coach] told me that she wanted me to be the voice of the team because [she thought] my southern drawl was cute.”

Shelby appreciates all that her father does for the family. She enjoys the stronger family connection she now has with him and the time they spend together. Jeff always prepares the family meals, who oftentimes has fun with the recipes by mixing up meals to keep his family eating healthy. Shelby’s friend, East sophomore Sierra Piwarun says that Jeff ’s dinners are a treat.

“I like his cooking better than my family’s cooking,” Piwarun says.

Besides Jeff ’s work load around the house, he is also responsible for helping his daughters get to their respective activities and calls himself a “taxi cab and ATM machine.”

Before Shelby obtained her license, he drove her everywhere and still does with his youngest two daughters.

Livi is thankful that her dad is always there to help her. Without him, she would not have the opportunity to do everything she does.

“It’s nice because he is usually home if I need a ride somewhere or if I need picked up from school,” Livi says. “I always forget lunch money, so I can just have him bring it to school for me during the day.”

Because of his participation in his daughter’s activities, Jeff has developed a deeper bond with his daughters–one that working fathers may never have. Shelby even feels comfortable enough to go to her dad about problems she may have.

“Most girls would go to their mom [for advice],” Shelby says. “But I go to [my father] just because we’re close.”

Jeff says that he would love to still be able to work, but things just didn’t turn out that way. He didn’t know that the snow storm at three in the morning would change his life, but it did. He never thought he would become a stay-at-home dad, but he has been able to make the best out of what has happened.

“I never decided [to be a stay-at-home dad],” Jeff says. “I never thought about it, it’s just how I ended up. I mean [with] the kind of injury I had, I’m lucky I can walk.”

eastseniors

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emily JOHNSON East senior Emily Johnson stands brave through all of life’s adventures. As a survivor of cancer, Emily is prepared for any situation that is thrown her way and is now perpetually looking into the future with a strong motivation to live life to its full potential. story sara rayburn | photos sierra whitlock

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light heart lives longest.

Those words inscribed on her skin resonate through her soul, bleed through her heritage and ooze from every inch of her mind. The moment her bright-blue jumpsuit hurdles from the plane, the instant she pushes forward one more mile on her bike and the second she turns the keys in the ignition of her 1988 Honda, this Irish proverb rings true. Nothing fazes her. Her can-do, carefree attitude inspires and allows her to take on any challenge with ease and to push the boundaries of her comfort zone without going too far. She knows how to balance work and play, a skill that can accompany her throughout the rest of life’s journeys.

East senior Emily Johnson lives her life to its full potential and does not plan on straying from this philosophy any time soon.

As a high school student, Johnson started

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her path toward independence by working at Skyline Chili for 15 to 30 hours per week, participating in the youth development program 4-H, competing with the Future Educators Association and traveling to Europe and throughout the United States, all while still maintaining an active social life. In the midst of her activities and accomplishments, Johnson finds time for the little joys in life.

A daily dose of Dr. Pepper and mixes of music keep her positive vibe in tune. She keeps up with her bucket list and has already checked several experiences off the list, including attending a rap concert and visiting Ireland.

“Emily is always ready for a challenge.

She piles on so much, but somehow she is always ready to do fun, goofy, sometimes daring things in between her crazy schedule.”

Johnson’s friend and East senior Caitlyn Furnier says. “I’m not really sure how she

manages. I’m pretty sure I’d have a breakdown if I were her.”

One of Emily’s latest challenges is to bike a segment of the American Cancer Society’s Pan Ohio Hope Ride in late July. She sees it as a way to give back to society and help those in a situation similar to what she experienced as a child. Just months before Emily turned two years old, her parents noticed a large lump on her side, only to learn from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) that it was a Wilm’s tumor. Treatments at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center followed soon after the discovery.

“They took the tumor and the kidney out, but afterwards she looked more tired than anything. After the chemotherapy and everything, she seemed OK,” Emily’s mother Linda Johnson says. “She never cried from it.

She’s got a good spirit and is determined.”

Although she does not remember much from the early childhood experiences, Emily

sees the bike ride as “a way to give back by fundraising money to help those dealing with cancer.” She wants other cancer patients to have the same opportunities for treatment that she received and feels she was fortunate to participate in the Make-A-Wish Foundation by visiting Disney World as a child. Emily hopes to raise $500 for the cause and is preparing to bike an 88-mile segment of the Pan Ohio Hope Ride. Every piece of Emily’s life has been an adventure and Furnier says the 22mile ride she recently did to help Emily train for the event was no exception.

“At one of the stops there were all these high school students dressed alike from a Montessori school,” Furnier says. “Emily just went up to the group of boys and asked who they were and why they were riding. I would have never gone up to strangers like that, but that’s Emily for you!”

Emily claims she is really not much different from the average person and that her interests are nothing special, but the trait that sets her apart is that she is “just willing to do things right off the bat.” When she wants to try something new, she does it on her own.

Only a few weeks ago, Emily independently traveled all the way to Washington, D.C., in order to visit a friend who lives there. She navigated her way through a web of planes, buses and metros without any assistance or hesitation.

“I’ve always been mature and independent, but for the past two years or so I really pounced on everything. I’m not scared to try things by myself usually,” Emily says. “I could move out by myself and I would be fine. I’ll invite people to do things with me, but if you are going to commit to something just do it.

Don’t stall around.”

A skydiving appointment was one experience about which Emily could have easily changed her mind when it was not going as planned. Due to weather

involved.”

Although Emily has continued her independent lifestyle by taking part in the Post-Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) program offered through Miami University, she still attends East for two class periods of Teacher’s Academy and keeps in touch with friends from her graduating class at East. Emily intends to major in Middle Childhood Education at the University of

hometown in West Chester, Ohio

listens to “Higher” by J. Cole

will study at University of Dayton

watches Master of Disguise

loves to read Rosanna of the Amish

loves to eat anything Italian

Dayton (UD) with a focus in math and social studies. She is very interested in teaching in a high-need district or in a non-traditional setting, such as an urban school or a school for military children, and because UD offers an urban education program and is located in a somewhat urban area, Emily believes it will better prepare her for that career path.

Emily also has a history of camp counseling with Ohio Operation Military Kids to give her experience in case she decides to teach children from military families instead of those in an urban setting.

She became involved in the camps after hearing about them through 4-H and has seen both the struggles and successes of the children she counsels. Talking to the children in her cabin each time she has attended camp has exposed Emily to their concerns about adjusting to life before, during and after deployment.

“One night when we were at camp, I had

Emily Johnson East senior

Emily just went up to the group of boys and asked who they were and why they were riding. I would never have gone up to strangers lke that, but that’s Emily for you!

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conditions, Emily had to reschedule three times, pushing her skydive date from August to October in fall 2011. Fortunately her wait was worth it and Emily claims the heights did not bother her.

“I was a nervous sort of excited,” Emily says. “You literally just jump out of a plane, but it was good. I wasn’t scared. I would do it again if money and the weather weren’t

Speaking with the children in the Ohio Operation Military Kids program has inspired Emily to consider teaching in a school on a military base in order to help them through this unique situation.

Nevertheless, Emily still wants to keep her options open because her trip to Ireland in summer 2011 has inspired a third career interest—teaching abroad.

“I loved Ireland and would definitely go

10 and 11-year-olds in my cabin. We just started to talk about their feelings about being deployed. A lot of these kids, they really feel alone, like they are the only ones going through this,” Emily says. “It was neat to see them all talking about it. They have to adjust to [their parent] leaving, and then they adapt, and then they have to adapt to [their parent] coming back into the family.”

back. There is a lot of countryside and all of those castles,” Emily says. “Irish people are friendly. I can’t always understand what they are saying entirely, but I like them.

A guy [in Ireland] actually told me that I could be Irish. Maybe I will get my master’s [degree] there or something, I don’t know.”

Regardless of the setting in which Emily decides to teach, she is aware of and ready for the unique challenges the career will bring. “[The job market for education] is scary, but I can’t see myself doing anything else. I think I can find success where I am passionate,” Emily says. “I feel by being an educator, you can do so many different things.

I can get my degree in education, teach and meet so many people.”

Even if it means working multiple jobs or going on less sleep than desirable, Emily is determined to do what she wants in her career and adulthood. However, she will not let her zest for life be overshadowed by the stress her busy lifestyle may entail.

She makes everything a fun experience and her positive outlook is contagious to anyone near her. The smile Emily shared with her community during her time as 2010 Butler County Fair Queen is the same grin she wears today.

It will follow her through all of her future adventures, whether it is on The Amazing Race, among whitewater rafters or in a demolition derby.

“What am I working hard for if I am not having fun along the way?” Emily says. “I can have fun doing almost anything. Sometimes I am not always in the mood or having the best day, but I am generally having fun.”

As she leaves East and enters college at UD, Emily is certain her outlook will not change. She plans to live a full life with a light heart, just as the words of her favorite Irish proverb state. n

lakotaeastspark.com | Spark | 39

eastseniors

‘12

matt KALTMAN Walking through the halls of East with a Pokémon backpack and thrift store sweater, Matt Kaltman is a jokester. But behind his slacker exterior, Matt is serious about his relationships and his passions: wakeboarding, swimming and electronic dance music. story megan fogel | photos michael tedesco and sierra whitlock

M

att Kaltman was at a turning point.

He could continue the life of a typical suburban 16-yearold, playing Xbox, exposing his young mind to a large percentage of YouTube’s mass of videos and shying away from foreign situations that would threaten the lifestyle he maintained.

Or he could jump into something new.

So two days before tryouts for the 201011 season, Kaltman threw on a Speedo and jumped into the pool to practice with the Lakota East Swimming and Diving team, many of whom had been swimming since they were young. That Friday, Kaltman surprised everyone by making the team and his lifestyle was changed to now include hours of practice, travelling to meets, and forcing himself to be more responsible for the work he did in the pool, in the classroom and at home.

40 | Spark | May 28, 2012

Kaltman is known to dive into things, but there were various factors that led to this abrupt decision.

One such factor was his uncle’s introduction of swimming and suggestion to take up the sport.

“I went down to Texas a few years ago to visit my uncle Bryan. I was there for approximately three weeks and basically we did a whole bunch of stuff,” Kaltman says.

“He took me to Atlanta for my cousin’s swim competition, which was a pretty big deal in the swimming world.”

He returned to West Chester with the possibility of a swimming career in the back of his mind. Matt’s father, Len Kaltman, remembers his homecoming and the sense that his son was a “changed person” after the trip.

“A lot of his present personality: his determination, his interest in swimming, taking care of his body, being healthy and

driven,” Len says. “A lot of that came from his uncle and so we really saw that as a turning point in his life.”

Matt describes his uncle Bryan, his role model, as a man loved by his community, appreciative of the arts and determined enough to graduate from Penn State and start his own medical practice.

Now, as Matt treads water and desires to become more like his uncle, he has even more to motivate him.

Because less than a year after really getting to know each other, Matt’s role model was killed in a tragic accident.

“We kind of just tried to live with him in our memory and used him as a driving force to succeed. Especially with swimming,” Matt says. “On my final race of my senior year I was just trying to imagine how proud he would be. I remember him; he would yell like a maniac at all my cousins’ races. And I just imagined him yelling for me.”

In that final race, Matt pulled off his fastest personal time of his short, but impressive high school swimming career: a 53.25s in the 100 meter freestyle race, compared to his first career time of 113s. “[Swimming] was really hard to pick it up because it’s definitely a sport that the earlier you get into it, the better off you will be,” Matt says. “Going from sitting on the couch not really doing much to swimming five thousand yards a day—I feel like it was harder mentally than physically.”

In his two full seasons of dedicated swimming, Matt shaved seconds off his averages and developed strong friendships within the team. One such friendship, between Matt and Scott Aleshire, freshman at The Ohio State University (OSU), strengthened during Matt’s rookie season.

“I’m pretty sure the vibe the coaches got from [Matt] was that he was there to mess around and not really be a serious competitor but he ended up really proving everyone wrong,” Aleshire says. “He really cared about what he was doing and he really wanted to get better.”

The friendship they developed that year will be revived when Matt attends OSU in the fall to study Civil Engineering.

“I’ve seen him mature even just through his experiences visiting me and his brother Josh at OSU. He realizes that there is so much more out there and he really wants to pursue it, I can tell,” Aleshire says. “When he was waitlisted for OSU it was tearing him apart.

It was probably one of the most exciting moments of his life when he got accepted.”

Matt’s desire to explore the freedom and responsibility that Columbus, Ohio has to offer can be attributed to his natural ambition and love of “those things that [he] can be good at that most people have never heard of.”

Wake boarding was one such sport

While he was admittedly “not so spectacular” the first few times he tried it, Matt now owns his own wake boarding gear and travels as much as possible during his summers to Wake Nation in Fairfield, Ohio, one of the largest cable wake boarding parks in the country.

The park is frequented by others that share his passion and one of Matt’s favorite parts of spending time there is that he can hang out on

hometown in Cincinnati

listens to “Lights” - Bassnectar remix

will study at The Ohio State University

watches Pan’s Labyrinth

reads If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

loves to eat his grandpa’s lambchops

the deck with best friend and East junior Tyler Phillips or he can wake board while music blares on the speakers.

Music has always been a part of Matt’s life and he claims he has not gone a day without listening to music in as long as he can remember. Open to most genres (except country), but partial to Electronic Dance Music (EDM), Matt has begun to DJ in his free time.

“When I first saw him do the DJing stuff, it was crazy because I didn’t expect that, I don’t think he is a poser at all because he really researches music and looks into that stuff,” Phillips says. “Not only does he listen to EDM all the time, but he also knows all these subgenres and he’ll spend hours on the computer just looking through music.”

When Matt is not online, trying to keep track of the ever-growing genre, he will clear off the desk in his bedroom and set up the DJing equipment he has collected over the

Matt Kaltman East senior

[Matt] realizes that there is so much more out there and he really wants to pursue it, I can tell. It was probably one of the most exciting moments of his life when he got accepted [to OSU].

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that allowed him to practice something unique. It was something he first tried on that same trip to Texas to visit his uncle Bryan.

“Wake boarding was something I picked up on really fast and I was able to get all the rails and all the ramps and I just can kind of let everything out on the water,” Matt says.

“When you are on the water you can do whatever you want. You are free.”

moving to it,” Phillips says. “He’s good at it.

He knows what people like and brings that out.”

Back in the halls of East, friends and acquaintances have heard about Matt’s talent with a turntable or have even listened to his widely distributed (within one high school) mix CD “One Dubstep at a Time.”

Maybe some East students haven’t heard of Matt’s musical endeavors and only know

past few years.

His set up includes small amps, turntables and a laptop with special software. While a modest collection, Matt’s skills were appreciated when he was called on to help at a charity event in memory of a local swimmer.

“He DJed this event at the Phoenix downtown for a fundraiser and he did a really good job. All the kids were vibing it and

him from his Advanced Placement (AP) Psychology or AP English classes.

“He comes off like he doesn’t care very much but he tries so hard. Like in the pool and at school,” Phillips says. “Every day after school he goes and works out to get better at swimming and then says ‘gotta go study.’ He’s just always working hard.”

Matt’s routines help to keep him healthy, both physically and spiritually—values he picked up on when exposed to his uncle’s hard work ethic.

“Every week I go to Sunday school. If I were to say that it’s the most exciting hour and a half of my week I would be stretching the truth just a little,” Matt says. “But I enjoy it because it allows me to get together with other Jewish teens from the area, to be with people that follow the same religion as me.”

He sets aside time every week to make the 35-minute drive to the= temple despite the activities he could be doing instead.

Matt knows he is lucky to be given the opportunities to try out these different things and be different: something that he attributes to growing up with his religion.

“In suburban areas such as Liberty Township, Jews are not as abundant as, say, Christians. Being Jewish sets you apart because there are not a lot of other people that have similar religious beliefs,” Matt says. “From a young age it was kind of imprinted into my personality. They would always say ‘you’re different because this is your religion and a lot of people don’t agree with it.’”

But Matt doesn’t care what people think.

He has internal motivation pushing him to be the best he can at all the things he is passionate about.

“Any time I am pushing myself to do something,” Matt says, “I think about how [my uncle] would have wanted me to succeed in whatever I’m doing.” n

lakotaeastspark.com | Spark | 41

eastseniors

‘12

mikey GOLDMAN Voted as 2011’s Mr. Lakota East, Mikey Goldman has certainly established a name for himself within the walls of East. But Mikey claims that a tragic accident in the summer prior to his junior year of high school changed his perspective on school and life. story elaine laux | photos sierra whitlock

R

eady. Set. Swing.

These three words repeat through his mind as he tries to fight off the nerves. He shows his anxiety through worries he will not be good enough to make the team. After the final try-out day, the list is posted. The list that shows the boys who get to wear the black polo uniform with the Thunderbird emblem and those who do not. He rushes to the door and his eyes scan intensely.

His heart beats fast and his palms sweat as his name cannot be found and finally, reality starts to sink in.

Mikey Goldman did not make the Liberty Junior boys seventh grade golf team.

Fast forward five years and the same Mikey Goldman is a two-time Greater Miami Conference (GMC) winner in men’s golf for East and will take his skills to Mississippi State University in the fall to earn a degree in

42 | Spark | May 28, 2012

the Professional Golf Management (PGM) program.

“I was never great in golf because I was not completely into it,” Goldman says. “That all changed when Jordan passed. I had a sudden change of heart and a new drive to work harder while playing golf.”

Goldman’s best friend, Jordan Day, tragically passed away in a car accident just weeks before the start of their junior year.

Both Goldman and Day played golf for East and spent much of the summer before Day’s death together at the Four Bridges Golf Course. Goldman was introduced to Day their sophomore year when the two first played on the same golf team. Goldman says Day was a perfect fit into their group of friends.

He was a phenomenal athlete, but more importantly he was always looking to help anyone.

“Losing Jordan was the biggest tragedy in my life,” Goldman says. “It changed my whole

outlook. Not only did I become closer to my friends, but also kept persuing golf. He was our best player and I wanted to honor him by sticking with the sport that brought us close.”

Goldman places great value on his relationships with friends and his family. He would rather be with others than alone and always follows his mother’s number one rule– be happy. He hits golf balls every day and plays a full game at least once a week, along with spending time with best friends, including East senior Ethan Slageter.

“Mikey and I have known each other for seven years now,” Slageter says. “Sometimes I think that Mikey uses golf as an outlet to get away from everyone and everything, but I know if I ever need someone he will be there.

He cares about a lot of people.”

Slageter is leaving this summer for boot camp to train for the United States Marine Corps. Goldman believes joining the United States Armed Forces is one of the most

honorable things a person can do, but he says that it will be hard for him to see Slageter leave, because he does not want to lose another friend.

Returning to East only two weeks after Day’s passing was not easy for Goldman. He had many memories at East with Day, whether it was joking in the hallways between classes or hitting balls together before an upcoming game.

They would all come back to him while at school, which often landed him in East Psychologist Rachel Freeman-Hicks’ office.

He and friends also close to Day then joined a grief group led by Freeman-Hicks. They discussed fond memories of Day along with emotions felt as they entered the grief cycle.

The group would hold cookouts in memory of Day and ever since the loss, Goldman writes “JD” on each golf ball he hits.

“Coming back to school junior year was absolute hell,” Goldman says. “I would never go back to that point in my life even if someone paid me an infinite amount of money. I have a lot of memories at East with Jordan, so it was very difficult. I could not have gotten through it without Rachel Freeman-Hicks.”

Freeman-Hicks describes golf as something positive for Goldman to focus on instead of all the pain he was feeling.

She says that it would have been easy for Goldman to stop playing golf after Jordan died because everything about golf reminds him of the loss, but instead he dedicated himself to working hard to become a better player.

“The greatest positive impact that I have seen golf have for Mikey is when he decided to pursue a college degree in PGM,” FreemanHicks says. “After that decision, every time we talked, no matter how much sadness there was or how many tears were shed, once we started talking about the PGM

“We often tell the kids that grief is hard work,” Freeman-Hicks says. “Mikey has worked so hard to learn about and work through all the emotions that come when we lose someone close to us. Thinking about where he was two years ago and where he is now, words cannot express how proud I am of him.”

Along with the grief group, Goldman’s girlfriend of two years and East senior Jill

hometown in West Chester, Ohio

listens to Coldplay

will study at Mississippi State Univ.

watches Billy Madison

reads If You Give a Pig a Pancake

loves to eat Montogmery Inn ribs

Stelletell has helped him through the tragedy.

They would often visit Freeman-Hicks’ office and spend time with each other after school.

“We always spend a lot of time together, especially after Jordan died, but he would never let me go to his golf games,” Stelletell says. “He would always tell me that I am too loud because in golf everyone is quiet. It doesn’t bother me though, because I know golf is a positive outlet for him.”

East men’s golf coach Jeff Combs has coached for more than 19 years and believes that Goldman is truly one of a kind. He trusted Goldman to shine in golf before the loss of Day, but believes the tragedy led him to grow in greater depths than he normally would have been asked.

He says that Goldman has an incredible gift to lead others without being obvious. He can motivate his peers while also laughing with them.

“During last season, he put our team on

Mikey Goldman East senior

I took life for granted. I never even thought about losing someone I knew, let alone a best friend. You never really know what you have until it is gone.

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programs, Mikey’s eyes lit up and he started smiling again.”

Freeman-Hicks believes that the PGM program was a bright light in all of the darkness. She says it really helped Goldman take a needed step to start moving forward with his life. He was able to begin thinking positively about his future and be excited about his future again.

emotions, which has made him a better person and given him skills to apply to his bright future.

“Sports can be taken too seriously, and golf is no exception,” Combs says. “Mikey has learned to measure both his successes and failures in golf with a deeper perspective.”

The morning after Day’s death, Combs went to Goldman’s house so they, along with other golf teammates, could grieve together.

his back,” Combs says. “[Goldman] inspired his friends and inspired me to be strong. As a student, a friend and an athlete, he is as good as it gets.”

Combs says that one of the hardest parts about golf is handling your emotions, temper and staying confident after bad shots. He believes that golf has given Goldman an avenue to practice and improve handling these

Goldman says that his coach was a great friend to him that morning, and still is today.

Along with golfing, Goldman took up piano after Jordan’s passing. He started playing popular songs on the piano in his home and found that it was very calming and a good way for him to express his sadness or anger.

In 2011, Goldman took home the title of Mr. Lakota East after his performance with friend and East senior Michael Ricke.

“I play everything by ear, so the song was not too difficult to learn,” Goldman said.

“Being crowned Mr. Lakota East was fun, but I think more importantly it brought Michael and I closer to each other. The best part of winning was performing with him.”

Goldman played a rendition of Coldplay’s “The Scientist” on the piano, along with singing the chorus, while Ricke rapped his own verses to the song. The two dedicated their performance to Day. I wish I could see you/tell you I miss you/tell you it’s falling apart.

As Goldman continued to sing, his voice shook slightly as he began the lyrics he added to the middle of the original chorus.

While the world is slowly dying/my heart keeps on fighting/knowing someday I will see you again.

Friends of Day, friends of Goldman and impartial audience members alike shed tears after hearing the lyrics.

Nobody said it was easy/it’s such a shame for us to part. No one ever said it would be this hard/take me back to the start.

Before the loss of his best friend, Goldman says life was just a big game to him. He never thought something to this magnitude could happen.

“I took life for granted,” Goldman says. “I never even thought about losing someone I knew, let alone a best friend. You never really know what you have until it is gone.” n

lakotaeastspark.com | Spark | 43

eastseniors

‘12

francesca REYNAERT Although she did not initially greet the United States with a warm welcome, Francesca Reynaert overcame her social anxiety at a young age and was able to assimilate to a new culture with the help of her brother Gregory, after moving from Brussels, Belgium with her family. story christina wilkerson | photos sierra whitlock

W

hen Francesca Reynaert walked into Hopewell Elementary on the first day of school, she held on tight to her brother’s arm and cried as they tried to find their classrooms. She stood in an unfamiliar place, surrounded by unfamiliar people whose words she could not understand. Her thoughts were in Flemish, her native language.

Reynaert’s sixth birthday had just passed and she had only been living in America for about a month, yet she was about to experience first grade in a completely different language and culture.

Belgium was her rightful home––not the new house in Beckett Ridge. She wanted to go back.

But here she was, adjusting to the aftermath of a Proctor & Gamble job transfer that took her 4,000 miles away from Brussels.

44 | Spark | May 28, 2012

She did not know anyone except for her father and mother, Luc and Pascale, her older brother Gregory and the golden retriever Yenko, whom they bought so they could have something with which to start their American life––even though he had to sit cramped at the bottom of the plane for 10 hours with the luggage. Back when Luc found out about his new position, 5-year-old Francesca was worried about moving to America for two reasons: tornadoes and her inability to speak or understand English.

“I was scared to move because I knew there were tornadoes here. I cried to my mom because I didn’t want to live where there were tornadoes, and it took her forever to convince me not to be scared,” Francesca says. “I was also really young so I didn’t know what else to expect; I was scared that I wouldn’t make friends, I was scared that nobody would talk to me, and I was scared that I wouldn’t be able to communicate with anyone.”

To help break the language barrier, a tutor came to their house in Belgium to teach Francesca and Gregory basic terms in English, such as colors. After their move, they were enrolled in the English as a Second Language program and spent every weekend with a tutor. Even with the additional help, communication was still difficult for Francesca. But according to her mother, it is easier to overcome this language barrier at a young age because children have the ability to build friendships without words.

One of the most valuable friendships that Francesca formed during her first year in America was with her next-door neighbor Erin Kirby, who happened to be one year older than Francescsa.

“The first time I went over to [Francesca’s] house I was nervous because I didn’t know how we were going to communicate,” Erin, who is now a freshman at Xavier University, says. “Her mom had to translate for us, telling

me, ‘She wants to do your hair.’ I thought this was strange because I had literally met her five minutes earlier, but I went along with it.”

As they grew up, Erin and Francesca were able to build a friendship despite the language barrier that separated them when they first met.

“Fran began to pick up words quickly and when she didn’t know something, we would simply act it out,” Erin says. “It became sort of like a game of charades.”

Although most of their time spent together did not consist of much talking, Erin helped Francesca immerse herself in the American culture. When they ate pizza together for the first time, Francesca learned to eat it with her hands after Erin disapproved of her knifeand-fork approach.

And when Erin asked Francesca if she wanted to spend the night, she learned the concept of a sleepover––something that is uncommon in Belgium.

“It was amazing to see how fast their relationship grew into real friendship,” Pascale says. “Erin was always patient with Francesca, and she will always be a special person in Francesca’s life.”

Erin introduced Francesca not only to the culture, but also to what would be her passion for the next 12 years of her life: swimming.

She joined the Sycamore Flying Fish club team during the fall of first grade and finished her last season this past spring. But even in her early days as a Flying Fish, Francesca faced challenges due to her unfamiliarity with America.

“She barely knew how to swim and still had problems with the language. Francesca didn’t really know what she was supposed to do,” Pascale recalls of Francesca’s first swim meet. “Instead of swimming just one lap, she continued swimming, unaware that everyone was shouting at her to stop.”

Since that incident, Francesca became

led her to a spot in the top 25 of the 2012 graduating class, a position as a yearbook editor and as the secretary of National Honor Society (NHS). Even with these achievements, Francesca remains humble, saying that she simply has high expectations for herself.

Pascale believes that moving to America has played a significant role in the development of Francesca’s work ethic.

“She never wants to disappoint anyone and

hometown in Brussels, Belgium

listens to Ellie Goulding

will study at University of Kentucky

watches Remember Me

loves to read The Kite Runner

loves to eat Chipotle

is very committed. Doing something halfway is never an option,” she says. “Her experience of moving to the United States at such a young age has definitely contributed to her will to learn, perform and compete.”

East senior Larissa Runge bonded with Francesca in junior high over the fact that she, too, moved to America from a different country (Germany). Through being Francesca’s friend for the past five years and working alongside her on the yearbook staff, Runge has been able to watch Francesca become the leader that she is today.

“Fran has always been mature and independent, but once we got into high school it showed more,” Runge says. “She knows how to balance her friends and schoolwork, and I always look up to her for that.”

When Francesca is not keeping track of 60 NHS members’ service hours or consistently scoring A’s on her Advanced Placement calculus tests, she is most likely keeping in

Francesca Reynaert East senior

I didn’t know what to expect; I was scared that I wouldn’t make friends, I was scared that nobody would talk to me, and I was scared that I wouldn’t be able to communicate with anyone.

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more accustomed to the English language, and swimming became less intimidating and more of a learning experience.

“I thought it was important to do a sport, and I loved it when I was growing up. I was really committed,” Francesca says.

This well-developed commitment and dedication not only allowed her to finish out her 12-year swimming career, but also

Though Francesca’s family is small—with only her grandparents, aunt, uncle and three younger cousins—she says that they make an effort to remain close, even with 4,000 miles separating them.

Every year when they have gone back to visit, they have stayed at Francesca’s grandparents’ house, which is the same house in which Francesca lived before she moved to America.

touch with her Belgian roots. Whether she is Skyping her grandparents or speaking to her parents in Flemish at home, Francesca never goes a day without remembering her homeland.

According to Luc, family is the most important value to Belgians, which is why the Reynaerts have always been willing to make the 10-hour flight to Brussels each summer.

“We didn’t want to sell [that house], so my dad’s parents moved in,” she says.

“It’s nice because when we go back there, I can sleep in my old room and [reflect on] the memories.”

Although thoughts of Belgium still linger, Francesca does not plan on moving back because the “living is easier” here. While American students spend the entire week before exams reviewing during class, Belgian students cannot come to school during that week because they are expected to study at home. And while Americans have the convenience of a 24-hour Wal-Mart, every store in Belgium closes at 6 p.m., because as Francesca says, “they think it’s important that you go home and spend time with your family.”

With that in mind, one Belgian custom that the Reynaerts continue to follow is eating dinner together every night. This way, there is “more time spent at the kitchen table and more focus on the family,” according to Luc. “My parents really encourage that we keep that [tradition], but obviously we’ve adjusted to the American way of life,” Francesca says.

“Now we just do what Americans do.”

Francesca has been able to hold on to her heritage throughout the years, but at the same time she has accepted the fact that she has truly become a part of a new culture. Given the challenges that she has faced, she has made it seem effortless.

“I feel like if I don’t tell people that I’m from a different country, they would never know,” she says. “I feel like I’ve really become American.”

When she begins her classes at the University of Kentucky this fall, her 18th birthday will have just passed. Then, she can look back and remember that dreadful day at Hopewell Elementary, seeing how far she has come since that day nearly 12 years before. n

lakotaeastspark.com | Spark | 45

eastseniors

‘12

TODAHL

brendan

aaron

The dynamic duo shares everything, from ambitions to a last name. But the one true aspect that bonds Aaron and Brendan Todahl is their unique passion for music. story laura shrake | photos sierra whitlock

O

ne time at band camp, there was a gummy bear fight. Now, normally, those “one time at band camp” stories do not start quite like this. But all stories that start with these words are probably worth listening to. Especially from two of East’s best twin musicians, Aaron and Brendan Todahl.

“It was the last day of band camp, and me [and my friends] had frozen two bags of gummy bears for the entire week we were there,” Brendan says. “So we pulled them all out and just starting chucking them at each other, and they started shattering. But then, they started to thaw out, and we found out that they stick to the walls. [By the time we were done], we had an entire wall covered in two bags of gummy bears. It was the coolest thing ever.”

Band camp shenanigans aside, Aaron and Brendan are extremely focused, passionate and talented musicians. In order to find this passion (and the hilarious stories that come with it), they became as involved in the band program at East as anyone could be. Both are members of East’s top ensembles, Symphonic Winds and Eastside Jazz Ensemble, as well as

46 | Spark | May 28, 2012

the Thunderhawk Marching Band.

Director of Bands at East Bill Thomas speaks highly of the Todahls proficiency in music and leadership throughout their high school career. “[Aaron and Brendan] have excelled in every aspect of the music they play,” Thomas says. “They are excellent leaders with an obvious passion for music.”

Growing up, the Todahls were essentially best friends. They ran with the same crowd, kept each other company and shared many of the same interests.

The interest, which defines each of them now, is music.

When they started their music career at Liberty Elementary, they did not do the classic “twin thing” which was to pick the same instruments.

“After Aaron picked the trumpet, I didn’t want to be that guy and have us be twins [that] play the same instrument,” Brendan says. “So I picked the drums. They were loud and fun, so I thought I would give them a try.”

Before learning to play the trumpet, Aaron learned how to play the guitar—aspiring to be Garth Brooks later in life. His trumpet skills, however, prevailed over the country rock star.

“When I decided what instrument to play for band, it was probably because my dad played trumpet [in high school] and I wanted to be like my daddy,” Aaron says with a smirk as he looks for his father’s reaction. “And obviously it was a good choice because I’m still playing it now.”

As the twins grew up together, their interests remained the same. Both continued their music careers into junior high and since then have been two of the best musicians in their class ever since.

At the end of junior high and into the beginning of their high school career, the Todahls had their own band—Seeing Double.

Aaron utilized not only his guitar skills in this band, but also his vocal skills, taking on the role of lead vocalist and guitarist.

“Oh my goodness,” Aaron says. “We tried to break out of the mold of your typical high school band where the drummer can’t play worth crap. I thought we were good, but it was really just for fun.”

After writing music for his band, Aaron continued writing music of his own interest.

“I still write music, but just more for me,” Aaron says. “I recorded a CD just to have fun in a recording studio. It was really like chilled-

out acoustic, just me singing with my guitar and a piano track thrown in there too.”

After the breakup of Seeing Double shortly after entering high school, the Todahls continued to prosper in their careers as musicians. Both immediately became involved in almost every aspect of music as possible.

Brendan participated in the marching band during freshman year; Aaron joined him sophomore year. Aaron and Brendan were both section leaders of the trumpet section and drumline, respectively.

When it comes to Brendan’s favorite style of music, he tends to play more music that is featured on the marching band field. “ [Although I really enjoy jazz], I spend most of my time playing rudimental snare work more often than anything else,” Brendan says. “I tried out for [Drum Corp International (DCI)] too. I almost made it this year, but hopefully I will make it next year and get to do that during the summer.

DCI, Marching Music’s Major League, features all percussion and brass marching bands which compete around the country throughout the entire summer. Traveling and living on charter busses, sleeping on gym floors, practicing for 16 hours a day rain or shine is all the name of the game in DCI, but Brendan’s love of this type of music outweighs the hardships that he could face over the summer.

Aaron, however, leans more toward the jazz side of the music spectrum. Both brothers have participated in and thoroughly enjoyed jazz throughout their entire high school career.

“For me, [my favorite] is definitely jazz, without a doubt,” Aaron says. “[I enjoy] the freedom that you get to express yourself by not just playing what’s on the page but also playing stuff off the page. You can convey your emotions and ideas more so than playing in an orchestral setting.”

Brendan Todahl East senior

emphasis in a music education degree. Most other places you have to double major.”

As Aaron began his college search, he always knew he would major in music.

“I’ve wanted to go to CCM probably since I was a freshman,” Aaron says. “I didn’t know I wanted to major in jazz, but music and CCM for sure. I could never really see myself doing anything else.”

Brendan, on the other hand, is a devoted

hometown in West Chester, Ohio

A: listens to alternative music B: listens to hard rock and jazz

A: will study at Univ. of Cincinnati-CCM B: will study at The Ohio State Univ.

A: watches Mythbusters B: watches Big Bang Theory

A: reads The Five People You Meet in Heaven

A: loves to drink coffee B: loves to eat anything Italian

B: reads The Catcher in the Rye

and enthusiastic percussionist. Although he originally planned to go into engineering, Brendan decided to pursue music in college.

Next year, Brendan will attend The Ohio State University (OSU) to double major in Music Education and Computer Science.

Although music has been a part of Brendan’s life since elementary school, he began to enjoy music more when he began tutoring young percussion students, which aided in his decision to look seriously at colleges for music.

“It was a tough pick,” Brendan says.

“I applied and auditioned at OSU, CCM, Louisville and Miami. The bad thing, though, was that I was accepted into all of them, which made it even harder.”

Despite their differences in musical taste, The Todahls’ parents, Linda and Doug, acknowledge how much music has had an impact in their sons’ lives.

“It has given them something to be

Aaron Todahl

East senior

Growing up, the Todahls were essentially best friends. They... shared many of the same interests. The interest, which defines each of them now, is music.

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Aaron will attend the University of Cincinnati (UC) College Conservatory of Music (CCM) in the fall of 2012 to major in Music Education and Jazz Specialization.

“I knew I wanted to play jazz in college, but I also wanted to get the education side of it,” Aaron says. “Not many colleges do that.

UC’s program is really unique because they’re pretty much the only college that has a jazz

to their school work, and I think that will help prepare them for whatever they do next.”

Aaron and Brendan’s parents also note the difference in the way their sons look at music.

“They have never said, ‘Oh I have got to go practice.’ No, it’s ‘I have to go play,’” Doug says. “I don’t even remember the last day that one of them hasn’t played.”

For Aaron and Brendan, some of the best memories of high school have happened in

passionate about,” Linda says. “It is a way for them to express themselves. They’ve found something that they feel at home with.”

Doug also sees how music has impacted their lives, and taught them how to be responsible in all aspects of their lives.

“Music requires a discipline,” Doug says.

“That has carried over into a lot of other things they do. They bring that same discipline

the band room. Between regular band, jazz band and marching band, musical memories will stick with them no matter where they go. One of the defining moments of their career was the most recent trip with the Eastside Jazz Ensemble to New York City from May fourth through the eighth for the Essentially Ellington Jazz Festival.

“Best experience of my life, hands down,” Aaron says. “I got to meet Winton Marsalis and play at Jazz at Lincoln Center (a building constructed specifically for jazz musicians).

It was the most fun I’ve ever had on stage.

Being a ‘jazzer,’ it was so cool to get to be in the place where all the most famous jazz musicians have played.”

Aaron was also chosen as an Outstanding Trumpet Soloist from the festival, by Winton Marsalis, a famous jazz trumpet player.

“When I won the award, I got to meet him and give him a hug,” Aaron says. “When I asked him a question, it felt like he was just talking right to me instead of the entire hall. It was an awesome experience.”

Brendan agrees that the jazz festival was one of the experiences he will take with him into his future career.

“The exposure to the intensity of playing that was there was crazy,” Brendan says.

“Every band just seemed to be better than the last and it was so cool. And every major jazz musician was there. It was so surreal because you see them and you think, ‘I watch you on YouTube,’ but then they’re standing right in front of you.”

Playing at big events such as this jazz festival is what keeps the passion for music alive for the Todahl twins. For them, the memories music has created for them will always be some of the best from their high school experiences.

“Band memories will always be with us,” Aaron says. “They will never fade.” n

lakotaeastspark.com | Spark | 47

eastseniors

‘12

dwight HU

Some know him as the class of 2012’s salutatorian. Some know him for his high-frequency laugh.

Some know him for the chia pet growing on top of his head. Dwight Hu has left teachers and students alike in stitches since elementary school, yet few know the origin of his genius. story devin casey | photo sierra whitlock | photo illustration michael tedesco

D

wight Hu belongs in jail.

In the trunk of his burntguacamole green 1992 Honda Accord are three Spalding basketballs—property of the Lakota Family YMCA. He has played two consecutive seasons of recreational basketball for the gym that knows him by name and lets him play on a daily basis, despite the fact that his family canceled his membership six months ago.

The car itself is a crime. Two of the door handles are missing on the outside, three on the inside. Receipts for Fudge Brownie Swirl ice cream, Velveeta dip and Rotel Salsa line the backseat, some dating as far back as 2010.

Oversized cans of Arizona Iced Tea, a two-byfour and unopened cans of cream soda rest on leather seats that, under the August sun, are capable of burning most passengers. The headlights are jumping from the car, barely attached by overtly green tape.

But the greatest anomaly in this East senior’s ride is his custom-installed sound system, which often pulsates with the slick

48 | Spark | May 28, 2012

beats of Biggie Smalls and reminds his passengers of the rap battle of the 90’s that was Nas vs. Jay-Z. Even the unparalleled verses Nas spits on Queensbridge’s Finest are not needed to soothe Dwight’s heart, for unfortunate milestones like getting kicked out of Mu Alpha Theta for not having the required hours and being denied to apply for National Honor Society (NHS) for “dishonorable acts” did not incite a tear.

“It didn’t faze me,” says Dwight, who attributes his 90’s rap addiction to his brother, Rocky Hu, who introduced him to rap artists in junior high. “Being in [Mu Alpha Theta and NHS] wasn’t essential to me anyway.”

East Advanced Placement (AP) and honors physics teacher Sandee Coats-Haan denied Dwight’s application to NHS in the spring of his junior year. After nearly a year with Dwight in her honors physics class, Coats-Haan felt that her top student was not performing to his full potential and cited his abysmal attendance record of 15 tardies and 14 absences as part of the reason that she felt he did not belong in East’s chapter of NHS.

“[Junior year] Dwight was bad. He was just skating by, doing the minimal amount of work because he knows what he has to do to get the good grades because of his style of learning and academic maturity,” Coats-Haan says.

Dwight’s method of learning is one of behind-the-scenes studying. At risk of being caught opening a textbook or picking up a pencil, Dwight primarily carries out his studies at home in order to give the appearance of school being “effortless.” He starts by looking at the solutions and working backwards in order to understand the answers and, more importantly, the concepts. Dwight says that this is what has helped him achieve salutatorian status for the class of 2012.

After three detentions, two Friday schools and a 10-day parking pass suspension, Dwight shaped up. Dwight went from sleeping through school days and receiving wake-up calls from East senior Eric Sullivan during first and second periods, to acquiring a sense of maturity—with a respectable attendance record to match.

Coats-Haan was so pleased with the “new

Dwight” that she made him exempt from completing the AP physics concept map, a large-scale project assigned toward the end of the year in order to help students prepare for the AP physics c: mechanics and AP physics c: electricity and magnetism exams. Coats-Haan says she has never before exempted a student from a physics assignment, but claims that Dwight has evolved since his junior year and has the ability to constantly learn on his own.

“Dwight is constantly evolving as a leader, and as a friend,” Coats-Haan says. “He’s certainly a unique student, but a fun guy and simply a fun person to be around in general. I can honestly say I am going to miss him.”

Dwight’s sense of humor and signature high-pitch laugh, which far exceeds the acceptable decibel level for classrooms, helped land him a spot on homecoming and prom court during his senior year. The nomination came as a shock to Dwight, but teachers and friends alike say that Dwight, from his grasslike hair to his ever-expanding collection of Kobe shoes, is the perfect candidate.

“I was not surprised at all by his nomination,” Vanderbilt University freshman and 2011 East graduate Akash Umakantha says. “He’s a smart kid with an edgy, bad-boy attitude. That’s something people like.”

Umakantha has been friends with Dwight since seventh grade, when the two met on opposite sides of the chess board. They reunited on the East chess team where Dwight played second board and Umakantha played first. Together they led East to two consecutive second place finishes in the Greater Miami Conference (GMC) and earned first team all-GMC honors in 2010 and 2011.

East chess team head coach Stephen Orlando says that if it were not for Umakantha, four-time GMC athlete of the year for chess, Dwight would have played first board as a freshman.

“Dwight is a very meticulous

pumps and umbrellas, one could find his portable chess board. He has it so he can play chess at a moment’s notice in case anyone challenges him. He will spend his summer nights at the YMCA, executing beautiful floaters and mimicking the most challenging dribbling maneuvers he sees in NBA Street.

Then he will head over to McDonald’s, rolledup chess board in hands, split a 20-piece chicken McNugget and order a water, but fill

hometown in Miami

listens to Nas

will study at Univ. of Calif.-Berkeley

watches Shawshank Redemption

loves to read Rikki Tikki Tavi

loves to eat pancakes

it with PowerAde. He and anyone foolish enough to challenge him will play into the night. It is the simple, quiet life he chooses to lead since his shenanigans of the past.

While Dwight does have the occasional slip up, from getting kicked out of AP biology for his boisterous laugh to crowd-surfing at both homecoming and prom, effectively stopping the music at both dances, his parents say that they are proud of Dwight’s laurels.

Dwight’s mother, Jane Hu, is very appreciative of her son’s ability to take responsibility for his grades and school work, but is also pleased to see the laidback and light-hearted jokester in him develop.

“He just likes to joke around, however, when necessary, he can be very serious and diligent,” says Jane, who was not only surprised to hear her youngest son made prom court, but also chuckled at the sight of his photograph in the Pulse Journal. “Over time

Dwight Hu East senior

Everyone changes in this world, and I am no exception to that.

I am fine with who I am today. Actually, I am happy with who I have become. I enjoy life more now.

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and quiet player,” Orlando says. “We play every team in the GMC twice each year, so [opposing] coaches knew about him before each match. They respect him, and fear him. I have no doubt in my mind that Dwight could have played first board as a freshman at any school in the GMC.” If one kept sifting through the scandalous trunk of Dwight’s car, beneath basketball

Court was a bus stop for several elementary school students from first through fifth grade.

The kids piled their backpacks on a cement block beneath a basketball hoop and would often play hopscotch, red light green light, trade Pokémon cards and make snow angel circles during the winter as they waited for the bus. A mere 15 feet from the high-volume festivities, in dark blue New Balance shoes with a dark green backpack strapped tightly

he has grown accustomed to his environment and the people around him. He has more self confidence and has learned to become comfortable with himself. He is a much happier person now than he was as a child.”

In elementary school, classmates were accustomed to a different Dwight. Studious and meticulous, sure. But not social. At the corner of Wyandot Lane and Eaglestone

around both shoulders, stood Dwight.

On his own driveway, alone. Every day for five years he stood in the same spot, dead center and approximately three feet from the curb—motionless. Despite countless efforts by the others to get the kid to join the childhood frivolity, he would not budge.

“Since first grade, Dwight has been shy.

But since then he has changed a lot—for the better,” East senior Michael Dudley says. “On the inside, he’s always been the same, but he has developed the willingness to show who he truly is, which is a rare and unique quality in people. One’s personality is an amalgamation of past experiences, and things like his taste in rap music influence him, but don’t change him. He’s still Dwight.”

Until his junior year of high school, Dwight’s ostentatious giggle was a treasure only known in the Hu household. Now the legendary laugh is well-known by nearly every AP teacher in East.

“Everyone changes in this world, and I am no exception to that,” he says. “I am fine with who I am today. Actually, I am happy with who I have become. I enjoy life more now.”

He plans to return to the diligent Dwight, however, in order to pursue his double major of Biomolecular and Chemical Engineering at the University of California-Berkeley. The campus is a 2,364-mile trek from the township in which Dwight has grown as a student, young adult and friend. Ask him about the distance, and he will swat the topic away and return to running his hands through his hair, perpetually mesmerized by how it springs back like a deck of cards.

“Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine,” he says.

Dwight just needs someone to tell him to take his cap and gown from out of his back seat underneath his two-by-four, and give him a wakeup call on June 3. n

lakotaeastspark.com | Spark | 49

eastseniors

‘12

ethan LEONOW Between music, his girlfriend and family, East senior Ethan Leonow finds inspiration to create art that will lead him into his future. After proving to Lakota he has the skills to succeed, he is plannig to turn his hobby into a career with maturity and discipline beyond his years. story jenn shafer | photos sierra whitlock

S

linky the caterpillar looks down on all of the kindergarteners and preschoolers as they walk into school. Unbeknownst to most people in the Lakota Local School District, East senior Ethan Leonow designed that caterpillar twelve years ago when he was in kindergarten.

Out of all of the pictures made by the kindergarteners in Leonow’s grade, his picture was chosen by the sculptor and brought to life on the wall of Creekside Early Childhood School, formerly known as the Lakota Early Childhood Center.

As a senior about to graduate high school, Leonow still enjoys art and is planning on making it into a career. Leonow will be attending the Columbus College of Art and Design (CCAD)next fall, studying industrial design.

“It was the first college I visited, and I originally wanted to go into architecture,

50 | Spark | May 28, 2012

but I realized that wasn’t for me,” Leonow says. “[Architecture] becomes monotonous but with [industrial] design I can be more spontaneous. I’ll be designing things that are mass manufactured.”

According to Leonow’s mother, Susan Allen, he told his grandfather when he was 8 years old that he wanted to be an artist.

However, even at such a young age, Leonow knew that being an artist was not practical, which is why he told his grandfather he would be an architect instead because it still involved art.

“I think it is incredible that he has stuck with [art] for 15 years and now the next step is college and getting a degree and turning it into a career,” Ethan’s father Fred Leonow says. “A lot of kids have habits and fads that they go through, but by the time they are in high school, it’s over. But he’s stuck with it and put it to good use. I think it’s incredible he is pursuing a degree in an art related field.”

Because of Ethan’s passion for art, he has confidence that he will succeed in this area of study, and his family and friends are nothing but supportive of his aspirations.

“I will be proud of him [if he pursues art in the future] because that’s his goal,” East junior Tori Matheis, Ethan’s girlfriend, says. “A lot of people say there isn’t a career in art, but there is.”

Ethan’s inspiration comes from everywhere, sometimes out of nowhere. He will wake up in the middle of the night with an idea, “it is very spontaneous and out of the blue,” he says.

“He is easily inspired along with being very creative and artistic,” East senior Harrison Frost says. “Art is a passion of his, and I have no doubt he will find success.”

Matheis often serves as an inspiration to Ethan, and pieces of her appear in his artwork.

“We have the same sense of humor,”

Matheis says. “I can be myself around him and he makes me laugh a lot. We just clicked I guess. And he is good looking too so he was the whole package.”

They have been dating since Dec. 4, 2010 and for each month they were dating up until their one year anniversary, Ethan gave Matheis the number of roses corresponding to how many months they had been dating.

“Everything he does is romantic and I love it,” Matheis says. “He is very chivalrous. He says romantic things every day and tells me I’m beautiful.”

In Ethan’s Advanced Placement art concentration pieces, a set of twelve artworks revolving around a similar topic, a ring that belonged to Matheis appears in each piece.

It was her great grandmother’s ring, and one night after they hung out she lost it in the snow. The next morning, Ethan went out to find it and was fascinated by the design of it.

He put it on a dog tag chain to keep it safe, but because Ethan liked it so much, Matheis let him keep it, and now he wears it every day.

He hides the ring in his artwork because he loves little “Easter eggs” like that, or like the I Spy books, as he compared it.

Music had also proved to be a source of inspiration for Ethan, because he has been playing piano since he was seven. After hounding his mother during his first grade year, his family bought a piano so he could start lessons in the beginning of second grade.

“He still plays just about every day,” Allen says. “He hasn’t taken lessons in a couple years but he teaches himself songs.”

Between the stress of school and daily life hassles, Ethan uses music not only as inspiration, but as a calming technique.

“Music can definitely calm me down when I’m stressed out,” Ethan says. I like playing the piano. It’s a little therapeutic.”

Family is an important aspect that Ethan draws inspiration from as well.

just a few days before Ethan was supposed to leave for Washington D.C., Ethan insisted he would rather stay with his family than go on the trip, and wrote a poem and drew a picture to read aloud at the funeral. After his grandfather’s death, Ethan’s family had been trying to get his grandmother to live with them, so without telling anyone, Ethan left a note on her pillow while they were visiting with “12 reasons why you should come

hometown in Columbus, Ohio

listens to The Shins

will study at Columbus Col. of A and D

watches Kung Fu Panda

reads One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest

loves to eat mashed potatoes and gravy

live with us grandma.” His grandma found the note after Ethan had already left and according to Fred, Ethan does things like that without wanting attention or trying to make a big deal out of it.

Allen also says that Ethan finds inspiration and comfort in God. Ethan notes that he has realized everything happens for a reason and overall it will be the best thing for him.

“He is my life, He does everything,” Ethan says. “I pretty much attribute everything I’ve accomplished to Him, and thank Him for it.

It’s really not in my control.”

Ethan has always had his religion, but God has become a larger part of his life over the past year, a side to Ethan of which most people are unaware.

“This year I’ve grown spiritually,” Ethan says. “I’m seeing all of the great things I can do and there’s really no explanation for that other than someone gave me these talents and gave me these gifts. I feel like it’s all God’s

Ethan Leonow East senior

[Ethan] is a good guy. He will help anybody. He will give you the shirt off his back. He’ll volunteer. He’s concerned and makes sure his younger brother and sister are on the right track.

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He talks to one of his grandmothers on the phone often because she “always has good stuff to say” and visits about every summer.

“They have no artistic talent but push me to be my best and have molded my study ethic and work ethic,” Ethan says. “My mom gives good advice and just seems to know a lot of things and my dad is very smart.”

When one of Ethan’s grandfathers died

let his friends influence him as much as they probably could. He hasn’t succumbed to peer pressure.”

Ethan could have easily made a lot of bad choices during high school, but he stayed on his path. He is very disciplined with his studies according to his father, and he cares about people in general.

“He is a good guy,” Fred says. “He will help anybody. He will give you the shirt off his

work and this year I’ve matured and grown to attribute everything to Him.” According to both of Ethan’s parents, he has always been very disciplined and mature, even when he was younger. His maturity separates him from his friends and allows him to stay true to his beliefs.

“I’m really proud of his discipline and his belief in himself,” Fred says. “He doesn’t

back. He’ll volunteer. He’s concerned and makes sure his younger brother and sister are on the right track.”

His caring personality and maturity beyond his years make him stand out. Frost describes him as “just different from everybody else.”

“Being as artistic as he is, he’s always thinking outside the box,” Frost says. “He can look at life from a different point of view. We all have the ability to create and he uses that to his advantage.”

Five of the schools to which Ethan applied gave him scholarship money, equally a total of around a quarter of a million dollars between the five schools, including half tuition from CCAD. “I’m excited but sad,” Allen says. “He’s our baby. But, I think he has made the right choice with Columbus College of Art and Design. I think he is going to be very happy there.”

As Ethan’s time in Lakota draws to a close and he begins the next chapter in his life, there is no doubt he has left his mark on the school district. He has affected the people through his compassionate character, and has left his mark as an artist as well.

“People should know that I am very passionate about what I do,” he says. “Almost everything I do I put a little heart and soul into that. You can probably see that after a little bit of knowing me. And they should know that, though im passionate, im also easygoing so I can shift my passion.”

He began by creating the monumental caterpillar, and ends by designing the class of 2012 senior banner for the cafeteria.

“I think it’s a sign that I can probably go somewhere in life with design,” Ethan says. “I really want to get my name out there. I know it’s really hard to make it in the art world, but going to an art school may help. I don’t necessarily want to be famous, but I want to be successful.” n

lakotaeastspark.com | Spark | 51

SHOW

THE

GOESON

Spark apologizes for any errors regarding destinations of senior students.

Information was obtained from the East Guidance Department which was obtained through the students.

SENIOR DESTINATIONS

BOWLING GREEN STATE UNIVERSITY

OHIO UNIVERSITY

MIAMI UNIVERSITY

THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY

UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI

TOP FIVE UNIVERSITIES ATTENDED IN OHIO

infographic tommy behan

0 STUDENTS

1-5 STUDENTS

6-23 STUDENTS

24 OR MORE STUDENTS

DETERMINING DENSITY OF COLLEGE-BOUND

2012

ALABAMA

Anderson University Isaac Donnell Ball State University Thomas Behan Lindsey Lafleche Eric Lenahan Olivia Lepper Denver Lilly Rachel Podnar Adam Wattrick Butler University Austin Butikofer Devon Lakes Olivia Wrencher Indiana Wesleyan University Rachel Harris Purdue University Jacob Backstrom Aaron Peters Adam Petty Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Tai Enrico Stephen Geresy Taylor University Lauren Wills

INDIANA

Columbia College in Chicago Carly Wilson University of Chicago Patricia Nyaega

ILLINOIS

Brigham Young University in Idaho Jared Hopkins

IDAHO

Brigham Young University in Hawaii Celeste Jacobson

HAWAII

Georgia Tech Kevin Cleaves Spelman College Courtney Lett

GEORGIA

Florida State University Joshua Kopman Nova Southeastern University Molly Blomer University of West Florida Jennifer Guilmette

FLORIDA

Yale University Whitney Wyckoff

CONNECTICUT

Front Range Josie Patlon-Herode United States Air Force Alexandra Green

COLORADO

El Comino College Avery Breznai University of California Berkley Dwight Hu

CALIFORNIA

Tuskegee University Nibiah Fry

Saint Louis University Rebekah Downs Bridget Lally

MISSOURI

Mississippi State University Jeffrey Edmonds Michael Goldman University of Mississippi Ashley Gamble Morgan Weinheimer

MISSISSIPPI

Eastern Michigan University John Bange Katherine Drummond Hillsdale College Ainsley Ellison Michigan State University Jessika Hall University of Michigan Natalie Paul

MICHIGAN

Louisiana State University Larissa Runge

LOUISIANA

Bellarmine University Jonathan Kowalski Centre College Tanner Lyons Eastern Kentucky University Katie Brock Tyler Whetsel Kentucky Christian University Jeffrey Mundy Ivan Thomas Morehead State University Rachel Brown Meredith Jones Hannah Sigala Murray State University Lauren Clark Northern Kentucky University Victoria Brooks Anastazia Brown Kristian Johnson Kelly Kirby Amy Mischler Anthony O’Connor Alexander Rainford Jason Shake Cody Shaul Anna Spencer Kyle Taylor Aaliyah Thomas Alexis Thomas University of Kentucky McKenzie Collopy Andrew Keating Elliott Ludlow Francesca Reynaert JessicaScott Shaumia Turner Michael Zimmerman Laura Shrake University of Louisville Nick Hach Hannah Huddle

KENTUCKY

University of Indianapolis Hanna Benz Melanie Browne Tiffany Herzog Wittenberg University Alyssa Barr

Aveda Fredric’s Institute Jaclyn Cornwell Melissa Gomez Baldwin Wallace College Jacob Landers Bryan Powell Blue Ash Community College Scott Moore Bowling Green State University Kelly Barker Skylar Barkley Ryan Davis Claire Feyche Savannah Fulmer Sarah Kieny Jacob King Aaron McManus Abigail McKee Sara Rayburn Kyle Ross Jordan Roth Capital University Christopher Griffin Nicholas Hollon Travis Martin Case Western Reserve University Ameera Khalid Daniel Robbins Eric Sullivan Central State University Brieon Robinson Cincinnati Christian University Brice Dickinson Destini Heard Cincinnati State Zachary Brown Joseph Bryson Emily Dixon Fuller Gerbl Nicholas Hechler Tyler Hicks Clinton Hopster Amanda Malblanc Kevin McClean Kyle Morgan Joel Presar Kimberly Rollins Ryan VanDruten Samantha West Shawnna Wolfe

OHIO

Rochester Institute of Technology Shane Reifsteck

NEW YORK

New Jersey Institute of Technology, Rutgers Muhammad Zunair

NEW JERSEY

Appalachian State University Samantha Brinkman East Carolina University Jordan Maness Bradley Sizemore Evan Stacy Elon University Grace Kennedy Wake Forest University William Barren Western Carolina University Jared McMillan

NORTH CAROLINA

University of Missouri Zachary Armstrong Megan Fogel

Cincinnati State Technical and Community College Jared Dennis Ruslan Khmelev College of Mount St. Joseph Timothy Bowman Michaela Buczek Erin Grasty Tyler Overberg Columbus College of Art and Design Ethan Leonow Denison University Jenna Braun Fortis College Angelica Blackburn Manuela Carrera Galen College of Nursing Tiffani Smith Good Samaritan College of Nursing Kirby Cox Hocking College Carlei Moore Kent State University Ryan Block Brandon Dietsch Jemima Esekwen Cindy Lam Amanda Watt Miami University, Hamilton Brittney Allen Austin Boeddeker Logan Caron Austin Hall­ Derek Hatfield Victoria Hawkins Travis Helton Joseph Hoops Abigail Hurley Courtney Kelley Landen Kleineick Malcolm Martin Patrick McGurk Aimee Peddicord Tevin Pitts Jackson Ray Justin Reed Kelly Martinez Rodriguez Jonathan Schliesman Alison Stith Andrew Sylvester Matthew Trainor Tyler Werth Miami University, Middletown Justin Brock Jacob Dean Charles Downs Donald Fish Samantha Gerlach Madison Gims Nicole Orelli Anum Qureshi Rosalia Rosales-Martinez Jennifer Rub Evan Smith Miami University, Oxford Naa Dromor Adjei Anna Almquist Taylor Avery Bryan Boone Anthony Booth Megan Caldwell Abigail Carr Andrew Ellington Ashley Fazenbaker Caitlyn Furnier Breanna Glaccum Christina Glunt Laura Harsch Andrew Horton Saara Khalid Jennifer Kilyk Rachel Knock Emma Lipscomb Anthony Meese Aimee Miley Laura Moak Roya Mohammadi Chandni Patel Jacob Sepela Quentin Russell Natasia Reinhardt Abigail Sattler Benedict Schoeffler Nathan Turner Blake Wilder Mount Vernon Nazarene University Matthew Bowman Monica Munoz Matinez Northeast Ohio Medical School Shachi Shah Ohio Dominican University Mark Minch Ohio Northern University Adam Ahmed Ohio University Ashley Adams Samantha Armes Morgan Beul Cara Binder Alexander Corna Joshua Curran Kari Curry Kirsten Davis Harrison Frost Benjamin Gallow Luis Gonzalez Sara Grayson Mary Harris Natalie Leahy Clarinda Lyons Timothy McKenna Jacob Null Maame Ofori-Attah Chase Penafiel Meghan Sabatalo Matthew Slone Caitlyn Smith Jillian Stelletell John Sulek Sierra Whitlock Alexandra Wilson Clay Wilson Mitchell Womick Otterbein University Lauren Beitel Emily Bostian Jason Combs Meghan Davis Aleth Pashi Paul Mitchell’s Beauty Academy Lauren Barker Shawnee State University Cori Miles Sinclair Community College Benjamin Bunnell Alex Cain Sarah Dershimer Keely Howell Brian Hughes Chanel Keyser Katie Jo Newby Breanna Sands The Ohio State University Nora De Arco Muzzammil Ahmad Alexandra Bartels Devaughn Blair Jeremy Bright

Alexa Brownfield Lauren Buck Megan Caldarelli Ashley Case Devin Casey Marty Davidson Frank Debevec Sydney Dietz Trevor Huizenga Matthew Kaltman John Kates Ian Kirchner Scott Koenig Brian Kotter Shawn Kumar Haley Kurtz Alexis Lee Samantha Lowe Chelsea McLean Erin McNally Ashley Miley Alex Miller Ryan O’Connor Tiffany O’Connor Shivang Patel Kyle Petersen Kevin Peterson Lauren Pavloff Victoria Reick-Mitrisin Michael Ricke Christian Roehm Joseph Savage Jennifer Shafer Alex Sherman Sonny Shi Zachary Sieber Nicholas Tassos Brendan Todahl Troy Turner Christina Wilkerson University of Akron Rachel Jencen Shahnawaz Kutubuddin Emily Morrell University of Cincinnati Jared Adams Taylor Alden Bradley Armstrong Buse Aydore Reda Bakali James Barth Nicholas Bedel Cheyenne Blanchette Lamar Brown Lisa Cai Allison Carey Ian Castro-Hiraldo Sydney Chaney Mitchell Clark Dean Clements Joshua Clyde Cynthia Combs Michael Conrad Ariana Cooper Katelyn Craig Swarnajeet Das Doorgaben Dave Christian Dawson Anna Deutsch Chelsea Duran Joseph Felix Kelsey Ference Thomas Finnerty Zachary Fitch Alexander Grieshop Ashley Guckiean Kacee Hamant Casey Huber

Farah Hussain William Irby Charles Jenkins Shane Jenkins Katelyn Jerome Emily Joa Elaina Jones Kevin Kick Samantha Knauft Alexander Kopp Katelyn Lee Logan Leeson Jacob Lehn Chelsey Lobaugh Daham Marapane James Maurer Cory Mc Phillips Mitchell Meyer John Nelson Sarah Nemets Jacob Oursler Ian Owens Radhika Patel Raymond Peng Jessie Perry Kayleen Peterman Cody Raber Andrew Scheitlin Johnathan Schroeder Anthony Sciutto Victoria Shea Jacob Shedroff Craig Stover Bradley Taylor Joshua Taylor Aaron Todahl Grant Wall Kevin Ward Peter Wendt Lindsey Werner Chad Whaley University of Cincinnati Blue Ash Samuel Butler Tariq Carmichael Jamie Chapman Erin Geibel Rachel Incerpi Haneen Ismael-Jasim Luan Lam Adam Lewandowicz Quinn Pasenow Michael Roseblossom Kathryn Sheldt Daniel Stahl Joshua Taylor Minh Tri Nguyen Collin Wagner Alexandra Weber University of Cincinnati, Clermont Campus Amanda Diacont Emily Ewen University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music Michael Dudley Nicholas Pierok University of Cincinnati Raymond Walters Ava Al-Bayer Ramiz Al-Saleh Kyle Daniel Austin Koebbe Bridget Kum Christopher Long Daniel Meirose Sara Trampe Villarini University of Claremont Brigham Young University Paige Baisden Dallin Rahlf

UTAH

Belmont University Connor Fraley Tusculum College Hannah Berling Vanderbilt University Rachel King

TENNESSEE

Coastal Carolina University History Richards University of South Carolina Nicole Kaine

SOUTH CAROLINA

De La Salle University at Manila Terence Justrin Mabunay

PHILIPPINES

Albright College Tori Meyer Art Institute of Music Jalen Turner Cabrini College Kristy Ruskowski Carnegie Mellon Institute of Technology Ian West Lehigh University Max DeZarn Lincoln University Hannah Leach

PENNSYLVANIA

Kelsey Tenley University of Dayton Alissa Bryant Megan Connett Allison Dunham Abrielle Elson Eric Harper Emily Johnson Elaine Laux Amy Ng Kyle Vanden Eynden University of Findlay Alyssa Grevenkamp University of Toledo Connor Burdno Dhara Patel Vaishnavi Reddy Urbana University Brady Sowders Walsh University Joseph Postlethwait Wright State University Jordan Cooper Milahn Davis Alexius Edmonds Taylor Fanta Jacob Huddilston Kyle Miller Hunter Parks Elizabeth Rumping Brian Smith Christian Smith Gary Walker Xavier University Jessica Hernandez Sean Lewis Zachary Mueck Robert Van Kirk Laura Whyle

VIRGINIA

Timothy Barnhart Kenneth Barry Timothy Baxter Jordan Brassil Wayne Brown Paul Burkhart Luke Cunningham Dakota Cupp Brent Dangel Kin Delgado Ryan Dickerson Jalen Elwood Elizabeth Faybik Maria Francisco Mateo Robert Ganim Melissa Gomez Magdalena Haro Jacob Harrison James Harrison James Herald Charles Huber Cassie Klingelhoffer Christopher Manger Zachary Manning Lexii Marshall Aaron Mendez Brittany Moore Christopher Omeish Jacob Onkst Amber Parkinson Stephanie Petra Miraih Reed Emily Schaefer Lauren Stacey Geoffrey Stamper Joshua Stegeman Michael Sturgill Tiara Towe Katherine Tuznik Alexander Voong Taylor Weisenborn Emily Westmeyer Keyanna Wilkinson Steven Wilnewic

EMPLOYMENT

Ryan Adleta Nicholas Amrein Joshua Burgess Douglas Conn Oscar Cubas William Farley Andrew Ferris Kevin Hesselton Branden Julien Bernard Middendorf Joseph Paproski De`Antre Pate Alex Shelby Ethan Slageter Katherine Tuznik JessicaVandygriff Nolan Walters

MILITARY

Howard University Jasmine Hanks

WASHINGTON D.C.

Regent University Elyse Edwards Southern Virginia University Kylie Daniels University of Virginia Andrew Souders Kyle Souders

eastseniors

‘12

anna DEUTSCH

After struggling to overcome the hardships of a friend’s death, Deutsch perserves to improve her artistic talents. story tommy behan | photos michael tedesco and sierra whitlock

T

ime machines do not exist yet. They are things of scifi imagination and are still unpatented. Yet when exploring East senior Anna Deutsch’s house, it becomes apparent that time machines do exist—just in a different way.

Five white columns dominate the porch with a touch of neoclassicism and are captivating until reaching the front door.

Beyond the threshold is a gateway to an older world. Tight staircases and narrow hallways lead to spacious, airy rooms. All rooms are connected in a subtle loop around the staircase which is near the back door. The kitchen is homey and the dining room is old-fashioned.The backyard is a vast ocean of green with an island, the barn tucked neatly in the far left corner. In front of the barn is an old-school trampoline, begging passer-bys to hop on and jump.

Once inside the barn, an aura of antiquity arises. Past the go-kart are cars of family friends and neighbors’ friends—but not just any old cars: A 1973 Pontiac Grand Ville gleams under the dim lights alongside a 1967 Oldsmobile Convertible Cutlass.

The scene is art.

After viewing the 19th century time machine which she grew up in, it is easy to recognize how Deutsch has developed into an involved Advanced Placement (AP) art student. It also explains why she intends on majoring in Fashion Design at the University of Cincinnati’s famous Design Art Architecture and Planning (DAAP) program.

“My setting growing up got me into art,” Deutsch says. “But with the house came inspiration for my artistic style.”

The house was not the only thing that got

54 | Spark | May 28, 2012

Deutsch to become an artist. Looking up to her grandparents’ artistic example on both sides of her family, Deutsch started taking art seriously in seventh grade. Since then, she has been drawing realistic objects seen in everyday life ranging from chairs to plants in an effort to find her artistic style.

Style is what defines an artist, according to Deutsch, but she has yet to find what makes her unique as an artist.

With her wide variety of style and openness to new ways to express herself, Deutsch believes it is good that she is not restricted to a certain artistic style so far.

“I’m always the same person, but the styles change because there are so many that I love,” Deutsch says. “Sometimes it is romantic, sometimes it is bohemian. My art depends on my style and my style depends on my mood.

I’m still looking for what defines me as an artist.”

Deutsch’s mood and artistic drive were deeply affected by the news when her constant friend senior Shelby Shrider died in the fall of 2011.

“I remember feeling totally cold, I was freezing and shaking. It didn’t hit me yet. I felt numb,” Deutsch says. “Then when I was walking to get my bike, I told a friend and that is when I started crying and couldn’t stop. I just wanted to get away.”

East senior Erin Geibel remembers the times when she and Deutsch had to be there for each other after Shrider’s death.

“Anna doesn’t really like to talk about sensitive things. For a long time she kept it on the inside and it went on for months and months because Anna likes to be happy,” Geibel says. “She really did not believe Shelby was gone. Anna would say ‘she’s just on vacation’ because we would rarely see Shelby

because she went to Butler Tech.”

Over time, however, Deutsch learned to open up and the burden became less.

“Anna finally opened up and we agreed we would be there for each other. When we opened up it was really rough and we cried about it and shared good memories of Shelby.

Afterwards I could feel the weight being lifted from her shoulders,” Geibel says. “The pain is still there and there are days when everyday events remind her of Shelby, but she gets through the days without being overwhelmed if she hears Shelby’s name. It is getting better, she is getting stronger.”

Even with the carefree friendship that Deutsch and Shrider maintained, Shrider’s death still weighs on Deutsch’s mind. The effects, however, are not all dire, as Deutsch was able to preserve a positive attitude and learn a valuable lesson from her friend.

“Shelby is a big reminder to be careful how to treat people because the way individuals are treated is a big contributor to why people end their lives,” Deutsch says. “A smile in the hallway can be a difference. I have learned to try and be a friendlier person to people I see every day.”

Deutsch has learned to become more amiable not only through the lessons Shrider taught her, but also through the experiences with a Catholic retreat called Kairos, Greek for “Spiritual Time.” The retreat is meant to target high school seniors, the goal being that seniors take time out of their lives, stop it and reflect on it with other people, according to West senior and Deutsch’s Kairos small group leader Johanna Blake.

“Our friendship has grown over the years, but Kairos strengthened it to a whole new level,” Blake says. “Anna is cheerful, always upbeat and always makes me smile.”

Blake’s improved friendship through Kairos brought her a new level of respect for Deutsch, especially through her artistic drive and stylistic diversity.

“She is a free spirit and is able to express her own style through her clothes, her beautiful hair, her passion for art and her willingness to go out on a limb,” Blake says. “I can watch her and know it is ok to be myself.

I have more confidence because of our relationship.”

Kairos, however, was not just a religious experience that helped build new relationships and rekindle old ones for Deutsch. Kairos served as a re-energizer to her life, in particular her artistic inspirations.

“I was having a slump with art beforehand.

I could not think of anything and art was becoming both a struggle and chore. I was so uninspired,” Deutsch says. “After Kairos though, I started thinking, ‘I really need to express emotions more,’ because usually I don’t like people to see my emotions. If I’m [continued on page 56...]

laura WHYLE

East senior Laura Whyle has undergone a smooth adjustment to her new life as a high school teenager and adopted daughter. story bridget lally | photos sierra whitlock

A

t just four pounds and four ounces, the child lies in the palm of her father’s hand. Looking at the beautiful baby girl, her father and mother beam at the infant who is finally theirs.

“When we arrived at the adoption office to sign the forms, my wife threw up because she was so excited. We joked that she had morning sickness [even though] she wasn’t even the one pregnant,” her father says.

Because she was a premature baby, her parents did not know at the time of her birth that they had been chosen to adopt her, so it was a big surprise.

For East senior Laura Whyle, this surprise was a step in the right direction to living a happy and healthy life with a loving family.

Laura was adopted at two weeks old by Jeff and Julie Whyle. Before this, she was placed in a foster home while her biological parents finalized their decision to put her up for adoption.

“My birth father, Milton, did not want to give me away,” Laura says. “But my mother, Barbara, was unsure and it took her a long time to decide.”

Due to her biological parents’ complicated marital situation and Barbara’s suffering from an illness, they finally decided to place her up for adoption. Jeff and Julie wanted to adopt a baby because they knew that Julie could not have children.

“As soon as we were married and started searching for a house, we looked at adoption agencies too,” Jeff says.

The couple also adopted a second child, East freshman Anthony. Laura and Anthony are not related, as they were adopted from different biological parents.

A devastating event for Laura and her family occurred when Julie died from a failed artificial heart valve in her 30s. Laura was 7 years old at the time, and this misfortune left Laura and Anthony without a mother, eventually leading to Laura’s trouble in school.

About a year after Julie died, Jeff met his second wife, Ann, through a widow support group; Ann’s spouse passed away as well. Jeff and Ann married when Laura was 8 years old, and one year later they had their own child named Sean. A year after that, Ann legally adopted Laura and Anthony.

“I would pray often for our new family,” Ann says. “It was hard at first being the new mom. I remember Laura would get angry and yell from the top of the steps, ‘I wish I had my old mom back!’”

While death and a new mother caused stress in the family, it brought Laura and Anthony closer together.

“Laura and Anthony dealt with the death in different ways. Laura became a very motherly figure to Anthony,” Jeff says. “One time when we were in a hotel Anthony accidentally got on an elevator by himself. Laura freaked out; she thought he would be gone forever.”

Because Anthony and Laura were raised together, however, they are much more similar than she and her birth siblings are.

“Nurture definitely wins [in the nature vs. nurture debate],” Ann says. “We have been able to see Laura’s biological brothers and sisters and they are completely different from her. For one, they are much larger than she is and seem to act different than she does.”

Although so many different parents and siblings have been in and out of her life, Laura has been able to deal with it with ease.

“I never really questioned my parents; they raised me,” Laura says. “Being adopted

so young, they were always my parents.

It was never anything different for me. I can’t remember ever really questioning it or worrying about it when I was little. I think I just accepted it.”

According to Laura, it was God’s plan for her to live a better life with caring parents.

“I know that it’s for the best. There was a reason, and I have a better life because of it,” says Laura. “I do think about my identity a lot actually, just [about] how I would have been different. I can tell there are differences between the way I think and the way my [current] parents think sometimes.”

An important component of Laura’s life right now is church. Her religion and faith in God play a large role in how she thinks and how she spends her time. As an avid Christian, Laura attends St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church’s “Reality” youth group and has participated in the Kairos retreat, both as a retreatant and a leader.

An adult chaperone and leader at both events, Tom Burke, has been able to connect and get to know Laura well over the past year.

“Laura is most definitely one of the kindest and sweetest young people that I have had the privilege to be around,” Burke says.

“She has grown in confidence and genuinely has a positive influence on those individuals lucky enough to be around her. She has an energy about her that is infectious. It is hard to imagine a bad day when you get a glimpse of her smile.”

She is not only involved in church, but also in her community. She has been involved in the Girl Scouts program since second grade, growing from a Brownie to an ambassador to a recent Girl Scout graduate, and has been able to continue doing good deeds for others through Girl Scouts.

One of Laura’s closest friends, East senior Erin Geibel, can testify to Laura’s character and willingness to help others.

“She’s devoted to the people she calls her best friends and she listens really well when people give her advice,” Geibel says. “She also cares a lot about the people around her.

She will go out of her way to make others feel important.”

Jeff and Ann are excited to see her graduate and recognize how far she has come to be able to attend Xavier University.

“She has come a long way,” Ann says.

“From doing three hours of homework every night as a third-grader –in tears –at this kitchen table to seeing her write a research paper on her own, I couldn’t be more proud.”

That premature baby is still little, grown to a height of barely five feet, but she is tall in spirit and ready to make her mark on the world.

As Laura says, “I want to be remembered for not going with the crowd and just being myself.” n

lakotaeastspark.com | Spark | 55

eastseniors

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anna DEUTSCH

[...continued from page 54] stressed I should just be stressed. Art is more of an outlet now.”

Stress is a routine part of Deutsch’s life, and with the DAAP program in which she is enrolled for the 2012-13 school year, Deutsch does not expect stress to be on the decline.

With four art classes every day, including AP Studio Art and Art Metals I, she is constantly under the gun, but somehow is able to relieve stress and be happy every day.

Release from stress comes in all forms for Deutsch, from jumping

on a trampoline to sleeping in a pile of laundry.

“I have three huge windows in my room and there is a part of the day that the sun shines perfectly and floods the middle of the room with light,” Deutsch says. “My favorite thing is doing the laundry and sleeping in the sunlight in the pile of warm laundry.”

Art, however, remains Deutsch’s passion. Deutsch enjoys art because she never knows exactly how the piece will turn out, and when the piece turns out how she wants, she takes pride in her art.True to her personality, Deutsch is most focused on her work not in the classroom, but in her own element.

“When I’m in school I don’t feel like drawing because there is nothing inspirational around me,” Deutsch says. “When I’m outside at home on a sunny day and it is not too windy, that is when it’s perfect to draw.” n

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DEALINGWITHCANCER East sophomore Alexa Chryssovergis and freshman Lindsay Snook participate in a Relay for Life meeting.

WALK FOR YOUR LIFE

The annual 18-hour walkathon around East’s track raises more than money for cancer research. It raises awareness throughout the community and incites a passion within the students.

“O

story chris bowling | photos devin casey On May 25, Lakota East leads the life of a cancer patient. Students, teachers and faculty are awake for 18 hours, enduring a constant struggle to keep taking the next step forward.

The physical and mental exhaustion that accompanies this struggle has muddled the original mission and participants are losing focus. But when they remember their mothers, fathers, grandfathers, grandmothers, aunts, uncles and friends who have suffered through this same feeling, they sustain their will to keep moving. In that short time, the severity of the battle against cancer, along with the will to push forward, has become clear. It is a Relay for Life.

Sophomore Rachel Chestnut, the advocate seat for East’s Relay for Life committee, is devoted in the public relations aspect of her duties. Hanging posters, making announcements and trying to involve the students of Lakota East is an arduous and physically demanding task but Chestnut keeps a positive attitude because, like many others involved with the committee, cancer has affected her life deeply.

Chestnut remembers four years ago when she witnessed her grandmother, struggling to hear or move near the end of her long struggle with liver cancer. As her family gathered around the woman’s bed, the signs of the exhausting battle were showing and Chestnut was at a loss for words.

“Rachel’s here,” her uncle whispered in her grandmother’s ear and slowly her grandmother

58 | Spark | May 28, 2012

reached out and tightly grasped Chestnut’s hand in response, quietly asking “How are you?” It was at this point that Chestnut felt an overwhelming sense of helplessness.

“I don’t want someone to have to go through that ever again,” Chestnut says referring to her experience with her grandmother’s death. “But even if someone did have to experience what I did, I want them to have the same motive that I have to go and make a difference.”

For those who share similar experiences, motivation comes from the idea of ridding helplessness and being able to give back to those who were once left without options.

This provides strength to dedicated East faculty and students to carry through the event and make Relay for Life a success.

Relay for Life is a nationwide fundraiser run by the American Cancer Society that raises money and support for extensive cancer research. East’s Relay for Life event takes place on the school’s football field and track, starts at 3 p.m. on Friday, May 25, and extends until 10 a.m. the next day, featuring a variety of events to create a fun atmosphere for the participants. Activities such as Ms. Relay, a male-cross-dressing beauty pageant, Limbo, and many others are all part of this year’s marathon. However, the event still retains its progressive mentality to symbolize the struggle in the day-to-day life of a cancer patient and his or her caregiver.

After years of hosting a combined East

and West Relay for Life, the events were separated into individual school fundraisers beginning last year to help garner more fundraising support by not excluding schools, according to American Cancer Society (ACS) representative Carrie Riddle who helped East’s event last year.

“When we would host the West Chester community Relay for Life at one of the high schools there would be less participation from the other [high school],” Riddle says. “But after splitting up the events last year the West Chester Community was able to raise $40,000 more than it had the year before.”

Regardless of location, the mission statement to represent the challenges of living a day in the life of a cancer patient has not changed.

The physical and mental exhaustion parallels the struggles cancer patients and their families face, such as trying to pay exorbitant hospital bills, facing intense chemo treatment and returning time and time again to the treatment clinic.

It may not be prevalent while surveying the worn contestants’ faces etched with sleep deprivation, but the experience of Relay for Life is more than just a fundraiser. For some it is an initiative and a push to change their own lives, taking the progressive attitude that is omnipresent in the event. Relay for Life Student Chair Drew Souders is one such person whose experiences with the event challenged him to become more involved and

to make a difference.

After experiencing the effects of cancer firsthand with his mother who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007 and through his grandmother who was diagnosed with the same type three times, Souders was looking for a way to get involved and the J. Kyle Braid leadership ranch in Colorado was his outlet.

The camp featured classes and activities that focused on teaching those involved how to become leaders in their community and how to start branches of cancer fundraisers in their local areas.

“It was indescribable,” Souders says.

“We went white water rafting, horse riding, shooting and fishing, but what I really liked was the classes. It was a way to learn the leadership skills and how to bring them back. I really wanted to make a difference after that.”

Since becoming involved in Relay for Life, Souders has been the driving force behind the fundraising. Last year, Souders led East in raising $23,000 for the event.

“It helped me get my priorities straight,” Souders says. “It made me think about what I was doing and how it was actually going to make a difference.”

Relay for Life provides an invaluable experience for its participants, but in order to make the May 25 event happen, there is a a lot of work that needs to be done.

East’s Relay for Life committee Adult Chair Craig Ulland is at the center of the dayof organization and handles a lot of the day in and day out work of Relay for Life. “[Planning Relay for Life] involves anywhere from 150 to more than 200 manhours from September until the clock strikes 10 a.m. on [the morning of the event] when

[Relay for Life] helped me get my priorities straight. It made me think about what I was doing and how it was actually going to make a difference.

–East senior Drew Souders the event ends,” Ulland says.

The event planning also involves separate meetings targeting different things that take place once a month, starting in January, and continuing into May. At these meetings, quotas are discussed, prizes are awarded and concerns are addressed and solved.

Like any big event, Relay for Life experiences its fair share of difficulties, most of which regard fundraising. Last year, nearly half of the $23,000 total was submitted a week prior to the event, bringing the committee a lot of stress.

This year, committee members are working with ACS and Relay for Life representative Jessie Sikora to avoid last year’s mistakes to reach the current $30,000 goal of which only $9,000 have been raised.

“I’m a little bit concerned,” Sikora says. “I want to meet our goal, but the fundraising is very time-specific.”

Along with raising money, the committee

often finds reaching out to the students to be a difficult task. Brainstorming ideas for new and involved activities is a job that the committee takes into consideration at every meeting. Live music, Minute to Win-it games, Twister competitions, an underlying Olympic event theme for this year and more are created to allow the participants to enjoy themselves while supporting a great cause.

Although the night is full of activities, cancer patients, as well as their caregivers, are still the priority. The night kicks off with the Survivor Lap—a lap around East’s Thunderhawk track for patients who have prevailed against their battle. Survivors are also honored with memorabilia and dinner for participating in the event.

However, Relay for Life does more than just celebrate those who have fought cancer and won—it equally honors those who have lost their battle against cancer.

At 9 p.m. the Luminaria Ceremony takes place in which those who lost their struggle against cancer are honored. Prior to the event, participants can pay to personalize a bag with a loved one’s name, photo and message. These bags are placed along the bleachers facing the track. After dark, candles are lit inside the bags and the field is illuminated, reminding participants of those who have been lost.

Relay for Life is about making a difference and honoring those who have been affected by cancer.

At 7 a.m., when participants are tired and struggling for a will to continue, they can look inside themselves and see a cancer patient who, like them, is fighting for a reason to take that next step forward. It is a moment when work pays off. It is a Relay for Life. n

Relay for Life student chair and East senior Drew Souders demonstrates to volunteers how to ask for donations.

Spark

l

High Schoo Lakota East Online Edition

DEALING WITH

CANCER

Spark will have continuous coverage of the issue of cancer and its affect on East, the community and the world. Look for more stories and photos online over the summer at lakotaeastspark.com and in the first edition of next year. lakotaeastspark.com | Spark | 59

DEALINGWITHCANCER East junior Jessica Elam participates in the 5k Butterfly Walk on May 12.

J

THE UPSIDE DOWN This East junior has undergone more strife and turmoil than most people, but with the unfathomable aid of friends, family and faith she is able to prevail.

“T

story rachel king | photos ellen fleetwood and used with permission from jessica elam “They pulled the tube out and she could finally breathe on her own. That’s when she grabbed my hand and told me she had seen Heaven. She said she wasn’t mad that all these things were happening to her. She said, ‘God told me my work on Earth wasn’t done.’”

The memory is still vivid in Amy Elam’s mind, but her daughter Jessica only remembers seeing “a bright light.”

The MRI took place on the evening of Oct. 31, 2001. Jessica, seven years old, had never fully come out of the sedation from the procedure, and all night long, every 20 minutes, Jessica woke up in a rage before passing out again. But it was the next day, at 6:24 on Halloween morning, when Jessica went to Heaven. The doctors came into her hospital room to do some tests before her first brain surgery, which was less than 24 hours away. But Jessica’s eyes were not responding to light and her blood pressure was falling to the “Code Blue” level. They were losing her. They needed to act. Fast.

Eight 8-oz glasses of fluid were drained from a hole drilled in Jessica’s head, and a tube was fed down her throat to help her breathe.

God, don’t take her. Please don’t take her.

By this point, she was already with Him. But He told her to go back.

Your work on Earth is not yet done, Jessica.

She went in for the eight-hour brain

60 | Spark | May 28, 2012

surgery the next morning, Nov. 1. With no complications, doctors were able to remove the kidney-sized tumor at the base of her brain, strangling 8, 9, 10 and 11 cranial nerves.

Only an upside-down, J-shaped scar remained on the back of her head. As the doctors were cleaning up after the procedure, Jessica was singing “Jesus Loves Me.” The diagnosis happened 10 years ago, but in February of 2001, Jessica was having signs and symptoms like migraines and food allergies that signaled something was wrong. It even hurt to smile.

“She was always getting sick. At first, you didn’t think anything different of it,” Amy recalls. “In school, kids would write down things they wished for and Jess always wrote, ‘I wish I didn’t get sick.’”

Later that year, on Oct. 28, Jessica and her family participated in the “Making Strides” 5-mile walk for breast cancer to raise money for cancer research and support breast cancer survivors, like Amy’s mom.

“Jessica was having trouble balancing and just wasn’t acting herself,” Amy says. “But, with the help of my brother and dad, she managed to make it through the five miles.”

The next morning, her left eye started to protrude. After passing all neurological exams three times at Children’s Hospital, doctors sent her through a CT scan.

“They wanted to rule out the big, bad and ugly,” Amy says. “I could tell by the look in the doctor’s face that something was not right.”

An MRI confirmed the rare, malignant ependymoma tumor, which affects the central nervous system.

“Brain tumors are a particular problem in children,” says Vanderbilt University Chief Medical Officer Dr. Michael Neuss. “Cancer is almost as broad a term as ‘disease’ but does convey a common meaning of a condition that is threatening to the patient because of uncontrolled growth.”

Had it been too much longer before noticing the tumor, Jessica could have drowned in her sleep. It was, as Amy says, “God’s perfect timing.”

After an exhausting 40 treatments of radiation, Jessica’s health was looking better.

She made it through all of 2002 but went back to the oncologist in August of 2003 after experiencing back pain.

“Cells can become dormant and then start growing again,” says Neuss. “Every single cell has to die and that is hard to accomplish.

Achieving 100 percent success is difficult.”

On Sept. 25, Jessica, now nine years old, went in for an MRI. She was called into the doctor’s office the next day. They had found on top of her spinal cord in her back a tumor the length of a forearm, which explained the

numbness she was feeling in her leg. “[The doctor] looked at Jess and said, ‘Do you know why you’re here?’ and she replied, ‘Duh, the cancer’s back,’” Amy says. “She already knew. God told her so. When the doctor asked what we were going to do about it, Jessica said she was ready to get mean, nasty and stubborn about it.”

Your work on Earth is not yet done.

Jessica went through another 35 radiation treatments and was put on steroids for the first time, causing her to “blow up like a balloon,” recalls Amy, who has worked seven years at Children’s Hospital in the postanesthesia care unit.

After the radiation, a scan showed that the cancer had shrunk 25 percent. This report meant that the neurosurgeon could attempt surgery and, on December 18, the spinal tumor was successfully removed.

“All [the doctor] did was go in and peel it right off,” Amy says. “He showed Jess a piece of her spinal cord and she said it looked like crispy bacon.”

On Christmas Eve, Jessica was well enough to light the last Advent candle at church.

Things were looking up, but Jessica had to go in for scans every three months to “be on the safe side,” she says.

Radiation was not working as effectively as the doctors had hoped, so she was put on six different types of chemo. With chemo, Jessica knew she would lose her hair.

“I didn’t mind it coming out, but the process was hard,” she says. “I was at my grandparent’s when my hairbrush turned into a hair brush.”

There was another instance when Jessica was home taking a bath and Amy recalls cooking dinner and hearing Jessica scream from upstairs.

“I thought someone died,” she says. “She went to wash her hair and then she was bald.

It all came out at once. Her hands were full of hair. She felt her scalp and nothing was there.”

But Jessica chose not to be angry. In fact, she was happy that she “didn’t have to brush it, wash it, or shave [her] legs.”

Jessica even found enough courage to go to school without wearing her wig.

“I’ve been rockin the bald look. I like to wear head bands with big bows. On picture day, they had to get two pictures because too much light reflected off my head,” she remembers, laughing.

In March of 2006, Jessica went in for an MRI. Doctors found a spot in an inoperable location on the main artery in her brain. The cancer was back, and March 25 marked the entrance of her third relapse.

After taking steroids and undergoing radiostatic surgery, a procedure in which one mass dose of radiation with different waves targets the cancer cells in the body, the brain tumor did eventually dissolve.

“I would have been happy if it just stayed there dead, like a scar,” Jessica says. “But it dissolved and that was even better news.”

Unfortunately, the good news did not last for long. Jessica was able to start seventh grade and on Sept. 25, during one of her regular check-ups, doctors found an oddly-shaped spinal tumor growing outside of the cerebral spinal fluid and below the fecal sac in an area where a lot of nerves are housed.

Sept. 25 already had meaning to the date.

It was Jessica’s grandfather’s birthday and five days after Jessica’s 13th birthday. It was also the four-year anniversary of the MRI that confirmed a spinal tumor growing in Jessica’s back.

A biopsy verified the tumor, and the surgeons went back in through the same scar, removing what they could without doing any damage. Jessica was given chemo through an IV and orally, by means of pills.

“I’m in awe of Jessica,” her father Jeff says. “I could never be as strong. I don’t know where she gets it. She must get it from God.” Not even a year later, on Aug. 22, her dad’s birthday, doctors found another inoperable tumor on the other side of her brain. The tumor was too small to risk surgery, so Jessica was put on more rounds of radiation which stunted the tumor’s growth.

For once, Jessica was not consumed by cancer.

“Freshman year I didn’t have any problems,” Jessica says. “It was the best year since fifth grade. I even got my nose pierced because I was doing so well.”

In June of 2010, Jessica started experiencing flare-ups. The spinal tumor that laid dormant since 2007 began to grow.

She remembers fighting extreme pain at the Cincinnati Zoo’s annual “Survivor Day for Kid’s Cancer.”

“We were in the hospital the next day with

“I’ve been rockin’ the bald look. I like to wear head bands with big bows. On picture day, they had to get two pictures because too much light reflected off my head.

–East junior Jessica Elam

a flare-up,” Amy says. “Jessica could choose from three different types of chemo, and she chose the one that would make her feel sick but wouldn’t give her acne because she liked the name of it and liked her pretty skin.”

Currently, Jessica is in her seventh relapse and remains on chemo because the tumor is still there, although it is stable.

Your work on Earth is not yet done.

Over the years, Jessica has collected “courage beads” from her many trips to the hospital. There are also other treasures that have helped Jessica fight, like her dogs, Trevor and Sierrah—her favorite.

This Lasa apsa is more than a best friend.

Sierrah is a dog with cancer. Not only do the two share a similar story, but their battles are also in sync.

“We got her right after I was first diagnosed,” Jessica says. “When I was diagnosed with a spinal tumor, she was diagnosed. When I was doing well, she was doing well. Our chemo treatments were even the same–every three weeks.”

Sierrah has followed alongside Jessica throughout her battle and as long as they had each other, cancer didn’t feel so big.

But this April 15, two weeks before her 10th birthday, Sierrah lost her fight. She was welcomed to “Rainbow Bridge,” a place in Heaven where “animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor,” so reads the poem that Amy found for Jessica to keep.

While Sierrah’s earthly body has passed, her spirit continues to comfort Jessica along her journey. Jessica also relies on her faith in God and the plan He has for her.

“God chose me for a special reason,” she says. “He picked me. I want to make him proud. I don’t feel lucky; I feel blessed.”

Jessica believes that God is able to restore whatever cancer takes away from her. She relates her life to Job, a man in the Bible who lost everything and was left with only his faith.

“The body has taken a toll but her soul is stronger,” Amy says. “She has never, never complained, ‘Why me?’”

Jessica and her family understand that life does not always give an answer for things but many times uses those challenges for a special purpose.

“It’s hard. It’s really hard. But there’s a greater power doing this for a reason,” Jeff says. “To make us stronger, maybe. To make us more resilient, to spread awareness.”

During long stays at the hospital, Amy and Jessica spend a lot of time praying and reading their Bibles.

“When [Jessica is] having a bad day, I’ll have her read the Bible out loud so she can hear the words,” Amy says. “With each trial is more strength. When I pray, I never ask for patience because when He gives me patience, He gives me another trial. So, I ask for wisdom and guidance.”

lakotaeastspark.com | Spark | 61

DEALINGWITHCANCER For Jeff, he looks to God for explanations.

“If I don’t have the answer, that’s where I go,” says Jeff, who works as an accountant for a construction company. “I don’t want to be the dad who tells Jessica, ‘I don’t know.’ I ask God, ‘If you won’t speak to me, speak to her.’

And He does.”

Your work on Earth is not yet done.

Cancer may have robbed Jessica of a normal life, but it will not steal away her dreams. She wants to get her license, graduate high school, attend Johnsonville Bible College, marry a country boy, have a coffee-themed wedding with lots of purple, dance to the song Cinderella with her father, buy a house and teach early childhood.

“God has told me that I am going to be a teacher,” Jessica says. “I’ve got plans and I am going to fulfill them. Nothing will stop me.”

As a member of Teachers Academy (TA) at East, Jessica will work next year on building her professional profile and interning in a Lakota classroom.

“I don’t think cancer is an issue for Jess,” says Crissy Lauterbach, who has had Jessica in class for the last two years. “It is a part of her life, but it doesn’t define her. She always makes an effort to keep up with her assignments, and the class sees her strength.”

It was Jessica’s fellow TA classmates who were behind the school-wide campaign to vote for Jessica as prom princess and make her junior prom a reality.

“We surprised her,” says Jessica’s friend and TA student, East junior Erin Smiddy. “With the help of students and staff, we took care of everything. She deserves it.”

The dress was donated by Cinderella’s Closet, and Jessica had the opportunity to pick out whichever one she wanted. She also had her nails done, and the cost of her ticket and dinner were covered.

In the week leading up to prom, Jessica was experiencing extreme back pain, and the chances of actually making prom night happen were slimming.

“Her determination made prom possible,” Jeff says. “She wouldn’t let pain in the way.”

On the day of the dance, Jessica was put on morphine to combat her pain. The medication helped, and it was the most magical of nights.

“Jessica and her group went to Graeter’s after dinner,” Amy says. “A little girl looked to them and asked if they were princesses.”

She did, indeed, feel like a princess–but she would have to wait until later that evening before receiving her crown.

Jessica was able to get enough votes to make the junior prom court and fought through her back pain during the dance in order to take part in the crowning ceremony.

It was the biggest moment of the night, and one of the biggest of her life.

“Jessica was the first to be introduced and walk out. Everyone was screaming and

62 | Spark | May 28, 2012

Jessica dances with East junior Clay Han after the two are crowned prom princess and prince.

clapping,” Erin says. “I’ve never seen a smile so big on her face.”

After all couples gathered in the center of the dance floor, the student body grew quiet with anticipation, waiting for the DJ to take the mic and announce the junior class prom prince and princess.

She heard her name. The crown fit perfectly. She looked most beautiful.

As the slow music began to play and the cheers of the crowd dwindled, the princess joined hands her handsome prince and friend, Clay Han. Together, they danced.

It was nothing short of a fairytale that soon came to its end, as the pain in her back grew too strong to endure much longer.

After leaving the dance early, Jessica and her family finally made it home. Walking up the stairs of her porch, Jessica stopped, looked to her mom and said, “No regrets.”

She stepped inside, wishing Sierrah was there to greet her. It had been nearly two weeks since she was gone. But Jessica knows she still has work to do.

“I think I’m mostly here to help support childhood cancer,” she says.

According to the Children’s Cancer Fund of America, 46 children are diagnosed with cancer each day. To fight this statistic, Jessica started “Jessica’s Jackpots,” an organization that raises money for cancer research. “[Cancer] is just a part of our life now,” Jeff says. “Unless you’ve been through it and down this road, it is really hard to grasp the whole reality of what it is. To us, it hits so much deeper. You can’t be angry. You have to step back and accept reality for what it is

and do all you can to make the best of it and change the outcome.”

Since 2006, the “Jessica’s Jackpots” team has participated in CancerFree Kids’ annual “Butterfly Walk & 5K.” Her organization has raised approximately $26,000 for cancer research. At this year’s walk, Jessica had more than 120 people on her team.

“We have each other, a roof, food.” Amy says. “But it’s nice that people have gone out of their way for us. I almost feel unworthy because we do have stuff, but I’ve also been taught that if people want to give, you have to learn to receive and give back.”

Jessica is currently working with legislators to eventually offer state-wide a childhood cancer awareness license plate. In addition, when she is not too busy with school or raising money for cancer research, Jessica works a part-time job selling “Tastefully Simple” easy-to-make foods and desserts.

Becoming a part of the search for a cure for cancer is one way that Jessica and her family can thank the community and doctors for their tireless support and care.

“The increased understanding of the nature of genetic abnormalities in causing and allowing treatment for cancer is very real and is leading to great success,” Neuss says. “Unfortunately, in many circumstances, [medicine and treatments] don’t work forever.

But when they do work, the results are nothing short of amazing.”

Jessica is bigger than her cancer. She fights the battle to win and does so knowing that her efforts are making a difference.

Her work is not yet done. n

feature | cool places

THE

ROOT BEER

STAND

At first glance an inconspicuous and dilapidated building, The Root Bear Stand remains a busy place 55 years after its opening where dedicated employees and customers can gather and dine with their families all summer. story dillon mitchell | photos michael tedesco

Above: The family owned business makes its own root beer using water from a well on the property.

Here: The Root Beer Stand sign points toward the Sharonville business, only open in the summer.

Spark

l

High Schoo Lakota East Online Edition

Read Sean Lewis’ story about Dr. Thomas Husted online at lakotaeastspark.com.

S

haronville, Ohio is by no means a memorable place. No place in Ohio is, really. It’s just down the road past Olde West Chester and consists mostly of different shades of gray. To put it in perspective, it’s the kind of town that inspires a Bruce Springsteen song. There is, however, a beacon of color, just outside the heart of Sharonville. The orange was probably garish when it first opened, but now, 55 years later, it is faded, weathered from years of service. The sign isn’t much better. The letters spelling out “The Root Beer Stand” are dulled, and the entire establishment just looks tired.

The Root Beer Stand has earned this look though, and it wears it as a medal of honor. It began as an A&W stand in 1957, originally owned by Mick and Nancy Rideour, who established the stand’s iconic “only open in the summer” policy, working around Mick’s schedule as a teacher.

Nancy’s mother, Catherine Clark, was the one to come up with the chili recipe for which the Stand is so well known. It’s easy to see that the Stand is a close-knit operation. The current owners, Scott and Jackie Donley, grew up with the Mick and Nancy’s daughter Sue Knight, and Scott even worked at the Stand when he was younger.

In 1982, the A&W franchise ended, but the Stand lived on, simply changing its name to The Root Beer Stand. In 1991, Scott and Jackie purchased the property from the Riedrours and have owned it ever since.

21 years later, and Scott is still quick to answer “no” when asked if he has any regrets about taking over the Stand.

“I get six months off,” Scott says. “Why wouldn’t I love it?”

He is joking, mostly. When talking to him, it’s easy to see that the customers are what make his job worth it.

“I meet a lot of people [working here], and I know a lot of people who come here,” Scott says. “I grew up in Sharonville, so my old friends will come in the summer. I meet new people every day. People who will just come in and talk to me.”

Each issue the Ask any of the employees at the Stand about Spark staff picks their customers, and their eyes will light up. an interesting, The Stand is a labor of love, dedicated to the eclectic place to people who go there, who are more friends than feature. customers. Anna Jonas, one of the Stand’s many female workers, thinks the customers make the job.

“Everyone who comes in is always really friendly,” Jonas says. “It’s cool to see the same people come in, and you get to know the regulars’ orders. Plus, everyone tips really well.”

Knight, who would stay at the Stand as a child when her parents were working, can talk for ages about the many customers she has met throughout her years at the Stand.

“When I was a kid, my little brother and I would sleep under the food preparation tables in the back. And then when I began working as a teenager, people would tell me, ‘Oh, I remember when you were just a little kid,’” Knight says. “People really care about us the same way we care about them.”

The Stand radiates love for a number of different reasons. One such reason is the fact that everything is exactly the same as it was when it opened 55 years ago. Scott has kept the same chili recipe, the same process for making root beer (the property boasts a 280-foot deep well from which the Stand gets its water for the root beer), and even uses the same equipment.

“Hopefully we’re doing things right,” Scott says. “I hire the girls. I make sure they’re smiling and friendly to the customers, and that’s what’s important. I think we do pretty well.”

And they do. Scott had no experience in running a business before he took over the Stand, and he claims that he is still learning, but he is doing pretty well. He has not raised prices on the quintessential items (hot dogs and root beer) in five years. Scott has created one of the warmest, friendliest establishments in all of Ohio. Knight sums it up well.

“It’s just a fun place to come,” Knight says. “You may not know the person you’re sitting next to when you first get here, but by the end of the day, you might be friends.”

It sounds like a marketing ploy, but it couldn’t be more true. n

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entertainment | transcript interview

SPARK sits down to discuss hip-hop, Bon Iver and Bunbury with East alumni Seth Huff, the front man of

ARCHER’S

PARADOX transcript interview rachel hartwick photo michael tedesco Can you give me some background on how the band formed and how East played a role in forming it?

It was a band before it was this band; it was the same name. Alex Solin and I sort of formed it together back when we were at East four years ago. We tried to make something happen, but it kind of fell through. That was the first attempt. And that’s where we met—at East, in a music theory class. So if that first attempt wouldn’t have happened, this whole second attempt wouldn’t really have happened either. It was important for me and Alex to meet three or four years ago in that music theory class. [In addition,] Mr. Schmaltz, Ms. Huddleston and Mr. Thomas had a heavy influence on my passion for art. Without them I probably wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing.

When did you first develop an interest in being a musician?

It started at a pretty young age. My parents were both way into music. They were way into certain bands; my mom liked Abba and the Beatles. They played that for me a lot. My dad was a big Led Zeppelin fan, and would always talk about Robert Plant and his vocals. When I was six or seven I started getting interested and started learning how to play guitar. My

64 | Spark | May 28, 2012

dad taught me how to play. I fell in love with it then and I’ve been doing it ever since.

Aside from being an interesting concept and a memorable name, what led you to choose the name Archer’s Paradox for the band?

It’s funny because there are two different versions of that story. The actual version is: I stole it from one of my friends when I was in fifth grade. He thought of it, and I thought it was cool. He ended up not [using] it, so I was like, “Well I’m going to make my band called that.” Later on, I made a more mature version of what the band name was about.

By definition, it is when an archer points the arrow slightly away from a bulls eye—because of the curvature of the arrow, it flies and ends up hitting it right dead on even though you aimed a little away from it. I thought that was a cool testament on life and kind of an ironic way of looking at it. I don’t usually tell people the real version, that I stole it from a guy in fifth grade. I usually tell them that version, but it’s both.

What bands have most influenced your songwriting?

Led Zeppelin has been around my entire

life, the Beatles have been around my entire life, but those weren’t really influences I chose; they were more like [musicians] my parents liked. For me, I started really getting into music when I started listening to Blink 182 and Green Day and all these pop-punk bands when they were coming out. That was when I was in middle school and just starting to play. As time went on, I got more hip hop influences here and there. I started really getting into Kanye West. He’s one of my favorite producers because he’s a do-ityourself, do-everything kind of guy. More recently, Vampire Weekend has been a big influence; they’re great, I love them. It’s funny because Death Cab for Cutie was also a big influence of mine too when I was getting into playing. We’re actually playing the same day with them at Bunbury this summer, so I might get the chance to meet Ben Gibbard.

How exactly has hip hop influenced your music?

It’s really helped me with the whole selfproducing thing. I can play drums, but I’m not a drummer, nor do I have the equipment to really record drums by myself. I needed to have some sort of a comfortability with hip hop rhythms and beats and such because I use them in a lot of my songs. It started

as something just to replace a drum set just because I couldn’t physically record a drum set, but now it’s kind of become a part of my style. That’s directly from just being familiar with beats and such and sounds that Kanye or any other hip hop artist would use. It’s not the exact same—it’s not 808s [& Heartbreak]— but it’s definitely comparable to the sort of things you hear in hip hop music.

Are there any big changes you’re going to make from your music now to your new album?

“

There isn’t a huge amount—I made the first EP [The Archer’s Paradox EP] all by myself [on an Apple Macbook Pro]. One of the biggest changes with the next album is that I had some help from [fellow band members.] It’s not just me who’s making all of it and arranging all of it—they’re performing and writing it also. That’s probably the biggest change between both of the albums. Other than that, they sound slightly similar.

tours around the three surrounding states, but we really want to go further than that. We also want to eventually branch out and move somewhere else to have a different home base.

It’s hard to leave here sometimes because this place is so perfect for us because we can play whatever we want and we don’t really have neighbors, no one wants to the cops around or anything, so we can play at like four in the morning. We already have our new album finished. We want to write another one this coming year too and put it out in winter and maybe change the sound around a little bit, just continuing to get better. We’ll be here at least until next summer, so we’re just going to focus on playing the best shows we can and getting recognized as much as we can around the city.

How do you think that Cincinnati scene compares to the music scene in bigger cities?

I think Cincinnati’s got something unique going on. I think they definitely have more prominent and good bands than other cities like Cincinnati. Obviously you’re not going to compete with New York and LA or Austin and Nashville, just because those are the places for it, but as far as a semi-smaller music scene goes, I think Cincinnati’s got a unique thing going on. It’s got a lot more talent than some of the other cities I’ve been to. We were just in Tampa this weekend and there isn’t even a music scene there at all. There was a fat dude playing guitar on the beach; that’s the music scene. That’s like the sweet band there.

I apologize to anyone in Tampa, though, because maybe there are bands down there—but it wasn’t very prominent. Here, usually you can go out and find bands playing any night of the week and it’s definitely prominent.

I think it’s growing still, and I think it’ll continue to grow along with the casino coming in and all the new attention toward the city.

Over the Rhine used to be just an awful, awful place. They’re actually re-vamping it right now and it’s really getting attention. I’m really excited about where the music scene is going right now.

I think Cincinnati’s got a unique thing going on. It’s got a lot more talent than some of the other cities I’ve been to.

How did you get a spot at Bunbury music festival?

It was totally lucky. Two of our band members played in a band called Ellison for years before Alex [Solin] and I met and started Archer’s Paradox with another guy named Ian, and it just so happens Ian is the main booking guy for Bunbury. All it took was one phone call from Stephens saying “hey, me and Josh are in this new band, can you pencil us in somewhere?” And it was almost immediate— like within a day or two—they called us back and were like, “Yeah we got you in on Sunday.” It was really exciting.

Do you plan on premiering any new songs there?

Yeah, we’re actually going to premiere a lot of new songs there because as of right now it would be our third gig we’ve done. It’s like an hour long and we’ve only done a half an hour [show] so far, so it’ll be like double the number of songs. We’ll be playing a lot of new songs off our full-length record [Meant To Be] that’s coming out at the end of the summer. We’re playing a lot of new those songs there.

What are some other long term goals for your band?

We want to go on tour this next year. We’ve had a couple of offers here and there for local

Have you ever worked with any other bands in Cincinnati?

I was in a project before this called Mia Carruthers and the Retros. I played bass in that which was also fun. It was nice to kind of sit back and not have to worry about it being my own music, but somebody else’s, and I’m just trying to play a certain part right, not really arranging anything. Both of those were really cool learning experiences because Mia was involved in an MTV show at the time called Taking the Stage. I’d known Mia and her brother Alex since I was seven. We grew up in the same neighborhood together.

We knew each other loosely and I remember hearing that they were doing the show, and one night when Mia and I were hanging out I said “hey if you need a bass player I’ll play bass for you.” I’d never played bass before—I picked it up quickly and thought it’d be a good opportunity and things went pretty quick from there. We did a couple shoots, we were playing at shows with the MTV people. I don’t think any of those aired—I think the only one that ended up airing was on the season premiere of the second season when we were playing at [the School of Creative and Performing Arts.]

We pretty much immediately cut a record, went to New York, [and] met with Universal all within three months or so. It was really cool especially since it wasn’t anything that I was writing or that I was really taking a leading position on, so it was nice to sit back and have that perspective. I’m glad I have it now that I’m back trying to lead a band again. It was a super cool experience. Everyone with MTV was really nice.

You said Bunburry will only be your third show. Obviously it’s a very big venue. Are you nervous at all going out there because you haven’t performed as much?

I hate to sound like a douchebag but no, not really. We don’t really get nervous. We’ve been playing so long, and played so much and so many different places that I’m more excited than I am nervous, honestly. I know people say that all the time, but it’s true. Maybe when I get there, if there’s a lot of people there then I might start to get a little nervous when I see it, but as of right now, I’m not completely sure what to expect and I’m just excited for a lot of out-of-towners to hear our music and such.

What kind of music are you listening to right now?

I was listening to the new Bon Iver CD for months. That influenced a lot, actually, through the tracks on that EP I put out. Right now, I’m listening to M. Ward. I’m a big fan of him, he was in Monsters of Folk and that was one of my favorite groups back when they fist came out.

He just put out a new CD and I’ve been listening to that a bunch so you might hear some influence from that a little bit on the next project once we start writing it. n

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entertainment | film reviews

Film Reviews The Avengers · Walt Disney Pictures · 143 minutes · PG-13

Editors’ Choice photo used with permission from allmoviephoto.com

Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Captain America (Chris Evans) fight off various Alien scum.

E

veryone saw it coming. Thor, Iron Man, the Hulk and Captain America have all made their respective film appearances, each with a post-credit scene of Sergeant Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and his Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division (S.H.I.E.L.D.) agents approaching each of these superheroes and attempting to recruit them into a global defense program known as the “Avengers Initiative.”

Through the magical work of famous director Joss Whedon, The Avengers comes to life, fulfilling the dreams of comic book fanatics and action movie aficionados worldwide. Although better known for TV

shows Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly, Whedon has managed to take The Avengers and create a visual and action-packed masterpiece.

The plot combines aspects of all of the movies featuring these warriors, including Thor’s nemesis, Hulk and Iron Man’s internal conflicts, and Captain America’s disconnect from the present and his past. The storyline centers on Thor’s step-brother and nemesis, Loki (Tom Hiddleston) who, after being banished from his homeland of Asgard, joins forces with an alien horde known as the Chitauri in order to acquire a cube of infinite energy known as the Tesseract and take over the Earth. To counter this global security threat, Fury brings together the

ever-sarcastic Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), the recently thawed Captain America (Chris Evans), the Norse god of thunder Thor (Chris Hemsworth),the doctor-turned-monster Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), the always-accurate Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and the seductive assassin Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) to form the dysfunctional family known as “The Avengers”.

This team of superhuman misfits allows for the viewers to see not only the fights between every fan boy’s favorite heroes, but also how they go from being a group of dysfunctional freaks to becoming the efficient and powerful group worthy of the name “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.”

This movie goes above and beyond the standard “beat ’em up” feeling that is commonly associated with the superhero genre. Unlike most superhero movies, the characters all play off each other perfectly and the viewer feels like he or she can connect with them as people. The movie itself balances action, comedy, seriousness and even tragedy. The special effects of the movie are breathtaking, and allow for the Chitauri and Hulk to appear as living beings. The movie also takes time to develop the characters and show how they grow throughout the course of the film. Everyone compares superhero movies to the world-renowned The Dark Knight, but from now on, everyone will be comparing them to The Avengers.—Ian Castro

Pirates! Band of Misfits · Colombia Pictures · 88 Minutes · PG Sometimes, it is easy to question why some things ever made their way into existence.

Oftentimes, it is hard to find an answer to this question. The Pirates! Band of Misfits is one film that brings about

this question.

The first questionable item is the idea of a pirate claymation. The second questionable item is that this pirate claymation is in 3-D. And the third, but certainly not final thing

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wrong with this film is Charles Darwin. Not that there is anything wrong with Darwin. But really, it is embarrassing that such a prominent scientist would be in a movie like this.

The movie starts out with Pirate Captain [sic], voiced by Hugh Grant, deciding to enter the Pirate of the Year Competition in order to impress his crew and prove himself to the pirate community. Pirate of the Year is essentially a competition to see which pirate can get the most booty. Maybe that’s some sort of sexual innuendo, but either way, it is stupid. As Pirate Captain tries to build up his booty application, he boards the Beagle and captures Sir Charles Darwin (David Tennant).

And this is where the movie loses the little hope it still had going for it.



Darwin discovers that Pirate Captain’s pet, Polly, is the last living dodo bird. Darwin tries to steal Polly to enter it in the Scientist of the Year Competition, but his attempt is unsuccessful and Pirate Captain decides to try and win the competition with Polly by himself. He wins the competition and is awarded the opportunity to meet Queen Victoria. But when Pirate Captain is awarded this opportunity, things for Polly and the film go down the drain.

The only thing impressive about The Pirates! Band of Misfits is the stop motion animation. Unfortunately dragging the father of evolution and Queen Victoria into the mix isn’t enough to save a film about a pirate trying to win a booty competition.—Christian Roehm

Battleship

Universal Pictures 131 Minutes · PG-13

 To be honest, I didn’t hate Battleship. When I saw Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen, I was sitting in the front row, with a migraine headache before the movie had even started. So when the explosions and what not commenced it was like nails on a very big, very loud chalkboard. How I ended up in such a quagmire I have no idea, but for that very reason I’ve avoided dopey action affairs.

Don’t get me wrong, Battleship is entirely stupid. It’s like the kid who stole your lunch money in middle school: he was big and slow and dumb and he talked with his fists because everything that came out of his mouth smacked of a third-grade education.

But his tactics worked because at the end of the day he had your ten dollars. At one point, viewers will even be subjected to the eyewinking, cringe-inducing stupidity of the main character, Lieutenant Alex Hopper (Taylor Kitsch), uttering the line “We have one ship.

We have a battleship.” It brings new meaning to the saying “stick to your guns.”

From a cinematic standpoint, the film just isn’t any good. The dialogue is dry and clichéd and the plot is convoluted beyond all reason to accommodate for the film’s board game elements, like the buoy grid tracking system that bears a striking resemblance to the layout of the actual game board, or the alien missiles that look like the game’s little red pegs. The only real redeeming aspect is Liam Neeson, who could play a deaf mime in a silent film and still deliver his lines the best.

But there’s something endearing about all that cheese. Transformers didn’t work because it was taking itself too seriously. It’s just like the director of Armageddon to think he’s making something of artistic value. But the makers of Battleship must have known full well the absurdity of a so-called “board game” adaptation, and that makes it stomachable.

The explosions and gaudiness stupidly overt tacticality of the naval battles aren’t meant to be taken seriously. The film works because it knows what it is and it knows the limitations of a film based on a board game. Although, I dispute the that this is the first “board game” adaptation, because Real Steel was totally Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots.—Zach Fulciniti

Dark Shadows

Warner Bros. Pictures · 113 Minutes · PG-13

Dark Shadows resembles other collaborations between Johnny Depp and Tim Burton. The film is dark and absurd with peculiar characters. It is a comedy that features a playboyturned-vampire, a witch and oddly-incorporated sex, all based on the 1966 gothic soap opera.

In Collinsport, Maine Barnabas Collins (Johnny Depp) breaks a witch’s heart. She responds by killing his parents, cursing his lovers, and turning him into a vampire, burying him alive. 200 years later Barnabas is inadvertently freed. He eventually meets his descendents and resolves to rebuild his family’s formerly glorious fish cannery empire.

Standing in the way is Angelique Brouchard (Eva Green), the witch that imprisoned him.

As he experiences the atmosphere of 1972, he is perplexed by changes that he cannot comprehend and this leads to many ironic occurrences. His growing familiarity with the perks and liabilities of being a

The Five-Year Engagement Universal Pictures · 124 Minutes · R

The romantic comedy is about as American as apple pie. Couples all over the United States are notorious for pouncing on any chance they can get to sit through films involving actors and actresses they know and admire getting involved in the latest rehashed quirky comedy about love and all those problems that accompany it. The Five-Year Engagement, directed by Nicholas Stoller, is no stray from that pack.

The film chronicles Tom (Jason Segel) and his British fiancée, Violet (Emily Blunt), as they struggle to hold on to their love for each other after an abrupt job offer for Violet uproots their comfortable life in San Francisco and forces the couple to move to Michigan. Tom, who has to give up his dream job as a head chef, takes a job at a gimmicky sandwich shop and slowly begins to resent Violet for trapping him in a place that’s only characterized in the movie by pretentious psychology professors and unrelenting

 vampire also lead to comedy as he is forced to sleep in a coffin at night. Even funnier are his continued belief that Alice Cooper is a woman and his proclamation that the McDonald’s logo is indicative of Satan. The comedy in the film is only present because of good characterization.

Barnabas has dignity in that he acknowledges the fact that he has been turned into a hideous creature of the night, but does not seem to be grief-stricken. His overwhelming dignity combined with his naiveté makes him capable yet incompetent.

Angelique is richly characterized in that she loves Barnabas enough to despise him. Adding to the colorful characterization are Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (Michelle Pfeiffer), the matriarch of the family, Carolyn Stoddard (Chloë Moretz), her rebellious daughter, and David Collins, her misunderstood nephew.

Good characterization and superb acting drive the film. The rich, ironic comedy makes it even more enjoyable. The erratic plot, however, serves to counteract the progress made by the well-developed characters. Many crucial features of the plot go unexplained until the climax. In the end, overzealous developments thrown in serve to distract from the deep characters.—Onur Eroglu

 amounts of snow. The two delay their wedding date for four years as they attempt to rekindle and clutch to the fleeting remnants of their failing relationship.

The plot line may not be very enticing, but it’s somewhat original to say the least. The movie does offer its fair share of hilarious moments however, like Emily Blunt taking a crossbow bolt to the thigh and Jason Segel growing a mutton chop mustache combo that would put any proud lumberjack to shame.

Where the flick really suffers though is its characters.

Other than a charismatic Asian man named Ming (Randall Park) who provides most of the laughs for the film, every character, including Tom and Violet, feels forced and unnatural. They all show about as much depth as the shallow end of a community pool in Philadelphia.

The Five-Year Engagement is by no means a bad movie. It provides hilarious moments and a number of ridiculous plot twists throughout the film, but the bland taste of the plot and almost mechanical attitude of its actors keep it from being any better than just another romantic comedy that’s used as a pastime for lip-locking lovers.—Chris Bowling

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entertainment | feature

ART HOUSE HERO

Nestled in the heart of Clifton, the Esquire theatre stands as the only place in Cincinnati to catch an art film and Michael Bay in the same building.

story zach fulciniti | photos michael tedesco and ellen fleetwood

I

rarely venture from the confines of Liberty Township, Ohio, it being the warm and inviting post-modern locale that it is. It has something to do with me being a sheltered child, yes, but it probably has more to do with me being a child of Generation Z, the Net Generation, the age of the Internet. The advent of the World Wide Web has allowed me to do absolutely everything online: ordering pizza, purchasing books and other frivolous items. I’ll even watch movies online, sometimes legally (Netflix), sometimes illegally (you will be missed, Btjunkie). This makes it highly unlikely I’ll ever come near the quaint college town of Clifton, Ohio, home to the University of Cincinnati, Indian restaurants and guys that look like The Black Keys (i.e. thick-framed glasses with leather jackets, or unkempt beards with leather jackets). But a ways down

68 | Spark | May 28, 2012

Ludlow Avenue, in the Gaslight District, past various coffee shops and the aforementioned Indian restaurants is a big, bright marquee, sticking out like a sore thumb. It’s riddled with lights and above it is a wall with the kind of wallpaper you’d. Beneath it is an old-fashioned box office, the kind you haven’t seen since before you existed, jutting out from between two sets of doors. Unless you’ve taken a wrong turn or two and have ended up in Lincoln, Nebraska, the sign should read “Esquire,” which means you’re standing before the historic and delightful Esquire Theatre, which has been lauded by various Yelp reviews for its “borderline porn theater vibe” and the “refreshing soulful experience...in a world of flashy, soulless megaplexes” (thanks for the insight, Keally D.).

The Esquire is one of the last of a dying breed, a so-called “art-

Unless you’ve taken a wrong turn or two and ended up in Lincoln, Neb., then the sign should read “Esquire.” house” theater, which essentially means there’s a decent chance the films playing there will have subtitles. It opened in 1990, and is one of three theaters owned by Theatre Management Corporation, the other two being the Mariemont and the Kenwood, the latter of which opened in 2010. The Esquire has only six smaller and more intimate theaters, which have flat, not stadium, seating, and two aisles instead of one. The corporation’s president, Gary Goldman, describes the theater as a “community effort to maintain the integrity of the business district,” but also to “exhibit art and independent films.” Suffice it to say the community has succeeded: the Esquire is picked frequently by City Beat staff and reader polls as the “Best Movie Theater” in Cincinnati.

In 2005, it was given the prestigious title of “Best Cheap Date.”

That’s not to say there are no mainstream films playing there; as Goldman says, “we need to operate at a profit to survive.” Films like The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo or the thriller Gone play there, possibly alongside Michael Bay’s latest CGI-riddled explosion fest. Ghost Rider 2: Spirit of Vengeance, for instance, the Nicholas Cage vehicle that has about as much a chance of staying afloat as the Costa Concordia, is currently playing.

What is important, what gives the Esquire the name “art theater,” however, are the films playing there that are not playing at a Rave Motion Pictures or a Showcase Cinemas. Two particularly lessthan-mainstream pictures just finished their runs at the Esquire: the sexually-charged independent film Shame, which was recently given the veritable badge of honor that is an NC-17 rating from the Motion Picture Association of America, and A Dangerous Method, the David Cronenberg picture depicting the love triangle between Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung and Sabina Spielrein. The French silent film The Artist, which recently won five Academy Awards including Best Picture and Director, is also playing. Melissa Kasey, one of the kind girls who work behind the counter selling popcorn and roasted pecans, says many patrons of the Esquire “keep up with the award shows, and definitely want to see the contenders.”

In addition to the Oscar contenders, every other Saturday the Esquire is home to screenings of the cult classic Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Like most screenings of the film, members of the audience dress up and interact with the film by yelling out or replying to certain lines. Like some screenings of its kind (apparently these things are not uncommon), the Esquire is also home to an acting troupe, called The Denton Affair, that performs the film, in costume, in front of the screen, right along with it. The troupe’s producer, Jim Hetzer, describes it as “vaudevillian pantomime.”

Unlike other theaters the group performs at, such as the Danbarry Cinemas in Middletown, The Denton Affair does not allow audience members to “throw rice and toast or use water guns” inside the Esquire, because, as Hetzer puts it, “it’s a beautiful and historic place.”

Putting on the kind of show that the troupe does, Hetzer says they “are

Left: Bright and colorful lights highlight the oldfashioned Esquire theatre Here: The decor of the inside add to the theatre’s retro look and feel

so fortunate to be where [they] are,” citing the fact that the Esquire is not part of a large chain, and that he can “speak to the head of the Esquire with one phone call.”

The Esquire does one-off screenings of other films. This summer, they screened, to great acclaim, the notoriously terrible (think postmodern Ed Wood) The Room, the magnum (d)opus of the prolific and probably European Tommy Wiseau. Attendees shouted lines along with the film, threw plastic spoons at the screen (an inside joke) and some even passed football during certain scenes (another inside joke). This past Christmas season, the Esquire screened the 1954 classic White Christmas, complete with song lyrics on screen for the audience to sing along. Kasey attended the event with her family, describing it enthusiastically as “really fun.” On March 24th, they will screen another cult classic, The Big Lebowksi.

But possibly the theater’s biggest draw is the fact that few East students have been there. “I feel the big difference is maturity. There are not as many younger kids,” says junior Grace Reed, one of the few who has been there. And even she has only been there “about five times.”

When she does visit the theater, it’s to “see films that aren’t playing in normal theaters,” or to see Rocky Horror, which she says is “one of [her] favorite things to do.”

The Esquire Theatre may screen mainstream films, but there’s no point in going there to see them. You can go to Rave for that. No, go for the critically acclaimed films, any of the recent Academy Award winners, foreign films, cult classics, edgy art-house flicks and, if you’re not afraid of a little audience participation, stick around until midnight on a Saturday for Rocky Horror Picture Show. And if you find your classmates insufferable, you can rest easy knowing you probably won’t see them at the Esquire. n

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entertainment | album reviews

Album Reviews Carrie Underwood · Blown Away · Arista Nashville Records photo used with paid permission from mctcampus

Editors’ Choice

Carrie Underwood performing live in 2008.

C

arrie Underwood has surpassed all other “American Idol” winners with her success, and with her fourth album Blown Away, Underwood’s success is sure to continue. Transforming from a southern belle to a country icon, she has significantly changed throughout her four albums.

Before the album’s release, Underwood topped charts with “Good Girl,” which exemplifies one of her many valuable lessons to women about relationships. Although she has now found her hockey hubby Mike Fisher, Underwood is a know-it-all about falling for a “good time cowboy Casanova.”

Underwood’s past albums, Some Hearts, Carnival Ride and Play On, are full of charming

and thoughtful melodies like “All American Girl,” “Some Hearts” and “So Small,” yet sprinkled with sassy tracks like “Before He Cheats” and “Cowboy Casanova.” This time, Underwood casts a shadow of darkness over her sugary status with Blown Away.

The album shows every aspect of Underwood’s personality, from her sweet country love to her haunting passion. Her dark side is something she has held back from listeners in the past, but Blown Away is a step in that direction. The title track, along with “Two Black Cadillacs,” is a sinister song about revenge. “Blown Away” is a stormy ballad about a killer twister blowing away a sinful life. “Two Black Cadillacs” tells the story of

Train · California 37 · Columbia Records At some point in time, Train realized that they needed to evolve if they wanted to keep up with mainstream music. They realized that their days rolling on tracks like “Drops of Jupiter” and “Meet Virginia” were over. They couldn’t rely on these classics to carry them anymore.

In 2009, they came back with Save Me, San Francisco, in which they experimented with a slightly different style. Their fans were beginning to age, so they added more pop to

70 | Spark | May 28, 2012

their rock, hoping to gain some younger fans and crack the top 40 again. They were mostly successful, with hits like “Hey Soul Sister” and “Marry Me.” It wasn’t the same Train, but it was new and fast-paced.

And this new formula works again on Train’s latest album, California 37. The album starts out with “This’ll Be My Year,” which is an upbeat song that starts with 1985 and recounts important events in the world including the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001 and the emergence of Facebook in 2004. The first single off the album, “Drive By,” takes the same approach that “Hey, Soul Sister” did in 2009 when it was released as a single, sans falsetto. It’s an attractive pop songs that was manufactured for the sole purpose of landing

 infidelity and its murderous consequences.

“See You Again” and “Good in Goodbye” are tracks true to Underwood’s country roots and understanding of relationships.

All three melodies are about the nostalgic recollections of past lovers, and in the case of “Good in Goodbye,” running in to them on the street of your hometown. “Do You Think About Me,” reflects a younger, more innocent Underwood, creating the image her as a teenager with her high school sweetheart.

The track is easily relatable and matches the innocence of Taylor Swift.

Keeping up with her entertaining style, Underwood drops tracks like “Cupid’s Got a Shotgun” that have a fun and upbeat tone.

Although the image of a killer love angel isn’t agreeable, the melody is a pleasant surprise.

The appreciation of small towns is also an important theme in Blown Away as shown in “Thank God for Hometowns.” The track reminds folks that no matter where they have been, or in Underwood’s case, how much they have changed, you can always cross county lines back home to open arms.

“Wine After Whiskey,” is a perfect catchphrase for the album. The mood of the leading track is harsh, yet as the album carries on, it sweetens up and gains layers of flavor over time. Underwood has transformed into a more universal musician with the help of her newest album and will continue to blow away the competition.—Maddie McGarvey

 itself in the top 40. But again, despite being different than some of Train’s past hits, it works well.

The title track has an interesting, almost muffled sound. The lyrics are just as interesting, featuring a direct thank you to the fans. “Here’s to those who didn’t think Train could ever roll again/You were the fuel that I used when inspiration hit a dead end/San Francisco got it done 415 took the 911.”

It’s as if Train knew there were people doubting them, worrying that because they have a new sound means that the band has lost all hope. But there isn’t old Train and new Train. Train is still rolling, and they’re as good as ever.—Christian Roehm

Santigold Master of My Make-Believe Atlantic Records

 The culture of gangsta rappers is slowly tightening its grip on the throat of American culture.

Groups such as OFWGKTA, YMCMB and Taylor Gang have made it almost impossible to be a successful modern rapper without being as grotesque or lewd as possible. References to drugs, thugs and perverted acts of promiscuity are a second language to today’s shameful standards for rap artists and have done anything but pave the way for valuable music in the genre. There is still hope in the field however, and it comes in the form of a commanding 40 year-old woman on Master of My Make-Believe.

Emphasizing afro-beat as well as alternative and pop influences, Santi White is one of the most innovative artists of her genre. The album itself features a wide variety of musicality, constantly introducing different mediums in which White, who goes by the moniker Santigold, can explore different ideas.

Ideas and topics ranging from the bleak hope for today’s youth, in “Desperate Youth,” or scrutinizing her own life in “Fame,” are all present on the album. In addition, White also implements her own style into every song but still manages to make each song have its own voice and individualism. One of the best examples of this is “The Riot’s Gone.”

The song is a menagerie of all the styles that define Santigold. The afro-beat background, the driving beat and melodic guitar and synthesizer line aggrandizes the simple words spoken by White and turns “The Riot’s Gone” into a magnificent piece of honest and powerful music. But, the record is not always as perfect as the peaking track.

“Look at These Hoes” is not as devoid of value as it may seem. The lyrics, however, are filled with conceited views and place the otherwise catchy track in the same field as other morally inept rappers.

Master of My Own Make-Believe is strides ahead of its competitors. An often inspiring medley of global influences, it occasionally falls short. Santigold is a step in the right direction, but until artists can stop trying to prove who the most money or the dankest kush, the genre will forever be deemed a lost cause.—Chris Bowling

B.o.B. · Strange Clouds · Atlantic Records It was clear that there was something a little bit off about Bobby Ray Simmons (aka B.o.B.) when he burst onto the rap scene. But then again, there’s something that’s a bit off about most rappers. But the ATLien was different, from his peculiar fascination with the sky to the wide array of artists featured in his songs, such as Nicki Minaj, Taylor Swift and Morgan Freeman. B.o.B. is strange.

And with the release of his sophomore album, Strange Clouds, this has become more conspicuous than ever. Never before has there been a hip-hop album laden with more piano and guitar, except maybe Bo Burnham’s selftitled release.

But this peculiarity is enticing. Criticized for the vastly mainstream nature of B.o.B. Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray and a lack of honesty that had been omnipresent in the mixtapes that garnered his fame, B.o.B. finds a happy medium with Strange Clouds.

Bobby Ray creates a cinematic experience

with his album. And like any true cinematic experience, it begins with Morgan Freeman’s powerful yet soothing voice on “Bombs Away.” The track, like each on the album, provides a canvas for Bobby Ray to skillfully paint his lyrics and witticisms upon.

“What’s going on inside my head/It feels like I’m Being John Malkovich,” he raps in the song “Out of My Mind.” Riddled with equally shrewd lyrics throughout, Strange Clouds is an outlet for Bobby Ray’s comedic side.

But complementing the humorous nature of tracks like, “Out of My Mind,” “Ray Bands” and the title track is the reflective and honest sentiment behind “Castles,” “Just a Sign,” “So Hard to Breathe” and the back-andforth “Where Are You.” Reflecting on how fame has changed him, B.o.B returns to his mixtape roots.“Whatever happened to Bobby Ray, he used to be here for us/Then he got famous and left all of his fans in the dust,” he sings atop a piano/synthesizerladen track.

B.o.B. scores big on Strange Clouds. He finds a way to satisfy mainstream hip-hop fans as well as regain the loyalty of his first followers. Maybe that’s why B.o.B. comes off as so strange—he’s figured out how to put together an album for everyone.—Jeff Back

Toro y Moi · June 2009 · Carpark Records Chazwick Bundick is a superhuman.

No, he can’t fly nor lift a car without breaking a sweat, but he can produce and develop music that feeds the soul of its natural craving— yearning for individuality and creativity. He has the power to get deep into one’s mind, to allow the music he makes to flow throughout the whole body.

Nothing affects Bundick’s style of music, often described as “Summer Chillwave,” a mixture of the trendy music of the 2000s and indie music. It’s not just his most recent work that has been described as this funky, one-of-a-kind type of music. His sophomore album, Underneath the Pine, has given Bundick a name no one can forget. In comparison to Underneath the Pine, Bundick has upped his style and his variation with the music he creates.

With hits like “Dead Pontoon” and “Drive South,” June 2009 certainly makes a mark.

Although June 2009 is one of the few albums that is catchy and gets the chillwave group ready for summer, there are little points





here and there that make this album less desirable. For example, Bundick’s “Talamak,” from his album Causers of This, was better off with the less hip-hoppy vibes added to it in June 2009. The first version of “Talamak,” subtracted from the usual originality of June 2009, as well as deducting from the common and typical styles of Bundick. The lyrics of “Sad Sams,” are repetitive and catchy, as usual, but the beats and sounds are more like something a teen would hear at Pulse NightClub.

Now, not all of Toro y Moi’s songs on June 2009 are alarmingly off course from the regular beats and sounds that Bundick produces. There are specially crafted songs with flare that makes it trippy. “Ektelon,” is an example consisting of a melody of guitar and chillwave, all wrapped into one bundle; “Summer’s coming back, and I want to take you to the river.” Lyrics like these scream for summer to arrive, making students antsy and restless for summer to come faster.

Bundick has been using his hodgepodge of different sounds and styles for sometime now, which anyone is able to recognize. From a 1970s vibe to a classic beach sound, Bundick produces none other than a blissful summer in a CD.—Madi Root

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entertainment | summer music

SUMMER OF MUSIC This year alone, the United States will host more than 167 music festivals, which will have a variety of different artists. Spark takes an in-depth look at some of the most popular choices this summer.

infographic irfan ibrahim and dillon mitchell

LOLLA HEADLINERS

Ra Ra Riot

Passion Pit

BUNBURY HEADLINERS

Weezer

Jane’s Adddiction

Neon Trees Death Cab for Cutie

Dates: June 13-15 Audience 160,000 Performers 74 Location Cincinnati Three-day pass $93.00 72 | Spark | May 28, 2012

Frank Ocean J.Cole The Black Keys Wale M83

Y MUSIC F R E U

L IVA ST

Dates: June 7-10 Audience 160,000 Performers 127 Location Chicago One-day pass $95.00

Calvin Harris Passion Pit Avicii Justice Dev

BUN B

Childish Gambino Black Sabbath Red Hot Chili Peppers Florence + The Machine The Tallest Man on Earth

[Top_5_Festival_Survival_Tips]

26

1. Stay out of the light Standing in the sun for more than ten minutes is a good way to suffer a heat stroke.

percent of 828 East students surveyed have been to a music festival

2. Drink A LOT of water This should be self-explanatory, but the heat and dehydration are killer.

3. Eat corn dogs Music festivals have the best corn dogs on Earth. Everyone on Earth should eat them.

4. Bring something to do There’s going to be downtime before and after shows, so stave off boredom with a deck of cards.

bonnaroo

5. Dress light It’s fine if you want to look fashionable, but even wearing jeans in the summer heat is a death wish.

BONNAROO HEADLINERS Radiohead Bon Iver Foster the People Mac Miller The Roots

Kendrick Lamar Feist Young The Giant Two Door Cinema Club Skrillex

PITCHFORK

MUSIC

FESTIVAL

Dates: June 13-15 Audience 48,000 Performers 46 Location Chicago One-day pass $45.00

Dates: June 7-10 Audience 80,000 campers Performers 150 Location Manchester, Tenn.

Four-day admission $259.50

PITCHFORK HEADLINERS A$AP Rocky Vampire Weekend Sleigh Bells Beach House Wild Flag

Dirty Projectors Feist King Krule Kendrick Lamar Youth Lagoon

lakotaeastspark.com | Spark | 73

entertainment | indepth reviews Because, hey, no one likes operas anymore, right? They’re so 17th century. No one is going to turn the bass up and blast an opera out of their car speakers. Except now people might (minus the bass, it’s just not that kind of opera). With Dr. Dee, Albarn creates one of the most beautiful albums of the last few years. It’s extraordinary how Albarn can take the iconic Gorillaz sound (light synthesizers and guitar and hip-hop beats) he has perfected over the last decade and combine it with a classic opera style of soaring vocals and grandiose instrumentals. “Oh Spirit Animate Us” is a perfect example, opening with a fast-paced synthesizer crescendo that eventually develops into a gospel-like orchestral piece.

Dr. Dee tells the life of John Dee, a 16th century mathematician, astronomer, occultist, navigator, imperialist and consultant to Queen Elizabeth I. Dee dabbled in both science and magic when the distinction between the two was less apparent. He was one of the earliest advocates of mathematical and scientific studies, even though he believed in magic.

In a way, he was a walking contradiction.

Rather than write a consistent narrative, Albarn focuses on different parts of Dee’s life, such as his position as an advisor to Queen Elizabeth I or his association with other prominent figures of the time like Edward Kelley, another believer in magic and angelic communications. Each track tells a different aspect of Dee’s life, and with each piece, Albarn conveys more human emotion than most modern artists can in an entire album.

There are some substantial lapses in the narrative that can be attributed to the lack of human performance in front of the listener.

One of the best tracks of the album, “Apple Carts,” seems to have little to do with Dee. It is, however, one of the most beautiful songs on the album, and reflects Albarn's influence upon the soundtrack, drawing from classic Gorillaz style. But without the actual performance in front of listeners, it’s difficult to interpret the significance of the piece.

This is the album’s most predominant problem. Operas consist of two parts: the singing/music, and the actual human performances on stage. Without the latter, the former loses much of its meaning. One such example is the song set of “Preparation” and “9 Point Star.”

The first of the two is just bongo drums.

Seriously, it’s just bongo drums. The second consists of Albarn whispering numbers and the words “rise” and “down” over and over again. It sounds nice and mysterious, but it has no meaning to a listener kept in the dark from the complete performance.

Then there are the actual opera songs, which are completely beautiful.

“Edward Kelley” is probably one of the most gorgeous examples, focusing completely on the singing with minimum backing music. “A Man Of England” is the opposite though, using the orchestra for a dramatic build-up before the singing enters. Once the singing has begun, the music takes a supporting role, emphasizing the emotion behind each word. The track comes to a close featuring purely instrumentals that carry the mood the vocals were conveying. The music and vocals bounce the emotion off of each other, creating one of the best musical flows in recent memory.

Dr. Dee is, first and foremost, a Damon Albarn record. And while his influences are obvious throughout the entire album, it’s definitely not for fans of the Gorillaz. But it’s also hard to sell this strictly as an opera.

While there are opera tracks spread throughout the album, those tracks that predominantly feature Albarn and his style far overshadow them. It would be easy to say Albarn took the road less traveled in making Dr. Dee. But he really couldn’t have played it safer. n

“ DAMON ALBARN

DR. DEE D

indepth review dillon mitchell art daham marapane amon Albarn is trying his hardest to remain unmarketable, but he can’t. Everyone loves his work too much. He probably thought he had the world fooled with the Gorillaz. He probably thought that no one would ever enjoy an odd, obscure “virtual band” (seriously, he tried so hard to make the Gorillaz the kryptonite of pop music) that is sorta hip-hop-ish and kinda techno-y, but that plan failed when the Gorillaz took off like wildfire. The accolades and the sales poured in and Albarn saw the Gorillaz become pop music. He made one last-ditch effort at making people hate his music and recorded an album on an iPad, but everyone loved that too, so he gave up on trying to make everyone hate the Gorillaz and just decided to put them on indefinite hiatus.

And then he made an opera.

74 | Spark | May 28, 2012

ALBARN TAKES THE ICONIC GORILLAZ SOUND AND COMBINES WITH A CLASSIC OPERA STYLE.

WOMEN CHARLES BUKOWSKI

H

book review zach fulciniti art daham marapane

enry Chinaski is Charles Bukowski.

And Bukowski is Chinaski, the only difference being one of them is real.

It works like this: the late poet Charles Bukowski wrote six novels and countless short stories in his lifetime. All of his works, save for his last novel, 1994’s Pulp, featured Henry Chinaski as the protagonist.

Bukowski created a character with a name vaguely reminiscent of his own (he was born Heinrich, German for Henry) and projected all of his experiences onto him.

And those experiences consisted mainly of booze-addled sex romps with complete strangers, or occasionally women that sent him letters or lewd photos. His days usually went something like this: wake up hungover at noon, vomit, write a few poems, buy a fifth of Jameson, write a few poems, vomit, find something to hump, sleep, explain to girl why he could never see her again, vomit, sleep. There was probably more drinking in there, but other than that it’s spot on.

That’s the focus of Women, a novel set in the time when Bukowski first rose to prominence as a poet after years as a post office employee.

That didn’t change him, though, as he still spent most of his time getting fall-down drunk and sleeping with strangers. The first one he encounters in the novel is Lydia, with whom he develops a complicated and violent relationship. It starts with her sculpting his head and then him leaving the sculpture on her porch every time their relationship soured again. She even begins showing up when he’s with other women, often becoming belligerent and attacking them.

He also spends a weekend with a woman named Tanya, among countless others, many of whom he’s sleeping with at the same time.

Throughout the novel he is flown to colleges around the

country for poetry readings, at which he also gets fall-down drunk. He often notes that as he becomes more inebriated his reading improves.

And he often attends the readings with one of these women, or finds another one while he’s there.

It wouldn’t be fair to call Women pulp just because Bukowski pulled no punches with his prose. In fact, it’s just the opposite. He wasn’t worried about economy or eloquence, he just wrote what he did and what he felt and he didn’t hesitate to give the gory details of his exploits because he was just being honest. He talks of how Lydia enjoys popping his zits, and how he often imagines himself ejaculating on the faces of his parents. But he didn’t do it for shock value, he did it because he was an honest guy and if he held back he wouldn’t have been honest with his readers and that was probably why he didn’t enjoy other writers, because they were too concerned about sounding how they wanted to sound. To read their writing and then to hear them speak were two very different things and Bukowski couldn’t stand such dishonesty, so he avoided other writers at all costs. They ruined it for him. He even passes up the opportunity to meet William Burroughs. He enjoyed writing because it was an outlet, not because it was an opportunity to be something he wasn’t. It was his way of being honest with himself. It was his way of coming to terms with his own shortcomings.

And it would be easy to see Bukowski, or Chinaski, as a misogynist, considering he uses, cheats on and throws away most of the women he encounters in the novel. But it was probably more complicated than that. He talks a lot throughout the novel about his dissatisfaction. He doesn’t like most people, and even for a poet he doesn’t enjoy reading other poetry or talking to other poets. He was part of a circle that he didn’t even like. He passes on meeting Burroughs because he’s not interested. That sort of sums it up. He was perpetually dissatisfied, so he drank a lot and had sex with pretty much anything that wouldn’t press charges. He played fast and loose with everything he had because it was the only thing that made sense to him, that made him feel alive.

That’s what made him so popular with those who knew his work. They could relate because they could see that he wasn’t just a sexist asshole, he just didn’t get what all the fuss was about so he coped by descending into the kind of debauchery we all wish we could enjoy with the impunity he did.

He talked about women, but he wasn’t about exploiting women. If anything, he was exploiting himself. That’s what makes the novel such a joy, by talking about his encounters with the opposite sex we get more insight into the man than we ever could otherwise. Aside from the booze, the women are his life, and by telling those stories he’s telling us who he is. n

lakotaeastspark.com | Spark | 75

sports | team feature

CARRYING After finishing the season as second in its conference the East girls’ varsity softball team is glad to have built its team traditions.

The East varsity softball team performs is signature “toe-touch” as the symbols crash during the National Anthem before a game.

story natasha rausch | infographic sophia li and irfan ibrahim | photos jeff back

F.U.F.

is a tradition.

The graduates know it as a day to remember.

The seniors know it as the beginning of a new season. The new varsity players know it as the right of initiation.

The extreme scavenger hunt known as F.U.F marks the calendar each year on the first Friday of the softball season. The newbies on the varsity team are given a list packed with activities that the seniors have articulated as

76 | Spark | May 28, 2012

well as ideas handed down from the alumni.

Each task, like singing outside of Coldstone Creamery, earns the players points—but the value of watching East softball players dressed in cow suits while running around Bridgewater Falls “mooing” exceeds any amount of points.

“When [the freshmen] put on this cow costume, it was so funny,” says senior varsity softball player Alyssa Grevenkamp. “[F.U.F] is just a good way to get team chemistry for all of the freshmen in the program. They can kind of mix and gel with everybody else. But

besides the moo, they had to pick a wedgie in public, wait on a person at a restaurant and sing at Coldstone. It was a lot of crazy stuff.”

As seniors Alyssa Grevenkamp, Kim Rollins, Ainsley Ellison and Taylor Alden ate their Mexican food at La Piñata, they could watch each task being fulfilled. While observing the craziness outside the window, the seniors reminisce about their times on the other side of the glass and think about their first game of this season versus Seton—a game which ended with an 8-0 victory.

TRADITION Just before that first game, and the 18 games to follow, the girls line up shoulder-to-shoulder with arms wrapped securely around each other.

The national anthem begins to play, then the first cymbal in the orchestra crashes and the girls tap their feet in sync. As the next cymbal sounds, the girls’ legs reach out as they tap their feet once again. It is another team tradition, just like F.U.F. At the end of the anthem and the foottapping, the girls jog to the dugout. The black cement wall to the right is covered in names and records of the past East softball teams to remind the girls of their successes and their goals. The fence, layered with large black and silver East bags, blocks any fans from seeing inside.

Then, as the team enters the dugout, out come the pretzels, Cheez-its and Twizzlers—a couple of snacks to hold the girls over until the

end of the seven innings. At other games, they ate fruit and sandwiches.

In the highly anticipated East vs. Lakota West game on March 30, the snacks calmed the girls’ nerves, but that did not prevent the final score of 6-2, and East’s first loss. In the following rematch on April 19, however, the East girls redeemed themselves by earning a 3-1 win.

“The best moment this year was probably beating West,” Grevenkamp says. “Coming back from one down to beat [them] was great.

Coming back from [the] Mason [Comets] was great too. We were three down in the bottom of the seventh; then we beat them. I like how we can comeback and that we don’t shut down after somebody scores on us.”

After beating last year’s Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) state tournament runner-up, Gahanna Lincoln, East

remained tied for first [in the Greater Miami Conference (GMC)] with Lakota West. The sister schools were in a neck-and-neck battle until the last game of the season when East took on the third-ranked Fairfield Indians.

East lost 4-3 to Fairfield, but the more devastating loss came in the GMC title race to Lakota West.

“The [Lakota West] girls know that when you win a league like the GMC you have beaten some really good teams,” Lakota West varsity softball head coach Keith Castner says. “So we’ve seen everything. When it comes to the tournament and crucial time we hope that that helps us because we have seen that throughout the season this year.”

But for East, the season is all about returning to State.

Just two years ago in the 2010 softball season, this year’s seniors made their first

lakotaeastspark.com | Spark | 77

sports | team feature appearance as sophomores at the OHSAA State Championship after beating Lakota West in the final four regional game. But the East softball team was shut out in the final game at Firestone Stadium in Akron, Ohio to Grove City High School with a score of 2-0.

“Going to State was my best memory,” senior short stop Grevenkamp says. “I hope to re-live that this year. I love team bonding but [going to State] is better. I actually got to play. It was nerve-wrecking and my heart was pounding all the time.”

Grevenkamp along with Ellison, Alden and Rollins all hope to make their second appearance in Akron. After beating the Piqua Indians 11-1 and Troy High School 12-3 in the beginning roads of the tournament, the team has the chance to reach its ultimate objective.

“We haven’t reached our biggest goals yet, because our number one goal is to play our best during the softball tournament,” East Varsity softball coach Steve Castner says.

“When we stand together we are hard to beat.

If we play our best in every game [in the tournament], then that will be reaching our goal.”

The individual statistics, such as Ellison’s third-highest batting average in the GMC of .452 and Grevenkamp’s district record of 104 career runs help the team to reach its

goals. But the overall successes like second in the GMC can be attributed to the team mentality created through traditions. Although the chemistry between the girls has helped them throughout the season, only Ellison will be pursuing softball at the D-II level at Hillsdale College. The team still focuses on each other, and the girls’ relationships have continued to develop from the cow-runs at Bridgewater Falls to the toe-tapping during the National Anthem and the legendary fishing tournament at the coach’s farm.

Each year, just before the run for the state tournament begins, Steve Castner invites the entire team to his family’s farm in Sardinia, Ohio. Within minutes of arriving, the girls are covered in mud after riding his three fourwheelers. But they quickly clean up in one of the two lakes. According to Steve Castner, it is a time for the team to really come together.

“They are getting completely muddrenched,” Steve Castner says. “There is a fishing tournament going on right now, and Taylor Alden is winning. We sat around by the campfire and they danced and had s’mores and last night they were up in the loft just talking and having a good time before they went to sleep.”

THE ART OF

SLAPBUNTING 2

3 4

We are really concentrated on the team instead of the individual. We like to bond so we can trust each other on the field and get closer in real life.

East varsity softball player Ainsley Ellison This tradition, along with the many others, has brought the girls closer to give them a stronger sense of friendship.

“We are really concentrated on the team instead of the individual,” Ellison says. “But even after practices we hang out to get closer.

We like to get together so we can all bond and get to know each other better, so we can trust each other on the field, and [become] closer in real life.”

F.U.F is a tradition, but the seniors from this year have passed on a new tradition— camaraderie. The team-focused mentality has earned the East softball team a number-two rank in the GMC and continues to propel the girls in the run for the state championship. n

East softball players use the slapbunt in order to cover ground to base faster, and like must bunts, it focuses on speed of player rather than power of the hit.

2. As soon as the bat makes contact with the ball, drop the bat and begin running toward first base.

3. Bring both arms in front of the body and strike the ball with the bat squared to the ball.

1 1. Step out with right foot toward the pitcher. Cock the bat back on the left. (Players only bunt lefthanded in order to position the body to run toward first base)

4. Cross the left foot over the right and square the hips to the pitcher while keeping shoulders in their original position.

BUNT INCLINATION METER If the infield is sitting back

If the outfield is deep and the infield

sports | player spotlight

THE

RAISING

BAR

story jeff back infographic jack dombrowski photos nick kanaly

After qualifying for the Ohio High School Athletic Association Regional Track and Field meet in 2011 and breaking the East pole vaulting record, junior Jordan Combs is making a name for himself.

E

ast junior Jordan Combs stands with a slight look of discomfort plastered across his face.

It is tough to tell whether it is a result of the glaring brightness of the sun on the horizon or the lingering pain of a nasty fall during pole vault practice roughly three weeks earlier. The expression looks unnatural on Jordan. He has never been one for discomfort. A smile quickly takes over and spreads across the face of the varsity pole vaulter, and it is clear that Jordan is in his element.

The second day of the Greater Miami Conference (GMC) track and field championships falls only 10 days after the Kings Invitational, at which Jordan tied East’s pole vaulting record with a vault of 12foot-6. Jordan’s only chance since then to capture the record for himself was squandered on May 4 when the Mason Invitational was cancelled due to lightning before he could compete.

“I’m too ready to go,” says Jordan as he watches Sycamore senior Alec Stamper easily clear a height of 10 feet. His emotions are a whirlwind—changing every few seconds. He is excited for the chance to be atop East’s pole vaulting leaderboard. He is nervous he will not get the record. But clearly eager for the chance.

As competitors finish their attempts at 10 feet, Jordan begins to fly across the turf of Dwire Field at Mason’s Atrium Stadium in preparation for his first vault at 11 feet. He slides a pole out of its carrying case and begins to practice his form. Father and long-

time East pole vault coach Jeff Combs keeps an eye on his son and offers advice amidst helping vaulters from other schools with their form.

“I probably would have stopped coaching by now if [Jordan] wasn’t doing pole vault,” says Jeff, who has been the pole vault coach at East for more than 10 years. “I was definitely going to stop when he became a freshman but he wanted me to keep going.”

The Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) official directing the pole vault event calls for the end of the round as sophomore Nicholas Smith narrowly clears the 10-foot-6 height. The bar is raised to 11 feet and seven vaulters remain in the competition, but one still awaits his opening height of 13 feet.

Jordan makes his way to the runway for his four-minute practice period before entering the competition. Tearing down the runway at a sprinter’s speed, it is clear why East’s head track and field coach John Lindeman might use Jordan in the 4x100-meter relay at the OHSAA District meet on May 16 and 18—despite his first impressions of Jordan as a freshman athlete only two years earlier.

“Skinny, scrawny, non-athlete,” says Lindeman, who has been the head coach at East for six years. “I never thought he would be a varsity track athlete. Pole vaulting takes so much coordination and strength that there is no way I thought [Jordan] would be where he is today pole vaulting.”

Following several warm-up vaults, Jordan hustles over to his black Nike spike bag. He begins to panic.

He dumps the contents onto the turf

Jordan Combs negotiates the bar on his recordbreaking 13-foot vault at the GMC Track and Field meet on May 11.

sports | player spotlight and rifles through them, but does not find the object for which he is looking. He calms himself. Jordan quickly gathers the pile of assorted clothes and stuffs them back into the drawstring bag. Shifting his attention to a much larger Nike bag, he unzips the side pocket and thrusts in his hand. It emerges, clutching a black and white Nike headband—a good luck charm worn during his record-tying vault at the Kings meet.

“I’m a superstitious person. I haven’t washed it all season,” Jordan says. “I don’t want to wash out all the luck.”

Ready to go, Jordan looks on as the five other vaulters competing at 11 feet make their first attempts. Stamper easily clears the height.

Nicholas Smith and Tanner Strickland of Oak Hills and Sycamore, respectively, each knock the bar off its standards. Oak Hills’ Austin Swanger narrowly makes his way over the bar and receives a loud cheer from spectators.

Mason’s John Deaton hits the bar with his foot on an otherwise flawless vault and must wait for his second attempt.

Jordan walks onto the runway. He rests his pole on his shoulder and stretches for a moment. He gives a quick clap of the hands, takes a deep breath, and rocks backward while gripping the pole. After raising the pole for a moment, he drops it down to re-grip. Suddenly, he takes off down the runway after raising the

On May 11 Jordan Combs tied the East pole vaulting record for the second time with a vault of 12-foot-6 and then surpassed it with a vault of 13 feet.

pole once more. Sprinting at top speed before planting his pole in the box, Jordan launches himself into the air.

A miss.

Jordan hops up immediately, seemingly content with the effort despite his foot knocking the bar from its perch—clearly more composed than most of the competition. His father gives his observation and advice, and Jordan strolls out of the competition area.

“I hate missing the first one. It’s an

OVER THE TOP

The pole vault requires sprinter speed, incredible strength, and a lot of practice. Achieving the greatest height is dependent on the athletes ability to follow his/her steps.

1

Fiber Glass Mesh Carbon Fiber Layer

Fiber Glass Rings The most popular pole among competitors currently is the UCS Spirit, followed closely by the Pacer Carbon.

These poles have a price range of approximately $325 to $700, depending on length and weight capability. The layered composition provides “energy memory,” which allows the pole to straighten out with greater force therefore making the competitor vault higher.

80 | Spark | May 28, 2012

adrenaline killer,” he says.

Jordan feeds off adrenaline. The crowd, the big stage. According to Jeff, Jordan especially loves when it is dark out and the lights come on at night. But the adrenaline is the reason why he started pole vaulting in the first place. “[I became attracted to pole vaulting at] the first track meet I went to where my dad was a coach,” says Jordan, who first tried the sport at Liberty Junior School in eighth grade. “I would sit by my dad and watch pole vault. I saw an East guy who was going above at least 12 feet. Everybody in the whole stadium was watching him and reacting to what he did. It was inspiring.”

On his second attempt, Jordan clears his opening height with ease, grinning from ear to ear afterwards. All the competitors except Strickland and Smith clear the height and the bar is immediately raised to 11-foot-6. Jordan clears it seemingly without effort on his first try and waits to see who will join him at 12 feet.

Headed into the next round, only Deaton has been eliminated and four competitors remain. At 12 feet, Jordan once again makes it over the bar on his first try. Stamper also clears it on his first attempt, and Swanger eventually finds his way over the bar. As the bar is raised to the East record height of 12-foot-6, Jordan is unfazed. He has done it before.

Swanger barrels through the bar on his first

2

The competitor begins his/her vault by planting the pole into the box and initiating the jump which is much like a layup in basketball. Hands must be high and the pole must be straight so that the competitor does not fall left or right of the pit.

The competitor begins his/her approach with a sprint.

However, the sprint must be loose and relaxed, with high knees to prepare for the vault. A competitor should be able to reach his/her maximum velocity in 10 to 12 strides, although some competitors take as few as four. The synchronization of strides is key in making a successful vault.

2

1 RUNWAY

Vaulters find their plant position, then turn around and run with their pole to find the exact point at which they should begin their approach.

After the bar is raised, Jordan marches onto the runway and finds his starting point.

Something on his face is different. His demeanor has changed. The smile has been gone for several minutes now. Determination has taken over. The clap is louder. The breath, deeper. And the run, faster.

Jordan rockets into the air. All thoughts of an injury or fall have been pushed aside. That is the difference between a vaulter and a nonvaulter, according to Jordan. There is no place for self-doubt.

As Jordan ascends toward the bar in what seems to be slow motion, his father can be seen looking on with a mix of hope, pride and anxiety painted across his face. He knows what the record means to his son.

Jordan’s feet clear the bar cleanly. His body, turning in midair, negotiates the bar by fewer than three inches. He jerks his arms and head upward, skillfully passing over the bar. Jordan falls to the mat.

He is on his feet in an instant, shouting with enthusiasm. The crowd cheers at its loudest, and Jordan meets his father for an emphatic high-five.

“At the point when I went over the bar, I wasn’t even thinking,” he says.

“I had finally reached my goal—to beat the school record

3

With the pole bent, the competitor swings into a vertical inverted position in order to convert the pole’s potential energy into kinetic energy. A shorter pole allows for a quicker ascension to the bar, but provides less force. A longer pole gives the vaulter greater power, but is heavier and slows down the run.

before I left. I’ll forever have a mark on East history. Obviously someone will break the record, but I’ll always know that I once was one of the best pole vaulters to go through East and I can tell my kids that I broke my school record in high school.”

Jordan struggles to find words that describe his emotions. His second place finish behind Pil pales in comparison to the sheer jubilation of vaulting 13 feet.

“My dad said, ‘It’s the height that makes you a vaulter,’” Jordan says. “It’s the first of the teen heights. But I don’t want to stop there. If I work really hard, I think 15 feet is within reach before I leave East. This year I want to place at Regionals, and next year I want to go all the way [to the state meet].” n

Men’s Pole Vault World Record: Sergei Bubka 1994 20’ 1.73’’ Women’s Pole Vault World Record: Yelena Isinbayeva 2009 16’ 7.21’’

3

3

BOX

4

Information www.ucsspirit.com, www.iaaf.org, Jeff Combs, Lakota East Sports Records

try. Stamper nicks it on his way down. Jordan calmly finds his mark on the runway and goes through his routine.

Stretch. Clap. Breathe. Lift. Run. Jordan finds himself lying on the mat with the bar sitting motionless upon its standards.

Lindeman is cheering loudly for Jordan, seeing him tie the school record for the second time.

“We’ve had accomplished vaulters in the past, but it was a matter of if they could go further,” Lindeman says. “I think [Mike Alto and Joe Brewer, East pole vault record holders] jumped as far as they could jump, whereas Jordan, I think he can go higher.”

Swanger and Stamper fail to clear the height on all three attempts. The only two left in the competition are Jordan and Leslie Pil, a Mason vaulter who has been friends with Jordan for the past two years after meeting him at gymnastics training for pole vault. Pil, the top-ranked vaulter in the GMC, enters the competition at his opening height of 13 feet—Jordan’s goal for the meet. He cheers for Jordan just as loud as anyone; that is just the nature of pole vaulting.

“We want to push each other to our limits, because the sky is the limit,” says Pil, who narrowly missed the OHSAA state meet last year. “That’s our motto. We don’t want people to fail just so we can win. We want everyone to vault as high as they can.”

4

Finally, the competitor releases the pole wth his/her’s top hand, allowing it to fall away from the bar and the pit. Proper form forces the competitor to fall on his/her back, and this also prevents injury.

PIT

lakotaeastspark.com | Spark | 81

Following the

sports | hawk culture

Hawks

Scan this QR Code with a smartphone to access sports stories and game coverage throughout the winter season on our website: www.lakotaeastspark.com.

Go online to find coverage of Zack Mueck in his final attempt to win the state championship.

BY THE

NUMBERS

25.57 East varsity track runner Autumn Heath’s new 200m record that beats the record of 25.88 seconds set by her last year.

104 Alyssa Grevenkamp’s district record number of career hits.

1:43.8 New 4x200m relay school record set

by Kendra Thomas, Autumn Heath, Kellsa Mbah and Ariana Cooper

Read about Jordan Combs achieving second in the GMC’s.

41 214

Highest number of Runs Batted In (RBI) held in the GMC by East varsity softball player Lea Buckenmyer

Go online to read about the varsity boys’ baseball team attempting to return to State for the second year in a row.

The GMC record of career strikeouts held by varsity baseball pitcher Mike Conrad

GMC TICKER: 82 | Spark | May 28, 2012

l

Read about the East girls’ softball team progressing through the tournament as 2nd in the GMC.

Zack Mueck – GMC player of the year (nominated for third year in a row)

East Alumnus Qualifies for London Olympics After winning state championships in 2000 and 2001 at East, Khetag Pliev will now be wrestling in the 2012 Olympics. story brett colburn | photo spark files

F

ormer East wrestling standout Khetag (Hetag) Pliev is one step closer to fulfilling his lifelong dream of becoming an Olympic gold-medalist after qualifying for the 2012 London Olympics on the Canadian team. Pliev came in second at the Pan-American games in the 96-kg (211.6 lbs) weight class in March, solidifying his spot in the 2012 games.

Pliev won back-to-back state championships in 2001 and 2002 as an East wrestler in the 171 and 189-lb weight class, respectively.

He also received the Larosa’s Award for the best high school athlete in Cincinnati.

Pliev, who was unable to be reached for comment, went 41-0 as a senior and was extremely impressive during all matches, according to East varsity wrestling coach Jim Lehman.

“Khetag dominated at the high school level,” says Lehman, who was the 2011 Greater Miami Conference coach of the year.

“He dominated at this level unlike any high school wrestler that I have had the privilege of coaching or watching.”

The 28-year-old native of The Republic of North Ossetia, a southern Russian republic, grew up in an area where wrestling is everywhere, said former East wrestling coach Bob Latessa.

“In Ossetia, wrestling is by far the most popular sport,” says Latessa, who coached wrestling at Lakota from 1995 to 2008, including Pliev’s two title runs. “They all just want to be wrestlers over there.”

When Pliev moved to the United States, he attended school in Columbus, Ohio, before moving to East during his sophomore year.

After graduating high school, Pliev went to Lassen Community College in Susanville, Calif. and then traveled back to Russia. When he attempted to come back to the United States, he ran into complications with the U.S. Embassy in Moscow.

The U.S. Embassy would not allow him to re-enter the country, which left him stranded in Russia and away from his parents for three years. Without the ability to get back into the United States, Pliev was able to obtain a visa in Canada, where he later became a citizen.

While in Canada, Pliev won four consecutive Canadian National Championships from 2008 to 2011, along with the Outstanding Wrestler Award at the Canada Cup of International Wrestling in 2008 and 2009.

As an accomplished wrestler, Pliev’s knowledge of the sport is invaluable to high school athletes. East junior and varsity wrestler Douglas Davenport has had the opportunity to learn from Pliev during sporadic visits he

has made to East.

“He teaches us a lot whenever he comes back here,” says Davenport, the second-year varsity wrestler. “Everyone listens to him because he really knows what he’s talking about.”

To Davenport, Pliev’s experience as a near Olympic qualifier in 2008 for Canada and now as a member of the 2012 Canadian team is inspiring.

“It’s awesome to think that someone who went [to East] is going to the Olympics,” Davenport says. “It would be crazy if he brought back a medal.”

According to Latessa, Pliev has been preparing for the Olympics his entire life.

“Even in high school he had already started scouting guys he knew he might face in the Olympics,” he says. “This has always been his goal becoming an Olympic champion.” n

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| Spark | 83 Lauren Buck – first GMC title holder lakotaeastspark.com in shot put

sports | prominent athlete

HURLING TOWARD STATE East shotput and discus star Lauren Buck makes her way to State through extensive training, but she would have gotten nowhere without supporting her friends and family, who in return support her. story kaitlin lange | photos jeff back

T

East senior Lauren Buck motions to throw the discus at her meet against Lebanon. This throw resulted in breaking the school discus record.

84 | Spark | May 28, 2012

he East varsity girls lacrosse game is in full swing as the minutes slowly tick off the clock. Although proud parents are watching intently from the stands, the bleachers are near silent compared to an average varsity football game and despite the close score, the atmosphere is mostly serene, until East senior Lauren Buck arrives. She strides confidently up through the silent bleachers with a painted face and whiteboard in hand. The peace is broken as she begins cheering for the Thunderhawks. On the sidelines lacrosse players cannot help but turn to stare at their most dedicated fan, despite the close game at hand.

For Lauren, standing out is the norm. Whether it is in the stands as a fan or on the field as a recordbreaking East shot put thrower, Lauren is naturally the center of attention.

“I’m just that kind of spontaneous person sometimes,” Lauren says. “Things don’t really have to be what everyone else is doing or be normal whatsoever for me to go crazy and have fun.”

Although Lauren naturally finds herself in the spotlight, she strives to focus on others instead of herself, according to East senior varsity lacrosse player Michaela Buczek. Lauren is the perfect friend and is always there anytime Buczek needs someone to lean on. When Buczek had to get a tuberculosis test in order to volunteer at a hospital, Lauren went with her to each of the four appointments. Lauren even spent time making Buczek a lacrosse keychain in her metals class and constructed a giant card for Buczek before her senior night.

“Anything you need, she is always there,” Buczek says. “Even if it’s in the middle of the night, she will

drop everything she is doing just to come do whatever you need her to do.”

The main reason Lauren began attending the lacrosse games was in order to support Buczek. Lauren does not just keep her spirit limited to the lacrosse games; however, as she can also be seen on the sidelines at volleyball games and along the fences at the boys’ tennis matches.

“I have school spirit,” Lauren says. “I don’t know if it’s school spirit for the sake of cheering for the school or because I like to be loud and crazy. Everyone works hard at whatever they are doing so they deserve to be recognized for it.”

Although Lauren can be seen supporting a variety of sporting events, most people know her as a discus and shot put thrower she is. Ever since seventh grade, Lauren has been dedicating her time to becoming the best thrower she can be.

Before seventh grade, Lauren was a multi-sport athlete. As a child she participated in flag football, basketball and softball. As she eventually decided to limit her sports, she was influenced by her mom, Carole Baker to start throwing for the track team. Baker had participated in shot put and discus throughout high school and knew her daughter was a perfect fit for the events. Lauren’s dad, Jeff, also participated in track throughout high school as a runner.

Lauren’s decision to pursue throwing has proven to be a wise one over the years. Lauren recently won the 2012 Greater Miami Conference (GMC) track meet for both shot put and discus and was also named GMC field-athlete of the year. But Lauren is no stranger to success; she made it to the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) State Track and Field meet her sophomore year for discus and junior year for shot put. She is looking to return one last time as the regular season draws to a close for Lauren. She also achieved third at the winter state meet this year.

Lauren was initially surprised when she had made it to the OHSAA meet her sophomore year. At regionals, she placed ninth after the preliminaries. The first nine qualify for the finals and from there the top four continue on to the OHSAA meet. Having taken the very last spot in the finals, she had little expectations for making it to the state meet. In what Lauren would consider one of her greatest moments in track, she achieved a new personal record, 11 feet further than her previous one.

Because of this, she was moved into fourth place and earned a spot at the state meet.

“I had no expectations of it whatsoever, and I not only surprised myself but also my coaches and my parents,” Lauren says. “I was the only sophomore throwing discus that year at state. Everyone else was a junior or senior.”

Aside from having attended the state meet multiple times, Lauren is also the currently the East discus record holder, having thrown a distance of 125 feet 10 inches at the Lebanon track meet this season.

Held by Adrienne Smith since 2000, the old record was 120 feet 9 inches.

Although injuries have never prevented Lauren from throwing at meets, they have presented a great deal of challenges. Last year, near the end of the season, Lauren had sprained several ligaments in her vertebra due to overuse. Since she was injured during the regional and state meet last year, she was forced to fight through the intense pain.

In addition to her temporary injury, Lauren also has a ganglion cist, a swelling around joints or tendons, in her wrist. This has limited the range of motion in her wrist making throwing shot put especially difficult. But it has not stopped her yet.

Another disadvantage for Lauren is her height. She is over all shorter than many of the other girls in her particular event according to head track coach John Lindeman.

“Size-wise she is dwarfed by some of the girls she is throwing with,”

A SHOT AT STATE

While East senior Lauren Buck is training for a shot at State, her options as a shot putter vary due to the two techniques used in the sport.

infographic emily chao and nugeen aftab

=

= 4 kg The average shot put used by teenage girls weighs as much as a gallon of milk.

The runner must stay in the ring for both techniques.

OHSAA East sends two of its best throwers in shot put to the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) District Tournament.

The glide technique, which Buck uses, does not require the athlete to spin before releasing the shot put. The thrower shifts her weight back on her foot before quickly turning and releasing the shot put.

Spin

The spin technique, favored by smaller athletes, requires the athlete to spin two times before releasing. The centripetal force built up allows more force to release the shot put.

information: brianmac.com, digitaltrackandfield.com, Ohio High School Athletic Association Track and Field Regulations, Special Olympics Coaching Guides, National Throws Coaches Association

Glide

The first four District throwers qualify for the Regional Tournament. The first four Regional throwers then qualify for the State Tournament.

lakotaeastspark.com | Spark | 85

sports | prominent athlete

LEFT: Buck follows through with her shotput throw at her meet against Lebanon.

HERE: Buck braces to throw in her shotput competition at her meet at Lebanon.

Lindeman says. “If you look at some of the pictures from the regional school spirit as Tori received the senior superlative “most spirited” in last [meet] two years ago she looks like a midget compared to some of the year’s yearbook. With Lauren attending OSU as well, the sisters would girls she is throwing against.” be reunited.

Because of the size difference, Lauren has learned not to solely “When Tori comes to a meet you can see Lauren perk up,” Baker says. depend on muscle to beat the competition. She is a balance of technique “She does better when Tori is here. When Tori competed in cheerleading, and strength. she would do better when Lauren was there. They have always had the She still spends time lifting year-round, but makes sure she is throwing tightest bond between the two of them.” in a manner to get the most out of her strength. As time has shown, The only problem with OSU, however, is that it is a Division I school, Lauren is very capable of beating girls bigger than her because of her meaning the sports are extremely competitive. Buck has yet to sign with hard work according to East throwing coach Doug Noxel.

OSU and is planning on attempting to walk on the team in the fall. This “Lauren is the Rocky of the girls’ throwing events,” Noxel says. “She in itself would be difficult. is a hard working athlete that doesn’t accept “I consider myself good but not mediocre performance. Lauren pushes nearly good enough to be on the team as herself as hard as any coach would push her I am now,” Buck says. “I’m going to keep and that’s part of the key reason she is so working and keep lifting over the summer successful.” and then maybe in the fall try to walk on.”

Although Lauren would love to continue Even if Lauren were to not make track in college, she is currently unsure of the team, she plans to continue to throw whether or not this is a possibility. She has recreationally. She enjoys shot put and decided to go to the Ohio State University discus too much to stop.

(OSU) regardless if she can participate in Whichever path Lauren chooses, she track and field. She always has loved the will continue to impact people in her own school because of its athletic spirit. sporting event and while cheering for Her sister Tori Buck is also currently others. attending OSU. According to Lauren, the “I wish I had 20 more of her because two are incredibly close. Although the sisters she is just awesome,” Lindeman says. “She participated in different athletic activities makes other kids better by her being around East senior varsity track and field player in high school, they both share a love for and them seeing how and what she does.”n

I’m just that kind of spontaneous person sometimes. Things don’t have to be what everyone else is doing or be normal whatsoever for me to go crazy and have fun.

Lauren Buck

86 | Spark | May 28, 2012

8

sports | eight things

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT WINNING THE DRAW

story tori meyer east varsity girls’ lacrosse (as told to claire schomaker) photo michael tedesco

Keep Your Focus “When you walk up to the center of the field you have to make sure you’re paying attention and watching the ball”

Watch Your Hands “Make sure your hands are in the right spot. Your top hand faces up, and the bottom hand faces down.”

Stance “You stand differently depending on if you’re going to push or pull the ball. Feet together for a pull and apart for a push.”

Resistance “When preparing to win the ball, be sure to push equally against the opponents stick.”

Legs “When the whistle blows, use your legs to power yourself off the ground”

Revving “Be sure to pull the stick up quickly, cranking it to get under the ball.”

Push or Pull “You must decide if you will push or pull the ball. Push your arms forward or pull them straight back over your head.”

Box Out “As soon as the ball goes up you have to fight for it, blocking the opponent in order to win.

lakotaeastspark.com | Spark | 87

opinion | column

Rahul Mukherjee STAFF WRITER

ABUSE OF SECURITY contact rahul at rahuldev96@yahoo.com

T

he Transportation Security Administration (TSA) takes the shoes, belts and electronics away from each passenger planning to board an aircraft, but they’re taking something else from the American people: their hard-earned income.

The amount of money that we have put into the system, however, has not paid off. With the help of two TSA agents, Duane Eleby was able to pass through security with more than $2,000 worth of cocaine.

Thankfully, he was caught by another “officer” and was apprehended.

And that wasn’t the first violation.

According to a report by ABC News in July 2011, there have been more than 25,000 security breaches since 9/11, putting millions of travelers at risk each day. The TSA is supposed to monitor our airways and prevent potential terrorists from going onboard. Like a parent reassuring his or her child, the TSA gives a false sense of hope to the American people while violating citizens’ rights and taking their earnings.

Our tax dollars are going to a corrupt government organization. They mean to do well, but don’t follow through.

According to the Online Criminal Justice Degree, 16 individuals who were linked to terror plots flew through airports more than 20 times in 2001 and none of them were stopped at the airports until 2004. One terrorist could end the lives of dozens, but officers think that patting down all passengers will somehow apprehend them.

The scanners aren’t very helpful either. An article by the website Politico shows that they are more than $100,000 apiece, and they can’t detect weapons that can be easily stored by a passenger’s side. According to the TSA, 700 scanners have been installed since 2007. These scanners, however, allow 70 percent of weapons through, as it shows from a graphic from the Online Criminal Justice Degree.

Along with the inefficiency of the system, the cost of maintaining this huge organization is like keeping a Lamborghini in perfect condition.

The TSA website shows that it is able to retrieve more than $7 billion of funding from the federal government, which is more than double the amount given to “green” projects, which could actually help the country.

The organization has grown rapidly; in 2001, the TSA was expected to only employ about 16,500 people according to an article by USA Today. Right now, it employs more than 62,000 people.

And those scanners that puffed air on flyers?

They cost $36 billion total and all 207 of them are locked in the warehouse. By using these materials, TSA has spent approximately $6 million on finding a gun. The guns that were found, however, did not belong to terrorists.

But there are also direct costs to Americans. In February 2012, President Obama announced that the security fees will be tripled to $7.50 each way. In an industry that is already suffering due to a recession and the rising costs of oil, the added charges do not need to hinder airline companies.

The long lines at security already eat up time for flights—the added fees would just add gasoline to a box full of TNT. With this hike in costs, areas that are economically dependent on tourism will be devastated.

But what’s worse than the cost would be the loyalty of this administration. Some of these officers in uniform use their power in bad faith. Air Force veteran Omer Petti was a victim of the TSA’s negligence.

While going through security at San Diego International airport, the 95-year-old was asked to put $300 in cash into a security bin, and then was forced to receive a pat-down. After being pulled aside and nearly missing their flight, Petti and his wife were promised to be briefed about the $300 that they lost due to the negligence by the administration. After landing in Detroit, however, the TSA did not address the issue.

According to a report by the Daily Mail, more than 200 people have had similar experiences like this. One case in January of last year involved a couple of officers stealing more than $40,000 from a passenger’s luggage, but were only sentenced to five months in jail.

But there is a way to fix security so people can fly safely in the air.

Airports can hire private security. With this, there won’t be any more controversies about profiling minorities or selecting more attractive people to be patted down. The employees are pressured by one factor: profits. Because of this, employers will force their employees to follow a code. If they don’t, the airport can simply fire the security and hire another one.

If the 35 biggest airports in the country would hire private security companies to run airport security instead of the TSA, it would save the federal government $1 billion per year, screen 65 percent more passengers, and be 60 percent cheaper for the American taxpayers.

Because no one wants their money to be puffed out of them. n excerpt from “Tweet of Terror” For 225 years, America was the strongest nation on Earth.

Partly because we’re an ocean away from most of the world’s problems, but also because we were born of impossible odds: a loose collection of 13 colonies fighting for their very liberty against the mother nation. Size or power couldn’t win a battle like that–only sheer force of will. And that’s why, when 55 men put pen to paper and declared that America would be its own sovereign nation.

opinion online column raika casey

88 | Spark | May 28, 2012

Spark

lakotaeastspark.com l

High Schoo Lakota East Online Edition

Meeta Bhardwaj STAFF WRITER

THE RACE FOR US

A

contact meeta at meetabhardwaj@gmail.com

n irresistible scent of Indian spices lured me over toward the But if students are not driven to do well by outside factors, like their crowd of people surrounding the cashier counter. My mouth was schools and their futures, they will not have any motivation to strive for watering at the thought of obtaining a plate of chicken curry. As the best. To receive an East Honors Diploma, a student has to score I waited, the line grew longer and I became even more determined not to well on the SAT and ACT, but this definition of “scoring well” does not get pulled into the crowd. I was to be the next customer in line. stretch far. It includes receiving at least a 1210 out of 1600 on the SAT The man in front of me started to grab his food, and I was ready to Critical Reading and Math sections. It also includes receiving a 27 out of order, but before I even moved, a tall, mustached man zoomed right past 36 on the ACT. The nation’s average as of 2010 was a 21 on the ACT me and beat me to the counter. according to the Public Agenda.

I hoped he would look down at me and feel uncomfortable and As of 2009, the national high school dropout rate was 25 percent, embarrassed for what he had done. However, he didn’t notice me at all. and although this number is slowly decreasing, it is still much higher Today wasn’t different than any other day in his than it should be for a country people around life. This was his daily struggle—the race to get the world seem to admire. Results from a 2009 to the counter first.

Program for International Student Assessment But racing to the counter is trivial compared “WITH THESE RANKINGS, IT report ranked 15 year olds from 70 different to students being educated and racing to help IS EVIDENT THAT STUDENTS countries’ test results. The United States was their country. ranked 14th in reading, 17th in science and Growing up in the States, I have always ARE FALLING BEHIND. MORE 25th in math. been accustomed to the typical stereotypes that AND MORE IMMIGRANTS ARE With these rankings, it is evident that surround Asian students. Many Asian students students are falling behind. More and more are teased for how hard they work. But that COMING HERE, TAKING JOBS immigrants are coming here, taking jobs and is just the way they are brought up culturally. AND OPPORTUNITIES FROM opportunities from those living in America.

Education is embraced highly within India If it means coming to the United States for and other countries in Asia because a good THOSE LIVING IN AMERICA.” a better life, the students of third world, education is the only way to survive. I witnessed developing countries, such as India, will it firsthand during my trip last winter break. continue to work hard through their studies in The drive to be number one is not only existent in going to the best order to earn a well-established career in the United States. This limits school, being the top of the class, or obtaining the best career. It is an the ability for students who grew up in the United States to get accepted aspect of daily life. to the top colleges and pursue the best careers. More importantly, many While most things are considered to be a competition in the United of these individuals may become our future bosses.

States, it is not nearly to the extreme extent of India. In India, it’s a These immigrants will be living the “American Dream” before matter of either success or poverty.

Americans can.

During my trip, I visited my cousin’s house, and upon entering, I According to the New York Times foreign affairs columnist and noticed that the door to my nephew’s room was closed. He came out author of The World is Flat, Thomas Friedman, “If all you ever do is about an hour later to greet us, but this was only after he had finished his all you’ve ever done, all you’ll ever get will not be all you’ll ever get. You homework. Back home, this didn’t happen. In the United States, most will get below average now. And there is nothing down there anymore.” students would be glad to take any opportunity they had to take a break In his address to the Mayors of the United States on Feb. 19, from their studies to see family. But in India, it’s strictly business first.

Friedman explained the influence of globalization on the current Another cousin went further. Every school year his children’s working population, America’s students and the future generations. With videogames and game consoles are locked up so they can fully focus on more strong-willed foreigners coming to the United States to obtain a their studies. The games are only unlocked during their vacation. better education fewer professional jobs are present for Americans.

Encountering numerous instances like these revealed the studious The competition that is so obvious in India will slowly appear all mentality and focus of many Indian students. It was apparent how much throughout the United States as more people immigrate to America. The the United States differed from India in values by witnessing it. To many race for getting accepted into a prestigious college or well-paid job is on, of us, our studies do not hold the same precedence as those students of and we, as the polls and statistics show, are falling behind. foreign nations. If Indian students don’t do well, it is extremely difficult Now is the time for students to wake up. Now is the time to worry to succeed. Therefore social life, however much of that there is, is put about our futures and find ways of staying educated. We need to catch up on a backseat. to the race because according to Friedman, “Average is officially over.” n

lakotaeastspark.com | Spark | 89

opinion | east speaks out

Emily Chao OPINION EDITOR

MARRIAGE EQUALITY contact emily at elchao96@yahoo.com

A

fter more than 200 years of mistakes and reprieves, America has Telegraph reported that studies conducted by Sven Bocklandt of still not learned.

University of California-Los Angeles showed that gay males tended to Our nation has not learned the difference between acceptance share similar biological characteristics, such as being left-handed and and belief. Our nation has not learned to distinguish the fundamental having counterclockwise hair whorls. 60 Minutes ran a segment in 2008 differences between people. Our nation has not learned to keep the showing the biological evidence. According to the study, while in the subject of gender outside the subject of marriage. womb, if the fetus’ hypothalamus has not been exposed to sufficient North Carolina has banned same-sex marriage. With a majority testosterone, the baby will most likely be homosexual. vote of 61 percent, more than 1.5 million voters voted to place a So for some, it might just be genetics. Being homosexual is part constitutional amendment that defines marriage as a union between a of their nature and people should be allowed to be themselves. Thus, man and a woman. The amendment supporters served wedding cake people should be allowed to marry whomever they want to marry. They to celebrate the fact that they voted to deny these homosexual couples should have the right to choose. marriage as reported by CNN. That makes 30 states that have banned But if the fundamental step to a loving relationship cannot be same-sex marriage. granted to these couples, America has overlooked its national mission 30 states that shouldn’t have. set in stone by Thomas Jefferson. “All men are created equal,” and even North Carolina has just solidified our nation’s continuing prejudice though the papyrus that has enshrined those words is now withering and toward people that love others of their own gender. And serving aging, that principle shouldn’t waver. wedding cake to these couples who, as of now, will never be able to have If we are a country that prides itself in being able to provide it is the cruelest way to do it. freedoms to every citizen, then we should know that this is a freedom Same-sex marriage catches people in a hype. People rage debates we cannot take away. Individuals tend to take the concept of marriage about it, shout about it in town halls, and rave for granted, knowing that they have the right to about it on their Facebooks and Tumblrs. In be able to say “I do” to the lover of their choice. a recent 2012 Gallup survey, 50 percent of “WE’RE NOT MAGNETS. For homosexual couples, however, it’s an ongoing Americans believe that same-sex couples should battle that seems to become more one-sided each be able to legally wed. The other half of the EVEN THOUGH OPPOSITES day. nation either has no comment or is strongly “pro- ATTRACT, SOME OF US ARE Traditionally, the Evangelical Christian view marriage” but “anti-gay.” This 50 percent believes is that marriage is between a woman and a man. that marriage is not sanctified unless a man and ATTRACTED TO A GENDER From the Chrstian perspective, marriage is not woman place an expensive diamond ring on each THAT A PART OF SOCIETY sanctified unless it is heterosexual. others’ fingers, feed each other their first bite of But we’re not magnets. Even though opposites cake and dance the night away. But being “pro- WANTS US TO REPEL.” attract, some of us are attracted to a gender that a marriage” is hypocritical when more than 80,000 part of society wants us to repel. same-sex couples are struggling to tie the knot, according to US News.

As President Obama declares his support for homosexual marriage Same-sex marriage is no different than heterosexual marriage. There just in time for his re-election campaign, then supporters of the North is nothing different except for the gender of the groom. And that Carolina amendment should reconsider their stance. By not supporting shouldn’t matter. gay and lesbian rights, they are essentially turning away from a country’s The only thing that should matter is if they love each other. The values that their viewpoints have tried to esteem so highly.

United States, according to Census Bureau, is ranked number one in We are essentially nullifying Thomas Jefferson’s most esteemed divorce rates, with an average of 5.2 divorces per 1,000 people as of epigraph. Just as we eventually accepted the equality of African 2008. But statistics also show that in states that allow same-sex marriage, Americans and women, we need to accept homosexuals as well. Until divorce rates are 10 percent lower than in states that don’t. These men then, our country will fulfill the dream that “All men are created equal.” and women choose to be together, and when it takes a struggle to have If these homosexual couples love one another, then they should that first wedding dance, their love only solidifies. be allowed to finally declare their love by getting married. Just like we It’s not only the love, but also the children. In a study conducted by pick and choose our potential significant others (or dump them for new sociologist Stacy and Timothy Blibarz of the University of Southern ones), homosexual couples undergo the same deal, and it shouldn’t be California, same-sex parents are just as effective if not more effective in any different. parenting their kids. Same-sex parents are more likely to be more handsGay couples are just like any other couple. They’re humans just like on and more active in their children’s lives. us. And they should be allowed to walk down the aisle just like any Several studies are also showing that there is increasing biological straight man or woman. evidence that homosexual people were born that way. In 2008, The Because after all, the aisle itself is ramrod straight. n

90 | Spark | May 28, 2012

editorial cartoon ellen fleetwood

All men are created equal, and also, church should be separate from state.

Well, no.

GAY MARRIAGE

1776

2012

Mallory Web, junior

Gabrielle Wills, sophomore

Kylee Whittle, freshman

Mason Wagner, sophomore

I don’t support samesex marriage because I’m a Christian and it’s against my beliefs and what the Bible says.

I believe if you’re in love with a girl or a guy is in love with a guy, and they’re happy, then they should be able to be married and be with each other because that is in the Constitution.

[They have a] divine right to love one another and love who they want to love because they can’t help who fall in love with.

I support same-sex marriage because I am also gay, and I believe that if I am in love with someone, I should be able to love who I love, and marry who I love.

It’s fine, I don’t have a problem with it. It’s whatever you like.

East Speaks Out lakotaeastspark.com | Spark | 91 What is your opinion regarding same-sex marriage?

Hiring Using shrake

opinion | head-to-head

laura

“

art lisa cai

Employers cannot expect their employees to keep their home life at home if they themselves are not doing such in the interview process.

92 | Spark | May 28, 2012

The interviewer already knows the applicant.

Before he even gets a chance to get to know the person and potential employee, he may have already decided whether he will offer the job.

If this concept seems unfair, check what is posted on Facebook.

Wildly popular today with more than 901 million active daily users, Facebook, the poster child for social networking, has brought about an entirely new wave of interviewing procedures.

Traditionally, a job applicant is expected to present a resume and themselves to an employer, as well as partake in a criminal background check.

In today’s interviewing however, businesses pair their Human Resource department with the latest social media to find information about a candidate.

Even more shocking than the number of employers who reference social media before hiring a candidate is the 35 percent of employers who found content on social sites that factored in their decision not to hire an applicant. 29 percent of employers look at Facebook, 26 percent at LinkedIn, seven percent at Twitter and 11 percent at blogs.

Although the majority of high school students have some form of social media account, only 49 percent of 623 East students surveyed believe that employers should not use social media sites to screen job applicants.

The first giant red flag with this process is that it is completely unethical. The content found on social networking sites is personal business and should be kept as such. Employers find information such as race, marital status, sexual orientation, religion and political affiliation, none of which can be used in hiring decisions.

Furthermore, using content from social media blurs the lines between private and public life. What a user puts on Facebook should be protected by the intended use of social media.

According to the Facebook newsroom, the purpose of their site is to “make the world more open and connected. People use Facebook to stay connected with friends and family, to discover what’s going on in the world, and to share and express what matters to them.”

A social media account is like a house. It is the owner’s decision to let certain people into his house because it is indicative of personal events and private matters. Similarly, letting an employer onto a Facebook account is like showing him the most private parts of the home—things that do not need to be brought to attention because they do not pertain to the workplace.

If the ethics and intended use of such material to make hiring decisions is not convincing enough, basing an employment decision from content found on social media is also illegal.

Information found online is federally protected

under the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986. This act protects “wire, oral and electronic communications while they are being made, in transit and when stored on computers.”

Thus, if any information found online, such as race, marital status, sexual orientation, etc. is used against a job candidate, the employer can be subject to a multitude of law suits.

Litigation regarding this specific use of social media content is currently limited because little corporate policy exists to dictate what companies can and cannot do in the process of hiring and firing. However there are law suits waiting to happen regarding bias, discrimination and unlawful termination of employment.

For instance, United States Marine Sgt. Gary Stein was discharged from service in late April because of Facebook posts about President Obama being an “economic enemy,” “religious enemy” and “the Domestic enemy.” Stein, however, along with every other job candidate, has a right to free speech and to his own opinion.

His statements had no place to impact his career as a Marine. He was simply adhering to the principles of social media and expressing his right to free speech via Facebook.

Employers need to recognize that what a potential employee puts on his social media account is not necessarily indicative of how well he can perform the job he could be or has been hired to do. What an employee does “after hours” or the opinions he holds is not grounds for dismissal unless their “after hours” activities begin to interfere with the employee’s ability to do their job.

For someone like Stein, his opinions were not interfering with his ability to perform his duties as a Marine; Stein said in an interview after being discharged that “If [Obama] was in front of me right now, I would salute him, say ‘Yes, Mr. President,’ and when I walked away, I would still disagree with his policies. But those are two separate things.”

Employers cannot expect their employees to keep their home life at home and focus on their work if they themselves are not doing such in the interview process. Policies, possibly even legal action, such as the Illinois House Bill 3782 (HB 3782) need to be introduced into this modern age of communication. HB 3782 would make it illegal for employers to ask any prospective employee to provide any username, password, or other related account information in order to gain access to a social networking website.

A clean slate is necessary in a job interview. A slate that is not influenced by personal thoughts and opinions that an employer pulls off the candidate’s Facebook account. Employers need to respect the boundary between public and private life. n

Social Mediashi joshua

Facebook’s success has not come without complications. First came that whole ordeal about Mark Zuckerberg allegedly stealing the idea from the Winklevoss brothers. Now people are up in arms because businesses are checking the Facebook profiles of prospective employees.

And this isn’t being done by just a few companies. In 2011, social media monitor service reppler.com conducted a study of 300 people involved in the hiring process, finding that 91 percent of those interviewed checked social networking accounts of applicants and 76 percent of those used Facebook specifically.

At first glance, these numbers might sound a little suspicious. Creepy even. But this isn’t because the human resources departments worldwide become really bored and decided that they wanted to stalk Facebook accounts. It’s because they know a universal truth once spoken by the great philosopher Dr. Gregory House: Everybody lies.

Businesses know that it’s easy to put on a pretty face during a short interview and regurgitate all the right answers. Companies want to know what these people do in their free time and how they act when they think no one’s watching.

Facebooks are also more dependable considering how easy it is to falsify a piece of paper. In a survey done in 2003 by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), 53 percent of respondents reported lying on job applications or résumés, and 21 percent of résumés showed fraudulent degrees. These numbers are dangerously high, and it becomes much more reasonable in this context for businesses to adopt a new method of screening.

When a business hires people, these new employees become their representatives. They become the face of the business, and through their actions they can both help and hurt their company’s reputation. It would be irresponsible for companies not to look at Facebook accounts.

There’s nothing altruistic about it. Companies just want to make sure that the people they pay won’t turn around and do something stupid or get them sued.

Companies are obligated to make sure that their employees are trustworthy and have integrity.

Any business, and especially those which have a lot of interaction with consumers, owes it not only to their business but also to the community to weed out poor candidates and build a loyal and helpful workforce. A single disingenuous employee can ruin relations between them, other businesses and the consumers.

Take, for example, Gary Stein, who was discharged in late April from a nine-year career in the Marines under Other-Than-Honorable conditions because posted on Facebook that he would not follow all orders from Barack Obama.

His discharge was completely valid not only because he showed insubordination, but also because he wasn’t allowed to say certain things.

When Stein joined the Marines, like any other serviceman, he gave up most of his civilian rights, including his right to free speech, by taking the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Even a chance that a Marine would disregard orders from the Commander-in-Chief casts a bad light on the entire army and gives other nations the idea that American troops are not loyal to their country.

There also isn’t anything wrong with Facebook-screening in the legal sense. People often falsely believe that the information they post belongs to them and that their right to privacy is violated when employers ask candidates to hand over their Facebook accounts or login information. However, people also used to believe that bees weren’t physically able to fly and somehow zipped through the air by their own determination and strong will.

For one, there is no such thing as an explicit right to privacy in America. Privacy is unprotected and employers are perfectly within their bounds to require access to Facebook or any other social media account. In legal terms, it’s on par with mandatory drug tests.

Secondly, while the information may belong to the user, that does not necessarily mean it is private information. Most information posted is publicly available, meaning it can show up on search engines and can be accessible to thirdparty applications. Although the terms of use and agreements are different for every social media website, they all share similar themes.

Because of this constant stream of information, the Internet has given many people a false sense of anonymity and security. People need to learn that they are accountable for any actions they make whether in real life or through a keyboard. Any social media account is like a very personal, if somewhat trivial, self-written letter of recommendation.

But there’s a flip side to having open social media. In a report done by SHRM, 84 percent of companies surveyed used social networking to seek out potential candidates who might be too passive to apply or contact the company, an increase from 69 percent in 2008.

Companies are not out to fire everyone they can. That’s just a bad business model. However, companies need to cover their assets by using every tool at their disposal.

Social media is just that: a tool. Any tool can be used and misused, but social media is and will continue to be better than most other tools as it provides employers with a more transparent view into an employee’s life.

Besides, it’s a lot cleaner than asking a guy to pee in a cup. n

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Privacy is unprotected and employers are perfectly within their bounds to require access to Facebook or any other social media account. lakotaeastspark.com | Spark | 93

opinion | finishing touch

christian ROEHM LEAVING THE LAB

I

promised myself I wouldn’t let high school change me, but it did.

I’m not saying high school made me a worse person. But it certainly changed me. But it wasn’t so much the calculus and the biology that changed me. It wasn’t the school cafeteria food that changed me, although it probably didn’t help my already poor eating habits. But rather, it was the decision to sign up for a high school journalism class that changed me.

At the end of my freshman year when I signed up for journalism, I didn’t know what to expect. I’m not even particularly sure why I signed up. When I first walked into the class, I didn’t know what I was doing there. I wasn’t a journalist. I didn’t know what a lede was, and I certainly didn’t know how to write one.

I’ll never forget my first big interview. I was incredibly anxious at first, but the interview seemed to be going fine, at least up until I left.

When I walked out the door, I looked down at my voice recorder to check to see how long the interview lasted. But instead, I was devastated when I discovered that with all the anxiety of my first interview, I had forgotten to even turn on the recorder.

I thought my journalism career was finished before it truly even started. But at least I had the scribbles that made up my notes. I scheduled a follow-up interview to fill in any holes in my notes, and with that, I recovered. Maybe there was hope for me in the incredible, gargantuan project that is Spark.

When my story was published as a beautiful two-page color spread, I gained confidence. Before I knew it, I was an editor for the entertainment section and writing stories each issue. I wasn’t that shy boy who walked into the journalism classroom afraid to even be called on in class anymore. Instead, I was becoming someone confident enough to interview big shots in the community, including the principal of East and prominent business leaders.

Spark has built me up, torn me down, and then built me back up again. It has never been easy, and it has sometimes been a struggle.

I’ve spent numerous late nights with my co-editors, surviving only on Mountain Dew and cheap Little Caesars Pizza. We’ve spent hundreds of hours editing hundreds of stories in a small, hot lab with lousy computers that was designed for a staff of 30, not 122.

It has been hellish at times, but every second has been worthwhile.

All the hours spent at East after school each day, the drama, the lack of sleep. It’s all worth it when the issue comes out each month and I see students around the school reading the magazine. And I know that all of the skills I’ve learned from Spark will continue to pay off down the road.

As I think about the seniors leaving home and going our separate ways, it’s starting to feel a lot like that awkward first day of journalism class during my sophomore year. I don’t quite yet know what I want to do, who I’ll meet, or what kind of impact I’ll make. But this time, I’m prepared because of Spark. I’m confident in my abilities, but I’ve also learned the importance of humility. I’ve been blessed with an amazing opportunity, and for that, I’ll always be thankful.

There’s a sign above the door in the Spark Lab that reads, “Eventually all young men must leave the lab and go home.” As we pass the Spark on to the next generation, that time has come for me. But all of those Spark memories made inside and outside that lab will always stay with me. n

94 | Spark | May 28, 2012

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