2010-11 Issue 5

Spark Lakota East High School March 17, 2011 Newsstand $4 lehsspark.org

religion faith.

how it’s changing. how it’s affecting us.

and society’s struggle to adapt.

NEWS: BUSING CUTS CAUSE CHAOS

ENTERTAINMENT: NINTENDO 3DS LAUNCH

SPORTS: BLAZIN’ BAISDENS GO TO STATE

River Bend Ad

March 2011

Volume XIX Issue CXXXVI Simple Six

Extending Early Childhood Oliver with a Twist Red Roger, Roger A Family Affair H2H: Senate Bill Five

Contents

Package

24 Exploring Religion Investigating the role that religion does or does not play within the local classroom and its effect on students’ learning.

Teaching young Muslim children to write Arabic, East senior Samar Sheriff devotes her time to her students at the Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati.

10 22 48 58 64 76

23 32

photo nugeen aftab

27 A Well of Faith Comparing how local youth groups, like Young Life, affect the lives of those involved and how the organizations are becoming more popular.

29 Tweeting on a Prayer Taking a look at how local and national religious leaders use the power of cyberspace to further their messages.

30 Time of Peace An interpretive look at the cultural and religion of the Muslim community through a tour of a local mosque.

32 Religion: Love How a passion for teaching and leading young Muslim children will guide an East senior’s life and her future career.

36 Epiphanies of Faith Featuring a teenager’s journey to achieve a balance between faith and acceptance after reading a religious pamphlet.

cover nathan dibble, logan schneider Faiths of all different denominations are coming together and adapting to the 21st century. From overthrowing governments to supporting another’s beliefs, belief systems are adapting to not only the current time period, but also to each other. photos used with paid permission from mctcampus.com, labeled for commercial reuse

3 | Spark | lehsspark.org

opinion | letters

Dear Spark, Faiz Siddiqui’s column “395 Reasons” does not present a realistic solution to gun violence in the United States. While tighter regulations on the firearms industry, such as background checks and weapons registration, are feasible, the outright prohibition of handguns is not.

Banning handguns is undoubtedly a wonderful way to keep guns out of the hands of law-abiding citizens. However, the fact is that there are millions of guns already out in the hands of private individuals. Rounding up every handgun is not only a ridiculous proposal logistically, but it would prove totally ineffective.

It’s a common argument, yes, but the fact remains that criminals have no qualms about breaking the law. Making handguns illegal will not upset their moral code and they will feel no ethical obligation to abide by the law. Even if their handguns are confiscated, criminals who are determined to commit a violent crime will not have too difficult of a time securing an illegal replacement firearm on the black market that would surely emerge. House Representative Gabrielle Giffords’s shooter had been planning his assassination attempt for years; there is little doubt that he would have secured a gun regardless of the legality of such a purchase, just as criminals have been securing other illegal items throughout human history.

In the column, guns are compared to crack cocaine: dangerous and intolerable. Well, it turns out that the government has banned crack cocaine, yet it still exists as a serious problem. People still get their hands on it, people still get addicted to it and people still die from it. The major difference is that, as crack cocaine is illegal, the entire industry is run by the criminal underground, with “businessmen”

However, there is simply no denying that an increase in guns has certainly not caused an increase in violent crime.

Getting rid of guns may be a nice dream, but it is not realistic. We cannot base governmental policy on dreams anymore than we can base it on unicorns or fairy dust. Obviously, no one wants to see these horrible and malicious crimes committed, and my heart goes out to the victims of the tragedy in Tucson. However, the emotional, knee-jerk reaction proposed in the column would be ineffective at best and dangerous at worst.

—Luke Hall, East alumnus

Got Something To Say? and “entrepreneurs” in the form of armed thugs who have no moral dilemma terrorizing innocent people and who place no real value on human life. The weapons industry has huge room for profit; it is probable that outlawing handguns would simply make the industry another enterprise with which the criminal cartels would line their pockets.

Furthermore, Americans purchase millions of guns each year, and gun ownership rights have been expanding significantly since the 1990s. Despite this, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, violent crimes have actually declined by 41 percent over the past two decades. Simply put, an increase in gun ownership and gun rights has accompanied a decrease in violent crime. Maybe the increase in firearms is causing the decrease in violent crime. Perhaps the two trends are unrelated.

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

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

Spark Notes Eleven years ago, Spark covered religion as it related to the students at East. Starting on a more personal level, this issue focused on students who could not incorporate religion into their daily lives, and who subsequently turned to religiously organized schools and prayer groups as alternatives.

Other aspects, including the seasonal festivities as they related to each religion, were

4 | Spark | March 17, 2011

examined from the perspective of East students.

Spark reporters covered the fundementals of seven minority religions from a more objective standpoint, educating East students on the religious diversity of the area.

The package was tied together with a casual editorial regarding the personal connection with God, adding even more perspective to an issue exploring religious diversity.

Spark

Universal faith

Mason Hood, Faiz Siddiqui, Ariadne Souroutzidis Editor-in-Chief Sarah Craig Business Manager Justine Chu Copy Manager Sarah Wilkinson Design Manager Jill Bange, Alyssa Davis Managing Editor Victoria Liang Web Manager Tyler Kieslich, Christian Roehm, Lucy Stephenson Entertainment Editor Jenn Shafer, Christina Wilkerson Feature Editor Lauren Barker, Hannah Berling Lifestyle Editor Nathan Dibble, Shivang Patel, Nick Tedesco News Editor Tommy Behan, Sean Lewis, Nitya Sreevalsan Opinion Editor Megan Fogel, Victoria Reick-Mitrisin, Katie Szczur Package Editor Devin Casey, Kyle Morrison, Drew Souders Sports Editor Lisa Cai, Jeff Cargill, Ian Castro, Sarah Fanning, Rashma Faroqui, Emily Merrick, Logan Schneider Art Section Editor Eric Muenchen, Sara Patt, Sierra Whitlock Photo Section Editor Rachel Podnar Business Associate Brittany Bennett Public Relations Director Devon Lakes Ad Designer Melissa Gomez, Rachel Knock, Jill Stelletell Ashley Wolsefer Public Relations Dean Hume Advisor Spark is a publication that is produced at Lakota East High School. The magazine is completely studentgenerated through the efforts of the Journalism I, Journalism II and Journalism III-Honors classes. The publication material may not always reflect the views of the Lakota Local School District 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 business@lehsspark.org.

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

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

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

from the editor

I

t’s like a horrible remake of the cult-thriller Death Race 2000. It’s easily the most terrifying video on the Internet. It features real people, real screams and real corpses—and a disclaimer for viewers under the age of 18. And it has 16 million less views than Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way.” Maybe that’s for the better.

Watching the video will only induce an empty, nauseating feeling in the pit of the stomach. It’s nothing that wouldn’t be seen in Grand Theft Auto IV. It’s the story of the diplomatic car that ran over 30 protesters as if they were traffic cones blocking a freeway entrance. The story of the unmarked car that turned an “Angry Friday” crowd into a raging mob of disgruntled Egyptians. And it’s real. In less time than it took for Usain Bolt to set an Olympic 100-meter dash record, an unmarked “diplomatic” vehicle ran over 30 Egyptian protesters before fleeing into the darkness of the Cairo night. And not even this undoubtedly devastating blow to the protesters could dissemble them. No, this scattered crowd pursued the “diplomatic” vehicle—they would not be silenced.

They were fighting for the lives of the children who ducked for cover before hurling rocks at police forces abusing their parents. Their anger was fueled by the struggles of people like the sickly, unshaven man who pleaded amid the protests: “I haven’t food, I haven’t anything, me and my family. I will die today,” he said, in “The Most Amazing Video on the Internet.” He would not be silenced.

They were inspired by the words of people like the bearded adrenaline-ridden student who proclaimed: “Whether you’re a Christian, whether you’re a Muslim, whether you’re an atheist, you will demand your goddamn rights, and we will have our rights, one way or the other...we will never be silenced.”

It’s safe to say that the collective voice, the voice that inspired a revolution, was heard. And creed didn’t matter. To the product of years of oppression, to people whose freedoms compared less favorably to those who inhabit American jail cells, religion wasn’t an issue. So an oppressed group of people did what anybody would do: they united in pursuit of a common goal. They vowed to eradicate the source of the problem—the tyrant who had stripped them of their human rights and legalized all forms of censorship, while allowing his government to imprison any individual for any reason—indefinitely.

No, religion wasn’t a concern to those in the depths of Hell on Earth.

If nothing else, the Egyptians showed us that people who live the same struggle under the same disparaging conditions can in fact live in unity. It’s not hard to believe. This wasn’t a story of coexistence; this was a story of one existence plagued by a common enemy. The only lack of coexistence presented by the Egyptian revolutionaries was between the people and their sworn enemy, ousted President Hosni Mubarak. The revolutionaries taught us that coexistence wasn’t just a concept derived from fairytales and bumper stickers.

This issue, Spark sought out to examine the faiths by which East students abide and the tenets by which they lived. But in reality, this issue is about students who lead sorely different, yet strikingly similar lives. At its core, it’s about people who do mundane things in spite of having religious beliefs. It’s about gay Catholics. It’s about tennis-playing Muslims. This issue shows us that, underneath the umbrellas of religion, humans are, in fact, human.

If nothing else, this is an issue that can make sense of an uncommon sighting.

It proves the old joke that if an atheist, a Muslim and a Christian all walked into a bar together and happened upon the driver of that “diplomatic” vehicle, they would all agree on something.

They’d all kill him. n

5 | Spark | lehsspark.org

news | east news

AROUND THE

SCHOOL

news

NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY story christian roehm | photo jill bange East National Honor Society (NHS) began its 17th annual a fundraiser for patients with leukemia, renamed from Pennies for Patients to Pasta for Pennies. Last year, NHS raised $2,000. At their Feb. 3 meeting, members assembled cardboard boxes that were distributed to fifth period classrooms for East students to donate money. NHS members, like East senior Scott Aleshire (above right) also collected donations in the cafeteria during lunch from students, like East junior Rob Van Kirk (above left). If a student donated $1, his or her name was put in a drawing for a free lunch at Olive Garden. Those who donate $2 got a bracelet plus an entry in the raffle. n

MULTICULTURAL CLUB story jessica hernandez | photo sara patt Fort Ancient employee Jack Blosser spoke at the February meeting of the East Multicultural Club on ancient Native American culture in Ohio.

Blosser described the leather, food and tools that the tribes used.

Corn, beans and squash composed 80 percent of their diet, while hunted or gathered food composed only 20 percent. Furthermore, every part of hunted animals was used, even the carcass. Meat was for eating, skin for clothing and tendons for tools or weapons. Teeth were used for bracelets, feathers for fans and shells for spoons, shovels and bowls.

As Blosser pulled out an old piece of leather, he explained that no one had been able to rip it so far because the Native Americans had rubbed urine on it in order to make it resilient. When a club member was able to tear it, he declared, “I’ve had two football players try that and they couldn’t do it. Don’t make that girl angry!”

Blosser also discussed the impact that the arrival of Europeans had to the tribe; the Native Americans gained trading partners, but also contracted new diseases carried over on the ships. Although some of the aspects of the tribe seemed foreign to the East students, like courting girls with a flute song or taking journeys in nature to obtain a spirit vision, English is still the most common language among tribes.

In the end, the members of Multicultural Club were fascinated to learn about the culture. n

DRAMA CLUB story and photo jasmine tuazon Rehearsals for East Drama Club’s next musical Oliver! have begun for the nearly 30-member cast to prepare for the April showing.

To alleviate singing demands, the lead roles were double cast. Oliver will be played by both East sophomore Matt King and East senior Meg Trammel, pictured above (left) at rehearsal with East junior Natasia Reinhardt (right). East seniors Whitney Dottery and Kayla Barker were cast as the Dodger. Nancy will be played by East sophomore Maria Rodriguez and East junior Rachel King, who agree that this pairing has allowed them to build their friendship during practice.

Both girls have been working with East technical director Tim Derickson to practice the girls’ fatal fall off a bridge. A belt will attach them to a fly that the audience cannot see to create the effect.

Derickson is also working with his students to construct a multiplatform London Bridge set, which spans the entire width of the stage.

“It’s not quite one story [tall],” he said. “It will have stairs coming down both sides, brick facing, barn doors and railings.”

Rehearsals for Oliver! will continue through March until the performances on April 1, 2, 8 and 9. Tickets will be on sale for $10. n

excerpt from “No Days for Snowdays”

Spark

High School Lakota East n Online Editio

lehsspark .org

6 | Spark | March 17, 2011

This winter, the six total snow days have caused much excitement amongst East students.

Because the Lakota Local School District, however, has exceeded its snow day limit by three days and has already used a calamity day in February, two extra days will be added on to the end of fourth quarter.

news online

story shivang patel

photo used with paid permisson from mctcampus.com

Dealbreaker

The state legislature’s consideration of Senate Bill 5 has caused controversy among public employees, as teachers in the Lakota Local School District worry about their future careers.

story ariadne souroutzidis | infographic shivang patel

T

housands of state employees gathered in Columbus, OH to rally against Senate Bill 5 (SB5) on Feb. 22. The bill was sponsored by Ohio Senator Shannon Jones (R-Springboro) and is strongly supported by Ohio Governor John Kasich. SB5’s purpose is to control the costs of wages and benefits for public employers.

If passed, SB5 would repeal the collective bargaining law of 1983. The bill limits what public employee unions can collectively bargain for and prohibits all Ohio public employees from striking, employers from paying more than 80 percent of their healthinsurance premiums, eliminates step increases (yearly raises in salaries) and longevity pay.

Based on an analysis by the Ohio Office of Collective Bargaining, the state could have saved an estimated $1.3 billion in 2010 if SB5 had been in effect. The cost analysis focused on health care costs, longevity pay and automatic step increases.

Similar legislation has been proposed in Wisconsin and Iowa. All but 15 states, however, have laws allowing collective bargaining.

The bill would affect union members who work directly for the state, as well as union members who work at public universities, local schools and local governments. As of June 2010, there were 358,275 union workers in Ohio with protected collective bargaining contracts. Out of those, 195,670 were school workers. This bill has some concerned about the future of the district.

“I think [the bill] is the scariest thing that has happened in politics in my life,” said East physics teacher Sandee Coats-Haan. “If Senate Bill 5 passes, we’re going to completely eliminate our voices from the conversation about what’s done in schools, and that’s wrong. We need people in the classroom with experience because we know what it takes and

we know what students need.”

The latest version of the bill has restored collective bargaining rights for wages, but it would still ban collective bargaining over issues such as sick leave, vacation time and benefits. SB5 supporters believe that without automatic step increases, employees will receive merit-based increases that would reward the best workers, while lowering the cost to taxpayers.

“I think they bring up some good points that need to be discussed, like [whether ot not we] should have merit pay. It just seems like we’re doing this at break-neck speed

tell you I felt very safe in my job. I felt very protected. We got pay raises. I don’t feel like I was ever abused not having collective bargaining. To me, I think we could accomplish most of the same things without collective bargaining.”

With SB5 limiting what can be collectively bargained, teacher salaries could decrease.

That, however, may be supported by the “vote no” levy supporters who blamed the teacher’s union for putting the Lakota Local School District into financial straits.

“Do I think that teachers are overly well paid? No, I don’t. Having said that, do I think that there is a public perception problem with teachers and teacher’s benefits? Yes, there absolutely is,” said Schoell-Schroeder, who has been teaching for 25 years. “Most people don’t work in jobs where year after year they are guaranteed raises. The public is, of course, not sympathetic to teachers. Anybody that works in industry or business has to negotiate their own pay raises. Every year they are not guaranteed a job. They don’t have someone to intervene to guarantee them a job.”

States with collective bargaining States without collective bargaining States with legislation to remove collective bargaining

before we have a chance to think through the consequences of its extent,” said East science teacher and Lakota Education Association representative John Severns. “I have an issue with passing legislation over a span of a couple weeks before we’ve really had an opportunity to find what it means.”

Not everyone, however, believes that the change would be detrimental to the school system.

“I used to teach in Texas. In Texas, we didn’t have collective bargaining, we didn’t have teachers unions,” said East humanities teacher Heather Schoell-Schroeder. “I can

As of press time, the exact impact that SB5 would have on the district is unknown.

“If I do a great job teaching [students], you say I’m worth it. [But students] aren’t paying my salary. Tax payers are paying my salary.

So they may have a different perspective on what is a reasonable amount for a teacher to make,” said Severns, who has been working as a chemist for 21 years. “In terms of issue by issue (teachers make too much money, the generous benefits package, the retirement system is too nice), OK, let’s talk about that.

But throwing out collective bargaining isn’t the way to have that discussion.” n

excerpt from “Signing Day”

excerpt from “Unknown Review”

Practice. Performance. Passion. After years and years of hard work, dedication, victories and defeats, it all adds up to one moment: Signing Day. It is a moment every high school athlete dreams of experiencing. Being signed by a college is a goal every athlete strives to attain.

While the film is never boring and always has something going on, the majority of the action felt like it had been done somewhere else bigger and better. Unknown has the car-chase, the emotional scene where the protagonist questions himself and the big climax revelation towards the end, but all of it seemed cliché.

sports online story rachel king

photo candace dennis

entertainment online

story mason hood

7 | Spark | lehsspark.org

news | district news

The field between VanGorden Elementary and Lakota Central Office is one location where Lakota is considering placing a solar array to provide energy for the district.

Soaking Up the sun As the Lakota Local School District continues to search for cost-saving measures, Sol Ventus LLC and Lakota look into alternative energy options. story mohinee mukherjee | photo sara patt

S

ol Ventus Partners, LLC and the Lakota Local School District have been considering installing a groundmounted solar array in the fields behind the Lakota Central Office, VanGorden Elementary and Plains Junior School since April 15, 2010. With the solar panels, Lakota will be able to purchase electricity at a lower cost relative to current Duke Energy prices.

If the plan is put into action, the solar array would produce roughly 1.25 million kilowatt hours of power and provide an estimated annual 44 percent of the energy needed for the three buildings. Covering almost six acres of land behind the Central Office, the array would be 1.018 megawatts and use 4,400 solar panels to generate the power.

Lakota Director of Buildings and Grounds Robert Fischer explained that the solar array would not require any investment on the district’s part. Instead, Sol Ventus will cover all the costs and in return receive energy credits, which grant tax rebates from the government to private companies who use renewable energies to power their facilities.

“If we can produce enough electricity to make it feasible for the people investing in it to get their energy credits, [they will] be able to pay for [the investment],” said Fischer.

8 | Spark | March 17, 2011

According to Fischer, Sol Ventus will handle all the money, work, installation and electrical aspects.

Although no time frame has been set for completion, Sol Ventus and Lakota hope to see construction finished by the end of 2011.

Fischer said that he knew both were “really pushing and trying to get going on things in March.”

Additionally, Lakota would lease the land with the solar array to Sol Ventus, giving the district an estimated $100,000 per year in rent money.

Sol Ventus President and Chief Executive Officer Dave Chrestensen, who spent seven years on Lakota’s financial advisory committee, said that Sol Ventus has done preliminary studies on East and Lakota West to see what type of application it needed to reduce the cost of energy used by the district.

“I can say that we are planning on multiple arrays for various sites in the district, this being the first of many,” said Chrestensen, who has two daughters who attended Lakota

schools. “Each site will be different, but [all of them] will save the district money, and the annual total savings should be in the low six-figure range. Over time, we will consider all the various buildings and other sites in the district as potential candidate sites.”

Lakota Executive Director Chris Passarge added that Lakota would save $25,000 a year for each megawatt of solar energy produced.

If needed, VanGorden Elementary and Plains Junior School may have additional panels to generate more energy.

Passarge added that Lakota would like to tie in an educational component into some of the curriculum in regards to solar power, because the elementary and junior schools would be close to the array.

“We definitely want to make it open to our community to see what’s going on here— there’ll probably be a website or something like that,” said Passarge. “We can put in on our site and say, ‘OK, here’s how much power this solar array generates a day. Here’s how much it reduced the requirement for power on the main grid.’”

According to Passarge, one educational possibility is to have electrical lines run into the buildings to a viewing panel so that students can see the power generating. If that were to happen, the cost of installation would also be covered by Sol Ventus.

In the past, the Lakota Board of Education had considered other schools that need heating and cooling systems replaced, possibly with geothermal systems.

“There were at least two buildings that were really good candidates for geothermal energy,” said Board President Joan Powell. “It was Adena [Elementary] and Liberty Junior, and they are almost carbon copies of each other.”

Powell added that as of press time, this plan has not been pursued further for financial reasons.

Although nothing has been set in stone, Passarge is hopeful about this proposition.

think if we can save a little “Imoney and do something that’s right for the environment at the same time, that’s great. ”

“[From the preliminary studies], they’ll be able to create a solar array big enough to generate enough power to make it feasible for us here,” said Passarge. “So they’re moving forward like we’re going to go ahead and work on this plan.”

Board Vice President Ben Dibble agreed.

“I think if we can save a little money and do something that’s right for the environment at the same time, that’s great,” said Dibble. n

Lighting up the Schools infographic devin casey, irfan ibrahim

The Lakota Local School District is investigating leasing a solar array from Sol Ventus Partners as part of Sol Ventus’ experimental project benefiting Cincinnati-area schools. The array would be leased for 20 years with a possible extension after 20th year. The solar array has the potential to lead Lakota and its budget into the green age.

A Solar Transmission Located in an open field, a solar array, also called a photovoltaic array, is a linked collection of photovoltaic modules, which are in turn made of multiple interconnected solar cells. The cells convert solar energy into direct current electricity via the photovoltaic effect.

1

2

Energy from solar array is transmitted through a DC isolation switch.

Energy is inverted through the AC side isolation switch and then enters the main fuse box.

3 AC main supply

transmits energy to high-efficiency appliances around the school and into classrooms. In Van Gorden, devices such as computers, lights and 3M machines would be powered by the solar energy obtained by the solar array.

Alternative Energies Usage and Wattage Lakota currently uses 69.7 liters of gasoline to produce 2.1 million kilowatts of energy, which is compared to the energy produced by one wind farm and one solar array.

18 15 12 9 6

one wind farm

one solar array

69.7 liters of gasoline

3

information green energy ohio

Wind

Solar

Gas

Alternative energy produced (per 100,000 kilowatts)

21

news | district news

Liberty Early Childhood Center kindergarteners are escorted to their parents’ cars by school employees. The children have orange tags on their backpacks, which match a number on their parents’ cars to ensure that they can find the right vehicles.

Extending Early Childhood story emily chao | photo sierra whitock | infographic nitya sreevalsan

Adminstators within the Lakota Local School District considered proposing an alternating day, full-day kindergarten program. Responses to this plan varied among community members.

L

akota Interim Superintendent Ron Spurlock decided to table the idea of alternating, all-day kindergarten on Feb. 24. Lakota Local School District elementary principals proposed changing the current kindergarten program from two-and-a-half hours, five days a week to an alternating day, full-day system in order to save $550,000 in midday transportation costs.

The children would be separated into two groups based on their distance from their respective schools. One group of children would go to school two days a week while another would go three days. The schedules would switch every week. Administrators were considering two calendars, one alternating Friday and one Wednesday.

The alternate-day schedule provided a total of 83 more hours of instructional time per school year, or approximately 33 extra half-days. With the additional three-and-a-half hours every day, teachers would be able to devote more time to each subject, particularly reading and math.

“As a teacher, my heart flutters to think that for 90 to 140 minutes each day, we can actually focus on literacy,” said Shawnee Early Childhood School Principal Ronda Reimer.

“We can delve deeper into the curriculum [instead of giving] broader [instruction].”

The daily 30-minute special, which includes art, music, physical education and media center time, would have been revived from previous budget cuts. Because the early childhood centers already have staff for the specials, this program would have been

10 | Spark | March 17, 2011

instituted at no additional cost.

According to Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Education Lon Stettler, kindergarten students would also eat lunch at school, helping them transition into a firstgrade schedule.

Many parents, however, expressed concern both for consistency in their children’s learning and for the absence of repetition needed to retain skills.

Lakota parent Laura Sanders worried that the new schedule would result in less time for social interaction between students. She believed that her four-year-old son would have difficulty grasping why he was going to school one day and not the next.

“I really don’t think academics are as important as the social satisfaction that [the students] get from other kids,” said Sanders, who started a petition against the proposed program. “It’s sort of a foundation for what’s to come in first grade.”

To address these concerns, educators intended to make online resources available for parents to reinforce learned material on days that students are off school. Lakota parent Julie Lyden, however, worried that resources would not be readily available to financially-strained families.

“People from low-income families who don’t have access to computers won’t be able to [utilize] those reinforcement activities, so their children will fall further behind in

school,” said Lyden. “There have been studies that [show] that teachers in alternate-day programs aren’t able to evaluate their students as accurately as teachers who see their students every day.”

Lakota parent Kevin Wiethe believed that the proposed changes were not wellresearched. “[The principals and administration] cannot definitively say it has a positive or negative impact on the children,” said Wiethe.

“The research they’re using is from [the 1970s

are resilient, and “Children by the time they’re seniors,

parents will wonder why they complained about this.

”

and 1980s], which is quite outdated.”

According to Stettler, however, the “outdated” research was the only credible data because by 1993, 54 percent of all school districts nationwide had made the transition to all-day, everyday kindergarten.

Parents were also concerned that the new schedule would be problematic for children with special needs.

“My child in particular has a lot of anxiety.

It can be worked through, but he needs repetition,” said Lakota parent Tara Jansen, who has a 3-year-old with special needs. “So [if he goes] to school one day and [comes]

Half-Day Kindergarten

vs.

Alternate-Day Kindergarten

(in number of minutes per subject every two weeks)

600

Language Arts

250

Math

150 250

Social Studies/ Science

700 375 225

Tutorial/ Enrichment (one-on-one time)

150

0

Unified Arts

150

0

Lunch

150

75

Recess

200

information lakotaonline.com

home the next, he’s going to be back in his safe environment at home and not [be forced] to interact with other people.”

According to Stettler, special needs students would have had an educational plan to suit their individual needs. “[Special needs evaluation] is mandated by federal law. Taking it at an extreme, if the best recommendation for the student is half-day, everyday [instruction], then we’ll [comply],” said Stettler.

Not all parents, however, are opposed to the alternate-day proposal. Lakota parent Julie Shafer had one child go through the Olentangy Local School District alternate, all-day system and another child go through the current Lakota half-day, everyday system.

She favors the alternate-day system, saying she felt that her daughter who went through Olentangy was better prepared for first grade because of it.

“She was far ahead of her peers [in Lakota] when she entered first grade. Her teacher actually tested her for [the gifted program],” said Shafer, whose daughter was in kindergarten seven years ago.

Former Lakota Board of Education member Sandy Wheatley believed that this change in the educational system would be like a change in any other system.

“Someone will always stand in front and say, ‘Not my child,’” said Wheatley. “Children are resilient, and by the time they’re seniors in high school, [parents] will wonder why [they] complained about it.”

Although Stettler and administrators will not make a recommendation to the Board regarding this proposed change until the 201213 school year, the Board plans to continue investigating the all-day, alternate-day proposal due to its potential to save money.

“It was decided that this upcoming year is not the year to implement such a change,” said Stettler in a press release. “We want to ensure a strong kindergarten program in any kindergarten schedule, as we know it is the foundation of a student’s experience at Lakota.”

The current $12.2 million budget reduction plan did not take the initial proposal’s savings into account.

“To layer the kindergarten change on top of the current [reduction plan now] would be extremely difficult,” said Interim Superintendent Ron Spurlock.

Stettler said that the kindergarten schedule change being proposed next year would not be a permanent alteration. Stettler predicted that if Lakota regained its financial stability, the district would consider going back to the original kindergarten program.

“When our state funding increases, but I think it will take a number of years before that occurs, we would really like to give parents a choice between half-day, everyday or all-day, everyday kindergarten,” said Stettler. n

11 | Spark | lehsspark.org

news | district news

Superintendent Search Continues The Lakota Local School Board of Education moves forward with the search for Lakota’s next leader. story ariadne souroutzidis | infographic justine chu, ariadne souroutzidis

T

he Lakota Local School District Board of Education is continuing its search to find the next superintendent after Lakota Superintendent Mike Taylor retired on Jan. 31. To aid it in the search, the Board hired Hudepohl and Associates, a search firm that specializes in finding CEOs and superintendents for public institutions.

Currently, Ron Spurlock, who had been the district’s assistant superintendent for secondary education since 2007, is acting as the interim superintendent. The assistant superintendent position has not been filled, and its duties have been split between Spurlock and current Lakota Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Education Lon Stettler. The district plans to phase out one of the assistant superintendent positions in the next few years to alleviate Lakota’s budget deficit.

Now, however, there is controversy over the decision to hire Hudepohl and Associates.

The district’s $40,000 contract with the search

firm includes recruiting and narrowing down the candidates, as well as running standard background tests. The final cost could increase should the Board do additional testing or fly candidates in for interviews.

While the contract was approved by the Board at the Dec. 13 meeting, it passed with a split vote of 3-2.

“The Board as a whole feels that a national search would be in its best interest [to find] the most qualified candidate to run the school system,” said Board member Ray Murray, who voted against hiring Hudepohl.

“The problem that I see is spending $40,000 minimum to find someone out there takes away opportunities for kids.”

Other community members agreed that due to Lakota’s financial state, the decision to spend money on a search firm was ill-advised.

“I have mixed emotions. We talk about fiscal responsibility and conserving our spending. Then we turn around and do something different. Right now, I think the

Board has made a bad decision,” said Lakota resident Lonnie Tucker, whose children have been in the district since 2005. “I don’t think the district needs to be spending the money with the failed levy that has taken place.”

Others believe that the Board was justified in spending that money because, according to them, finding the next superintendent is its most important responsibility.

“The way I look at it, the head of the Lakota school district really is the one who makes most of the financial decisions. The Board of Education is involved in approving those decisions,” said Board President Joan Powell, who voted for hiring the search firm.

“This person controls an awful lot of taxpayer money and we really need to have someone savvy in those areas. It’s just too important of a job to take it lightly.”

According to Powell, Hudepohl recognized Lakota’s financial constraints and worked to negotiate a price that the district would be able to meet. According to Principal and Managing Director of Hudepohl and Associates Gary Hudepohl, the company has a discounted price for all entities within Ohio because although they are a national company, they are located in the state’s capital. “[The Board] didn’t hire someone to replace Ron Spurlock, so the money that they are saving over these next six months right there is going to make the cost of the superintendent search a wash,” said community member Sandy Wheatley. “Also, if [spending more] means [increasing] the caliber and the quality of person you are going to

Herbert Henderson

History of the Lakota Local School District’s Superintendents

Tenure: 17 years Qualifications: Reily School Teacher, Coach and Superintendent, Madison School District Superintendent Current Position: Unknown

information lakotaonline.com, bendist25.org, lanepl.org, rootsweb.ancestry.com, investing.businessweek.com, linkedin.com

1959 photos spark archives, 1964 Legend, 1976 Legend

The Lakota Local School District has experienced many changes since its inception. The district began with the consolidation of Liberty Township Schools and Union Township Schools to form the Liberty-Union School District in 1957 and changed the name to the Lakota Local School District in 1970. It is now the seventhlargest school district in Ohio. Throughout these changes, Lakota has been led by six different superintendents.

12 | Spark | March 17, 2011

1964

Russel Lee Tenure: 25 years Qualifications: Union Township Schools Superintendent (later consolidated with Liberty Township Schools) Current Position: Unknown

discuss the superintendent search process.

Hudepohl and Associates met with key stakeholders, such as district administrators, involved parents and township representatives to create an idea of whom the perfect candidate would be for the position.

“Getting a overall picture of not just what we think will be a good superintendent is important,” said Board Vice President Ben Dibble, the liaison between the Board and Hudepohl and Associates. “The treasurer may have a different look at what she wants in a superintendent than what we do because she deals with him from a different

“

or if the person should have a business or education background.

“Each of us has our own opinion, but we have not sat down to discuss it as a group,” said Dibble. “We will consider both [business and education backgrounds]. There are good and bad points. We want someone innovative and transformational, who could be someone from either side of the equation. We do not want to eliminate one side or the other in our search.”

While it will be a couple months before the Board makes a final decision, the next superintendent will have to deal with the

No one wants to go to the public and say ‘We found the superintendent. Oh, and by the way, we wasted $40,000 because we wanted to get the search firm, and the best person was already in the school district.

perspective. We need to make sure we have that perspective in consideration.”

The stakeholder meetings took place Feb. 16-19. Hudepohl and Associates will now present the Board with a profile of the “perfect” superintendent. After the Board has the opportunity to edit the profile, the search firm will begin advertising and recruiting people for the position. After the firm receives applications, it will narrow the field using the created profile. Finally, the finalists will be presented to the Board for interviews.

The Board has not discussed exactly what they are looking for in the next superintendent

current financial state of the district.

“The financial situation that Lakota is faced with—that all public school systems are faced with—is going to be here a long time.

So the challenge [for the next superintendent] is how we re-invent public education to do it at a more sustainable, cost-effective manner,” said retired Lakota Superintendent Mike Taylor. “So you’re going to need the type of leader who is going to be able to challenge the staff as well as motivate them to look creatively at how we can educate students.

[This is] probably much differently than we educated them before.” n

Kathy Klink

Mike Taylor

Tenure: 11.5 years Qualifications: Miami University: Bachelor of Arts in English and German University of Virginia: M.Ed., Counseling Psychology Current Position: Associate Vice President for Online Learning at Butler Tech 1981

Tenure: 4 years Qualifications: University of Cincinnati: Bachelor’s, Xavier University: Master’s, Hopewell Junior School history teacher, Lakota Assistant Superintendent Current Position: Retired

1994

Thomas Hayden Tenure: 13 years Qualifications: University of Cincinnati: B.S. in Pharmacy, Xavier University: M.Ed., Miami University: Ph.D. Current Position: Vice President of Administrative Services and Company Secretary at Rite Track, Inc.

“

hire, you can’t put a dollar value on that.”

With Lakota still hoping to pass a levy this year, some felt that there was a possibility of losing support from the community because of this decision. “[The decision to hire Hudepohl and Associates] very well could [lose us support].

And to be honest, I do not want anything to interfere with getting the levy passed. But people will find out how much money the Board is spending, and if we’re asking for money, we can’t be spending that kind of money,” said Murray. “Our actions have to be consistent with our vision. And if our vision and our message is to get that levy passed, our actions are that we need to cut and be as lean as we possibly can to show that we mean business.”

Murray was also concerned that hiring the search firm would not give all candidates an equal opportunity for the position.

“One of the problems I have is if you employ a certain firm and the best candidate ends up being a Lakota principal. Do we have enough people there to admit that they were wrong in doing the search, and the best candidate was in their own backyard?” said Murray. “No one wants to go to the public and say, ‘We found the superintendent. Oh, and by the way, we wasted $40,000 because we wanted to get the search firm, and the best person was already in the school district.’”

The Board, however, is moving forward with its search. As of press time, it has not created a profile for the ideal candidate. The Board met with Hudepohl and Associates to

2005 2006

2011

Philip Erhardt Tenure: 18 months Qualifications: Wayne Township Metropolitan School District (IN) sixth grade teacher as well as Deputy Superintendent Current Position: Benjamin School District 25 (IL) Superintendent

The Next Superintendent Qualifications: To be determined after the search firm Hudepohl and Associates interviews key stakeholders and presents the ideal superintendent profile to the Lakota Local School Board of Education. The Board may then tweak the profile.

13 | Spark | lehsspark.org

news | district news

Financial Future

With reductions from the a possibility, the Lakota Local School District looks at ways to maintain financial stability and fund its’ future. story mason hood | infographic rashma faroqui, nick tedesco

R

equiring a levy this year, the Lakota Local School District will face a debt of $4.3 million beginning in the 201112 school year, pending the approval of $12 million in budget reductions presented at the Feb. 28 Board of Education meeting.

The district is considering either August or November for its next levy request. Neither date has much of an advantage over the other, according to Board of Education President Joan Powell. While the August special election ballot costs more than a regular November election, it also gives the district one more chance to pass a levy and still receive funds during the next calendar year.

Due to the uncertainty about state funding, however, a decision has yet to be made on an exact millage amount.

“We know that because of the [property] valuation change that in order to raise the same amount of money that the last levy would have, we would have to ask for more millage,” said Powell. “But we don’t know

exactly what we think we need.”

Ohio Gov. John Kasich will present “what Lakota needs” in his biennial budget to the Ohio General Assembly on March 15. Newlyappointed Lakota Treasurer Jenni Logan expects at least a 10 percent cut in educational funding as a result of this proposal.

The current Lakota five-year financial forecast takes into account Logan’s predicted funding reductions from Columbus, OH. “We know we’re going to have a cut. And if the cut is right around what we predicted, which would be a 10 percent cut, then [our five-year forecast should be fairly accurate],” said Logan. “If it’s more or less, then we’ll adjust. But right now, we’re hearing [from Columbus] that it’s going to be more than what we’ve predicted.”

Regardless, Lakota Interim Superintendent Ron Spurlock said that the district has a long way to go before it could reinstate any of the budget reductions it has already made or is considering making.

“The worst thing about [Logan’s] fiveyear forecast is what it shows [in the next two years]. The last forecast I saw, [by] 2012 [we have a negative cash balance of approximately] $30 million. And then it just keeps going up,” said Spurlock. “Even if we cut enough to get by for next year, we’re not out of the woods because the following year it just gets so much worse.”

This is in part due to the fact that Lakota is still a growing district.

According to Powell, back in 2006, Lakota received approximately $44 million from the state to cover its operating expenses. That number has decreased over time­­­­­; this year the district received only $38 million despite enrolling 1,500 more students.

“A lot of people think, because they only read the headlines, that our costs have all gone up a lot,” said Powell. “No, the amount of money that we have available has gone down.”

Despite the district’s attempts to inform the community about its levy efforts as well as

Sources of Revenue

Five-Year Forecast

The Lakota Local School District budget is composed of revenue from a variety of sources. With an expected reduction in funding from the state, administrators look for increased revenue via a levy on property taxes.

The forecast incorporates both historical data and calcualated predictions of expenditures and revenue. The current forecast is based on an estimated 10 percent reduction from the state.

Any greater cut would result in more negative cash balances.

stimulus funding

6% 14%

250

200

homestead/rollback

1

other revenue

150 10

9-

0 20

14 | Spark | March 17, 2011

-$108,404,906

1%

-$68,828,052

property taxes

-$34,585,843

27%

-$4,258,520

$37,072,103

state foundation

dollars in millions

300

52%

$23,901,728

ending cash balance

1

-1

10

20

2

-1

11

20

13

2-

1 20

school year

14

3-

1 20

Key

15

4-

1 20

revenue + savings expenditures + debt

its attempt to slash spending, people still do not perceive all of the cuts that the Board has made, according to Board of Education Vice President Ben Dibble. “[Some] kindergarten parents really think that we haven’t made any cuts at all because [the cuts] haven’t touched them yet,” said Dibble. “Two [Board] meetings ago, someone actually got up [to the podium] and said, ‘Now as far as I can tell, I’ve looked at the cuts that were made and so far this is the first one that will actually impact students.’ Hello? But it’s hard for people to understand where the cuts are and we’ve tried very hard to make it so that they’re not obvious [in the classroom].”

If a levy were to fail in the late summer or autumn, the only other option would be to reduce expenditures even further according to Logan. Previously, the state provided an emergency pool of funds for districts in need, but this is no longer the case.

“There used to be this state solvency pool that you could borrow from, and you had a period of time where you could pay that money back. That’s been ruled unconstitutional and you can’t do that anymore,” said Logan. “We’re not like the federal government. We can’t borrow the money to get us out of the red. We have to be able to cut.”

According to Spurlock, not all of the budget reductions were initiated by the financial crisis. Rather, they have been a continual process.

“We’ve been working on reductions for years—we did the whole reconfiguration when we put early childhood schools in place. We had more students in one side of the district where they were using closets for classrooms, and the other side where there were extra classrooms left over. So instead of just building a new building like we would have in the past for a special side of the district, we did this total attendance reconfiguration plan and we saved the district millions of dollars.

That was five years ago,” said Spurlock.

“Administrators have had their salaries frozen and health care has been reduced. We cut 50 positions last year. We looked at all of our vendors; we’ve renegotiated. We’ve been working on this reduction package for years.”

Although many students, educators and community members are upset by the cuts the district has been making, if a levy succeeded it is unlikely the district would bring back many of those proposed.

“I think most of these reductions that we’re making now will end up being permanent reductions,” said Spurlock. “When you look at our five-year forecast, even if we were to get a levy to pass, we’re not going to be out of trouble. It’s not like we’re going to have a big surplus in our savings account.

There is going to be a new normal for Lakota.” n

Lakota Board of Education Vice President Ben Dibble explains Lakota’s future financial situation to the community with his fellow Board members at the Jan. 24 Board meeting.

Levy on the Horizon story nick tedesco | photo sierra whitlock Still struggling to make ends meet, the Lakota Local School District Board of Education voted not to place a levy on the ballot in May. They do plan to ask for a levy in the near future, but say that uncertainties about state funding and Lakota’s current financial situation made determining the amount to put on the ballot impossible.

“There are so many unknowns out there,” said Lakota Treasurer Jenni Logan.

“We will not hear from our new governor until March 15 on what his proposal [for the state budget] will be. Then it has to go through the legislative process and we will not know when that is final until June. We don’t even [know] what he is going to be proposing.”

According to Lakota Interim Superintendent Ron Spurlock, although the Board is still unsure of how much they will ask for on their next levy, they realize the importance of raising revenue to offset expenditures.

“It doesn’t really matter to us if we get a levy passed in May, August or November; we will not see any money coming into us until 2012,” said Spurlock. “The important thing is that we pass a levy this year.”

In an effort to keep support for the levy, Lakota plans to involve key stakeholders in deciding what type of levy to put up as well as its amount.

According to Logan, Lakota can ask for many different types of levies: an income

tax, an emergency, a normal operating or a permanent improvement levy.

“I want to make sure we analyze all of [the options] and [ensure the community] feels like they were part of that decision making process,” said Logan.

Currently, Logan has predicted that the funding from the state will be 10 percent lower than last year, but that number could be as high as a 30 percent cut. If the cuts from the state are any higher than 10 percent, Lakota will be facing even more negative cash balances and the treasurer’s department will have to reconsider the projections in the five-year financial forecast.

Despite the seemingly gloomy projections regarding state funding, Board Vice President Ben Dibble remains positive about the next levy.

“We had a tremendous amount of support last time. It is the largest amount of people that voted for a levy I think ever.

That is positive,” said Dibble.

Spurlock shares a similar sentiment.

“The community has told us that we need to tighten our belt and we need to do business a little differently. We have listened and we are doing that,” said Spurlock. “Our community values education, and I know it is difficult out there, but when it gets down to it, I think our community will step up and do what it takes to make sure that our young people are getting a quality education. I think they will come through.” n

15 | Spark | lehsspark.org

news | east news photo sara patt

As a result of busing cuts that began on Jan. 18, students in all grade levels have had to cope with increased traffic and altered schedules. Due to the rerouting of East’s pick-up and drop-off lanes, the high school parking lot is

teeming with

Traffic Policing Parking Lots

D

ue to busing cuts in January, the Lakota Local School District Board of Education collaborated with other organizations to implement traffic flow changes for safety and minimization of congestion. Plans include stoplight timing adjustments and increased law enforcement patrol on roads surrounding East.

According to Lakota Interim Superintendent Ron Spurlock, the district’s business operations department worked with both West Chester and Liberty Township administration, the Butler County Engineer’s Office (BCEO) and the Butler County Sherriff ’s Office (BCSO) regarding changes in Lakota’s transportation.

BCSO’s Deputy and East School Resource Officer Deputy Doug Hale said that the BCSO has “beefed up patrol” around Heritage Elementary School and Liberty Early Childhood School. Lakota required such patrolling seven years ago when transportation was cut; it has taken less time, however, to adjust to the changes this year with the patrol and radar technology. “[The road patrol sheriffs] watch the roads, recognizing the start and stop time for the different schools. However, we have not had any problems with East, and things seem to be going well,” said Hale.

In addition to the road patrol sheriffs, East has several faculty members working to assuage the new traffic flow routes in the student drop-off and pick-up area.

According to East Principal Dr. Keith Kline, one route alteration included changing the exit out of the East Freshman campus

16 | Spark | March 17, 2011

parking lot to only allow right turns to improve the traffic flow between the buildings.

East sophomore Kelsey Mann said that the new traffic patterns are now more of a hassle.

“The traffic flow isn’t at all effective. It takes 15 minutes to get from the freshman

Students at East look for their ride home at the end of the school day.

school to East. We leave home at the same time as before, and we still get here 20 minutes later,” she stated.

The BCEO has worked with Lakota on other construction projects throughout the district, including the construction of

ONLY

Shifting Signals

Camera which takes pictures of cars that run red lights giving them a ticket

infographic shivang patel

LED 10 W-22 W of energy used Initial cost of lights: $57 for red, $66 for yellow, $119 for green n LEDs are brighter, enhancing safety n Each color has several dozen diodes; if one goes out, the light still works n Unless it has a special casing, snow can cover the lights n n

Underground sensors detect traffic, affecting the timing of traffic lights

ver

Lakota Lane and Liberty Court as well as the widening of Bethany Road for the East Freshman Campus. The Engineer’s Office also constructed an additional northbound lane on Cincinnati-Dayton Road between Liberty One Drive and Bethany Road.

In addition, the BCEO monitored the new traffic flow to adjust the signal timing in stoplights near the high schools.

According to BCEO Traffic Engineer Matthew Loeffler, a traffic signal will be constructed at the intersection of Bethany Road and Butler Warren Road in late 2012 in conjunction with the Butler Warren Road widening project.

Infrastructure projects are also being initiated to alleviate safety and traffic issues.

The BCEO assisted Lakota in preparing a federal Safe Routes to School report for acquiring funds to implement improvements for other means of transportation, such as walking or bicycling.

“The Safe Routes to School program enable community leaders, schools and parents across the United States to improve safety and encourage more children, including children with disabilities, to safely walk and bicycle to school,” said Lakota Executive Business Director Chris Passarge.

Passarge hoped that the programs will

reduce traffic congestion and make the communities more livable.

According to Passarge, the Lakota Board of Education is seeking approximately $500,000 in grants from the Safe Routes to School program to support pedestrian transportation at several of the district’s schools. The district will not know if it received this additional funding until the spring. If Lakota is granted the money, the Board anticipates starting the process this spring to construct infrastructure, sidewalks and traffic signs around Freedom Elementary

and Ridge Junior High.

Spurlock stated that the Board continues to address new concerns or improvements as plans are carried out. He believed that the cuts from the failed Nov. 2010 levy have been painful for students, parents, staff and the community, but says the changes have gone as smoothly as possible.

“Evidently, all organizations have tightened their budgets. We all have worked together to make these transportation changes as safe as possible for our students,” he said.

—Alex Griffin

Traffic signals can cost $150,000-$200,000, making them a costly investment.

According to Butler County Engineers Office Traffic Engineer Matthew Loeffler, a traffic signal will be constructed at the intersection of Bethany Road and Butler Warren Road in late 2012 in conjunction with the Butler-Warren Road widening project.

Back St.

Incandescent 135 W of energy used $2.75 per bulb n Each color has only one bulb; if it goes out, the light does not work n About 90 percent of energy is given off as heat. When snow falls on the light, it melts as a result. n n

sus

Contains all wires and circuitry for the traffic light, camera, light and underground sensors

news | east news

Combatting Carpools

T

rina Haug braces herself for the chaos that is bound to unfold as she pulls her car down the driveway to pick up her son’s three friends—it is her week to take the kids to school each morning.

A participant of her neighborhood carpool, Haug is responsible for picking up the three students Monday through Friday every third week. She made this change in her routine after the Lakota Local School District’s high school busing was eliminated and the district’s elementary and junior high students who lived within a one-mile-radius of their school lost busing.

The transition from busing to carpooling has caused both parents and administration to scramble for solutions.

“I’m disappointed, but I understand,” said Haug. “I am willing to help as a parent in any way that I can.”

Haug recalls a similar situation when busing in Lakota was cut seven years ago. She had to arrange a ride for her son while she was at work. Though she finds carpooling to be trying, she acknowledged that the Lakota Board of Education’s choice is the best way to save money.

“There are a lot of budget issues that I do not understand, so I trust that [the Board is] making the right decision,” said Haug.

Lakota Executive Business Director Chris Passarge said that all transportation changes were well thought-out to have the least amount of impact on the schools.

“Safety was the first consideration when developing the plans,” said Passarge. “[It] remains at the forefront of any adjustments we may make in the future.”

Haug is hopeful that once a levy is passed, busing may be reinstated. Rhonda Mclean, mother of an East junior, also shares this belief.

“When people seem to think the money [in Lakota] is managed better, a levy will be passed,” said Mclean. “Then we will get busing back.”

Passarge, however, is unsure if Lakota transportation will ever have the same breadth as it had in the past.

“Lakota has to change its business model to become more self-sustaining,” said Passarge. “This means that transportation services may never go back to those levels we had before the Jan. 18 cuts.”

Though many parents have complained that car lane drop-offs take too much time, McLean generally waits six to seven minutes in the line before the children in her charge

“

arrive. She arrives at the school around 7:15 a.m. and is prepared to pick them up after each day at 2:50 p.m., 11 minutes after the final bell. She believes that the lanes have been highly efficient considering the large number of students involved.

Mclean has not encountered any dangerous situations, and according to Butler County Sheriffs Office Deputy and East School Resource Officer Doug Hale, the system has settled into a regular routine for students and parents.

“The first week and a half, it was crazy,” said Hale. “After that, it became much easier.”

Currently, there are three makeshift pick-up and drop-off lines created in the former bus lanes on the side of East, through which over 500 vehicles travel each day. The drivers then make their way around the back of the school and eventually arrive on Wyandot Lane.

East Assistant Principal Christopher Kloesz addressed parents’ complaints after the changes at the main campus were put into effect.

“People are generally resistant to change,” said Kloesz. “And this is a major change for everyone.”

Mclean, however, believed that the current traffic system has maximum efficiency. Kline agreed, saying that although the change burdened on families, transportation was one of the few things the district was able to cut without impacting the classroom.

Kline requested a traffic light at the intersection between Bethany Road and Liberty Court. The Liberty Township Department of Transportation, however, will not engage in that project because the intersection is too close to the light at Bethany and Cincinnati-Dayton Road.

In addition to this challenge for the administration, several district teachers were asked to help with the new traffic system.

East English teacher Missy Wipperman now monitors the halls between 2:39 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. to make sure that no one is entering the building and that students remain on Main Street. Other teachers spend 30 minutes either before or after school directing traffic in both the drop-off lanes and the student parking lots.

“There aren’t as many kids left after school as I thought there would be,” said Wipperman.

“The new system is safe and controlled.”

The elementary school routine has also been minimally disrupted. Each elementary school conducted an “in-house field trip” to instruct students on the end of the day pickup procedure. As of press time, no accidents or injuries have been reported since the creation of the new car lane.

At Independence Elementary School,

three teachers oversee the students getting onto buses, and five teachers watch the 120 students that have to participate in the car line.

The students without busing at Independence must wait until 9:05 a.m. until they are allowed to enter the building for the 9:30 a.m. school day.

Independence Elementary Principal Greg Finke, who has witnessed the change in the school, said that he is diligently working to maintain communication with parents because regardless of whether a student has busing, everyone is impacted. For example, students are now fitting four to a seat, and according to Finke, this distraction is dangerous to both the riders and the driver. “[The bus drivers will] be spending an increased amount of time focused on behavior instead of the road,” said Finke.

“You can imagine four sixth grade boys with heavy jackets, backpacks and sometimes a band instrument getting on the bus.”

Freedom Elementary’s Parent Council helped direct traffic at the building between Jan. 18 and 31. The council also offered input as to ways for the carpool lanes to become more efficient. According to Freedom Elementary Principal Sabrina Hubert, it has taken between 20 and 25 minutes to dismiss all 275 students who lost busing from the carpool lane.

As Lakota waits to put the next levy into effect, both parents and staff members wait to see what changes will be made going into the next school year.

“I’m hopeful that busing will be worked out soon,” says Haug. “But I understand if we do not get buses back.”

—Victoria Reick-Mitrisin

People are generally resistant to change. And this is a major change for everyone.

photo sara patt

18 | Spark | March 17, 2011

”

East students walk from the high school to the parking lot or across Liberty One Drive after school ends.

feature | dart

THE AMANDA SHOW

story megan fogel | photos sierra whitlock Each issue the Spark staff picks a random East student and covers a unique aspect of his or her life.

S

he swears that she was born in the wrong era.

“I really am an old soul. I love to study history. My passion for antiques goes along with that,” says East freshman Amanda Weisbrod.

She grabs a necklace from her antique and refurbished jewelry box and places it around her neck.

“I got this jewelry box at a thrift store for five bucks,” says Weisbrod. “All I had to do was clean it up, and now it’s one of my favorite things.”

She roots through her closet to find the perfect purple tank top to complete her eclectic ensemble. She roots past cut-up tees and cut-up jeans, stops to explain a spraypainted spring break shirt she found in her mom’s closet and skips past the “scene” clothing that she says she has not worn in a long while.

She loves to give new life to items found at thrift stores; she wears these creations or displays them in her room, proud to have made something with her own hands.

Abandon Ship!

The elephant atop Amanda’s head was a gift from her grandmother, who could not afford a larger gift.

20 | Spark | March 17, 2011

Weisbrod spends many a weeknight on the stage at Wellspring Church, singing long, drawnout melodies alongside East sophomore Dominic Franco’s earsplitting scream.

As a freshman, Weisbrod joins East sophomores Logan Brown, Tyler Daniels and Franco to create their own band with a “hardcore sound.”

“For a while we really wanted to make it big.

We even had a prospective deal with a signing company,” says Weisbrod, who also plays alto saxophone in the East’s 12 o’ clock Jazz Band and East Marching Band.

But Abandon Ship! decided they need to focus on school and normal life before pursuing a dream like that.

And they have become more focused, landing gigs at small events, most frequently at Edge Teen Center and have recently changed their name to Lilith.

“It’s crazy how much we depend on Amanda in this band,” says Brown. “She does an amazing job of keeping us on task during practice and is also great for pumping up the crowd at gigs.”

East freshman Amanda Weisbrod’s eccentricity and flair for style is showcased with her outlandish and exaggerated facial expressions for the camera.

A Hot Topic

Eating Her Veggies

A woman with a stroller rolls through the entrance of Hot Topic at the mall. She is fazed neither by the wall of band tees, nor the punk rock music blasting from the stores speakers. And neither is her toddler.

Fifteen-year-old Weisbrod works here. She is doing her job, folding and refolding the stacks of merchandise. But when she spots that little boy, her whole demeanor changes.

“Aren’t you just the cutest little thing? Hi! Hi! How are you doing today?” says Weisbrod in baby talk.

She loves when people bring kids into the store and thinks it is even funnier when her manager yells at her for “distracting the customers.”

And she goes back to stocking the shelves, left wondering what the future family she envisions having will really be like.

Weisbrod has been dreaming lately about having a family. She knows that she would raise her children in the same loving way that her mother raised her, with plenty of care.

“I always encouraged her to be different from her peers and never to be a follower,” says Amanda’s mother, Dodi Weisbrod.

Amanda sees herself accepting her children however they want to express themselves, “even if they go all Abercrombie and Fitch” on her.

Those expensive vitamins, they taste like rotting lettuce.

Amanda is a vegetarian and has been for a few years. Now her mother is worried about her.

“I went out and bought her a huge supply of protein vitamins,” says Dodi, Amanda’s motorcycle-riding mother. “She needs her protein so her hair won’t fall out.”

Amanda does not think a lack of protein is her hair’s biggest worry, however. She has dyed her mane more than seven times since the sixth grade. Dodi has no problem with this.

“I love the way she expresses herself. She’s always been artistic, even when she was a toddler coloring on the wall,” says Dodi.

And as for her vegetarianism, Amanda is afraid there is not some huge heartfelt cause behind her change in habit.

“One day, I just realized how gross it is that we eat meat,” explains Amanda. “Sometimes I crave it, but it’s become a psychological thing that just completely freaks me out.”

The Wizarding World of Amanda

When you let go of that magic... that’s when you let go of all fun in your life.

Walking past the Harry Potter section at Hot Topic, Amanda reminisces about her past affinity for witchcraft and wizardry.

“I loved Harry Potter when I was in elementary school. I would sit in my room reading it until like two in the morning next to my dim little light,” says Amanda. “I have such bad vision because of that.”

She spends her spare time reading myths about Apollo, her favorite mythological figure.

“Apollo is the god of light, music, poetry, the oracle, archery and so much more,” says Amanda. “He is the god of most things and his power always interests me.”

And like every other creative kid that cannot resist the love for a magical world, Amanda applies her imagination to life, using it to escape from a hectic reality filled with multiple honors classes and creative pursuits.

“I am just in love with the idea of a new society above and beyond the one that we live in,” says Weisbrod. “When you let go of that magic, that surreal imagination, that’s when you let go of all of the fun in your life.”

Raising Hope

For the past two years, Amanda has been taking over what her mother had long done before, making progress from a tragic event in their past.

When Amanda’s baby brother Nicholas was two months old, he died of a congenital heart defect.

Since 2009, she has continued the organization that her mother started immediately after the tragedy.

Now Amanda is the president of the charity and oftentimes recruits her friends to help her with raising money for research and treatment.

“Toys for Nicholas is our organization. We raise money and collect donations to bring toys to children at local hospitals,” says Amanda. “It’s kind of our way of remembering Nicholas.”

The organization has raised money for cardiology research, a portion of the charity with which Dodi helps Amanda and all of her friends.

“I am really proud of her that she’s able to gather her friends to raise money standing next to a Christmas tree in Wal-Mart,” says Dodi.

“That’s not something most teenagers would be willing to do.”

But Amanda is not like most teenagers. Although she has so many diverse interests and activities, Amanda knows she will go through the rest of her life with the comforting sentiment of antiques, the wisdom of her mother, the magic of Harry Potter series, the strength of the Greek god Apollo and the memory of Nicholas. n

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feature | student feature

As opening night draws near, the double-casted rehearsals give two leading ladies the role of the Artful Dodger, making the spring musical cast

Oliver with a Twist story katie szczur | photos sierra whitlock

R

yan and Sharpay Evans from Disney’s High School Musical were masters of theater performances.

Aqua blue costumes complete with feathers and a sparkling collection of bejeweled headsets and microphones are staples for this theater duo. While the brother-sister pair have a routine of eccentric hand gestures and lip buzzes to tune their voices to cute pop melodies, East seniors Kayla Barker and Whitney Dottery are wearing male wigs and channeling their talents to become the complete opposite of a Broadway-bound Barbie doll—an 18-year-old boy living in the slums.

The 2011 East spring musical Oliver!, a production based off of Charles Dickens’ novel Oliver Twist, will feature for the first time in East theater history a double-casted musical ensemble instead of a traditional lead-and-understudy cast.

Barker and Dottery are playing the role of the pick-pocket Artful Dodger, a character whom Barker defines as a young boy who acts more mature than his age and shapes a family of young pick-pockets in an 18th-century English orphanage.

The double-cast system has allowed Barker and Dottery to build upon the friendship they have had since their freshman year. With the opportunity to develop their acting skills through the one-in-a-million role of the Artful Dodger, Barker only views the casting process as a way to better her character. Dottery was confident that Barker would be casted for their role, saying that if she does not get Dodger, she does not know who will.

“I am perfectly fine with the double-casting process. I am just happy that I was given the chance to be a lead,” says Barker, who will be playing the role for the opening night on April 1, the student performance on April 5 and on her 18th birthday—April 9. “I do like the idea of doublecasting better than just being an understudy, though. We

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both already have set dates to perform, whereas an understudy could put in so much hard work and never even get to perform in a show. My relationship with Whitney has grown because we are not trying to be better than one another, but instead work together. Whitney helps me with my singing skills and we both try to analyze our character the best we can.”

Barker and Dottery are no strangers to understanding the layers of a character, especially in playing male characters in East productions, such as Barker’s role of Peter Quince in last year’s fall play A Midsummer’s Night Dream and Dottery’s character of Stromboli in East’s January children’s production Disney’s My Son Pinochio. For the duo’s new character, the role of the Artful Dodger presents the two with the shared obstacle of perfecting a traditional cockney accent.

“I am blessed to have a friend who is my double and has a mom who is British to teach me how to speak cockney correctly,” says Dottery. “[However], I never pictured myself portraying a man in theater at all. When I found out I was casted as Dodger, I was completely surprised, but it is an awesome role.”

While Dottery learns the ins and outs of the accent

from her fellow cast member, Barker has been able to become more performing. The fact that we have leaders who know what they’re doing of a teacher to the cast in addition to [focusing on] her priorities as an makes the process go a lot smoother, but acting is still a lot of work.” actor to develop singing skills and character mentalities. For her final While Dottery was originally doubting the chance at being presented performance at East she will be in “not just a play, but a musical.” with the lead role, Statt remains confident that due to the girls’ experience Barker has learned to view the challenges of developing a lead playing male roles in previous East productions, their character of the character as a positive experience, especially because she did not plan Artful Dodger is a “very fun, free-spirited role” that will play to both on auditioning. performers’ strengths.

“I have never really thought of myself as a singer for musicals, but “[Barker and Dottery] are both very talented. They are seniors rather an actor for plays. However, my friends convinced me [to audition] and have worked with me before. They also both attack roles very and my auditions went well enough that I got the role,” says Barker, who academically. They are currently researching the time period of the show performed in the 2009 fall play It Happens Every Summer as Flippy Wonder as well as the characters and their relationships,” says Statt. “While they and was the student director of the children’s production Really Rosie both bring different strengths to this role, I don’t anticipate either of in 2010. “So my challenge them will have great difficulty with for this show will be to this [character].”

“When you love performing as much build my singing skills and Though they are playing male confidence even further roles, Barker and Dottery will not as I do, every moment counts...”

But in general, acting is miss the fun of being made-over a challenge or else there with make-up and wigs when playing would be no auditions or rehearsals. The challenge is just to get into female roles. Leading to opening night, Barker’s interest is still sparked your character’s mind and perform more than just reading lines, but an by the costume department, especially as she looks forward to having actual story.” “boy hair” that is different from being “super girly.” Dottery similarly As the director and producer of the musical, East theater teacher acknowledges that costumes are a major part to theater productions, and Kristen Statt explains that choosing the final cast out of a “large pool of finds memories in each character she plays. qualified actors and singers” was a decision that was made in order to fit “In this case, we Dodgers will be dressed down to the nines in the the diversity of talents of those who auditioned. best way we can living in the slums,” says Dottery. “We still have to put “Directing a show and a high school theater program is a complicated on make-up, too. When you love performing as much as I do, every string of decisions. From [a group of auditions], Mrs. Huddilston, the moment counts and is just as special as any other time you’ve been a vocal director, and I had to think about talent, vocal blending, coachability character, whether you are portraying a male or female.” and the vocal requirements of performing this show in particular,” says While two girls will be becoming masters of their craft in portraying Statt, who coordinates work that occurs behind the scenes and directs the same role, Barker emphasizes that stage directions and character the actors during rehearsals. “I always expect to be flexible in my casting. background will be similar. Yet her own takes on the role of the Artful The reality of high school is that there is more interest in theater from Dodger will undoubtedly be different from Dottery’s performances. girls, and Broadway musical writers do not write their shows keeping that “As long as Mrs. Statt approves what we do, I think we will both in consideration.” interpret some things differently and therefore have some different For Dottery, the audition process was a roller coaster of call-backs, facial expressions or mannerisms,” says Barker. “But for the most part, singing in a younger child’s voice, and “a billion” Webpage refreshes to because we are the same character and will help each other to figure him see if the cast list was posted. After the drawn-out audition process that out, a lot of things will probably be similar.”

Dottery experienced, however, she still realizes that after being involved Ryan and Sharpay play one male and female lead after the next, with in 15 theater productions, the surprise of a lead role will require the enough pizzazz and star quality to run any other hopefuls out of a typical work of an actor learning to understand a character. theater audition. Yet Barker and Dottery, in hopes of taking advantage “I do community theater with a group in Mason called the Mason of a close actor-to-actor relationship blossoming from the double cast, Community Players. I was Amneris in Aida my freshman year at my old welcome the talents and teachings of their peers to perfect the Artful school and the Taylor McKessie understudy for High School Musical [for Dodger, cockney accent and all.

East] freshman year,” says Dottery. “On my [Oliver!] audition form I put “I don’t know about [Barker], but I already have [taken certain ideas that I was interested in being casted as Nancy, because I figured, vocally, from her]. There are times when I feel that the way I am doing something that’s the only character I could fit because she is an alto and a woman. seems awkward to me and I’ll see her do it a different way that makes I figured, ‘I’m definitely not short enough to play a child,’ so Oliver and total sense to me, so I’ll build off of it,” says Dottery. “[With a doubleDodger were out of the question for me. Most times, casted show], you have the opportunity to learn from each other and I don’t have a specific character that I see what the other is thinking and you feed off of that knowledge. It’s a want in mind. I just love great experience and I couldn’t have a better partner.” n

During a rehearsal, the double-casted leads for Oliver! practice in the theater to prepare for the spring musical that takes place opening night April 1.

exploring religion. *denotes source names have been changed for confidentiality

the results were unanticipated.

The question was simple: “Five religions—how much do you know?” The task was simple: “On a scale of one to 10, hold up the number of fingers that answers this question.”

The numbers stood as a representation of not only their knowledge but also their comfort level when it came to world religions. He knew that he had made the right decision by taking a detour with the curriculum.

The proof was in their fingers. It was proof that ignorance existed among adolescents when it came to religion. Even in the Lakota Local School District, teachers are left to their own discretion when it comes to discussing this topic. After all, no religion-associated elective is offered at East.

Earlier this year, Hopewell Junior School Advanced Humanities teacher Ron Henrich polled each of his classes, asking students to use their fingers to rate their knowledge of the five major world religions: Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Islam and Hinduism. Buddhism was ranked lowest, with an average of one. Hinduism followed, with an average of 1.5, then Islam at three, Judaism at six and finally Christianity, at eight fingers.

When Henrich took the poll of his students’ knowledge of religions, he was not expecting such a wide range of results.

“They were supposed to have been taught this in the sixth grade,” he says.

Teaching world religions in Lakota was moved from the seventh grade curriculum to the sixth grade curriculum a year ago to align district standards with state standards. The Ohio Department of Education (ODE) Social Studies Academic Content Standards, which were approved by the Ohio Board of Education at its last meeting in June 2010, includes the Social Studies Model Curriculum Development Draft that mentions “Religion and People of the Eastern Hemisphere” as a theme to be applied in the sixth grade. The content statement reads that teachers should focus on the fact that “modern cultural practices and products show the influence of tradition and diffusion, including the impact of the five major world religions.”

The poll results that Henrich found “forced” him to incorporate this unit as part of the curriculum that originally was only intended to be review.

Every year, Henrich spends a total of approximately three weeks of the seventh grade curriculum focusing on religion. As a history teacher, he believes that “people are not prepared to go into the depths of a history class without knowing the religions of the areas covered.”

During those three weeks, Henrich assigns students a project in which they must design a

website that displays certain aspects of world religions shaping customs, traditions, holidays and laws. Students must choose two sects of a particular religion and compare and contrast key doctrinal ideas. Six days are spent doing online research, and seven days are spent presenting the projects to fellow classmates.

Henrich believes it is imperative that this topic is addressed, not just because of its correlation to learning history, but also because of its role in communicating with others of different faiths.

“Religion is the building block to social

“Religion is the building block to social law and government.”

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law and government. If students understand that, then they will understand why [people and nations] do what they do. You cannot go on and talk about India’s history or China’s history without knowing about their religions,” says Henrich, who has been teaching history for 14 years. “[More so], offending someone inadvertently often can be an informational thing [due to a lack of knowledge or misinterpretation].”

photo ellen fleetwood

Discussing world religions, in a public school setting, can be just as uncomfortable for teachers as it is for students.

“Kids are scared that they might say something offensive. Teachers have to be sure to do their homework and answer certain questions with delicacy,” says Henrich.

“Likewise, teachers cannot let misinformation be put forth without a student feeling bad about their own religion. Teaching religion is very much an ethical issue.”

According to Henrich, examining the intentions of incorporating religion into the curriculum is important for a public school.

“I feel that if [the purpose of teaching religion] is to educate, then it should be offered.

If it is to proselytize, then it should not,” he says. “I would lose credibility of objectivity with kids if I were to teach that there is a ‘right’ religion.”

At religiously affiliated private schools, however, the matter takes on a different role.

St. Xavier Assistant Principal for Instructional

East students adhere to different faiths. These students look to the scripts from some of the major relgiions for guidance in their own lives.

Development and Student Formation and Religious Studies department member Dan Minelli has taught religion for approximately 23 years, 13 of those at the private, Catholic all-boys school in Cincinnati.

When it comes time for parents to decide to send their children to a private school, Minelli believes that three additional issues are taken into consideration: the school’s tradition, its religious sector and its mission.

“Parents and students are wanting a place where religious and spiritual values are apparent, acted upon and affirmed. [At St. Xavier], our mission is to assist young men in their formation as leaders through rigorous college preparation in the Jesuit tradition,” says Minelli, who has also been a teacher and administrator in public school districts including Lakota. “With public schools, their mission is to produce solid, tolerant, civic and respectful citizens for the community while adhering to the founding pieces of legislation of public education as established in Boston

during the 1600s.”

Minelli believes that a private religious school education, as opposed to that of a public school is modeled around the belief that human beings are also spiritual beings. He challenges every incoming freshman to answer what he calls the questions, “What do I believe?

Upon what values and what foundations will I build my life?”

Minelli is reminded of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s quote, “I submit to you that if a man hasn’t discovered something he will die for, he isn’t fit to live,” which stands as a model of what Minelli hopes for each student to discover upon admittance to St. Xavier.

“We have individual conferences with all 400 families in the spring before they come to our school,” says Minelli. “[In this way, we clarify] our intentions to nurture the spirits, as well as the minds and bodies, that come through the door to this school.”

Not every student or incoming freshman at St. Xavier, however, is a Catholic. Although

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religion has an influence in the decision to attend a private school, Minelli believes that it is not always the first priority on a person’s mind.

“Often, parents merely want their child to establish a strong moral foundation so that their son is given the opportunity to examine his own spiritual tradition,” says Minelli.

The assistant principal recounts that one year a Jewish mother once called up her son’s freshman religion teacher and asked what the teacher “had done to her son.” The teacher at first did not understand, but then the mother proceeded to share the pride that she felt when her son came home from school and said to her, “Mom, I have to go to synagogue more often because I want to be a better Jew.” St. Xavier requires a four-year curriculum in religion. The classes offered at each high school grade level are year long classes that focus on tradition, perspective, history and world view. As freshmen, students must take Scripture of the Old Testament and New Testament, sophomores enroll in Faith and Sacrament, and juniors schedule Morality and Justice. Seniors, however, can choose from a selection of electives, including World Religions.

“Students can benefit from a wide variety of understandings,” says Minelli, who also teaches a

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photo sierra whitlock

East Young Life leader Miami University senior Kelci Haydocy participates in all the different opportunities that the group offers.

teen relationships class at St. Xavier. “In our World Religions class, we address the ideas of different faiths. This may or may not lead to tolerance and acceptance among students, but we want our kids to recognize diversity and know that amidst diverse perspectives and practices, there are common elements.”

Minelli says that schools, both public and private, have the right to choose how to address religion. At Jesuit schools, religion is a major part of both the curriculum and social lives of students. Public schools, however, take a different approach to education.

“Religion is not and has not been within the purview of public schools,” says Minelli.

“I do not see that ever changing.”

Yet he finds value in what he calls this “delineated separation,” which he says provides society with strong public and private schools.

“Our families and students need to be able to choose, and our communities need to value and support both of these critical pillars of education [being public and private religious schools],” says Minelli. “If we lose either one of them, we will be diminished by the loss of that pillar and some communities may fall.

We, [private and public schools], advance the aims of an educated, ethical population in different ways. But Catholic schools, just as well as public schools, want agents for positive change in the world. This is the hope of any school for every generation of students.”

Brown University graduate Veena Srinivasa, who received degrees in public policy and sociology, attended Christianaffiliated private schools all her life despite being Hindu. She spent her kindergarten through eighth grade years at Bethany School in Cincinnati, an Episcopal day school that welcomes children of all faiths, races and national backgrounds.

“I had a very broad exposure to diversity at a young age,” says Srinivasa, who now is studying to become a lawyer at George Washington University. “There were 30 people in my class and everybody knew my religious position. I never felt uncomfortable when it came to displaying my faith in elementary school.”

When she started her freshman year at Ursuline Academy, however, the atmosphere was not as comfortable as it was at Bethany.

She knew going into the Academy that she would be one to stand out among her peers.

But the idea of being taught discipline and having an education grounded in faith was a motivator in addition to Ursuline’s esteemed academic reputation.

So Srinivasa began her high schools years at Ursuline without hesitation, even though she was fully aware of the school’s affiliation with the Church.

“I was one of 10 people who were not Catholic,” says Srinivasa. “My classmates did

not seem to understand that I was Hindu.

They did not see how my faith can add and challenge their own. It was difficult to balance this contrast.”

Because she was brought up in Christian schools, Srinivasa had the advantage of knowing about the Christian doctrine. In this way, it was easier for her to connect with other students. She, however, found that most of her classmates were unable to reciprocate, as far as with their knowledge of Hinduism.

“I do not feel that I was ever being judged, but I do remember having to explain myself over and over again to people who did not know about my religion,” says Srinivasa. “The good part of it was that I was able to talk about my faith in ways that Christians could understand because I was familiar with their dogma.”

One particular memory that stands out in Srinivasa’s mind is when she heard from one of her friends about a comment another girl said during a classroom prayer. The girl prayed that all non-Catholics should be saved from burning in Hell.

“I knew that she had made that comment out of pure ignorance,” says Srinivasa. “I had to remember that most people at that school grew up in a ‘Catholic only’ environment. We even became good friends down the road.”

As someone who has had various experiences in government and private institutions, including the House of Representatives and the Annenburg Institute for School Reform, Srinivasa feels that the best way to confront what seems to be a universal ignorance is for teachers to implement religious studies in schools.

“Living in a post-9/11 world, there are many misconceptions when it comes to religion. Given the way society is now, it is imperative that teachers address this subject in the classroom so that kids at least have a basic understanding,” says Srinivasa. “If this is not taught in middle school or high school, a person is left to learn through interaction.”

Aspiring to become a lawyer, Srinivasa sees the implications when it comes to the complexity of separation between church and state.

“I still struggle to fully understand the law in terms of religion and education. The basic answer, so to say, is that the role of education is allocated to the state. The ODE sets curriculum standards which are then delegated to individual districts. The implementations of these standards, however, vary greatly from state to state, city to city, locality to locality,” says Srinivasa. “It is a confusing, confusing mess. In essence, it is all tied to how much federal money a school is able to get.”

The Starr family can relate to dealing with the complications of education and religion, as they have had experience with both the public and private school systems. The oldest son

Nick has attended Cincinnati Christian School (CCS) up until his eighth grade year, when he transferred to Hopewell Junior School.

At CCS, Nick was required to take “Bible” classes and attend Chapel once a week, where a “youth group-like” lesson is taught and students engage in praise, worship and games.

Now a freshman at East, Nick felt that the private school environment did not suit him and since he has transferred to Lakota, his mother, Tracy, “could not be happier with where [her son] is.”

“People are naïve [about the idea] that in a Christian school everything is perfect,” says Brian Starr, Nick’s father.

Nick believes that such a thought “is more of a hope” among parents and students.

Tracy agrees and says that “teenagers will be teenagers, wherever they go to school.”

On the other hand, Nicole Roark, a seventh grader at CCS, loves the idea of going to school

“Living in a post-9/11 world, there are many misconceptions when it comes to religion.” where teachers pray and incorporate religion into class.

Nicole has attended CCS for her whole educational career thus far. Her mom, Laura, chose CCS because it was the only school that offered all-day kindergarten.

“It was comforting to know that my daughter would not only be safe during the day with people I knew, but [she would also be] amidst a Christian environment,” says Laura.

Throughout Nicole’s time at CCS, Laura is happy that her daughter is being taught principles of faith that she, as a parent, agrees with.

CCS Bible department chair Wayne Beaver feels that teachers must be objective when it comes to teaching religion and explaining to Christians about different faiths, but must not represent all views equally. He also understands

that offering a religion class in a public school could be challenging.

“It is difficult for a practitioner of any religion to be in the marketplace of any ideas of a public school and not offend someone,” says Beaver.

East Principal Dr. Keith Kline believes that parents and churches should be left to take care of religious information.

“Schools cannot do everything. People like to dump every responsibility onto the schools, and consequently we struggle with balancing those responsibilities,” says Kline.

Kline does realize, however, that religion is a major part of culture and acknowledges that religion is key to understanding history.

He hopes that history teachers do not shy away from appropriately incorporating it into classroom studies when pertinent to content discussed, because “to take this element out would leave holes in education.”

Although East is “not in the position financially to offer a world religions elective class,” Kline is not opposed to the idea.

Undeniably, all schools, public or private, have their own individual struggles when it comes to integrating religion within social and academic environments. Undeniably, religion is a part of culture. Undeniably, religion is present throughout the course of history and human events. Deniably, it has a place in education.

Despite debate, religion and schools can find common ground and agree on what can be considered a ubiquitous hope for every student.

“The intention of all of us involved in education is similar in the sense that we want to see a strong formation of young men and young women,” says Minelli. “We want them to become good people.”—Rachel King

A Well of Faith Bass pounding. Lights flashing.

At the popular hangout “The Well,” a man with a spiked and tousled haircut and skinny jeans is thrashing his guitar and wailing into a microphone lyrics about Jesus Christ.

Everyone is on stage participating in a Minute-To-Win-It game. The object of the game is to blow ping pong balls from one cup of water to another. Sixty seconds after the start, the stage is drenched in water and plastered with paper towels. A champion is crowned by a tiebreaking game of rock-paperscissors. This is how nearly 50 seventh through 12th graders begin their Tuesday night worship.

As the singer grabs a slice of pizza and glass of water, it is soon clear that the “skinny jean” guy is eight-month Worship Leader and Small Group Pastor Will Lovellette at Four Corners Church in West Chester. Lovellette has been involved with a variety of youth groups in his life. He has noticed a tremendous change throughout the past decade. He says that youth

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group is “cool and chill” now instead of being “awkward and scary” due to adolescents’ newfound curiosity for religious answers.

“I love it,” says Lovellette. “The kids are really great and are looking for more these days,” Lovellette adds. “We give them a place they’d like to be.”

Young Life is an international and nondenominational organization that finds new ways to reach disinterested teens and tries to relay a Christian message to them. From 1995-2010, U.S. Young Life attendance jumped from 66,362 to 119,456 kids, an increase of over 80 percent in membership.

East Young Life leader and Miami University senior Kelci Haydocy says that Young Life has caught on tremendously in the past few years, especially in its East sophomore class. She explains the different sectors of Young Life on Monday nights such as Core (a small group Bible study) meeting at 6:00 p.m., and later that night at eight is Club (a group gathering with minor worship). Also, many students choose to attend retreats like Fall Weekend and Young Life Camp.

“We try and get whoever we can [to join].

Living today as a teenager is so hard,” says Haydocy adding most kids come to Club first and then become more curious about their beliefs. “We just try and have a fun time while being safe.”

One-and-a-half year Young Life member and East sophomore Jenna Classen says she was already set in her Christian beliefs before attending, but the social activities strengthened her faith.

“At first it was just for fun,” says Classen.

“Then it gave me a reason to share the love of Jesus Christ with everyone else.”

The intent of Young Life and The Well is not only to socialize, but also to form close and long-term friendships.

As Haydocy simply puts it, “Young Life is about relationships.” Many other youth group leaders agree, such as Christ Church Glendale and Christian Formation Director Joe Snavely, who stresses the importance of a bond between those in his youth group.

“We try and foster an environment where the relationships are healthy,” says Snavely.

“You can get a lot more diversity of thought [that way].”

Of Snavely’s 20 to 30 members, three groups are formed from those. Young Life’s Core separates by gender and grade. At “The Well,” groups are roughly divided by age and have a small group leader running each one, creating a comfortable peer environment.

“We like to separate them so there’s no hindrance,” says Lindsey Simpkins, a small group leader at “The Well.” “We don’t want [the kids] to feel embarrassed to talk about what happened to them at school that day, or what has been on their mind.”

She also explains that each leader becomes

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very close with those inside the group, and that trust must be created in order to relate to each person.

Three-year Young Life leader and Miami University senior Travis Lepera feels the same bond toward the students with whom he interacts through Young Life. He attempts to

“If it wasn’t for Young Life, I would not have a relationship with God like I do today.” find new Young Life hopefuls by coming to East at dismissals to meet students, attending sporting events and going out to eat with the ones he becomes close with. The most important thing he believes is building a strong relationship outside of Young Life in order to help them create one with God. Originally a Catholic, Lepera says he can relate to those who are brought to God through Young Life. Lepera says he was not very involved at his church in his childhood, yet later as a high school student he first became involved in Young Life through a friend. Ever since then, the organization has had a huge effect on his faith.

“If it wasn’t for Young Life, I would not have a relationship with God like I do today,” says Lepera. “People don’t have to do good things to come to Young Life.”

Youth groups and Young Life are open to new members and growth, commonly having an attitude that resembles the phrase “the more the merrier.” The Well encourages people to bring their friends and for new members to return. Additionally, becoming internetfriendly has aided The Well with bringing in new members through their modern website.

Clinton-Massie High School freshman and six-month member of The Well Chris Drake says he was never really involved in a church in the same way he is involved at “The Well.”

“Basically, my brother searched for

contemporary churches and Four Corners was our choice,” says Drake, who attends The Well on a weekly basis. “It’s basically something that makes me want to come week in and week out.”

Besides free pizza, in Lovellette’s opinion the best way to capture the kids’ interest is to talk to them about relevant topics like peer pressure and romantic relationships. He loves seeing the change of a kid from not pursuing God, eventually growing in their own faith and developing at their own pace to become a firm believer, so that they may understand other beliefs as well.

Stepping out of their own beliefs and branching into the ideals of varied religions, Metro Cincinnati Interfaith Youth is an organization that correlates those of different religions, cultures, races and lifestyles into a common group with one main goal: to understand each other. Metro Cincinnati Interfaith Youth is a group inspired by the Interfaith Youth Core conference held in Chicago back in 2007. The youth of Metro Cincinnati Interfaith Youth meet twice monthly, led by the teens themselves.

Mason High School junior Reda Baig is a leader for the Interfaith Youth group that is associated through the Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati (ICGC). Baig helps lead Metro Cincinnati Interfaith Youth and also the ICGC youth group. A recent dinner was held at the Islamic Center, where kids played games, had dinner and toured the building.

“Most people come in with an open mind,” says Baig. “They are interested in learning about other religions and understanding them.”

Educational meetings and service projects occur during the month, where the youth join forces in projects bettering the Cincinnati area through cleaning, gardening, feeding the needy and hosting homeless families.

“We do activities that help us realize that even though we’re from all different religions, we have many things in common,” says Baig.

“Sometimes I’ll realize, ‘Oh hey, I believe in that too,’ and it really brings us together.”

Youth groups of the Christian faith and Metro Cincinnati Interfaith Youth both have the mission of bettering the community. The common goal between these two types of youth congregations is to express their faiths through conversation and then actions. Service projects are both expressions of faith and compassion where groups have the opportunity to help others.

Whether it is pulling weeds in the church garden, or worshiping through hardcore Christian rock music, students are given many opportunities to express their faith. No matter the race, age or interests of the group, all of these organizations and many more are contributing to the community, in that they express their faith by developing a strong hold in what they believe and working on bettering the lives of others.—Maddie McGarvey

Pop Religion

Research institutes have conducted surveys on how media has changed the perception of religion. infographic nugeen aftab

“In the week of Aug. 1620, stories about Obama’s faith were the number two topic in the blogosphere.2”

“Sixty-eight percent of Americans say the media has damaged moral values in America.1”

“In 2010, religion appeared more often on blogs than it did in traditional media.

Religion was among the most discussed topics on blogs in 12 of the 48 weeks studied by the Project for Excellence in Journalism and the Pew Forum.2”

information culture and media institute1, newsmax.com, pewforum.com2 photos used with paid permission from mctcampus.com

Forty percent of religionrelated news coverage focused on: the mosque and Islamic center near GroundZero, the threat of a public Qur’an burning by Florida pastor Terry Jones and the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. 2*

*Out of 50,508 stories from newspaper front pages, home pages of major news websites, the first half hour of network and cable television news programs and the first half hour of radio news and talk shows.

Tweeting on a Prayer “Dalai Lama: One may practice religion or not, but so long as we seek happiness and continue to live in society, love and affection are indispensable.”

Yes, the Dali Lama tweets. His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama writes an inspirational message almost everyday and has more than one million followers.

While the world is inhabited by Smartphones, iPads, Twitter and Facebook., religion has officially spread to this easier-toaccess media outlet. Many famous religious leaders now use Twitter accounts. The iPhone has a new reconciliation, a Catholic sacrament, application for download.

Religious websites did not receive much attention in the past, but these new online communities are transforming traditional spiritual practices as Americans are turning to the Internet for spiritual guidance, advice and discussion.

Researcher and author of Wired Churches, Wired Temples: Taking Congregations and Missions in to Cyberspace Elena Larsen found in her studies “Pew Internet & American Life Project: CyberFaith: How Americans Pursue Religion Online” that 25 percent of Internet users,

approximately 28 million people, have gotten religious or spiritual information online. Thirty-five percent of people polled believe that the Internet has a “mostly positive” effect on the religious life of others.

East junior Aleth Pashi agrees. She uses Twitter to follow inspirational leaders and continues to attend church. Reading inspirational tweets helps her to not get caught up in negativity, but rather helps her remain close to her original spiritual beliefs.

Another 62 percent of people polled said that the availability of material on the Internet encourages religious tolerance. For most congregations, it is reported that e-mail rather than a Website was used the most within members of that congregation.

“We have almost daily devotional messages and web videos,” says Carthage Christian Church of Cincinnati Pastor Rebecca Woods of her website disciplesnet.org.

Woods’ congregation mostly includes elderly people who do not access the website frequently. “[The Internet is] geared toward the younger generation which is not really connecting with the church as we know it,” Woods explains. “Internet is bridging the age gap between teens and elderly people who used to attend church but now have trouble leaving their homes.”

According to Woods, the website also reaches a large amount of Christians in India where Christianity is not dominant and individuals may not feel safe practicing this faith publicly.

In addition, Woods has a Twitter which started as a tool for personal use. When people have seen that she is a pastor, however, they have asked her serious questions about faith. On one occasion, a man had spiritual questions about his faith and the belief of an afterlife. He messaged Woods on Twitter and they ended up exchanging emails and having a deep conversation, allowing Woods to give her viewpoint and pass along a feeling of hope.

“Twitter is a great way to reach people who are interested in religion and have a strong spiritual belief but are not religious,” says Woods.

Woods even follows public speaker and writer Deepak Chopra and is inspired by the wisdom in his tweets.

“DeepakChopra: Today wherever you go, carry the intention of peace harmony laughter & love in your heart,” says Woods in a Tweet.

Religion may be integrating into a new media form and Woods agrees, saying that having a

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“RabbiShmuley: confession app for catholic church really interesting. we jews need something similar to remain competitive. any ideas?”

The Roman Catholic Application is available through iTunes for $1.99. Christians are taking Pope Benedict XVI’s advice from his World Communications Address last year in which he encouraged Christians to interact with the digital world in service of the faith.

The app begins with an “Examination of Conscience” to help figure out what real sins are being committed; the questions are up to date and age appropriate.

The Vatican disagrees. Spokesman Federico Lombardi said in a statement that the application is not to be used as the sole act of penance which requires a personal dialogue, but rather a simpler thinking process of one’s sins. Though the app may have its opponents and flaws, it is a creative idea in the new technical realm of religion.

“RevRunWisdom: Psalm 91- He shall call upon me & I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him & honor him! #GotGod?” says Reverend Run in his tweet. He frequently incorporates traditional Bible verses into his Twitter updates.

Run’s activity is just one example showing that as advancing technology becomes an increasingly heavier influence on society, America’s view of religion will also mature and advance.—Nikki Kaine

A Time of Peace

website or Twitter is effective because it reaches more people when and where it is convenient for them.

Pashi agrees that Twitter is better than Facebook because it is updated more frequently and is more open for people to share their feelings. Pashi is a frequent tweeter, submitting statuses about anything and everything going on during her day. She follows friends, classmates, rappers and even the famed Reverend Run under his username “RevRunWisdom.”

Run was born Joseph Simmons and is one of the founding members of the influential hip hop group Run–D.M.C. He is also the star of Run’s House, an MTV reality series about his life and family.

“A lot of the stuff [Reverend Run] says is encouraging and real,” says Pashi.

She also follows Run’s wife and thinks that seeing her actual feelings is very inspiring.

“America’s Rabbi” Rabbi Shmuley Boteach frequently tweets about his personal life and commentary on political and word news. He agrees that having a website and other contacts on the Internet help to spread his religious message, which is evident in his tweet about the iPhone app.

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photo ellen fleetwood

Wardha Safdar guided East journalism students through a local mosque and expresses misconceptions of Islamic women.

narrative

Seventy students out of 540 surveyed East students believe that all Muslims are terrorists.

I slap down the results of the recent Spark survey and look apologetically at the girl beside me. East sophomore Nugeen Aftab, a playful alternative-rock music fan and a child of Islam, is as peaceful as the Nobel Prize and as fiesty as a firecracker. She rolls her eyes at the numbers and purses her lips before bowing her head over her homework, quietly enduring the delusion.

I swivel away from her, stunned by the 13 percent of the surveyed student body who answered so daringly. Admittedly, not all Muslims are good, but are those few unruly individuals an accurate basis for judging all the believers of Islam?

Suddenly curiosity strikes me. I slide my chair back to tap Nugeen’s shoulder.

“Can I go to the mosque with you?”

She nods, promising to bring me to the Friday one o’ clock p.m. prayer, on the weekly holy day. Conveniently enough, we do not have school that day. I am not exactly sure, however, what I am getting myself into.

The week drags on until, at last, Friday rolls around. Nugeen’s family and I are packed in a minivan, driving through Ivory Hills, the only

way we can reach the mosque. It feels almost as if we are making a pilgrimage to Mecca, the Islamic holy land in Saudi Arabia. I toss the sequined auburn scarf wrapped around my head between my fingers. Nugeen had draped it on me before we left, but I pull and pull on the cloth, making sure it completely covers my bangs. A few days ago, my friend Ava Al-Bayer told me that when she forgets to wear a scarf at the mosque, all the ladies nag her about it.

According to her, women are expected to wear a scarf, even though they have the free will not to. I am determined to leave a good impression, so I pull the scarf over my forehead once again.

We pass through an aged gateway, and a massive snow-white building crowned with gold creeps into view. I have seen the Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati before; it is one of those places I see while driving on the highway but have no clue how to reach. We continue down the road, and I notice the mosque’s distinctive line of flags standing before a border of trees.

“Why are they all there?” I ask.

“Just to represent all the different nationalities of people who go to the mosque,” says Nugeen, who is laughing at my gape.

Turning around, I skim the flags and try to identify which countries they represent, but no dice; I am flag-illiterate.

After one, two, three, four speed bumps, we park, hop out of the van and walk on a redbrick sidewalk under a towering archway into the largest building, the Masjid, which Nugeen tells me is “mosque” in Arabic.

Being raised in a tiny and obscure Catholic church, I cannot help but gawk at the mosque’s elegance. The floor is tiled with polished white marble, the stained glass windows on the walls and ceiling are made of warm-colored, geometric designs. Benches align both sides of the hallway, and a small star-shaped mosaic fountain sits in the middle of the entrance. The walls are ornamented with huge gold-black plaques with Arabic writing slicing through the shining metal.

The first room we enter beyond the foyer is a semicircle walk-in closet. Nugeen, her mom, her sister and I go into the ladies’ closet on the right; her dad enters the one on the left. There are about 20 women packed in there. I appeal to Nugeen with the same confused look I have been giving her for the past 10 minutes.

“We have to take off our shoes,” answers Nugeen, placing her vibrant Fila high-top sneakers into a cubbyhole.

“Oh, we do?”

“Yeah, to keep the mosque clean.”

Following suit, I slip off my knee-high boots and place each one into a separate box next to Nugeen’s shoes before following everyone into the main prayer area.

The room is a huge open space, with intricate red carpets splayed all about the floor.

Carved out of the wall in front is a space where the volunteer Imam, the prayer-leader,

stands. Nugeen leads me up a short spiral staircase, which leads to a wide indoor balcony overlooking the rest of the room.

More and more women, modestly dressed in ornate scarves and garbs, are quietly filing into the balcony space. I squirm into a comfortable position at the back on the maroon carpet and watch those joining us. One woman is Caucasian. Two other older women are Pakistani. The family next to them is African.

This diversity reflects a 2009 report from the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies, which says that of all American Muslims, 35 percent are African American, 28 percent are “white,” 18 percent are Asian, 18 percent are “other” and one percent are Hispanic. Most of them

“I wonder if this is an act of sexual subordination... [but] I can see why the opposing genders would be separated during prayer.” notice me right away and look welcomingly–– some smile, others nod. Then they take their places on the floor in front of me. A few giddy children trailing in with their mothers spot their fellow rascals and playfully tumble around. This homely environment relaxes my constant gravitation toward Nugeen. After a few minutes, the deep, meditative voice of the Imam resounds, a cue for everyone young and old to stand.

Prayer begins.

Nugeen, her mother and her sister are close to the front of the balcony performing their prayer routine, which includes a pattern of standing, sitting, bowing and touching

their foreheads to the floor. I feel odd not participating, but I do not know the first thing about praying in a Muslim congregation.

Already aware that they have to pray five times a day, I find their dedication to be admirable.

According to the Gallup report, 71 percent of Muslims pray every day, compared to the national average of 58 percent of the total population who prays every day. As I watch, I realize that all the women are praying upstairs, while all the men are praying on the ground below. For a moment, I wonder if this is some act of sexual subordination, but as I watch the praying women from behind, I can see why the opposing genders would be separated during prayer: it preserves the prayer’s decency and helps keep everyone focused.

When she finishes praying, Nugeen sits in the back and teaches me some general ideas of the Qur’an, the Islamic holy book. To be honest, committing the details of those two hours to memory is extraordinarily difficult. I nod my head and listen to the hum of prayers echoing throughout the mosque.

After an hour or two, we go back to Nugeen’s house, where she tells me more about Islam. She talks about these angels that exist on our shoulders called the Kiraman Katibeen, or honorable recorders. The one on the right writes down our good deeds and the one on the left writes down our bad. Whether we go to heaven or hell depends on which type of deeds outweighs the other. Nugeen also says that with every line of the Qur’an a person memorizes, he or she raises his or her level of piety and becomes closer to Allah, or God. Hoping to strengthen my understanding, she scans her bookshelf before producing The English Translation for the Meaning of the AlQur’an.

“Make sure you don’t put it on the ground,” she warns, fetching me a pillow to set the Qur’an on. But before I get the chance to read it, my mom arrives to pick me up. Nugeen places the book in my hands to keep.

Three days pass, and on a rainy Monday evening, a few journalism students and I are at the mosque for our scheduled private tour to learn about the Islamic culture. The lights in the Masjid are off, and no one seems to be here but us. I stand next to Nugeen and a handful of other girls, peering down the hallways for some sign of a tour guide. Behind us walks in East sophomore Michael Tedesco, the only guy to show up for the tour, shaking raindrops out of his ginger hair. I dash up to the door, poised to give him a friendly embrace.

Immediately, I remember a comment from Muslim lawyer Nadeem Quraishi, who said it is improper for men and women to touch each other in public––for decency’s sake. My eager welcome falters into an anticlimactic hello and an awkward grin.

As we wait, everyone admirably squints at the shiny plaques. Having already been here

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before, I proudly twirl the moss-green fringes of my scarf, watching as my friends’ eyes widen at the exotic furnishings.

With a “click” and the buzz of an electrical current, the lights beam on. An open door down the hall reveals a short woman wearing a charming teal scarf, who welcomes us with her big eyes and her perky smile.

“My name is Wardha Safdar,” she announces, bowing over with her hands folded in front of her. “I will be showing you around the mosque today.”

Wardha has a slight accent and speaks in loquacious rapid-fire. But for the most part I can understand her. She leads us to a mirrored orientation room inside the educational building, where she shares a mish-mash trivia facts about the mosque, just as if she were a real-estate agent. Evidently giving frequent mosque tours has become second nature to the mosque’s 15-year member. She recites the seven basic beliefs of Islam, which outline the traditional principles of the faith, and the five pillars of Islam, which declare how to live a good life, much like how the Ten Commandments say what “thou shalt not” do for Jews and Christians.

She also addresses the various false stereotypes many people have about Muslims.

Thirty-eight percent of respondents in the 2009 annual survey by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life think Islam encourages violence more than other religions. Yet Wardha explains that “Islam” means “peace” in Arabic.

Responding to a proposed misconception that men are superior to women in Islam, Wardha fires up with a passionate disclaimer.

“What you see on TV is not the norm!” she exclaims. “Women are not oppressed in Islam. Women have access to a full education, and they can own their own property and businesses. Men are mainly responsible for the family. Women don’t have to spend a single penny on their husbands or children. When they do, it’s like charity.”

Her declaration sounds like the product of hearing inaccurate rumors about Islamic women all-too-much. Fifty-nine percent of Muslim-American women are employed according to the Gallup report, despite the discrimination they face in the job marked, and 35 percent of those women are in the work force. I ponder this, and my attention floats off as I recall an earlier conversation with another Muslim friend of mine, Sumayyah As-Saahib, saying that she wants to be a living example that Islamic women are not inferior to men and the “the hijab (head scarf) I wear does not hold me back from getting a career I love.”

My eyes flick back to Wardha as she concludes her general orientation and beckons us to follow her to the Masjid. The tour guide mentions that only a handful of people come to the Monday evening prayer because attendance is not mandatory. She brings us into the

32 | Spark | March 17, 2011

semicircle closets to set down our shoes and belongings. Before everyone arrives, she sits us in the front of the main prayer room. I look all about me, still amazed by the towering walls and the glamour of the room. Wardha tells us that mosques are designed to face the Qiblah, or northeast toward Mecca, the way Muslims face whenever they pray.

Looking around, Wardha recalls each of the small businesses and individuals who offered to contribute to the mosque by painting, casting plaques and giving away old pieces of furniture.

“The carpets were donated to us over time,” she says, looking at the diverse collection of rugs on the ground. “People are very generous about it.”

Just as others begin trickling in for the evening prayer, Wardha wraps up her tour.

“There is an Islamic saying that if you kill

“How can you kill hundreds of thousands of people and then claim you are following the teachings of Islam?” one person, one of mankind, it’s like killing the entire mankind,” she says in a mystical voice.

“How can you kill hundreds of thousands of people and then claim you are following the teachings of Islam? Life is a gift from God.” Wardha pauses before breaking out another smile. She thanks us for coming and brings us to the back of the twenty-or-so person congregation. Prayer lasts only about 10 minutes. I attempt to copy the motions, but there are still many aspects that I have yet to learn.

“Will you teach me how to pray?” I whisper to Nugeen.

“If you want to,” she smiles.—Jasmine Tauzon

Religion : Love She sits at the desk at the front of the classroom, glancing up periodically as she takes attendance. While the six-year-olds chatter about what they have done all week, she stands up and commands the class’ attention. Once the talking dies down, she tells the students to get out their homework. She walks around the white concrete block classroom, and inspects each of the students’ workbooks. Carrying herself with the poise and professionalism of a schoolteacher is East senior Samar Sheriff.

She navigates around the desks in the Sunday school classroom at the Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati, her love for each child and passion for teaching is obvious.

“If you did your homework, I will be so proud,” she assures a student as he flips through his workbook to the correct page.

He reveals a completed Arabic homework assignment, and Sheriff ’s smile glows with unfettered pride for the student’s work.

“Oh yeah, high five!” she exclaims while shooting her hand in the air.

Most teenagers would squirm and stutter in the face of 16 children, all demanding individual attention and instruction. But after two years of teaching, Sheriff is unfazed by the pressure. She is only in high school, yet she already has the composure of an experienced educator. It seems like becoming a teacher would be the obvious choice for Sheriff. She, however, plans to attend the University of Cincinnati (UC) not to study early childhood education, but instead to study neuroscience and later attend medical school.

While Sheriff has not yet started her education at UC, she already has connections with the local university. Samar’s father Sulaiman Sheriff is a research scientist who works at the university, while her older brother Ahmer Sheriff attends UC as a student.

Despite Samar’s intentions on joining her family at UC, she plans to return to the Islamic Center every Sunday to continue to teach her class.

“I love kids, and I really like how I get to interact and have fun with them while they get to learn things they never knew before,” she says, as she teaches one of the younger levels Arabic and Islamic history. “It’s rewarding, knowing that they are learning from me.”

While at UC, Samar will not limit her dedication to her own mosque. She plans to join and someday hopefully lead UC’s Muslim Student Association (MSA), an organization dedicated to establishing and maintaining Islamic societies on college campuses.

Samar’s dedication to her religion not only affects her while she is teaching Sunday school or planning college, but also while she was captaining the Greater Miami Conference champion East Varsity Girls’ tennis team.

While playing, Samar is easy to spot because

photo nugeen aftab

her uniform is slightly different from her teammates’. Underneath her tennis dress uniform, she wears leggings to modestly cover up her body. As a Muslim girl, Samar says she is technically supposed to wear pants and long sleeves all the time.

“My parents knew that it was hot and it would we hard for me to wear long sleeves and pants while I played, but they at least wanted me to cover up to my shins,” says Samar. “At first I wanted to wear skirts like everybody else because I didn’t want to look different.

After the first year, I was cool with it and I thought it was good that I was following my religion and still playing tennis. It helped me educate other people about my religion.”

Initially, Samar’s teammates, such as East sophomore Leeah Floyd, were surprised by her leggings.

“At first, I wondered why she was wearing them,” says Floyd. “I didn’t ask her why.

I didn’t really care that she was wearing [leggings]; I just thought she would be really hot with [the leggings] on.”

Samar says that her teammates have been nothing but supportive of her decision. “[My teammates] have gotten used to it because I have known them for so long,” she says. “Sometimes they even help me pick out which leggings to wear with my [tennis] dress. I wear white leggings with my white dress so they blend in and don’t make my uniform look too different. Plus, my leggings are school colors!”

Samar describes her clothing choices as a balance between her religion and American culture. She says that she will start wearing hijab, a Muslim head covering, when she is older.

“My parents tell me I can [start wearing hijab] when I’m ready,” says Samar. “They won’t force me to do it.”

While it is a common misconception that Muslim women are oppressed, Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati member Nadeem Quraishi knows that to be false. Quraishi says that people see Muslim women wearing hijab and they think that they are forced to cover themselves.

Agreeing with Quraishi is Islamic Center tour guide Wardha Safdar. She herself wears hijab and says that she likes that people can see she is a Muslim. Regardless, she says that people should be liked based on personality, not appearance.

“If my husband married me because of how I look from the outside, and then [the] next day I’m in a car accident and become disfigured, he will leave me,” says Safdar. “If he marries me for who I am inside from my soul, from my personality, then even if I am disfigured, he will not leave me.”

Samar believes that when a Muslim woman chooses to start wearing the covering, it should be celebrated. She estimates that about

East senior Samar Sheriff teaches Arabic lettering to a young Muslim child

10 percent of her Muslim friends wear hijab. All of these girls made the decision because they thought they were ready. According to Samar, she adds that all of her friends’ parents are very understanding of American culture.

“I don’t know any parents who force their daughters to [wear hijab],” says Samar.

In America, it is a big decision to start to wear hijab, she says. In fact, one of Samar’s friends started wearing the traditional scarf over winter break. Samar and her friends are now throwing a surprise party to celebrate the girl’s choice.

Samar balances her life as a typical American high school student and as a devoted follower of Islam with skill. She is not only the captain of the East Varsity Girls’ Tennis team, but also the president of the Latin club and a member of East’s Science Olympiad Team. Samar is a dedicated Muslim and leader at her mosque. In addition to teaching Sunday school, Samar has been a key organizer in multiple service projects at the Islamic Center.

“I’m definitely one of the leaders [at the mosque],” she says.

Samar has helped served lunch at the Ronald McDonald house, going to the downtown Cincinnati neighborhood of Over the Rhine to serve food while fasting during Ramadan. She also helped organize an event in which a group went downtown and rebuilt a courtyard where less fortunate people lived. When Samar is not volunteering with groups from her mosque, she is

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creating the ark The Creation Museum has undergone a transformation over time, eventually leading to the building of the Ark Encounter. infographic candace dennis

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photo labeled for commerical reuse information creation museum

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1) Public school science teacher Ken Ham launched a creation ministry in Australia in 1979.

2) Ken and Mally Ham moved their family to America in 1987. Ken joined the Institute for Creation Research in San Diego.

3) Ken Ham started the Answers in Genesis (AiG) ministry in 1994, AiG’s first major seminar attracted 6,200 people in Denver.

4) The Answers radio program’s first broadcast was aired on 70 stations in the U.S. in 1994.

5) Ken purchased 47 acres in Northern Kentucky for the AiG ministry and its Creation Museum in 2000.

6) The Creation Museum office was opened in 2004.

7) Answersingenesis.org recieved up to 30,000 daily visits and won “NRB (National Religious Broadcaster) Website of the Year” award in 2006.

8) The 70,000 square foot Creation Museum opened in 2007.

9) The Planetarium and the Special Effects Theater opened on May 28, 2007.

10) The Dinosaur Den opened on July 4, 2007.

11) The mini-display on Charles Darwin was added in 2009.

12) The $24.5 million Ark Encounter will open in spring 2014.

researching at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, where her mother Tilat Rizvi works as a scientist.

“I’ve shadowed a lot of doctors,” says Samar. “The first summer I did research at Children’s, I was only volunteering. This past summer, I actually got paid for my work. I helped the research scientists with different experiments they were doing.”

While she is a mature leader, athlete and Samaritan, Samar has no problem relating to the students in her Sunday school class. While her teaching partner gets the students to practice their Arabic letters on the board, Samar is heard talking to the six-year-old girls about something that cannot be found in the Qur’an.

“Who is your favorite princess?” she asks. “Mine is Jasmine, from Aladdin. She’s supposed to be a Muslim, you know.”—Michael Tedesco

Creating a Faith Following the tour guide and several other families, the Weitzel family ambled through the unfamiliar facility to the first stop—the Stargazer’s Planetarium. Each person rushed to find the best seat in the room. The lights flicked off.

The movie commenced with soft, soothing music. The narrator began, enlightening the viewers on the complexities and vastness of planet Earth and mankind’s greatest accomplishment— traveling to the moon. As the presentation continued, the audience’s eyes widened and their mouths gaped at the astounding information of the history of the universe and humanity’s minute

34 | Spark | March 17, 2011

role as just one planet in just one solar system with just one star out of 200 billion stars in other systems.

After the 30-minute video, the viewers once again followed their tour guide. The journey through Creation had begun.

On May 28, 2007, just one month after the Weitzel family went on an exclusive guided tour, the $27 million Creation Museum opened its doors to a flood of 4,000 tourists from 38 states to be further educated about creation by God. The variety of exhibits informs viewers of the “7Cs” of life on Earth in order in which it happened in the Bible: creation, corruption, catastrophe, confusion, Christ, cross and consummation. The museum, however, focuses on Creation brought about in Genesis, the book of the Bible meaning “origins.” The three most important topics are Creation, Corruption and Catastrophe.

After the stop at the planetarium, the

Weitzel family, who owns lifetime passes to the museum because of a donation they made, drops the three children off at a workshop where they sculpt clay dinosaurs and encounter live reptiles.

The parents with the rest of the group then make their way to the opening exhibits. On the right are finch, fossil and chameleon cages. To the left are animatronic displays of dinosaurs roaming around on the left in a natural habitat with humans, foreshadowing the larger displays to come. The family then continues through the cave-like door to the fossil exhibit and the rest of the museum.

Following the tour guide through the fossil and the prominent Christian figure exhibit, which includes Moses, the prophet Isaiah and several apostles, the group is taken back 6,000 years in biblical history to the first life on Earth—Adam and Eve. The intricate exhibit takes them from Adam and Eve’s creation, to their sin, to their taking forbidden fruit and finally to their difficult life followed by sin.

After creation and corruption, the Weitzel family observes the catastrophe: the global flood in about 2000 B.C. that only few survived because of Noah’s Ark, according to the museum.

“They have the big wooden boat with statues that are moving so you can see a sample of the actual size of the boat,” says Barb Weitzel. “They always show in kids’ books this tiny little boat with the animals hanging out and that just wasn’t it.”

The family continues on to the last exhibit called The Dinosaur Den which includes several life-size dinosaurs sculpted with fact boxes that dispel popular rumors.

“Everything is just really well laid out as far as finding your way through the museum,” says Barb.

With 300,000 annual visitors and a cumulative 1.2 million tourists in just under three years, the Creation Museum is directed by the non-profit organization Answers in Genesis (AiG). AiG is directed by President and CEO Ken Ham, Co-founder and Vice President Mark Looy and Vice President Mike Zovath. In 2000, the ministry bought 47 acres to begin construction on the museum for its planned opening in 2007.

AiG chose the northern Kentucky and Cincinnati metropolitan area, because approximately 190 million Americans can easily drive to the museum in a day or less.

Because of donations, AiG has transformed the once $27 million dollar museum to a $35 million dollar museum with the addition of artifacts and a special-effects theater.

The theater sprays viewers with water during the description of the Great Flood and Noah’s Ark as well as shakes the seats during the narration of an earthquake.

“There are several other creation museums [in the country], but they are not what you

would call high-tech,” says Looy, a co-host of a daily radio show known as Answers. “This museum is unusual amongst creation museums because it [includes] animatronics and the planetarium.”

The museum receives no government tax money, like the Natural History Museums; the facility does, however, receive what Looy describes as “generous” donations from private donors in Washington and California, as well as international donations form Australia and Canada.

“We were surprised by how many Australians were going to come to see the Creation Museum,” says Looy, who is also Vice President of the Ministry Outreach programs.

“Many people who have heard [Ken Ham] speak in Canada and in Australia, and they were excited about our project which offers an alternative view of origins than what the public generally hears.”

“It’s not a question of belief; it is a question of scientific knowledge.”

According to the American Atheists Legal Director Edwin Kagin, the Free Inquiry Group (FIG), composed of atheists and secular humanists, disagrees with the “sinister things” that the museum teaches. The teachings of the museum contradict FIG’s mission statement, which is posted on its website, gofigger.com: “To foster a community of secular humanists dedicated to improving the human condition through rational inquiry and creative thinking unfettered by superstition, religion or any form of dogma.”

According to Kagin, the leader of the protest, when the Creation Museum opened, 50 protestors, including atheists, secular humanists and a Christian minister, “Rallied for Reason” to try to protect the “very method of science itself and scientific inquiry.”

Although Barb is Christian, she is tolerant

of other beliefs as well.

“I think [the protest] goes to show that people believe different things,” says Barb.

“There are a lot of people out there who don’t believe it. So you are always going to get people that don’t agree with you and have different ideas about things.”

Kagin says that the museum is “teaching myth and ancient Bronze Age stories and fables” as truth.

“I consider [the museum] to be almost terrorism against our country [because it] dumbs us down. In my opinion, it is a form of child abuse, by teaching children the world works other than the way it does,” says Kagin. “Saying you should believe in things based on authority and priesthoods and not experimentation, and not on finding out the truth [is wrong].”

While both Kagin and Looy agree that the museum is “extremely well-done” structurally, their opposing views about Earth’s creation and evolution sets them apart.

“We don’t believe in macroevolution at all,” says Looy. “Animals do change over time, but they don’t change into new or different animals. Dogs breed dogs, they don’t breed anything else.”

While Looy believes that animals can change through artificial selection, Kagin supports the theory of Evolution and Natural Selection presented by Darwin.

“Evolution is not something you believe in. It’s not a belief system. It is something you learn,” says Kagin, “It is like saying, ‘Do you believe in the multiplication table?’ It’s not a question of belief; it is a question of scientific knowledge.”

Looy says that the museum does not have as many people attending the museum as evolution-promoting natural history museums because public schools do not allow their students to be taught about creation.

Despite the fact that the museum’s content does not follow the evolution curriculum, Lakota Local School District Interim Superintendent Ron Spurlock says that a public school field trip to the museum would be acceptable as long as it follows a specific set of guidelines outlined in Board Policy 7104.

The trip to the museum would have a lot of variables to consider, such as the purpose of the trip, the curriculum context in which the trip was planned and the subject area in which the lessons would be taught.

“I think it is acceptable to teach evolution as long as it is taught as scientific theory, not fact, and follows curriculum guidelines laid out by the state,” says Spurlock.

AiG speaker Georgia Purdom, who holds a Ph.D. in molecular biology, says that science is subjective and depends on the person doing the research; especially when a person is dealing with historical science or origins. Belief also God plays a major part in how a person views

35 | Spark | lehsspark.org

the world today.

“If we believe what the Bible says about marriage and parenting and salvation and Jesus Christ returning, then we also have to believe it when it talks about these other parts too, otherwise we are being very inconsistent,” says Purdom.

To adhere to every aspect of the Bible, the ministry plans to build a full-size, 500-feet long Noah’s Ark, 40 miles away from the museum.

While Looy and Purdom are excited about the latest $24.5 million project that will further explain creation by God, Kagin feels like he is “in the middle of a mission territory.”

Continuing with the “burden” of reaching young people, as well as adults, who are wrestling over the question of creation versus evolution according to Looy, AiG hopes to spread their message through the ark..— Natasha Rausch

Epiphanies of Faith

“One time this boy said to our group, ‘Thank you Lord, for letting us all be gathered around together, except for this one sinner in our group.’ And he just looked at me,” he says.“I would get made fun of every week and the leaders would watch it happen,” he

describes. “And they would just be like, ‘Whatever, it’s OK to make fun of him.’”

Alex Bach* was on the way to becoming a confirmed adult in his previous Christian church.

For two years he attended weekly religious classes in addition to regular Sunday service. bBut he could not complete his journey due to intolerance, because this boy, who wears a silver cross necklace every day, is homosexual.

“I felt ashamed, [as though] no one liked me,” he confesses. “[I felt that I] I did not deserve to be there.”

He could no longer face the torture of his peers, and according to Alex his family left their previous church to find one that was more accepting of his sexuality. Crossroads, an interdenominational Christian church, welcomed them with open arms.

“We’re an equal-opportunity offender because the Bible is an equal-opportunity offender. We welcome everybody exactly where they are,” says Senior Pastor of Crossroads Brian Tome. “I admire [the] people here who are continuing to wrestle with homosexuality, and are continuing to feel love where they are. We love you being here, whatever you’re doing sexually. We love you being here.”

Alex, who volunteers to entertain and educate young children about the Bible every Sunday at Crossroad’s “Kids Club,” believes that if his family did not find Crossroads, he “probably wouldn’t even believe in God.” The difficulty of finding acceptance in a church, however, was much easier than finding acceptance in the extended Bach family.

Alex’s mother Marilyn Bach* knows he did not “choose to be this way” and cannot change who he is. When Alex was in the eighth grade, his mother found out that her son was gay by inadvertently reading a text message Alex had received from his friend’s high-school aged cousin, Alex’s secret boyfriend at the time.

“My mom was really cool with my homosexuality. She was like, ‘You’re gay?’ And I go, ‘Yep!’ and she goes, ‘OK, that’s cool,’” says Alex. “Being homosexual doesn’t define me. It’s just who I love and who I am with. I definitely see my faith as being more important than my sexuality. It is how God made me.”

Upon hearing the news, Alex’s divorced father Dave Bach*, was so shocked about his son’s sexuality that he did not know how to handle it. Dave called his brother, a fundamentalist pastor living in Colorado along with most of Dave’s family. Alex’s uncle presented his nephew

ATTENDING SERVICES The frequency at which American teens attend religious services . infographic daham marapane

information pew forum

Never

16%

Seldom A few times a year Once or twice a month

36 | Spark | March 17, 2011

Once a week

24%

More than once a week

24%

11% 18%

15%

with a pamphlet that he had written for his church, describing all of the things that are prohibited in that religion. Beyond the dangers of Halloween and the rules about not eating shellfish, three pages describe how the sin of homosexuality will send one to “rot in Hell” and says that homosexuality is a choice.

The pamphlet was a fundamental part of Alex’s journey, as he never thought that homosexuality was wrong or even mentioned in the Bible until he read the life-shattering pamphlet. Despite his two brothers’ and parents’ acceptance of his sexual orientation, the words would not escape his thoughts, whether he was in his room doing homework, relaxing on his family room sectional couch or in his church’s chapel pondering and praying about his life.

“I feel like when you go around your family, you’re supposed to feel safe. When I went [to Colorado] I felt like I was just back at school, being made fun of and all that,” muses Alex.

The 16-year-old attended Mason City Schools before transferring to the School of Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA) in downtown Cincinnati halfway through his freshman year.

While still at Mason, Alex’s older brother John Bach* and his neighbors defended Alex at school when he was faced with cruel comments.

“I’d hear kids around school talking about [his homosexuality],” says John. “I’d step in and say something [to] put a stop to it pretty [quickly] and try to [stop it from spreading.]”

After a prayer to God during one service, Alex made the first step in feeling comfortable once again with his sexuality. At his previous church, he often lit the candles every week before service and would sit with the pastors, praying for a source of comfort in accepting his sexuality.

“While I was with the pastors I would sit and pray every Sunday not to be gay,” describes Alex. “And then one week I just had this epiphany where I felt like God was telling me, ‘It’s OK. It is OK to be gay.’”

A second step in his “turning point” in religion happened the summer after his freshman year of high school. Alex participated in the Christian music festival Cornerstone with teens and youth leaders from Crossroads Church. They went to “a valley in the middle of nowhere” and camped out for one week.

The teenagers split into ten groups and every group had to lead a discussion each night after meals. Wanting an interesting topic, Alex’s group chose to speak about religion and homosexuality, which drew the attention of many campers. One timid boy admitted that upon hearing what Alex said, he no longer felt embarrassed about his brother and uncle’s homosexuality.

“It felt great to finally get through to someone. It felt great that someone took

38 | Spark | March 17, 2011

something away from [my story,]” says Alex.

“And it just made me realize that there is the type of people I want to be around. This is the [faith] I love practicing. I still love talking about it and spreading the Word.”

“I definitely see my faith as being more important than my sexuality.

It is how God made me.”

By “spreading the Word,” Alex has deepened the faith of the Bach family, with his father “digging deeper into the Bible” to find inner strength and personal understanding.

“Religion is a journey,” expresses Dave.

“It’s not something you wake up one day and have all figured out. It’s a lifestyle—not a once a week activity.”

Wherever faith will lead Alex, he will always have his silver cross around his neck, his immediate family and God to support him.

“I feel like I’m at a good point in my faith now,” says Alex. “And I’m still able to go further.”—Bridget Lally

Snooze or Devotion Sunday morning: a time for sleeping in after a hardcore Saturday night party and sending an awkward first text to that new person from the night before. To the people who party like there is no tomorrow, Sunday is “the day after.”

For another group of high school teenagers, however, Sunday morning is the same routine of worship followed by a weekly youth group.

So while some are sleeping off a party from the previous night, others are sitting in a service of their own will and building new relationships— just in a different way.

East senior Kyle Pendleton, who chooses church every Sunday, is just like every other teenager. He wakes up to an alarm and presses the snooze button too many times, never has

enough time to actually eat breakfast and goes through “seven hours of boring classes like everyone else.” He comes home exhausted and sometimes takes a nap before starting homework, hanging out and then going to bed.

The only difference that separates him from other busy teenagers is that Pendleton uses his relationship with a higher power to improve his other relationships.

“A relationship with Christ is based on forgiveness,” says Pendleton. “He encourages forgiveness, and that’s an important factor in building relationships with others. Without my connection with Christ I wouldn’t be the same person and my other relationships would falter.”

In high school, teens become exposed to an entirely new culture on a daily basis.

Thus teenagers begin to wonder why they believe what they were raised to believe as children. Associate Professor of Psychology and director of the Center for Organizational Leadership at the University of Cincinnati Dr. Donna Chrobot-Mason notes that it is not until high school that teenagers become skeptical of their surroundings and question their own personal beliefs.

“This is very much a time for [teens] to develop themselves now that they’re exposed to other people,” says Chrobot-Mason. “It is very natural and healthy for [them] to do this at this age.”

According to Chrobot-Mason’s research on “identity-based conflict,” every human has two basic needs: a sense of belonging and a sense of individuality that results in the fulfillment of one’s self esteem. Religion meets both these needs, establishing a teenager’s values and purpose in life. Chrobot-Mason also sees that during these adolescent years, teens respond to negative interaction by pulling apart from others, and respond to positive interactions by pulling together with those around them.

“Religion provides guidance, how to interact with one another,” says Chrobot-Mason. “It helps us prepare for long-term relationships.”

Pendleton, who attends a Southern Baptist Liberty Heights Church has fallen in love with his youth group, attending to “take a break from the world” alongside others with whom he has a close relationship.

“It’s nice to go somewhere where everyone knows each other,” says Pendleton.

This sense of community to the 17-yearold is a very important reason for him to come to church. According to Director of Christian Formation at Christ Church Glendale Joe Snavely, churches foster a different environment than what teens are exposed to every day at school, one of value and respect to help a teenager grow in his or her relationship with God. Snavely contends that religion’s influence can be boiled down to one word— relationships.

“If there’s one word for [religion’s] impact,

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World Religion Statistics The top three monotheistic

1.5 billion 2.1 bi

world, ranked by membership.

17 million

Islam

llion

Chri

(single-god) religions in the

Judaism

962

stian

ity

1990 1747 13.2

1990

Forecast of believers by religion in millions

1990 3052

The top two polytheistic

2229

(multiple gods) religions in the world, ranked by membership.

Hinduism

Forecast of Hindu believers by the millions

1200

800 600

Buddhism

2050

376 million

Forecast of Buddhist believers by the millions

2050

14% Hinduism

21% Islam

686 1990

800

16%

Nonreligious

1175

1000

0

205

900 million

16.7

6%

Buddhism

2050 0.22%

Judaism

12.78%

Other

33% Christianity

A 2008 Harris-Decima survey: A person is seven percent more likely to be nonreligious if he/she lives in urban areas.

600

425 infographic ellen fleetwood

400

323

200 1990

2050

The Top Five Atheist Countries in the World

85%

2. Vietnam

81%

3. Denmark

80%

4. Norway

72%

5. Japan

65%

40 | Spark | March 17, 2011

75 50

25 0

Percentage of Atheists by Country

information adherents.com, harris-decima, cographya.biz

1. Sweden

it’s on relationships,” says Snavely. “[Relating to God] is a lifelong process. It changes like a friend would.”

Pendleton sees this lifelong process already beginning to form in his everyday life with some of the people closest to him, including his friends and family.

“My relationship with Christ is constantly developing,” says Pendleton. “High school is hard, and I wouldn’t have been able to make it without Him.” Chrobot-Mason believes that teens need to explore their beliefs individually, seeing that being forced into any sort of religion can cause a backlash and may make teenagers feel that their beliefs and values are not their own. She sees that a balance between parental input and guidance and personal exploration is necessary.

Snavely believes that when teens make spiritual decisions on their own, they tend to learn more from this decision.

“There’s something that resonates with

them to claim their faith as their own, something of value,” says six-year Christian Formation Director Snavely Pendleton’s church history shows that he agrees with the importance of making this decision on a personal level. When he was younger, church used to be a “chore” for him—something he mindlessly did every Sunday because he was obligated to do so. But now, he attends on his own will, valuing his relationship with God because he has always wanted it for himself.

“I go because I want to, and I’m going to keep [attending] throughout my college years,” says Pendleton, who plans to attend Cedarville University, a Christian college, to become surrounded with outgoing, spiritual people.

Pendleton added that he did not initially realize the significance of his religion. “[Being at church] didn’t really mean anything to me until I became a little older. [The knowledge of God] was always just another fact, like school, that I had to know. But I realized that [this relationship] is more important than anything else,” says Pendleton.

For East junior Radhika Patel, relationships are built through her service and volunteer work, as she volunteers at two hospitals on a regular basis. Her service to others exemplifies how she is impacted by her religion, Hinduism, and how she makes an effort to see how others live. But the most rewarding of her experiences is teaching young children at her Hindu temple, Bochasanwasi Shree Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan.

On most Sundays, Patel can be found teaching elementary school-aged children Hindu values, such as respect, forgiveness and honesty. The lesson of “being in others’ shoes” has become clear to Patel and her young students, instructing them to see how another’s life is, and always help those in need.

Mapping Out Religion

Numerous religious events across the country have influenced religious perceptions in America.

infographic kali martin An Oregon youth camping group run by the Seventh-day Adventist Church and the worldwide headquaters has been sued by a former member, claiming he stuffed sexual abuse before and after informing church authorities.

A Los Angeles mosque was broken into by a former FBI informant that performed random surveillance, which violated the constitutional rights of Muslims.

information foxnews.com

The Kentucky Creation Museum denied entry of a gay couple on Feb. 11th, the museums date-night event.

Vatican’s High Court consultant of Albany, N.Y. believes Andrew Cuomo shouldn’t recieve the Ctholic Sacarment of Holy Communion because he is not married to his live-in girlfriend, Food Network star Sandra Lee.

A projected Tennessee law would make being an enthusiant of Islamic code, also known as Shariah Law, a felony which would entail a penalty of 15 years in jail.

The Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino had over 1,200 22-to 45-year-olds sign up for the TribeFest 2011, sonsored by the Jewish Federations of North America, which aims to connect Jewish young adults culturally and spiritually.

41 | Spark | lehsspark.org

Patel has worked tirelessly with the same small group group of children to develop a connection with them through the belief they share. Although they are young, Patel still feels that the kids respect her, a lesson she teaches them to adopt. Feeling that the children look up to her like their “big sis” is all Patel needs to keep her motivated to attend her temple.

“My motivation is when you get that warm feeling inside you when you know you did something right and that you made a small difference in a big world,” expresses Patel. “Teaching them [also] helps me refine my qualities, which helps me communicate better with peers.”

Patel has been influenced by the young children in her life, including her sibling. She benefits in a highly personal way that helps her to develop her own friendships. Through this aspect, Patel and Pendleton share a common religious thread.

“Religions all have the same purpose, no matter what you believe in,” says Patel. “I have definitely built a relationship with these young kids, not just through beliefs but also through things we do out of the Temple. We hold little activities where we just hang out.”

For teens like Pendleton and Patel who have a driver’s license, transportation to and from church activities are not a problem. For others who do not have easily accessible transportation on a regular basis, getting involved in their religion can be a difficult task.

42 | Spark | March 17, 2011

photo sierra whitlock

East senior Ryan Miller intends to become a pastor and will attend Liberty University in the fall.

Parents and teens today have tightlypacked schedules. From work to children, school to sports and everything in between, students sometimes find it difficult to rely on their parents to be available to drive them from place to place. Both Snavely and Chrobot-Mason agree that teenagers and their parents are “overscheduled,” which makes it difficult for teens to find time or methods to get to a place of worship, let alone find time to have a moment to themselves to explore what they believe.

East sophomore Julia Higgins is one such overscheduled teenager. Between band, art and homework, Higgins has very little extra time on her hands. Because her parents do not attend church frequently, she has only occasionally attended with a friend.

Finding a way to get to church is a problem for Higgins, even though she is willing to go.

Higgins chose to return to church because she felt her friend’s Unitarian Universalist Church fits her beliefs. Although a spiritual person, she believes that church is also necessary to consciously think about her life.

“I think it’s a good idea to go to church,” says Higgins. “If not to worship, at least to reflect on life and what it means to be a good person.”

According to Chrobot-Mason, teens focus on commonalities when looking to fulfill their basic needs and build their faith as well as improve on their old relationships with relatives and friends. For some, religion is the answer to finding these strengthened and unique relationships. For many other teens today, these personal connections are pieced together by similar interests and activities.

Religion’s impact has been growing over the generations, according to the National Study of Youth and Religion. The study reports that approximately 82 percent of teens say they are affiliated with a local congregation, and 52 percent attend worship two to three times a month or more often.

So after the partiers have made new friends and added new contacts to their contact list, those attending church. They have a unique way of making and strengthening their relationships. In tandem with a higher power, every friendship is taken to new heights all because, in Snavely’s perspective, these teens view religion as a “destination, not an obligation.”—Laura Shrake

A Hidden Desire And the Apostle Paul wrote: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12; English Standard Version) For East senior Ryan Miller, this verse is literal. Ryan is a state champion wrestler and

recently took first place in the Greater Miami Conference (GMC) wrestling 130-pound weight class. His future plans do not focus solely on wrestling, however, as he has been securing plans to enter the ministry as a Baptist pastor for years.

According to Miller, this fascination with God and determination to continue serving was not decided lightly. He was spiritually moved and “called” to advanced his spiritual goals.

“I felt tugged toward something—I just want to help people,” says Miller. “I was at a church camp, the Wilds, in North Carolina.

[Someone] was preaching, and I remember making a commitment saying, ‘Hey, this is what I want to do with the rest of my life.’”

This feeling is not unlike the feeling that Miller experiences as he attends church weekly.

“Personally, I feel fulfilled when I’m at church,” he says. “I like that feeling. In my personal life I feel closer to God and I enjoy every minute of it.”

Miller, however, was unsure about his career choice and never revealed it to anyone, including his parents. His secret was secure until his parents stumbled upon an essay he wrote for school.

“Ryan was using my computer to print out his English paper, and he left it open when he went to go get it [off the printer],” says Ryan’s father and East math teacher Gerald Miller.

“I started reading through it, and Ryan talked about [his desire to become a pastor].”

Gerald did not immediately reveal his knowledge of Ryan’s dreams, but finally asked his son about the meaning of the essay a few days later at dinner.

“His mother and I would’ve always told you he was going to be a minister, but for a while there we were not sure,” says Gerald, speaking about his son’s ambivalence when deciding a career. “He hadn’t shown interest for a while, so we really doubted [he would enter the ministry].”

When he was younger, the ministry drew all of Ryan’s attention. According to his father, Ryan grew up with the dream of becoming a military chaplain, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather’s past careers of military service. These plans changed, however, when Ryan came to the realization that a chaplain would be like any soldier, until taking on an active chaplain’s role around age 60.

Ryan has contemplated his career choice on a personal basis, weighing the benefits and downsides of a possible career in military service. His parents, though, have been doing the same for their son.

“I would never tell him not to anything, whether that was the military or the priesthood.

God is always in control of your life. Everything we do is to glorify God,” says Gerald. “Ryan started looking into [the military], but was concerned when he really found out what [it entailed]. At that point he really turned from

the military and focused more on [different things].”

Ryan’s parents are confident that whatever their son decides will be worthwhile and attainable for their son.

“We are blessed as a family, and Ryan is no exception,” says Gerald. “He was blessed with a good brain, so it helps him keep everything in perspective. I’m sure it will help him wherever God chooses to lead him.”

“And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:11-12) Since his decision to join the ministry, Ryan’s life, when not consumed by wrestling and spending time with his friends on the weekends, has revolved around his religious ties and has been dominated by the religious figures in his life. After recently changing churches, moving from Tri-County Baptist Church and losing touch with a youth pastor who had been influential to Ryan, he connected with members of the congregation at Lakota Hills Baptist Church, where the Miller family now attends.

Ryan has attended the high school Sunday school class, led by John Cline. Whereas he is humorous and brings the scripture to life, Cline also has a deep personal connection to his faith, according to Ryan. It is this connection that has allowed both Cline and Ryan to form such a strong bond.

Cline had only recently encountered Ryan’s intentions in joining the ministry, but upon hearing the plans of the 18-year-old, he was far from surprised. Cline views Ryan with immense respect and dignity, brought on by both participation in class and insightful comments to help drive biblical discussion and growth.

“Ryan’s personality and the way he acts comes from an overall compassion for people,” says Cline. “This skill will help him in the future, no matter what career he chooses, but especially in the ministry. A minister is just a regular person, but he makes different choices, [like devoting his life to God].”

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28) Ryan has rededicated his life to the ministry after discussing his intentions with Pastor Travis Smalley of Lakota Hills Baptist Church.

Though Smalley has not been with Ryan on his full spiritual journey, after discussion with him and several encounters over everything from dating to life goals, with agrees that Ryan’s priesthood is a “blessed endeavor.”

“You don’t have to ask him to do anything, and he doesn’t need attention,” says Smalley, describing Ryan’s humility. “He is always the first one to help, and this dedication, this compassion will make him powerful as a pastor. Preaching is one thing, but the ability of a pastor to be compassionate is always

important.”

Such compassion has defined Ryan’s undeniable character. Every person who knows him describes him first as humble and also as compassionate.

“Every person that knows Ryan sees him [as a] compassionate, hard-working individual.

Beyond the church doors he accomplishes so much,” says Smalley. “God has called him, and God will equip him. You can’t change innate ability in a person.”

“Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them.” (Matthew 5:12) A single light shines down on an empty stage; a sole performer walks out to deliver a short monologue. At first stammering, but later calmer, more relaxed. Few would have guessed, however, that before this year, even this task, performed in front of only one East Theater class, would have been impossible.

“Well, I’ve actually told people [about my career plans], and they were taken aback,” says Ryan. “A pastor, a priest; [those who know me] know I don’t speak well [in front of people].

They don’t see how I could stand up and preach.”

This characterization is not surprising for most people, least of all Ryan’s friends, who are accustomed to seeing him acting behind the scenes and staying out of the view of most people. As Smalley says, Ryan’s lack of confidence compares him to some of history’s most profound leaders and preachers.

“Moses couldn’t speak well, so he instructed Aaron, who then talked to the people,” says Smalley. “He will not need to be the center of attention. He just needs the desire to help and [the] willingness to work.”

Despite his struggles, Ryan promises a noble and well fulfilled future. He plans to attend Liberty University next year and eventually to move on to seminary. Until then, though, he plans on keeping his options between religion and wrestling open.

“There are lots of religiously charged people [at Liberty] who will help me decide on my choices in life,” says Ryan. “I want to see where I can go through wrestling [as well] if I can make it to the Olympics or something, but probably not. I don’t know where I’ll go to seminary, but that is the next step.”

Smalley will always be rooting for Ryan, praying for the best and remaining confident in the knowledge that Ryan will succeed at whatever he does.

“Everything will fall in place for him,” says Smalley. “The Lord will lead him in his every endeavor and will take care of him.”

—Andrew Breland

Spark

Learn about other different religions at lehsspark.org 43 | Spark | lehsspark.org

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Debunkifying Salad

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W

hile there are various types of salads—egg, chicken, pasta and fruit—the kind that teenagers tend to avoid is the traditional saladwith its bland greens. Only 13 percent of East students eat salad every day. Students like East senior Erika Andler, however, have found ways to mix up the flavors of the dish, keeping their lunches new and fresh.

As a vegetarian who eats salad on a daily basis, Andler values the seemingly infinite options for her leafy concoctions.

“You can put cranberries or eggs in it; you can basically throw any kind of leftovers you have on it and make it different every day,” says Andler, who prefers cranberry pecan salad from Wendy’s. “The darker the leaves, the better the vitamins and nutrients in the salad. Without carbohydrates, it’s a great, filling choice.”

In fact, avoiding iceberg lettuce in favor of romaine lettuce, baby greens and fresh spinach provides fiber, manganese, folate and vitamins A, C and K, according to Spark People nutritionist Tanya Jolliffe. These nutrients aid digestion, develop bones and cartilage, form red blood cells, promote healthy eyes, boost the immune system and form blood clots. Jolliffe adds that the common belief that greens have no nutritional value is a myth.

Another salad myth is that fresh lettuce is superior to bagged lettuce due to preservative content in the packaged greens. Jolliffe says, however, that both will provide the same nutrition.

“Bagged lettuce will save [preparation] time, but it is at a higher cost. If you need to save time, bagged is a helpful choice, and if you want to save money, fresh lettuce is probably the better choice,” says Jolliffe.

14

Each issue, Spark explores nutritious dining options for each meal.

Jolliffe comments that portion control for fatty salad toppings, like cheese and dressing, is key, and different combinations of vegetables and fruits can jazz up a salad selection.

“Including fresh, canned or dried fruits adds a sweetness that can help temper the slightly bitter taste of some vegetables. They also provide color and texture, not to mention nutrition, to your salad bowl,” says Jolliffe.

“Chopped apples, pears, grapes or mandarin oranges are excellent salad toppers.”

While some like Andler choose salad for its variety, East senior Ryan Miller eats salad about every other week to avoid weight gain before varsity wrestling matches.

“I have to choose light foods so I can make my weight class, but I also need enough energy so that I can perform well,” says Miller, whose favorite option is grilled chicken Caesar. “Salad works great for that.”

East senior Kayla Barker eats spinach salad everyday and has noticed the impact the nutrition has on her body.

“The first time I gave blood this past December, there was a lady next to me who had already started to give just before I got there. About four minutes after I began giving blood, I was already caught up to the lady. She was surprised. She said, ‘Why are you such a fast bleeder?’ Then I remembered that spinach is a natural blood thinner, and I eat it every day, so it made sense,” says Barker.

“I guess that’s a good thing for giving blood, but not if I got in an accident!” n

Fried chicken

How To Top Your Salad

12

Fruitful Baby Spinach Salad Ingredients

1/3 c almonds, slivered 4 c baby spinach 3/4 c strawberries, quartered 1 T balsamic vinegar 1 t Dijon mustard 1 t honey 3 T extra virgin olive oil Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1) Place the almonds in a dry skillet or saute pan. Cook over low heat, shaking the pan the entire time until the almonds are toasting.

2) While almonds cool, wash and dry the spinach and place it in a large bowl.

3) Prepare the dressing by placing the vinegar, mustard and honey in a mixing bowl.

Slowly whisk in the oil until all is incorporated.

4) Add strawberries, almonds and dressing. Toss to coat. If desired, season with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Nutritional Info Serving Size: 1 cup Servings per Recipe: 4

10

Cheddar cheese

Fat (g)

Bacon

8 6

Caesar dressing Ranch dressing

Calories: 162.5 Total Fat: 15.2g

Hardboiled eggs

Cholesterol: 0 mg

Salmon Tofu

4 2

Almonds Feta cheese Chickpeas

Fruits

RECOMMENDED TOPPINGS

2

4

6

8 Protein (g)

10

20

22

24

information the biggest loser complete calorie counter

46 | Spark | March 17, 2011

Total Carbs: 26.5g Dietary Fiber: 6.2g

~ ~

Lemon juice

Tuna

Black beans

Vegetables Salsa

Sodium: 49.5 mg Grilled chicken

Protein: 2.7g

lifestyle | 8 things

Canon Rebel T2I Each issue, a member of the Spark discusses his or her current favorite eight items.

This digital single lens reflex camera delivers the image and video quality expected in $1,500 cameras. At $850, it is about half the price of its big brother, Canon’s 50D, and almost provides close to the same quality, making it a great value.

View Blade Goggles

In the world of competitive swimming, intimidating goggles are necessary. These goggles have an unorthodox, sharp-looking design that strikes fear into the hearts of competitors.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Although it was released over a year ago, the vivid, warlike experience blows away newer games like Call of Duty: Black Ops.

08

Tropicana Orange Juice With its great taste and vitamin C, this addicting drink is easily the best drink to wake up to.

Archer Its raunchy commercials make most soccer moms cringe, but the subtle aspects of the humor are just as hilarious as the show’s frequent sexual puns. H. Jon Benjamin perfectly portrays superspy Sterling Archer.

things of the moment

Pastrami While turkey and roast beef might steal the spotlight, pastrami is the best-tasting, most underrated lunch meat.

It can take any sandwich to a level of tastiness previously unattainable.

Fuzzy Dice Fuzzy Dice add flair and personality to any car and can amplify anyone’s street credibility. These dice are so stylish that they can make a ladykiller out of even the most awkward person.

GNC Wheybolic Amplified Protein This protein is one of the best on the market. Like other proteins, it repairs muscle tissue and aids in muscle growth, but its delicious taste sets apart this protein from its competitors.

Kyle Morrison CHRISTIAN ROEHM

47 | Spark | lehsspark.org

RE lifestyle | fashion feature

story tyler kieslich photos sierra whitlock

East senior CJ Washington might be most easily identified by his bright red skinny jeans. But his personality and interests are more unique than his fashion sense.

48 | Spark | March 17, 2011

CJ Washington is wearing red pants.

The East senior also sports a red T-shirt, emblazoned proudly with images of death, devils and other debauchery. It has the logo of his favorite band, Slayer, the ‘80s thrash-metal demigods, and an upside-down pentagram that could frighten small children and make the weary weep openly. Oh, and the Chuck Taylors he wears every day, they’re red too. From a distance he is a blurry explosion of color and posture. If you squint he looks like a New Jersey Devil.

Now he is standing in a dark and dingy basement. It is cold, drafty. A naked light bulb dangles from the ceiling, wobbly, dim, not emitting nearly enough light to properly illuminate the room. The wind howls through a window, whistling ghost-sounds. There is a storm brewing somewhere in the distance. It could be the type of place Jeffery Dahmer stored the dismembered human parts of his victims, or where Texans rest after a long day of chainsaw massacring. But today it serves a slightly more innocent purpose. Today it is a meeting place for metal-heads.

CJ plugs in his Epiphone guitar, which is also red, pale in comparison to the pants, which glow, which glimmer, which can be seen from the heavens, and he begins to play. This is his

band, and they are nameless but enthusiastic, fast and loud albeit a little unrefined. They play metal, as no other brand of rock ‘n’ roll appeals to the Viking bezerkers that inhabit the tender portions of their hearts. They play metal, as they are testosterone-filled machines with an insatiable lust for double-kick drums and guitar solos. The first song, which CJ says later is called “The Milwaukee Cannibal,” is a brief narrative about the exploits of the aforementioned Dahmer. The subject matter is horrific, CJ admits, but there is something about the idea of evil in its purest earthly form that fascinates him.

“Hey, man, I just think it’s interesting,” he says. “I just like looking up stuff about him.

Like, what would make someone go crazy like that? That’s why I write songs about that kind of stuff; it just interests me.”

There is definitely an aesthetic to CJ’s songwriting, however grotesque it is. The next song is called “The Rack,” affectionately named after a medieval torture device in which victims were tied to a board and essentially stretched apart until they snapped in two.

“There’s this other one, called the Jug. It’s sort of the same idea as the Rack, but instead of pulling you apart, they sort of crunched you inward,” he says later. He can talk for hours

ED East senior CJ Washington sports his signature red attire

about torture devices. His eyes widen at the mention of them. You could say it’s a hobby.

CJ’s mother calls down from the top of the stairs, reminding him that it is seven o’clock and therefore time for the head banging to adjourn, at least for the remainder of the evening. He doesn’t think she cares much for the red pants or the heavy metal.

“I think she just doesn’t like the whole ‘sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll’ thing.’ I think she’s nervous about me falling into all of that, if this is what I end up doing.”

This whole metal thing is kind of a big deal for CJ. Next year he plans to go to Raymond Walters College, the University of Cincinnati branch campus, partly to study electrical engineering, but mostly to stay home and keep the band alive. This latest one is new, still unsure of itself, but CJ has been in enough bands to know that this is what he wants to do.

Well, for now.

For the longest time he wanted to play professional soccer. There is a pair of his old soccer shorts hung up on the washing-machine that chugs and churns a few paces away from the drum kit, probably acting as some metaphor, but definitely serving as a reminder of who CJ used to be. He was a varsity goalie, played for a highly competitive club team, the

whole bit. But one day he woke up and realized that he just didn’t want to do it anymore. He still plays for fun in recreational leagues, which is probably why the shorts are still out in the first place, but those days of traveling all over the state and dreaming of Major League stardom are over.

The instruments are shut off and CJ goes upstairs to grab Jones sodas for everyone.

There are hundreds of empty cans scattered around the basement, all of them green apple.

When he comes back down he tells a story about how he works at Meijer and knows where the boxes of Jones are kept in the back, so he takes them and buys them up front, so as to get first dibs. A little extreme, but there are worse problems to have.

Somewhere amongst the empty Jones cans is a large, menacing white elephant, sprawled out between the washing machine and the drum kit. Here is CJ, so intensely involved in a brand of music so blatant and overt. But he is not what convention woud have a metal-head look like. There is some idea that white people listen to this, and black people listen to that, and that musical taste and cultural heritage somehow go hand in hand. But CJ does not fit into a conveinient little box, is not easily categorized or defined. His red pants are nothing if not

large and protruding. They could never be easy indicators of some stereotype.

“I never really ascribed anything racial to it,” he says. “It was my uncle that taught me how to play guitar, so there was never anything from my family’s end. Except for the little bit I hear from my mother, and that is just a mom thing.”

He wipes his brow, takes a sip of the Jones.

CJ shrugs, frankly, uneasily.

“You know the thing you need to know about CJ?” says East senior Daniel Hoffman, who is seated still behind the drum kit. “He is the least self-conscious person I know. He does what he wants. I think the red pants show that.

He displays himself how he wants and doesn’t care about what others think.”

If there is one thing to know about CJ Washington, it is just this. The heavy metal and the talk about medieval torture devices, however taboo or gruesome or unpleasant, these are the things he enjoys, not pretentiously, but in a completely genuine and absolute way.

Maybe the all-red shtick isn’t exactly a fashion statement, and maybe heads turn at the sight of the red skinny jeans, but it is hard to fathom a greater convergence of personality and fashion sense. Yes, CJ Washington is wearing red pants.

But CJ Washington also doesn’t give a damn what you think about it. n

49 | Spark | lehsspark.org

lifestyle | yoga

Meditation Education Many see yoga as a series of stretches and breathing exercises, but that is only a small part of the Eastern philosophy. story nikki kaine | photo illustration jill bange, emily merrick, sierra whitlock

T

ree. Forward bend. Spinal twist. Warrior.

Downward-facing dog. Lunge. Plow.

Cobra. Child’s pose. Bridge. Sitting pose.

Corpse. These are all images that come to mind when the word “yoga” is mentioned. But this modern view is not what gurus and the ancient creators of the practice in India intended.

Originating in India more than 5,000 years ago, yoga is a system of intricate training techniques that awakens the mind. Yoga does not just consist of poses, known as asana, but also consists of a system of academic study, chants, peaceful actions and a variety of techniques based on controlled breathing and concentration.

“The word yoga means to yoke together, or bind back, our sense of separateness from all things back to wholeness and oneness with all things,” says William Brashear, president of Cincinnati Yoga School and author of The Yoga of Religion.

“The word religion comes from two Latin words: re- to bind back; legio- to make whole. In other words yoga is just the Sanskrit word for religion. Really, any practice in the world, whether knitting, basketball, asana or weightlifting, as long as it is used in a way that leads to unity and feeling a state of wholeness, is yoga,” explains Brashear.

Many Westerners have adopted yoga, a practice of the mind, body and spirit as a strictly stretching and muscle toning exercises.

“In modern times, the relative position of the postures has been elevated, so as to lead people to believe that the word ‘yoga’ refers to physical postures or asanas, and that the goal of these is physical fitness; terribly misleading and confusing people about the true nature of

50 | Spark | March 17, 2011

authentic yoga,” explains Swami Jnaneshvara, a student and teacher of the Himalayan tradition of meditation, yoga, vedanta and internal tantra.

The word “Swami” is a Hindu honorific title, derived from Sanskrit and means master of oneself. Jnaneshvara is a yogi who has been initiated into the religious monastic order. The late Swami Ram,a who passed away in 1996 was an inspirational teacher of the Himalayas and a master of yoga, vedanta, and tantra.

In 1999, Jnaneshvara was initiated as Dandi Swami, the most honorific swami initiation in the Shankara tradition, in which a Danda, or

Yoga is not a religion; yoga is religion. staff is bestowed.

Many westerners’ ideas of yoga tend to contradict Jnaneshvara and Brashear’s philosophy of true yoga. East senior Jenni Martin is among them.

“I go to the gym to do yoga just to stay toned,” says Martin.

Jnaneshvara has worked his entire life creating an informative website to educate this misinformation.

“The fact that physical postures, or modern revisions, are effective is not the question.

Doing asanas is beneficial, but calling it Yoga is a different matter,” says Jnaneshvara.

Many people do not understand the relationship between Hindu and Buddhist meditation and yoga. Most authentic yoga teachers and gurus work their whole lives to answer this question. The ideas that formed yoga in India came about years prior to 500 B.C., when Gautama the Buddha founded Buddhism.

Though yoga was invented before Buddhism or Hinduism, people, many of them westerners, confuse this fact.

“Yoga is a spiritual system with a physical component. Many people in the West think it is a physical and beauty cult, while others think it is a religion. All of this has obscured the real meaning of yoga,” explains Jnaneshvara.

The ancient literatures, from which the level of consciousness and yoga began, are not a religious scripture and are not a part of any religion, but rather are a philosophy for all people. This philosophy does not interfere with any school of thought, or religion.

“Yoga is not a religion, yoga is religion,” Brashear says.

Calling enlightenment yoga without full actual understanding of the practice takes the meaning out of the ancient ritual.

“The goal or destination of Yoga is Yoga itself, union itself, of the Little Self and the True Self, a process of awakening to the preexisting union that is called Yoga,” says Jnenshvara.

Yes; Yoga does involve slow, dynamic movements with a low risk of muscle and ligament injury. But yoga is much more than that. Yoga is a life philosophy of bringing the mind, body and spirit together to live a healthier, calmer, more fulfilling life. n

lifestyle | how to

HOW TO: plan your spring break With spring break swiftly approaching, it is important to begin the planning process.

Knowing what to prepare for can turn a stressful vacation into a relaxing get away. story rachel podnar | infographic jordan wheeler

G

etting sunburned, having valuables stolen or being left behind by a cruise ship are not ways that people would want to spend their spring break. Sadly, mishaps like these are all too common when vacationing on spring break unprepared.

According to an East survey of 476 students, 51 percent will be traveling on spring break this year, joining the 1.5 million students that go on spring break annually in the U.S. One such spring-breaker is East junior Aimee Peddicord, who has gone on 16 spring break trips. Because of this, Peddicord is a master at making the best of a spring break trip.

She suggests planning ahead for activities like shopping by researching malls and local beaches before arrival to minimize the time wasted during the vacation. Plus, parents feel more comfortable if planning is done in advance.

She adds, however, to be sure to leave room in the schedule for making new friends.

“I’m not saying cheat [on your significant other],” she says, “but it’s fun to talk to and meet new people. I met my friend named Matt three years ago, and even though he lives in New Jersey, we still talk.”

Between shopping, meeting new people and tanning, it is easy to get caught up in the fun and make careless mistakes.

Erin Weed, founder of Girls Fight Back, a female-empowerment foundation, followed a group of college students on their spring break trip to Daytona Beach to create a CNN special in 2006 regarding the risks they took. She then dedicated a chapter about safe spring break practices to her book Girls Fight Back.

Weed’s first rule is to research the destination and make sure the hotel is reputable. This is even more important for students traveling without parents. In such cases, Weed recommends avoiding hotels that costs less than $50 a night, where security will likely be lacking. It is safer to stay at a national chain, that is consistent in quality.

Another option when planning a trip is to use a travel agent who can help book hotels and flights as well as find special deals. Kimberly Rice, mother of East alumna Chelsea Rice, has taken many vacations through Provident Travel. Although she does not always use a travel agent, she says that one can personalize a trip and provide attention to detail.

Heather Maggs, a speaker for Girls Fight Back, says that teens should “absolutely” use a travel agent for the extra help they provide.

“Have your parents help you find a travel and cruise ship depart times. While Rice has agent who will work with you,” she says. never had anything stolen, she knows people “A travel agent will not only help you find who will never see their vacation photos after reputable vendors in safe places, but will also having cameras taken from their backpacks. help you rebook or reschedule if something She advises to take advantage of the safely happens and your travel plans have to change provided in the hotel room.

“I would say Cozumel, Mexico was fairly at the last minute.”

After arriving at the destination, Weed dangerous,” says Rice, although she has felt emphasizes that some of the most important safe on most of her travels. “There were people with guns standing in things to remember the street, probably are to use sunscreen, avoid carrying large I have been sitting at dinner because of the drug amounts of cash on the ship with the boat troubles, but I usually and to use intuition pulling away and seen two feel very safe in the to bypass dangerous men running down the port cities.”

To avoid being left situations. Weed also advises setting personal dock as the ship left them. behind at a port city, spring breakers must boundaries ahead of time and sticking to them in order to have a pay attention and not get carried away.

“I was sitting at dinner on the ship with the regret-free spring break.

“The problem is that too many people throw boat pulling away and saw two men running caution to the wind, pretending that spring down the dock as the ship left them,” says Rice. break transfers you to an alternate universe “The ship couldn’t be stopped, so they had to where bad stuff can’t happen. Unfortunately, get on a little tugboat and the crew pulled them there are just as many risks, if not more, while up out of the water at a spot on the back of the on spring break. As a result, you need to assume ship. It was funny, but that stuff can happen.”

Some parts of a trip cannot be planned for, the same kind of personal responsibility you would while partying at home or anywhere like bad weather or delayed flights. The key to a memorable spring break, however, is to else,” she says in Girls Fight Back.

In Rice’s experience, the biggest problems monitor what can be controlled and never to to anticipate are not personal safety issues do anything that would shock Mom or Dad if but rather stolen items, passport troubles they saw it on MTV’s Spring Break. n

Hitting the Hotspots 1) Cancun, Mexico

Explore the “Mexican 2) Caribbean” located on the Yucatan Channel with breathtaking beaches and ancient Mayan ruins.

3) South Beach, FL

Nicknamed “SoBe,” South Beach has many tourists visiting from all over the Panama City, FL world. Located in Miami, Known as “The Spring Break Capital of the World,” there is always something to do. where you can swim with dolphins or get a tan on the white sandy beaches.

4) Cabo San

Lucas, Mexico With sandy beaches and world-class scuba diving, this city has become a top spring break spot.

5) Acapulco, Mexico Acapulco contains Mexico’s largest beach along with the most well-known beach resort. The main attraction of this city is the nightlife.

51 | Spark | lehsspark.org

Just Go With It

N w showing



MOVIES:

Just Go With It

Sony PIctures PG-13 116 mins.

The Eagle Toledo Productions PG-13 114 mins.

I Am Number 4

DreamWorks PG-13 110 mins.

Somewhere Medusa Film R 97 mins.

Movie Posters: impawards.com

52 | Spark | March 17, 2011

Just Go with It is a giant web of lies. It all starts with Danny (Adam Sandler), a plastic surgeon who wears a wedding ring to help him seduce women. While not wearing the ring, he meets Palmer (Brooklyn Decker), a beautiful young teacher, and the two spend the night together on the beach. When she wakes up in the morning, Palmer finds the wedding ring. Thinking quickly, Danny tells her he is soon-to-be-divorced. He hires his assistant Katherine (Jennifer Aniston) to play his wife, and by mistake Palmer comes to believe that Danny is the father of Katherine’s two kids.

Also thrown in are Katherine’s fake fiancée Dolph (Nick Swardson), her college rival Devlin (Nicole Kidman) and Devlin’s sexuallyconfused husband, Ian (Dave Matthews).

Sandler traditionally plays one type of character: the sarcastic, average-looking

funny guy who gets the pretty girl in the end.

This film is no different. The object of his affection is Decker, a former Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover model. Sandler’s best roles are when he branches out and challenges himself as an actor in films such as Funny People and Spanglish.

Director Dennis Dugan, who directed Big Daddy and Happy Gilmore, has managed to overcome some of the script’s shortcomings and make a decently funny film, mostly due to minor characters. Kevin Nealon is hilarious as Danny’s friend who has lost all feeling in his face due to Botox. Radio personality Dan Patrick is a delight as the judge of a hula contest between Katherine and a hypercompetitive Devlin. Swardson is amusing as the Austrian sheep-salesman.

While the film suffers from a deeply contrived, over-complicated plot, it does not prevent it from being humorous. Also, the chemistry between Sandler and Aniston is a pleasant surprise. While it is far from Sandler’s best work, it is still funnier than Click. Besides, now there is one more place to see Decker in a bikini.—Zach Fulciniti

I Am Number 4  Producer Michael Bay must have invited the entire production team of I Am Number Four over for an action movie marathon.

They must have thought it would be great to have the hot male lead start the film by doing a back flip on a jet ski to appeal to the female audience. They must have excitedly agreed that it would be thrilling to have the enemy aliens, Mogadorians, crumble to ashes after being stabbed with daggers that glow blue when held by their owner. They must have cast their popcorn aside in order to brainstorm the scene in which a female alien, Number Six, proceeds to blow up a house and saunter coolly away without looking back. They must have thought they were so creative.

Yet Michael Bay, responsible for giving us such critical failures as the new A Nightmare on Elm Street and the Transformers series, can’t be blamed for everything—the film was based on a novel by Pittacus Lore, after all.

The movie tells the story of Number Four (Alex Pettyfer), one of nine surviving aliens from the planet Lorien. He closely resembles an Earthly teenage boy, except for his newfound superhuman strength and extraterrestrial abilities, of course.

Ignoring the action-packed scenes and those “creative” details, the plot is a game of tag between the good and bad aliens, with the climactic conflict taking place on a high school football field in a small Ohio town. They must have thought that was some great irony.

The acting and dialogue are pathetic.

During a romantic scene with his “soul mate,” Sarah Hart (Diana Agron), whom he has known for about a week, Number Four leans in for a kiss. But before contact, he utters the words, “All I think about is you.” They must have thought that was just dreamy. At another point in the film, Number Four is the passenger in a vintage truck traveling down a barren highway. His inner monologue spoon feeds us with his background, as he stares out into the distance.

The only decent part of the film was the fabulous soundtrack. But even beginning the movie with the Kings of Leon doesn’t make up for the other 104 minutes.—Megan Fogel

The Eagle 

Jonny Marco’s (Stephen Dorff) life was changed by unexpected visit from his daughter, Cleo (Elle Fanning).

Somewhere  Troubled actors bore me.

They flood tabloids with their exploits involving booze, sex and general public debauchery. They’re the ultimate Hollywood cliché. Joaquin Pheonix even did a mockumentary about his supposed fallout from acting. But director Sofia Coppola does something extraordinary with Somewhere. She takes a stereotypical Hollywood actor and makes him an actual human with real emotions and weaknesses. That’s what Somewhere is all about. It’s about this actor, his daughter and the emotional toll their distance has taken on their relationship. Somewhere is more than just a movie; it’s a portrait of a modern Hollywood family.

The centerpiece of this portrait is Jonny Marco (Stephen Dorff), an emotionally-detached actor and lodger at the famous Chateau Marmont.

Jonny spends most of his time alone drinking and taking pills but occasionally promotes his new film and sleeps with anyone he wants to sleep with. His life is turned upside down when his daughter Cleo (Elle Fanning) begins to live with him after being abandoned by her mother. Culture clash occurs as both Jonny and Cleo adjust to full time exposure to each other.

Somewhere lacks drama that most other films thrive on. It focuses more on the character’s actions and the emotions that drive them. The subtle touches that Coppola adds to each character are what makes them more like real people, such as Jonny falling asleep while strippers dance for him or his paranoia

that paparazzi are following him. Cleo is an eleven-year-old with the passiveaggressive tendencies of a teenager. None of the characters look like actors showing up and vomiting out their lines before being whisked off to another role. Each person has their quirks, but they aren’t overwhelming or unrealistic like some indie film characters tend to be Coppola won an Academy Award in 2003 for the brilliant Lost in Translation, but the script in Somewhere is drastically different.

Most conversations are short and consist of one-line exchanges between characters.

It’s the best style of dialogue for a movie like Somewhere. It exemplifies Marco’s jaded personality. If Coppola had tried to implement something similar to her awardwinning script, the movie would have lost its impact.

Somewhere obviously isn’t perfect. Scenes drag on far too long. Coppola tries to make the ending interpretive in the same fashion of Lost in Translation, but Cleo has already left for her summer camp and Jonny is left by himself to give the final scene without much of an emotional impact. But its imperfections are few and far between, and Dorff and Fanning’s great chemistry as a dismayed family of two makes up for the tiny flaws. Somewhere is certainly a portrait, and it’s beautifully crafted.—Dillon Mitchell

53 | Spark | lehsspark.org

photo used with permisson from allmoviephoto.com

Channing Tatum isn’t known for much other than his abs and roles in teenage movies, such as the Step Up series and She’s the Man. Though he has had some minor roles in more serious films, such as Coach Carter, Public Enemies and even a major role in Dear John, no one has ever really thought of Tatum as a “real” actor. In the heartthrob’s latest movie, The Eagle, Tatum shows the world that he not only has great acting chops but also that he can be compared to the most seasoned actors in Hollywood.

The Eagle looks like just another movie about ancient Rome, complete with swords, blood and fighting. But that’s far from the truth. It takes place in the upper border of the Roman Empire in northern Britain at Hadrian’s Wall. Marcus Aquila (Tatum) is a young general trying to redeem his deceased father’s reputation that was damaged when he lost Rome’s prized golden eagle in battle. After being honorably discharged from the army because of a bad leg injury, Marcus decides to go north of Hadrian’s Wall into the barbarous tribes of northern Britain to find the eagle.

His slave, Esca (Jaime Bell), follows him. The pair’s differences are apparent from the get-go, and the tension is immediately evident.

The acting in the film helps to make the story much more convincing. Tatum shows Marcus’ true emotion without seeming cheesy or fake. The fight scenes are great, mimicing real Roman battle formations. One of the final battle scenes uses a technique in which all sound is blocked out except for the war cries of Marcus and a British chief. The best part of the film is the lack of an interfering love story. In fact, there are no women in the movie to speak of.

Channing Tatum will probably always be known to the female audience as a heartthrob.

But with The Eagle, Tatum proves that he is much more than a nice body; he is a serious actor with a enough talent to convey emotion realistically and draw audiences into the movie. For those females who love him for his body, however, his muscles are featured all throughout. But for Tatum, The Eagle proves that his acting is every bit as strong as his body.—Lucy Stephenson

EDITORS’ PICK

N w Playing

Drive-by truckers 

ALBUMS:

PJ Harvey Let England Shake Island

Drive-By Truckers

Go-Go Boots ATO

A Skylit Drive Identity on Fire Fearless

Bright Eyes The People’s Key Saddle Creek

Album Covers: coverhunt.com

54 | Spark | March 17, 2011

Comprised of material left over from the recording sessions of their previous release, the Alabama-based Drive-By Truckers’ latest album, GoGo Boots, is an odd, yet surprisingly powerful fusion of southern and alternative pop-rock. It suffers, however, due to lead singer Patterson Hood’s lyrics that eventually become over-indulgent and unfocused.

The band offers a heavy guitar attack, with four different guitarists playing on the album. The opening track, “I Do Believe,” creates powerful melodies by layering distortion-heavy and lighter-toned guitars. “Go-Go Boots,” is another strong example, featuring soulful slide-guitar hooks reminiscent of the late Duane Allman. On some tracks, such as “Dancin’ Ricky,” the guitar recalls Neil Young’s staccato style.

One of the most unique aspects of Drive-By Truckers’ music is Patterson Hood’s bizarre vocals, which provide a

deep southern twang that at times seems a little too chicken-fried for its own good, occasionally becoming incomprehensible in songs like “The Fireplace Poker.”

Nevertheless, his distinctive croon is wellsuited for the plethora of instruments being played together on each track. The lyrics can be quite clichéd at times, as in the title track, in which he sings “Got some girl pregnant when he was still a teen/Working at McDonald’s and pumping gasoline.” Hood’s strange timbre, however, manages to make even the most hackneyed of themes sound brand-new again.

While the songs are poignant and compelling, particularly the heartfelt “Everybody Needs Love,” and their characters are well-developed, there isn’t anything pulling the stories together.

Between the remorseful “Ray’s Automatic Weapon” and the brooding “Used to Be a Cop,” there doesn’t seem to be much in common other than the backwoods territory where they are undoubtedly set.

Regardless, the powerful melodies and impressive instrumentals transcend the disjointed song writing.—Zach Fulciniti

A Skylit Drive  Bands like A Skylit Drive are what I affectionately refer to as filler bands: they exist for no reason other than to make money for labels by satisfying those “non-conformists” in our society who think they’re going against the social norm by listening to this band’s godawful, out-of-tune wailing. And that’s one of the best compliments I can give A Skylit Drive. Now on their third album, they have somehow become even worse by including what will surely be the downfall of music— Auto-Tune.

In fact, the first track, “Carry the Broken,” consists almost entirely of AutoTuned singing from the already high-pitched vocalist Michael Jagmin. What’s really sad, is that Jagmin’s vocals go an octave higher than that of Paramore’s Hayley Williams, and he creates one of the worst sounds a human being could ever hear. Along with the unfortunate Auto-Tune is what seems to be a combination of screamo music and party beats. On “F--- the System,” a techno tune

straight from the shore of Jersey backs the hideous metal guitar. The last song on the album,“If You Lived Here, You’d Be Home,” is almost entirely a techno song.

It’s just coupled with the unfortunate screaming that plagues this album.

Out of all 12 tracks on the album, only one is actually good. Despite its terrible pun on a great film’s title, “500 Days of Bummer” is good because it stays away from the trashy style of every other song.

Screaming and Auto-Tune are absent, and a piano introduction replaces the disgusting techno undertones. But it’s the ninth song on the album. It’s a shame that a listener is likely to give up on the album before reaching this song. This song is a needle in this figurative haystack.

Maybe it’s a horrible thought, but it would be best if A Skylit Drive broke up. I’m not against screamo. I listen to plenty of Devil Wears Prada and Asking Alexandria. But after listening to Identity on Fire, my ears will forever cringe when a singer goes into a heavy metal riff. So, evil or not, the idea of A Skylit Drive disbanding should be put into motion, because the most they achieve on Identity on Fire is ruining a genre.—Dillon Mitchell

PJ Harvey 

Bright Eyes performing in Omaha, NE in 2009.

photos labeled with commercial reuse

PJ Harvey and I have some history: she got a judge to tell me that I couldn’t send her letters or even tastefully nude photographs anymore. But despite her refusal to review my poses or direct me to a modeling agency, I think I can put my personal life aside.

It’s a strange album. It’s difficult to pin down exactly what to describe it as, considering that Harvey’s gone musically insane in the past few years. Her last solo album, White Chalk, had her dressing exclusively in Victorian dresses and singing murder ballads with nothing but a piano and a harp for a little atmosphere. Then she did a collaboration with musician John Parish that had a folksy tone to it, with lots of mournful, yet upbeat songs about lost love and the like, still wearing the Victorian dresses.

But now this. I don’t know exactly what to call this. Not because it’s bad, because the songs are great. I’m going to learn “The Last Living Rose” on the guitar to impress people, because it’s that sort of song. The difficulty is in classifying them.

I just don’t know what to do with something that wants to be listenable while also chronicling the United Kingdom’s history of bloodshed. Indie rock with folk influences would probably be an appropriate vague, arbitrary classification.

But that still seems like it isn’t giving anyone an idea of the album’s nature. There’s a song on it wherein Harvey very loudly sings that the glorious fruit of England is deformed and orphaned children. There’s nothing really pleasant about it. Sunshine doesn’t pour from the speakers when the album plays. Most folk music is like that, I guess.

It probably has something to do with Harvey’s high-pitched vocals, when they’re set against the music. It’s full and lilting and eclectic, with pianos and guitars and saxophones and samples of “Taps” and something called a mellophone all playing in sweet, bright harmony, while Harvey is wailing about piles of corpses dribbling blood onto barbed wire.

The irony of Let England Shake is what really sells it. Big, bombastic music accompanying scenes of horrible, nightmareinducing conflict­—like when people give young men big parades with brightly-colored confetti before sending them off to die in heaps.—Zach Armstrong

EDITORS’ PICK

Bright Eyes  This review begins in a bedroom.

Omaha, NE, 1998. Conor Oberst is recording songs on a battered old tape recorder. They are loose, mostly unintelligible, doused in synthesizers and cheap electronic drumbeats. They will become his first record, A Collection of Songs Written and Recorded 1995-1997. Soon Oberst will be the newest of the “New Dylans,” a spokesman for a generation of girls that wear too much eyeliner and boys that relate more to Morrissey than Michael Jackson. But now he is 18 years old, angry, confused.

This review shifts now, to the apartment of an old friend, your old love, The Girl Next Door.

She used to be your neighbor. You would watch her come home late at night, probably with one of her old boyfriends, from the bedroom window on the second floor of your parents’ house. She left home, off to college, off to the Big City.

She is in her bedroom. She is listening to I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning, the Bright Eyes record that lifted Conor Oberst into indie stardom, the Bright Eyes record that made it cool to be from Omaha, at least for a little while. It is indie folk at its finest, acoustic and raw, biting lyrical wizardry, roots music for Generation Y. In two years, Oberst will record Cassadaga, an album that is a little more country, a little more pretentious, a little more mired in its own brand of artificial mysticism. There are spoken word montages that sound like they could be Miss Cleo advertisements.

Now to the present, March, 2011.

Bright Eyes releases The People’s Key. Oberst has said it will be the last Bright Eyes record, and it is clear his heart,

though still bleeding and broken, is not quite in it. The last few years have seen Oberst in a multitude of side projects, most notably the country rock of the Mystic Valley Band. He wants out of the band that has defined him for almost as long as he existed without it.

Gone is the twang of Cassadaga, and for the most part, the acoustic guitar that made him so famous. The People’s Key is more like that first record, the one he recorded in that tiny Nebraska bedroom before he could drink away his sorrows (maybe that explains all the angst). The jangled mysticism is still there, and it is still by and large unnecessary and oppressive. With a few exceptions, namely the haunting piano ballad “Ladder Song,” this is a record that lacks something. Perhaps it is that youthful sulkiness. Maybe 12 years of making records about how confusing everything is helps to figure it all out.

But The People’s Key is still, at heart, a good record. The Killers-y synths are clean, crisp. Oberst’s lyrics are disjointed at times, but they are still a highlight.

Mostly, though, The People’s Key is the sound of a man growing up, moving on.

It may be a bittersweet sentiment, but it’s a fitting one. Besides, we can never really go home again. It is impossible to recapture the bedrooms of our youth, and the best we can do is look back and smile. That’s what The People’s Key is— Oberst’s way of telling us that all things must end.—Tyler Kieslich

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crashing the

party How indie rock’s most orchestral flag-wavers found themselves holding pop music’s biggest award. story tyler kieslich

E

veryone looked on with this sort of stunned silence. In another time it would have been a metaphor, a sign of the changing of the guard, with Arcade Fire acting as some herald of the counter-culture takeover. But here it is none of those things. The Canadian indie rockers, who have been channeling U2 and looking fresh out of art school for nearly 10 years now might have appeared out of place accepting the award for best album at this year’s Grammys, with their terrible mohawks and their clothes that might have been found in a thrift store. The award caused a lot of confusion and controversy, not to mention a Tumblr page called “Who is Arcade Fire!?!?,” dedicated to the angry Tweets of disappointed teenage girls who, to quote one of the more eloquent

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ones, proclaimeded that “LOL EMINEM GOT ROBBED.” In reality, however, Arcade Fire has been one of the biggest bands in the world for an entire decade, mostly without anyone noticing.

You have probably heard their “hit,” the anthemic “Wake Up,” off of their first record, 2004’s Funeral. The song now appears on car commercials and in romantic comedies, which is probably the best indicator of its place in the pop music consciousness. That record was absolutely gigantic; not necessarily in its sales, which were modest, but in its scope, sound, ambition.

Basically, Arcade Fire is indie’s answer to stadium rock—they climb the mountain and scream their songs down to you, with all of the echo and reverb and whatever that comes with that, and let the sound envelop

photo labeled with commercial reuse

Arcade Fire took home the 2011 Grammy for Best Album

entertainment | column both singers, both primary songwriters, had created a masterpiece. It was their Ulysses, it was their Great Gatsby. Or maybe more like their Born to Run. At any rate, Funeral put Arcade Fire on the map, made them stars (at least in a strictly critical sense), produced the songs that even to this day are their most recognizable and iconic. If anything, it was that record that was supposed to accidentally win a Grammy, not The Suburbs, which is not so poppy, not so simplistic, not so straightforward. Especially when the Grammys hold as much critical integrity and prestige as the Spark awards. But no. It could have been an accident, but the Grammys might have actually recognized the year’s best record, which is a welcome surprise, though much to the chagrin of Lady Gaga’s followers who were hoping their sexually ambiguous demigod would take home the award, like historical trend would indicate.

The Grammys mostly serve as pats on the back for whatever flavor of the month is currently dominating the radio airwaves— your Justin Biebers, your Lady Antebellums, your Ke$has. It is generally disregarded by most serious fans of music from all sides of the spectrum. Fans of independent music resent the major label monopoly. Fans of other less visible subgenres resent the Grammys percieved lack of a clue. They usually cite Jethro Tull’s 1989 award for “Best Hard Rock/ Heavy Metal Performance.” It’s probably a legitimate complaint, not only because Jethro Tull took the award from the objectively more frightening, Viking-like and therefore more metal members of Metallica, but also because Jethro Tull prominently features a flute and sounds vaugely Medieval. So the fact that The Suburbs even got a nomination was surprise enough.

Despite this, the “Who is Arcade Fire!?!?” backlash is still surprising, as Arcade Fire has not been existing under some hole and The Suburbs did not appear out of the ether. This is a record that reached the top spot on the Billboard 200 chart and has sold over 400,000 copies, impressive in an age of rampant piracy, an age where “going Platinum” is basically impossible, unless you are Lil’ Wayne. In fact, most of the discussion about The Suburbs around its release, at least in indie circles, was about how “big” Arcade Fire had gotten, and if everyone was okay with that. The indie world never likes to see one of its own hit the

mainstream, but Arcade Fire got a pass, partly because their sound has always catered more to gigantic arenas than dingy little clubs, and also because The Suburbs is such a damn good record.

SPIN’s David Marchese said it best in his initial review: “Radiant with apocalyptic tension and grasping to sustain real bonds, it extends hungrily outward, recalling the dystopic miasma of William Gibson’s sci-fi novels and Sonic Youth’s guitar odysseys. Desperate to elude its own corrosive dread, it keeps moving, asking, looking, and making the promise that hope isn’t just another spiritual cul-de-sac.” The Suburbs is yet another huge Arcade Fire record, this one a “letter from the suburbs,” a look at American life as these Canadian expatriates see it. It doesn’t have the accessibility of Funeral, but for 16 songs it doesn’t let up. Songs flow into each other, reference one another, pick up and slow down to the beat of each other.

The guitars are turned up, finding their place in with the orchestral bits. It sounds like a definition of a time, place, band, movement.

It is artistic infinity, a critical dynamo, and worthy of all the praise.

The win was an upset, that much is true. Not because The Suburbs was any worse than any of the other nominees. It was clearly the most artistically credible of the lot, with Eminem’s Recovery in a distant, distant second place. No, the surprise comes from the fact that an album without a real single was able to catch the attention of whoever at the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences decides these things. They usually don’t like things without singles. They are kind of like the rest of America in that way. But the award is not for who has the catchiest chorus, or who sold the most records, or any of that.

No, it is an award for whichever album is deemed the “best.” This year, “best” was meant in an artistic way. Next year, who knows. But that image, the one of the band on stage with its obnoxiously large number of members, is one indie rock should take to heart. For indie rock, in all of its sometimes pretentiousness and snobbery, it proved its worth, if such a thing has any worth. This year indie rock crashed the Grammy party, and this year indie rock accidentally found itself drinking cocktails with Katy Perry. Enjoy it. It will only last as long as the suburbs will permit. n

Basically, Arcade Fire is indie’s answer to stadium rock— they climb the mountain and scream their songs down to you.

you until you are totally consumed with it.

They have never shied away from thematic statements, and that debut was no exception, as they focused on the biggest and toughest theme of them all—death. In independent music circles and on Pitchfork.com especially, the record was hailed as the best of the 00’s, and it inspired countless other bands to abandon the guitar-bass-drum formula and pick up things like cellos and glockenspiels, things that the Arcade Fire champion. The husband-wife tandem of Win Butler and Régine Chassagne,

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entertainment | column

Roger,

roger

Roger Ebert, considered “the most powerful pundit in America,” lost his jaw to cancer in 2006. He hasn’t been able to speak since, but has remained one of the most powerful voices in criticism. story zach fulciniti

photo used with paid permisson from mctcampus.com

Your movie sucks.

A remarkably simple yet profound statement, as it is much more than the universal consensus about Michael Bay’s latest picture. In fact, it’s much more than a statement. It is, in itself, a culture. The culture of thirty-somethings living in their parents’ basements, feverishly typing away at their Macbooks at three o’clock in the morning, ranting about what an abomination Clash of the Titans was, and about how 3-D will be the downfall of not only the film industry, but the entire living, seeing world.

It is the culture of passionate, wannabe philosophers pouring their hearts into angst-filled blog entries that no one will ever read. And it all starts with Roger Ebert.

His name may not ring any bells, but for those who are familiar with his work, Ebert is Jesus. More specifically, he is

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the undisputed, most influential film critic in the world. His career as a professional critic began in 1967 when he joined the staff of the Chicago Sun-Times. And 44 years later he is still there. In that time he has published more than 15 books, not including his movie yearbook, a collection of reviews, essays and interviews from the previous years that he has put out annually since 1999. His reviews are syndicated to more than 200 newspapers, not only in the United States, but also throughout the world. And in 1975, he became the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize.

Ebert first gained mass popularity through Sneak Previews, a film review television program that he co-hosted with fellow critic Gene Siskel, who worked for the Chicago Tribune at the time. The two hosted the show from 1975-82, and in 1986 created for Disney what would become the most important

film review program of all time, “At the Movies,” which they hosted together until Siskel died unexpectedly in 1999.

His role was filled by Richard Roeper, a fellow Chicago Sun-Times columnist.

In 2007, Ebert earned perhaps his greatest honor when Forbes magazine named him the “most powerful pundit in America.” While there are many candidates worthy of such a title, particularly the attention-starved “news team” at the Fox News channel, Ebert is the only one who truly deserves it.

While other “pundits” use their voices to elevate their own stature, Ebert has no such motives.

For more than 40 years he has used his extensive knowledge of film history and media, along with his strong opinion on what makes a great movie, to steer helpless schmucks away from the aforementioned works of Michael Bay and towards excellent forgotten pictures that he believes deserve a second chance, such as the often overlooked works of Werner Herzog, of whom Ebert is a devout fan. He has published a series of books, known as The Great Movies, in which he analyzes each film that he believes to be “great.” In 1999 he took it one step further and created Ebertfest, an annual film festival designed to showcase lesser-known films he feels have been disregarded by the general public.

There are thousands upon thousands of film critics in the world, many with great knowledge of film, and many who are just as eloquent as Ebert himself.

But what sets him apart? What makes him so much better? It’s simple. When Roger Ebert writes a review, he treats the page just as an author telling a story or a painter creating a beautiful portrait would. He sees each review the same way that those wannabe philosophers look at their blogs. He sees each review as a work of art, not just a thousand or so words on how good or bad a movie is, but how that movie made him feel, how the movie will impact the world and how the world impacts the movie. Each review is an outlet for not only his opinion on film, but also life and all of its little nuances. Each review is an opportunity to not only convince someone to see or not see a film, but also an opportunity to share with them his unique perspective on things, whether it be religion, politics or bowling. Such is the case in his review of the Coen Brothers’ 1998 film The Big Lebowski, in which he writes, “If a man has a roof over his head, fresh half-andhalf for his White Russians, a little weed and his bowling buddies, what more, really, does he need?”

Ebert was diagnosed with thyroid

cancer in 2002. Throughout that year, he underwent several cancer treatments, including surgeries and neutron beam radiation. All that time, he never missed a single movie opening. Several years later, he underwent surgery again, which resulted in the removal of part of his jaw bone. Complications following the surgery eventually led to Ebert losing the ability to speak. Further surgeries were performed to reconstruct his jaw and part of his throat, but to no avail. These operations left his entire body physically weaker, and for the first time since its inception, Roger Ebert could no longer be a co-host of At the Movies. Without its fearless leader, the show began a sharp decline, culminating with the addition of critics Ben Mankiewicz, from Turner Classic Movies, and Ben Lyons from E! Entertainment, the latter of whom received heavy criticism for claiming Will Smith’s I Am Legend was “one of the greatest films of all time.” The landmark Emmy-nominated show was cancelled in 2010, after 24 years.

With so much to say and no means of vocalizing his thoughts, Ebert turned to the World Wide Web in its seemingly infinite capacity for mindless rants as an outlet to chronicle his unspoken feelings.

In the years since the creation of his online journal, his blog posts have ranged from glowing admirations of favorite authors and filmmakers, to a screenplay he wrote long ago for a Sex Pistols biopic, to a poignant essay on a deeply personal subject, his own inevitable death, which he titled “Go Gentle into that Good Night.” On the subject, he writes, “I was perfectly content before I was born, and I think of death as the same state. What I am grateful for is the gift of intelligence, and for life, love, wonder and laughter.

You can’t say it wasn’t interesting.”

Your Movie Sucks is the title of a book by Roger Ebert, a collection of his two-star or less reviews. The book’s straight-forward title comes from his review of Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo.

Rob Schneider, the unfortunate star of European Gigolo, reacted harshly when Los Angeles Times film critic Patrick Goldstein panned the movie, stating that Schneider was not qualified because he had not won a Pulitzer Prize. In his own review of the film, Ebert had this to say: “As chance would have it, I have won the Pulitzer Prize, and so I am qualified.

Speaking in my official capacity as a Pulitzer Prize winner, Mr. Schneider, your movie sucks.”

In 2010, Ebert began developing a new At the Movies, which would have new hosts, but would retain the same basic format of previous incarnations of the program. The new show premiered on Jan. 21 and while his wheelchairconfined condition leaves him unable to co-host the show, each week he has his own brief segment, called “Roger’s Office.” In this segment, unsuspecting viewers are subjected to his new method of communication: an unfathomably terrifying Stephen Hawking-esque android voice.

The “most powerful pundit in America” cannot speak. Most pundits never stop speaking, but Roger Ebert will never say another word as long as he lives. Yet, it has not stopped him.

It has not even slowed him down. He continues to produce six or seven 1,000word reviews every week, each review just as eloquent and insightful as the last. He has sat through thousands upon thousands of films, some wonderful, some appalling. But it has not made him cynical. Nothing can, and nothing ever will. He is just as excited to see a movie today as he was growing up, reading parodies in Mad Magazine, where he says

“Speaking in my official capacity as a Pulitzer Prize winner, Mr. Schneider, your movie sucks.” he “learned to be a movie critic.” In fact, not even a new Deuce Bigalow film could upset him. He would watch it intently, with the same hopeful eyes that have witnessed many of the greatest moments in film history, from the breathtaking “Star Gate” sequence in 2001: A Space Odyssey, to something as simple as the iconic image of John Wayne standing in an open doorway in The Searchers.

In 2007, while in the hospital, Ebert received a bouquet of flowers from the male gigolo himself, with a note that read “Your Least Favorite Movie Star, Rob Schneider.” He did what he always does, taking to his blog to chronicle his feelings on the occurrence: “Although Rob Schneider might (in my opinion) have made a bad movie, he is not a bad man, and no doubt tried to make a wonderful movie, and hopes to again. I hope so, too.” n

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entertainment | 3DS

3ds

Developing

the

The Nintendo 3DS, featuring an accelerator, gyroscope and stunning 3-D display without the need for 3-D glasses. The console has been a hit in Japan, selling 400,000 units the first weekend it was available in stores. The device will be on sale in North America beginning March 27 and cost $249.99.

infographic tommy behan, sean lewis, victoria liang

1. Human Stereopsis Stereopsis is the 3-D vision.

The left and right eyes perceive the same scene from different perspectives.

When one eye is covered and then the other, further objects appear to move more than closer objects. This discrepancy is interpreted as depth.

2. Anaglyph Technology Two images from different perspectives are filtered, one through a red filter and the other through a cyan filter. Then, these images are combined and viewed through glasses with both red and cyan filters. The red filter blocks the red image from one eye while the cyan filter blocks the blue image from the other eye. The brain perceives the combined image as 3-D.

3. Alternate-Frame Sequencing The TV alternates images meant for each eye at double the normal frame rate. To make sure each eye receives the correct image, the TV signals the glasses to shut each eye individually back and forth in time with the frames.

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4. RealD 3-D Movie Technology Light waves ripple in all directions. A polarizer filter, a grid of narrowly-spaced, microscopic lines allows only light moving parallel to the grid to pass through. For RealD movies, light first passes through a linear polarizer and then through a circular polarizer. The image meant for one eye is polarized so that it is clockwise and the image for the other eye is polarized so that it is counterclockwise. The filters in the glasses only allow the image meant for that eye to enter.

linear polarizer

circular polarizer counterclockwise light waves

clockwise light waves

5. 3DS Technology Parallax is the perceived difference between a faraway project from two different but close, points of observation.

The parallax barrier is a microscopic polarized filter, an LCD display that can switch on or off, creating a barrier similar to the one in RealD. It creates narrowly-spaced parallel lines as desired. The left and right eye images interweave and the barrier makes it so that each eye can only see what is intended for that eye. The 3-D feature can be turned off, shutting down the parallax barriers and making the back LCD display normal images.

parallax barrier LCD display 2-D mode

3-D mode

6. Nintendo 3DS

photos labeled for commercial reuse information bign.com, nintendo.com, mediakick.org

Later this month, Nintendo plans release its 3DS system, an innovative portable gaming device which has the technology to produce three-dimentional images without the need of specialized glasses. The Nintendo 3DS will feature a top 3.5 inch 3-D screen as well as a lower 3 inch touch panel screen. As the predecessor to the the original Nintendo DS, this device will have the addition of a sliding adjustment that modifies the intensity of 3-D. Other additions include an accelerometer and two cameras capable of taking 3-D photos.

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entertainment | book review

American Grace

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author robert d. putnam, david e. campbell publisher simon and schuster adult pages 550 cost $30.00 (hardcover) Any account on religious diversity in America is incomplete if it concentrates on a limited representation of the entire nation. The book discusses the beliefs and behaviors of Catholics, Evangelicals, Mainline Protestants, Mormons, Jews and the nonreligious, but their coverage of minority religions are fuzzy and nearly insubstantial. There are vignettes of Episcopalians, Southern Baptists, Lutherans, African Methodists, Latino Catholics, Evangelicals, Jews and Mormons, but nothing about the Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus and other “exotic” religious groups who contribute to America’s proudly-declared religious diversity.

No wonder these religions are so poorly understood–– even our nations’ top professors in the field don’t take measures to make sure these groups have their say in the same issues as everyone else. Instead, they suggest that religion is always changing and think that this is acceptable as long as they briefly note that particular bodies of the population in a survey were meagerly represented in a survey.

The authors deserve credit for dedicating years to writing American Grace, reaching the conclusion that despite all the discrimination, violence and perpetual hate between various religions, building a web of relationships between the majority of people who are Christians and Jews creates peace in America––with, of course, a few minor religions that do not really matter.––Jasmine Tuazon

photo used with paid permisson from mctcampus.com

American Grace contains astonishing information: Each generation since the 1940s has shown an increase in religiously unaffiliated adults as compared to previous generations.

Yet, there is not doubt about it––America is far from being unreligious.

Drawing on five widespread surveys conducted between 2006 and 2008, co-authors Robert D. Putnam, author of bestseller Bowling Alone, and David E. Campbell compile years’ worth of tedious research, statistics, charts, graphs and congregational vignettes, courtesy of ethnographer Shaylyn Romney Garrett, to back up their legitimacy. American Grace is the fruit of their labors.

Presented in a style accessible to a wide range of readers, this in-depth analysis of modern American faiths can hold insight to scholars with a Ph.D. in religion as well as the theologically illiterate.

To determine what unites religiously diverse Americans, Putnam and Campbell discuss profound theories about the history, trends and projected shifts of the country’s religiosity. This includes the importance of religious polarization, the idea that conservatives tend to be religious and liberals tend to be secular, people’s religious attitudes, the “nones” people with no religious affiliation, why people think the way they do because of religion and where the upcoming generation’s religiosity is projected to go.

Thus the book can seem at times very drawn out and routine. Excluding Garrett’s narratives, Putnam and Campbell present each chapter with a question or situation, list all of their possible explanations and then alternate data-chart-conclusion until every feasible argument and consideration is exhausted to the bone. After reading the first few chapters, I did not find it surprising to discover a disclaimer after nearly every conclusion. It almost seems as if Putnam and Campbell never establish any solid blackand-white theory.

While the book is trying to prove how religion divides and unites us, a large portion of it is dedicated to talking about the religiously unaffiliated. Multiple times throughout the book, Putnam and Campbell point out that younger generations are becoming increasingly secular, liberal and non-traditionalist. According to data collected from the Faith Matters survey, the main survey that American Grace is based on, 80 percent of respondents believe in the basic truths of religion, but are not fanatically engrossed in their faiths.

While explaining the beliefs of a large chunk of Americans, these facts do not support the authors’ main question: “How can religious pluralism coexist with religious polarization?”

At the very least, American Grace is not a cut-and-dry regurgitation of facts. One truly maddening thing about American Grace, however, is its lack of complete religious representation. All five surveys in the book omit data from minority groups because they “did not hold a high enough percentage [out of the total] 3,000 participants to generate reliable estimates.”

talib

kweli “gutter

”

An in-depth look at the iconic hip-hop star’s extended-metaphor-laden album. review faiz siddiqui photo labeled for commerical reuse

N

othing good happens in the gutter outside my bedroom window.

I’ve never found anything particularly fascinating about the rainwater-drenched leaves, trash and corroding Hurricane Ike shingles that fill the PVC-based rain collection system that lines my house. Figure in the occasional dead animals, and the uninteresting quickly turns disgusting.

I don’t imagine Talib Kweli’s gutters to be much different from mine. They’re probably filled with similar refuse, right down to the animal remnants. What’s that? Kweli lives in a New York apartment complex and probably doesn’t have his own gutters?

Irrelevant. The fact is, at some point, Brooklyn native and hip-hop artist Talib Kweli saw the lowest of low, the ugliest of ugly, the lowest form of life on earth. But he didn’t see refuse, no.

He saw rainbows.

Kweli’s latest paradoxically-metaphoric album, following in the footsteps of The Beautiful Struggle, is the story of an underdog, the story of making good of a horrendous situation, making light in a tunnel of darkness. Or maybe it’s just a story about gutters filled with a polyblend of dirt, oil and water­—either way, it’s beautiful.

Gutter Rainbows sees Kweli return to his conscious hip-hop roots, staying consistent to the tone set by The Beautiful Struggle. But something about Gutter Rainbows is strikingly different. Sure, he tells stories as powerful and harrowing as those in The Beautiful Struggle, but Gutter Rainbows has an undeniably different vibe to it. It’s faster. It’s more colorful. It’s actually upbeat.

And that’s not a bad thing. Kweli’s album opens up rather appropriately with “After the Rain,” a soulful blend of the jazz and R&B that define the album as a whole. But Kweli doesn’t make an appearance until the second track, “Gutter Rainbows.” The titular song’s simple, upbeat rhythm (sans-Auto-Tune) recalls late ’90s hip-hop, before Lil’ Jon ruined hip-hop with his over-synthesized “crunk” music, before yellow’s complementing color defined the industry as a whole.

No doubt, Kweli makes a good first impression, but listeners won’t

be fully immersed into the album until they hear “So Low,” a song that reflects Gutter Rainbows’ true colors. Kweli explores his own highs and lows in ballad-esque fashion, complementing his verses with a simple, albeit catchy hook. And no, this isn’t the same kind of robot singing 808s and Heartbreak made so commonplace. Listeners will feel actual pain in Kweli’s raspy, flawed voice.

But the best song that Gutter Rainbows has to offer just happens to be the shortest. “Cold Rain” features a Chicago-style, piano-based beat sent straight from the heavens. It’s only appropriate that Kweli opens the song with “It’s been a long time coming.” The song symbolizes an evolving genre of hip-hop and offers a glimmer of hope in a world dominated by drum machines, synthesizers, robot-voices and a very obvious deficiency in the talent department. Kweli immediately declares that “Cold Rain” is for the hipsters, the whores and the fashionistas. It transcends hip-hop divides in telling a motivational, inspirational and touching story of the issues that plague society today, from planned Qur’an burnings to the devastating effects of Reaganomics.

The album does still have its flaws, like the painfully slow “Friends and Family,” and the oddly out place “Uh-Oh,” but all in all, Talib Kweli has created some damn good art: an album that fuses contrasting genres of music together. Gutter Rainbows rejects societal notions of hip-hop, something that Kweli has been known to strive for, while also being easy on the ears. Sure, Kweli tells tales of adversity and struggle, but you somehow leave it feeling more pleasant than depressed. Kweli’s album is certainly the past decade’s best attempt at reintroducing the genre of Common’s “I Used to Love H.E.R,” a metaphorical tribute to hip-hop that is widely regarded as one of the greatest recordings in hiphop history. But in this regard, Gutter Rainbows falls just short.

It’s an album worthy of as much, if not more acclaim than Kanye West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. It’s a testament to the fact that when life rained on Kweli’s non-existent parade, he made rainbows.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. When the rain finally clears to reveal nature’s colorful gift, it’s not all beautiful.

After all, these are still gutters we’re dealing with. n

63 | Spark | lehsspark.org

sports | feature

a family

story rachel podnar photos eric muenchen infographic brittany bennett

East students relay their experiences with swimming, from Ohio to Alabama.

(From left to right) Paige, Parker and Tess Baisden have already adjusted to the Lakota swim team atmosphere.

E

ast senior Parker Baisden always wanted to play basketball. But as a lefty, he could never nail his right-hand layup. East junior Paige Basiden always loves acting in plays and played the Genie in her high school’s production of Aladdin. And East freshman Tess Baisden, well, in the words of her Lakota Local School District swimming teammate East junior Alex Sherman, Tess does whatever the hell she wants to do.

But these outside passions take a backseat to the lifetime devotion of these siblings—swimming. The Baisdens’ swimming career has come full circle as they finish their tenure at Lakota.

Parker’s, Paige’s and Tess’ swimming careers started in Lakota, when they swam for Countryside YMCA in Lebanon, OH before moving to Idaho. They then moved to Pennsylvania, and then Mississippi, before the family finally moved back to West Chester in Nov. 2010.

While numerous moves might have a negative impact other teenagers, these three siblings have fit right in at East and quickly carved out a niche for themselves on the Lakota swim team.

Fellow Lakota swimmer and East junior Francesca Reynaert agrees.

She roomed with Paige, Tess and Sherman during the team’s Dec. 2010 trip to Canton, OH. The four quickly bonded during their stint as roomies over numerous games of Catch Phrase.

“I heard there were new kids, and I was really excited to have another junior girl,” Reyneart says. “When I finally met Paige I knew she’d be a good swim friend because she’s herself around everyone and not shy at all.”

They made friends easily, but these siblings who were known by Mississippi newspapers as the “Blazin’ Baisdens” were ready to blaze a trail through the water when they arrived at East.

This year, Paige and Parker qualified for State. Paige qualified in the

64 | Spark | March 17, 2011

200-yard freestyle, 100-yard freestyle and 200-yard free relay. Parker, the only boy at East to qualify for State in an individual event, qualified in the 100-yard fly and 200-yard medley relay. At the State meet on Feb. 26, Paige placed 13th in Girls Division I in the 200-yard free and 17th in the 100-yard free. Parker placed 16th in the Boys Division I 100-yard butterfly.

Their talent is not just a fluke; it is the result of a lifetime’s worth of hard work and determination. Parker, Paige and Tess have spent most of their lives in a pool, and currently practice at Countryside YMCA for two hours and 45 minutes every day. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, they have dryland, a mix of running, weight training and various exercises for an extra hour after the regular practice.

The Countryside Torpedoes head swim coach, Brad Isham, has known the three since they lived in the district years ago and works closely with them now as the coach of their club team.

“Swimming is a sport you cannot do well in without putting serious work in and having good technique, which comes through work and focus,” says Isham. “They are very aware of themselves and they have a great feel for the water.”

While Isham did not work as much with Paige or Tess when they lived in the district before they moved for the first time, he has seen changes in Parker over the past five years.

“He’s always been a hard worker and very dedicated,” Isham says.

“That didn’t change. Obviously, he has about five years more maturity now and while he used to be pretty serious about swimming, he is more relaxed, and he has more fun with it now.”

Isham was surprised by how easily the three fit into the team and says it was neat to see that from day one it felt like they never left. Even the swimmers who did not know them before accepted them immediately.

Parker Baisden finished 16th in the state in the 100-yard butterfly, with a time of 52.92 seconds.

Paige Baisden’s 200-yard freestyle time of 1:54.68 was the best in Lakota this season.

Their teammate, East senior Scott Aleshire, speaks to how well the Baisdens assimilated into the team dynamic. At the first practice, Parker introduced himself to everyone. Aleshire says that a very short time, after the siblings joined the team they were all friends because they were easy to talk to and to get along with.

“Basically, there isn’t anyone on the team that doesn’t like the Baisdens,” he says.

Isham says that although the Baisdens are connected to the team, he sees swimming’s tie to their family as the siblings’ main motivation.

Parker, Paige and Tess are the second, third and fourth Baisden children out of 10, and they are following in the footsteps of their older sister Lauren, who has a full ride to Michigan State to swim for the Spartans.

“Swimming has been really important to the family,” he says. “It’s what they’ve done, it’s what they know and they have a lot of support from their parents.”

Support is one thing the Baisden parents provide in large quantities.

Jennifer and James Baisden agree that they always wanted a large family and they cherish any and all time that they have with their 10 children. Their priority has been to foster a home that put God first, family second, then education, community and sports. As a family, they have the joint goal to follow a quote from a former Mormon prophet: Try a little harder to be a little better each and every day.

“They mean everything to us, and we remind them of that every chance we get,” says James. “We accept each others successes and failures and love them for who they are.”

Although seven of the Baisden children swim, neither of their parents grew up swimming. Jennifer Baisden was a basketball player and James Baisden was involved with a variety of sports including wrestling, football and track. They decided to start their children on a swimming

regimen after James asked his doctor what he thought would be the best sport for his children. The doctor advised swimming. The rest is history.

Their father also showed his support for swimming when he coached their team in Idaho for five years. The siblings say that their dad was a tough coach, but he took time to work with them and they grew closer.

James says that he approached coaching his children very carefully and currently, he allows them to be more self-directed with their swimming.

“I became a student of the sport,” he says. “Swimming is a very demanding and time consuming. I have taken a very hands-off approach now that I’m no longer their head coach. Either I’m 110 percent [involved] or I’m out. There’s not much middle ground.”

Parker says that while his dad has been his favorite coach so far, there was one particular incident that stands out to him.

“One time, my dad kicked me out of practice,” he says. “We lived on the same street as the YMCA, and he said, ‘Walk home.’ I decided to just walk home in my Speedo even though it was snowing outside. When I got home, I tried to open the door but it was locked. I didn’t want to walk back and look like an idiot, so I ended up sitting outside the house for probably 20 minutes, absolutely freezing.”

Parker can recall countless stories of swimming-related antics that range from mistaking his older sister for a girl he had a crush on to a competitor that gargled and spit in his lane to the time he wore a Speedo that said “Get Leid” to a Hawaiian themed-meet.

One of his favorite competition stories is from a particular time when he swam the mile.

“I was on the last 50 yards,” he says. “I looked back after my flip turn, and I almost stopped, but instead I threw up in the water, and I could feel it coming out of my mouth. The guy in the lane next to me saw it, and I saw his eyes light up with fear in his stupid little clear goggles.”

65 | Spark | lehsspark.org

sports | feature After that, Parker beat the other swimmer by four seconds. Looking back, he sees the gag reflex as a strategy maneuver by his body to get inside his opponent’s head.

Besides the accidental puke, Parker utilizes other methods to succeed in competition. For example, he listens to music before a race, choosing Creed’s “My Sacrifice” for serious meets because it pumps him to “murder kids in the water.” For less serious summer or dual meets, he prefers the Pokémon theme song.

Lately things have been serious with the East team. Parker’s 200 yard medley relay with East seniors Greg Reynaert, Alex Espinoza and Kyle Morrison qualified to go to State. The relay team took the swim at Districts with much intent because last year, the relay just barely missed going to State.

At the State meet the weekend of Feb. 25, last-minute changes had to be made to the relay lineup because freestyle swimmer Morrison came down with the flu. Alternate East junior Ian West was substituted in, but the relay was disqualified when Parker false-started.

Despite the error, the team remains proud of its accomplishments and close because of the swimmers’ tight friendships. It is the relationship between swimmers, cheering for each other that drives Paige and Tess to swim. Paige says that while some people cannot handle someone behind the block with them, she needs someone to talk to her and encourage her to do well. Her favorite part of swimming is seeing her teammates smile when they do well because it makes the whole team happy.

“I love it when people wish me good luck, because I do better when I’m confident,” she says. “It’s great when someone is at the end of my lane, cheering for me, so I try to be that person for someone else.”

Aleshire is Paige’s first choice to motivate her before a race. She is in the East Advanced Placement U.S. History class that he aides for and he says they “hit it off the bat” after the Baisdens joined the team.

“After they came to the team I decided to introduce myself,” says Aleshire. “Paige is used to dealing with Parker’s funny and outgoing attitude which makes her a very laid back, down-to-earth person.”

When Parker talks about swimming with his sisters, he cites Paige as being “uplifting” and working really hard in the pool. He says that Tess

is fast for being a freshman, and he sees her improving and maturing more in the future.

Isham says that Parker and Paige are similar in their approach to swimming because they are both hard workers and have a great deal of understanding for what they need to do to improve. While Tess has these qualities, he says they will develop more as she gets older.

They all agree that a big part of swimming for Tess is social. Reynaert says that while Tess wants to do well and she has the talent, she really likes just talking to everyone.

Aleshire agrees, saying that Tess has almost an aggressive personality because she is always interested in talking to new people.

“She’s more in it for the social aspect. She’s always been very social,” Parker says.

With swimming as a central aspect in their lives, the Baisden siblings are close with their family. They are active in their Mormon faith, attending youth group on Wednesdays, and reading out of their holy book as a family nightly. Afterwards they tune in for their nightly television fix. On Mondays they watch The Bachelor, on Tuesdays Glee and on Wednesdays Modern Family. It is hard to go out with 11 people, but when the Baisdens do, they cruise in their 15-passenger GMC Savannah.

James says that he and his wife expect the older children to help with the younger ones and to set examples. In their family, working and playing together is a high priority and they strive to foster love and devotion.

Paige says that she likes living in such a large family, which she describes as loud, but very fun and rewarding.

“It’s gonna be awesome when we all have kids,” she says. “The older ones are really close, but we’ll stay close with the younger ones because we’ll come back a lot when we’re older.”

Wherever their future takes them, their time in the pool has left a lasting impact. Paige says that without swimming, she would have no self-discipline, while Parker says that swimming has led to every great thing in his life. Aside from the impact on their characters, these siblings will never be able to shake the scent of chlorine.

“Kids ask me all the time if something smells like chlorine,” says Parker. “I just say, ‘Yeah, that’s me.’” n

Parts of a Medley

1 Butterfly

2 Backstroke

3 Breaststroke

4 Freestyle 66 | Spark | March 17, 2011

11

sports | inside east sports

Armed for

Columbus story john grasty infographic sarah fanning photos eric muenchen

K

The East wrestlers have already exceeded expectations for the regular season. Now they turn their eyes toward State.

ids roll around on the floor fighting while their peers scream wildly, cheering them on to defeat their opponents. An adult emerges, but merely looks on and decides who wins while other adults cheer the juveniles on, even offering them encouragement. It sounds like chaos to most people, but a select few see the benefits of it. One of these men is East’s Varsity Wrestling coach Jim Lehman who believes that the East Kids Club Wrestling has been both a big success with the kids and has led his current squad to its own big success.

“We have more kids who have wrestled for a longer period of time,” says Lehman. “The sophomore class is the first to go all the way through the kids club program. When kids have wrestled for many years, they gain a feel for the sport. You learn through trial and error.

With that commitment comes success. We’re finally reaping the benefits of [kids participating in more wrestling].”

Varsity Assistant Wrestling Coach Rico Hill sees a noticeable increase in the talent level of his team.

“Before we were getting kids that wrestled,” says Hill, a former AllAmerican wrestler and academic All-American at the College of Mount Saint Joseph. “Now we are getting wrestlers.”

East sophomore Austin Daly, who has participated in Kids Club since its inception, believes the program has given him an edge over

68 | Spark | March 17, 2011

Above: East Wrestler Justin Brown wrestles against Matt Reynolds during the 31-19 victory against Lakota West on Jan 27.

other wrestlers.

“I know a lot more technique, so it gives me an advantage,” says Daly, who finished this season with a record of 23-6, placing him third in the Greater Miami Conference (GMC) for the 103-pound weight class. He was also only a point away from claiming the victory at the GMC meet. “The more you do something the better you are,” he says.

Kids Club alum East senior Ryan Miller agrees that the Kids Club was beneficiary to his current wrestling.

“It’s kept me on the mats. It developed my love for wrestling,” says Miller, a two-time GMC champion in the 130 pound weight class.

But when all the preparation is over, there is still a season to be played, a season which, according to Senior Neema Mohammadi, has been historical for the team.

“It’s the best in team history,” he says. “I feel like we’re right there to doing big things.”

Big things such as setting a team record for most wrestlers to qualify for districts and, as always, trying to get kids to the state meet.

“Our goal is always to produce state qualifiers and state placers,” says Lehman, who was voted by fellow coaches as the GMC Coach of the Year.

Hill agrees.

“Get kids to state, as many as possible,” says Hill.

Hill also believes that a lighter mood of the team has been a key last couple of years,” Lehman says. “I didn’t think a top two finish was factor in its success. completely out of the question, though, but we did well.”

This good spirit has permeated throughout the team as the wrestlers Next up for the Hawks is their district meet, the last step in are often seen chasing each other around post-practice. Another qualifying for state. favorite post practice activity is playing volleyball dodge ball.

“I need every kid to step up 100 percent, not just 98 percent. I need “We found a volleyball in the wrestling room and started to throw it to make sure every single wrestler goes onto the mat with confidence,” around and it got faster and faster until we were playing dodge ball. It says Lehman. got really intense,” says Daly.

East wrestlers started the postseason hunt on a high note, The team is still able to put continuing their excellence season. away its childish behaviors when The Hawks set another program it is time for business, amassing record by qualifying 13 out of a dual-meet record of 13-1 and 14 wrestlers to districts in the earning a rank as high as fifth in sectional tournament. Senior the city.

Daniel Helton placed fifth in the Senior Tyler Ray sees his team’s 145-weight class and qualified to ability to get down to business, districts as an alternate. especially compared to the ones Ray won his first sectional of years past. championship for the 189-pound “We have a lot of kids that weight class be defeating want to wrestle and work hard,” Jerry Thornberry of Moeller. says the 189-pound GMC Thornberry had defeated Ray champion Ray. “As opposed to twice in the season, most recently last year when we had some kids two weeks before the sectional who wanted to work hard and tournament. some who didn’t.”

At the district tournament This work ethic paid off for on Feb. 26, East advanced two East wrestler Daniel Helton defeats Everett Filthe Hawks as they took down rival wrestlers to the state tournament, brun during the victory against Lakota West.

Lakota West for only the second while placing ninth overall as a time in school history. team.

“It was really good to get that East sophmore Justin Brown monkey off our back,” says Hill. placed fifth, and qualified to the On the road to this state state tournament as an alternate. placement for individuals is the Daly and Miller both placed third GMC finals, in which East placed in their respective weight classes fourth out of 10 teams. and advanced to state, where “We showed a lot of Miller’s showing on the mat earned improvement compared to the him a backdraw victory. n

According to a survey of 446 East students, 26 percent of those surveyed have attended a high school wrestling match this season.

New Dual Match State Wrestling Tournament 24 24 24 24

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24 24 24 24

4 4 4 4

1

2

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4

[

3 4

Each region will be geographically divided in half, with four seeds in each half region.

The state will be divided into eight regions, with 24 teams, per division.

14,000

Student athletes participate in wrestling in the state of Ohio, the dual tournament will give more of them an opportunity to participate.

[

600

High schools in the state of Ohio facilitate wrestling, all of them will participate in the dual state tournament.

Each region will hold a bracketstyle tournament, with matches moving from the half-region to the region to determine the regional winner.

Each region will be geographically divided in half, with four seeds in each half region.

[

8

Teams, one from each region, will compete in the state portion of the dual tournament.

[

2

State tournaments will take place beginning in the 2012-13 season, the dual tournament state final will take place on Feb 9, 2013 while the sectional tournament begins Feb 11, 2013.

69 | Spark | lehsspark.org

sports | player spotlights

player Spotlights

John Brady

E

E

Girls’ Bowling

lbow in. Arm straight. Follow through.

Relax. Form is the number one priority for junior and East varsity bowler Emily Ewen when bowling in a big match.

“I know when I get a strike,” says Ewen, who is a first year member on the team, “I just turn around and I know.”

Coach James Hutton, the girls’ varsity bowling coach, focuses on teaching correct skills and technique to the girls.

“He’s changed me all the way from where I used to be, to where I am now,” says Ewen.

Not only is Ewen ranked as number one on the team, but her teammates and the coach agree that she contributes a lot to the team through her attitude and effort.

“Emily always has a positive attitude,” says Hutton. “She practices well and always tries hard.”

Teammate Taylor Alden, a junior, agrees that Ewen is very motivational and supportive.

“Emily brings up the team morale because she is very spirited,” says Alden with a chuckle.

She’s just a cool cat always making us laugh.”

Ewen’s outgoing and entertaining personality makes her a great person to have on the team.

Shouting “KABOOM” after each strike made by sophomore Kelly Monroe, Ewen consistently keeps the atmosphere lighthearted around her teammates.

“I view her as a friend and a teammate because we get along so well and we help each other out,” says Monroe who is ranked number two on the team.

Before joining the bowling team this year, Ewen also participated in girls’ basketball as a freshman. After suffering several ankle sprains, Ewen began focusing on bowling.

Ewen reflects on this season by saying she enjoyed herself and improved her technique.

“I just enjoyed hanging out with everyone and having fun,” she says. n —Natasha Rausch

College Signee—Football

ast senior John Brady made it big under the Friday night lights. This fall, as a college freshman, he will move up to play under the Saturday night lights.

At the end of the 2009-10 football season, Brady sent a completed questionnaire and a tape of his football performance to Columbia University. Soon, the university’s defensive coordinator called him, offering him a spot on the team.

On Feb. 4, he signed with Columbia University.

“For me, Columbia is the best academic option that I have,” says Brady. “[It has] the best combination of athletics and academics.

I can be on the field on the Division I level and also get the best education available in the world.”

East Varsity Head Football Coach Rick Haynes believes that because of his work ethic, Brady will succeed both as an athlete and as a student.

“John can fit in anywhere,” says Haynes, who coached the Thunderhawks football team for the first time this season. “That’s just his personality, from talking to him. That’s just what drew him to Columbia as opposed to going to Dayton—you know, it’s a big city, the excitement of New York City.”

Brady says that Columbia University, however, also has an intimate atmosphere that is not comparable to any other univesity that he has seen.

“It’s not right in the heart of Manhattan; it has a small-town feel, [with] the little shops and the little grocery stores there,” he says.

John’s father, East Linebacker Football Coach and former Cincinnati Bengals outside linebacker Ed Brady, is glad that his son’s hard work has paid off.

“He’s very caring,” he says. “He cares about other people and he cares about what he’s doing.” n —Justine Chu

TICKER: BOYS’ BASKETBALL—GMC Champions 19-1 (13-1)

n

photo eric muenchen

photo eric muenchen

photo eric muenchen

Emily Ewen

Alyssa Grevenkamp Girls’ Basketball

V

ersatile.

That’s the first word that comes to mind for coaches and teammates alike when describing junior East varsity girls’ basketball player Alyssa Grevenkamp. Having just completed three years on varsity for girls basketball and starting her third year on varsity for the East Girls’ Softball team, Grevenkamp continues to show her great diversity of skills.

“She’s your all around athlete,” says two year head girls varsity basketball Coach Nikki Drew. “She can do it all.”

This season Grevenkamp scored 164 points for East and ranked in the top 20 in the Greater Miami Conference (GMC) for both scoring and rebounding.

Although Grevenkamp is a high scorer, she agrees basketball is more about the team.

The girls basketball team ended the season 15-5. This season marked its highest ranked finish ever.

“I do contribute individually but I love the team aspect of basketball,” she says.

Grevenkamp was originally unsure about whether she wanted to play softball or basketball in college. Without any opportunities for softball players to get full rides to college, she chose to further her basketball career.

Having made the decision to play basketball at the next level, Greevenkamp is working even harder than before according to Drew and fellow teammates.

“In practice, she works extra hard all the time,” says two year sophomore varsity basketball player Imani Outlaw. “It doesn’t matter if it’s six in the morning or if we just had a game. The attitude makes us all want to work as hard as her.”

Drew also agrees that Grevenkamp’s attitude stands out.

“She is Alyssa. She doesn’t have emotional swings,” says Drew. “She is drama free.

Everybody likes Alyssa.” n —Kaitlin Lange

WRESTLING—Ryan Miller first in 130lb weight class

Hawks in the Running for All Sports Title story brett colburn photo eric muenchen

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ast is breaking a trend in the Greater Miami Conference (GMC) that has been consistent for the past six years.

The GMC All-Sports Trophy is given to the team that has the most points accumulated over each season of sports, and East is now closer to winning this prestigious award than ever before.

Every school sport throughout the fall, winter and spring is awarded points based on the school’s final standings in the GMC regular season. In each sport, the winning school out of the 10-team conference receives 11 points for an outright conference title, 10 points for a shared victory, nine for a second-place finish, eight for third and so on.

East has not finished above third since 2004 and has trailed the same schools in each of those years. Mason has been the winner since 2007 when it joined the GMC, and Lakota West and Sycamore have been in the top three every year since 2004 as well.

Mason Athletic Director Scott Stemple said that the Comets’ success with this trophy is a result of an all-out, equal commitment to all sports.

“We approach our whole department equally across the board,” said Stemple.

“Everyone is important and we treat every sport the same.”

It is this equality approach that has given East its success this year, according to East Athletic Director Richard Bryant.

“We have improved greatly across the board,” said Bryant. “You need balance;

Junior Tazzie Shaw jumps for the ball against Notre Dame Academy. The girls basketball team won eight points for East towards the All-Sports Title.

from football to quiz team, you have to have balance.”

The broad, across the board success is lead by the boys’ basketball team, which finished the season with a 19-1 record and won this years’ Cincinnati Enquirer Division I Coaches’ Poll Championship. Despite its first loss of the season against Middletown, the team is still determined to establishLakota as a school of achievement.

East Varsity Basketball Coach Wally Vickers

said that it takes an effort from everyone in the school to accomplish this award.

“The success speaks volumes of the student body,” said the only boys’ basketball coach in East’s history. “Our athletic program has had its down times, but I think our success will be solid for the next few years.”

East rounded out the winter season with the most points racking up 68 total, finishing in the top five in the GMC for every winter sport except girls’ bowling. The Thunderhawks’ winter success has allowed the Thunderhawks to leap above Sycamore and Lakota West and take second place in the standings.

After all of the winter sports have been completed, the Thunderhawks rank 18 points behind All-Sports powerhouse Mason, 149131. On average, the GMC All-Sports winner has earned 192 points in a year, putting the Thunderhawks in a tough position to take home the award. With East being the defending GMC champs in baseball, however, spring sports could lift the Thunderhawks in the the overall standings.

Although East most likely will not claim the title according to Bryant, the progress is a good sign for things to come.

“As of right now, I think we will end up in second,” said Bryant. “But the large improvement across the board will, in my mind, continue.” n

Learn how the All Sports point system works at lehsspark.org

Spark

HAWK CULTURE

A look into the lives of East athletes infographic jeff back

Rick D’Antonio VARSITY CHESS

Lanie Owens VARSITY GYMNASTICS

Mitch Geers VARSITY BOWLING

Nike or Adidas?

NIKE

NIKE

NIKE

NIKE

NIKE

NIKE

Favorite Spring Flower?

LILAC

DAISY

LILAC

TULIP

TULIP

LILLY

Will We Have Six or Seven Period Days?

SIX

SIX

SIX

SIX

SIX

SIX

Mens’ March Madness Winner?

A BASKETBALL TEAM

I DON’T KNOW

KANSAS

DON’T WATCH

OHIO STATE

UNC

Favorite MLB Team?

REDS

REDS

REDS

REDS

REDS

REDS

n

GIRLS’ SWIMMING—Jessika Hall first in 200-yard IM

n

Francesca Reynaert Allante Foster VARSITY SWIMMING VARSITY BOYS’ BASKETBALL

Margi Sammons HEAD GYMNASTICS COACH

GIRLS’ BASKETBALL—Whitney Wyckoff third in blocks

sports | 8 things

8

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT

succesSful coaching

Claire Feyche asks Wally Vickers, head coach of the first Greater Miami Conference (GMC) Champion boys’ basketball team, Nikki Drew, head coach of the winningest girls’ basketball team in East history, and Jim Lehman, head wrestling coach and GMC coach of the Year, how they reached success in the postseason and state tournaments. photo eric muenchen What is the single most important thing going into the postseason?

Vickers: We have a mentality of 0-0; the post season is a fresh start for everyone. We want to bring the good stuff from the past season to the postseason. There’s an attitude of desperation because once you lose, the season’s done.

Drew: Their mental edge, meaning the kids still want to do it.

Lehman: Good health and a strong mind.

The wrestlers need to be physically healthy.

What is the team mantra?

Vickers: What we do for 33 [minutes].

Drew: Walk the talk. It’s one thing to talk and another to do it. Because people had expectations, and we had to prove ourselves.

Lehman: We don’t have one set mantra, because wrestling is an individual sport. But each wrestler has their own mantra.

How have injuries affected the team?

Vickers: There were injuries in the early season. The great thing is we have ten fulltime varsity guys. We can withstand injuries.

Drew: We were very fortunate to not have any major setbacks.

Lehman: No major injuries.

Is “heart” innate or taught?

Vickers: There are two kinds of motivation: extrinsic and intrinsic. To be successful, it has to come from within (intrinsic). But we also give the guys extrinsic motivation.

Drew: It’s innate, but is also able to be taught.

Lehman: Primarily innate. In order to be really successful, it has to be innate.

How do you keep your team humble?

72 | Spark | March 17, 2011

Vickers: We talk about staying humble daily.

In the big picture, it’s more important to be a nice person. Our saying is: talent is God -given; be thankful. Fame is man-given; be humble. Conceit is self-given; be careful.

Drew: In general, it’s not a big issue. Because once you become cocky, things fall apart.

Lehman: We don’t spend time focusing on our successes. It’s good to congratulate yourself, but you need to stay focused.

How do you keep your team rested during the long season?

Vickers: In the early season, the boys have longer practices and as the season goes on, the practices get shorter.

Drew: Don’t overdrive them. We go more intense, but not for as long.

Lehman: The wrestling season is more grueling than most. We always take the day after a competition off.

How far ahead do you look into your schedule to prepare?

Vickers: For the players, we take it one game at a time, but coaches plan in advance.

Drew: We try not to plan for more than one game in advance.

Lehman: Schedule creatively. Know when to pick up intensity and when to slow down.

You can’t go hard all of the time.

How important are the fans to the team’s performance?

Vickers: The fans are critical. They bring energy and add atmosphere.

Drew: They’re very important. The girls respond well to crowds.

Lehman: Very important.

Jeff Back Bring on the Boos SPORTSOPINION

The East-West rivalry brings out good-natured humor and wit between schools, not animosity.

S

hane Dixon had it coming.

He was asking for it. And we gave it to him. But for the Lakota West senior varsity basketball player, the boos, hisses and chants are just “part of being a player.” After moving into his mother’s house, Dixon decided it was in his best interest for basketball to transfer to Lakota West from East following his sophomore year. Naturally, he came into this year’s match-up between the rival schools expecting to be heckled by rowdy former classmates. In high school sports, the fans are just as much a part of the game as the players themselves. They control the momentum. They pump up the players. They dominate the game’s emotion. That is the beauty of high school athletics. The morning after a rivalry game I can walk into chemistry class, congratulate one of the basketball team members on a great performance and then ask him what the previous night’s homework was. That is what makes high school sports so much more personal than any other level of athletic competition.

After Kobe Bryant put up 23 points on the Boston Celtics in game seven of the NBA Finals to secure the Los Angeles Lakers’ 16th NBA championship last June, I couldn’t text the Black Mamba and ask if he wanted to go to Kings Island the next day.

By the same token, it is not blasphemy that I went to the movies with some friends from “the other school” the weekend after East boys’ basketball brought Lakota West to its knees with a 40-point thrashing.

Pigs would surely fly before Spike Lee would be caught dead taking Reggie Miller to see The Lion King and going “halfsies” on a bucket of popcorn after their highly disputed interactions in the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals.

These culturally accepted norms in the realm of professional sports, however, cannot be applied to high school athletic competition. Such intense animosities between players, teams, schools and fans just do not exist at the high school level. Yes, students of both East and Lakota West high schools are passionate about and devoted to their teams. They may even claim to “hate” or “despise” students and players from rival schools. But only the most aggressive would go so far as to intentionally hurt another for the sole reason that a different cardinal direction is in the other school’s name. Simple rivalry between the two schools is not motivation for any student to attempt to emulate the Indiana Pacers’ and Detroit Pistons’ 2004 “Malice at the Palace” with their own rendition of a “Crosstown Throwdown.”

And it’s not only the student spectators who think that negative cheering is acceptable. Student athletes do too.

Because honestly, with all due respect to Shane, it is practically required of a student section to heckle a player who transferred to a rival school because he liked one athletic program over another. Cleveland Cavaliers fans were not likely to cheer on Lebron James as he dropped 38 points on their team in an overwhelming Miami Heat victory in James’

“

first game back in Cleveland after leaving the team high and dry last summer.

Not in the least.

They did what everyone expected. They booed. They hissed. They most definitely cursed. They flaunted TNT network posters that broadcasted “the Traitor is in towN tonighT.” They donned t-shirts and jerseys that cleverly read “Quitness” and “The Lyin’ King.” They teamed up and displayed “BETRAYED” on their shirts, and not solely for the reason that they had one too few people to spell “Cleveland” or “Cavaliers.”

After such displays of antagonism and resentment, then, it may seem almost tame that when the Lakota West varsity basketball team ran onto its home court on Jan. 11, and Shane Dixon caught the ball in front of the East student section, which was larger than that of Lakota West in its home gym, he was booed.

Yes, we booed him. I booed him. A couple hundred kids booed their former classmate and teammate who transferred schools and was in the midst of a 7-6 season while six of his former teammates were leading a 13-0 team to what would become East’s most successful team ever.

So what?

Lakota West proceeded to read the newspaper while the East lineup was announced. We were tired, falling asleep during West’s introductions.

They chanted that we were entering their house without their permission.

We had an issue hearing and couldn’t decipher what they were saying.

They kindly asked us to play football. We astutely observed that a player of theirs resembled Jaleel White’s legendary persona Steve Erkel.

They wittily compared our team’s tallest player to an ogre. After this comment according to some, we took it too far.

“SHANE SUCKS DIXON!” we roared from the visiting side of the gymnasium. Time froze. Eyes shot to onlooking East Principal Dr. Keith Kline in anticipation of a blood-red face and steaming ears. But he simply shot his student section a warning glance, chalked up the chant as good-humored rivalry and continued to watch the game unfold. He talked to his colleagues and took in the experience of giving our school’s biggest rival a firm kick in the rear to end East’s 2011 winter sweep of Lakota West.

Shane didn’t flip out either. He didn’t start crying. He didn’t start a brawl. He didn’t let the ingenious and slightly suggestive play on words of his name get into his head. He played the game and went on to get his zero points and two rebounds off the bench.

“I think it’s all part of sports,” he said. “I do not mind negative cheers.

I would’ve chanted along because I’m naturally a competitive person and would do anything to gain that little edge.”

The Earth kept spinning. The snow of the cold Ohio winter kept falling. And the East basketball team rode the spirit of its student section all the way to a 74-34 victory. n

I couldn’t text the Black Mamba and ask if he wanted to go to Kings Island...

”

73 | Spark | lehsspark.org

opinion | column

Tyler Kieslich Regal Radio

contact tyler at tyler.kieslich@gmail.com

I

I yell at my radio most mornings. There are a few reasons for this: 1) The iPod I used to rig through my car’s tape deck was stolen on a warm September night. I’m sure it had more to do with the cloak and dagger mafia underbelly so notorious on these sinister West Chester streets than it did with my habit of leaving all of my doors unlocked.

2) I drive a 1994 Buick Regal, which is a glorious machine, but much to my chagrin, my great-grandfather (who sold me the car) opted for the dusty tape deck rather than such avant-garde conveniences like a CD player or brake pads. Also, the tape deck is broken, so listening to my father’s old Molly Hatchet cassettes is out of the question.

3) Most radio is pretty terrible. I wear collared shirts, but I’m still not hip enough to appreciate the merits of an androgynous she-man singing about its p-p-p-p-poker face. And sports talk never really did it for me. In my insomnia I end up watching the day’s SportsCenter three or four times anyway, so I’m already pretty up on the current sporting news. So instead I listen to National Public Radio (NPR).

WVXU is Cincinnati’s public radio station, and it is pretty great. My favorite show is probably The Splendid Table, in which a woman called Lynette (who could be your grandmother or your aunt) talks about food like it is high-brow literature. It’s food porn, but for the ears. There’s also Prairie Home Companion, in which Garrison Keillor mythologizes the Midwest backed by fiddles and banjos and steel-pedal guitars. Or This American Life, in which Ira Glass, the only man so attractive that it would be all right if our girlfriends left us for him, documents America armed only with a captivating voice and a knack for storytelling.

It will be during that long halt on the drive to school, when traffic is at a standstill and the cars seem to stretch from horizon to horizon. The recent busing cuts have, if nothing else, given me much more time to catch up on my current events, as NPR schedules its news programs for the hours before sunrise, probably so as to allow businesspeople the opportunity to listen as they wait for their caramel lattes in the line at the Starbucks drivethrough. Mostly it is trite political discourse. There will be a Democrat and a Republican, and they will disagree about some issue, and the moderator, usually a befuddled Steve Inskeep, will try to keep things peaceful. Mostly Steve will fail at this, and here is where the yelling, the one from that first sentence, will come in, and I will be in a bad mood for the entirety of my first period class, and I will slump low in my chair and think about the doomed state of American politics.

It’s kind of terrible that the leaders we vote to represent us can never be civil on a radio program for more than three minutes of air time. Lately the banter has been about President Obama’s new budget, in which he tries to cut corners, trim the deficit, all of that, while still maintaining a fragile peace amongst his constituents. Typically, a Democrat will be brought on, and he will give the Democratic Perspective, describing our need to be gradual, reminding us all that Rome was not built in a day, explaining that no one sweeping move could ever solve all of our problems. To avoid bias, NPR, in all of its journalistic integrity, will

bring on a Republican, to provide the Republican Perspective. He will say something about drastic times calling for drastic measures, about how things like public radio and health care, while nice, are not necessities, are not worthy of the government’s money.

The frustrating thing, the thing that causes my solitary outbursts, is that it is never hard to figure out who is on what side, even when I come upon the argument halfway through. The Republicans cling to that Republican Perspective as if it were the Gospel, the Democrats to the Democratic Perspective like it were the collected memoirs of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Just once I want to hear a Democrat arguing for decreased entitlement spending or a Republican pushing for a smaller defense budget. But it will never happen. Political ideologies become identities in Congress. Party platforms become blanket statements, and that isn’t right. Perhaps political individuality is difficult, but it is kind of the axiom upon which democracy is built. Our representatives should tailor to the views of their constituents, not feed the Grand Canyonsized political divide that exists in Washington.

So, yeah, I shout at the radio. It’s mostly a frustration thing, but also a being alone in the car and knowing no one else will hear me thing. We preach solidarity, knowing that the only way anything will ever get done is through compromise. But instead the same tired viewpoints, as familiar as the night’s sports scores after a third time through SportsCenter, are forwarded by people who seem more interested in vomiting out ideology than actually accomplishing anything tangible.

To be honest, shows like Diane Rehm’s, although difficult to listen to sometimes because Diane Rehm sounds like the Crypt Keeper and probably should never speak words again, are much more enlightening than any of the political dribble. Hearing about bees for an hour is kind of like listening to smooth jazz. It’s refreshing, maybe a little enlightening, maybe a little boring, but mostly it is not something anyone can have a true opinion on. Smooth is jazz is smooth jazz, music that is objectively just OK. The same goes with Diane or hearing an hour-long roundtable discussion about the current state of urban beekeeping. No one can really argue about it, and that’s nice. It keeps the shouting down, at the very least.

America is at a crossroads of sorts. The coming cuts will change the way we live. The quagmire in the Middle East already has. It is a time of great need, but America has been through it before. The Great Depression nearly destroyed the country, but people banded together, put up with food rationing, made compromises and sacrifices for the good of the whole. If we are going to pull out of this one we will have to similarly check our egos, our ideologies, our motives at the door.

I might start by keeping my voice down in the Regal. n

“We preach solidarity, knowing that the only way anything will ever get done is compromise.”

74 | Spark | March 17, 2011

opinion | head to head

HEAD t

Shivang

Patel A

A young boy in a factory works in life-threatening conditions. He faces peril on a daily basis and goes through Hell just to earn a few cents a day to support his family. The sweatshop owner treats him like he’s scum. He can’t do anything to ameliorate the situation, and no one will help him or the thousands of other people like him. These people have to go through this turmoil every day. They have nothing to look forward to but meager wages from tedious, dehumanizing work.

As horrific as this situation may seem, it was common in the United States during the Industrial Revolution. However, with the creation of unions, workers received help, rights, fair pay for their labor and even healthcare. Unions revolutionized the way employers treat their workers.

They have led the way for millions of workers, pioneering benefits such as health care and pensions.

America is the “land of the free and the home of the brave” and the icon for democracy around the world. Many nations, from France in 1789 to Egypt in 2011 view the United States as a beacon of hope. By trying to remove unions, we’re regressing to the times when employers had complete control of employees and their rights.

According to the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, Americans have the right to assemble. Therefore, unions, as democratic membership organizations that foster political participation, educate their members about the political process and train them how to work together for a common goal. The dissolution of unions would be anti-democratic and anti-American.

Ohio District 7 Republican Senator Shannon Jones proposed the radical Senate Bill 5 that chips away at the quality of work performed by public sector Ohioans, resulting in losses of full-time jobs and collective bargaining for public employees. This bill would erode the right of tens of thousands of employees to negotiate with their employers for wages, health care, dental care and pensions. It would also cause a loss of scientists from Ohio public universities— taking away millions of dollars in research funding from Ohio.

Even though Ohio is projected to have an $8 million deficient, Jones stated that there are no immediate savings if this bill becomes a law. Rather, she argued that the key goal was employer “flexibility.” Flexibility is not worth a loss of thousands of jobs. This inexperienced senator is proposing cuts that would affect the families of thousands of Ohioans and the struggling economy of Ohio itself in her first term as state senator. She obviously does not understand that Ohio needs more jobs to grow and prosper.

If jobs are destroyed, workers will not have the purchasing power needed to buy goods, and businesses won’t make money, leading to a further loss of jobs and creating a vicious cycle that would drive Ohio’s economy down further than its current state.

The cost of benefits such as health insurance has increased over time and make up a larger percent of expenditures for business. The increase

Senate Bill

in costs is nowhere near enough to measure for the discrepancy between wage and productivity growth.

According to the Center for Economic and Policy Research, benefits rose from 12.6 percent to 19.5 percent between 1980 and 2008. If workers were rewarded for 100 percent of increases in labor productivity, between this same time period, average wages would be $28.53 per hour—42.5 percent higher than the real average wage in 2008.

Union workers, on average, earn more than their non-union counterparts. Even though the number of American workers in unions fell from 23.3 percent in 1983 to 13.7 percent in 2008, wages of union workers were 11.3 percent higher than those of non-union workers between 2004 and 2007. Ohioans need this extra money to make the economy grow. This is not the time to lose jobs and money.

Unions are vital to prosperous and growing business and economies.

Unions increase competitiveness, which is linked to productivity, quality and innovation. Labor costs for Costco were 40 percent higher than those of Sam’s Club, but Costco, which is partially unionized, produced almost twice as much as the average operating profit per hourly employee in the United States—$21,805 versus $11,615.

There are many benefits to unions, but now unions are faced with aggressive anti-union employers.

Unions give workers a stronger voice. Without the protection of contracts and unions, public employees such as teachers, nurses and firemen would lose their ability to do their jobs safely and efficiently.

Unions are needed for the benefit of workers, employers and the economy. In harsh economic times, Ohio Senate Bill 5 would allow employers to eliminate thousands of jobs leading to less income Ohioans have to purchase goods. This would slow and minimize the growth of the economy, adding to Ohio’s growing deficit. Ohio would be digging a deeper and deeper hole of financial turmoil if this malicious bill becomes law. n

“Unions are needed for the benefit of workers, employers and the economy.”

76 | Spark | March 17, 2011

editorial cartoon nitya sreevalsan

With Collective Bargaining

STUDENTS STATE

TEACHERS

o HEAD

Five: Unions

T

Times have changed in today’s working world. From Industrial Revolution-era America to the present day, our government has made countless laws requiring employers to look after the needs of their workforce. Thanks to unions, America produced a middle class out of a working class, ensured that workers have a 40-hour work week, made work environments safer, enacted child labor laws, and created worker’s compensation, and more. Collective bargaining via the establishment of unions has nurtured America’s middle class and has tremendously reformed the way we work. And yet, today, we continually see that unions have lost their usefulness.

Quite simply, the bill proposed by Ohio Senator Shannon Jones (R) can be summed up by stating that every state worker—firefighters, police officers and teachers—will earn their pay based on merit. Through the elimination of collective bargaining rights for government employees, skilled workers can earn better wages and inefficient workers may only earn minimum wage. The bill is a way for the state to balance the salaries and immense benefits of the public sector with that of the suffering private sector, thereby allowing the state to start regaining control of the deficit.

According to a report by the Buckeye Institute, Ohio state employees earn more than private sector employees in 85 of Ohio’s 88 counties.

Even in the midst of a failing economy, public sector employees have abused collective bargaining to ensure wage increases for unions as the private sector floundered. In fact, since 2000, while the Ohio private sector lost 612,700 jobs, it only had a net loss of 1,600 jobs.

The costs of collective bargaining ultimately come down to the taxpayers, who are liable for the undertakings of unions. If a private business cannot make a profit due to the fact that wages for workers are too high, the business ceases to exist. However, the wages and benefits of every unionized public official is protected, regardless of the financial tension it brings upon the employer. In a union, there is no incentive

Without Collective Bargaining

E

IK

TR S

STUDENTS STATE

TEACHERS

Sean

Lewis under collective bargaining to become a better worker—which often causes large areas of wasteful spending for employers. For example, it is easier for a struggling unionized company like General Motors (GM) to lay off a union worker and pay him 60 percent salary versus asking him to retire and paying him 80 percent salary, under union benefits. Keeping an inefficient worker and being forced by the union to pay him full salary simply isn’t possible anymore for companies and organizations up to their necks in the red.

The unionization of Ohio’s protective officials brings up the huge issue of risking public safety. On Aug. 3, 1981, the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (PATCO) union declared a strike for better working conditions, which President Reagan deemed as a “peril to national safety” and demanded that the strikers return to work. In 48 hours, Reagan fired all the remaining 11,345 air traffic controllers and banned them from federal service. Safety officials in the public sector should not have the liberty to risk the safety of the public by leaving their jobs in order to cater to the demands of their union. As evidenced by the defeat of the PATCO 1981 Strike, it has already been deemed a security risk for unions of public safety officials to threaten to strike. This, inturn, renders a major aspect of their unionization obsolete.

There’s no mystery behind why union membership in the private sector has been steadily decreasing since the 1970s and unions have strayed far from their purpose of helping workers. In fact, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, America’s unions lost 834,400 members on private payrolls and gained 64,200 members in government employment between 2008 and 2009.

Unions have ultimately become a bureaucratic impediment to employers and a hindrance to economic efficiency.

Through collective bargaining, unionized workers have the ability to slow a company’s ability to grow and compete in the business world.

Union-made products are significantly more expensive than their nonunion and foreignmade equivalents, which is a huge contributing factor as to why employers lose business. And when businesses have to cut corners, employers cannot touch the salaries and benefits protected by union contracts. Businesses in the private sector, such as GM, Ford, Chrysler, and AK Steel, for example, have all been suffering due to unions and are losing out to nonunion organizations which make better products at better prices.

Taxpayers shouldn’t be forced to pay for the benefits of those union workers who refuse to carry their load and those who poorly perform their job. And taxpayers, who must pay the cost of the private sector’s whims, cannot be expected to continue to pay for ineptness. It simply does not make any sense that government employees are entitled to such high job security which private sector workers will never have. Union workers now face the daunting task of staying relevant in an economy that can no longer support their needs. n

“Unions have ultimately become a bureaucratic impediment.”

77 | Spark | lehsspark.org

opinion | column

Alex Griffin

Believe Not to Believe

I

contact alex at alexgriffin10147@gmail.com

I don’t burn people. I don’t damn children to Hell. And I don’t sit in a circle every week chanting and praising Satan. Yet I know, as a non-theist, that a good number of people negatively associate non-religious people with these stereotypes.

A 2008 Pew Research Center study found that 92 percent of Americans believe in a higher power. Those in the minority, people without any particular faith, tend to receive heavy criticism and judgment from others.

The same judgment hit me in the face three years ago as I sat in my seventh grade world studies class. The teacher was lecturing about Greek mythology, and my eyes wandered around the room. Hearing him speculate about the first nontheistic philosophers captured my attention with that of the rest of my peers. The whole class broke into whispers, and it was all because of one word—atheism.

Vile words spread across the room like hellfire. As a girl leaned over to the person sitting in front of me, she then said, “Can you believe people are too stupid not to believe in God? I mean, how can you just not believe?”

I was infuriated. She had just inadvertently called me an idiot. Even before this incident, I knew that secular individuals were not viewed very highly in society. In fact, a study done by the University of Minnesota in 2006 found that secular individuals are viewed to be the most distrusted, hated and immoral of all Americans.

Yet I didn’t know why. Assuming that these stereotypes about nonreligious people were exaggerated made hearing these words from my peers really awaken me to how people truly felt about this group.

Even though there are different religious groups throughout the country, 92 percent of America still shares the common belief of the existance of a higher being. Nonreligious people, therefore, are separated from society as a result of their different views. Yet all forms of non-theism do have the same common belief of the absence of organized worship of a ruling being.

As a nontheist myself, I do not believe in a ruling higher power, but my views are not the same as atheist views. An atheist is a person who rejects the existence of a higher being or deity, and an agnostic is a person who still has the belief of a god, yet is still skeptical about religion but does not profess true atheism. I am neither. My personal stance on religion is that I have no way of proving or disproving that there is a higher power or even an afterlife.

Not putting a label on my particular religious viewpoint gives me the opportunity to expand my belief system and accept all ideas presented freely. Not dismissing different views because of what I believe allows me to mold my faith as I chose whenever I become more informed about religion.

During summer 2010, the Pew Research Center created a survey titled “U.S. Religious Knowledge,” which contained 32 questions that pertained to each of the main world religions. The results gathered from over 3,400 people shocked people of all religious denominations.

One would assume that those people of a certain faith would have

more knowledge about their own religion than someone without that religion. According to the these results, however, nontheistic individuals scored higher than every other group including Jews, Protestants, Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims and Catholics. The survey included questions that ranged from, “Which Bible figure is most closely associated with leading the exodus from Egypt?” to “When does the Jewish Sabbath begin?”

A simple explanation for this seemingly unlikely result is that nontheists tend to study all different kinds of religion to form a more educated opinion. Secular individuals develop their opinions with supported information about other religions because nonreligious people feel more or less obligated to defend their viewpoint since the concept of non-theism is so controversial to religion.

Yet just like religion, there is no single way of thinking in terms of non-theism. Through their research on different religions, non-religious people are able to form all different opinions. And in some cases, such as my own, non-religious individuals create beliefs from prior experiences with religion.

Even at a young age my faith was different from most of society.

But when I was seven years old, I still went to church like the rest of my friends and family. Eight years ago, my Sunday school teacher taught our class a lesson about how Christians were blessed because they would be able to go to this place called heaven. Only Christians, though.

I was puzzled, because my two closest friends were Hindu and Jewish. “My friends aren’t Christian, but they still get to go to heaven, right?” I asked. My teacher shook her head, telling me they would go to hell for not having the same beliefs that this church did. Tired of being held to the same way of thinking, I did not accept what this particular church had told me.

Since then, I have tried to educate myself about all different kinds of religion. My goal is not to persuade people to believe as I do, but to understand the various beliefs there are. There are numerous benefits to being nontheistic, or just not being a part of any single organized religion. Not being forced into one particular idea or stance on religion allows me to have the opportunity to freely change the way I think. I have no rules or restrictions in life and can freely bring in other ideas about faith whenever I choose.

Looking back to the day I sat in my seventh grade World Studies class, I remember how completely embarrassed I was about my religious beliefs among my peers, so I didn’t defend what I believed in. I chose to sacrifice my true beliefs given the prejudice towards non-theism. Since then, I have realized that I cannot change what other people think. I can simply try to enlighten them with the true principles behind the meaning of nontheism. n

“My goal is not to persuade people to believe as I do, but to understand the various beliefs there are.”

78 | Spark | March 17, 2011

opinion | column

Christian Roehm The Face of Revolution

M

contact christian at croehm28@gmail.com

Mark Zuckerberg dethroned the president of Egypt.

He messaged all of his friends and organized a giant protest against Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. He called all his Twitter friends and got them in the mix too. Then he got the Egyptian Internet shut down Maybe that’s a stretch. But Zuckerberg’s multibillion-dollar social media network Facebook did play a large role in the happenings of Egypt. The entire Egypt revolution seems so successful because of how connected people are online. Egyptians used Facebook, Twitter and other social networking websites to voice their disapproval of their government’s leadership, and they didn’t stop there. They also used these sites to spread ideas and organize protests. Social media also played a role in the ousting of Tunisia’s President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali even before the Egyptians followed in their footsteps. The Egyptians proved that overthrowing a corrupt government with the help of social media was not a stretch of the imagination, by any means.. And to think that people used to have to sit in the same room to organize these types of things.

Massive groups of citizens are also protesting their government leadership in Bahrain, Iran and Yemen. Protesters in Bahrain want a democracy. A YouTube video of the funeral of a demonstrator inspired more citizens to get involved with the process. Protesters in Yemen want their authoritarian president Ali Abdullah Saleh out. Ala’a Jarban, a young university student, posted pictures of small protests online and encouraged others to join. [Parliament members in Iran protested that they wanted key opposition leaders executed.] An Iranian Facebook page that has received over 20 million views calls for “solidarity demonstrations”. These countries are quickly learning that they can identify a problem with their government, voice their opinion and round up protesters all through social media.

The United States is also becoming involved with the protesters overseas, and they too are using social media.

In mid-February, the United States created a Farsi Twitter account for those in Iran. The U.S. State Department wants Iran “to allow people to enjoy same universal rights to peacefully assemble, demonstrate and communicate that are being exercised in Cairo.” It seems the whole world is jumping on the political social media bandwagon, and so far, the effect seems to be mostly positive. A hashtag can go a long way.

People aren’t just using social media to chat with their friends or browse pictures anymore. People use websites such as Facebook and Twitter to connect with the world. They use Facebook to point out that Christina Aguilera butchered “The Star Spangled Banner” before the Super Bowl. They use Twitter to ridicule Justin Bieber’s performance on the Grammys. And evidently they use it to completely change the face of their government.

Politics aside, social media is being used in other ways. Everywhere

we go, we are bombarded with a plethora of references to social media.

Watching the local news, be prepared to hear the station remind viewers to “like” their Facebook page over and over again. Flip through a magazine and there will be advertisements asking for a “like” as well.

And once these companies draw people into liking their page, their Facebook newsfeeds are bound to fill up with companies reminding them of their latest deals and products – essentially free advertising.

Read an article in a newspaper and don’t be surprised if one of the quotes is straight from the source’s Twitter account. Go and stand in the long line at Chipotle and surely most of the people waiting will be messing around on their phones, many of them on Facebook. Chipotle statuses are always popular.

New for 2011, American Idol viewers can now vote for their favorite contestant on Facebook. Voting by phone is so outdated. I mean, if people can organize protests on Facebook to try and change something about their government, of course Americans want to use the same cultural phenomenon to vote for the next American Idol—it’s a pretty big deal, after all.

Family and jobs are a big deal. Richard Doherty was a Massachusetts firefighter who worked to save lives. But Doherty lost his job because of controversial Facebook posts. On the other hand, Angelina Rodriguez was able to reunite with her daughter on Facebook after 30 years of separation. Stories like these are in the news every single day, and it is due to the increase of society’s reliance on social networking sites like Facebook. There is no denying the impact social media has had on the world the past few years, and how that impact continues to expand. The world is beginning to revolve around social media, and with the events occuring in countries like Egypt, it’s starting to pick up the pace.

That’s not to give social media giants such as Facebook and Twitter all the credit.

Sure these sites are revolutionizing the way people communicate and assemble, but they are not the cause of the revolution. It wasn’t Mark Zuckerberg who caused the successful Egyptian protests to happen. It wasn’t even Facebook or Twitter that made Mubarak resign. It was the people who caused successful leadership turnaround in Egypt and other countries. It has always been the people who assemble and protest to make a change, and it will always be the people. It was the social media sites that created the platform, but it was the people who created the voice. n

“The world is starting to revolve around social media, and with events occuring in countries like Egypt, it’s starting to pick up the pace.”

80 | Spark | March 17, 2011

East Speaks Out

art ellen fleetwood

How do you feel about the revolutions occurring in North Africa and the Middle East?

“

Akash Umakantha, Senior

“I think it’s a step in the right direction. However, the United States should stay neutral and let things play out unless there is a large, direct threat to national security.”

Michael Conrad, Junior

“I don’t really care. Gas sucks.”

Alicia Morris, Sophomore

Jeff Mundy, Junior

“I think that it is good that they are having all of the revolutions because they’re in unstable governments and this will give them a chance for democracy.”

“I think it is affecting us more than we expected.

Gas prices are crazy now.”

81 | Spark | lehsspark.org

opinion | finishing touch

ARIADNESOUROUTZIDIS Punishing pbs

I

did not grow up on Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon or Disney Channel. I grew up on PBS. This was partly due to my father’s unwillingness to shell out the money to pay for cable and partly due to the fact that neither of my parents wanted a hundred different channels. My family has only ever had basic cable: roughly 22 channels. Three constantly play infomercials.

Out of this limited array of possibilities, I most frequently watched PBS. While other kids memorized all the songs from Spongebob Squarepants, I watched Arthur on a daily basis. It became our family’s weekly tradition to sit down and watch Nature together every Saturday at eight o’clock. I no longer watch cartoons on PBS, but rather use the channel as well as National Public Radio (NPR) as a news source.

As the federal government prepares the 2012 national budget, the House of Representative Republicans hope to cut $430 million currently slotted for the Corporation of Public Broadcasting (CPB). Threequarters of that money supports public television, while 25 percent of it supports public radio stations. That money not only supports PBS and NPR but also roughly 1,300 television and radio stations, as well as more specific programs like Nova, Sesame Street and PBS Newshour.

In a time when millions of people watch TV to see Kim Kardashian doing keg stands or the crazy people who live on Seaside Heights, decent television programming must be protected. PBS shows are not only educational but also display quality journalism. They educate the population on national issues, global news and a wide variety of other information. Having a population who can make informed decisions aids the whole country—a lot more than Jersey Shore ever has.

PBS is not solely funded by the CPB; it also raise funds from member stations’ dues, government agencies, foundations, corporations and private citizens. PBS cannot compete, however, with Spongebob’s cuteness or the entertaining stupidity of the countless reality shows that exist without government funding. While those shows do not rely on government money, cutting $430 million in funding from the CPB could be detrimental to the programs that rely on their assistance.

Without funding from the CPB, PBS programs would have to be cut. If the quality of shows drops, fewer people would donate money to help fund the station. Granted, they could try to make up all the money in more donations or become privatized. But the whole point of public broadcasting is the fact that everybody can watch it.

Besides, if PBS or NPR are privatized, they will have to make a profit. Most news channels are at their viewers’ mercy to garner good ratings and simultaneously make money; sensationalized television attracts viewers. Jersey Shore brings in an average of 6 million viewers per week, while Fox News, arguably one of the most biased news channels, still only brings in an average of 2 million viewers each weekend.

As it stands now, NPR is one of the greatest news sources with unbiased reporting. We should be trying to protect the programs that create an informed population, instead of trying to destroy them.

According to Rick Shenkman’ book Just How Stupid Are We? Facing the Truth About the American Voter, only 2 out of 5 American voters can name all three branches of the government. Additionally, 49 percent of Americans believe that the president has the power to suspend the Constitution. So while cutting funding to the CPB could save money, it would be at the expense of public knowledge.

Not to mention that I would have to watch infomercials. Somehow I can’t see my family gathering to awe at the wonders of the Snuggie. n

82 82| Spark | Spark| March | March17, 17,2011 2011