2010-11 Issue 7

Spark

SPECIAL REPORT: LAKOTA IN LIMBO

Lakota East High School May 27, 2011 $4 Newsstand lehsspark.org

‘11

ELEVEN

FOR

THE 2011 EAST SENIOR CLASS

EAST SOFTBALL FIRST IN THE STATE

May 2011

Volume XIX Issue CXXXVIII

Simple Six Logging off Edline Class of 2011 Pierced Parts Complimentary Comics Causing a Racquet H2H: Osama bin Laden

Contents News: Special Report 08 Hanging in the Balance How East students prepare for the 2011-12 school year with the uncertainty of what classes will be offered next year.

East senior Sara Pearson has earned 206 strikeouts, 18 wins and ďŹ ve home runs for East’s varsity girls’ softball team.

07 31 72 78 86 102

82

photo eric muenchen

10 An Innovative Partnership Exploring how the Lakota Education Association has worked

solutions that reduce the impact of budget cuts on students.

11 The Pains of Indecision How failing levies and delayed budget cuts have affected opinions of the Lakota Local School District and Board of Education.

13 Legally Binding How Lakota was legally allowed to void the teacher’s contract and reopen negotiations on a new agreement.

14 Crunching the Numbers How changing state education funding under Ohio Gov. Kasich

situation of the district.

21 Across the Boards Investigating how other local school districts have dealt with their levy failures and the neccessity to make budget cuts.

cover mason hood, faiz siddiqui, sarah wilkinson Members of this year’s senior class range from radio kings to computer programmers to survivors of killer bee stings. Spark examines the lives of 11 East seniors representing the class of 2011. photos sierra whitlock

3 | Spark | lehsspark.org

opinion | letters

Dear Spark, All great events create controversy. It takes a very special issue to get a conservative (such as myself) to agree with the actions of our more liberal friends, such as President Obama.

For only the second time in his Presidential Term, I have been fully behind the actions of Mr. Obama.

The raid to capture Osama bin Laden was full of daring and courage, from the President all the way down to the Navy Seals carrying out the raid. While it probably was illegal to invade Pakistani airspace that night, it’s also illegal for them to harbor the most wanted man in the world less than 60 miles outside their capital.

That is almost the same distance as Cincinnati is from Dayton, OH. The raid was necessary and proper. Simply blowing the building to smithereens wouldn’t leave enough of Osama’s remains to actually identify him. We needed a body to prove his identity.

In order to quell the rage that would probably be rising from the Arab world, the U.S. government quickly looked for a country to take Osama. He has been exiled from Saudi Arabia (his home country), Yemen (his ancestral home) and Sudan (the country he spent time in during the late 90’s). They wouldn’t take his body. Neither would countries like Iran, Iraq or Turkey, proving to us that bin Laden’s followers do not speak for most Muslims.

So after a brief burial rite on the USS Vinson, he was placed in a body bag with weights and slid into the Persian Gulf. He

wasn’t desecrated and America showed to our enemies that we respect even our most vicious enemies. This operation achieved two major accomplishments, one being that it showed to America’s enemies we will wait decades to serve justice, and the other that our enemies cannot hide forever. Most importantly, bin

Dear Spark, Spark has an impressive website. I enjoyed Christina Wilkerson’s and Tommy Behan’s columns. Being the owner of multiple sports bars in Florida that employ almost 200 people who stand to lose a sizeable portion of their tipped income should the NFL season not materialize, Miss Wilkerson’s point is true, though I disagree with her generalized characterization of typical NFL fans—on any given Sunday, I’ll see just as many rednecks and blue-collar super fans as I will local doctors, lawyers and CPAs (many with their sons and daughters alongside) fervently cheering on their favorite teams. Of course, if she were writing about NASCAR‌ —Joshua Theiss, Florida Restuarant Owner

GOT SOMETHING TO SAY? Laden was a symbol for radical extremists.

A wealthy man, a leader of jihad, one who attacked the giant America and lived to tell the tale of it can no longer draw recruits for the organization. Bin Laden was the great draw of money and recruits to al Qaeda, as there was a charisma about him. Hopefully, this will be a substantial weakening of al Qaeda because even homemade bombs aren’t free.

So today, families of 9/11 victims can have closure. America has had a revival of patriotism and our enemies abroad can see America will always get their man. Today is a great day for the world, for America and for Islam. Hopefully the face of Islam can now be

their rights in the Streets of Damascus, Tehran, Cairo and many other places, instead of the most wanted man in history. —John Nelson, East junior

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

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 The Dec. 21, 2001 issue of Spark covered several stories concerning the homeless in the area.

It included topics such as the start of Reach Out Lakota as well as the goal of the program which is to help families in crisis situations.

The issue hit close to home as writers explored how several student volunteer programs helped to make life easier for students in the district.

4 | Spark | May 27, 2011

The package also covered the Hope House, a place where the homeless can go to receive daily necessities, such as food and care. The story takes the reader through what it feels like to be a

support system, a job and a future.

Writers also covered Habitat for Humanity, an organization which builds houses for those who cannot afford them.

Spark

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

THE HORROR THE HORROR FROM THE EDITOR

Sierra Whitlock Photo Director Tyler Kieslich, Christian Roehm, Lucy Stephenson Entertainment Editor Jenn Shafer, Christina Wilkerson Feature Editor Lauren Barker, Hannah Berling Lifestyle Editor Nathan Dibble, Shivang Patel, Nick Tedesco News Editor Tommy Behan, Sean Lewis, Nitya Sreevalsan Opinion Editor Megan Fogel, Victoria Reick-Mitrisin, Katie Szczur Package Editor Devin Casey, Kyle Morrison, Drew Souders Sports Editor Lisa Cai, Jeff Cargill, Ian Castro, Sarah Fanning, Rashma Faroqui, Emily Merrick, Logan Schneider Art Section Editor Eric Muenchen, Sara Patt 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 reect 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 deďŹ nitions of libel, obscenity and invasions of privacy.

The publication is produced every ďŹ ve 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 inuence 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

I

t was this year’s greatest horror story. I am not talking about Scream 4 or Human Centipede

in a way. Nor is it about Paranormal Activity, although it does present a very scary idea of what is lurking in the shadows.

No, by far the scariest story I have heard this year was the downward spiral

! "##$

voting down its levies, the district has eliminated 106 positions, 70 of which were teachers. More recently, the district cut another $1.2 million from its budget in April. But those cuts are far, far from over, seeing as how Little Miami just failed another levy on the May 3 ballot—the eighth in a row.

It is hard to imagine being the sole district of southwest Ohio under a state & '

! *

hell-hole, it has taken the usual measures of limiting class choices, laying off teachers, increasing class sizes and raising student fees but to no avail. Little Miami is still in the red and still lacks the support of its community.

Little Miami has become a sort of symbol; it is a name said by students glad they do not attend that school. It is a name whispered by Lakota Local School District teachers, administrators, Board of Education members and the former superintendent himself, all hoping that Lakota is not on the same destructive path as Little Miami.

And as unfathomable as that outcome may seem to some students, Lakota might only be two steps behind Little Miami. In fact, back in Spark+

4 5

that the November levy would have on the district, former Lakota Superintendent Mike Taylor even said that the district could be two steps behind Little Miami.

Although Lakota has only failed two operating levies so far, the projected

"#8" <8!" ! = $10 million in budget cuts for 2012 that the Board of Education has yet to vote on. That proposal was cut down about $2 million from the previous proposed cuts that the Board put off approving until further research could be conducted.

And while the Board waited to make a decision at its own leisure, Senate Bill 5 was passed, conveniently limiting the teacher unionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ability to collectively bargain, at the same time that the district was conveniently able to legally void

+

?

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and decisions about Lakotaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s future have been delayed to the point where the

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This issue, Spark decided to investigate the issues affecting our districtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s budget. We looked at the ever-changing state governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plans concerning

! @ 4 +

give students the most opportunities. We looked at the Boardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s decision to void the teacherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s contracts and how other districts in our area have dealt with the

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teachers and students felt about the Boardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s recent actions or inactions, rather.

What we found were a multitude of varied opinions about what the Board should do or should have already done. One thing is clear: there is no perfect solution or miraculous outcome that will suddenly relieve Lakota of its problems.

There will continue to be declining state funding and there will continue to be some form of opposition or negativity to the district no matter what the Board decides. At this point, all Lakota can hope for is to not become the next whisper in the community. Â&#x201E;

5 | Spark | lehsspark.org

news | east news

AROUND THE

SCHOOL

NEWS

EAST RALLIES AGAINST CANCER story kaitlin lange ' | "# }"8! ] 23 registered teams for Eastâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Relay for Life had raised $9,197 as of May 7. One member of each team must be represented on the track throughout the 18-hour event.

Events included the Mr. and Miss Relay contest, a beauty contest in which participants dress up as the opposite gender and go on a special walk for cancer survivors.

Many of Relay for Lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s participants joined the event because of their relationships with either cancer survivors or those who passed away from cancer. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was something I could do to honor her,â&#x20AC;? said Meyer.

American Cancer Society Income Development Coordinator Carrie Riddle, who organized the event, had also decided to work with the American Cancer Society in memory of her relatives, as three of her grandparents and everyone on her fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s side have died of cancer. Â&#x20AC;\ Â

4 Â&#x201A; | ! Â&#x201E;

SERVING UP JAZZ story elaine laux | photo sierra whitlock ' ? ZZ [ annual Cool Jazz nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Hotcakes breakfast, an event which raises $7,000 to $9,000 each year for the Lakota East Upbeat Club.

While the jazz bands performed, approximately 1,000 attendees enjoyed plates of pancakes and sausages donated by businesses like Kroger, Coffee Beans and Brew, Bob Evans and United Dairy Farmers. Event co-chair Jenny Vanden Eynden said that the event was important to showcase talented East students and to show support for musicianship in the local community. @ \ ] = which she described as â&#x20AC;&#x153;tasty, with a side of jazz,â&#x20AC;? because her son, ' ? \ = ^ ' _ ZZ Ensemble. Many other community members, even if those who do not have children in East jazz bands, also attended the event. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I used to live in the Lakota school district growing up, so itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always fun to come back,â&#x20AC;? said community member Christin Stegman. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nice to see the kids volunteering their time for something like this.â&#x20AC;?

In fact, students such as East junior Alexis Thomas (pictured above) served plates of pancakes and drinks, as well as bussed tables. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I like to [volunteer at] this event because it is fun to work with all your friends,â&#x20AC;? said East freshman band member Nick Riddick. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also good practice for when I get a real job.â&#x20AC;? Â&#x201E;

DRAMA CLUBâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S NEW DIRECTIONS story and photo jasmine tuazon Due to a decrease in funding for the 2011-12 school year, East theater director Kristen Statt is researching grants and selecting plays that she believes will generate the most revenue for the drama club. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am thinking the childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s play will be in the fall so we raise more money at the beginning of the year,â&#x20AC;? said Statt. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am also looking into different barn burners [like The Wizard of Oz and Into the Woods], which are plays that generate a lot of money [because of their popularity].â&#x20AC;?

The other option is to run plays that are cheap to produce, such as Rehearsal for Murder or The Bad Seed.

For current acting students with experience in the drama club, like East junior Rachel King (above) may apply for the International Thespian Society (ITS). High school students are eligible if they have accumulated a minimum of 100 hours of theater work from at least two productions and have had both acting and stage management roles. â&#x20AC;&#x153;[Drama club] doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do too much with ITS because students already do a lot,â&#x20AC;? said Statt. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If anything, it looks good on a resumĂŠ.â&#x20AC;? Â&#x201E;

excerpt from â&#x20AC;&#x153;Something Edibleâ&#x20AC;?

Spark

High School Lakota East n Online Editio

lleh lehs ehs sspark spa ark rk .org .org

6 | Spark | May 27, 2011

They say that apathy is killing America. But itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the kind of uncaring attitude I exhibit every day. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t care whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s for dinner, what Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m going to do later, what I have to study for. So why in the world would I care about whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going on in the world?

It really is this mentality thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s slowly going to kill off America.

I know the world is dying at a rapid pace, but I really couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t care less about planting tree after tree just so that they can be mowed down to make the paper I use to print essays on.

opinion online story arvind madhavan

Logging off Edline Home Access Center, the replacement for Edline, will save the Lakota Local School District money while providing services beyond those currently provided in Edline. story maggie schaller

T

he Lakota Local School District has elected to replace Edline with Home Access Center (HAC) as a cost-saving measure for the district.

The change will go into effect for the 2011-12 school year and will save the district a reported $55,000 per year. â&#x20AC;&#x153;[HAC] is a system like Edline that is going to be providing report cards, interim reports and grade book information,â&#x20AC;? said Lakota Technology Department Information Systems Specialist Shawn Smith. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In addition to those things, we will also provide attendance reports, schedules, course requests and more.â&#x20AC;?

X

the switch is that HAC is directly linked to a teacherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s online grade book. Therefore parents can view their childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s grades almost immediately after a teacher posts them. Unlike Edline, HAC makes available new data every day; tardies, attendance records and any homework assignments for the week appear on the Daily Summary page when HAC ! ]

for all grade levels K-12; grade information, however, will only be available for students from third grade through 12th grade. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pretty seamless,â&#x20AC;? said East teacher Brittany Grote. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When I update my grade book, it automatically updates for parents, which is better than Edline [because it] only updates twice a week.â&#x20AC;?

Grote and East teacher John Severns are two of the 15 district teachers who are testing HAC to make next yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s transition smoother. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very easy to use from a teacherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s standpoint,â&#x20AC;? said Severns. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have been

Teacher Access center (left) will be used in conjunction with the Home Access Center, allowing parents to view grades, attendence and other various pertinent information to their children.

learning how to do some of the things I already knew how to do with Edline quickly.â&#x20AC;?

Currently, 400 students and parents in the district also have access to the program to provide input on its utility. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The early reactions that weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve heard from parents whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve seen it and teachers that have been involved in the pilot program have been very positive,â&#x20AC;? said Smith. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Parents also have one login [for all children], which is the same for every [individual] child.â&#x20AC;?

The district has also been working closely with teachers to further improve the transition between Edline and HAC. Lakota parent Lonnie Tucker believes that, through the new program, she is able to view her childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s grades more easily. â&#x20AC;&#x153;No more can our students tell their parents â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have any homework,â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? said Tucker. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Now we have direct access to assignments. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re looking at all the studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; information thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s there, and for me it has been immediate access.â&#x20AC;?

Some reports from teachers, however, have not been as glowing as parental reports.

Grip the stick with one hand at the bottom, the butt, and one at the top, towards the pocket. Then roll it back and forth from ear to chin.

These are the seemingly simple instructions received when picking up a lacrosse stick and asking how to use it.

Anyone who has ever used one, however, will say that it is far from simple.

photo eric muenchen

excerpt from â&#x20AC;&#x153;Girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Lacrosseâ&#x20AC;?

Severns believes that HAC is not as â&#x20AC;&#x153;intuitiveâ&#x20AC;? as Edline because it does not allow users to

worksheets. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Data is data is data,â&#x20AC;? said Severns. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The question is what do you do with it?â&#x20AC;?

Yet HAC reports that all of the data available correlates to an increase in a childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

and missing work drops by 40 percent. While many parents believe HAC will help their child in the long run, not all students are as excited. â&#x20AC;&#x153;[My students] arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t too happy about it,â&#x20AC;? laughed Severns. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t like the fact that their parents can see their attendance.â&#x20AC;?

While some students may be upset by the new attendance records, some students, like sophomore James Gaitan, see the upsides. + Â&#x20AC; X

\ Â Â&#x201A; said Gaitan. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It will help the parents keep their kids [to continue] good attendance.â&#x20AC;?

Junior Kate Drummond saying that it will not change anything because the school is supposed to contact parents when their children are absent anyway. Â&#x201E;

excerpt from â&#x20AC;&#x153;JSA Spring Stateâ&#x20AC;?

The East Junior Statesmen of America (JSA) club traveled to Columbus, OH to attend the 2010-11 Spring State convention held at the State Capitol Building on April 30.

The JSA convention brings together high school students interested in politics from across the Midwest to debate problems and propose solutions for political common issues.

sports online

news online

story hannah lee

story alex grifďŹ n

7 | Spark | lehsspark.org

LAKOTA IN LIMBO

Top Row (from left): Lakota Local School District Treasurer Jenni Logan, Lakota Board of Education member Ray Murray, Board member Paul Lohr, Board Vice President Ben Dibble Bottom Row (from left): Board President Joan Powell, Interim Superintendent Ron Spurlock, Board member Lynda Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Connor

LAKOTA I HANGING IN THE BALANCE story rachel podnar

E

ast junior Christian Dawson anxiously anticipates any news concerning the number of class periods that East will have per day next year. He wonders how his schedule will look, whether he will be able to take Advanced Placement (AP) Spanish and which classes he will need to take online this summer. For Dawson, the stress at the end of the school year is only compounded by the uncertainty surrounding his schedule and his senior year as a whole.

At this point, the number of class periods that will be offered

8 | Spark | May 27, 2011

at East next year remains unknown. According to Lakota Local School District Board of Education member Ben Dibble, this decision is dependent on the negotiations between the Board and the Lakota Education Association (LEA), which began the week of May 2. As of press time, both sides had reached a tentative contract agreement. Assuming the union approves the contract, it will be presented to the Board at the following meeting. â&#x20AC;&#x153;[The Boardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s decisions] could go 1,000 different ways, at 1,000 different speeds,â&#x20AC;? said Dibble. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It could be decided really early just so it is decided, but I would be very surprised if it is taken care of 4 !Â&#x201A; This situation leaves two high schools of administrators, counselors, teachers, parents and students in a state of limbo.

quagmire: he will not be available this summer to change his classes and work out his schedule. Instead, he will be traveling

photos sierra whitlock

N

LIMBO

across the country with the Blue Stars Drum and Bugle Corps from May until August. So, he will be unable to adjust his schedule accordingly. He is concerned because some online courses require registering far in advance. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The problem is that [I am] going to be so busy that Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll barely have any free time, and when I do, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not going to be a long enough period of time for me to have a decent conversation with my counselor to discuss schedule changes,â&#x20AC;? said Dawson. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be up to my parents to relay the information from my counselor to me and then make decisions for me based on the situation.â&#x20AC;?

Dawson is not alone among East students in his exasperation.

East sophomore Jamila Flowers stated she just wants a decision to be reached in order to manage graduation requirements with the electives she would like to take in the future. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I feel like the school should at least inform us. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t understand what is taking so long and neither do many of my

friends,â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The bottom line is that I am sick of this. I want Lakota to tell me what our year is going to be like next year.

!

4 have six or seven periods.â&#x20AC;?

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classes, meeting graduation requirements, signing up for classes ! â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am so concerned,â&#x20AC;? said East junior Blake Wilder. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My mom will not let me have early leave if there are only six periods.â&#x20AC;?

On the other hand, some students are apathetic regarding their schedules for next year. East junior Mitch Noufer says that he does not care what happens, as he will be enrolled in a postsecondary program.

Equally unaffected by the indecision is East junior Abigail Sattler. She says that regardless of how many periods will be

9 | Spark | lehsspark.org

LAKOTA IN LIMBO

EAST SPEAKS OUT Do you think the board is justiďŹ ed in delaying its decision regarding upcoming cuts? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Yes, because I feel like theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve done everything they can so far to help me as a student, so I trust them to make the right decision.â&#x20AC;?

â&#x20AC;&#x153;No. It makes me nervous that I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know if they are going to cut band stuff or not.â&#x20AC;?

- sophomore sam hach

- junior aj meese

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Yes, because it is a good idea to take the time and not make reckless cuts.â&#x20AC;?

â&#x20AC;&#x153;No, because if theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to take something away, they should at least give us time to plan our schedule.â&#x20AC;?

- sophomore ryan guard

offered next year, she will take early leave and she is glad that she will be out of Lakota after next year. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t care less because Lakota is going down the toilet anyway,â&#x20AC;? she said.

East Principal Dr. Keith Kline said that while both East and Lakota West high schools are currently making preparations for next year as if it will be a seven period day, early leave will still be offered should the district move to six periods.

Dibble understood the frustrations of the community in the uncertainty of Lakotaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s future proceedings. He said, however, that one thing the community must understand is the Board has to look at things with the bigger picture in mind and consider the }

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Furthermore, Dibble asserted that the Board is forced to make choices that it does not want to, like busing cuts, for monetary

students. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We might end up with six periods and then return to seven,â&#x20AC;? said Dibble. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have really good teachers of which the vast majority want to do what is best for the kids and that [means] more opportunities. Hopefully we will be able to work something out.â&#x20AC;?

Before a decision is reached, the high school community is left stranded in a cloud of uncertainty, are that will last until a new teachersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; contract is agreed upon by the LEA and the Board, a process that could take several months. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I hate not knowing because I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know what to prepare for,â&#x20AC;? said Flowers. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I wish Lakota would make the decision and hopefully they make the right oneâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;seven periods for the 2011-12 school year.â&#x20AC;? Â&#x201E;

10 | Spark | May 27, 2011

- sophomore nick elam

AN INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIP story christian roehm

D

espite announcing prior to the Lakota Local School District levy this past November that East and Lakota West would switch from a seven-period day to a six-period day if the levy failed, the Lakota Board of Education, administrators and the Lakota Education Association (LEA) have reconsidered. Together they have tried to reach an agreement on a plan that would allow students to have seven periods during the 2011-12 school year, but in order to do so, the LEAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s contract needs to be changed.

The LEA presented Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) at the March 28 Board meeting. If the MOUs were to be approved by the Board, it would modify the teacherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s contract without opening up the entire contract for negotiations. The Board tabled the MOUs, so they have yet to be voted on, but LEA contract renegotiations have begun.

The original plan was created as a joint effort between teacher representatives and administrators and would require high school teachers to teach six periods during the school day, rather than the

! ]

teachers would be required to teach one extra class, increasing their workload with more teaching, planning and grading. Teachers would still be given one planning period but would give up their duty period to teach an additional class. â&#x20AC;&#x153;By offering a schedule like this, students would be able to

continue to schedule multiple elective offerings during the regular school day,â&#x20AC;? said Spurlock. â&#x20AC;&#x153;At the same time, this type of schedule would allow the district to reduce staff, [lowering personnel expenses]. In other words, this would reduce expenses without negatively impacting our students.â&#x20AC;?

LEA Vice President John Severns said that after the Lakota levy failed and the district needed to cut positions, there were two options to save money. â&#x20AC;&#x153;[After the levy failed, the district said] we were going to have to cut 28 high school positions between East and [Lakota West],â&#x20AC;? said Severns. â&#x20AC;&#x153;[The district] needed the dollar saving thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s went with the elimination of these positions. One way to eliminate positions was to go to a six-period day. Another way to do that would be to stay with a seven-period day, but [somehow] rearrange the way we do business.â&#x20AC;?

Severns also said that although teachers had some concerns with the seven-period proposal, they worked together to come up with the best possible solution for everyone. â&#x20AC;&#x153;After a fair amount of discussion, we decided to go to the high school buildings, talk with the staff, and say, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a way out of this box, and the way out of this box is if we stay with a seven-period day,â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? said Severns. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We teachers give up doing duties, and in lieu of that duty, teach another period. In the process of meeting with the staff in each building, people [were able to share their concerns], so it was a very good dialogue.â&#x20AC;?

While Kline would like for students, teachers and parents to know what scheduling looks like for next year, he understands why the Board has yet to vote on the seven-period plan. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I understand what they are trying to work through. I care very deeply about Lakota, and I care very deeply about us being solvent and being able to offer long-term programming to our students.

The short-term investment is worth the long-term reward,â&#x20AC;? said Kline. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Right now we are focusing on building a seven-period day schedule for the next school year. I think that a seven-period day is in the best interest of our students. So we are going to look at the glass half full and move forward with planning for a sevenperiod day.â&#x20AC;?

Yet despite this, Kline is concerned that scheduling has not Z ! â&#x20AC;&#x153;My concern is not being able to give students schedules and not being able to be as far along right now as we usually are in getting ready for next school year,â&#x20AC;? said Kline. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There are still a lot of uncertainties right now and that can be a little frustrating as we try to do what we can to get ready and be prepared for next fall.â&#x20AC;?

Spurlock believes that the Board supported the general concept of the seven-period day, however, the Board wished to develop a long-term plan, renegotiating the contracts that will keep Lakota

! Â&#x2021; 4 +

! â&#x20AC;&#x153;At this point we have entered negotiations with the teachersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; association,â&#x20AC;? said Spurlock. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Therefore the initial seven-period recommendation to the Board is now tabled. We are optimistic that we will be able to negotiate a similar plan through the process.â&#x20AC;?

Although not ideal, Kline said the district is prepared to create a six-period schedule if necessary. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We realize that weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re taking a little bit of a risk by building a seven-period day,â&#x20AC;? said Kline. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to assume the most positive outcome through the negotiations process. And if we have to back off and build a six-period day, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll do that, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to take a tremendous amount of work to accomplish.

I know itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be even more frustrating for everybody: students, parents and administrators.â&#x20AC;?

According to Severns, the LEA and the Board had reached a tentative agreement on May 11 after 13.5 hours of negotiating, although no further details about what the agreement consists of were available at press time. Severns said that both the LEA and the Board still had to vote on the agreement, and that he hoped they would do so at the next Board meeting on Monday, May 23.

In order for it to be shown to the Board the teachers in the union

! â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have an agreement on these things, but we actually have to sit down and write the exact language,â&#x20AC;? said Severns. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just [say] â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what we agreed to last nightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; because weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve agreed in principle, but we havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t agreed with the exact verbiage.â&#x20AC;? Â&#x201E;

THE PAINS OF INDECISION story megan fogel

W

ould you like fries with that?â&#x20AC;?

Liberty Junior School music teacher Linda Abbott jokes with her friends about preparing for her next job.

In reality, she, like many elective teachers, fears that her position in the Lakota Local School District will be nonexistent next year. â&#x20AC;&#x153;With everything that has been going on in Lakota, I know they have to make cuts because they have to try to meet the budget,â&#x20AC;? said Abbott. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hard [to deal with] because of course I think they should keep the arts intact.â&#x20AC;?

Educationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s infrastructure at Lakota faces changes in the coming years, however, no one is positive about what those exact changes will be because the Board of Education has yet to Z ! â&#x20AC;&#x153;The most frustrating thing is the indecision. We know that there will be cuts because funding just hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t been comfortable,â&#x20AC;? said Abbott. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But we would like to have known back in March who is getting cut for sure, so people could look for different jobs.â&#x20AC;?

Abbott, who was recently awarded the Lakota Educator of Excellence Award at the West Chester and Liberty Township Community Foundation Annual Dinner, said she tries to wrap her head around the â&#x20AC;&#x153;ironyâ&#x20AC;? and worry of her current situation. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Even though Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been teaching for a long time, I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have a lot of seniority in the district because Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve only been here nine years. So I could very well lose my job,â&#x20AC;? said Abbott.

While some teachers wait for the decision, others go online to read the comments from the community on newspaper articles. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s extremely depressing,â&#x20AC;? said East teacher Sandee CoatsHaan. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I like to believe they are a small minority with nothing

]

â&#x20AC;&#x153;THE MOST FRUSTRATING THING IS THE INDECISION. WE KNOW THAT THERE WILL BE CUTS BECAUSE FUNDING JUST HASNâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T BEEN COMFORTABLE.â&#x20AC;?

11 | Spark | lehsspark.org

LAKOTA IN LIMBO

â&#x20AC;&#x153;ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS. THE ACTIONS OF THE BOARD SHOW THAT THEY DO NOT CARE ABOUT OR APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT WE DO.â&#x20AC;?

12 | Spark | May 27, 2011

photo megan fogel

[

better to do than bash teachers online.â&#x20AC;?

East English teacher Kellie Shepherd agreed that the community has built a strong resentment toward the districtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s spending. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Even though it is not personal, it becomes personal when your job is in perpetual jeopardy and you feel as if your job is being constantly criticized by the community,â&#x20AC;? said Shepherd.

But opposing the districtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s decisions does not mean those same community members are opposed to the teachers. According to community member Mark Sennet, member of the â&#x20AC;&#x153;No Lakotaâ&#x20AC;? anti-levy campaign, the district needs to make cuts promptly and

! â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are not against the teachers. We are not against the kids.

We are against the uncontrollable spending,â&#x20AC;? said Sennet. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They say they are going to cut teachers, but they have not. They say they are going to cut extracurriculars, but they have not. They need to make cuts now.â&#x20AC;?

For other teachers, the biggest problem is not worrying about having a job next year, but rather how to prepare for the coming year with less time, fewer resources and fuller classrooms.

Coats-Haan does not necessarily fear for her job, but she anticipates the pain of the teachers facing a different fate and the panic caused by the Boardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s indecision regarding the future of the district. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We need prep time more this year than ever before, and at this point it looks like we will have none,â&#x20AC;? said Coats-Haan, who knows she will have less support and even more students next year.

East senior Rebecka Sepela has also expressed concern about the implications of 4 +

younger brother.

4

Â&#x2C6;

Â&#x2C6;

Â&#x201A; ! Â&#x20AC;] Â

next year. He will be pushed to take more post-secondary type activities instead of conventional classes.â&#x20AC;?

East teacher and Vice President of the Lakota Education Association (LEA), John Severns agreed and said the most common word he hears from his colleagues is â&#x20AC;&#x153;frustration.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve heard many of my colleagues say that they thrive on the time they spend with their students, but the other pressures are what really drain them,â&#x20AC;? said Severns.

The teachers have already taken a pay freeze and have offered to teach a seven-period day with a six period salary. Sennet, however, does not think that this is enough, citing a potential future policy in which students pay for part of their own education.

He says that the number of students each teacher has to deal with does not matter; it is the number of hours worked. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If teachers are going to be there for eight hours anyway, why canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t they simply teach another period?â&#x20AC;? said Sennet. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We all have to work harder because we are all in a recession.â&#x20AC;?

Although Abbott has been recognized with an award for education excellence in Lakota, her faith in her job security is failing as she plans for her future .

Abbott said that with the adjustments going on throughout the district, the most draining thing for her has been debate over the future of some of Lakotaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best programs. LEA began a new series of negotiations on a teacher contract for next year on May 2 and reached a tentative agreement on May 11.

According to Abbott, LEA looks out for the best interests of the teachers it represents, negotiating through Lakota Administration to bring new ideas to the table. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We go to our building representatives and we can give them ideas. Sometimes groups of teachers will have meetings and then go to a representative and say, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;We could feasibly do this to helpâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and so at least the ideas are heard,â&#x20AC;? said Abbott.

In anticipation of negotiating these ideas, Coats-Haan is interested to know the decision concerning teacher contract negotiations and Senate Bill Five (SB5), as she has heard only rumors. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If the Board decides to use SB5, they are going to lose some really great teachers,â&#x20AC;? said Coats-Haan. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Some of the best teachers in the district are already not happy and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not good for anyone.â&#x20AC;?

Passed in March, SB5 has the ability to limit the power of a teachersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; union and the topics that can be negotiated with a Board of Education. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are not approaching negotiations using SB5. A lot of the Â&#x2030; +

! makes it a lot tougher than it needs to be,â&#x20AC;? said Board member | ! + Â&#x20AC; Â that will be challenged in the near future.â&#x20AC;?

These negotiations will not determine which programs are cut or which jobs are eliminated, but instead details like salary,

! X

are discussed with the common goal of saving the district money. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In general, there are money issues and working condition issues. Both parties bring items to the table, then we work out an agreement,â&#x20AC;? said Severns. â&#x20AC;&#x153;So, it could play out a lot of different ways.â&#x20AC;?

While the teachers are waiting to see how the situation is resolved, a lot of confusion has precipitated into the student body. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A lot of my peers have been confused about what will happen in the future,â&#x20AC;? said Sepela.

East Freshman teacher Wayne Memmott is not optimistic about the negotiations at this point and has preemptively taken a job at Mount Notre Dame High School next year. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am actually taking a cut in pay, as many teachers do when they move to the private school setting, so it is more work for less money,â&#x20AC;? said Memmott. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I decided to go with the job security and not wait for the Board to tell me if I have my job or not.â&#x20AC;?

East teacher Michelle Schauer is also frustrated by the indecision and hopes the negotiations will go quickly, smoothly

! +

begun to question her future in teaching. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Actions speak louder than words. The actions of the board show that they do not care about or appreciate the work that we do,â&#x20AC;? said Schauer. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s really disrespectful.â&#x20AC;?

Working with approximately 250 students each day, Abbott also worried that the tumultuous atmosphere surrounding their learning environment would negatively affect her students. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Kids are worried about what classes they are going to have and

Â&#x201A; X ! â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very hard for us to give them direction when we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know

for sure what is going on.â&#x20AC;?

Severns asserted that the teachers do not know whether to have hope for the future of Lakota or to apply for a position at a fast food restaurant. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our teachers are professionals and continue to be focused ?

note,â&#x20AC;? said Severns. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Now more than ever, teachers need to be encouraging one another and acknowledging the great things that happen every day in our classrooms.â&#x20AC;? Â&#x201E;

LEGALLY BINDING story nick tedesco

A

t the April 11 Lakota Local School District Board of Education meeting, the Board voted to void the second year of a two-year contract between the Lakota Local School District and the Lakota Education Association (LEA).

The Board was legally allowed to void the contract because of the duration clause embedded in it. The duration clause states â&#x20AC;&#x153;the contract extends through 2012 contingent upon the districtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â&#x160;8"

Â&#x201A;

Â&#x2039; district be able to prove its ability to pay for the agreements made in a contract before the Board may sign it. In what would be the

"#8"

Renegotiating the Contract As the Lakota Local School District looks at a negative cash balance for ďŹ scal year 2012, the teachersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; union contract must be renegotiated.

3

Financial Projections

200 150

Millions

100 50

0

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

-50 -100

412 Certificate

Expenses

Revenue

Cash Balance

The ďŹ ve-year forecast indicates the Lakota Local School District will barely be in a positive cash balance at the end of ďŹ scal year 2012. After June 30 (the end of the ďŹ scal period) are taken into account, however, the district falls into a negative cash balance of $1.3 million thereby placing Lakota in the red for all contract considerations.

13 | Spark | lehsspark.org

infographic mason hood

A 412 certiďŹ cate the tiďŹ t requires i th ďŹ veďŹ year forecast to show Lakota can afford the contract with the Lakota Educators Association.

-150

information lakotaonline.com, spark archives

1

The duration clause made the validity of the second year of the teachersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; union contract contingent upon the district being able to sign a 412 certiďŹ cate. Otherwise, the contract becomes null and void.

Lakotaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Financial Forecast

250

LAKOTA IN LIMBO

[

}

unable to certify a contract.

X

} 4 will be $1.3 million in the red for 2012, that estimate does not take into account the current $10 million in proposed cuts that the Board has yet to vote on. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If they would have approved the [previously proposed cuts], the [Board] would not have been able to legally void the contract,â&#x20AC;? said Logan.

As the teachersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; union enters into negotiations with Lakota to formulate a new contract, their collective bargaining power has been greatly reduced since the passage of Senate Bill 5 (SB5) in March. â&#x20AC;&#x153;SB5 does not do away with collective bargaining altogether, but it will limit the things that are included in collective bargaining. It will absolutely take away some of those things that we currently sit down and negotiate,â&#x20AC;? said Logan. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There will be a very limited list of things that will be negotiated with the unions.â&#x20AC;?

Although SB5 gives the Board an upper hand because it greatly reducing the unions collective bargaining power, Board President Joan Powell has stated that â&#x20AC;&#x153;it would not be in the nature of this district or this school board to try to hide behind the provisions of SB5.â&#x20AC;?

As a result, Powell said that the Board will use the negotiation as a time to create a transitional contract, and will allow both sides to contribute to solutions.

According to her, Lakota now must look further than the cuts originally proposed to maintain the future viability of this district, hopefully taking advantage of negotiations.

The Board is looking for concessions in addition to those made in the Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) previously tabled by the Board. The MOUs would have allowed Lakota to keep seven periods at the high school by having teachers work six ^ in the administrationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s proposed cuts, effectively eliminating a duty period for teachers â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are hopeful that we will get additional concessions through this whole process. I think that is the point of opening it all back upâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;to get additional concessions on top of the MOUs,â&#x20AC;? said Logan. Â&#x2021; +

teachers and community members are frustrated by the continued delay of cuts. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We worked very hard starting last fall to make it so the district could make the cuts necessary in order to be in the black,â&#x20AC;? said X '

'X Â&#x152; Mays. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We did everything we could so teachers would know early in the year whether they would have jobs or not, so that students would know that they were looking at a seven-period day and that they could still sign up for classes and so that the district could still make cuts.â&#x20AC;?

As the Board moves forward with negotiations with LEA, Powell recognizes the importance of coming to a decision in a timely manner. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Some fundamental changes need to be made to this contract,â&#x20AC;? said Powell. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have a window of opportunity to do so.â&#x20AC;? Â&#x201E;

â&#x20AC;&#x153;WE ARE HOPEFUL THAT WE WILL GET ADDITIONAL CONCESSIONS.â&#x20AC;?

14 | Spark | May 27, 2011

CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS story andrew breland

F

ollowing the election of Ohio Gov. John Kasich in Nov. 2010, the state of Ohio reexamined its funding formula for schools across the state with the plan of implementing a new one within the next two years.

Kasich has proposed and passed several major school funding plans in the Ohio General Assembly with more changes to come as the Governorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s budget is debated in Columbus this month.

The changes Kasich will make come on the heels of two failed education funding plans proposed by former Govs. Bob Taft and Ted Strickland.

Gov. Taftâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plan, the basis for the current school funding mentality, created what is known as the foundationâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a minimum level of school funding for districts. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The state of Ohio determines how much it costs to educate a child: around $5,500 [per year], they say,â&#x20AC;? explained Lakota Local School District Treasurer Jenni Logan. â&#x20AC;&#x153;[Multiply that cost by] the number of students and come up with a total.â&#x20AC;?

Then the government comes up with a local effort, which was Gov. Taftâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s way of ensuring equality in school funding. By ^

district. If they determine that the district raises more than 22 mils in tax revenue and it exceeds an arbitrary number set by the state, the district falls into what the state of Ohio calls the â&#x20AC;&#x153;guarantee.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;They say, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;We are not going to give you an increase [in funding]. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not even going to look at the number of students you are educating.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; This piece of the puzzle doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even come into effect,â&#x20AC;? said Logan, explaining the guarantee element of Taftâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s funding system. â&#x20AC;&#x153;[The state] asks, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;What did you get last year?â&#x20AC;&#x2122; [Then they guarantee we get] no more than a two percent [reduction].â&#x20AC;?

Since 2006, Lakota has remained under the same funding level, but has experienced a growth of over 1,800 students.

The increasing number of students in the district, however, has Â&#x2C6; 4 + ! ]

funding model was famously declared unconstitutional in the case of DeRolf v. Ohio, most recently in 2003.

Following the election of former Gov. Ted Strickland, the

= ! ]

foundation and guarantee programs intact. In addition, Strickland created an evidence-based model for school funding. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Instead of saying how many students you have, they look at [the number of] students per building. [A certain number of] students equal a building, and each building had a condition to provide an education,â&#x20AC;? said Logan. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was never fully funded.

Honestly, the Strickland model did not provide a solution for Lakota.â&#x20AC;?

Rather than creating a completely new plan for funding schools, Strickland implemented requirements for the use of public school dollars. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Stricklandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s evidence-based model was never a school-funding model. It simply directed spending,â&#x20AC;? said Ohio Representative Bill Coley, who represents a majority of Butler County in the Ohio

COMMON TERMS

LOCAL EFFORT: The amount of money the state believes taxpayers should pay for a school district.

This is measured as 22 mils of property value.

THE EVIDENCE-BASED MODEL:

Former Ohio Gov. Ted Stricklandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s education funding/spending plan. It required a portion of funds to be set aside for speciďŹ c uses. This plan was never fully funded, so it was not fully executed.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;COST OF BUSINESSâ&#x20AC;?: the literal cost it takes to run a school districtâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the â&#x20AC;&#x153;logisticsâ&#x20AC;? of running

SIMPLE FOUNDATION/GURANTEE PLAN: A school funding proposal that assumes a childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s education should cost roughly $5,500 from the state. The state gives the school district the number of students the district has multiplied by about $5,500. If the local effort of a district is higher than an arbitrary number set by the state, the state guarantees that the student will receive no more than a two percent reduction of the amount of money previously received from the state.

VOUCHER: A certiďŹ cate from the state that allows students of all incomes to apply tax dollars to private school tuition. The family can choose whether to go to a private or public school. This is determined by family income, and the income cap previously set by the state.

House of Representatives. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was never meant as a change in funding, but rather as a way to get around the [DeRolf] lawsuit.â&#x20AC;?

Stricklandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plan required school funds be put aside for capital, or school building maintenance, classroom materials, the â&#x20AC;&#x153;costof-businessâ&#x20AC;? and a â&#x20AC;&#x153;rainy dayâ&#x20AC;? emergency fund in separately regulated accounts, not to be mixed. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The rainy day set-aside went away pretty quickly,â&#x20AC;? said Logan. â&#x20AC;&#x153;School districts said they didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have the money to set away [in case of emergency]. The model really became about funding building maintenance and securing materials.â&#x20AC;?

The cost-of business set-aside was also eliminated several years later when the new funding model was challenged in court.

Even without these costs, set-asides for building maintenance and materials still remained. Despite criticism of Gov. Stricklandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

^

given an adequate chance for success. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Love it or hate it, Strickland had a plan,â&#x20AC;? said East teacher and the Lakota Education Association Vice President John Severns. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But a little thing called the Great Recession happened, and the revenue never came in. We never gave Stricklandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plan a chance.â&#x20AC;?

Ohio now sits at a crossroads, waiting for the implementation of a new funding formula over the next two years. Until then, as Logan describes, the state is stuck in limbo with a temporary formula. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Now going forward, we are in a bridge formula. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s like the bridge to nowhere,â&#x20AC;? said Logan. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have just been given how much we will be getting as a state foundation and what we will get in 2013.â&#x20AC;?

The exact plan for education funding during this temporary

period has not been provided to Logan. Without the formula,

4 forced to wait for more information.

In the mean time, Kasich has pushed for a number of swift school funding changes leading up to the unveiling of his new formula.

Along with the landmark spending changes and possible cost

Â&#x2021; Â&#x2018; = + 5

has put forward two other school funding bills which are currently being integrated into the state ^ !

Part of the Governorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new approach is House Bill 30, which eliminates the mandate of allday kindergarten, as proposed by Strickland. The bill also eliminates the evidenced-based model for all but gifted education programs.

Gifted education, under House Bill 30, would become a legally fundable program at the state level and would still use the evidence-based model of Gov. Strickland. Due to short falls in the state budget, however, these programs will be delayed in their implementation. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This bill really began as a gifted education bill. The representative who proposed it is a real advocate for gifted education in this state,â&#x20AC;? said Logan. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Through the process, Â&#x20AC; Â !

infographic maggie schaller information jenni logan

a school. This includes secretaries, phones, hourly wages, electric bills and technology, among other things. Totally executed.

BRIDE FORMULA/CURRENT TEMPORARY FUNDING: Ohio Gov. John Kasichâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s current school funding plan. No speciďŹ c details, however, have been released on what exactly the plan is.

]

â&#x20AC;&#x153;NOW GOING FORWARD, WE ARE IN A BRIDGE FORMULA. ITâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S LIKE THE BRIDGE TO NOWHERE.â&#x20AC;?

15 | Spark | lehsspark.org

LAKOTA IN LIMBO â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;We are throwing out the evidence-based model for all but gifted, and [the funding for gifted programs] will have some delayed implementation.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;?

House Bill 30 also eliminates the classroom materials set-aside for all school districts, leaving the building maintenance as the only set-aside remaining. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The state is saying that if we are worried about funding, local governments can set up requirements for spending funds,â&#x20AC;? said Logan. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But [the state believes classroom materials] are a local issue and how we spend our money is our decision. The capital set-aside will remain.â&#x20AC;?

Kasich said that all of these program changes will bring more choice into the education ring. But in addition to funding changes for school districts, the Governorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reforms also target citizens through an increased focus on privatized education.

House Bill 136, for example, focuses mainly on the expansion of the Parental Choice and Taxpayer Savings Scholarship Program (PACT). This program has previously allowed Ohio families which reside in a district with failing ratings to apply for a voucher from the state of Ohio to attend a private or parochial school within their district. Money for the vouchers would then be deducted from the school districtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s state funds. The voucher dollar amount, to be determined on a family-by-family basis, could then be used towards tuition at a private school serving the studentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s district.

With House Bill 136, these vouchers would now be open to any student in any school district, regardless of the districtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s state

rating. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Excellent-with-distinction school districts like Lakota [could have students using these] vouchers even though weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re providing an excellent education,â&#x20AC;? said Logan. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have no idea how much this could affect us, because revenue could be taken away from Â&#x20AC; 4 Â !

+

reach. [More people] will be eligible.â&#x20AC;?

House Bill 136 includes an income cap on the PACT program.

Formerly, the program was only available to families below an annual income of $80,000. With the passage of House Bill 136, any family of four with an income under $100,000 would become eligible for these vouchers. ]

concerned about moving students out of the public school system. â&#x20AC;&#x153;[With House Bill 136], public schools will become suitable for second-class citizens. Rich, poor, black, white, green and blue, the public schools have always been the best place for an education.

The worst part about these charter schools is a lack of oversight,â&#x20AC;? said Severns. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I might be a great teacher, or I might be awful, but kids are going [to go to a private school] all the same. It will hurt public education.â&#x20AC;?

Another element of House Bill 136 is the administration of the Special Education Scholarship Program. Much like the PACT program, the Special Education Scholarship Program offers vouchers to students to attend private schools. In this case, however, students with learning or physical disabilities are targeted.

Evolution of Ohio State Funding 1996-2006 Under Gov. Voinovich and Gov. Taft

The state determines, by school district, how much the community should be able to contribute through property taxes, called â&#x20AC;&#x153;Local Effort.â&#x20AC;?

The money the district is given is determined by subtracting the â&#x20AC;&#x153;local effortâ&#x20AC;? from the predetermined amount of money per student.

2007-2010 Under Gov. Strickland

(

)-

=

Instead of counting each student, a predetermined number of students equals one â&#x20AC;&#x153;building.â&#x20AC;? Other than that, the plan is the same.

2011- Under Gov. Kasich

16 | Spark | May 27, 2011

?

Kasichâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plan is going to be revealed in 2012.

C=urrent indicators predict further cuts.

?

information jenni logan

Districts are alloted a predetermined amount of money per student

infographic nitya sreevalsan

=

-

LAKOTA IN LIMBO

[

Opposition emerged in response to this element of the bill.

Those against the bill focus on the ability of small private schools to educate students with special needs. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I would question how some of the charter schools will service those children. [Lakota] can service them because of our size,â&#x20AC;? said Severns. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If [private schools] cannot [service them], the students will fall behind.â&#x20AC;?

House Bill 136 states that any money left over from the use of the voucher for the studentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s private school tuition may be placed into the studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Educational Savings Account. Money from this account could then be used to fund a studentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tuition at any Ohio college.

On May 5, several elements of these bills were added to the = + ^ ! X

included were the PACT reformation and the adoption of the Special Education Scholarship Program.

Elements not added to the budget include the offer to add the voucher money to a savings account. According to Coley, this was because a majority of the General Assembly could not see eye-toeye on its implementation. He expects the bills, however, to pass after the Senate amends them.

But as more changes are made, criticism of the Governorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s education plan grows amongst teachers. Some suspect that the planned changes to the budget bill and subsequent funding bills are a political statement and not the true solution to Ohio and Lakotaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s funding problems. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In the past, a budget bill has been just that. This time though, there are some political items creeping in, which is just not healthy,â&#x20AC;? said Severns, who is adamantly opposed to the Governorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s changes to education funding. â&#x20AC;&#x153;[As a result of these changes], teachers are becoming simply a cog in the wheel. I should be responsible for teaching a curriculum, but I should not be limited as to how I do it. It is passion that drives education.â&#x20AC;?

Kasichâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s changes also have Severns questioning his resolve to teach. @ Â&#x2019; the education they want to give students,â&#x20AC;? said Severns. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When things in a war go poorly, no one blames the soldiers. But when schools are broken, teachers are blamed for everything. I am not saying that there are not lousy teachers, but do not blame all of us for the faults of the few.â&#x20AC;?

Unlike Severns, Logan can see the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s side of the argument. Though she does not agree with the funding cuts, she understands the necessity for change. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There was no money. We knew there would be cuts, but we disagreed on the way they would cut,â&#x20AC;? said Logan. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The state knows we will have less revenue, so they are trying to cut the expenditures for the district. But I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see the use in throwing out a whole system that was working.â&#x20AC;?

X

4 +

â&#x20AC;&#x153;[WITH TIFS AND RIDS], WE CAN DO INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS TO CREATE OPPORTUNITIES, MORE JOBS AND MORE COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS.â&#x20AC;?

18 | Spark | May 27, 2011

resolved with the new plan. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are hearing from the state that they [will not] solve our problems. In the near future, I do not see that turning around,â&#x20AC;? said Logan. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Because there is one-party control in Columbus, I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll see as much back and forth, and there will be sweeping changes. We are not going to see the state come back, change their minds and decide to save us. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not going to happen.â&#x20AC;?

HELD HARMLESS story ariadne souroutzidis

B

arry Galinger is a man on a mission.

He is not on a mission to the moon or to stop world hunger or to advocate world peace. No, he is on a mission 4

!

In the last several months Galinger, a local mortgage loan

@ \ Township trustees and Lakota Treasurer Jenni Logan to discuss Residential Incentive Districts (RIDs) and Tax Increment &

Â&#x201C;] & Â&#x201D;!

^ believed that the RIDs and TIFs in Liberty Township and West Chester are depriving the school district of money.

Currently, the local funding for the school district comes from the property tax that residents pay. The value of the property or business determines the amount of property tax the owner must pay. Afterwards, a millage amount is applied to the taxes and an corresponding amount is given to the school districts. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The business [or home that is in a TIF or RID] is still going to pay taxes. Instead of those taxes coming and being distributed

4

pay, they go to a TIF district,â&#x20AC;? said Logan. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Then if the school district has an agreement with the township or the county, it receives a portion of what they would have received, or the entire tax amount.â&#x20AC;?

According to Liberty Township Economic Development Director Caroline McKinney, TIFs and RIDs were developed as a

? !

Since 2000, the Ohio Revised Code (ORC) 5709.73 has required that the local school district be involved in negotiations when a TIF or RID is created. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We [as a township] only have so many tools. [With TIFs and RIDs], we can do infrastructure projects to create opportunities, more jobs and more commercial buildings, which then bring in more support for the township, the schools and the social services groups,â&#x20AC;? said McKinney.

In a TIF or RID, any increase in the tax base for that property pays for infrastructure projects, such as road improvements and sewer systems within its boundaries. Once the TIF or RID has been created and collects taxes, a predetermined percentage of the property taxes are given to the schools. For the duration of that TIF or RID, the amount of money going to the school district will stay the same, but the property value will increase. So what would have been an increase in property taxes for the school gets put toward the township instead. â&#x20AC;&#x153;[A TIF or RID has to] affect the area that they are assigned,

Mind Your TIFs and RIDs infographic jordan wheeler

The Lakota Local School District is located in both West Chester township and Liberty Township. Because of its location in both the townships, the district receives some funding from the Tax Increment Financing Districts (TIFs) and Residential Incentive Districts (RIDs) which are set up throughout the townships to finance infrastructure projects. TIFs can only be set up in commercial areas, while RIDs are purely residential properties.

West Chester TIF Districts KEY Union Centre Boulevard Cincinnati-Dayton Road Central Business District State Route 747 Tylersville Road West Chester also has five TIFs which were created by the township, but no RIDs that have been enacted, however, there are two TIF districts in the township that were created by Butler County. Out of the five TIFs created by West Chester Union Centre Boulevard, Tylersville Road and Cincinnati-Dayton Road do not pay any property tax to the school district.

Liberty Township TIF and RID Districts KEY Princeton/SR 747 TIF Allen Estates RID Aspen Trails RID Cedarbrook RID Creekside Meadows RID Falling Water RID Four Bridges RID Hawthorne Hills RID Summerlin RID Townhomes of Four Bridges RID Trails of Four Bridges RID Liberty Township has 11 Residential Incentive Districts (RIDs) and one Tax Incentive Financing District (TIF) which were created to pay for infrastructure projects.

information jon west, west chester township

Kyles Station Meadows RID

19 | Spark | lehsspark.org

LAKOTA IN LIMBO

â&#x20AC;&#x153;IT IS UP TO US TO DISTRIBUTE [TAXES] BACK TO THE SCHOOLS.â&#x20AC;?

20 | Spark | May 27, 2011

photo sierra whitlock

[

like with SR747 and Princeton Road. That [money from the TIF]

4 Â&#x201A; ] & 5

Pam Quinlisk. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Liberty Township isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t taking it and paying off Liberty Way. Liberty Township canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t [take that money and put

 4 ! ] |

residences that are directly associated with that vicinity. They arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t going to take money from over there and spend it on the other side of the township.â&#x20AC;?

For a RID or TIF to be put in place, the township must adopt a resolution by a unanimus vote which declares that infrastructure projects are necessary for parcels of land in the township. Then it must be approved by a board of county commissioners, who have 30 days in which they can object to the resolution. â&#x20AC;&#x153;TIFs are not entered into lightly. [They are] done on a caseby-case basis,â&#x20AC;? said Liberty Township Trustee Christine Matacic. ?

are done in order to see if the project is on our long-range plan, is viable today and into the future. Then

makes sense to use. We review all the

with our staff, but also with our Finance Committee (made up of professional

volunteer their time). If we determine

Township will initiate the TIF.â&#x20AC;?

Currently, Liberty Township has one TIF district and 11 RID districts. There are a couple TIFs in the township, however, that were created and are run by the county. On the other hand, West \ ] &

!

According to West Chester Trustee Catherine Stoker, there were |

! â&#x20AC;&#x153;The county collects the money just through regular property taxes and then when we get our settlements twice a year, we call up the schools and sit down. The school has to invoice us before we can cut the payment check to the schools,â&#x20AC;? said Quinlisk. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But again, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all very collaborative to make sure that they are getting what we agreed upon to make them whole. But itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just like your property tax bill, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s up to us to distribute it back to the schools.â&#x20AC;?

5 ] & @ \ 4

money from two. It was negotiated that Lakota receives a 27 percent reimbursement from the Highway 747 TIF and a 67 percent reimbursement from the Central Business District TIF. It receives no money, however, from the Union Center TIF, the Cincinnati-Dayton Road TIF and the Tylersville Road TIF. ] ] & 8Â&#x2022;Â&#x2022;# Â&#x201C; Â&#x2013; \ Â&#x2021; TIF) was created when the law did not allow TIFs to reimburse the schools. However, only 51 percent of the TIF area actually

^ from the increase in value of almost half of the [Union Center Boulevard] TIF area,â&#x20AC;? said Stoker. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Cincinnati-Dayton Road ] &

] &

area of Tylersville Road, has had its revenue pledged to help Liberty Township for its Liberty Way interchange.â&#x20AC;?

Although the township is legally able to do this, Galinger and his business partner Jennifer Hammiel were initially surprised to

Galinger speaks to the Board of Education regarding TIFs and RIDs within the Lakota Local School District.

learn about the TIFs and RIDs system and how it redistributed money. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We stumbled onto this because we were doing some loans in Jenniferâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s neighborhood. She is the one who originally noticed [a RID] and said, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;What is this?â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? said Galinger, who has lived in the community for seven years. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our concern is, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Can the school really go another 10 years without someone paying the money?â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;?

Galinger believes that the majority of the community is unaware of TIF and RID zones. According to Matacic, however, Liberty Township held public meetings to determine whether or not it wanted to put RIDs in place. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In 2003 we received word that the Butler County Commissioners were meeting and would reconvene after lunch to pass a number of RIDs throughout the county. Several key townships, including Liberty [Township], scurried into Hamilton to voice opposition to this action,â&#x20AC;? said Matacic, who likens the creation of RIDs to a shotgun wedding because the RIDs had to act so quickly before the county would create RIDs in the township. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We held public hearings on the RIDs, and from the feedback from residents, they wanted the Liberty Township trustees to be the player in forming them and not Butler County Commissioners. That was our choiceâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;if we did not move on enacting the RIDs, the county was prepared to do so.â&#x20AC;?

]

â&#x20AC;&#x153;TIFS ARE NOT ENTERED INTO LIGHTLY. [THEY ARE] DONE ON A CASEBY-CASE BASIS.â&#x20AC;?

4

radio talk show about mortgages and loans with Galinger, doubts that most people fully understood the implications a RID district would have.

While some people believe the community would be better without the TIFs and RIDs focusing money on infrastructure, others view the TIFs and RIDs as a necessary way of bettering the community. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If we didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have [TIFs and RIDs], we wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have any of these roads built; we wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have the infrastructure or the lights,â&#x20AC;? said Hammiel. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They pay for all those things, so do we

Â&#x2019; Â&#x2014; ! Â&#x2021; Â&#x2019; X what cost now with the Lakota school district.â&#x20AC;? @ 4 +

= the laws need to be changed to allow the township to give more of the money from the TIF and RID zones to the school district. â&#x20AC;&#x153;What I tried to do was get that law changed because in 1990, [when some TIFs were created] even if [the township] has extra money they canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t give it to the school. [I want them] to give the money back to the school because the $12 million [Lakota is] behind right now, well [Lakota] would have the $12 million,â&#x20AC;? said Galinger. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When we met with the [West Chester trustees,] they said even if [TIF] did give more money back to the schools, we are already in debt. They borrowed 17 years in the future on this.â&#x20AC;?

Legally townships are allowed to leverage loans on the TIFs and RIDs which have been created to pay for the infrastructure. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Construction loans were taken out, and bonds were sold to pay those loans, based on the anticipated revenue of the TIFs

! ]

paying were used to build the infrastructure that attracted billions of dollars of commercial development to the township. The loans are structured to be paid off by the end of the TIF from which come the funds to pay the loans,â&#x20AC;? said Stoker.

TIFs and RIDs have a maximum duration of 30 years. Even if TIF and RID zone laws were revised, however, the change would not be a solution to all of the districtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s funding problems. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There are pressures affecting the schools that are not caused by, nor can they be cured by TIFs in West Chester,â&#x20AC;? said Stoker.

However, other people are more concerned that if more ] & | Z will be less likely to vote for the school levy. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For the Lakota schools its one facet of their problem as far as funding,â&#x20AC;? said Hammiel. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The louder the uproar gets about this particular issue, the less likely they are to vote on levies. They donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to throw good money after bad if itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not all coming back to the schools the way they voted [for] it.â&#x20AC;?

ACROSS THE BOARDS story shivang patel

A

s money in its operating budget began to diminish, Mason City School District asked Mason City and ] Â&#x2018; * ! "#8#!

If passed, it would have collected 6.5 mills over the course of three years, enough money to counter the reduction in funding

5 Â&#x2C6; ! &

Â&#x2DC;# ?

the operating level, even after Mason had made reductions of $9 million from its 2005 budget. &

teachers from the Mason teacher union devised a plan that would reduce budget cost.

Approximately four months after the levy failed, former Mason Superintendent Kevin Bright presented a cost-reduction plan to the Mason community and Board of Education. The proposed plan called for $5.8 million in longterm cuts from the 2011-12 operating budget, including the elimination of 19.5 full time educators, six administrators, 6.5 clerical position, one health service coordinator, 14 paraprofessionals and six custodial members, saving a total of $3.67 million. Other education-based cuts such as textbooks and supplies total $1.5 million in reductions.

The Mason Board of Education is not making all the cuts at once; instead, it is going line by line. So far, the Mason Board of Education has approved the custodial cuts. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are hoping to have [all the

 Z Â&#x201A; said Mason Board of Education President Debbie Delp. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Most of our cuts will not take place until the end of this school year in June and July.â&#x20AC;?

On the other hand, the Lakota Local School Disrtict, which

Z !

According to Little Miami Local School District Board of Education President Kym Dunbar, the process of making cuts at Little Miami after the failed levy was different because the State Commissioner oversaw the district. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We chose to make most of the cuts before 2008-10. The State Commission came in 2010-11 to oversee our district, leaving very little for the State Commission to elect to cut once they were here. The Commission, with input from our administration, has

4 Â&#x201A; Dunbar, who also said that having the least impact on studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; education was priority.

All three districts made an effort to listen and incorporate their communitiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; input. The Little Miami Board heard opinions regarding potential cuts and were more than welcome to voice their concerns to the Board. Mason held three community meetings in which parents voiced their opinions and concerns with future plans. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We opened it up to anyone to come to and share their concerns, hoping that would help come up with the plan that we did,â&#x20AC;? said Delp. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We really havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t gotten much negativity about the plan. There is always going to be people who think it should have been more or it should have been less.â&#x20AC;?

The biggest areas of concerns for parents in the Little Miami district revolved around closing buildings, cutting bussing and

]

â&#x20AC;&#x153;WE HAVENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T GOTTEN MUCH NEGATIVITY ABOUT THE PLAN. THERE ARE ALWAYS GOING TO BE PEOPLE WHO THINK IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE OR IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN LESS.â&#x20AC;?

21 | Spark | lehsspark.org

LAKOTA IN LIMBO paying to participate in extracurricular activities. â&#x20AC;&#x153;[Parents] were upset, as expected, but very understanding of the situation,â&#x20AC;? said Dunbar. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They knew it was something that needed to be done in order [for us] to continue to offer the most for our children.â&#x20AC;?

Like Mason and Little Miami, Lakota held meetings in order to listen to the communityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s concerns.

According to former Lakota Board of Education member Sandy Wheatley, listening to the community is especially important when making big decisions. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You get an insight from your community. Even though youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve thought around the table, pieces were missing. That allows you to change your mind,â&#x20AC;? said Wheatley.

devised a 10-year long-term sustainable plan that focused on three prioritiesâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;academic achievement, cost-management and

! ]

increasing expenditures, increasing state mandates and decreasing tangible tax revenue. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The 10-year sustainable plan included fairly equal staff reductions over a six to seven year period,â&#x20AC;? said Mason City School District Treasurer Richard Gardner. â&#x20AC;&#x153;That plan was based on the Nov. 2010 levy passing. With the failure of the levy, we

speeded up the timing of the reductions, with most non-teacher cuts taking place next year, and doubled the number of planned teacher cuts for next year.â&#x20AC;?

While other local school districts such as Mason have already made cuts, Lakotaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s decision to postpone of making a decision about large cuts has left the community members, students and teachers confused and concerned about where the district is headed in the future. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t pass anything, then the inevitable future [is that 4 Â

School District,â&#x20AC;? said Wheatley. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t create the funds or

then the state comes in and takes over. Obviously if we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do anything and then you cut so much, then we are exactly like Little Miami.â&#x20AC;?

Lakotaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s situation, however, is not unique. According to the Ohio Department of Education, there are approximately 200

^ two years without levy passage. Gov. John Kasichâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s R-OH new

! â&#x20AC;&#x153;We cannot operate at minimums with what the state share and the local shares collect,â&#x20AC;? said Dunbar. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There is a fundamental Â&#x2C6; !Â&#x201A; Â&#x201E;

The State of Education The predictions of the balances of school funds as a result of levy votes will determine the necessity of governmental involvement, or ďŹ scal oversight, in the coming years. infographic shivang patel Projected fund balance as percent of operating revenue is negative

Fiscal oversight

Lakota Local School District Mason City School District

Projected fund balance as percent of operating a is less than 2 percent

Fiscal Year 2011

Other districts

Fiscal Year 2012

Little Miami Local School District

Fiscal Year 2013

information ohio department of education

10 districts with a negative operating revenue 22 | Spark | May 27, 2011

102 districts with a negative operating revenue

235 districts with a negative operating revenue

#'

feature | dart

Viva la

Vidas Each issue the Spark staff picks a random East student and covers a unique aspect of his or her life.

story michael tedesco photo sierra whitlock

S

East sophomore Amalea Vidas has been taking piano lessons for ďŹ ve years.

24 | Spark | May 27, 2011

he is Rachel Berry. Music is her life and singing is her passion. Nothing will ever get in her way. Her life must be perfect. But there is one difference: she is more modest than Rachel Berry could ever be.

East sophomore Amalea Vidas is not just any teenage girl from Ohio, dreaming of a life as a superstar in the city that never sleeps.

She does not fantasize about a glamorous life of fame or fortune. Vidas is a serious and dedicated performer who works tirelessly to perfect every aspect of her life. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For me, settling is not an option,â&#x20AC;? she says.

!Â&#x201A; Vidas discovered the world of the performing arts when she was six years old but did not fully immerse herself until she was age eight, when her second grade teacher recognized her hidden talent.

} 4 and everyone in my group was coordinating costumes and props and even writing lines.

I guess my teacher could just tell that I really loved it,â&#x20AC;? she says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was so into this little class performance. She suggested to my mom that I should be in shows. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s how I started.â&#x20AC;? ] 4 onstage production of Charlotteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Web. in which she played a gosling with only one line. â&#x20AC;&#x153;All I did was say, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Good morningâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; then

waddle across the stage,â&#x20AC;? says Vidas.

nearly all of her free time to bettering herself as a performer. + 4 years and dance lessons on and off for seven,â&#x20AC;? says Vidas. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve taken all types of dance classes [like] tap, jazz, modern and, currently, ballet.â&#x20AC;?

Every Thursday, Amalea also attends a practice for Greek dance at her church. She has been involved in voice and acting lessons for many years. Most recently, Amalea played the part of Bet in Eastâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s production of Oliver!, and in the Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Theatre of Cincinnatiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s presentation of The Jungle Book. Working on more than one show at a time, however, is not uncommon for the busy actress. She adds that more than two shows would be too much to handle, especially with her school work.

Amaleaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest leading role to date was last year, as a freshman. She played Gabriella in a Townhall Theatre presentation of High School Musical and High School Musical 2.

Putting on the character of a â&#x20AC;&#x153;smart girlâ&#x20AC;? was not hard for her, because she lives it every day. While Vidas is extremely devoted to her performance career, she also works extremely hard to maintain good grades. Having yet to earn less than a â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bâ&#x20AC;? in high school, Vidas is currently ranked eighth in her sophomore class of more than 700 students.

4 Â&#x2C6;

who you are as a person,â&#x20AC;? she says.

For Vidas, time management is vital. In order to maintain her [solid] grades and stay so involved with the performing arts, she takes any chance she gets to do work. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I do a lot of my homework [while] in the car, on the way to lessons or rehearsal. I get most of it done in there, but I also get a lot done in my little 30 minute study hall during 5C,â&#x20AC;? says Vidas. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There have been nights where I havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t managed my time well and end up having to stay up late, but never horribly late. I try to manage my time and spread all my work out because I know I wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be able to do all of my work all in one night.â&#x20AC;?

When thinking about her future, the East sophomore is not quite sure what path she will follow. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m positive that I want to go into musical Â&#x201A; !

has a really good musical theatre program, but also something for me to minor in, like teaching.â&#x20AC;?

Vidas hopes that all her hard work will pay off when she looks for colleges.. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been working hard to get good grades and a high rank in the class because I really want to get a scholarship to a good school, maybe somewhere in New York,â&#x20AC;? says Vidas.

Vidas realizes that making it to Broadway is a long shot, so she does not want to dedicate all of her time to making that dream a reality. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My ultimate dream is to perform on

â&#x20AC;&#x153;WHEN SHE WAS AT HER FIRST TAP [DANCING] CLASS...SHE CAME HOME AND JUST TAPPED AND TAPPED AND TAPPED.â&#x20AC;?

Broadway,â&#x20AC;? says Vidas. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If all of that doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t work out, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;You always need to have a backup,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; as my mom says, so I want to be a junior high math teacher [if I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t go to Broadway]. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m such a nerd, everyone hates math, but I love it.â&#x20AC;?

Amalea does not accomplish all she does without help. Her mom, Tanya Vidas, a stayat-home mother keeps the entire family of six organized, even with everyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s busy schedule. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I always ask my mom what shows are going on that I could audition for,â&#x20AC;? says Amalea. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My mom is the best, she drives me everywhere I need to go and signs me up for auditions and sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just amazing. She also manages to get all of [my three siblings] where they need to be.â&#x20AC;?

Tanya says that her oldest daughter has always worked hard to be perfect at whatever she does and describes her as â&#x20AC;&#x153;a stubborn kid.â&#x20AC;? @ Â&#x20AC; Â class, she didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know all the tap steps. But after the class, she came home and just tapped and tapped and tapped. She wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t going to go to class the next week not knowing it,â&#x20AC;? says Tanya. â&#x20AC;&#x153;She still does that every week after dance, or when she has to learn a song sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll practice it so she is completely ready.â&#x20AC;?

East junior Jake Huddilson, Amaleaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s boyfriend, recognizes her talent and dedication. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Personally, I think she is very talented for her age,â&#x20AC;? says Huddilson. â&#x20AC;&#x153;She tries to do well Â&#x20AC;

Â

which is the best thing to do as a performer.â&#x20AC;?

Amaleaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s good friend, East Junior Mike Getty, agrees with Huddilson. Getty describes Amalea as â&#x20AC;&#x153;versatile,â&#x20AC;? saying, â&#x20AC;&#x153;she could sing

any part she wanted and do well.â&#x20AC;?

As Amaleaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s classmate, Getty also witnesses her academic abilities everyday. He says Amalea handles her obligations better than most people

classes.â&#x20AC;?

Despite her undeniable talent and commitment, Amalea has stayed humble. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m proud of what Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve done but I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to brag about it,â&#x20AC;? says Amalea. ] Â&#x2C6; talent, she has traveled to other states to audition for parts to further her career. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I auditioned for an American Girl movie in the sixth grade,â&#x20AC;? says Amalea. I went up to New York with [my younger sister] Olivia because we were both auditioning. It was horrible.

[People auditioned] by last name and we were near the front of the line, so we were expecting to get in early, but [Vidas] was obviously at the end of the list. We got [to the American Girl store] at six or seven in the morning and didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get seen until eight oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;clock that night. The line was going outside the American Girl building and we sat outside on the ground, that whole day.â&#x20AC;?

Though she was too old for the role, Amalea did not give up. Actresses are no stranger to rejection. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You have to be able to handle rejection,â&#x20AC;? says Amalea. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There are so many audition you wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get every single one. If one door closes, another opens.â&#x20AC;?

Amalea says that there are countless factors that go into casting a production. Details as simple as height, size or even eye color could determine whether or not a person is casted. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really matter if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re the best,â&#x20AC;? says Amalea. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t let every rejection bother you. You have to remember that there is always something else out there and always another experience to have.â&#x20AC;?

Amalea doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t plan on letting rejection stop her from reaching her dream. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Being in a Broadway show would be amazing,â&#x20AC;? says Amalea. â&#x20AC;&#x153;No matter how tough making it in New York will be, I wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t give up.

I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t care how hard getting there will be. I see myself on Broadway.â&#x20AC;?

The desire to be on stage, however, is not fueled by dreams of fame or money. Amalea performs because it is what she loves. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s never been the type of girl to say â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;I want to be famous, I want people to know my name,â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? says Tanya.

To Amalea, making it big in New York City means more than seeing her name in lights. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I love [performing], because it makes you feel so great when you stand up on stage on opening night,â&#x20AC;? says Amalea. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Feeling the audienceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reaction after putting so much work into [the show] is so much fun. The thing about musical theatre is, it combines all three things I love to do. I get to act, sing and dance. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s perfect.â&#x20AC;? Â&#x201E;

25 | Spark | lehsspark.org

feature | teacher feature

building behind the scenes story jasmine tuazon | photo sierra whitlock

By joining the Thunderhawk Theater, East special education teacher Tim Derickson has entered a whole new scene, making him busier than ever building sets for East productions.

Derickson spends hours each year constructing the sets for Eastâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s students productions.

H

is dull work force hammer slams against the wooden steps of the London Bridge theater set, releasing a deafening

! hammer strikes, the cast of Eastâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s spring play Oliver! pauses rehearsal and listens as if waiting out an air-raid. But East special education teacher and theater technical director Tim Derickson is unfazed by such a petty sound. He drops the hammer and tests the staircase by shaking it. It satisfyingly stays in place and he dusts off his beige sweater and Leviâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s jeans before ordering two students to hold a couple boards in place as he drills them together.

His gray eyes lock on his task as his mind sketches out the next few ?

! X

Undertakerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s scene. Every set piece needs to be painted brown or gray, covered with a second coat and detailed with brick. As Derickson looks up at the bridge-in-the-making, he remembers he also needs to wire and drill light posts to the top of the bridge and build rails to border the

26 | Spark | May 27, 2011

sides. East theater director Kristen Statt walks up to Derickson and asks him to cut the legs of the wooden tables to make them â&#x20AC;&#x153;dinner heightâ&#x20AC;? for the play.

One more task to add to an ever-growing to-do list. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s so patient,â&#x20AC;? says Statt. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Derickson just smiles and says, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Yes, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll do it for you!â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;?

No matter how many projects he is asked to do, Derickson perseveres with a busy-bee diligence. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When I do something, I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to do it halfway,â&#x20AC;? Derickson tells those who think he works too much. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s how I was raised. It may not be perfect, but you give it your full effort.â&#x20AC;?

Derickson has always lived by these words. As a boy, he thought of becoming a teacher, following a long line of math instructors in his family. His father, who worked at AK Steel, however, convinced him that a teacherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s salary would not be enough.

Heeding his fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s advice, Derickson earned an undergraduate

4 = American, Safeco and Sigma insurance companies as â&#x20AC;&#x153;the guy who decided if you got insurance or not.â&#x20AC;?

At the same time, Derickson worked as the head wrestling coach for Liberty Junior and, having been a softball athlete for years, also began

+ ! @

conventional, it was effective. He made his wrestlers play chess everyday so they learned to think several moves ahead of their opponents. To make his softball teams quicker, Derickson brought each player next to a wall and threw rag balls at her sides to familiarize her with the speed of a ball during a game. â&#x20AC;&#x153;That was probably the happiest Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve ever been,â&#x20AC;? he muses, freezing momentarily before picking up his measuring tape and writing down some lengths with a Sharpie. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I realized while I was coaching that Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m happiest when working with kids.â&#x20AC;?

His chance to work even more with kids would come 16 years later when his wife changed jobs and doubled her income, giving Derickson the opportunity to go back to school to earn his teaching degree. Yet even

4

! & 4 let go of coaching for the sake of pursuing a doctorate of education.

In the beginning of his teaching career, Derickson only had experience 4

!

step into a whole new realm of kids by joining the Thunderhawk Theater in 2008. Since then, Derickson has helped with nine shows at East and has built the sets for the last eight of them, including A Midsummer Nightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Dream in 2009, A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum in 2010 and Pinocchio in 2011.

To build these sets, Derickson usually has extra hands to help.

X Oliver! cast and technical crew members, which include a couple of Dericksonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s students, volunteering to help with sound, lights and construction.

Derickson is proud of his studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; examples. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My students come to help me because they know that when you work with someone, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got to be committed to them,â&#x20AC;? he declares as he watches the crew working on the light posts for the London Bridge.

For Derickson, everything has to be perfect. Oftentimes, he makes his students rebuild a piece multiple times

! â&#x20AC;&#x153;But you know they learn to do things right,â&#x20AC;? he perks up. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There are many ways to do things, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not always my way. But it has to present itself well when the audience sees it, so we have to strive to make it good.â&#x20AC;?

Construction, however, is only one of Dericksonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hobbies. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I go bowhunting,â&#x20AC;? he says, his eyes glinting as if aiming for a target. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m very, very good. I once made three shots within the space the size Â&#x2039; ! + !Â&#x201A; During hunting season, Derickson and his German shorthair named Gus travel into the woods to seek out large birds and other sorts of game. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Yes, I shoot Bambi,â&#x20AC;? Derickson continues. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I shoot moose and elk, too, but the thing is, I eat what I kill.â&#x20AC;?

He takes a sip from his thermos, which smells heavily of coffee and has the silhouettes of a moose and a bear on it. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I will not shoot a bear, though,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;To me, they are majestic animals, and I could never bring myself to kill one unless I was defending myself from one.â&#x20AC;?

4 ? 4 ! â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve played paintball with him before,â&#x20AC;? says East senior Sean Geiger, whom Derickson used to coach for wrestling and now teaches in Theater Arts. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Most kids canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t say theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve shot their teacher.â&#x20AC;?

During his coaching years, Derickson would take his wrestling teams to Indiana to play in a celebratory paintball event at the wrestling seasonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s end. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been known to hide in a tree, hit you in the butt and sit there

Â&#x201A; Derickson, earning himself many snickers.

Kids are not the only people Derickson likes to joke around with, though. He pokes fun at his coworkers, too. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fall play, The Mouse That Roared, I asked Derickson to go out and buy me a bucket of gold paint so I could paint the throne,â&#x20AC;? begins Sally Barker, an ESL instructional aide who also helps build the theater sets. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But he came back with â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Sunshine Yellow.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;?

Whenever Barker brings up this subject, Derickson scoffs goodnaturedly. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make fun of each other in a bad way,â&#x20AC;? says Barker. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If we have to paint, build or tweak something because it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t look quite right, we have to be able to joke, or else itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s too stressful. We jest over set ideas and colorsâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;especially colors. But weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re a really good team.â&#x20AC;?

Statt can also attest to Dericksonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leadership, entrusting him with her designs and models for play sets.

4

50 students tracking on the set,â&#x20AC;? says Statt. â&#x20AC;&#x153;His second priority is to make sure it looks good. Because of this, we have learned how to communicate with each other. I design, he builds and Barker paints.â&#x20AC;?

Statt commends Dericksonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dedication to learning how to work with the technology in the theater. @ ?

4

lights on the ceiling because heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d have to go on the lift,â&#x20AC;? laughs Statt. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s expanded his abilities so much, though, and now he works on the

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m happiest when working with kids.â&#x20AC;? lights, along with the sound and spotlights in the tech booth.â&#x20AC;?

Even with a worker like Derickson, Statt says that deadlines are the

^

sets. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Life gets in the way of working,â&#x20AC;? she says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But if the setâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not

+ 4

trying.â&#x20AC;?

Because of this, one of Dericksonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only relaxing moments is when he reclines in a chair to savor a strong cup of Folgers coffee, which is held in his favorite moose-spotted thermos.

With his spring theater project approaching completion, Derickson is the king of his world now. More than two monthsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; worth of work for the

swell up within him. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I like to work hard, and I like to play hard.â&#x20AC;? says Derickson, pouring himself a generous serving of coffee. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But I never mix the two. I work my tail end off, and then I have a good time. I wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t say Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a workaholic though.â&#x20AC;?

But then he recalls the whiteboard he has to put up in one of the classrooms and the new wooden cabinet he has to build to hold all the paints. His mind continues sketching out the next few jobs he must do again, driving away his carefree feelings and racing onto more projects outside and around the school. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Then again,â&#x20AC;? he says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;maybe I am.â&#x20AC;? Â&#x201E;

27 | Spark | lehsspark.org

feature | alumni feature

M LETTERS FROM

SIERRA LEONE story victoria liang

28 | Spark | May 27, 2011

Maybe weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re a nation of pretenders.

Many of us don rubber Livestrong wristbands, wear shirts that say â&#x20AC;&#x153;Inspi(RED),â&#x20AC;? organize prayer circles for Japan and sing along with Chad Kroeger when he muses that â&#x20AC;&#x153;if everyone shared and swallowed their pride/Then weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d see the day when nobody died.â&#x20AC;? We laud celebrities who makes speeches about helping the poor before they return home to their $10 million mansions. We write love on our arms and then turn around and call each other fat, stupid, ugly. We all like to pretend we care, just like when we all pretended we didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t care in junior high. That was cool then and this is cool now.

Of course, these are stereotypes, but with every stereotype there are always exceptions. Jessica Arriens, a member of the East Class of 2004 and Boston University Class of 2008, is one of them.

The thing is, in high school, not even her mom Kim could have guessed she was so different from us. She loved the Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings series. She played percussion in band, she wrote and edited for Spark, she ran cross country,

? overachiever.

After graduating from college, she began working at a New Hampshire newspaper called the Keene Sentinel, where she worked with Casey Farrar, who had taught English for two years in Turkmenistan with the Peace Corps.

They became friends and while training for a half-marathon together, Farrar would talk at length about her experiences teaching with nothing but brutal honesty, yet Jessica still grew progressively more interested. The story that stuck out in her mind was one of Farrarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s students who chose to attend university and study

photo kyle morrison

journalism because of the journalism classes Jessica is white, she is rich, when in reality she see any books, let alone age-appropriate ones.

Farrar had started at that school. does not have enough money to visit home. She translates the books in a mixture of Krio â&#x20AC;&#x153;That student thanked Casey for changing They think America is a paradise that hands and Mende. his life. How many people can say they have out cars and money and with residents who ] @ @ truly done such a thingâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;changed a life for the are all friends with 50 Cent and Obama. While Things Are, which I read aloud, explaining as I better?â&#x20AC;? she asks. teaching, she has limited materials, classes with went in a blend of Krio and Mende. I enjoyed After that, she also began exchanging 80 students and wide discrepancies in abilities, myself so much that my chief wandered to messages with another friend serving in from very bright students to those who cannot my porch to see what the fuss was about, Tonga and reading books distributed by the read or write English. especially when I made all the kids growl after Peace Corps with stories from their the line, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;They roared their terrible volunteers. roars and gnashed their terrible teeth.

Joining the Peace Corps, however, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not sure if it was the group roaring takes anywhere from six to 12 months, or Sendakâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s illustrations, but the kids sometimes longer. For Arriens, the couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get enough of the book. It was process took almost a year. The process heartwarming, sharing a book I loved is competitive, requiring an application, as a childâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;still love, actuallyâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;with interview, nomination and medical, children on the other side of the world legal, suitability, and competitive and seeing that they loved it too.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? reviews before the organization extends She recalls back when she was still an invitation to a mere third of the researching the Peace Corps and came applicants. They look for specialized across a story about a female volunteer skills in anything from forestry to who had been called to a meeting by engineering to urban planning and community leaders who had goodassign applicants to locations based on naturedly found her a husband. Her what the area needs. As a secondary story about escaping the predicament school teacher, Jessica got assigned to without offending anyone shocked arrive in Sierra Leone on June 4, 2010.

Jessica at the time, but now she laughs â&#x20AC;&#x153;You know, where the movie Blood because sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lost track of the times Diamond takes place? Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s where Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been proposed to, including a be going,â&#x20AC;? Jessica had told her mother. recent one by a shoe vendor. ]

Of course, Jessica has learned while the country, sure, but Sierra Leone has being a teacher. She can now use a pit been ravaged by a decade-long civil war, latrine, kill a chicken, bargain in the rampant poverty and low quality of market or carry a bucket of water on life. The United Nations consistently her head. She can also now tie a lapa, a list Sierra Leone as one of the â&#x20AC;&#x153;least traditional African wrap skirt. livable countriesâ&#x20AC;? and the Peace Corps â&#x20AC;&#x153;Seeing how Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve changed in other withdrew all volunteers in 1994 before

Â&#x153; Z reinstating them again in 2010. my experience here in the middle of Although the Peace Corps claims it always scrambles my brain,â&#x20AC;? says to have an annual drop-out rate of Jessica. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Every time I think I realize Letters that East alumna Jessica Arriens wrote home while she 10 percent, the true drop-out rate has something importantâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Oh, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s was serving overseas in the Peace Corps in Sierra Leone. hovered around 30% for the past 40 what Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve learned! Oh, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s how Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve years according to former Peace Corps changed!â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Africa knocks me on my ass volunteer and full-time MIT researcher again. I still have plenty of learning to Mike Sheppard, who analyzed do.â&#x20AC;? documents from the organization She shares these experiences in obtained through the Freedom of emails and letters home to her family Information Act. and friends, which according to Farrar, So of course, Kim was worried and still â&#x20AC;&#x153;To cope with these [problems] you have to are â&#x20AC;&#x153;like reading a story from a travel magazine worries constantly today, but knowing her be creative, patient and tireless. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not saying I or National Geographic.â&#x20AC;? sharing colorful daughterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s strong-headedness and extensive possess all of those qualities all the time, but I vignettes of her host family, daily life and research, she couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stop her. am trying,â&#x20AC;? says Jessica. challenges at the school.

Following a three-month training period, Still, it is the little victories that get her Still, it is the musings of her experience as a she began teaching Integrated Science to St. through the process. On Halloween, she whole that are the most memorable.

Stephenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Technical/Vocational Secondary celebrated by teaching Watta, her 13-year-old â&#x20AC;&#x153;Peace Corps is not easy,â&#x20AC;? Jessica writes.

School while living in a village called Gobaru. neighbor who she tutors in science, how to â&#x20AC;&#x153;There are days when you look around me and Just as Sierra Leone is a whole different world carve a pumpkin. They based the design off see only overwhelming obstacles, when you to Jessica, America is a whole different world to of the back of Arthurâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Halloween by Marc are tired of greeting everyone and trying to the people of Sierra Leone.

Brown. When they lit the pumpkin up at be culturally sensitive, when you are tired of Of course, there are the obvious challenges: night, she was able to explain the history of feeling constantly hot and sweaty, when you language barriers, a hot climate and lack of Halloween to the neighbors. suddenly long for your living room couch or a technology. But there are plenty of surprises _

Â&#x2C6; + trip to Target or a fresh carrot or some other too, like having no privacy and being treated books from the library to entertain the local mundane piece of home. But never, ever, have like a celebrity. People also think that because children, who before would barely be able to I regretted my decision to join.â&#x20AC;? Â&#x201E;

Never, ever, have I regretted my decision to join.

29 | Spark | lehsspark.org

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31 | Spark | lehsspark.org

JALEN The East senior is well-known for his exploits on the basketball court, but he hopes his music is how he will be remembered.

It’s almost May and the sun is out and the kitchen is hissing like a locomotive. Jalen Goodwin’s mother has just let me in the door (“Oh my, I can’t believe that everyone is growing up! It seems like just yesterday you all were playing baseball out in the backyard!”) and she is cooking something on the stove. The smell of the food envelops the room,

32 | Spark | May 27, 2011

GOODWIN

whatever it is, and like some Proustian time machine it takes me back to my childhood, the one I spent here in this same kitchen, eating snacks, playing games.

We used to run around up here and play basketball on one of those toy-hoops they make for toddlers and other bored preteens who get an adrenaline rush out of dunking on six-foot rims. Most of the time, Jalen won. He didn’t make me feel too bad about it. His behind-the-sofa turnaround jumper was always deadly.

“They’re in the basement,” she says. “You’d better knock.”

I do and I’m beckoned down. Jalen greets me with the same hearty embrace he greets everyone with, a his toothy grin and elaborate handshake. After some fumbling we turn to sit down. His girlfriend,

2011 There he hopes to get a business degree (â&#x20AC;&#x153;I can do anything I want with thatâ&#x20AC;?), but mostly he doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to give up on his other love. He wants to keep playing basketball. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My dad told me I was three years old

4 up a ball,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I guess Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been playing ever since.â&#x20AC;?

It was something concrete in a childhood marked by constant change.

His father, who now works as an editor at the Dayton Daily News, switched papers with regularity, and the family moved from Louisville, KY to Washington D.C., back to Louisville, then to Bowling Green, OH, then to Phillipsburg, NJ, @ \ _ !

Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s when I met himâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;on the school bus

! @ pickup games with the neighborhood kids at the hoop out by the community pool. The rim never curved quite right, but Jalen could make music out on that uneven pavement. His moves were graceful, light. We all wanted Jalen on our team.

When he wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t humoring the rest of us, Jalen was playing for the Cincinnati Friarsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Club, an Amateur Athletic Union team. They played year round, traveled acorss the country, the whole bit. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I loved playing for that team,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We could have been the best, if we stuck together.â&#x20AC;?

Eventually the team broke apart and Jalen joined the Cincinnati Shining Stars alongside fellow East seniors Mike Boyd and Cameron Lee. The three went on to play together on the East varsity team. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Playing this year for East was seriously a great experience,â&#x20AC;? says Jalen. â&#x20AC;&#x153;No team hangs around together as much as we do,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We would hang out every Saturday night, just the team.â&#x20AC;?

Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d roam the halls together, eat lunch together. They even banded together to toiletpaper the houses of the varsity cheerleaders.

Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t worry, it was in retaliation; the girls had

!

Together Jalen and the East seniors helped lead the basketball team to arguably the best season in East history. The team was

â&#x20AC;&#x153;MY DAD TOLD ME I WAS THREE YEARS OLD WHEN I FIRST PICKED UP A BALL. I GUESS Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;VE BEEN PLAYING EVER SINCE.â&#x20AC;? here. Jalen writes all of the parts out on piano

& computer program, another oddly genuine musical approachâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;most people would just use the pre-recorded loops. I tell them they sound like B.O.B. with a soul, or a sane version of Outkast. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thanks,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is what I want to do with my life, I think. I want to be a producer, or anything musical, really.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;So what are you doing for college?â&#x20AC;? I ask. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Oh, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m going to Wooster, probably.â&#x20AC;?

}

East senior Ariel Turner, is laying down on a couch in front of a TV, watching whichever Kardashian reality show features the insecure one married to Lamar Odom. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hard to keep them all straight. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Oh man, look at Khloe getting reckless!â&#x20AC;? says Jalen.

His attention quickly turns to the acoustic guitar leaning up against a chair. â&#x20AC;&#x153;So Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been trying to learn to play guitar,â&#x20AC;? he says, picking it up and strumming a few chords. He turns to me. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You should play me a song.â&#x20AC;? Â&#x2039; 4 Â&#x2C6;

my own guitar playing, but Jalen is by far one of the most musical people I know. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been playing piano since he was a kid and has played both the trumpet and the French horn for various school bands, the latter this year in East Symphonic Band. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I kind of just started playing trumpet because they had too many saxophones. And this year I started playing French horn because they had too many trumpets. But I like it. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fun,â&#x20AC;? he says.

Later he opens up a laptop and pulls out his ]

own creation. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been making my own beats for awhile now,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s something I started with a friend of mine, [East senior] Stephen Sensel.

We call it CNE productions.â&#x20AC;?

He plays a few tracks for me. Each is loud, triumphant, brimming with horns and piano.

These arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t your mail-order synth-y party songs most aspiring producers lazily throw together so their friends can rap about getting the bottles poppinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

No, Young Jeezy would feel out of place

}

and won both the city and the district title.

They had eyes on the state title until they ran

COLOR? BLUE MOVIE? THE WOOD ANIMAL? DUCKLINGS SUPERPOWER? TO READ WOMENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S MINDS CANDY? SOUR GUMMY WORMS @

in Columbus.

Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s when they ran into Traevon Jackson. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m still mad we lost that game,â&#x20AC;? says Jalen. ] 4 second Westervilleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Jackson, who next year will be playing for the University of Wisconson, showed why he will be going to college for free.

East lost 64-58. â&#x20AC;&#x153;[Jackson] basically just went off in the second half. We couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do anything to stop him,â&#x20AC;? says Jalen.

The clock went to zero, and suddenly Jalenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s high school career came to a crashing halt. The ride home was not fun. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Nobody said a word the whole time,â&#x20AC;? says Jalen. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And things just kept happening. We had to take a detour because some guy had just jumped off a bridge we were about to cross. It was just not good. Plus I had a research outline due the next day. I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t sleep until like three.â&#x20AC;?

At this point in the discussion Jalen is quick to change the subject. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ariel, why donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t you tell him how we met?â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to,â&#x20AC;? she replies, sleepily. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Come onâ&#x20AC;Śâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Fine. You mean how you begged for my number on Facebook?â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Oh, please, I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t beg.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;You totally begged! And then you tapped me on the shoulder one day, and I was like, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Who is this guy?â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? _ +

! ] late, and Ariel must be driven to church.

Jalen walks me back upstairs, back through that smell of the kitchen, the one I will always identify with our friendship, and shows me the door. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been good catching up,â&#x20AC;? he says. In his voice I can hear the chime of his piano, the smoothness of his crossover. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We should do it again soon.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;We probably wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t,â&#x20AC;? I say. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I know,â&#x20AC;? he says, and closes the door.â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Tyler Kieslich

33 | Spark | lehsspark.org

BECKA She survived an African Killer Bee sting. She loves eating Indian food and she has made a glacier fall by yelling at it. Becka Sepelaâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the most interesting woman in the world.

A rainbow of colors swirls in two circles in a large room celebrating heritage and culture. The people bend with every step of the six-step dance, keeping time with a clap on every beat. Bangles and anklets clank

34 | Spark | May 27, 2011

SEPELA

as the dancers pay homage to the goddess Lakshmi. For ten days every year Hindis gather for Garba and rejoice around a shrine to the goddess.

East senior Becka Sepela with her long blonde hair stands out in

!

4 Â&#x2C6; } length maroon skirt, sparkly midriff top, long scarf and huge earrings Beckaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s look is complete; she even sports a bindi, the traditional forehead decoration. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I knew that Becka was into the Indian culture and that she would ? Â&#x201A; ' Â&#x152; Â&#x2021; 4 Garba along with East seniors Emma Augutis and Ravneet Kaur.

Beckaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s love for Indian culture started with eating the food. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Oh my God. Whenever I go over to Shivaniâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s house, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll just raid

2011 According to Ravneet, Becka would come up to her every day after that with a different design she had drawn on the front and back of her hand imitating henna. Becka and her friends have bonded through various art classes they had together, and their mutual love for art has brought them closer. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We went to the contemporary art museum to hang out for a day,â&#x20AC;? says Becka. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We even went to the kidsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; exhibits, but my favorite was the motorcycle one. They were bedazzled.â&#x20AC;?

Though the seniors have sleepovers and go to parties and clubs together like many other teenagers, the diversity of their group affords them different opportunities. â&#x20AC;&#x153;One night when we were hanging out, [Ravneet] made dinner and I brought an Indian dish, but mine was not nearly as good as hers,â&#x20AC;? says Becka with a laugh. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Then we watched Indian movies together.â&#x20AC;?

If the movies did not have translations or subtitles, Ravneet and Shivani would try to translate, but would get so into the movie that they would forget to translate and Becka and Emma â&#x20AC;&#x153;would get really bored.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;We learn from each otherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cultures,â&#x20AC;? says Emma. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are a really balanced group.â&#x20AC;?

Beckaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s diverse interests are not limited to Indian culture. Courtsey of her grandparents, Becka has traveled to places like Africa, Patagonia and Panama. There she was able to experience different customs in a personal manner.

From accidentally staying on a nude beach in St. Martin, to visiting the Anne Frank Museum in Amsterdam, to being stung by an African Killer Bee in Kenya, to betting on crab races in St. John to making a glacier fall by yelling in Patagonia, Becka has come across all different customs and corners of the world. â&#x20AC;&#x153;[In Africa] we went on a safari and our jeep was almost tipped over by a curious rhino,â&#x20AC;? says Becka. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We saw lions, rhinos, giraffes, elephants, zebras, cheetahs, baboons and water buffalos. When we visited the Maasai Mara tribe in Kemya, we bartered clothing for their arts and crafts, rode camels, took a hot air balloon ride over the Serengeti and got rained on by Victoria Falls.â&#x20AC;?

â&#x20AC;&#x153;[IN AFRICA], WE WENT ON A SAFARI AND OUR JEEP WAS ALMOST TIPPED OVER

BY A CURIOUS RHINO. together helps them learn from each otherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s backgrounds. From cultural celebrations to art projects, the girls inspire each other. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In ninth grade art we were doing a project where we had to play with the elements of design and Shivani was showing me her design which involved really intricate patterns,â&#x20AC;? says Becka, who is currently in two art classes: ceramics and senior seminar. â&#x20AC;&#x153;That is when

pictures on the Internet.â&#x20AC;?

}

her kitchen for food,â&#x20AC;? says Becka with a smile.

According to her father, Mark Sepela, Â&#x2021; 4 + ^

? !

4

to an Indian restaurant,â&#x20AC;? says Mark. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We met for lunch at Anand India and when I saw the kids, [I knew] they were not happy to be there. After some persuading, I got Becka to try some chicken curry and her eyes lit up. She loved it and kept eating more. I was amazed because she typically did not eat spicy food.

Now, she is hooked.â&#x20AC;?

The Sepelas regularly eat Indian food at home and, for according to Becka, her fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s culinary skill is up to a â&#x20AC;&#x153;respectable level.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;According to Becka, we do a pretty good job and make some fabulous meals from scratch. We have always tried to make ethnic foods and have the kids experience them in a home environment,â&#x20AC;? says Mark. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We do love to make and eat Indian food.â&#x20AC;?

Beckaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s curiosity for Indian traditions and customs is supported by her parents, who try to encourage interest in every culture.

According to her mother, Sue Sepela, â&#x20AC;&#x153;we truly live in a global society.â&#x20AC;? Like her daughter, Sue believes that each culture has value, but the Sepelas â&#x20AC;&#x153;like the foods as much as the people.â&#x20AC;?

Beckaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s parents are proud of their daughterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s involvement in other cultures and activities like the Garba. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I thought it was great that she felt comfortable enough with her identity to put herself in an unfamiliar environment and take part in an Indian tradition,â&#x20AC;? says Mark. â&#x20AC;&#x153;After the event, I was pleased to hear that she was accepted at the Garba by her friends and their families. What a great way to bridge cultures.â&#x20AC;?

A diverse group of friends has allowed Becka to experience different cultures and the group of four girls agree spending time

}

Although most people read and learn about all the amazing places in the world and all the diverse cultures, Becka has been privileged to actually experience the diverse cultures around the world.

COLOR? NEON ORANGE ANIMAL? CHEETAH FOOD? STEAK OR MANGO SMOOTHIES CANDY? SOUR OCTOPI VACATION? KENYA & ZIMBABWE â&#x20AC;&#x153;[The trips] allowed us to interact with the people of different cultures and learn how they live, Africa in particular. Words canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t explain how fabulous the Africa trip was, from riding camels to sleeping out in the open desert on a cot with only a mosquito net,â&#x20AC;? says Mark. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Becka and her cousins got to participate in an African dance while wearing the traditional brightly colored attire.â&#x20AC;?

While in Panama, Becka was able to eat lunch with the natives, watch a traditional dance and bear witness to yet another culture. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I believe that Beckaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s experience with different cultures will help her look at individuals from other nations with respect and understanding,â&#x20AC;? says Sue. â&#x20AC;&#x153;She has an intuitive understanding that we are all truly one people and that we have more in common than we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t.â&#x20AC;?

Similar to her interest in a variety of cultures, in school, Becka does not limit herself to singular activities in her everyday life, but instead looks outside of the box. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think that the diversity of my interests in the arts and in athletics along with smarts helps me break out of the bookworm stereotype,â&#x20AC;? says Becka, who is ranked in the top 10 of her class for GPA. Â&#x2021; 4

Becka, who can be seen wearing bright colored

}

her mother says that she learned while playing dress-up when she was a child. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I love heels and I love gym shoes. I feel

more excited in dressy clothes,â&#x20AC;? says Becka. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My new wardrobe staple is neon orange. I have neon orange shoes, a neon orange vest, a neon orange shirt and neon orange pants. I would be crazy if I wore it all at once.â&#x20AC;?

In her bright clothing, Becka is anything but }Â&#x2C6; ! hallways, but also in her ability to play a myriad of sports. continued on page 56...

35 | Spark | lehsspark.org

JACK

STEVNING

Following his political career aspirations, Jack has worked with everyone from the Governor to the Speaker of the House, in pursuit of the ultimate prizeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a seat in the United States Senate.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m sure it would have been annoying to be a Democrat with an 11-year-old at your door trying to convince you to change your opinions.â&#x20AC;?

36 | Spark | May 27, 2011

Identifying East senior Jack Stevningâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s political interests as a passion would be an understatement. As a Liberty Elementary School student, Jack had begun to take his zeal for politics to heart. Beginning as a sixth-grade boy devoting his time to knocking on doors during the 2004 presidential campaign, Jack has transformed into a teenager who has brushed shoulders with prominent politicians like Speaker of the House John Boehner R-OH, Ohio Gov. John Kasich R-OH and Ohio Senator Rob Portman R-OH. Yet being on such familiar terms with Ohio Supreme Chief Justice Court Maureen Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Connor as to be able to call her â&#x20AC;&#x153;a very sweet ladyâ&#x20AC;? did not happen overnight. During his 2010 summer internship at the 5 = 5 Â&#x152; Â&#x201C;=5Â&#x152;Â&#x201D; _ 4

2011 is social. He is not afraid to speak his opinion and is honest and caring.â&#x20AC;?

Spending the past summer interning at 5 =5Â&#x152; _ 4 underestimate the friendships and new political acquaintances he has made with Butler County politicians and businessmen.

The 18-year-old even embraced the formal attire requirement he was expected to follow. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m actually the only teenager I know who would be willing to dress up everyday after school and go work on a political campaign,â&#x20AC;? says Jack. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The internship was on a volunteer basis, and even though I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t take the internship to make money, my boss would pay me a little out of [his own] pocket because he felt bad that I had to dress in a shirt and tie everyday and receive no pay.â&#x20AC;?

Before the days of internships that require formal wear, Jackâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s father Dan Stevning remembers when his son would ask questions about politics he had heard during family discussions.

Today these matters have turned into discussions regarding global grain prices as a macroeconomic policy and correcting the selectivity of 1970s history. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Jack really did not discuss politics when he was younger; he just listened, then would ask a clarifying question at a much later date,â&#x20AC;? says Dan. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Many times I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even know he was listening to what was discussed, but I was impressed with his retention of the issues and the critical thinking he would apply over a long period of time.â&#x20AC;?

The father and son share similar Republican political ideologies, but because the majority of the Jack family is Democratic, political discussions are mainly â&#x20AC;&#x153;avoidedâ&#x20AC;? among members, according to Dan. Through immersing himself in a political history and adhering to such political ideologies, Jack has grown to admire Ronald Reagan and John Boehner as two main political role models. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The beauty of Reaganâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s policies comes from the simplicity. For example, he based his whole economic policy off the four points

I WOULD OFTEN THINK, â&#x20AC;&#x153;WHY AM I DOING THIS?â&#x20AC;?

I HAD TO REMIND MYSELF EVERY DAY THAT THIS WAS GOING TO HELP ME IN THE LONG RUN. long run.â&#x20AC;?

East history teacher Tom Prohaska holds no doubts regarding the future feats of Jack due to his consistent commitment. After taking his U.S. History 101 class as a sophomore, Jack

Â&#x152; 4 Â&#x2C6; teachers he has had in helping him strengthen his interest in politics. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Jack is a hard-working individual, and when he puts his mind to a task, nothing is going to stop him from succeeding,â&#x20AC;? says Prohaska. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He

}

use the phones and go door-to-door along with coordinating political events. His experience could have only been made possible through consistent hard work and a string of good impressions. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If you were to ask any of my friends [about why I am dedicated to politics], they would say the main reason is because I enjoy arguing.

This is partially true. I do love debating, but the main reason is because there are so many problems in our constantly changing world,â&#x20AC;? says Jack. â&#x20AC;&#x153;People in politics attempt to solve these problems. I am always interested in the state of the economy, human rights and global

Â&#x2C6; ! ]

my very strong opinions on different issues.â&#x20AC;?

Although the picture of his future has changed with each political encounter and experience, Jack intends to follow a career in corporate law before â&#x20AC;&#x153;entering the political game.â&#x20AC;? Using networking, Jackâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s professed key

few steps aheadâ&#x20AC;? of his future competition. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My main encouragement to build my political rĂŠsumĂŠ is the simple fact that the deeper into politics I go, the more powerful people I meet. That is how any politician or businessman can hope to get ahead in todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s competitive professional world. The bottom line is you need to know people,â&#x20AC;? says Jack, whose boss during his internship is currently employed at the GOP Headquarters in Washington, D.C. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is sometimes tiresome and very easy to get discouraged when working on political campaigns. I would often think, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Why am I doing this?â&#x20AC;&#x2122; I had to remind myself everyday that this was going to help me in the

}

of reducing government spending, reducing government regulation, cutting taxes and controlling the money supply,â&#x20AC;? says Jack. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Boehner is someone who I like as a person as well as a politician. He represents the true

COLOR? PURPLE ANIMAL? KODIAK BROWN BEAR WORST INJURY? 40 STITCHES IN MY HEAD OR 6 CONCUSSIONS BOOK? THE LORD OF THE RINGS ROLE MODEL? RONALD REAGAN American Dream that most people say is lost. Today he is politically the second-most powerful man in America, the best country in the world.â&#x20AC;?

Despite Jackâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s deep-rooted interests and opinions in politics, however, Prohaska has observed how his passion and tolerance affect Jackâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s classroom behavior. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When we had discussions about Right Wing and Left Wing ideals, [Jack] was always willing to speak his mind on those issues,â&#x20AC;? says Prohaska, â&#x20AC;&#x153;but he also respected the opinions of others in class.â&#x20AC;?

Reaching out to understand the perspectives of others, however, is not bordered by the four walls of Jackâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s classrooms. Apart from the time dedicated to networking in the local political system, he has traveled to Haiti with his church, The River, both before and after the 2010 earthquake. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The most memorable part of the trip was, sadly, while we were at the mission a little Haitian boy died of starvation,â&#x20AC;? says Jack. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is the reason I wake up every morning and thank God for what I have because there are so many people in the world who could only dream to live as good of a life as I do.â&#x20AC;?

After engaging in back-porch conversations with John Boehner, receiving on-stage commemoration from Gov. Kasich during a speech for his Ohio governor campaign and

Â&#x2C6; |

the Ohio State University-bound senior has a past to remember.

In hopes of becoming a lobbyist, judge and eventually a senator, despite his uncertainty of where to start, he will simply wait for the day that decision comes. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t tied myself down to one career choice, so I can still dream about what Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m going to be when Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m older. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve always considered myself to be an outgoing person [and] I always love to meet someone new,â&#x20AC;? says Jack. â&#x20AC;&#x153;To me, the most exciting aspect of my future is that I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know exactly what Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m going to do.â&#x20AC;?â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Katie Szczur

37 | Spark | lehsspark.org

COWDERY

JOHN You may recognize him as the kid who speedily brushes past you in the hallway. But getting from point A to point B is not the only thing John does quickly. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re all crooked. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re a crooked man.â&#x20AC;?

Dave Cowdery laughs as he describes his son John Cowdery, who is literally crooked. One of Johnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s legs grew faster than the other, and

38 | Spark | May 27, 2011

while the doctors tried to address the problem by putting screws into the longer leg so it would stop growing, he will always have one leg that is shorter than the other. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He was about 14 and he was walking goofy. His momâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s side has scoliosis that runs in the family, so we took him to the doctor,â&#x20AC;? says ! ] !

They were hoping that one leg would catch up on its own and then they decided it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t going to, so they put the screws in. But they were too late.â&#x20AC;?

While he might be slightly crooked, John takes pride in his eccentricities, calling himself a â&#x20AC;&#x153;nerd and geek too.â&#x20AC;?

One of Johnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;nerdyâ&#x20AC;? interests that he has had since childhood is his

2011 and retention. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When I would read with him at night when he was seven or eight I would think that heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not paying attention at all. He would be off doing something, but then he would be able to turn around and tell me exactly what happened in the story,â&#x20AC;? says Johnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mother Jenny Cowdery, who worked as a technical writer for nine years. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The teachers at school said the same thing. They didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think he was paying attention at all, yet he knew all the answers to the questions.â&#x20AC;?

Just as surprising as his incredible talent for remembering, his father noticed how quickly _

son snuck a book into church one Sunday. John was not supposed to be reading, but during the

Â&#x2C6; [# his book.

In addition to being an avid reader, John has been writing at home for years. In his free time, he has written multiple poems which he posts on deviantart.com and has also began writing a novella for his creative writing class at East. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I write mainly because of my creative writing class, but I have to work on improving my writing, so I can write more than one and a half page chapters,â&#x20AC;? says John. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I write about a lot of different stuff. I try to rhyme everything. +

! ?

couplets and I get stuck on it because parts of it donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t rhyme.â&#x20AC;?

Even though he once saw himself in an

reading and writing have become such a large part of Johnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life that he intends to pursue a career in publishing. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He wanted to do computer science, and then after taking computer science classes, he was like, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;This is not for me,â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? says Dave.

publishing to John, so he could combine his love of reading and his love of writing. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He seems to like to write, and writing is one of those things that, in my opinion, is tough to do so it seems like he can use that somehow,â&#x20AC;? says Dave.

In order to prepare himself for his future career, John plans on attending the regional campuses of Miami University next year. What

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I BUILT THIS SMALL DOG; IT WAS ABOUT THE SIZE OF A REAL SMALL DOG. I HAVE PICTURES ONLINE.â&#x20AC;? school or in church. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Reading has always let me at least get through school. I have a lot of books and nothing is better than a real book. If nothing else a book makes a good handheld defense,â&#x20AC;? says John, who can always be seen carrying at least one book. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I blame my parents [for my love of reading]. They have always been big readers and so Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve always liked reading too.â&#x20AC;?

Because of their encouragement John passion grew and his parents noticed early on in Johnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life that he had a knack for reading

}

love of Legos. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been getting Legos since day one I think. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s one of those constants he has had all his life,â&#x20AC;? says Dave.

Instead of directly following the stepby-step instructions to build what the Lego creators intended, John prefers taking the Lego kits and making his own creations with the pieces. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t count how many I made overall.

Some of them will stay around for a while and some Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll just take apart [right away],â&#x20AC;? says John, who used to take pictures of the structures he created and would post them on mocpages. com, a website dedicated to people posting their Lego creations. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There are some pretty interesting things [on mocpages.com], far outdoing what I did.â&#x20AC;?

Sometimes it takes as little as a half hour to complete his project, but on larger, more complex projects it can take him anywhere

! â&#x20AC;&#x153;I built this small dog, it was about the size of a real small dog. I have pictures online, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no longer built,â&#x20AC;? says John, who has lost count of how many Lego creations he has constructed. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It took a couple days. It was one of the ones where I had to scour my room to

throughout.â&#x20AC;?

Among the scattered colored Legos, Johnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s room contains other hidden treasures, books. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He reads incredibly fast. Obnoxiously fast,â&#x20AC;? says Dave of his son, who always has a book in hand. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I gave him a book and we drove to Miami University. He was about 100 pages into it by the time we got there. I would have been at maybe 30.â&#x20AC;?

Though reading has always been one of Johnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s favorite past times, he reads at times he knows he should be paying attention, like in

}

classes he chooses to take will determine which regional campus John will attend. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I visited Miami, the Ohio State University, University of Cincinnati and Miami was the mostly friendly and student-oriented,â&#x20AC;? says

COLOR? GOLD SUPERPOWER? REALITY CONTROL FOOD? PINEAPPLE VACATION? EUROPE ROLE MODEL? ANYONE WHO TRIES TO BE HIM/HERSELF John.

While John attends college, he will continue to live at home with his close knit family who originally moved here in 2006 from Hollister, CA. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The kids liked it when we moved because right away we got hit with snow and they were like, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Wow, we have a real winter,â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? says Jenny.

Although John does not believe that any move is easy, he says that the move from California to Ohio was not that bad because most of his friends in California had moved away before him.

Despite the long distance move, the Cowdery family felt that it was â&#x20AC;&#x153;pretty easyâ&#x20AC;?

religion. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are fairly religious. We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t beat it down peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s throats or anything like that, but when people ask us what we are, we say that weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re Mormon,â&#x20AC;? says Jenny, who hopes John will continue being involved with his religion in the future. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When we moved here from California, we right away found some people that we had stuff in common with. We made friends right away. It just made us feel like we were right at home, like we already had the support and the church to go to.â&#x20AC;?

The familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s active religious life includes attending church every Sunday. In addition, John also attends a weekly youth meeting on Wednesday and Seminary every morning before school starts, which he claims is â&#x20AC;&#x153;the only reason Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m awake on time for school.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;The members of the church all take turns giving talks on Sundays. John was supposed to do one once, we showed up and his name was on the program and he had completely forgotten,â&#x20AC;? says Dave, who recalls the incident laughing.

And just as the Cowderyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s interest and backgrounds created a new home for their family, Johnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s love for reading and writing will pave a new path for him to follow into the future.â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Ariadne Souroutzidis

39 | Spark | lehsspark.org

MELANIE From donning a wig, to performing Irish dance, to tending to patients, to being reduced to a patient herself, Melanie knows what it means to play different roles. in life. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Daddy, oh, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t you dare!â&#x20AC;? @ } } 4 sings the line, East senior Melanie Clippinger exudes what Pocahontas

40 | Spark | May 27, 2011

CLIPPINGER

must have felt when her father attempted to kill John Smith, if Pocahontas had been dressed in jeans and a soft T-shirt and talked in casual, jazzy lingo.

The Eastside Music Company girls resume their chorus of Peggy + & Â&#x201A; ! giggling, and the other girls laugh along with her, delighted. Her energy is contagious, but it is channeled carefully, kept in a reserve until the right time. Unblinking eyes pinpointed on an unseen object, she stands perfectly still before a song starts. But ask her a question and she comes to life. With her, it is all about expression, and her spontaneous outbursts of â&#x20AC;&#x153;extrovertismâ&#x20AC;? are part of her charm.

She snickers at the question â&#x20AC;&#x153;Do you play piano?â&#x20AC;? as if it is the

2011 people think of you when youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re onstage because youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re acting as a different character.â&#x20AC;?

The memories she has of her characters are ones she holds close to her heart and narrates to others with relish, especially her role of the secretary Gert, a main character in Eastâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s production of It Happens Every Summer. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I really liked being Gert. I loved that part,â&#x20AC;? she says reverently. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was the

play was where I met all of my theater friends. It was a comedy; that show was really, really fun. That will forever now be my favorite role.â&#x20AC;?

Throughout her acting career, she has tripped while running in heels and stepped onstage at the wrong time. Yet Melanie remains unfazed by the accidents because she has been onstage even before Fiddler on the Roof as an Irish dance competitor. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s like Riverdance, but with your arms down,â&#x20AC;? Melanie quips, and then proceeds to give a lengthy description of the costumes she had to wear: a wig of giant curly blonde hair to cover her naturally-straight brown tresses, ornate dresses and â&#x20AC;&#x153;poodle socks.â&#x20AC;?

She talks of Irish-dancing fondly, as if a broken foot in third grade from dancing did | Â&#x2C6; ^ Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD), a pain condition in which nerves send an overabundance of pain signals to the body. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Your feet and hands either get really hot and swollen or really cold and purple. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s like your body is mad at you for no reason,â&#x20AC;? says Melanie. â&#x20AC;&#x153;[When my RSD was the worst], if I were to get a paper cut, it would hurt 10 times worse. The pain was elevated to the point where I would hurt if anyone touched me.â&#x20AC;?

The pain

grade, forcing her to be homeschooled for a couple months. Since then she has steadily recovered and stopped her RSD medication junior year.

There are no apparent tell-tale marks of the darker times on her skin, but RSD has changed her life.

Inspired by her own encounters with hospital staff, Melanie will be attending the University of Cincinnatiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s College of Nursing this fall in hopes of earning a nursing degree and working in pediatrics after she graduates. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A good nurse is someone whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s happy, smiley and bubbly,â&#x20AC;? says Melanie. â&#x20AC;&#x153;She asks who you are, and if they see you more than once, they remember you. If I have a patient

â&#x20AC;&#x153;YOU CAN BE SOMEONE ELSE FOR A DAY. YOU GET TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THE CHARACTER IS THINKING.â&#x20AC;? year-old, she has never stopped.

Sometimes juggling two plays or musicals at a time, Melanie has performed with East Theater, Mason Community Players and CCCT in productions such as It Happens Every Summer and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I love the fact that you can be someone else for a day,â&#x20AC;? she says of acting. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You get to

4 you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to worry about what other

}

funniest thing ever. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I can play a little bit of piano,â&#x20AC;? she says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have a keyboard. If I sit down and write all the Â&#x2C6;

for a little while, I can plunk out some stuff.â&#x20AC;?

The piano is only a means to an end, a way to accurately hit notes during practice for her true passion, singing. Her face lights up as she starts talking about her role as a second soprano in the Eastside Music Company, and she gestures with precise, sweeping movements, little glimpses of her acting and singing career.

But her friend East senior Kate McMahon, who has participated in every East Theater show with her in their sophomore and junior years, calls Melanie â&#x20AC;&#x153;super-quiet but supersweet at the same time.â&#x20AC;? Her charm, just like her energy, is showcased in her singing. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Every once in a while, I just stop singing and listen to her in the middle of choir,â&#x20AC;? says McMahon. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I hear her hit all her beautiful high notes and just think, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Melanieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s singing!â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;?

Melanie hones her facial expressions with help from an unlikely source: American Sign Language (ASL). The ASL III student says that the no-speaking-allowed â&#x20AC;&#x153;pretty languageâ&#x20AC;? improves her acting and singing.

East ASL teacher Mary Krawec agrees, adding that expressions are more powerful in communication than voice. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more of an intense communication because youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not just looking at a personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hands; youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re looking at their face as you watch them sign,â&#x20AC;? explains Krawec. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a dual way of processing a language.â&#x20AC;?

Cramming her every waking minute with theater productions, choirs and ASL, Melanie, who is planning on auditioning for a part in Cincinnati Christian Community Theaterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (CCCT) Broadway Showstoppers! has found her niche in the art of communication. Ever since Â&#x2C6; Fiddler on the Roof as an eight-

}

who comes in regularly for something, I want to remember who they are. You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want your nurse to be crabby all the time.â&#x20AC;?

She has the knack for it. Her kindred spirit gives her an easy sort of benevolence

COLOR? PURPLE TV SHOW? MODERN FAMILY FOOD? POTATOES HIDDEN TALENT? I CAN KNIT ROLE MODEL? MY MOM in all situations, allowing her to relate to other

! â&#x20AC;&#x153;sign name,â&#x20AC;? a special sign which can only be assigned by a Deaf person, is the ASL sign for â&#x20AC;&#x153;Mâ&#x20AC;? placed over her heart. Running a theater camp, planning on being a counselor at a YMCA camp, and being the stage manager for her churchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s performances, Melanie wholeheartedly devotes her time to children with good humor and professionalism. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We did a cantata at church, so I was in charge of saying things like, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Cue light on Joseph,â&#x20AC;? she recites in her best solemn deep voice. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I had the headset on. It would be like, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Shepherd, go, shepherds, go.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;?

She has even found a creative way to meld ASL and singing, teaching children ASLinspired hand motions choreographed for a song. Melanie is always on the look-out for new experiences; in a change from her usual plans of helping out at her churchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Vacation Bible School, however, she got a job as a nanny the summer before senior year. â&#x20AC;&#x153;â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Nannyingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is from eight oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; clock in the

+

4 Â&#x201A; ! â&#x20AC;&#x153;And if [the mother] says, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Will you put in a load of laundry?â&#x20AC;&#x2122; you say, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Yes.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; And if she says, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Will you do the dishes?â&#x20AC;&#x2122; you say, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Yes.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;?

Melanie cheerfully subjected herself to

} a third-grader and a kindergartener, and relays their misadventures with relish, especially an episode with one girl refusing to leave the house until she found her beloved Silly Bands. â&#x20AC;&#x153;That was the catastrophe for the day,â&#x20AC;? laughs Melanie. â&#x20AC;&#x153;That was an adventure. \

} Â? +

!+Â&#x201A; She mimics the whining in a good-natured manner, laughing again. There is everything in Melanieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s grin: her warmth, her poise, her presence. She is joyous in whatever she does, whether it is acting, singing or â&#x20AC;&#x153;nannying.â&#x20AC;?

Melanie doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t throw back her head when she laughs; she tips her chin up in an easy 45, 50-degree angle, smiling widely.â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Justine Chu

41 | Spark | lehsspark.org

TAKEUTE

LUIZA Dressed in black, silver and white, Luiza cheers on the teams that most students ignore. She embodies the spirit of school pride.

“She’s tall, Brazilian and beautiful with a great personality. That’s just intimidating.”

This is East senior Luiza Takeute in a nutshell, according to East senior and friend Emily Merrick.

“She goes out of her way to make people feel loved,” says Kelci

42 | Spark | May 27, 2011

Haydocy, a recent graduate of Miami University, who became good friends with Luiza at Younglife, a religious youth organization. “She always has a smile and is one of the most positive people I know.”

Luiza’s family life plays a big role in the development of her kind personality. The close-knit clan always tries to put one another above everything else.

“We try to [stay together] a lot,” says Luiza’s brother, East sophomore Raul Takeute. “On birthdays we don’t go out with friends, we stick together.”

In fact, as a tradition, they always allow the birthday person to choose what they want to do for the day—no matter what. On one of Raul’s birthdays, the “airplane-obsessed” birthday boy wanted to go to the

2011 not speak the language. Moving to America and having to learn English was the same experience for Monica. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When I took the kids to the doctor, and the nurse said they had strep, she had to write it down on a piece of paper so I could look it up when I got home,â&#x20AC;? she recalls with a laugh.

Both Mauro and Monica were afraid for their children when

to school. Raul and Luiza spoke only Portuguese, save a few key phrases like â&#x20AC;&#x153;I need waterâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have to go to the bathroom.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;We literally dropped her off, parked the car and waited for two hours, just in case she needed something,â&#x20AC;? remembers Mauro.

Luckily coming to America from Brazil was } } Z ! â&#x20AC;&#x153;When youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re little, kids just come together,â&#x20AC;? says Luiza. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have trouble making any friends.â&#x20AC;?

Living so far from the rest of their family, however, has its downsides. The Takeutes are the only members of their whole family who do not live in Curitiba, Brazil. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is especially hard on Christmas and other big holidays where youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re supposed to be with your family,â&#x20AC;? laments Luiza. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Everyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s out with their families, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just us four.â&#x20AC;?

The separation is doubly hard on Monica, who was removed from her family not just once, but twice. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For me [family is] also the support you have. When they were little, there was no grandma whose house we could leave the kids at when we want to go out,â&#x20AC;? says Monica. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I love my mother and father in law like my own parents, and Brazilian culture is that we live together. I miss them a lot. For the support, the loving and just them being around. I miss them.â&#x20AC;?

Technology has helped bridge the gap a little bit, but, according to Mauro, it cannot replace face-to-face contact. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Even though we communicate on a weekly basis by phone or through the Internet, we canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t provide my parents or [Monicaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s] parents the ability to see Luiza and Raul grow up,â&#x20AC;? says Mauro The Takeute family in Brazil feels the separation too. Veronica Takeute, Luizaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

â&#x20AC;&#x153;WHEN YOUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;RE LITTLE, KIDS JUST COME TOGETHER. YOU DONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T HAVE TROUBLE MAKING ANY FRIENDS.â&#x20AC;? one room, and Mauro and Raul, Luizaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s East sophomore brother, in another. Monica makes sure, however, that her children do not let competition cross the line of offense. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I always teach them to have respect,â&#x20AC;? says Monica, who moved to Brazil from Argentina when she was 10 years old. Despite the intense rivalry between the two countries, she was surprised and a little frightened when she found that Brazilian culture accepted her heartily.

Of course, moving to a new country is

Â&#x153;

}

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Museum.

Luiza was in a wheelchair because of a recent foot surgery and both Luiza and her mother Monica had been to the museum â&#x20AC;&#x153;like 10 times,â&#x20AC;? but because Raul wanted to go, they went.

This is just one example of the love and respect that the Takeutes have for each other.

Every morning, around 6:30 a.m., the family sits down together to eat breakfast. Luiza makes it a point to sit down at the breakfast table with her family.

Family is a big part of Luizaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life, and music is one thing that bonds them together.

An pianist, guitarist and singer, Luizaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s roots in music started the very moment she was named. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Luiza,â&#x20AC;? by Tom Jobim, a Brazilian singer and songwriter, is one of Luizaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s father Mauroâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s favorite songs. In fact, in the basement of the Takeute household like two acoustic guitars, two electric guitars, a bass guitar, a drum set, a â&#x20AC;&#x153;ukulele-like-thingâ&#x20AC;? and a tambourine. â&#x20AC;&#x153;[The Takeutes] are insane when they get together [to play music],â&#x20AC;? says Ursuline Academy senior Nicole Muni, who is one of Luizaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best friends. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Her whole family is really musically talented.â&#x20AC;?

In addition to having mad musical chops, ] 4

from a national rivalry. They have an incredibly diverse ancestral background. Mauro, Luizaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s father, was born and raised in Brazil, but his father is Japanese and his mother is Polish.

Monica, Luizaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mother, was born in Argentina, but her father is Austrian. The BrazilianArgentinian rivalry is â&#x20AC;&#x153;the biggest rivalry in the entire world,â&#x20AC;? according to Luiza, and whenever the soccer World Cup rolls around every four years, tensions run high in the Takeute household, with Luiza and Monica in

}

cousin who still lives in Curitiba, Brazil, used to see Luiza in person almost every week before she left for America. â&#x20AC;&#x153;She is the only cousin I have,â&#x20AC;? says Veronica, who is only one year older than

COLOR? YELLOW SUPERPOWER? TELEPORTATION FOOD? SUSHI HIDDEN TALENT? PLAYING GUITAR VACATION? BRAZIL Z ! ! + hard to have people you love living in another country.â&#x20AC;?

Muni says that because she has been exposed to the Takeutesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Brazilian culture, she has gained another perspective on life.

For example, Muniâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s friendship with Luiza has broadened Muniâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s horizons with food. Monica â&#x20AC;&#x153;always leaves the food openâ&#x20AC;? when either Luiza or Raulâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s friends are over, welcoming them to try anything. According to Luiza, her cultural background has kept her mind open to new things. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Nicole only eats certain things, and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m like, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Just try it. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s so good!â&#x20AC;&#x2122; And [sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s] like, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;It looks weirdâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; [and wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t eat it],â&#x20AC;? she says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For me, if someone says, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Try this, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s so good,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; I say, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Sure!â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Being from another culture just keeps me really open minded.â&#x20AC;?

Because of her open-mindedness and kindness, Luiza makes a point to go to less publicized sports games, like baseball and soccer, to cheer on those who may not get that support from many people. â&#x20AC;&#x153;People get so excited for the popular sports like football and basketball that they forget about all the other sports out there,â&#x20AC;? says Luiza. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I like to go out and support those teams because they need fans just as much as the other sports. By being there at those games, I show that our student body supports them and is there to cheer them on too.â&#x20AC;?

No amount of kindness for her fellow man, however, could possibly squash the former volleyball playerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s competitive spirit and extreme talent. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Luiza gets really into all the games,â&#x20AC;? says Merrick. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always covered in glitter or paint and has baked goods or something for the players. By the end of the game she has no voice [because she has been screaming so much].â&#x20AC;?

Luizaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s school spirit, tight-knit family and cultural background have made her into the â&#x20AC;&#x153;intimidatingâ&#x20AC;? person that she is today.â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Nitya Sreevalsan

43 | Spark | lehsspark.org

LASLEY NATE East senior Nate Lasley itches sometimes, heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s allergic to something and he likes The Beatles.

He might be a human being.

We all know why youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re reading this. You, like every stranger, wonder if thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s atually a human behind the anthropomorphic cloud of stonermusician mystique known as Nate Lasley.

I know, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shocking to think that Nate is anything but the archetypal indie intellectual. After all, he reads Kurt Vonnegut and listens to The

44 | Spark | May 27, 2011

Strokes. He understands Donnie Darko. (And not just because he looked it up on the Internet.) He writes music and plays guitar. He wears thick-rimmed glasses and hoodies with tribal art. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s half-Lebanese, enough to be exotic, but not so exotic that white suburbanites would feel threatened. He plans his absences carefully to avoid being labeled a truant. He doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t speak much, but when he does, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a murky tenor

Â&#x2C6; ?

+ not paying attention. But it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really matter if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not paying attention, because heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s probably not paying attention to you. â&#x20AC;&#x153;People who just label me as some stoner who by some miracle can get good grades arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t worth my time,â&#x20AC;? he says. And most of his friends are in college, anyway.

2011 â&#x20AC;&#x153;Many people, especially girls, fall in love with him,â&#x20AC;? laments Carpenter. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But nobody will come between us. I have a switchblade.â&#x20AC;? She has a goofy smile on, but sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s probably only halfkidding.

Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just being protective, the same way Nate is about his big family.

Every year, upwards of 60 of them will go on vacation together. From a young age, Nate had to put up with being surrounded by mostly female relatives, having his baby nephews hang on him and engaging in odd family traditions. When he was eight and his older sister Emma decided to start a day camp for the neighborhood, she recruited him to direct crafts and projects.

But according to his mother Kathy Mitchell, her son never lost patience. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Normal people donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do things like this,â&#x20AC;? he used to say.

And of course, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve all felt at one point that our families are odd, but weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve never participated in educational festivals. For thirteen years in a row, Mitchellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s side of the family would participate in what they call the Summer Names Festival. Each member selects a topic, a theme song, and then gives a presentation. When the topic was medieval times, Nate picked Sir Treb, a name that could probably work for a rap star, but really it was just short for trebuchet. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been around [my family] my whole life. So of course I like them,â&#x20AC;? Nate says as if any teenager would be stupid to feel otherwise.

Though Emma now attends Miami University, the two remain close. He drives her home when she needs to be picked up and drops off things sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s forgotten.

Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll even buy her jewelry, help her pick out presents and listen to her boy problems.

So yes, Nate Lasley is actually a living, breathing human. But the persona we all see at school isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t entirely a sham. Nate truly lives and breathes music. What Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m trying to say is, music has been as constant in his life as his family, and his guitar repertoire consists of more than â&#x20AC;&#x153;Wonderwallâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Your Body Is A Wonderland.â&#x20AC;?

It started with piano lessons as a child, then

in junior high, which was enigmatically named Penultimate Position.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;SOMETIMES, I GET REALLY ITCHY AND I HAVE TO RUB CREAM ON MYSELF.â&#x20AC;? had eczema since the day I popped out,â&#x20AC;? he explains further.

Carpenter also gets in on these jokes. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We were playing â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;would you rather.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; He asked, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;If you had to kill someone, would you rather shoot them and stab them?â&#x20AC;&#x2122; And I said, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Stab them! Because If I wanted to kill someone, I would want to make them suffer,â&#x20AC;? laughs Carpenter. So of course, Nate did what any good boyfriend would do. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He gave me a switchblade for Christmas.â&#x20AC;?

Not every eligible lady in Lakota can be so lucky, though.

}

You see, Nate Lasley is actually a person.

Imperfect. Relatable. Talkative, even, if you get him started on the right subject and at least pretend to have better musical tastes and deductive reasoning skills than a typical high schooler. Oh, and you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be the kind of person who always feels the need to be the center of attention. He hates that.

But you do have to be the kind of person who will sit with him at â&#x20AC;&#x153;the peanut butter table.â&#x20AC;? Yes, Nate the Greatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Achilles heel, an unfortunate peanut allergy, forced him to the outskirts of the social map of Woodland Elementary School, the cafeteria. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was lonely and I cried everyday,â&#x20AC;? confesses Nate. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Actually, it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really that bad. My friends sat with me.â&#x20AC;?

He also vowed to become both a scientist and chef so that he could cure peanut allergies and cook. As further proof of Nateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fallibility, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been over a decade and although he still

4 4 ! â&#x20AC;&#x153;We canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t go to any good restaurants and I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even eat my favorite candy, Reeseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cups,â&#x20AC;? says his girlfriend, East senior Rosie Carpenter.

!Â&#x201A; But sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not really upset. Her eyes light up and she can barely contain her smile when she talks about him. She embraces their oddities. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re the saddest couple youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll ever meet.

We take naps and watch National Geographic.

Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a nerd so thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all he watches. Once, we watched a reality show about a leopard named Manana,â&#x20AC;? admits Carpenter.

They then tell a riveting epic about driving through the sweltering outback of Clarksville, 5 4 !

They assure me they are serious, but as with all their interjections, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not entirely sure. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sometimes, I get really itchy and I have to rub cream on myself,â&#x20AC;? confesses Nate. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve

}

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our music was really indescribable, revolutionary, groundbreaking,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We had this song called â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Death to Your Fetus.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;?

This is a prime example of the casual

COLOR? REDDISH MOVIE? A CLOCKWORK ORANGE ANIMAL? AFRICAN CAT ONE WISH? NEW SHOES ROLE MODEL? FLAVA FLAV sarcasm I mentioned earlier. But as a heathen and sort-of Middle Easterner in West Chester, Ohio, he has to clarify that the comment was in jest. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m totally kidding, by the way. It was just crappy junior high I-think-Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m-a-punk-rock star stuff, back when everybody had â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Music is my LyFe!!â&#x20AC;&#x2122; on their Myspace pages. It was terrible. Oh God, it was terrible.â&#x20AC;?

However, many private lessons and jazz

forming another band called Standard with now East alumnus Spencer Kindrick. Their (still functioning) Myspace page cites their Â&#x2C6; |

Lasley claims they went for a more Velvet Underground sound.

They only had one big performance, the Band Showcase at Mulhauser Barn his sophomore year. Carpenter claims he had looked â&#x20AC;&#x153;scared shitless.â&#x20AC;? Nate coolly denies it.

He never gets to prove otherwise, because instead of performing, he explores another aspect of the music world. During his freshman year, he had asked for recording equipment so that he could put tracks on his Myspace page.

Now, recording music has grown from a hobby into a full-blown passion. According to Lasley, it is â&#x20AC;&#x153;just as much of a creative process as writing music.â&#x20AC;? He records friends free of charge to gain experience, seeks guidance from WLHS Lakota Local Radio advisor Mark Hattersly and plans on majoring in recording arts at Indiana Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Jacobs School of Music.

And if in the music world, he remains anthropomorphic cloud of stoner-musician mystique but without a name, heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be okay. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I mean, there are tons of people who are 50-year-old men who play in cover bands in bars. You can do that for the rest of your life if you know that youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not going to be the next Beatles. Nobody can be the next Beatles, anyway. You just have to enjoy what youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re doing.â&#x20AC;?

Even if it requires rubbing eczema cream on himself or sitting at the peanut butter table. â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Victoria Liang

45 | Spark | lehsspark.org

REB

VACHON

Reb has never fit the mold. Along with her undeniable passion for all things alpaca related, her decision to attend college in France sets her apart from her peerâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;literally.

If you ever end up dating East senior Reb Vachon, she will give you a cactus for Valentineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day. Having scoured store shelves for the perfect gift, Reb was suddenly

46 | Spark | May 27, 2011

inspired to hunt for a cactus in February 2010 because, well, â&#x20AC;&#x153;What else do you get a boyfriend for Valentineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day?â&#x20AC;? Much to her dismay, it was

} months of Ohio, so she settled on an Xbox gift card. The grow-your-own cactus kit she purchased when visiting her grandmother in Las Vegas, however, will prepare her for any future boyfriend gift emergencies. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I really want it to be one of those saguaro cactuses. It will look like it has arms, and I could knit it a sweater,â&#x20AC;? Reb muses. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s really hard to kill a cactus, so itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s like an emblem of love or cushiness or whatever.â&#x20AC;?

While this sentiment is quirky, the manner in which Reb emulates eccentricity is typical to those who know her well. ]

| ?

2011 Vachon. They recall that even as a small child |

for herself from an old computer, toy cell phone and briefcase at age four. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was installing Linux, a fairly new operating system, on a computer.

She had never seen it before. I turned around to another computer, and within two minutes she had toddled down and was playing a game before I even turned back around. I was just amazed,â&#x20AC;? says Jim. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve always known sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s driven, but still, when she asked if she could apply to school in France, I Â&#x2C6; ! + ?

had that kind of opportunity. But as her parent, it scares the heck out of me.â&#x20AC;?

While Rebâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s interest in international relations brought her to SciencesPo, her enthusiasm for law led her to the Butler County Area 3 Court one Wednesday morning in the summer of 2010. While she was observing some civil cases, most of which were â&#x20AC;&#x153;robotic proceduresâ&#x20AC;? in order to evict people from their apartments, she was approached by the courthouseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s magistrate. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He asked if I had a case coming up, so I told him I was still in high school,â&#x20AC;? Reb laughs. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He said, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Oh, thinking about going into law?

Talk to our intern, heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll change your mind.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;?

The intern and Northern Kentucky University law student Jason Johnson offered Reb a volunteer position to be his assistant.

5 _ "8 "#8# | a courtroom setting and has volunteered every Wednesday since. One coworker, state prosecutor James Fantetti, describes Reb as having a â&#x20AC;&#x153;carpe diemâ&#x20AC;? mentality. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The fact that sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s willing to go over to France to go to school is a great indicator that she wants to get experiences that are certainly not those of the norm,â&#x20AC;? says Fantetti. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve tried to point her in directions that I think can give her more points of view in order to give her a bigger understanding of the world, which is what I think sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s looking for.â&#x20AC;?

Reb provides the courtroom clerks with the paperwork from the cases of that day so the information can be entered into the courtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s computer system. She also ensures that the proper paperwork is signed by defendants; many of the courtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cases involve continuances,

â&#x20AC;&#x153;HE SAID, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;OH, THINKING ABOUT GOING INTO LAW? TALK TO OUR INTERN, HEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;LL CHANGE YOUR MIND.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;SciencesPo is very streamlined and

Â&#x;

? 4 same core classes,â&#x20AC;? says Reb, who anticipates becoming a diplomat or translator for the UN should she major in international relations. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I could see myself becoming a prosecutor, and eventually maybe a judge in a lower court where I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to deal with horrible murders and people who rape six-year-olds.â&#x20AC;?

The drive Reb has to further herslef in the court system and to pursue an education overseas is not new to parents Jim and Susan

}

something about llamas and putting an alarm system in her bedroom,â&#x20AC;? says close friend and East senior Erika Andler. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Her crazy, awesome obsessions with random things like icing, llamas, British TV shows and vegetarianism are hilarious. You wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t expect it from her. As a quiet, little blonde, she looks like she keeps to herself, and she totally [doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t]. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve never met anyone who bounces so much.â&#x20AC;?

Certainly Rebâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s personality sets her apart from her peers. And in the fall of 2011, Reb will also be separated from her friends by 4,140 milesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;she plans to attend college in France at Institut dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Ă&#x2030;tudes Politiques de Paris.

Nicknamed SciencesPo, the institute appealed to her as an international college and a small school; the campus is composed of one building and a class of 60 to 80 students. After

4 in a giant pond,â&#x20AC;? Reb had found her school. â&#x20AC;&#x153;At the smaller schools, I get a reserved parking spot and a personalized tour. My admissions counselors recognize me without a nametag,â&#x20AC;? says Reb. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a lot more individualized than a giant school where youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to have giant classes and teacher assistants teaching. In a class of 12, you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t hide.â&#x20AC;?

Because it is an English-speaking campus consisting of students from the European Union, NATO and North America, SciencesPo will provide an easy transition to Paris life for Reb as she learns French. As a French I student at East, Reb has a headstart. Her third year will be spent in an internship, most likely in America. If Reb elects to study international relations, she will obtain her bachelorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degree at the end of three years. Should she chose a law major, however, she will be licensed to practice in the European Union at the end of !

}

so Reb helps them sign the form waiving their right to a speedy trail so they have extra weeks

! â&#x20AC;&#x153;Everyone kind of says that a courtroom

COLOR? PURPLE TV SHOW? DOCTOR WHO ANIMAL? OKAPI SUPERPOWER? TIME TRAVEL FOOD? FROSTING isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really like Judge Judy, but it kind of is, because everything is so insane,â&#x20AC;? says Reb. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Over Christmas break there were entire families that had criminal charges brought

while they were drunk.â&#x20AC;?

While political science may be Rebâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s passion,

Â&#x153; horse, Jacksonâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;at age seven in Utah. She was riding bareback, an advantage in training her current horse Ruger for contesting. As Ruger has been a trail horse for the past two years, however, preparing him for contesting may be a bigger challenge than Reb has anticipated. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He tries really hard, but it would be like if you asked me to run a marathon; I just couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do it. I could try, but thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no way Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m going to make it,â&#x20AC;? says Reb, who trains with Ruger every Monday.

Reb shares the joys of horseback riding as a volunteer for the Special Riders Program at Winton Woods. The goal of the program is to physically enable children with special needs. â&#x20AC;&#x153;One girl I work with now had a stroke.

When she walks, you can just tell she has trouble with her left side. But as soon as she gets on a horse, you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t tell that sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s different from a normal kid,â&#x20AC;? states Reb, who becomes teary as she recounts the delight riding brings to her students. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And the smilesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;when they get on a horse, their faces just light up.â&#x20AC;?

Rebâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s focus is evident in all aspects of her life, according to her parents. When Reb was only a freshman in high school, she motivated her parents to become involved with the Obama Presidential campaign. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re working on a campaign, they want boots on the ground, knocking on doors, confrontation that scares most adults. And there was my 15 year-old saying â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Come on, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going!â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s passionate about the way our democracy runs,â&#x20AC;? says Jim. â&#x20AC;&#x153;She asked me what my proudest moment was once. She was shocked I couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think of just one; the reason is my proudest moment is right now. The more I see of who she is and what sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s capable of, [the pride] builds on itself.â&#x20AC;?â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Jill Bange

47 | Spark | lehsspark.org

COLIN Though he sits quietly through most of his classes, he plans to spend his life making noise—composing music for video games.

As the warning bell rings, students stand around the room chattering with one another, comparing scores on the Calculus practice exam or groaning about the latest English project for Catch-22. Suddenly the tardy bell sounds just as a medium-height, brown, shaggy-haired student wearing a shirt that says, “Trebble Maker” enters the room, carrying

48 | Spark | May 27, 2011

ROOSE

at least three binders and two massive textbooks. With his determined stride, he slinks into his seat, keeping his head down for the remainder of the class period, absorbing the characteristics of various historical literary periods. From behind his mountain of school work, he does not say a word.

“My locker is nowhere near any of my classes,” says East senior Colin Roose. “I tend to work on my homework between classes and during downtime in other classes rather than at night. I feel like home is a time to relax and school is a time to work, and I don’t want to mix my relaxing time with my school time.”

Mixing relaxation with study also has proved to cause Colin more stress than he would like to handle on a daily basis. According to

2011 Colin. â&#x20AC;&#x153;[The other music] seems like a more intelligent way to express yourself, rather than just screaming about your problems, because anybody can do that.â&#x20AC;?

Thomas says that he could see Colin thrive in this endeavor due to his musical talent demonstrated in the East bands, as well as the Ohio Music Educators Association Honor Band over the course of his high school career.

Colinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sister, Graylyn Roose, a junior journalism major at OU, agrees with Thomas. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Colin is a very talented musician and I think that stems from not only his musical talent, but also his dedication,â&#x20AC;? says Graylyn. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He comes to visit me frequently at OU, and every time he visits, he brings three or four instruments with him for the weekend. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s practically a one-man-band. He truly loves and enjoys playing his various instruments and taking the challenge to learn new ones.â&#x20AC;?

Along with his love for music, Colin has a passion for computer programming. It is these talents and interests that have inspired Colin to continue his music education at OU, partially ' + + Â&#x2C6; ! received the Gateway Excellence Scholarship, the equivalent of full tuition, to attend over four years due to his acedemic performance. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The band program has helped foster his love for music by challenging him with great literature and outstanding performance venues,â&#x20AC;? says Thomas.

Colin hopes to become a video game music composer with a major in Music Production, combining his love of music with his love of programming and video games.

Eventually, he aspires to acquire a job with an accredited video game production company in order to further pursue his passions. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a kind of a niche that is maybe

[musically talented] and who are also good with software and game development,â&#x20AC;? says Computer Science teacher David McKain, Colinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s three year Computer Science I, II and AP teacher. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I know he has a passion for [music and programming], so [video game

Â

â&#x20AC;&#x153;[THE OTHER MUSIC] SEEMS LIKE A MORE INTELLIGENT WAY TO EXPRESS YOURSELF, RATHER THAN SCREAMING.â&#x20AC;?

Since entering the band program in sixth grade, Colin has begun playing the euphonium and recently picked up the guitar and trombone.

Part of Colinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s motivation to play the guitar was to have the opportunity to start a garage band at Ohio Unviersity (OU), where he will attend in the fall as a freshman. He hopes, however, to play a more â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bob Dylan-esqueâ&#x20AC;? music genre than what other garage bands tend to play. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to be a metal band,â&#x20AC;? says

}

him, however, a large portion of the stress he encounters has been a result of his own perfectionism and inability to just, â&#x20AC;&#x153;let things go.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;I just feel constantly under pressure at school, mainly because I am just never

how Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m doing,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Even if itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just a really small thing, I just focus on that one small thing, and say, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Oh, I can do that better,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; instead of focusing on the big picture.â&#x20AC;?

Colinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s self-procalimed â&#x20AC;&#x153;quiet and contemplativeâ&#x20AC;? nature has caused him to be somewhat of an enigma to those who surround him, as the stressors he handles are not revealed to any other than those who have become close to him.

Colinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mother Gretchen Roose says that these began at a very early age, however, and are not just a consequence of high-level, high school classes.

5 4 bus came down the street toward his bus stop, Colin turned to me with despair on his face and he said, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;I cannot remember how to spell pencil!â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? says Gretchen. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I had to explain to him that even though he already knew how to read and spell some words, he wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need 4

of kindergarten. He thought everyone needed to know how to read and write before going to school, and he was afraid he didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know enough.â&#x20AC;?

Colinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s acedemic perfectionism also appears in his music according to East Band Director William Thomas. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Colin is a very shy young man, but he is extremely polite and very dedicated,â&#x20AC;? says Thomas. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He is also very musical. When Colin plays, you surely canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t tell he is a shy person, as he plays from the heart.â&#x20AC;?

}

way to put the two together.â&#x20AC;?

Colin has the skill set to develop in the computer programming languages C#, J# _ Â&#x2C6; ^

COLOR? BLUE MOVIE? THE MATRIX HIDDEN TALENT? PROGRAM IN 3 LANGUAGES BOOK? TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD ROLE MODEL? MLK JR. programming world according to McKain. His

4

to only East senior Akash Umakantha in the American Computer Science League (ACSL) individual contest at East. Umakantha achieved a score of 39 out of 40, while Colin scored 34.

ASCL contents involved written logic tests, as well as programming projects which are completed over a weekend or 72-hour period of time.

But a score of 34 is â&#x20AC;&#x153;nothing to scoff atâ&#x20AC;? according to McKain. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In previous years, that probably would have been our highest score,â&#x20AC;? says McKain. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had some really, really strong ! Â&#x20AC;X \ Â

competition. That speaks a lot to his problem solving abilities and his work ethic to do as well as he did. I think heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to do a good job and be very successful.â&#x20AC;?

As part of that success, Colin sees himself composing for a video game producer within 10 years. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really want to do just average shooter games, like Call of Duty. I kind of want to do more fantasy based games,â&#x20AC;? says Colin, the Final Fantasy enthusiast. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Shooting games are very realistic, supposed to have a lot of focus on bullet shooting and things like that.

Role playing games use music to create more of an effect, a certain kind of atmosphere, and I want to try to create that.â&#x20AC;?

Colinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s father Robert Roose also only sees success for his son in the future, citing Colinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work ethic as one of the most prevalent reasons. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Colin is driven and dedicated to anything he sets his mind to, but he is also very creative,â&#x20AC;? says Robert. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He enjoys a challenge. I think all

!Â&#x201A; At the end of the day, Colin goes home and puts on some Death Cab for Cutie or Yes music to relax. Because while still he may not like to combine work and relaxation in the future, his work and relaxation will combine to become one entity. â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Mason Hood

49 | Spark | lehsspark.org

ANGIE

Eclectic, creative fashion coupled with a undeniable talent for art make Angie stand out from the crowd. And she likes it that way.

Wearing thick-rimmed glasses and vintage clothes that she likes to call her â&#x20AC;&#x153;grandma sweaters,â&#x20AC;? East senior Angie Pulvere does not blend into the Pink and Ugg boot wearing girls at East.

She drives a 23-year old station wagon and her favorite clothing store is St. Vincent DePaul.

50 | Spark | May 27, 2011

PULVERE

â&#x20AC;&#x153;My style is kind of grandma,â&#x20AC;? says Angie. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a grandma, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m an old soul.â&#x20AC;?

Among her vast assortment of clothes, she has pieces from every decade imaginable. But this unique sense of style was not always her modus operandiâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;at least not according to her mother Brenda Pulvere. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When she got older, we realized that she was actually trying to be different. She went through a phase during eighth or ninth grade when 4 4 hang out with people whom she thought she should hang out with,â&#x20AC;? says Brenda. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Then she just slowly evolved into the Angie you know now. She just gave up on it and started dressing and acting her own way.â&#x20AC;?

Although Brenda supports her daughter in her abstract style, she

2011 and hand-drawn sketches directly on the walls. â&#x20AC;&#x153;[My parents] are crazy quirky and they see a different side of things,â&#x20AC;? says Angie. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They are not strict or sheltering. They never really pushed religion on me because they want me to +

going to do with my life. They never pushed school on me because they want me to know itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the right thing to do.â&#x20AC;?

Part of her parentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; reasoning for a lenient parenting style is to protect Angie from a strict home environment that they experienced. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was very, very sheltered all my life until my dad passed away,â&#x20AC;? says Brenda. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Then I decided I was not going to be a parent who turns an 18-year-old out in the world and expects her to make it. So weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve given her the freedom to make her own decisions and to learn that things arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t as easy.â&#x20AC;?

This type of freedom has allowed Angie to express herself artistically through many different means over the course of her life.

Surprisingly it was not until Angie entered high

4

! â&#x20AC;&#x153;It wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t until she got to East that she had

she thought was really cool art, the teachers never liked,â&#x20AC;? says Brenda.

In school Angie instantly found her niche. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When I was a little wee one, both my grandparents were artists and they devoted their lives to art and sold their art at craft shows,â&#x20AC;? says Angie. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I remember them teaching me how to watercolor when I was four.

It was just a thing that I was always good at.â&#x20AC;?

Despite the help formal art classes have given her, Angie, an Advanced Placement (AP) Studio Art student, believes that sometimes the structure of classes can do more harm than good. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I feel like in AP Art they almost constrict you but in a way still give you free roam,â&#x20AC;? says Angie. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I like to produce a piece of art when I want to and need to and it feels right, but busting out a complete work of art every week, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just draining. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m at a block. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m just shut down but it builds back up.â&#x20AC;?

Her friend, East senior Neti Gupta has noticed this change in Angieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s approach

â&#x20AC;&#x153;AT MY FUNERAL, I WANT EVERYONE TO BE HAPPY. I DONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T WANT ANY SADNESS.â&#x20AC;?

With the encouragement of her family, Angie got involved in art at a very young age. â&#x20AC;&#x153;[Angieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s] grandfather was an artist, and when she was about two years old, he put a paintbrush in her hand and it was obvious really quick that she had a lot of talent,â&#x20AC;? says Brenda. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Her father is also really artsy, so it was genetic.â&#x20AC;?

Evidence of her natural talent and parentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; encouragement is all over Angieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bedroom walls. Lime green paint peeks out between photographs, signs, artwork, stories, quotes

}

once threw out a particularly special clothing item to Angie. â&#x20AC;&#x153;She got really, really angry at me because she had this one T-shirtâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;it was this southwestern style wolf tee and it was literally the most god-awful, ugliest thing I have ever seen. I put it in the Goodwill bag,â&#x20AC;? says Brenda. â&#x20AC;&#x153;To this day she is angry at me for getting rid of that shirt. She went out and found a shirt that is almost exactly like it and had her senior pictures done in it. She has always had a very eccentric different taste.â&#x20AC;?

Often, Angie must scour the shelves of her Â&#x2039;

make up her wardrobe. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I just go to a thrift store and see something that I like and pick it up. I shop at all the stores [most girls shop at], but I pick out things that other people probably think is ugly and turn it in to something beautiful,â&#x20AC;? says Angie.

The art of â&#x20AC;&#x153;thriftingâ&#x20AC;? is something she learned from her mother as a little girl. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Because I really like vintage and antique junk I had an online store where I sold antiques, trinkets, jewelry and other vintage stuff,â&#x20AC;? says Brenda. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I unintentionally introduced her to that thrifting thing because that is where I used to go get stuff that I would resell. I taught her about what to look for and a lot of time that she spent with me she would wander off and look at the clothes and the shoes and stuff.â&#x20AC;?

This mother-daughter time was not limited to thrifting.

When Angie was younger, she and her mother would spend their time doing art rather than other ordinary activities. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The entire family is very artistic,â&#x20AC;? says Brenda. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Instead of painting our nails or doing our hair, we would go and draw picturesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;art is ingrained in this family.â&#x20AC;?

}

towards her art. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Throughout our friendship she leisurely loved art. It was when she started having to do art that I saw she did it less than when she used to do it whenever,â&#x20AC;? says Gupta.

COLOR? GREEN TV SHOW? PROJECT RUNWAY HIDDEN TALENT? CROCHETING VACATION? CAYMEN ISLANDS ROLE MODEL? HUNTER S. THOMPSON Growing up in an artsy family and learning to be herself, Angie is ready to move on to the next chapter in her life with college. She is planning on attending the Art Academy of Cincinnati in the fall, after receiving $52,000 in scholarships from her portfolio. Angieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s parents, however, have some concerns about her future as an artist. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They would rather me make money and be independent than be a starving artist. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d rather be that bum who moves from house to house with a bunch of crazy people producing art, rather than having one home,â&#x20AC;? says Angie. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d have lots of homes and lots of friends.â&#x20AC;?

Her mother supports her daughterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dream, but is wary about letting go completely. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If she could do what she wants, she would live in a studio in New York and sell her art on the street like a bohemian. She would very much like to live the carefree, make-enough-tolive lifestyle,â&#x20AC;? says Brenda. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m concerned.

What is she going to do with this very expensive

+ Â&#x2019; to be an art teacher and I worry about the employability of the degree.â&#x20AC;?

But Angieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s maturity beyond her years keeps her motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fears at bay and allows her to trust Angie to make the right decision. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We begged her not to get a job. I would rather her not work in high school and I offered to pay for gas and everything but no,â&#x20AC;?

Brenda says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Angie is the one who took it upon herself to upgrade her portfolio, make an appointment, drive back down there and get it reviewed again, eventually earning herself the scholarship. She realizes the student loans are going to be on her back.â&#x20AC;?

Despite some peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s concerns, Angie is determined to make it big. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m scared of dying in a sense that people will weep over me. If I was a hobo dying that wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t bother me because no one knew me,â&#x20AC;? says Angie. â&#x20AC;&#x153;At my funeral, I want everyone to be happy. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want any sadness.

I want everyone in colors. Maybe I will get reincarnated into a worm, or a star in the sky or something you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know.â&#x20AC;?â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Ashley Wolsefer

51 | Spark | lehsspark.org

DAMONTEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Even though he has been known by his self-assigned title â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Voiceâ&#x20AC;?

Damonteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s identity stretches far beyond the walls of East.

Damonteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Cole was in a dark place.

He had been suspended from school beforeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;at least once every school year for the past seven. In a school of hundreds, administrators knew him by name. The student body was no different; he had emerged

4

52 | Spark | May 27, 2011

COLE

!

It was seventh grade. Damonteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; found himself in isolation. Suspended

&

full semester, he was on a destructive path of no remorse and seemingly no return. And while he prefers to not disclose the grotesque actions that led to such as a harsh punishment, he knows one thing: He is not proud of them. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had to see psychologists. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had to see case workersâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â&#x201A; !

4 !Â&#x201A; In this particular instance, Damonteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; was assigned to home instruction, a school alternative that forced him to meet with a special instructor every day in order to compensate for missed school time

2011 he loved, and he will wince in embarrassment. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I overreacted. I was just very angry about situations like my father,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And it was a very rough time for me. It was a mistake that should not have happened. Like I said, we all make mistakes, but we have to look into seeing what we can do after the fact to change ourselves.

That situation

made me a lot stronger.â&#x20AC;?

But for Damonteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, the sandwich incident was but a mere slip-up. He had

since moving in with his mother, Cristal Mays, in late seventh grade. From the moment he arrived at his motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s doorstep, he began to

! + Â&#x2C6; 4 that plagued his childhood for so long. Mays took it upon herself to erase the bad memories. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We had to try to pour positives into him so that he could see different things,â&#x20AC;? she says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;All he wanted to do was just cause chaos.

But when you shut all of the negativity out, positives come out.â&#x20AC;?

With no help from Darby, Mays was left with a rebellious child who came from a life she

!Â&#x201A; Â&#x2021; had to save herself. She had to detach herself

feuding. â&#x20AC;&#x153;[He was] the way he was because of the environment that I allowed him to be around,â&#x20AC;? she says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I had to heal to help him. He saw a lot of abuse, abuse that his mom didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know how to handle.

I was able to re-tool myself and know that this wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a good environment [for him].â&#x20AC;?

Mays knew why he acted the way he did.

She knew that he had never seen a positive

Â&#x2C6; ! â&#x20AC;&#x153;Most of his problems came from the males that were in his life.,â&#x20AC;? she says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They were not showing him how to be a man, the things that he needed to know to be a man.â&#x20AC;?

With God on her side, She took it upon ! â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am the disciplinarian,â&#x20AC;? she says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If character doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t speak for itself, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re nothing. I give all the praise and all the honor to God, because God gave me all the wisdom, the strength to help him be the man he is today.â&#x20AC;?

â&#x20AC;&#x153;PEOPLE MAY THINK Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;M COCKY OR ARROGANT BUT ALL I AM IS JUST EXTREMELY CONFIDENT.â&#x20AC;? quarters back in seventh grade, he wanted better for himself.

He vowed to change his ways. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I made my mind up then that, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Hey, this is not what I want. This is not who I want to be,â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;?

Damonteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to live like that. I wanted to be someone great.â&#x20AC;?

Five years and one sub sandwich later, the East senior and WLHS Hip-Hop Director has done away with his demons. Memories of his father only serve as motivation. Ask him about the time he threw a sub sandwich at the girl

}

during his suspension. !

his house where he lived with Donya Darby, a father who Damonteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; says was too infatuated with women to concern himself with his child.

But for Damonteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, the toughest part was being away from his mother, who he loved, who he respected. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I wanted to live with my mother at the time,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I rebelled against my father. I just didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t like the person who my father was.

He was never there for me.â&#x20AC;?

Damonteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; resented it. And by that point, he resented his childhood as a whole. Sure, he had been to a ballgame or two with Darby. Sure, he had seen his fair share of presents every Christmas. But nothing could shield him from the memories of his familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pastâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;memories of a childhood marred by what he can only refer to as â&#x20AC;&#x153;darkness.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;My childhood was very rough,â&#x20AC;? he says.

Damonteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; constantly faced the trauma of + !

erase those memories.

But now, Damonteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pain stems from his fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s repeated attempts to erase him. Darby recently forced Damonteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; into taking a DNA test to disprove his paternityâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a move that Damonteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; sees as an attempt to forgo child support payments. The action has been a source of perpetual anger for the senior who has struggled in a relationship with his father. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I can barely look at him,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I only blame him for waiting this long. Now that Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a guy who watches Maury and cracks up at these guys going, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Oh my god, heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not the father!

Look at that guy. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pathetic.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s really kind of just like â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Wow.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s kind of like me, except Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not on television.â&#x20AC;?

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no surprise that when Damonteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; found himself cramped in his fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all too modest

}

Through living with his mother, Damonteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; attained strength that his father could never have given him. He emerged as a man of faith,

Â&#x153; does not hesitate to connect back to her.

COLOR? BLUE MOVIE? REMEMBER THE TITANS TV SHOW? WWE FOOD? CHICKEN BOOK? BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sadly for my father, I have my motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s spirit,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My mother is very caring. She has always taken care of me. Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s done it by herself for so long. Her raising four children by herself and going through all of the hardships and different men hurting her motivates me in a way. It motivates me to be someone great.â&#x20AC;?

Some call it egotism, but to Damonteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; it is

him. â&#x20AC;&#x153;People may think Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m cocky or arrogant,

? ^

Â&#x201A; says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My mother has always taught me to

! ] + woman and sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s motivated me to be myself, to be creative.â&#x20AC;?

And these days, the kid who used to pick &

has emerged into a social leader, the selflabeled â&#x20AC;&#x153;Voice of Lakota East.â&#x20AC;? Â&#x2021; 4 Local School District his freshman year, things were much different. â&#x20AC;&#x153;That was my awkward phase,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was really immature. I was pretty lame.â&#x20AC;?

The â&#x20AC;&#x153;lameâ&#x20AC;? Damonteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; was the quintessential â&#x20AC;&#x153;new kid.â&#x20AC;? But he began to meet new people, to introduce himself to the student body. He wanted to make a name for himself.

He wanted the prominence he had at &

knew his name. But this time around, he would use it for good. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sophomore year, coming into East, I

Â&#x201A; ! to become the voice of Lakota East High School.â&#x20AC;?

Damonteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; worked his way through the ranks. With the help of former East Assistant Principal Kim Wade, he was able to host his

!

He then went on to more complex projects like emceeing a WLHS Hip-Hop Showcase and pitching teen club events to East students.

Continued on page 56...

53 | Spark | lehsspark.org

feature | senior destinations

SENIOR DESTINA CLA Spark apologizes for any mistakes in the senior destinations list.

Information was obtained from the East Guidance Department, which obtained it from the students. list sarah wilkinson

United States Air Force Devin Harrison Art Academy of Cincinnati Jacob Hess Angie Pulvere Art Institute of Austin Austin Arteage Art Institute of Cincinnati Isaiah Godoy Art Institute of Ohio Katly Shuler Ashland University Abby Tepe Aveda Institute Summer Lippert Baldwin-Wallace College Hannah Doerbaum Ball State University Jill Bange Bryson Coy Arrington Joyner Andrew Quinlisk Â&#x2021; 4 \ Jason Miller Belmont University Kara Kessling Bowling Green State University Angelica Bayer Ross Elliott Nicholas Fine Jhanae Gartman Bailey Guerin Morgan Hamilton Chelsea Jollife Krista Kavalauskus Collin Pearce Bryan Smith Ashley Wolsefer Brigham Young University Parker Baisden Shannon Casteel Titus Crawford Ariel Turner Case Western Reserve Univeristy Andrew Breland Tori Eldridge Cedarville University Kyle Pendleton Central State University Frankee Sims Centre College Katie Szczur Cincinnati Christian University Kaitlyn Schiering Megan Trammel Cincinnati School of Medical Massage

Shannon Davis Cincinnati State University Brent Carroll Bethany Clark Ryan Gilbert Craig Huelsman ] = Anthony Molfetta Brooklynn Poe Ashlee Richardson Taylor Wallar Cleveland State University Rachel Grove College of Mt. St. Joseph Stephanie Ballard Nicole Eiser Kelly Hardinson Daniel Helton College of Wooster Jalen Goodwin Collin College Leah Hunter-Ulbright Columbia University John Brady Columbus College of Art & Design Alicia Edwards Alexandra Gentry Cornell University J.D. Whetsel Cuyahoga Community College Christina Shank Eastern Kentucky University Alex Hanavan Sydney Straub Michael Willis Employment Hannah Abbruzzese Kristen Baldauf Joseph Ball Dustin Boudinet Ryan Campbell Morgan Cummings Henry Delgado Erick DiAntonio Gage Dyer Sara Elmardi Trey Engler Aaron Epperson Nancy GonzalezHernandez Sharon Green Charles Grubb Amanda Hammann Lydia Hofacker Alexis Junker Zain Khan James Kuhn Jonathon Lee Daniel Mansdorfer Mary Mayles Robert Miller Nathan Narciso Maria Ortiz Carmona Georgetown College Tanner Staiger Grace College Lauren Ellis Heidelburg University Katie Strahan Hocking College Robert Albin Indiana Tech Emma Lang

Indiana University Casey Clyde Nathan Lasley Trevor Williams Jacksonville University Anthony Fiorenza Katholieke Universiteit Leuven Greg Reynaert Kent State University Tyler Kieslich Nicole Lozier Kristyn McClain Shanna Oiler Kentucky State University Keeasa Benton Mona Jackson Liberty University Sarah Craig Ryan Miller Justin Mohr Lincoln College of Technology Courtney Lang Lincoln Memorial University Tyleigh Martin Loyola University Chicago Alexandria Gross Manhattanville College Garrett Namian Marietta College Mitch Geers Mark McDaniel Marine Mechanics Institute Robert Stinson Marshall University Amy Schleitweiler Miami University- Hamilton Thomas Ashe Michael Barger Celeste Barker Spencher Clark Jesneet Dhillon Zachary Douglas Jessica Eads Brianna Elstun Miranda Elstun Nicholas Gobbi Cole Holt Jacob Hutton Holly Kroger Zachary Krumm Damon Lander Cornelia Lange Stephanie Marlow Jason Meyer Shahryar Qureshi David Schwab Christopher Staggs Morgan Strauss Diana Torres Brian Tuck Cody Turner Natalie Yowler Tyler Paolello Kelly Powell Sutherlin Ramsey Jamison Reifsteck Herbert Rivas Alexander Roberts Lauren Simmons Gurdit Singh Iyah Stephens Brandon Theodore Megan Whitson

Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Andre Wilcox Maranda Yaekle Matthew Zupancic Miami-Jacobs College Taylor Daniel Miami UniversityMiddletown Joey Armentrout Megan Costa Trevor Lambert Kevin Rub Taylor Thomson Miami University Peyton Adcock Erika Andler Amy Barker Theo Blomquist Hoi Ki Chow Kylen Dawson Matthew Etterling Wesley Hannig Mason Hood Brittany Khayo Emily Kuhn Damon Lander Jennifer Martin Kyle McCurdy Claire Meyer Arthur Oliva Benjamin Pimental Jesse Rait Cole Razete Carly Schaefer Rebecka Sepela Jake Shine Jessica Teran Nicole Wenzel Sarah Wilkinson Miami University-VOA John Cowdery NASCAR Technology Scott Stehlin Northern Kentucky University Alexander Breeden Brittinay Girard Heather Jackson Alyssa Long Caleb Patterson Evan Peul Alvaro Salme Bautista Troy Ward Norwich University Adam Fabry Ohio Center for Broadcasting Damonteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Cole Ohio Northern University Whitney Dottery Victoria Gayotin Ohio University Zipporah Abrams Shanah Blair Maria Brafford Kaela Buchweitz Stephen Crossman Adam Feldmen Neti Gupta Kaylie Henry Daniel Inman Michael King Matthew Martinsen Ian Melick Ron Price Caitlin Richman Colin Roose

Nigel Rose Todd Thornley Ohio Wesleyan University Ashley Barnett Oral Roberts University Lauren Graham Otterbein Unversity Alexandria Ancona Paul Mitchell School Jessa Meyer Project Life Brandon McClain Project Search Thomas Bell Nicolas Kinder Purdue University Victoria Bittermann Jeff Cargill Brian Evans Carele Laborie Allison Wood Ron West Barber College Benjamin Blakley Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Emily Cottingham Bill Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Atillo Shawnee State University Marco Elam Victoria Goodwin Sinclair Community College Thomas Barker David Beall Allison Brasington Joshua Campbell Mariana Cruz Akirra Dove Samuel Hall Joshua Lattire Cameron Lee Jackie Loud Catherine McDonald Sarah Shedlock Kristyn Shedroff Caitlyn Simpson Gurdeep Singh Nathanael Taylor Dan Turner Addie Wilker Spelman College Danielle Favors St. Johns Northwestern Military Academy Michael Boyd St. Louis University Katie Konopasek Syracuse University Evan McDonell Taylor University Ellie Baum The Ohio State University Valentina Adioo Scott Aleshire Brittany Bennett Eric Bloomberg Christina Bogart Andrew Bowden Haley Bowra Victoria Buck Devon Burdno Alyssa Davis Nick Deuel Nathan Dibble Stephanie Gregory Nathan Hankins Garrett Holsinger

R ATIONS ASS OF 2011 Zach Johnston Joshua Kaltman Michael Kitching Nick Kloenne Zak Kloenne David Kovac Laura Krajewski Jocelyn LaMar Victoria Liang Jeffrey Lin Megan Manley Nick Marshall Megan Melotti Neema Mohammadi Kyle Morrison Hayley Movish Daniel Riemen Kimberlin Riggs Heather Rogers Jess Sanders Brian Scheitlin Trey Schroder Benjamin Slageter Bethany Stephens Lucy Stephenson Jack Stevning Luiza Takeute Nick Tedesco Thomas Vidas Natalie Weber Kyle Witzman Tuskegee University David Ricketts Undecided Kiara Hillman-Mayberry Taylor Kirkland University of Akron Samantha Saeidi University of Alabama Mark McDainel University of Chicago Ariadne Souroutzidis University of Cincinnati Mason Aguilar Emma Augutis Lauren Avery Lindsay Ballenger Jacob Benjamin Thomas Berry Andrew Bollenbacher Fillip Bryan Thanh Bui Blake Burrets Rosalia Carpenter Brenton Cates Melanie Clippinger Abbey Cramer Becca Culbert Shaden Daas Tyler Day Collin Dekker Sidney Deloatch Jessica DesJardins John Duong Rashma Faroqui Adam Feldmann Eric Fox Michael George Natalie George Casey Gibson Nicholas Gilkey Suzi Godber Robert Haughland Hannah Hawkins Ashley Heareth Evan Hills

Daniel Hoffman Tatiana Hritsco Meredith James Laura Jeffers Corey Kadash Jacob Karr Ravneet Kaur Nicki Klass Melissa Lower Roman Lozano Emily Lunsford Alex Mathes Matthew McConaha Matthew McCormick Rachelle McIntire Katie McMahon Matthew Monahan Eric Muenchen Kylie Mullenix Eman Mureb James Myron Eric Neltner Don Nguyen Linda Nguyen Matthew Nichols Jacob Niederman Meet Patel Humza Qureshi Jenna Ratterman Tyler Ray Jonothan Riehle Amy Rogers Alex Roy Logan Schneider Kristen Schulz Tyler Scott Stephen Sensel Megan Sharo Samar Sheriff Tyler Smith Nitya Sreevalsan Trevor Steffen Craig Thomson Muhammad Umar Peovdany Uy Grace Vandergriff Alexis Venturino Nicole Wall Sarah Wayne Ryan Webb Anna Welling Kyle Wendt Brady Williamson Jaime Yost Andrew Zielikski University of Cincinnati Clermont Mercedes Mancillas Michael McGlynn University of CincinnatiRaymond Walters Samantha Al-Bayer Corinne Aponte Victoria Bagent Garrett Balfour Jordan Bell Joey Brandstetter Evan Brooks Nick Brown Amber Burgner Kaitlyn Caldwell Cameron Coates Nancy Dao Amber Devich Kyle Doughman Jessica Evans

Madison Fox Joshua Geraci Jonathan Graham Wyatt Gross Jasmine Hill Charles Hines Kelsey Hoffmann Shelby Hornsby Kelsey Huhn Phuong Huynh Courtney Johnson Morgan Johnson Christian Kahn Michael Kersey Kaitlin Koehler Kevin Kozan Jackson Le Lacey Martin Nicholas Norris Brandon Paisley Angelica Pasupuleti Gary Pettway Brain Pfaff Andrea Prather Makinsey Reams Chelsea Rice Gagandeep Singh Anita Smalley Caitlin Smith Tyler Sparks Lindsey Spitzer Joseph Tran Cameron Washington University of Dayton Charlie Biederman Tony Hansen Katy Haynes Daniel Herre David Kling Haleigh Lamb Paulina Rosequist University of Findlay Dominic Lindeman University of Houston Jordan Wheeler University of Kentucky Kelsey Chapin Kelly Conor Taylor Patrick University of Louisville Marie Knueven University of Memphis Brooke Atsalis Sarah Pearson University of Nebraska Anthony LaRubbio Faiz Siddiqui University of North Carolina Sammie Khulman University of Rio Grande Vincente CastaĂąon University of South Carolina Sarah Fanning Taylor Stephens University of Toledo Bria Hickman Quaniece Johnson Erica Leach University of Windsor Wesley Meyer Undecided Haysel Avalos Timothy Baxter Jacob Betsch

Lauren Brauns Kenton Burroughs Kevin Chavez Sean Clearly Jeremy Conrad Rachel Defosha Amber Delph Robert Duncan Brian Gossett Kerae Gregory Andrew Hale Jacob Holland Zachary Johnson Clayton Keller Courtney Lockard Brittany Pugh Kevin Purcell Ben Schweiger Gurbir Singh Jenica Stoetzel Austin Sumner Alicia Vargo Derek Vossler Unknown Joel Bertrand Brandon Bridges Amanda Bristow Jorge Casillas-Castro Michael Christie Samuel Da Silva Diniz Nolan Damm Christian Dekker Kin Delgado Steven Dickerson Katti Duke Cody Dunn Tara Eubanks Matthew Fox Nickolas Fox Rachael Frank \ = Danielle Gerth Sean Giles Tyler Glenn Evan Heithaus Taylor Henderson Samantha Hill Tyler Hollenkamp Jessica Horstmann Emma Johnson Ryan Johnson Joshua Kenny Samantha Korsnak Nicholas Leahy Katie Livingston Michael Long Michelle Lozier Tyler Manley Elizabeth Mason Joshua Massel Bryan McCool Emily Merrick Tasha Mueller Michael Mulcahy Bryce Murphy Matthew Obmalay Sean Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Neill Katelyn Parisi Dylan Parker Mercedes Reyes Justin Robbins Jason Robinson Brittany Roos Morgan Samm Tiona Sanders Amber Sharp

Thomas Silcott Karamvir Singh Karandeep Singh Jeffrey Sparto Jaclynn Stevenson David Stewart Jacob Stuckey Michael Sturgill Anthony Sweeten Galen Taleff Alexander Thompson Sarah Towler Logan Tschuor Rebecca Vachon Kenyatta Vinegar Gregory Walker Christopher White Erica White Charles Whited Jemelle Wilkerson Brian Williams Emily Williams Brent Wilson Benjamin Wurth Urbana University Alenander Espinoza Vanderbilt University Akash Umakantha Virginia Commonwelth University Shivani Patel Virginia Military Institute Alex Monson Walsh University Jennifer Flick Natalie Rausch Washington University in St. Louis Justine Chu West Point Academy Carolyn Pitman William Woods University Allison Strickland Wilmington College Scott Duncan Patrick Henry Richard Leppert Phillip Rawlins Wittenberg University Alyssa Price Wright State University Taykra Beckham Chad Davis Joshua Davis Raveen Givens Patrick Kinsey Katelyn Lange Alexander Mail Mark Mason Ilysia Murray Megan Parrella Gregory Ring Lisa-Alma Shumba Paige Smith Brianna Wilson Xavier University Freddy Abunku Kayla Barker Logan Barkley Grace-Anne Bates Meggie Berter Amy Rose Botos Qasim Daad-Ali Aimee Mayer Kim Tien Nguyen James Scott

(...continued from page 35) Through her high school career, Becka has been on Eastâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s soccer team, swimming

4

cross country team. In her freshman year on the East Varsity Soccer team, however, Becka tore her ACL and her meniscus. Which caused her to have to have â&#x20AC;&#x153;one of the grossest surgeries that you can watch on YouTube.â&#x20AC;?

After another year on the team and with the encouragement of Ravneet, Becka quit the soccer team, but continued on with her other sports. And though she has been extremely dedicated to all of the sports that she has played, she says that swimming is her favorite. â&#x20AC;&#x153;[Swimming] is an individual sport where you can gauge your progress, and see exactly how you need to practice,â&#x20AC;? says Becka who labels herself as a self-motivator. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is very gratifying to have that one swim that is better than the rest. I love the thrill of diving into the water and seeing someone next to me and then trying to out-swim them. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very exuberating.â&#x20AC;?

Aside from her workouts with the team, Becka is an exercise enthusiast. She says that over the last summer she â&#x20AC;&#x153;kicked her butâ&#x20AC;? going

4 4

protein regimen. And according to Shivani, Becka was â&#x20AC;&#x153;diesel.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;We hadnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t seen each other for like a month and we went out to breakfast,â&#x20AC;? Ravneet laughs. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When we saw each other again, Becka was really buff.â&#x20AC;?

Both her friends and parents know that when Becka pursues an activity, she gives it her all. According to her parents, one thing that Becka has retained in her busy life is dedication. â&#x20AC;&#x153;[What I am most proud of her for is] her dedication to being the best she can be at whatever she pursues,â&#x20AC;? says Mark. â&#x20AC;&#x153;She has been very successful at sports whether it is soccer, softball, track, cross country or swimming. Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also a talented piano player and artist. But we have always stressed education as being the most important and she has followed that advice.â&#x20AC;?

Sue says that Becka will be able to accomplish any task at hand because of her â&#x20AC;&#x153;superhuman power of singular focus.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;In tenth grade the boy she was dating broke up with her during exam week and it really hurt her,â&#x20AC;? says Sue. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I remember that as a teenager, it would have taken me at least a few days to regain composure. Becka cried for a few minutes, regained composure, focused on the task at hand and went about the business of preparing for exams, and if you know Becka, she did really well on those exams.â&#x20AC;?

That dedication and focus will help Becka while enrolled in Miami Univeristy and while she begins her work as a research chemist â&#x20AC;&#x153;working in a lab and mixing stuff together.â&#x20AC;? According to Becka, she wants to direct her focus toward developing new drugs and medicines. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Beckaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s devotion to her studies has made her a worldly and insightful individual with plans to develop a cure for some of the most evasive diseases, like cancer,â&#x20AC;? says Mark. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The crazy thing is, I think she will do it.â&#x20AC;?â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Alyssa Davis

(...continued from page 53) For Damonteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, this wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t merely a method of selfpromotion. He truly wanted to rejuvenate the East student body, which he perceived to be suffering from an obvious lack of school spirit. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is your school, so make it great, no matter if you like it or not,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re here, so why not make it a fun place to be? Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been very determined to bring spirit to this school. And I think weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve accomplished it.â&#x20AC;?

Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s grateful to the student body for working with him to accomplish his goal. Mostly, heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s thankful for East senior John Brady. + ! 4 ' Â&#x201A; + also a Mr. Lakota East competitor. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I want my kid to be like John Brady.â&#x20AC;?

Unlike Brady in 2010, Damonteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; did not fare so well in the Mr. Lakota East competition when he competed in 2011. Even going to the lengths of unveiling a pre-recorded walk-up song that declared â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s D. Cole, Baby,â&#x20AC;? it comes as no surprise that Damonteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; expected to attain the coveted title.

Unfortunately, he would leave the competition disappointed. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Â&#x2039; 4 4 ! â&#x20AC;&#x153;I should have performed the song,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think I shocked a lot of people. I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know what to expect. I saw peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s faces and they were like â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s his song. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s him rapping.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; He wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t so happy with his performance in the talent portion either.

The nightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s second event saw him dancing around with his best friend, East senior Cameron Lee, to the tune of various hip-hop offerings.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;That was terrible,â&#x20AC;? Damonteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;That was absolutely atrocious.â&#x20AC;?

But regardless of the debacle, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no denying that Damonteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; has truly made a name for himself at East. Mr. Lakota East certainly helped. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It really kicked off a D. Cole Baby era,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This may seem cocky, but I think everyone in this building knows who I am. If they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t, I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know what planet theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re living on.â&#x20AC;?

And those who donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know Damonteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s name are surely aware of his self-assigned title. Even the Lakota School Board referred to him as â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Voiceâ&#x20AC;? when he spearheaded a â&#x20AC;&#x153;Rally for Radio,â&#x20AC;? a petition to save ' +

cuts. For East radio teacher Mark Hattersley, the support of such an outspoken, passionate leader could not have come at a better time. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just been amazing, the support that heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s given for the program,â&#x20AC;?

Hattersley says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been great. A lot of the kids were down about it when the program was initially set to be cut. I said, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Guys, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got to make the best of a bad situation.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;?

Damonteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; knew he had to step in, and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hattâ&#x20AC;? loved his eagerness, his

!

!

But it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t always like this. The two were not initially such close friends. When Damonteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; joined the radio program during his sophomore year, Hattersley found his personality to be â&#x20AC;&#x153;overwhelming.â&#x20AC;? With all of Damonteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s outward zeal and eagerness to kick-start his radio tenure, he came off as arrogant to the other Radio I students. But Hattersley

+

within radio as both a hip-hop director and a program leader.

In Hattersleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eyes, the snot-nosed kid who marched into radio with

! â&#x20AC;&#x153;I just think heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s matured so much over the past couple of years,â&#x20AC;? says Hattersley. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He just has done a great job for the radio station. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve even become close personally.â&#x20AC;?

+ the senior through issues that he would never raise with his ownâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;things like the infamous sandwich debacle, or as he refers to it, â&#x20AC;&#x153;the incident.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;[Hattersley] was there for me,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He told me what I needed to do and he kind of mentored me. He gave me words of wisdom.â&#x20AC;?

56 | Spark | May 27, 2011

For Hattersley, it was not a matter of choice. â&#x20AC;&#x153;His father isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a big part of his life,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I felt compelled to step in a little bit when he had questions about being a teenager and things like that.â&#x20AC;?

But Damonteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; has longed for more than the counseling his father never gave him. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s looked for support, something that most adults have failed to present him. Besides â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hatt,â&#x20AC;? East American Sign Language teacher Katherine Ferraro has been instrumental in this regard. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s one of the very few teachers who has ever pulled me to the side and said â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;You know, I see something great in you. You are a fantastic person and I cannot wait to hear about you in the future,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s one of the few people who has actually touched my heart.â&#x20AC;?

And evidently, the two have served as motivators. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s really motivated me to break the generational curse that is on

Â&#x201A; ! ! X totally different father [from my own] when I grow up.â&#x20AC;?

But Damonteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t lie to himself. He knows he has issues with anger. He knows that if he doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t constantly monitor himself, he could â&#x20AC;&#x153;snapâ&#x20AC;? at any moment. He could return to his old, degenerative ways in a showing of what he calls â&#x20AC;&#x153;misplaced anger.â&#x20AC;? He fears it, but he lives with it. All he can do is keep his composure.

The rest he leaves to God. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If it werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t for God, I wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be here today,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve really got to know God for yourself. If you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know God for yourself, you really canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t base your life on anything.â&#x20AC;?

Friends note his constant application of the Bible to everyday life. His mind seems to hold a wealth of them. But to Damonteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nothing more important in his faith than forgivenessâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;even for his father. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You have to forgive people for what theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve done to you,â&#x20AC;? he says.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;In my eyes, that is the biggest accomplishment.â&#x20AC;?

Damonteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; credits his strong Christian faith with helping him shine through the darkness of his past. He credits it with helping him establish himself within the Radio program, for helping a troubled soul emerge into an on-air personality, a leader for his entire school. Damonteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; has

}

ambitions. Next year, heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll attend the Ohio Center for Broadcasting, the media school where heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll pursue a career in communications, hoping to become an on-air personality, the type of person who inspires, incites change, the type of person who he believes he was at East.

Mays couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be more proud. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m very excited,â&#x20AC;? she says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Damonteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is a people pleaser. He does ! & 4 career, he has met the goals of a lot of things that he has set out for that a lot of people didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t set out for him to do. He made it his business to make sure that it happened.â&#x20AC;?

But in spite of his motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s desires for him to â&#x20AC;&#x153;please the people,â&#x20AC;?

Damonteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; can never cage up his true ambitions, his compulsion to lead.

Ten years down the road, heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; can only see himself â&#x20AC;&#x153;leading something.â&#x20AC;?

And his leadership ability hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t gone unrecognized. Last year, he received Lakota Eastâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s STAR Award for leadership, an accolade that he describes as his proudest moment. & +

Â&#x2C6;

4 = !

For a soul that faced so much adversity, it was a moment of rejoicing. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have come up from so much darkness,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And here I am today. I have lived up to the standards that people never had for me.â&#x20AC;?â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Faiz Siddiqui

SUBSCRIBERS, THANKS FOR ALL OF YOUR SUPPORT!

â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Spark SENIORS 2011

package | homelessness

3.5 MILLION

HOMELESS THIS YEAR

IN AMERICA

25,000 IN CINCINNATI

64 IN LAKOTA (KNOWN)

Editorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Note: Spark made every effort to contact homeless students in Lakota. FERPA and other privacy laws, however, prohibited us from obtaining this information.

58 | Spark | May 27, 2011

A Hidden Life The number of Lakota students classiďŹ ed as homeless remains a secret to faculty and students, but the schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ďŹ rst priority is to ensure that these students have the means to obtain an adequate education in the midst of a chaotic lifestyle. story rachel podnar

*denotes name change

S

here at East to support these students and their families,â&#x20AC;? says Kline.

By the McKinney-Vento Homeless Act, homeless students are entitled to certain rights in public schools.

Dannis says the act ensures that the students have a stable school experience even when everything else in their lives is unstable.

According to the Act, homeless students are entitled to attend either their school of origin, the school they attended prior to becoming homeless, or their school of residenceâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; the school closest to where the student has temporary shelter.

To enroll at a school, these students do not need to provide all of the documentation that is required for the

ixty-four. This is the number of students in the Lakota Local School District who walk the hallways concerned about more than whether their clothes match. Instead of petty problems, they wonder where they will be living a week from now, if they will have clean clothes to wear tomorrow These 64 Lakota students are homeless.

X

Â&#x2030; } ÂŁ X 8Â&#x2022;$[

4 ^ regular and adequate nighttime residence. According to school social worker Dana Auer, the number of students may even exceed 64 because some families choose not to report themselves as homeless and therefore pass under Lakotaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s radar. â&#x20AC;&#x153;People say, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Oh, not in Lakota,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; but we have low-income housing, we have our pockets [of poor people] just like anywhere else,â&#x20AC;? says Auer, who works with homeless students at East, the East Freshman Campus, Liberty Junior School and Hopewell Junior School.

Auer, who has been a school social worker in Lakota for eight years, believes homelessness goes unpublicized in the district although it is still an issue.

According to Homeless Coordinator for the Ohio Department of Education Tom Dannis, the categories of homelessness, whether living in a shelter or with relatives,

! ]

not recognize the most common living arrangement for homeless two families live together in a single house.

And the reasons for homelessness range from the tough economy to health concerns. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A lot of it is caused by mental or physical health issues or a death in the family,â&#x20AC;? says Auer. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It usually happens to families that are really close to being homeless, then one thing pushes them over the edge.â&#x20AC;?

More families nowadays have been sent â&#x20AC;&#x153;over the edgeâ&#x20AC;? as East Principal Dr. Keith Kline says that the population of homeless students in the district has increased from previous years. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Obviously in these economic times that we all live in some folks have fallen on hard times and we do what we can

It usually happens to families... really close to being homeless then one thing pushes them over the edge. average student. Their school fees are waived and they receive free lunches. In addition to these services, the law requires that homeless students be provided transportation to their school of origin. Petermann Transportation Options Manager in Lakota Kelly Meade works to organize transportation for the homeless students.

Meade says that once she discovers a student is homeless, she looks at bus routes to see if any buses have extra time to pick up the student. If not, she posts the studentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s location to the Teamsters Union contract. In the event that a bus is not available, Meade works out a contract with United Transportation Service, a private company that owns vans.

Sometimes the district in which the student is temporarily living can help transport the student, but oftentimes students end up on a bus by themselves. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It all depends on where [the students] are staying and what school they attend,â&#x20AC;? she says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We do have a couple of buses that take students to and from multiple schools.

These are typically siblings. We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have any buses that only run â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;homeless.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; They all have other regular runs that

59 | Spark | lehsspark.org

package | homelessness

they do as well.â&#x20AC;?

Lakota Student Services Coordinator Dana Martin works with this small percentage of students in Lakota as the Homeless Liaison for the district. She says that emotional issues like pride and embarrassment keep homeless students from asking for help.

4 Â&#x20AC; Â 4

students,â&#x20AC;? she says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The students spend many nights at different places, so lack of sleep and stability are big issues. They usually do not have the supplies, clothes and food that their peers might enjoy.â&#x20AC;?

Martin has also found that many homeless students have to care for younger siblings and school is a low priority compared to all the other issues they face.

Auer agrees and says that with school low on studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; lists of concerns, they have problems with attendance. The attendance secretary might email their parents, but the family most likely does not have access to email. The parents may not think about calling their child in as absent amidst the other concerns, and in many situations, there is no phone. She adds that about 75 percent of the time there are other dysfunctions in a studentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life, like having incarcerated parents, mental health issues or learning disabilities.

With all of these stressors adding up, the ultimate effect is that schoolwork is likely to suffer and teachers may not know or understand the problems the students have to deal with outside of school. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Their lives are so chaotic,â&#x20AC;? says Auer. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Teachers do not understand why they do not do their homework, but the kids arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t going to when they have so many other things to worry about.â&#x20AC;?

Housing for the Homeless

infographic megan fogel

Auer adds that she can talk to the teacher and let them know that there are issues at home. Without the permission of the parents, however, she cannot inform a teacher that their student

!

with helping the student succeed.

Fred Johnson* is an example of a student who experiences trouble at school brought on by homelessness. He is currently 20 years old and living at the Middletown Rescue Mission Hope House, but during high school, he was forced to live with friends. | Â&#x2C6; ^

being homeless in high school is staying on top of academics. He was enrolled in Advanced Placement classes, but could not keep up due to his situation. Â&#x20AC;Â&#x2021; Â

4 Â&#x201A; he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The biggest struggle was getting the work done. I was in trigonometry as a freshman, but with math you have to have a lot of paper, and I couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t afford it.â&#x20AC;?

The achievement gap between students with a stable residence and those without is not just theoretical, it is a reality. As reported by the National Center for Homeless Education, only 53 percent of homeless Ohio students in grades three through eight scored

! 5

Â&#x160;" ! ]

for the same group across the nation are 52 percent and 50 percent, respectively. According to Dannis, Ohioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s population of homeless students is average as compared to the rest of the nation in terms of overall population.

As a school social worker helping the population of homeless students and families in Lakota, Auer has to interact with the parents of homeless students regarding their childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s school !

Â&#x201A; ?

parents are very stressed out and upset, but the parents are appreciative and everything is 4 ! â&#x20AC;&#x153;I feel like a life-line to these families There are four choices of nighttime residence for homeless children. sometimes,â&#x20AC;? she says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am the fuzzy person that they can come talk to.â&#x20AC;?

1.1 percent She cites one particular time when a family unsheltered 3.3 percent that was previously homeless with children in in motels Lakota sent an email to the superintendent after moving out of the district, saying that in Lakota there was real care. The family 31.1 percent had a child with special needs and they in shelters thanked Lakota for caring not just about the academics, but other parts of the childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life.

64.5 percent The idea of caring for all of a studentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in short term needs drives those who work with the homeless population in Lakota in hopes that they can help homeless students break out of the situation and have a bright future. Kline agrees that in Lakota the goal is to take care of the the students. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like to think East is a family and we want to reach out and take care of our students,â&#x20AC;? says Kline. Â&#x201E; information national center for homeless education

60 | Spark | May 27, 2011

A Haven of Hope They began as a couple serving food to those in need through homeless ministries. Now the Carliles provide Hope House residents with food, friends and a familiar face during each meal. story kyle morrison

T

homas Moye was addicted to crack cocaine. He tried to recover for his four daughters. He told himself his job depended on it. But no matter what he told himself, he still could not muster the motivation to kick his habits. So he enrolled himself in a rehabilitation program.

It did not work. â&#x20AC;&#x153;[Rehab counselors] havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t experienced what weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been through,â&#x20AC;? says Moye, a Vietnam veteran. â&#x20AC;&#x153;How can they possibly help me recover when they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know what Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m going through?â&#x20AC;?

Moye considers this lack of understanding one of the pitfalls of traditional rehab. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Some of them donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t believe that drug withdrawal from crack cocaine [is real]. They say, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Oh, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no withdrawal from that.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the biggest lie ever told,â&#x20AC;? says Moye. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Until youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been there, you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know what itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s like. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been there, done that.â&#x20AC;?

Due to his previous drug addication, Moye had nothing left.

He was homeless, had become estranged from his family, had nowhere to turn. He could not even stay clean. Five rehab centers later, Moye stumbled upon Hope House, a rescue mission in Middletown, OH that provides temporary housing, three daily meals and a unique Bible-based 12-step program for those overcoming addictions like Moyes. Hope Houseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s faith-driven rehabilitation program was just what Moye needed to turn his life around. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a spiritually based person, so [traditional rehab] didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t work for me. I couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t speak about my Lord and Savior,â&#x20AC;? says Moye. â&#x20AC;&#x153;[At Hope House], their favorite saying is, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;What would Jesus do?â&#x20AC;&#x2122; He would give you another chance, He would work

! X + !Â&#x201A; For Moye, the spiritual aspect of not only the Hope House program, but also the community living within has helped him stay clean. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The best thing for me is being here, where I can walk with my faith, speak of my Lord and Savior and recover,â&#x20AC;? says Moye. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s like the Scripture says: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;All things are possible through Christ.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;?

This Bible verse has helped Moye stay clean for over 10 months now. Another Bible verse, however, would inspire two die-hard Chicago sports fans to volunteer at Hope House, where their paths would eventually cross: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Take care of orphans and widows who are suffering, and keep oneself unstained by the

worldâ&#x20AC;? (James 1:27 NIV).

This has become the mantra of Paul and Carol Carlile, and is the reason why they became involved in food ministry. Seven

still come back regularly. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Poverty is not a crime, and I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think that anybody should have to go hungry,â&#x20AC;? says Carol, who met her husband Paul while helping a food ministry in Chicago. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just something thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very near and dear to our hearts. We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just serve food; we serve dignity.â&#x20AC;?

For the Carliles, tossing lukewarm food onto a tray and handing it to the impoverished is not enough. Instead, serving meals is about getting to know the residents on a personal level.

Accordig to Carol, there is no better way to establish a friendship than over some great food. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We love to have people choose what they want instead of

Anyone can just put food on a plate... The way that we do it is more importantâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;with respect. just slopping it on a plate,â&#x20AC;? says Carol. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You need to go out and take care of people. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just a restaurant. How would you like it if you went into a restaurant and they just gave you what they thought you wanted that day?â&#x20AC;?

Paul echoes his wifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s belief in the importance of more than the food being served, but the manner with which it is presented. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Serving the food is just the vehicle. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re here.

Anyone can just put food on a plate and give it to somebody. The way that we do it is more importantâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;with respect. We make people feel like theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re appreciated,â&#x20AC;? says Paul. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I know a lot of people in poverty who are taking their families to services, so the ultimate goal is not just putting food on a plate, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s making people feel that they have the value they truly have.â&#x20AC;?

The food this hubsband and wife team serves is far from the standard soup kitchen menu to which many homeless shelters adhere. Rather their menu features some of their personal soul food favorites, ranging from chicken parmesan sandwiches with a side of bacon linguini alfredo, to a â&#x20AC;&#x153;build your ownâ&#x20AC;? baked potato bar, featuring sausage and peppers, chili and other

61 | Spark | lehsspark.org

toppings. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When we come here, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not just here to serve bologna and cheese sandwiches; weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to take something that we like and incorporate that into the meal,â&#x20AC;? says Carol. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more of a high-end meal and not just, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s some soup.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Any of us can be in this situation tomorrow, and I just think itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s really important to serve with dignity. People see that and are more likely to open up. That creates friendship.â&#x20AC;?

One of the closest friendships Carol has developed is the one with Moye, whom she affectionately nicknamed â&#x20AC;&#x153;Peaches.â&#x20AC;? The

+ sweet potato pie. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Peaches can cook like nobodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s business,â&#x20AC;? says Carol. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He made a sweet potato pie from scratch. I tasted a little piece before he started baking it, and it was phenomenal.â&#x20AC;?

Moye is not one to disagree. He thinks his sweet potato pie is â&#x20AC;&#x153;the best in the state.â&#x20AC;? He puts his culinary prowess to work at Hope House, often cooking up his signature dishes for the other residents even if he lacks the necessary ingredients. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I love what I do, but I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t cook what they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t give me,â&#x20AC;? says Moye, who also makes his own homemade barbecue sauces. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I cook, I bake, I roast and boast. I shine in the kitchen.â&#x20AC;?

The common love for food helped the two establish a strong bond, and Moye believes that Carol and Paulâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;food with dignityâ&#x20AC;? approach aided in his recovery. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have some people coming in here just to serve meals.

They could care less about us. They just throw the food on a plate,â&#x20AC;? says Moye. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But then you have the people like Carol.

62 | Spark | May 27, 2011

photo kyle morrison

The team discusses how the Hope Houseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;serving with dignityâ&#x20AC;? motto, as adapted by the Carliles, contributes to the atmosphere of the rescue mission home.

We laugh, we joke, we have a good time and we get to know each other. She asks questions, and she has genuine concerns.

When you got that, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also motivation. You look forward to the weekend when you know theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re coming.â&#x20AC;?

Carolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s presence helped Moye through the rehabilitation process, and after a 10-month tenure, he moved out of Hope House. Although he had success with the program, Moye notes that not everyone is ready for it. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My friend was here for four months, and he just didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get it. Now heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in prison. He screwed up, he went out and [abused drugs]. [The] judge slapped him with a year plus,â&#x20AC;? says Moye. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He had the opportunity, but he wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t ready. Everybody wants [addiction] to be over, but not everybody is ready for the program.â&#x20AC;?

Moye believes that in order to be ready to succeed in the

homeless and realize that the shelter is more than just a place for food and a place to sleep. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The residents come in and they get three hots [meals], a place to sleep and a bathroom to keep themselves clean, [yet] some [of homeless people] just donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t care,â&#x20AC;? says Moye. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the mentality some people go through when theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re homeless.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s like â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;I lost everything, why should I care?â&#x20AC;&#x2122; It just degrades people. It just hits them so hard that they canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t rebound.â&#x20AC;?

Moye believes that the program is more suited for the residents who are willing to try hard, regardless of their circumstances. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We all have one [thing in] common when we get here: Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re all homeless. Some [of us] have drug and alcohol issues, some

donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t,â&#x20AC;? says Moye, who in addition to successfully quitting from drugs and alcohol also quit smoking cigarettes roughly two months into his stay at Hope House. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The good thing about this place is they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really give them an out-date; they just let them stay as long as they need. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s never too late, and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m blessed. The opportunity is here, but you got to want it.â&#x20AC;?

4

him his life back, likely by volunteering with the Carliles, who made Moye promise to return and volunteer.

As for the Carliles, they have been volunteering at Hope House for over seven years, and while they have forged friendships with some of the residents, they have also grown very close to several of the volunteers. Â&#x20AC;@ Â + volunteers and theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll make fun of me because I have a Cubs shirt on,â&#x20AC;? says Carol. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be like, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Oh, Cubs stink.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll say, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Just you wait, this is our year!â&#x20AC;&#x2122; And I said that last year, I said it the year before and the year before [that].â&#x20AC;?

Paul agrees that the camaraderie between the volunteers is one of the elements that has kept him coming back for nearly

a decade now. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t explain it, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s one of those things with that energy or that joy that comes with it,â&#x20AC;? says Paul. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not like Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m getting anything out of it. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not like Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m walking out of here with money or anything like that. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just one of those things that you do and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just reinforcing in a way I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really explain.â&#x20AC;?

Before Moye left the program, the staff at Hope House not

him re-establish communication with his family. Moye created a Facebook page and reconnected with his four daughters. For

} } !

After being absent for years of his eldest daughterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life,

day of her life. This summer, he will walk her down the aisle at her wedding, a moment that could not have happened without Hope House. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When it comes to this place, I have a lot of good things to say. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s done a lot for me,â&#x20AC;? says Moye. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Some people [recover] and some donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t. But for those who really want this [and recover], they get it.â&#x20AC;? Â&#x201E;

Stepping into Comfort Each resident of the Hope House shelter in Middletown, OH is provided with various basic needs fundamental and a daily routine.

information hopehouserescuemission.info, urbanohio.com

Three meals

50 men, women and children are given emergency shelter Emergency medical treatment is also available

Church services are provided

The Hope House used to be a U.S. hotel with 76 rooms and a ballroom back in 1845, with many renowned visitors, including former President William McKinley. The building was converted into the Hope House in the 1970s. infographic irfan ibrahim

63 | Spark | lehsspark.org

package | homelessness

Reaching Out to Their Hearts In both religiously-afďŹ liated and non-proďŹ t organizations, East students have connected to under-privelaged citizens through a noble cause, realizing the true nature and personalities of those without a home to welcome them. story sara rayburn

A

ll it takes is a split-second decision to walk through the double doorway.

When no one else seems to care, Healing Center Cincinnati Associate Director of Training and Education Judy Turley and her staff step up to the plate in order to combat the effects of poverty and homelessness. The group, along with several other local volunteers and organizations, takes the ageold motherly advice â&#x20AC;&#x153;treat your guests wellâ&#x20AC;? to heart. â&#x20AC;&#x153;One of the major differences in our approach is a commitment to allow guests to feel a strong sense of being respected. Our guests are not clients or case numbers,â&#x20AC;? says Turley, who has worked at the Center for three years. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They are people of value who God knows and cares for.â&#x20AC;?

This outlook is exactly what inspired Turley, who has 25 years of prior experience in social services and ministry careers, to apply for a position at the Healing Center, which she says offered a chance to share her faith while also maintaining integrity in the case management services.

Katie Dargue and Riccardo Taylor sit side-by-side during a day at the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless.

photo used with written permission from aimie willhoite

64 | Spark | May 27, 2011

The Healing Center originated as part of the Luke 4 Challenge, led by the Vineyard Community Church of Cincinnati. Within the project, the church hoped to address needs of its city, the ! Â&#x2021; \

emotional and physical healing for the community. In order to accomplish its goals, the church also began construction for a student center as well as Nigerian water wells.

Although these projects are linked to the Vineyard Community Church, volunteers assist anyone in need who desires to improve

4 or church attendance. Since the programâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s launch 20 years ago as MercyWorks, offerings for the guests have expanded to more than just food and clothing as more than 7,000 homeless individuals are on the streets and in a Tent City community in Cincinnati, OH. One of the Healing Centerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s outreach programs is the Good Sam Run. Every Saturday morning, volunteers and staff venture downtown with food for the hungry. They extend the mission of the Springdale, OH location to people outside of that area.

Lakota West junior Chris Risser, who participates in Teacherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Academy at East, volunteers with a similar program through his home church, St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church. The outreach, named Chosen, involves cooking and serving food to people who are impoverished in Hamilton. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Not only do we get to serve the homeless, but [we] also sit down face to face and have a conversation with them,â&#x20AC;? says Risser. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is a great experience being able to relax and talk to people. Their faces light up when we sit down and talk about news or families.â&#x20AC;?

East junior Breanna Glaccum agrees that having the opportunity to interact with the homeless is a positive experience.

She has met several individuals who are homeless and also donated food and clothing to the Healing Center. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I do believe that the Healing Center makes a meaningful impact on the lives of those who are less fortunate than we are,â&#x20AC;? says Glaccum. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have volunteered and have met wonderful people who just happened to be homeless. Some of the most loving and interesting people I have met were homeless.â&#x20AC;?

Cincinnati Homeless Coalition Director of Development and Operations Catie Dargueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s perception of homelessness

4 }

photo used with written permission from aimie willhoite

Katie Dargue (center) poses with executive director of the Cincinnati Homeless Coalition Josh Spring at the Jan. 2011 premiere of the Matthew Andrews photography show at the Carnegie in Covington, KY.

organization. Stereotypes that had previously acted as barriers to interaction were broken, such as the common thought that people who are homeless are dirty. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think the thing that has been most shocking is that I would have expected people who come [to the Cincinnati Homeless Coalition] to be the people you pass on the street and say â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;They look like they have not showered in awhile,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; but then [people who come are] also people that are wearing expensive clothing. Some families [even come in],â&#x20AC;? says Dargue. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It has broken a lot of the stereotypes that I had, and it is scary to see the number of people who come through our doors who you would not expect to do so.â&#x20AC;?

Dargue explains that this vast spectrum of scenarios among the homeless community has taught her a valuable lesson: homeless people cannot be grouped into a category. The Cincinnati Homeless Coalition educates and assists 100 to 200 people each week, and every individual has a distinct story to tell. In some cases, Dargue has met people who defy the stigmatism that the homeless are â&#x20AC;&#x153;lazy and living on the streets because they do not want to do work.â&#x20AC;? She has found that many of the people have jobs doing day labor, such as gardening or construction work, which tend to fall below minimum wage once agencies take their share of the earnings. â&#x20AC;&#x153;[Day labor] involves waking up at 4:00 a.m. to go to an agency. They may get called to go work on a job until about 6:00 p.m. and then get paid that day,â&#x20AC;? says Dargue. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They cannot stop working because they want to [be able to afford] to eat, but cannot make enough money to actually keep a house.â&#x20AC;?

The homeless guests could not be contacted due to

! ]

have been improved through the Healing Center staff â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s efforts, which typically provides services Wednesday through Saturday each week. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have folks come through every time the doors are open who would testify to a life changed because of the vision and support of the church,â&#x20AC;? says Turley. â&#x20AC;&#x153;More than 100 families

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have volunteered and met wonderful people who just happened to be homeless. Some of the most loving and interesting people I have met were homeless.â&#x20AC;? come through our doors every day we are open for services.â&#x20AC;?

According to Dargue, Cincinnati is a leading city in services and assistance for the homeless. Despite the abundance in aid and the various shelters available, it is not the house that really matter; for her; the people and their hearts inside are what truly count. â&#x20AC;&#x153;One of my fellow employees told me that Cincinnati is a really good place to be homeless. That sounds really strange, but there are a lot of organizations where you can eat three meals a day and have shelter,â&#x20AC;? says Dargue. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We still have a huge homeless problem, but people can at least have access to the things that they need and that are really important.â&#x20AC;? Â&#x201E;

65 | Spark | lehsspark.org

lifestyle | healthy eating

Tastes Like Turkey International twists enhance nutritional value by reducing fat and calories while including important nutritional components like whole grains, complex carbohydrates, monounsaturated fats and ďŹ ber. story tommy behan | photo mason hood Every issue, Spark explores nutritious dining options for each meal.

O

zlem Aydore won the lottery. She won the American lottery; but the $100 million taxed lottery. She won something much greater. She won a lottery for a green card giving her the chance for a new life outside of Istanbul, Turkey. Because her husband Savas Aydore had already studied and earned a bachelorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degree in aerospace engineering and a doctorate for mechanical engineering from the University of Cincinnati while studying abroad, it was an easy decision to move to Cincinnati, OH. Leaving behind family members, relatives, friends and a home country, the Aydores trekked to the United States with their ninemonth-old daughter Buse Aydore who is now a junior at East. Apart from their determination and strong family ties, the most important thing they brought from Turkey was their culture, especially in the form of food. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I eat Turkish meals at least once a day,â&#x20AC;? says Buse. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If it is not breakfast, it is lunch; if it is not lunch, it is dinner. I like that I get a home-cooked meal every day.â&#x20AC;?

These sophisticated meals require a long time to prepare. According to The New York Times, Turkish people spend on average 74 minutes cooking every day, more than any other ethnicity, while the average American

spends only 30 minutes. This devotion to the culinary arts equates to more intricate meals and relates to better eating habits. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I spend somewhere between one and two hours cooking, depending on the type of dish and excluding clean up time,â&#x20AC;? says Ozlem.

While typical American staples include hot dogs, hamburgers, chips and soda, a typical Turkish meal may contain these Turkish ÂĽ

4 zucchini, green beans, rice pudding and simit bread (thin, crunchy, sesame bagel-like bread).

SparkPeople nutritionist Tanya Jolliffe deducts the Turkish eating style is a balanced diet. According to Jolliffe, the Turkish diet includes several key healthy components:

^ carbohydrates that fuel the body and the brain, key vitamins from vegetables and monosaturated fats, or â&#x20AC;&#x153;healthy fatsâ&#x20AC;? that lower risks of heart disease.

One downside to cooking ethnic meals is the fact that they require unique ingredients. The Aydoresâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; solution is to obtain these ingredients through not only special online Turkish stores, but also unique stores like Jungle Jimâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, which stocks a wide variety of cultural specialties. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Turkish food focuses on whole grains, vegetables, healthy fats (monounsaturated and Omega 3â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, instead of trans fats) and lean

Â&#x201A; _ ! sugars and preservatives, which makes it healthier than the typical American diet.â&#x20AC;? Â&#x201E;

Turkish-Spiced Chicken Kebabs Ingredients 1/2 cup coarsely chopped onion 2 tbsp olive oil 2 tbsp lemon juice 3/4 tbsp dried mint 1/2 tbsp dried oregano 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon 3/4 tsp ground coriander 3/4 tsp ground cumin 3/4 tsp ground nutmeg 4 skinless boneless chicken breast quartered

Directions 1) Mix ďŹ rst nine ingredients in a bowl.

2) Add chicken, sprinkle with salt and pepper, let marinate for one to two hours.

3) Place the chicken on metal skewers, then broil for ďŹ ve to six minutes on each side.

4) Serve with warm pita.

Nutritional Info Serving Size: 1 (analysis includes pita) Servings per recipe: 4 Calories: 761.5 Total Fat: 36.7 g Cholesterol: 101.4 mg Sodium: 447.1 mg Total Carbs: 48.3 g Dietary Fiber: 11.7 g Protein: 51.5 g

67 | Spark | lehsspark.org

lifestyle | fashion

stepping into

summer photos sierra whitlock | outfit coordinators lauren barker hannah berling tariq carimichael emily merrick | models noah fisher, wyatt frazier, jalen goodwin, rachel jencen, noelle kemper, chelsea rice | clothes h&m

Ditch larger, garish florals for more eclectic, delicate prints like the floral romper (bottom left).

To pull off more revealing pieces, like bandeaus and crop tops, while still looking classy balance the outfit with coverage in other places, like East junior Rachel Jencen shows with the navy-bluestriped cardigan (top right). Rock a plaid shirt, like the one East sophomore Wyatt Frazier wears (bottom left). With the warm sunny days ahead, dress effortlessly with staples like denim cut-offs and khaki shorts. Block the sun and stay ultra-chic with a floppy straw hat and white high-waisted sailor pants, as seen on East senior Chelsea Rice (top left).

Be classic and comfortable for those warm summer days with simple cotton shirts, but do not hesitate to go bold by wearing splashes of bright colors. Brights are making a comeback, and any shades of orange, coral or pink are welcome.

Do not be afraid of wearing too much color, you can tone your outfit down with a neutral vest or timeless blue jeans.

68 | Spark | May 27, 2011

white high-waist jeans: $38.95 loose navy tank top: $19.90 floppy hat: $10.99

white button-down: $32.99 navy swimsuit: $15.50 striped cardigan: $22.50 denim shorts: $29.50

[

if a new wardrobe is too expensive, recycle clothes from a different season for a new look.

ďŹ&#x201A;oral jumper: $29.95 white denim vest: $19.99 plaid button-down: $27.95

striped scoop neck: $12.95

]

lifestyle | 8 Things

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

Post-It Notes

BonďŹ res

As a self-proclaimed â&#x20AC;&#x153;neatfreak,â&#x20AC;? I need something to keep organized. Post-It notes, whether they are on my computer desktop or on my desk at home, allow me to keep to-do lists visible and accessible so I never forget anything.

I have saved every paper from my 12 years of school,

Advanced Placement English. Â&#x2021;

will never need to learn again. Â&#x152; 4 marshmallow roasters.

Coca-Cola Freestyle This machine provides over 100 different kinds of carbonated and noncarbonated soda, making it a godsend for any Coke

!

Banana Boat SPF 50 Sunscreen

Skim Milk

08

I like to work-out after a stressful school day, but the outdoors make me boil like a lobster. This sunscreen has enough strength to protect my pasty skin from the sun.

After exhibiting my athletic prowess on the court or

something more revitalizing than H2O. This creamy blend has been watered down enough to gain muscle mass with a more refreshing taste than anything.

things of the moment

Mario Party Yes, Mario Party came out when I was in kindergarten, and there hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t been a new version since 2007. But that doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mean the game isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t still a blast. No other game could make repeatedly mashing the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Aâ&#x20AC;? button so much fun.

Issuu.com

Pilot G-2

Not only does Issuu provide a place to put archived Spark issues online, but it also has interesting independent publications available. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always something new to read on Issuu. The best partâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;this site is free.

As a Spark Editor-in-Chief, I am picky about my editing pens. No pen writes as

Â&#x2C6; Â&#x152; =}"! smear-proof and has none of the problems presented by simple ball-point pens.

70 | Spark | May 27, 2011

MASON HOOD CHRISTIAN ROEHM

how to rock your graduation party As graduation draws near, students have to not only worry about walking across the stage, but also helping their parents plan the perfect graduation party to celebrate.

story christina wilkerson

W

foods: pretzels, chips, meat and cheese trays, macaroni and cheese, barbeque and baked beans. As a professional baker, Pendletonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s grandmother will make his graduation cake, yet another convenience.

In addition to deciding the activities and food, choosing the color scheme is also one of the important decisions that a graduate must make regarding his or her party as color can dramatically affect the atmosphere. In Pendletonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s case, he chose to combine Eastâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s black and white colors and the colors of his future collegeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Univeristy of Cedarvilleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s navy blue and yellow. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I like the idea of the transition of the East colors to the Cedarville colors because it shows my graduating and moving on to bigger and better things,â&#x20AC;? says Pendleton.

Another idea that Pendleton wants to use to show his transition in life is displaying a DVD slideshow of his childhood pictures on a large screen TV at his party.

Pendletonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s family has been fortunate to have the assistance of friends and family who

4

tracks and baking some good food. But because not every family has a friend who happens to be a DJ or the next Cake Boss, Noll says that graduation parties can be simple and successful at the same time. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re on a tight budget like most families, a great graduation party can be simple and still be a really fun time,â&#x20AC;? Noll says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;All it takes is a few tables dressed in fun colors, an iPod hooked up with a custom playlist, burgers on the grill and great friends and family.â&#x20AC;? Â&#x201E; Party planning companies like All Occasions Event Planning can set up tents (pictured left) and tables (pictured below) for a backyard graduation party. They also coordinate decorations to match the colors of a studentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s high school or college to add personality. Most graduation parties occur in June, but May parties are also successful.

photos used with written permission from charlie nefďŹ&#x201A;e

hile fourth-quarter seniors are only worrying about getting their diplomas without tripping across the stage, many parents are stressing about the graduation parties that follow this historic moment in their teenagersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; lives. For an event of such monumental importance, a great deal of planning must be involved on both the parent and studentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s part. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If you want a tent in the backyard, with _ Â&#x2C6; catering, then there should be a lot of planning to make sure the event is a success. It is always easier when you work with a professional who can coordinate the event with you,â&#x20AC;? says event consultant of All Occasions Event Rental Jennifer Noll.

Although hiring a professional may result in smoother planning, it may be easier and more economical for the family to plan the graduation party themselves. East senior Kyle Pendleton and his mother Emily Madonis have planned his graduation party by themselves.

Madonis is renting a wing of Liberty Heights Church to hold the party. Family and close friends will help out with the decorating and catering in order to stick to their budget while still making the party a very special occasion. â&#x20AC;&#x153;[Our budget] is a concern, but you only have one high school graduation party and I want it to be nice,â&#x20AC;? she says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am trying to keep the costs as low as possible and make thrifty decisions.â&#x20AC;?

Though she edeavors to be thrifty, Madonis wants her son involved in the planning process. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Kyle is making decisions on just about every aspect of the party,â&#x20AC;? she says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is for him, and I want it to be what he wants.â&#x20AC;?

Pendleton sat down with his mother and explained everything that he would like to have at his graduation party, from the activities to the food. Partygoers will be able to enjoy a variety of activities, including basketball, foosball, air hockey, Wii and other video games, as well as an area for karaoke and dancing.

The Pendletons have also hired a DJ, who is conveniently a family friend. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I wanted to have singing and dancing, [both of which are things] I love to do, although Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not too good at either,â&#x20AC;? says Pendleton. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And lots of food. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always important.â&#x20AC;?

On the menu for Pendletonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s graduation

4

71 | Spark | lehsspark.org

lifestyle | body piercings

PIERCED PARTS As East students turn 18 years old, some consider getting body piercings after having been prohibited by their parents. story devin casey | infographic lisa cai

F

orty-one. This is the number of tiny metal common standards, East senior Anna Welling by piercing with unsterilized equipment or rings and bolts that she must place into says that the reason she began doing her own Â&#x2C6; the container when she goes through piercings was because her parents were simply to the ear lobes. Anna says that she has never airport security. While she may be notorious â&#x20AC;&#x153;not big fansâ&#x20AC;? of body piercing. received an infection with a piercing that she for holding up the lines during screening, East â&#x20AC;&#x153;[Piercings] are a waste of money,â&#x20AC;? says performed herself because she takes extra senior Cornelia Lange says she does not mind Annaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s father Tom Welling. â&#x20AC;&#x153;She should not get precautions when sterilizing her equipment. the added attention. them now because she will have to take them Anna and Lange say that the only reason â&#x20AC;&#x153;People give me strange looks all the time out for her future career.â&#x20AC;? they would remove their piercings would be for because of my piercings, but I usually just While her initial reason ignore themâ&#x20AC;? says Lange, who has everything, for doing her own piercings from three-quarter inch gauges to four was because she did not have piercings surrounding her belly button. parent permission, Anna ]

believes self-piercings are was her ear lobes at the age of 13. Since then, inexpensive and as safe as she has developed an interest in the world professional piercings. of piercing and received the rest of her 41 â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have a high tolerance piercings in the past two years. for pain and I am not scared â&#x20AC;&#x153;I just like to look unique,â&#x20AC;? says Lange, of needles, so the experience whose father objects to her piercings. never bothered me,â&#x20AC;? says â&#x20AC;&#x153;Piercings kind of became something I did in Anna, who plans on obtaining more piercings college and job interviews. Welling says that she my free time when I was bored.â&#x20AC;? in the future now that she is 18. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The piercings plans on pursuing medicine and understands After her fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s warnings impeded her

that she will have to remove her facial piercings freedom to pierce, Lange decided to execute like how they look.â&#x20AC;? for occupational interviews in the future. the piercings herself, using needles from Hot Â&#x2C6;

For now, Anna and Lange stand by their

! + Anna says that her jewelry has interfered with piercing as a source of standing out individualy. do-it-yourself piercing was when she double- her professional life. She says that she had to While it may create turbulence in the airport, pierced her ear lobes. permanently remove her lip piercing after Anna says that piercings are the most unique While Langeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s at-home methods may seem complaints from her boss at the International way to display personality. unorthodox, it is one of the more common House of Pancakes. Anna also removed her â&#x20AC;&#x153;If you walk around high school, everyone practices for teens who are restricted by their hip piercings because of the discomfort they is wearing the same clothes with the same parentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; rulings. In order to receive a piercing caused. It took an ear infection to momentarily accessories,â&#x20AC;? says Anna. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Piercings are at a professional parlor, any individual under dissuade Anna from further piercings. something that is totally different and really the age of 18 must have parent permission and Ear piercing infections are typically caused allow me to stand out.â&#x20AC;? Â&#x201E;

! ] 14 can only have their ears pierced. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t pierce minors without parent permission because we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to engage in the touching of children that may be inappropriate,â&#x20AC;? says cashier Katelyn Eales of Body Jewel, a piercing parlor in Tri-County Mall.

According to Body Jewel piercer Keysha York, the parlor sees dozens of high school Eyebrow students each week, most of them reluctantly Anti-eyebrow Bridge clutching their parentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hand.

Industrial â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s funny when we see teenagers come in Nose Cheek Monroe Tragus and act â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;coolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; with their parents,â&#x20AC;? says York.

Septum Accordig to York, many new adults get Snake Bites Nape Medusa strange piercings because they were previously Spider Bites prohibited. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The strangest piercing I have ever given was a lorum to a middle-aged man,â&#x20AC;? says York, who pierced the silver ring horizontally on the underside of the manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s penis at its base, where the penis meets the scrotum.

Although not all piercings are odd by

PIERCINGS BECAME SOMETHING I DID WHEN I WAS BORED.

What Piercing is That?

Madison

72 | Spark | May 27, 2011

Chest

Prom

N W SHOWING

Â?Â?Â?Â?Â? Â?Â?Â?

MOVIES:

Prom

Walt Disney Pictures PG 104 mins.

Thor

Paramount Pictures PG-13 114 mins.

Water for Elephants Fox 2000 Pictures PG-13 120 mins.

Fast Five

Dark Side Productions PG-13 130 mins.

movie posters impawards.com

74 | Spark | May 27, 2011

From the twinkling lights to the stars hanging from the ceiling, everything must be perfect. After months of planning, it all comes down to this one night, when h everyone can come together and leave past prejudices behind.

In Disneyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s latest movie Prom, this is exactly what Nova Prescott (Aimee Teegarden) imagines as the prom committee head. As the typical top-of-the-class, overachieving teen girl, Nova is forced to work with â&#x20AC;&#x153;bad boyâ&#x20AC;? of the school Jesse Richter (Thomas McDonell) because of an incident with the prom decorations. With little time to waste, the pair must work together to create all-new dĂŠcor before the big night arrives. But between the hard work and late nights, the duo not only gain newfound understanding for each other, but also an unexpected romance.

Most of the movie is painfully familiar.

Similar to Valentineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day, Prom consists of individual stories about different characters, intertwining and leading up to the longawaited event. Every possible tween movie stereotype is represented here, from the goodie-two-shoes to the jock caught between two love interests.

The movie is not only predictable, but it is also a little unrealistic. Not everyone magically comes together at their prom; there are still cliques and the popularity contest for the title of king and queen. Nothing is ever perfect, and not everyone has a great time. Dirty dancing and the crazy after-parties are not depicted, as that would probably go against the Disney image.

Meant for teens and preteens, Prom shows that idealistic setting that most girls fantasize about. Prom is supposed to be a great night.

Afterall, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the last high school dance before college. It represents those last few moments before kids move on in their lives. So although Prom was cheesy, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the ideal prom that many students dream about, and their last hope for a fairytale ending.â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Jenn Shafer

Water for Elephants Â?Â?Â?Â?Â? Â?Â?

Despite his lead roles in

Little Ashes and Remember Me, Robert Pattinson is undoubtedly best known for his part as Edward Cullen in the Twilight saga. As the object of every 13-year-old girlâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s obsession, Pattinson doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have much expected of him in terms of acting. Judging from his latest performance in Water for Elephants, however, there is certainly hope for the Brit.

= + New York Times best selling novel, viewers are immersed in the Great Depression-era world of The Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth, a traveling circus that boasts amazing acts recovered from other failed circuses.

After the showâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s main attraction is ruined, the abusive ringmaster August Rosenbluth (Christoph Waltz) is forced to discover a new act as a replacement that will keep people

! X touring circus circuit he discovers an elephant named Rosie, whom he believes will save his beloved circus. Augustâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wife, Marlena (Reese Witherspoon), and the circusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s veterinarian Jacob Jankowski (Robert Pattinson) are put in charge of training the elephant for the show.

As Marlena and Jacob grow closer, August becomes more unstable.

Although there are many moments in the

lack of depth, the movie is enjoyable overall.

The detailed costumes, captivating set and good acting help distract the audience from + ! Â&#x152; + charm could be its familiarity. The movie has many similarities to James Cameronâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Oscar-winning creation Titanic. While they are obviously very different, they have the same lure and a similar plot. ]

depth to be interesting is August, who is mentally unstable. While Witherspoon and Pattinson lack chemistry, they are an attractive on-screen couple. Starring alongside Oscar winners like Witherspoon and Waltz will inevitably help push Pattinson out of the shadow of the Twilight series.â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Michael Tedesco

Thor

Thor should have been the most clichĂŠ movie of all time.

Considering the storyline is based on an arrogant god who is banished from his kingdom only to fall in love with a mortal and save the planet from certain evil, it certainly i l wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;tâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; win i any awards d for creativity.

Yet director Kenneth Branagh did a fantastic job depicting the 1962 comic book

} 4

Norse mythology and bits of romance that help it avoid getting too drab.

The movie takes place in the world of Asgard, where an up-and-coming young warrior is on his way to be crowned the new king by his father King Odin. The kingdom of Asgard is a sworn enemy of the frost giants, creatures living in the mythical kingdom of Jotunheim.

Disregarding his fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s orders to remain peaceful, the war-hungry Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is convinced by his envious brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) to seek out revenge against this parallel universe. After disobeying his fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s word and bringing the two worlds to the brink of war, King Odin strips away his godly powers and banishes the young Thor to Earth, where he must live amongst the mortals.

After being thrown out of his kingdom, this god of thunder is discovered by young scientist Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) and her research team out in the New Mexico desert studying deep space disturbances. With the breath-taking storms in which Thor is dropped to Earth

of Asgard, the visual effects are amazing.

Hemsworth and Portman have instant on-screen chemistry, especially considering Hemsworth isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t your typical steroid-hungry

!

of dialogue with at least some degree of

!

X +

top-notch, and the suspense and constant plot twists should keep the audience on the edge of their seats. Though the plot started out like every other half-witted comic book movie, Thor was a pleasant surprise and is a must-see for the spring.â&#x20AC;&#x201D;

picture used with permisson from allmoviephoto.com

Â?Â?Â?Â?Â? Â?

EDITORSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; PICK Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson star in the ďŹ fth installment of The Fast and The Furious series.

Fast Five Â?Â?Â?Â?Â? Â?

Fast Five is almost too fast to keep up with. Not because of the speed of the & =]Â&#x160;# break out all too often, but because there is actually a plot. Yes, this action movie has a plot.

This isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t your typical action movie where people only come out to see Â&#x2C6; ^ ! @ OK, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exactly why people come out. In fact, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s probably why people

Fast and Furious series. People, namely men, canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get enough cars, women and violence. But it still helps to have a plot to go along with it. And thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what separates Fast Five from the other movies in the series. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not just just a bunch of people street racing; they actually have a greater purpose.

Fast Five brings back characters from other Fast and Furious movies, allowing them to team up against the enemy with a group of the best racers in the world.

The movie opens with Brian Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Conner (Paul Walker) and Mia Toretto (Jordana Brewster) rescuing her brother, Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel), from a prison bus.

The three of them gather in beautiful Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to help their friend Vince (Matt Schulze) steal a couple of cars from a train. They decide to only go after the GT40, and after an incredible escape, Dom and Brian are caught by the carâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s owner, Hernan Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida). They escape, but after learning that the car contains a microchip that holds valuable information about the illegal activities of Reyes, the group

decides to steal his money and split the booty. Teaming up with characters from earlier in the series, they go after Reyesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; millions while running from U.S. special agent Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson), who is also chasing them. \ Â&#x2C6; 20 times and then explode. Dodge Chargers speedd down a d Â&#x2021; Z Â&#x2C6;

! + the typical car racing, action movie in that respect.

But itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not just street racing. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s actually very little street racing at all. Sure, this movie is about a group of people trying to take illegal money from a guy so that they can keep it for themselves, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also about a group of people who care about each other. And theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re just trying to make a better life for their family.

The explosions and effects are always the best part of the Fast and Furious movies. The acting in Fast Five, however, is just as good.

Diesel and Johnson make perfect enemies,

donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even allow time for blinking. The movie has a few funny moments, although

4 the movie more well-rounded. It gives a reason for people to watch besides the fast cars and explosionsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;just in case people even care about things other than that.â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Christian Roehm

75 | Spark | lehsspark.org

N W PLAYING

BOWLING FOR SOUP Â?Â?Â?Â?Â? Â?Â?Â?

ALBUMS:

Bowling For Soup Fishinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; For Woos Que-So Records

4 @ +

get it right/The life of the party comes in bottles, cans and pints.â&#x20AC;? Even though the theme is simple the songs are fun to sing. The guitars are rocking, and the drum beats are heavy. Nothing spectacular or new, but the sound works for them. No ^ + 4 !

The best tracks on the album are those that show a hint of the bandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s maturity, most notably â&#x20AC;&#x153;Graduation Trip,â&#x20AC;? probably the best song on the album. The song Â&#x2C6;

Â&#x2C6;

supposed to last forever. Jaret Reddick sings, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I wonder if it ever crosses your mind/â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Cause Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m afrad its something I dwell on all the time,â&#x20AC;? over a quickly

!

Â&#x2C6;

!

Bowling For Soup is a band of those guys you see at high school reunions who never seemed to embrace adulthood.

But they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need to. They have found success in their niche. Fishinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; For Woos is simply them doing their own thing.â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Lucy Stephenson

Times New Viking

Â?

GORILLAZ Â?Â?Â?Â?Â?

Dancer Equired Siltbreeze

Damon Albarn doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just use his iPad to play Angry Birds.

Albarn, who created the virtual band Gorillaz with comic book artist Jamie Hewlett in 1998, used a handful of iPad apps to record the bandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new album, The Fallâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;no studio required. The entire album was recorded in hotel rooms during the North American leg of the bandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Escape to Plastic Beach World Tour.

While the bandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s previous album Plastic Beach featured guest vocals from superstars Snoop Dogg and Mos Def, as well as numerous other artists, The Fall features only a handful of guest appearances. ] +

Boston hotel room, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Revolving Doors,â&#x20AC;? blends a pungent electronic beat and soothing guitars with Albarnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s velvety vocals.

With nonchalant, chant-like backup vocals fusing with the more upbeat elements, a hypnotic, cyclical melody is born. More than anything, Albarnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s spellbinding voice is much easier to listen to than the guest

Gorillaz The Fall Parlophone

76 | Spark | May 27, 2011

Bowling for Soup follows a simple formula: write catchy, upbeat songs about beer, good times and breakups. Oh, and the occasional sentimental reveries thrown in for good measure.

They have 11 albums to their name, and theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve scored a few random hits here and there, including â&#x20AC;&#x153;High School Never Endsâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;1985.â&#x20AC;? They are undoubtedly

catchy. But even with a Grammy nomination in 2003, Bowling For Soup has never been taken seriously. But they do not seem to mind. Their latest album Fishinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; for Woos continues to follow their same, playful style. ] } } } Saturdayâ&#x20AC;? is classic Bowling For Soup, with lyrics about hating work and partying on 4 ! +

Â&#x153; radio potential. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Friends Chicks Guitarsâ&#x20AC;? follows the same predictable path, with lyrics

Fleet Foxes Helplessness Blues Sub Pop

album covers coverhunt.com

verses on tracks from Plastic Beach, which more often than not seemed rushed and downright awkward.

The only track with guest vocals â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bobby in Phoenixâ&#x20AC;? features a moving, bluesy guitar tune augmented by synthesizer-like electronic nuances. The

Bobby Womackâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s jazzy vocals. The end result is one of the best tracks on the record, unlike anything the band has ever released in the past.

Then again, this is not anything like a typical Gorillaz album. Instead of being chock-full of guest rap verses and effervescent beats, it is much more 4 Â&#x2C6;

lonesomeness of a perpetually traveling musician.

Despite being the frontman and founder of a band that has sold well over 20 million albums worldwide, Albarn will never be well-known, and unjustly so. This is a transcendent album, a true display of one manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s musical genius.

And itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all the more mind-blowing when you realize it was all recorded on a piece of equipment that costs roughly $500.â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Kyle Morrison

TIMES NEW VIKING

EDITORSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; PICK

Â?Â?Â?Â?Â? Â?Â?

photos labeled with commercial reuse

We all complain about Ohio. How boring it is, how our idea of metropolis is Cincinnati, which is more or less a

buildings whose streets are quiet and empty after the sun goes down. How when talking to people from other states, the universal reaction is always, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ohio? So you ride a horse and buggy to school?â&#x20AC;?

There are a few ways to reconcile this.

Most of us become Republicans, because thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just what you do. Others spend hours in their bedrooms listening to Pavement and Silkworm records. Then they go off and start } ! ] * ÂŁ 4 chosen the nobler path.

Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve made a name for sounding generally awful; the band started out recording onto cassette tapes (itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s really cool, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t worry) and eventually moved on to VHSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s super, super hip. Just take my word for it.

Mostly, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been exactly the same } } band whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve oversaturated the post-Bush American landscape. They tried to be loud, they tried to be obnoxious, they tried to be unlistenable. The kids called their brand of indie sledgehammering â&#x20AC;&#x153;sh-tgaze.â&#x20AC;? But the thing that has always made Times New Viking different is their inability to rid themselves of their own unwanted melodic tendencies.

It seems to have taken over on Dancer Equired +

only six years. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve cleaned up their act a little bit. The music is a little less boisterous, a little less intent on convincing itself of its own art-school credibility. You can actually hear the music, and what was hiding underneath the grime was actually a very pop-savvy indie rock band. Singer Jared Phillips is accompanied well by drummer Adam Elliot and keyboardist Beth Murphy, who periodically pitch in with their own melodic â&#x20AC;&#x153;oohsâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;aahs.â&#x20AC;?

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all very guitar-heavy, and the Pavement Â&#x2C6;

4 4 + a Cultureâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;No Room to Live.â&#x20AC;?

But this transformation is far too common to be considered profound. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s almost become a rite of passageâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the indie band that grows up, cleans up, is better for it. After success as a gimmick, the only sensible thing is to swallow your pride and record your records in a real live studio with real live equipment. It makes you wonder when bands will just forget about the schtick and just start out with something more real.â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Tyler Kieslich

Angles is The Strokesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; ďŹ rst album in ďŹ ve years.

Fleet Foxesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; debut album sold over 250,000 copies in the U.S.

FLEET FOXES Â?Â?Â?Â?Â?

With a name like Helplessness Blues, this album should be dripping with melancholy.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s abundant, but so is nostalgia, hope, love, wonder and fear. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an album that examines human behavior. Fleet Foxes called it existential, and they knew what they were talking about. The record as a whole is just so insightful. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most evident on the title track when vocalist Robin Peckord sings, â&#x20AC;&#x153;And now after some thinkinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;/Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d say Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d rather be/A functioning cog in some great machinery/ Serving something beyond me.â&#x20AC;?

Fleet Foxes arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t new to this, though.

They didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just crawl out of some hole and decide to make folk music. Their eponymous debut album was full of wintery poems and tales, all backed by signature acoustic picking. In the three years since then, it appears Fleet Foxesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; lyricist took some philosophy classes.

Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just so much of it to be found on Helplessness Blues, it seems likely.

Like most folk, Fleet Foxes manages to sound ugly and beautiful at the same time.

At one point they just blow into some saxophones. It lasts about a minute, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s great. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s like the end of Kanye Westâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;Runaway.â&#x20AC;? It doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really have a point, and it shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t work, but it does. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a weird type of beauty. On that same track, something called a marxophone is swirled into the mess. It sounds surprisingly lovely, albeit the accidental reference to socialism.

The lyrics and delivery on Helplessness Blues have an uncanny ability to take something as abstract as emotion and make it relatable. Something as simple as â&#x20AC;&#x153;Oh man, what I used to beâ&#x20AC;? is full

of nostalgia. And thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just the chorus line of the opening track, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Montezuma.â&#x20AC;?

The irony is the best part, though. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Battery Kenzieâ&#x20AC;? is an upbeat song with soaring vocals, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about someone dying.

For once, the lyrics set the mood, not the instrumentals.

Helplessness Blues is, more than anything, proof of Fleet Foxesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; versatility.

On â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Shrine-An Argument,â&#x20AC;?

Peckordâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s voice is rough and tinged with a gospel tone, but his singing breaks off into a soft croon immediately after his rawest moment. He switches tones without missing a beat. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an eight Â&#x2C6;

into the next track â&#x20AC;&#x153;Blue Spotted Tailâ&#x20AC;? a softer and more simplistic piece. It sounds like a lullaby with its diminished vocals and quiet guitar picking. Then, just three minutes later, Fleet Foxes goes right onto the next track â&#x20AC;&#x153;Grown Ocean,â&#x20AC;? an upbeat tune with surf-y guitar riffs. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a Beach Boys tune, sans Mike Loveâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s iconic

! & & ^ Â&#x2C6; switch from one style to another without a problem.

The real achievement on Helplessness Blues is that Fleet Foxes actually live up to the impossible expectations of their incredibly successful 2008 debut. It doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t happen often, but here it does.

Helplessness Blues is just so close to being perfect. From the insightful and poignant lyrics to the beautiful vocal harmonies, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a masterpiece.â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Dillon Mitchell

77 | Spark | lehsspark.org

entertainment | news feature

COMPLIMENTARY

COMICS story nugeen aftab | photo sierra whitlock

National Free Comic Book Day, a holiday celebrated by comic enthusiasts nationwide, made local headway this year at the FairďŹ eld branch of Pleasant Ridge-based Queen City Comics.

H

undreds of comics are sorted neatly into the brown boxes that rest on three long tables. Posters of various superheroes hang from every

! \

4 4 every hero and villain known to man.

This is Queen City Comics. ] &

relaxed air. The owner, Bob Justice, walks around, greets customers and gives out free comic books. Today is National Free Comic Book Day. â&#x20AC;&#x153;[Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been celebrating] ever since weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had the store. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a voluntary thing that all of the stores have the option to do,â&#x20AC;? says Justice. ]

customers can look forward to it every year. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s [no other promotions like] this, especially because it gets the nationwide publicity that it typically does,â&#x20AC;? says Justice. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Newspapers usually pick it up. After 10 years, people know to look for it.â&#x20AC;?

The comics that are included in the promotion, however, are not what a person would typically buy off the shelves. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re a little shorter than what you would buy off the shelf, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a good little tease to get you to come back and buy the longer ones,â&#x20AC;? says long time customer Jenny Whitaker. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It helps my kids read. They know the whole history. They can tell you everything about every superhero.â&#x20AC;?

Justice says that they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t give out all normal issues for no charge, but

!

Â&#x20AC;

 Â&#x;

for free comic book day,â&#x20AC;? says Justice. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In most cases, if itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new, it will be reprinted eventually. But thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not a lot of stuff thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s expressly for Free Comic Book Day.â&#x20AC;?

Justice says that the purpose of National Free Comic Book Day is not to

! â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more of a case of trying to play Johnny Appleseed,â&#x20AC;? says Justice. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not so much that weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to make [money], but the intent of it is to get a lot of the kid comics out there and hope that kids that will eventually come back.â&#x20AC;?

East junior and avid comic book reader Brandon Dietsch says that one comic is enough to gets somebody hooked on comics, as was his case. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Comic books might cost a lot or a little bit depending on where you go,â&#x20AC;? says Dietsch. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If you get a free comic book, then that could get [you] Â&#x20AC; Â

4 ! Â&#x20AC;Â&#x2014;

like] having a comic book just to say you have one.â&#x20AC;?

The effects of the holiday, however, are not immediately visible, says Justice. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The problem with comics is most young kids arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t buying them. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to take some time to actually see how well [Free Comic Book Day] 4 + 4 4 ^ 8Â&#x2018; 8ÂŚ Â&#x20AC; Â Â&#x201A; _ ! Â&#x20AC;Â&#x2021; Â +

opposed to doing nothing, which is what theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve done for a long time.â&#x20AC;? Â&#x201E;

78 | Sp 78 SSpark par ark | May Maayy 27, 27 7,, 2011 20 01 11

DAVEEGGERS

YOU SHALL KNOW OUR VELOCITY! publisher mcsweeneyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cost: $15.00 (paperback) pages: 353

review tyler kieslich

ld people just canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t keep up with Dave Eggers.

He called his debut memoir A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, and it was dark and beautiful and funny and sardonic, a postmodern retelling of his legitimately tragic life up to that point. Eggersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; book set the literary world alight with its wit and its lack of regard for narrative time-space continums, and there were awards, there were movie deals, there were television interviews. But soon after the hype died down the inevitable backlash came charging at him like a barbarian horde. Aging literary fogies chided him for his sentences that went on and on and on, whirling out of Earthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s orbit before spiraling around Pluto and falling back to land with a glorious thud. They also didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t appreciate his massive ego, because anyone with the haughtiness to so openly declare their own self-directed affection must be some kind of real-life Dorian Gray. Mostly, they just didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get the joke.

The creaky-kneed geezers who constitute most of Eggersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; detractors wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be convinced by You Shall Know Our Velocity!. Eggers is a whipper-snapper, writing novels for whipper-snappers, who like him think of Generation X-ers as relics existing in that hazy era after the advent of MTV but before Facebook

4 !

It is a novel about speed: globetrotting, time-bending, gravity-defying speed. There is fury in Eggersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; voice as he sprints through the exploits of his protagonists Will and Hand, who must see as much of the world as possible in the â&#x20AC;&#x153;six, six and a half â&#x20AC;? days they have allotted themselves. There is never much explanation for the duoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s absurdist odyssey, but that is probably because there is not enough time, never enough time, and such paltry things as reason and logic are collateral damage when there are things to do, and places to see.

We know only that Will and Hand are reeling from the recent death of a close friend and that Will has recently come into $80,000 because his likeness was used to sell light bulbs. The usually stationary Will feels like the money is an unwarranted burden. He needs to get rid of it, and quickly. So the childhood friends decide to head out to the various

'

to dump the unwanted cash. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sort of like Oprahâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Big Gift. Â&#x2021; Â&#x2039; ! @ that you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just hop on a plane to wherever. They want to go to out of the way places, like Greenland and Rwanda and Mongolia, but the

O

logistics of airline travel somehow steers them to Somalia, then Paris, then London. The foreigners they meet arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t as helpless and dollarstarved as the duo had initially hoped, but it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stop them from throwing money around everywhere they go.

The eloquence of Eggers is the glue that holds You Shall Know Our Velocity! !

4 4 ?

and how we cope after people we love are gone. Will and Hand are running, Hand from the reality of work, home, life as it became after Jack left it, and Will from the guilt of inexplicably coming into so such money for basically nothing, of being unworthy of the success Jack never had a chance to attain. Much like the generation Eggers has found an audience with, Will and Hand found it easier to escape rather than cope, to run away to places they hadnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t heard of with names they couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t pronounce because they sounded exotic and they were far from home. They are childlike and immature, planning the trip a week before leaving and assuming that

+ money and welcome them with open arms. Some have suggested that this is a jab at American arrogance, but it is more likely Eggers is just as guilty of it as everyone else. Will and Hand, like the Sal and Dean of Jack Kerouacâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s On the Road, a novel that this one has been and always will be compared to, embody a youthful restlessness. But unlike Kerouacâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s men, they arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t seeking deeper answers; they just want to avoid the questions. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Everything within takes place after Jack died and before my mom and I drowned in the cool tannin-tinted Guaviare River, in east-central Columbia, with 42 locals we hadnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t yet met. It was a clear and eyeblue _ on Chicagoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s north side in the opulent shadow of Wrigley and with the wind coming low and searching off the half-frozen lake. I was inside, warm, walking from door to door.â&#x20AC;?

Beautiful, isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t it? The way the commas carve out the lyrical phrases like they existed in giant blocks of marble. This is how Eggers starts the novel off, in big letters, with Will in some kind of Tralfamadorian afterlife in which he is both in the present and in the ground at the same time. But fancy prose style aside, what Eggers achieves with You Shall Know Our Velocity! is something very real. He writes about grief with raw, biting, real power.

But I guess parents just donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t understand. Â&#x201E;

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The creaky-kneed geezers who constitute most of Eggersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; detractors wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be convinced by You Shall Know Our Velocity!.â&#x20AC;?

79 | Spark | lehsspark.org

entertainment | in-depth album

FOO FIGHTERS WASTING LIGHT After escaping the shadow of Nirvana and dabbling in pop-rock, Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters have ďŹ nally returned to their angry, garage-rock roots. review zach fulciniti

he Foo Fighters recorded their seventh album Wasting Light in lead singer Dave Grohlâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s garage. While this may technically qualify it as â&#x20AC;&#x153;garage rock,â&#x20AC;? itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fairly safe to assume that Grohlâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

} 4

garages. This method seems to have worked, as the album is easily one of their strongest and most focused efforts; 11 tracks of pure, unadulterated, face-melting rock â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; roll, which is pretty much what theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been going for since 1994, when Grohl recorded all of the guitar, bass, drum and vocal tracks for 12 songs that would become the bandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eponymous debut album.

Wasting Light

!

4

Nirvana drummer Grohl recorded with Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic since 1993, with the + In Utero. Novoselic plays bass and accordion on â&#x20AC;&#x153;I Should Have Known,â&#x20AC;? a song that appears to refer to the suicide of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain in 1994. Grohl sings, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I should have known/Though I cannot forgive you yet.â&#x20AC;? The plaintive, deeply personal ballad is one of the best tracks on the album, if not one of the best Foo Fighters tracks, period. ]

between Grohl and producer Butch Vig since they worked together on Nirvanaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s breakthrough album and one of the most important records of all time, Nevermind. While Cobain initially disliked Vigâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s clean, glossy production, it works well here. ] Â&#x152; } time member since the bandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s second album, 1997â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s The Colour and the Shape. This may have also contributed to the ever-present aggression,

+

\ Â&#x2C6;

be returning to the band. However, it appears to have been the right

Â&#x; 4 Â&#x2C6; = ! â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bridge Burningâ&#x20AC;? is the best example. The interweaving guitars are distorted, crunchy, messy, angry and beautiful, and the song would not work anywhere near as well without them. | Â&#x201A; + ^ + diverse guitar attack. The track opens with a distant, delayed riff. Within

T

4 } ! ] tracks on the album are â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dear Rosemaryâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Arlandria,â&#x20AC;? songs about women who mustâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve done something to seriously piss off Dave Grohl.

On â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dear Rosemary,â&#x20AC;? he sings, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Truth ainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t gonna change the way you die/Youth ainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t gonna change the way you die.â&#x20AC;?

Of the two, however, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Arlandriaâ&#x20AC;? is the superior track. The verse begins with only one quietly-strummed guitar, light drums and Grohl practically reciting the lyrics. It continues to build, however, as the other two guitarists enter and the drums pick up speed, eventually reaching an intense climax in which Grohl screams, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Shame, shame, go away/Come again some other dayâ&#x20AC;? at the top of his lungs. It is glorious. â&#x20AC;&#x153;White Limoâ&#x20AC;? is easily the heaviest song on the album, a short, intense track with heavily distorted, interlocking guitar riffs. And at this point, Grohl has apparently completely given up on singing the lyrics, instead choosing to scream them as if his very life depends on it.

The album is, for the most part, consistent in its sound. Only on a few tracks does it falter and dip into pop-rock territory, particularly â&#x20AC;&#x153;These Daysâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Back and Forth.â&#x20AC;? However, even these tracks are strong, recalling the more alternative, arenarock fervor of the bandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s previous hits, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Everlongâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;My Hero.â&#x20AC;?

In addition, Wasting Light is one of the Foo Fightersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; most lyrically powerful efforts. On â&#x20AC;&#x153;Back and Forth,â&#x20AC;? Grohl sings, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Does my Heaven burn like Hell on you?â&#x20AC;? The title of the record comes from â&#x20AC;&#x153;Miss the Misery,â&#x20AC;? in which Grohl sings, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t change your mind/Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re wasting light.â&#x20AC;?

It is their best work since The Colour and the Shape. Ironically, on the albumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s closing track and second single â&#x20AC;&#x153;Walk,â&#x20AC;? Grohl sings, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Learning to walk again/I believe Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve waited long enough/Where do I begin?â&#x20AC;?

The lead single off of the Foo Fightersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; 1999 album, There is Nothing Left to Lose, was â&#x20AC;&#x153;Learn to Fly,â&#x20AC;? a pop-rock anthem and one of their most popular songs.

It appears the band has regressed. Dave Grohl himself agrees, stating that on their previous album, Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace, they were â&#x20AC;&#x153;too concerned with being musical...itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time for us to be a rock band again.â&#x20AC;? Yeah, good call. Â&#x201E;

â&#x20AC;&#x153;We were too concerned with being musical...itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time for us to be a rock band again.â&#x20AC;?

80 | Spark | May 27, 2011

11

sports | feature

FLIPPING

THE SWITCH Le Leading the state rankings, the 22-2 East softball team 22 and standout senior pitcher an Sara Pearson are leaving their S mark on diamonds across the m Greater Miami Conference. East G plans to turn on the heat at the pl state tournament with hopes of st hanging a banner on Main Street. ha sto drew souders story photos eric muenchen ph photo illustration devin casey ph

â&#x20AC;&#x153;S

trike rike three!â&#x20AC;?

The umpire signals the out as East senior Sara Pearson coolly steps off the mound to retrieve the ball from the catcher. She takes a glance back behind her as the next Mason batter breathes heavily and advances toward the plate. One more to go.

The supportive shouts from her teammates cheering her on and the feelings inspired by a spring day are replaced by icy veins and a look of pure determination. Pearson means business. @ ^ }

4 ! '^

the mound. Two home runs by East freshman Kadey Astrop and East senior Kelly Hardison in the sixth inning had sealed the come-from-behind victory against Mason High School. Now,

Â&#x2C6;

! ] excitedly, shook the hands of the downtrodden Comets and headed off to practice. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Oh yeah, we lift after games too,â&#x20AC;? says Pearson. â&#x20AC;&#x153;After our home games we have to have a mini-practice where [Coach] hits us balls for half an hour. Every other game we go into the weight room, whether weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re away or home, and we lift for 45 minutes.â&#x20AC;?

East Varsity Softball is not content with being ranked number one in the state in several online polls; the team could not sleep comfortably at night simply by remembering that they had scored 96 runs in 11 games halfway through the season. The Lady Hawks are hungry for improvement, a trait that has led them to an 22-2 record and a shot at the Ohio Division I State Championship. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We play usually Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and if we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t play,

Â&#x201A; ' | ! *

much as we do or as hard as we do, and I think thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what has helped us this season. We always put it the extra effort, extra time and extra practice.â&#x20AC;?

The Hawks are always focused. East Varsity Softball Head Coach Steve Castner, an

8282| Spark | Spark| May | May27, 27,2011 2011

East varsity assistant softball coach Steve Castner (left) encourages the team. Junior Kim Rollins (right) slides into home during the Thunderhawksâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; 3-0 victory over Mason on May 5.

83 | Spark | lehsspark.org

sports | feature Independence Elementary gym teacher, has set a rigorous routine for his team to follow while preparing for its big games. The team starts its

4 he, Coach Mike Buckenmeyer or Coach Rico Hill hits balls to the girls working on their defensive skill sets. The coaches have tailored the drills to mimic special game situations. After the defensive drills, they hit the cages for batting practice, then do a set of conditioning drills to keep the girls focused and in shape.

Despite the countless hours of practice, life as a softball player at East is not all just hard work. Pearson, who has registered 206 strikeouts through 26 games this season, with 18 wins, constantly reminds the team

Â&#x201A; ! â&#x20AC;&#x153;At one of our recent team bondings [Pearson] talked about how you Â? +

Â&#x201A; says Rosenston. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Yeah, you can have fun, but you have to be serious

4 !Â&#x201A; @

between fun and concentration, the team as a whole seems to have mastered this concept. Despite sitting in second place in the Greater Miami Conference (GMC), the team is by no means focused on softball at all times. â&#x20AC;&#x153;At the beginning of the year we always do this fun scavenger thing we call FUF,â&#x20AC;? laughs East junior Alyssa Grevenkamp, who plays shortstop and bats leads off. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This year we had someone jump in a dumpster and everyone went around to stores asking for random items.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pretty crazy.â&#x20AC;?

The program does not limit team-oriented events to the beginning of the season, however. The coaching staff and the teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s group of seniors, which includes Pearson, Megan Costa and Kelly Hardison, attempt to create a fun atmosphere for the duration of the long, 32 game season. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We do a lot of team bonding type things. Actually one weekend we [went] up to our coachâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s farm and [got] to do some four-wheeling,

? Â&#x201A; = 4 !

According to the players, team chemistry has proved to be an important element for the Hawks this season. The team has representation from every grade level at the high school, including four freshmen. In order to play to its full potential, the team needed to come together as a unit early on in the season.

While general team chemistry is essential, it goes to waste without one dominant leader. For the Hawks softball team, Pearson has stepped ! â&#x20AC;&#x153;I would say [Sara] is our number one leader,â&#x20AC;? says Grevenkamp. â&#x20AC;&#x153;She knows when to goof off and when to be serious, and I think that everybody looks up to her. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m glad that she stood up there and took that spot.

[PEARSON] KNOWS WHEN TO GOOF OFF AND WHEN TO BE SERIOUS.

Anyone who has watched Pearson pitch will not be surprised by her defensive numbers. After moving to East her junior year she has made a serious impact in the GMC, leading the conference in games pitched, wins, strikeouts, earned run average (.30), and a 0.56 walks plus hits per inning average.

Unlike other dominant pitchers, Pearson is just as good with the bat as she is on the mound. She leads the league in runs batted in (30) and

= \ !

to the University of Memphis,where she will be playing softball on a 92 percent scholarship.

Both Castner and Pearson stress that the teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s success is not due to one individualâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s effort. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sara has led by example both offensively and East senior Sara Pearson pitches defensively, but we do not single out one player. This at an away game against Mason is a team sport. There are several players who have High School in a come-back win. stepped up to lead this team throughout this season.

It is all about team and hard work,â&#x20AC;? says Castner.

Pearson goes as far as to give the team credit for some of her personal success. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our defense had to make plays, it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t all strikeouts,â&#x20AC;? she says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even know that I pitched a no-hitter until the next day. I just kind of go out there and play, and whatever happens, happens.â&#x20AC;?

The Hawks star pitcher is not alone on the top of = \ ! home runs, and East junior Ainsley Ellisonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s .509

!

East sophomore Leah Buckenmeyer is not far behind Pearson, ranked fourth in the GMC with 19 runs batted in.

Grevenkamp attributes much of the teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s success to these kinds of offensive performances. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re better than last year because we have a lot better hitters,â&#x20AC;? she says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Everyone can hit, so thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s really no weak point in our lineup.â&#x20AC;?

With a stacked batting line-up, a strong source of leadership and exceptional team chemistry, the East softball team plans on riding the wave of success all the way to a state title. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I expect to go all the way, and get farther than Â&#x201C; Â&#x201D; Â&#x201A; Â&#x152; ! 4 that weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re getting better as a team and growing as a team so we have a good shot of going all the way.â&#x20AC;? Â&#x201E;

84 | Spark | May 27, 2011

East Track and Field Coach John Lindeman gives advice to high jumper Trey Peyton.

East track and ďŹ eld coaches are leading the Thunderhawk athletes through strict workouts, demonstration of determination and off-track antics.

Leading the Way The East Track and Field team aspires to compete in regionals and beyond due to its coachesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; hardworking mentality. story alex grifďŹ n I photo emily chao

E

ast Track and Field Head Coach John Lindeman is steaming.

where twenty-plus runners are standing in a circle stretching. He shakes his head, disappointed with the lack of effort and sounds a high pitch whistle to capture the runnersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; attention. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hey guys, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stretch for me,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In fact, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even stretch for today. But please stretch for tomorrow!â&#x20AC;?

Lindeman expects respect and dedication out of all of his athletes. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Come on! Stretch like the athletes I know you are,â&#x20AC;? he shouts.

Though Lindeman pushes his players during practice and competitions, many of the athletes like his tough, yet still â&#x20AC;&#x153;personalâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;spontaneousâ&#x20AC;? side. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Last year at regionals, [Lindeman] parked in the handicap spot and whipped out his momâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s parking pass,â&#x20AC;? says East junior Lauren Buck, Â&#x2039; the Track and Field State Championships in shot-put and discus. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My favorite part was when Lindeman started walking with a huge limp as soon as he got out of the van.â&#x20AC;?

She says that both Lindeman and Coach Doug Noxsel, who trained her for her event, have helped her qualify for the state competition last ! Â&#x2021; 4 Â&#x2039; ' 8Â&#x2018; the state discus throw event. â&#x20AC;&#x153;[Noxsel] is not going to chase you around and beg you to work,â&#x20AC;? says Buck. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But if you put forth the effort, he will do everything he possibly can to make you the best he can.â&#x20AC;?

Lindeman and Noxsel are not the only coaches who strive to push their athletes to the best of their abilities. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For pole-vault, I expect all of the athletes to just keep dedicating themselves, breaking personal records and improving at what they do,â&#x20AC;? says East track pole vault Coach Jeff Combs.

East sophomore and distance runner Matt Rice says that he owes his success and improvements to the track coaching staff. Rice placed

Â&#x160;^8ÂŚ## @ |

in 3200m at the Princeton Invitational.

According to Lindeman, Rice has â&#x20AC;&#x153;shown he can put himself up there as a leader.â&#x20AC;? Rice says that the distance team as a whole has improved, due in large part to the coaching. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our success is mostly because of Coach [Adam] Thomas,â&#x20AC;? says Rice of one of his primary coaches. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He is a very talented coach who really knows what he is doing. I think he is putting together a really strong boysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; distance team for this year.â&#x20AC;?

Last year, the East Boysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Track Team placed 11th in the district meet ' ? Â&#x2039; ! ] +

Â&#x2039; ÂĽ Â&#x2021; 4 and East sophomores Kendra Thomas, Courtney Schauble and Kelly Burrows.

Though East sophomore distance runner Kelly Burrows placed ninth in regionals last year, she anticipates qualifying for the State Championship this year. Earlier in the year, Burrows traveled to the state championship for cross country, and placed 36th overall among 140 runners. She says that her coaches are her motivators. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Lindeman has always been extremely supportive of me and I love that,â&#x20AC;? says Burrows. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I remember as a freshman, I was just excited that [Lindeman] knew my name.â&#x20AC;?

According to the players, Coach Lindeman is known for his â&#x20AC;&#x153;Lindeman push-ups,â&#x20AC;? where athletes go all the way down, halfway up, down again, halfway up and repeat. From this different approach to push-ups, to Coach Wagnersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s special â&#x20AC;&#x153;wagâ&#x20AC;? workout, each of the track coaches has a unique way of challenging and teaching their runners. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The coaches teach us that you have to dedicate yourself to what you want and work hard to get there,â&#x20AC;? says Burrows. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Lindeman tells me all the time that being talented is not enough; you have to work everyday to reach your goals.â&#x20AC;? Â&#x201E;

85 | Spark | lehsspark.org

sports | feature

CAUSING A

RACQUE

After leading East to a third-place ďŹ nish in the Greater Miami Conference (GMC) and winning his second consecutive individual title, senior Freddy Abunku takes his talents to the next level. story tommy behan | photo illustration kyle morrison

East senior Freddy Abunku has dedicated his life to tennis and plans to pursue his passion at Xavier University.

S

omewhere south of Tylersville Road is the birthplace of a monster tennis player. Somewhere off of where Grinn and Barrett Road cross lays the memory of a fateful bright afternoon. Somewhere \ 4

! Â&#x2030; Â&#x152; 4 } Greater Miami Conference (GMC) champion was created.

86 | Spark | May 27, 2011

As he was shooting hoops, East senior Freddy Abunku began watching his father and brother playing tennis across the park. Little did he know that he would start and never stop playing this sport. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I started playing tennis with my parents after I became interested,â&#x20AC;? says Abunku, who plays second singles for the Hawks and won the Coaches Classic Tournament in second singles. ] X 4 !

4 Â&#x2039; 4

! started with soccer at a young age, then moved to basketball and cross-

ET

! ]

was different. Abunku quickly realized his natural ability and soon began learning from trainer Donny Jackson when he was 12 years old. Jackson has watched and helped nurture Abunkuâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s skills over the years. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Abunku is a phenomenal athlete. He is faster and stronger than you would think, his endurance is unbelievable and his feel for the racquet is exceptional,â&#x20AC;? says Jackson. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He has a good knowledge of how to return balls and has become more aggressive over the years. The combination of these makes him hard to beat. Abunku does not mind working hard

and now serves as a good role model for the younger players he is around.â&#x20AC;?

By the time he joined Eastâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tennis team as a sophomore, Abunku was Â&#x2039; 4 ^

! became apparent on the courts. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Freddy can run and run and run. He gets back shots that his opponents think are winners, and he covers the court so smoothly that his opponents generally get frustrated and make mistakes trying to do too much,â&#x20AC;? says East Menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Varsity Tennis Coach Greg Mahlerwein.â&#x20AC;&#x153;Freddy

87 | Spark | lehsspark.org

sports | feature has the complete array of tennis shots. He can outlast almost anyone in mistake-free rallies.â&#x20AC;? ] X 4 smoothness. His speed and agility make him a worthy adversary and his determination makes him nearly invulnerable. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Freddy is one of the fastest people Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve ever met,â&#x20AC;? says East senior and fellow varsity tennis player Akash Umakantha. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He is like the Energizer Bunnyâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;he gets every ball back. He never misses.â&#x20AC;? ] X 4 !

impossible shots are kept in play, not only frustrating opponents, but also adding to Abunkuâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s momentum. This is why he was ranked ninth in the state for tennis and will be continuing his athletic career in college at Xavier University. Abunku verbally committed to Xavier in Nov. 2010 and he plans on majoring in natural sciences, while also competing in Division I tennis. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It will be challenging to do college and tennis at the same time, but I will shake it off,â&#x20AC;? says Abunku. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I like the coach a lot and I know some of the kids on the team. They are also the defending A-10 champions for three years, so I am looking forward to contributing on the team.â&#x20AC;?

Because of this, many team members see Abunku as a major leader, including East junior teammate Billy Barren, who looks up to Abunku as a major component of the leadership on the team. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He is an athletic person, very natural, with stamina and endurance and a consistent playing style,â&#x20AC;? says Barren. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He uses a combination of athleticism and consistency to take down opponents. Freddy leads by example.â&#x20AC;?

Umakantha also sees Abunkuâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leadership as critical to the team. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Freddy inspires us with his great charisma and words of wisdom before every match,â&#x20AC;? says Umakantha. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He really pumps us up.â&#x20AC;? ' + } 4 in Ohio on the team. Together, Abunku and East junior Zach Mueck are

!

4 X 4

singles. Losing is not an option. Both players, however, have different personalities and playing techniques. This makes them unique and constructive to each otherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tennis skills. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Zach and Freddy are opposites in their styles, both on and off the court. Freddy is â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Mr. Smoothâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; while Zach is â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The Hammer,â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? says Mahlerwein. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Both are amazing tennis players. It is important with the §

that we do not forget how lucky East is to have two of the most talented players in the state tournament on the same team at the same time. They make each other better everyday during practice, and neither would be as good as they are without the other.â&#x20AC;? @ 4 X 4

^ ! ] from the truth as Abunku and Mueck have formed a strong friendship with tennis as a solid foundation.

§

! to me because that is when I actually thought I could get better at tennis,â&#x20AC;? says Abunku. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are pretty close friends and I actually met him at Keehner Park. After we saw each other a few times, we arranged a carpool for tennis. He is a good friend of mine and has been playing ! !Â&#x201A;

4 } "#8# accomplishments on the court affect their relationship. They have been friends since a young age, forming a bond that cannot be weakened by jealousy from success. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I met Freddy when we were six or seven and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been friends ever since,â&#x20AC;? says Mueck. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We hang out a lot outside of tennis.â&#x20AC;?

In addition to being good friends, Abunku and Mueck also use each otherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s complementary and advanced tennis skills to hone their own abilities. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Freddy is very consistent. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a team player who likes to root on teammates and is very supportive,â&#x20AC;? says Mueck. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is an advantage being

Science of the Serve East senior Freddy Abunku has broken tennis down to a science. His superior tennis abilities originate from his intricate form and technique. infographic devin casey, irfan ibrahim

Flat serve To start out, Freddy sometimes uses a which involves no spin.

88 | Spark park | May 27, 27 2011

Spin Top spin is Freddyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s F spin of choice, which he uses for more power behind his hit.

able to practice with each other because it has made us both better.â&#x20AC;?

Abunku not only has a good relationship with Meuck, but also with his family. Abunku was born in Jamaica, moved to America when he was two years old and has a triple residency in Jamaica, Nigeria and the United States. His parents, Orduen and Jane, met and married in Nigeria. Because Orduen traveled often and knew kids were going to be on the way, he and his wife decided to move to America to give their children more opportunities. Freddy, however, has visited Nigeria several times to visit his father, family and to take in the land of his roots. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The culture in Nigeria is different. They eat different foods and they do not have all the basic necessities that we do, like electricity, everywhere,â&#x20AC;? says Freddy. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You get used to it though, over time, but after a while I miss America.â&#x20AC;?

Because Orduen was born in Nigeria and has an active interest in his homeland, he worked his way to be the Commissioner of Health in the State of Nigeria (Benue). Abunku only sees his father a few times per year, particularly on holidays or special occasions. Abunkuâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mother, Jane, also is a full-time worker at the West Chester Medical Center. This leaves Abunku with much more responsibility, particularly because his older brother is away studying chemical engineering at the University of Cincinnati. Abunku must take care of his sister, work, maintain his grades and get to the tennis courts himself. His sister, fourth grader Anna Abunku, looks up to her brother as a role model for more than just tennis. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Freddy encourages me to do well in tennis and to do well in school.

He makes me breakfast and food when Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m hungry. He picks me up almost every day from tennis or my friendâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s house,â&#x20AC;? says Anna. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I started playing tennis because I watched Freddy play and I wanted to play too.

Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a good person.â&#x20AC;?

His parents also appreciate the hard work he contributes to the family, as their full-time employment makes the logistics of running a

Eastern

Western

Continental

HE IS LIKE THE ENERGIZER BUNNYHE GETS EVERY BALL BACK. HE NEVER MISSES.

! X _ to see Orduen, the process of visiting Nigeria takes time and effort.

Time delays, taking off from work and planning international, two-day Â&#x2C6; _ ! & plate to lighten the load. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Freddy has taken the role of a leader in the family, acting on behalf of his father,â&#x20AC;? says Jane. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My other son Prince is away, so Freddy takes Anna places she needs to be, cuts the grass and helps out around the house.â&#x20AC;?

In addition to working hard nearly every moment of each day, Freddy also had to overcome injuries earlier in the year. He acquired a stress fracture in his back after he overworked the area from too much tennis.

Freddy, however, quickly recovered with rest. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was rusty for a bit, but thanks to Zachâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s help I got back to where Â&#x201A; &

4 singles spot, becoming the GMC Champion.

Now Freddy is at the top of his game. His opponents do not stand a chance. The only thing they can do is Grinn and Barrett. Â&#x201E;

Grip There are several different grips in a tennis playerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s repertiore. The primary service grips include Continental, Eastern and Western.

The Return In this particular instance, the serve was a slice serve, which is hit diagonally to the left serverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s box. This makes it harder to hit.

Types of Spin Top Spin Flat Spin Slice

89 | Spark | lehsspark.org lehsspark org

sports | hawk culture

Player Spotlights photo kyle morrison

photo turner photo dan eric muenchen

Nick Brown

Michael Ricke

Boysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Lacrosse

Boysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Volleyball

E

ast junior Michael Ricke is short for his position. Regardless of

} ' Â&#x2021; + ÂŁ ÂŁ \ & Fields considers him to be one of the most valuable members of the team. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ricke works the hardest and takes little credit for what he does,â&#x20AC;? said Fields. | 4 ' + volleyball team as the starting setter for his team. This season he has had a total of 45 kills.

Fields is not surprised by Rickeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s statistics, attributing the teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s overall success to Rickeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;heart and dedication.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;He puts so much into it that it makes it enjoyable for everyone else,â&#x20AC;? said Fields.

Ricke, however, did not begin his high school volleyball career as a starting setter. It was only after Fields accidentally discovered Rickeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s talent before a game that he changed positions. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ricke was playing volleyball with his teammates while waiting for a game. Several players noticed and approached me, saying â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Coach, you really have to see [Ricke] set,â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? said Fields.

As of press time the team has only one gmae remining and a 16-5 record and is anticipating going to the Greater Miami Conference Â&#x201C;= \Â&#x201D; ! ]

two years. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I hope to make it to [the state tournament] before I graduate,â&#x20AC;? said Ricke. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I really think we can make [the state tournament] either this year or next.â&#x20AC;? ] ^ !

currently has only 15 varsity and junior varsity players; the team, however, continues to work well despite their depth. â&#x20AC;&#x153;As a team this year we have been closer than ever,â&#x20AC;? said Ricke. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are really well-rounded.â&#x20AC;?

East senior and four-year boysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; varsity volleyball player Zach Johnston agrees that the team needs more students to play, but says thar Ricke has helped make up for fewer players on the team via his stamina on the court. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He runs the team, and he runs the offense,â&#x20AC;? said Johnston. â&#x20AC;&#x153;On top of all that, he is the person that keeps everyone else up when we are losing.â&#x20AC;?

Fields agrees, stating that Rickeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sense of leadership and dedication makes him an indispensable asset to the team. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ricke has helped command these older, more veteran players,â&#x20AC;? said Fields. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He is a pretty incredible leader.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Victoria Reick-Mitrisin

S

enior Nick Brown never intended to play goalie.

After joining the East boysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; varsity lacrosse team freshman year, Brown switched to goalie his sophomore year simply because nobody was willing to take the position. Brownâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s willingness to become a goal keeper, however, showed Varsity Lacrosse Coach Matt McDonnell his positive attitude and how he would do anything he needed to for the team. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He is willing to try different things,â&#x20AC;? said McDonnell. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He has an, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll do whatever you ask me to do, coachâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; type of attitude.â&#x20AC;?

Now a senior, Brown loves lacrosse and playing as a goalie, even though he never intended to become one. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t too thrilled to play it a couple of years ago,â&#x20AC;? said Brown. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Now that Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve gotten better, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s starting to pay off.â&#x20AC;?

Nickâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s favorite part of being goalie is how much of an effect he has on the outcome of the game. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s really an impact position,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You can win or lose the game.â&#x20AC;?

Brown proved vital in Eastâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s match against Springboro on April 6.

With about 10 seconds left, East was up 11-10. Springboro shot on goal and Brown made the game winning save. With Brown showing his goalie skills in both this and many other games this season, McDonnell said Brown has made â&#x20AC;&#x153;great stridesâ&#x20AC;? in the past two years. He still, however, remains humble. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He makes the big stops, but he is never going to be the one who is going to want all the glory,â&#x20AC;? said McDonnell. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are trying to build a

+ * 4 ^ !Â&#x201A; Despite this talented win against Springboro, East has not found success across the board. Brown thinks keeping a positive attitude is still important no matter what the score is. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are all kind of relaxed,â&#x20AC;? said Brown. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If we werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t, we would get a little frustrated. We just work hard and try to have fun.â&#x20AC;?

4 Â&#x2021;

East boysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; varsity lacrosse team. Like the young lacrosse team itself, Brown is not experienced in the sport. Both he and the lacrosse team, however, work hard to remain competitive with the other teams. ^

Â&#x201A; ! * 4 has always done his best for the team.â&#x20AC;?

According to McDonnell and teammate East junior Jacob King, Â&#x2021; ! X Â&#x2021; has a care free attitude, he knows when it is time to be serious. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Nick is a true lax bro,â&#x20AC;? said King. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He is always there to have fun and joke around, but when the game gets serious, Nick gets serious.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Kaitlin Lange

TICKER: BOYSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; BASEBALLâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Michael Conrad second in strikeouts

Â&#x201E; BOYSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

TRACKâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Second in 6400m relay

Ex-Thunderhawk in Minors story john grasty

E

photo used with written permission from university of memphis

nduring many days of uncertainty and sleepless nights, Scott McGregor

! X

' "##Â&#x2018; and pitcher for the Thunderhawk baseball team, Scott earned his big break when he received a call from Jupiter, Florida, with the opportunity of a lifetime at the other end. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I probably got about half an hour of sleep that night,â&#x20AC;? says Scott, who was called XX Cardinals minor league team. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was excited.â&#x20AC;?

After his conversation with the Cardinals ended, Scott immediately called his father, who Scott credits as the reason for his success. Mr. McGregor was enthralled to learn that his son has moved from the class A Quad City River Bandits minor league team to an AA pitching prospect for the St. Louis Cardinals, but was denies any credit for his sonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s baseball prowess. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just me,â&#x20AC;? says Mr. McGregor. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was all Scott [from the beginning]. It was his desire to play and get better.â&#x20AC;?

Once the phone calls had stopped, Scott

¨ ' | ! that she was not surprised when Scott got the call and knew his hard work would pay off in a big way. â&#x20AC;&#x153;[Scott] is the most determined person I have ever known,â&#x20AC;? says Russell, who graduated from East in 2007 and is now playing tennis at West Virginia State University.

Scott attests that his determination grew

Scott McGregor graduated from East in 2005 and was an outďŹ elder and pitcher for the Thunderhawks during his tenure.

from his experiences at East, the University of Memphis and the Cardinalsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; farm system. \

Â&#x201A;

compiled an earned runs average (ERA) of 3.14 in three seasons.

Although his success seems unprecedented, Scottâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s former coach, East varsity baseball coach Ray Hamilton, says he knew Scottâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s intellect and work ethic would make him a â&#x20AC;&#x153;dominantâ&#x20AC;? pitcher. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not surprised at all to see him where he is today,â&#x20AC;? says Hamilton, who has coached

baseball for 18 years. Â&#x152;

} = Miami Conference team in his senior year.

Over the course of his tenure at East, Scott proved his â&#x20AC;&#x153;dominanceâ&#x20AC;? with a 6-2 record and a 2.63 ERA in 53 innings on the mound.

Scott led the Thunderhawks to a 20-7

the Tigers, where he met fellow pitcher and teammate Mark Ashley. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Scott is an actual pitcher,â&#x20AC;? says Ashley. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just throw hard. He thinks about what heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s doing.â&#x20AC;?

With Scottâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s experiences at Memphis, he garnered a lot of attention from minor league scouts and coaches. Trainer Kevin Welch coordinated Scott with some of his offers and was always sure to make note of his serious attitude about baseball that takes precedent over Scottâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Scott always comes early and stays late,â&#x20AC;? says Welch, who has worked with the Astros, Cardinals and is currently the strength coach for their River Bandits. â&#x20AC;&#x153;[Scott] is one of the hardest working guys in all of baseball.â&#x20AC;?

Lately, Scottâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hard work has taken a

4 4 Â&#x2C6; ^ developed over spring training. Scott goes to rehab each morning and is sits in the dugout

8ÂŚ}"8

but still holds onto his dreams of getting back ! â&#x20AC;&#x153;I hope to overcome my injury and return to the came I love,â&#x20AC;? says Scott. Â&#x201E;

HAWK CULTURE A look into the lives of East athletes infographic michael sell

Kyle Finnerty Samantha Al-Bayer VARSITY MENSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; VOLLEYBALL VARSITY TRACK

Smoothie King or Planet OTHIE PLANET SMOOTHIE PLANET SMOOTHIE Smoothie?

Akash Umakantha VARSITY TENNIS

Chris Elam VARSITY BASEBALL

Claire Meyer VARSITY GIRLSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; LACROSSE

Suzy Lippert MENSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; VOLLEYBALL COACH

SMO SMOOTHIE KING

SMOOTHIE KING

SMOOTHIE KING

NEITHER

The Royal Wedding Was...

DIDNâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T WATCH

DIDNâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T WATCH CH

DIDNâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T DIDN WATCH

STUPID

ANNOYING

OVER-TELEVISED

Had a Prom Date?

YES

YES

YES

STILL STIL AVAILABLE, LADIES

NO

YES, MICHAEL SELL

Who Will Win NBA Champioship?

DONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T KNOW

HEAT

HEAT

BULLS

NO IDEA

NOT THE LAKERS KERS S

Summer Vacation Spot?

GERMANY

NOT SURE YET

NIGERIA

TENNESSEE

MYRTLE BEACH

ORLANDO

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!"# # $ % &''( )

sports | special feature

SH

TING

East juniors Sean and Daniel McLaughlin have missed a combined 58 days of school in order to practice shooting. The archery prodigies have traveled across the nation to practice, but their ďŹ nal destination is the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. story christina wilkerson | photos eric muenchen

SEAN MCLAUGHLIN

Junior Olympic Archery Development Second Place 2007, 2010 National Target Championships Third Place 2010 National Indoor Championships Third Place 2011

OHIO STATE TITLES

E

ast juniors Daniel and Sean McLaughlin did not have a shot.

They were amateurs. They played because they liked it, because it was fun, because it was not soccer. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We were driving home from a soccer tournament one night, and [their father and I] were unhappy that Daniel and Sean werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t practicing as much as they should have been,â&#x20AC;? says the twinsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; mother Lisa McLaughlin. â&#x20AC;&#x153;So we told them, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;If you want to try something new, then tell us.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;?

For Daniel and Sean, â&#x20AC;&#x153;newâ&#x20AC;? did not include basketball, tennis or footballâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x153;newâ&#x20AC;? meant shooting. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We knew that we both loved shooting because of Boy Scouts. We were able to shoot shotguns when we were younger,â&#x20AC;? says Daniel. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We were good at it, we liked it, and once we got fed up with soccer, we said, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s try that.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;?

When they entered the Junior Olympic Archery Development Nationals after only playing recreationally for a year, archery turned out to be much more than just bows and arrows to them. Sean and Daniel placed second and third in the 2007 tournament, respectively. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s when things really started to pick up,â&#x20AC;? says Sean. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s when we thought that we might actually have a shot to take this somewhere.

We started shooting a lot more and taking it seriously.â&#x20AC;? Â&#x152;

Â&#x2013; X

Â&#x201C;Â&#x2013; XÂ&#x201D; X

Cornell. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In the summer of 2009, just before the Junior Nationals in Oklahoma, they wanted me to help them achieve their goal of making

92 | Spark | May 27, 2011

the Junior Dream Team,â&#x20AC;? says Cornell. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They knew the National Head Coach for USA Archery Kisik Lee would be at that tournament. At that time, I started training them more one-on-one. We had very little time; we knew that their scores would not be very good.â&#x20AC;?

But the twinsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; hard work and dedication paid off in Sept. 2009 when Lee placed the McLaughlin duo on the Junior Dream Team, a national training program that had the boys working side-by-side with Lee for one week. Then after training year-round, Daniel made the Youth World \

"##Â&#x2022;

15th out of 140 archers from around the world.

Danielâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s success on the Youth World Championship team could be attributed to his many hours of training. But in reality, the twins are not able to dedicate nearly as much time to practicing as do many other top archers. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re in the Junior age group, and the biggest competitors are Sean, myself and three guys that live out of the training center,â&#x20AC;? says Daniel. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They train eight hours a day, and we only get two hours each day [during the school year].â&#x20AC;?

The twins do not get the chance to practice as much as other American archers, but they also are at a disadvantage to archers around the world. â&#x20AC;&#x153;While American kids are spending seven to eight hours in school each day, Korean kids are spending 12 hours a day practicing, with a private tutor [for school].â&#x20AC;?

Daniel and Sean may not have as many hours to spend shooting as other archers, but they will still be participating in the Olympic trials in Texas in September of this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;there are two trials in the fall and two

FOR

L ND N

DANIEL MCLAUGHLIN

Junior Olympic Archery Development First Place 2008, 2009, 2010 Pan-American Championship First Place 2010 Gator Cup Second Place 2010

2009 OLYMPIC ARCHERY FESTIVAL trials in the spring. Any archer who shoots a minimum qualifying score 8"Â&#x2DC;#

! X Â&#x2039;

to three team members and one alternate.

Despite the lack of training time that the McLaughlins have in comparison to their competitors and the rigorous process of selecting the team members, the pair continues to hold out hope that the 2012 Olympics in London is a possibility for both of them. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like to make it [to the 2012 London Olympics]. I think I have a realistic chance of making it,â&#x20AC;? says Sean, who also realizes the challenge

4 5

! + 4 to say [Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll make it], but I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know if I can get that good that quickly.â&#x20AC;?

In addition to the struggle of penciling in archery into their schedules, Daniel and Sean also face the challenge of competing against archers with all ranges of shooting experience. â&#x20AC;&#x153;With archery, there is no age regulation,â&#x20AC;? says Daniel. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In 2008, the United States team consisted of a 19-year-old, a 35-year-old and a Â&#x2018;Â&#x160;} } 5

= !Â&#x201A; But while their competition may have 20 more years of experience than they do, Cornell insists that at this point the McLaughlinsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; abilities to make the team depends more on their minds than it does on their skills. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is all up to them. They have to visualize making the Olympic team, seeing the arrow hitting the 10 ring and winning the medal,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If you think you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t, you wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even have a chance. It is a mindset.â&#x20AC;?

Junior Dream Team coach Linda Beck, who was introduced to the

fraternal twins by Cornell, agrees. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The biggest concern is not other archers,â&#x20AC;? she says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Archery, like golf, is always about you competing against yourself. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about meeting your goals, believing in yourself and your abilities.â&#x20AC;?

"#8ÂŚ 5

| _ Â&#x153;\ ?

they are. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A few archers will meet the requirements to at least compete at an Olympic trials, and only a very few have a chance to actually make the team,â&#x20AC;? says Cornell. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But they have what it takes to make it into the Olympics and win a medal.â&#x20AC;?

Beck also shares Cornellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s view because of what Sean and Daniel have been able to accomplish so far. Daniel has already represented USA Archery at the Junior World Trials in Ogden, Utah in 2009, Sean is a member of 2011 Cadet United States Archery Team (USAT) and both will be competing in July to earn a spot on the 2011 Junior World Team.

It is just a matter of focusing on their ultimate goal. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I just hope that they remember the path they took to get to this point and to keep their eyes focused on that goal for 2012 and 2016,â&#x20AC;? says Cornell. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The goal is not just to make it to the Olympics but to win at the Olympics.â&#x20AC;? Â&#x2021; Â&#x2039;

go to the Olympic trials, one of the major concerns that their family faces is money. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If you look at travel expenses, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s $400 to $600 for a plane ticket [to the tournament], times four [for our family],â&#x20AC;? says Daniel.

93 | Spark | lehsspark.org

sports | special feature

Perfect Arch

Sean and Daniel McLaughlin have perfected the art of professional archery to put them within reach of their Olympic goals.

infographic megan fogel, logan schneider

Arrow

Average Cost $4-$30

Flu-ďŹ&#x201A;u ďŹ&#x201A;etching

Helical ďŹ&#x201A;etching

Straight ďŹ&#x201A;etching

Fletching

nt Arrow Head or Point

Nock Shaft-made of carbon ďŹ ber or aluminum

Distances For An Outdoor Archery Competion *each archer receives 144 arrows and shoots 36 at each target

â&#x20AC;&#x153;A perfect score [at any combination of distances] is a 1440, which has never been done...There is still a lot of room for human error.â&#x20AC;?â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Daniel McLaughlin In addition to the plane tickets, the McLaughlins have to pay extra money to transport their bows. And when transporting their bows, which exceed the 50-pound weight limit on planes, they may be charged over $100.

With these travel expenses, the McLaughlins also have to add up the costs that come with the actual trip itself. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You also have a rental car for a week, hotel for a week and food for a week,â&#x20AC;? says Daniel. â&#x20AC;&#x153;One trip is every bit of $2,000-$3,000.â&#x20AC;?

While a trip to the Olympic trials would be costly, the McLaughlins have not missed out on any traveling. From New Jersey to Guadalajara, Mexico, they have traveled countless miles for archery tournaments. These trips are free for them, but Patrick and Lisa have saved thousands of dollars at the expense of the twinsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; time in school, with Daniel and Sean missing a total of

catch up on tests the following week, and leave again the next week.â&#x20AC;?

Arriving home at 1:00 a.m. from an archery tournament across the country and returning to school six and a half hours later might be a tremendous feat for most peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;but not Daniel and Sean. They are not resorting to homeschooling, although it seems like the logical and easy solution for a situation as unique as theirs. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It would probably help our shooting if we were homeschooled because we would have so much more time,â&#x20AC;? says Sean. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And of course for tournaments and trips we wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to miss school and have so much makeup work.

But our parents want us to stay in school.â&#x20AC;?

Through correspondence classes and double early leave, which was taken away this year for East seniors, Daniel and Seanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s loads

even if it is not completed until 1:00 a.m., they are heavily involved and accomplished in Boy Scouts, as both have become Eagle Scout. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They are able to make the commitment to what they want to accomplish in spite of lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s distractions,â&#x20AC;? says Cornell.

With the amount of time and dedication that Daniel and Sean put forth in archery, school and Boy Scouts, there is not much time left on their schedules to live the lives of normal teenagers. They have had the same group of friends since early elementary school, but even Daniel and Sean realize how much time archery takes away from their social lives. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our involvement in archery kind of bores them,â&#x20AC;? says Sean. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If I were them, I would be really bored with us, too.â&#x20AC;?

Their friendships at home might not be as strong as most, but according to Daniel, some of his strongest friendships have been formed at the archery tournaments they both have attended over the past four years. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have a lot of money to spend, so we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do movies or go out to hang out with friends.

What I do have, though, are friends from 32 different countries around the world,â&#x20AC;? says Daniel. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You go on all these trips and you meet so many people, get Skype names, Facebooks, talk to them and hang out at tournaments.â&#x20AC;?

Even for Patrick and Lisa, who attend the

THEY ARE ABLE TO MAKE THE COMMITMENT TO WHAT THEY WANT TO ACCOMPLISH IN SPITE OF LIFEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S DISTRACTIONS. 34 and 24 days of the 2010-11 school year so far, respectively. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A lot of the time, the trips are scheduled close together,â&#x20AC;? says Daniel. â&#x20AC;&#x153;So we leave, we take our school work with us, but we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do it; we get back home, we do it all that night. We

94 | Spark | May 27, 2011

have been lightened dramatically. Rather than missing seven classes every time they travel,

!

Even with their lack of time spent in school, Daniel and Sean are not failing any classes. And in addition to keeping up with school work,

Scoring

Bow Limb

Average Cost $110-$250

Bowstring ng

Sight Riser

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1

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majority of the twinsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; archery tournaments, every trip that they take is worth the jet lag and absences from school because they too have formed lifelong friendships with others at the tournaments. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Archery is one big family,â&#x20AC;? says Patrick. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re there for each other, and we help each other out.â&#x20AC;?

Daniel can attest to this support after he

4 at an archery tournament in Iowa. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When we were in Iowa, I had a really bad

ÂĽ

hands were swollen to twice their size and I was covered in rashes,â&#x20AC;? says Daniel.

Even though he was in such a severe condition, Daniel competed in the Iowa

!

He was one spot short of qualifying for USAT, but fellow archery tournament attendees made up for his loss. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When Daniel was in the hospital from his allergic reaction, everyone at the tournament took down this huge banner with the tournamentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s logo on it and signed it with â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;get wellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; messages,â&#x20AC;? says Lisa. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It still hangs in his bedroom and takes up the entire wall.â&#x20AC;?

During a normal archery tournament, it is only â&#x20AC;&#x153;excitingâ&#x20AC;? when the twins are each otherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rivals. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Watching their tournaments is like watching grass grow,â&#x20AC;? says Patrick. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But the head-to-head matches are exciting. One of

70m

them has to win, one of them has to lose.â&#x20AC;? ]

Â&#x201A; ! Â&#x2021; it comes to archery tournaments, the tension increases immensely when they have to share a room with each other.

Even with this tension, Cornellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s favorite aspect of working with Daniel and Sean is that even though they are brothers who possess equal levels of talent, they are not only other archersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; biggest competition, but also each otherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They are twins, but they are so different,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;That does not give one an advantage over the other, but it actually makes them competitors against each other. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t count either one of them out. If one does not beat you, the other one will.â&#x20AC;?

Because Cornell has been able to watch the twins grow as Olympic-bound archers since they joined Cincinnati Junior Olympians three and a half years ago, he knows that their abilities, along with their strong work ethic in every aspect of their lives, is what brought them to where they are now. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Looking back on it, they looked like any other little boys who pick up a new toy,â&#x20AC;? he ! ] Â&#x153; they wanted to get better. Now they look like athletes. You can see how much stronger they look as you compare them to the average archer.â&#x20AC;?

Whether they make it to the Olympics or

9 10

90m not, Daniel and Sean are determined to excel throughout college, as they plan to attend the University of Florida, where they will study Sports Medicine and Engineering, respectively.

At the university, they would also have an archery coach who lives 25 minutes down the street from the campus, allowing them to continue training throughout their time in college and work toward the 2016 Olympic Games.

But even if the twins choose not to further pursue their archery careers, Beck knows they will be successful regardless. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sean and Daniel have the demeanor to be the best in not only archery, but in anything they choose to do in life,â&#x20AC;? she says.

But for now, the dynamic duo is focused on winning an Olympic gold. Spending a total of 30 days at home this summer, Daniel and Sean will be traveling to Florida, South Dakota, Venezuela and California twice. If both boys make the Youth World Championship Team, Poland will be the last stop before the prodigies leave for Texas in September with hopes of

Olympic trials.

And until the day that oneâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;or bothâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;of the brothers might be standing on the Olympic podium with a gold medal around their necks,

as they possibly can. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s our life,â&#x20AC;? says Daniel. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We spend our life shooting.â&#x20AC;? Â&#x201E;

95 | Spark | lehsspark.org

sports | eight things

8

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT HIGH JUMPING

story nate mays east boys’ track and field (as told to devin casey) photo eric muenchen

Stay Loose

Have Fun

Pick Your Spot

“You need to get loose during warm-ups because if you ‘tighten up,’ your form will be awful and you will most likely pull something.”

“There’s nothing more fun than competing to get higher every meet and you need to remember that every time you jump.”

“Make sure you jump from the same spot every time in practice jumps or official jumps.”

Run Tall

Arch Your Back

Get Pumped

“Get a lot of speed and stay tall while running to your jump spot.

The speed and height you have while running will get you higher.”

“Throw back your head as you arch your back as soon as you reach the peak of your jump. This will help you get four to five more inches.”

“Having an iPod you can listen to before and after you jump, will help exponentially.”

Tuck Your Chin

Find a Coach

“After you arch for a split second in the air, tuck your chin into your chest. This will help your legs clear the bar after you’re already over it.”

“Have a coach when you jump to tell you what you’re doing wrong. If you don’t know what you’re doing wrong, you won’t get better.”

96 6 | Sp Spark parrk | May May 27, 27, 2011 201 2 011 1

sports | opinion

Back Patriotic Pastime SPORTSOPINION

In times of national crisis and turmoil, players band together to form the one thing that Americans can rely onâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;sports.

T

he late â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bulletâ&#x20AC;? Bob Feller touted an impressive 266 wins as a Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher. With the second-fastest pitch ever recorded at a blistering 107.6 miles per hour, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Heater from Van Meterâ&#x20AC;? deserved each and every one of the eight All-Star selections he received from 1936-56. Still the only pitcher to throw a no-hitter on Opening Day, it seemed to be a no-brainer when the Cleveland Indians retired his jersey in 1957.

But a scorching fastball wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t all he was made of. Fellerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s decision to enlist in the Navy during his athletic prime after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was as easy for him as the Veteransâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Committeeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s decision

& \ 8Â&#x2022;ÂŚ"! ' ^ \ Â&#x152; 5 | &

of many MLB players who would eventually follow suit.

Some critics consider Feller to be the best pitcher of all time. But by

& up his virtually guaranteed membership in baseballâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s elite 300 Wins Club.

| ^ ] @

the greatest hitter of all time. Also serving in World War II, Williams

abroad. While he sported an impressive 521 career homeruns, Williamsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; long ball total surely would have been bolstered if he had

of trenches.

More than 1,300 MLB players, umpires, managers and coaches followed their lead during World War II. Given the shortage of players and the

Â&#x2C6; Â&#x2030; Landis the MLB Commissioner at the time, wrote to President Franklin D. Roosevelt inquiring as to whether or not games should be conducted during Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s involvement in the war.

In his response, Roosevelt gave Landis and baseball a green light, stating, â&#x20AC;&#x153;It would be best for the country to keep baseball goingâ&#x20AC;Ś everybody will work longer hours and harder than ever before. And that means that they ought to have a chance for recreation and for taking their minds off their work even more than before.â&#x20AC;?

In early 1942, President Roosevelt saw the need for sports in America as a release for the publicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s war fatigue. The same idea has resonated X

Â&#x2C6; !

At the height of the Cold War, Olympic ice hockey was hardly Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s main concern. Mere months before the games were slated to begin, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, bringing tensions between the United States and the Communist powerhouse to the brink of

! ] Â&#x2C6;

4 for the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, NY, and led the country to boycott the Summer Olympics in Moscow that same year.

But for the American people, the United States mensâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; hockey teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

Â&#x2013; }

tournament was more than just a hockey game. It was more than USA

team captain Mike Eruzione scoring the game-winning goal against a world superpower with 10 minutes left in the game. It was more than an unthinkable defeat of the team who had won the last four Olympic gold medals in the event.

It was a miracle.

In the Sports Illustrated issue following the game, cover photographer Heinz Kluetmeier said of the sans-headline cover, â&#x20AC;&#x153;It didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need [any cover language]. Everyone in America knew what happened.â&#x20AC;?

Not only did everyone in America know what had happened, but they also paraded through the streets in red, white and blue euphoria.

The victory marked such a momentous boost in American morale that it inspired the movie releases of Miracle on Ice in 1981 and Miracle in 2004.

The continuation of baseball during World War II and the Soviet 8Â&#x2022;$#

X

Â&#x;

X

!

Sports are America. Fans are split on whether they bleed Lakers yellow or Celtics green. But when the stakes are higher with America taking on the world, every American citizen bleeds red, white and blue.

So after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, sports across the

! X despite a short intermission for the National Football League and MLB, the realm of sports embraced a â&#x20AC;&#x153;return to normalcy.â&#x20AC;? In the same way that Winston Churchill refused to close movie theaters during The Blitz, former co-owner of MLBâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Texas Rangers George W. Bush urged Americans to get back to the things they loved.

In the HBO documentary Nine Innings from Ground Zero, former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The only two things that got my mind off [the attacks] at any period of time in the fall of 2001 were baseball and my sonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s football games.â&#x20AC;?

Although 9/11 changed many things, it did not change sports. A month and a half after the attacks, when the New York Yankees took on the Arizona Diamondbacks in the city where Ground Zero lies, Bush

"##8 @ ! ] audience of 55,820 chanted, â&#x20AC;&#x153;U-S-A! U-S-A!â&#x20AC;? in a deafening roar.

Almost 10 years later on May 1 of this year during the ninth inning of a tied ballgame between the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets, a 45,713-fan audience began the same chant. â&#x20AC;&#x153;U-S-A! U-S-A!â&#x20AC;?

The fans who had been frantically checking their smartphones for text messages and Facebook updates had just learned of an operation performed by Navy SEAL Team Six which resulted in the death of Osama bin Laden, al-Qaedaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leader and co-founder.

It was a beautiful moment for America. Upon the death of the mastermind behind the attacks on America that brought citizens to their knees nearly 10 years later, fans of bitter rivals united in revelatory triumph. Mets third baseman David Wright said it best: â&#x20AC;&#x153;I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t like to give Philadelphia fans too much credit, but they got this one right.â&#x20AC;? Â&#x201E;

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Every American citizen bleeds red, white and blue.â&#x20AC;?

97 | Spark | lehsspark.org

opinion | column

JEFF CARGILL

OUR LEAST POTENTIAL

contact jeff at jeffff11@gmail.com

X

Â&#x2039; wave of the all-too-real disorder known as â&#x20AC;&#x153;senioritisâ&#x20AC;? overcame me.

I thought about the 10-page paper that my English teacher had just assigned and how she had told us that getting a passing grade for the fourth quarter would be pretty much impossible without doing well on this paper. But there I sat, contemplating what would happen if I simply did not write the paper. I was shocked that I could even think this. But the thought lingered because no matter how hard my teacher tried, she couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t fail me for the semester.

I ended up writing the paper, but just the fact that I could realistically contemplate not doing it was a testament to the dropping expectations that plague the Lakota Local School District.

For those wondering how my teacher couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t fail me, let me explain.

This year the Lakota Board of Education passed a policy making it impossible for a studentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s quarter grade to be below a 50 percent regardless of what grade they actually earn. Because I had earned an A for third quarter, a 50 percent for fourth quarter would balance out to a solid C for the semesterâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;nothing to brag about, but solid enough to pass without being destructive to my transcript. Basically, not only did I not have to write the paper, but if I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do a single assignment all quarter I would still be entitled to my 50 percent.

The district wants to give students a 50 percent when they might have earned much lower. The motivation behind the new policy is that if you

8"

will just give up for the next quarter because they already have no shot at passing for the semester, and the semester grade is the grade that goes

! Â&#x2021; Â&#x2018;# percent instead of a 12 percent, then, according to the Lakota Board of Education, they will still have motivation to pass because they can pass the semester with anything above a 70 percent for the second grading period. |

is already seriously lacking motivation. If students are not dedicated

enough to earn even a 50 percent in a class, they are certainly not entitled to these â&#x20AC;&#x153;free points.â&#x20AC;? What is really disturbing though is that this is not the only example of lowering expectations in Lakota schools. This year the school board also voted on a different policy requiring teachers to accept late homework for credit.

They are actively trying to force kids to pass.

The fact is a failing student is a problem for everyone. Parents have to be called, class schedules need to be changed, appointments with school counselors and teachers have to be scheduled and, in some cases, students canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t earn their diploma without passing a particular class at the end of senior year. Logically the districtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s solution to these problems is to pass students regardless of whether or not they have earned it.

Lakota students can now literally do their work on their own schedule, turning in homework late for credit, to earn a C for one quarter and earn as low as they want the next, because they are guaranteed at least a 50 percent, and they can pass. This doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t exactly enforce the Lakota Local School Districtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mantra â&#x20AC;&#x153;all Lakota students will achieve to their fullest potential.â&#x20AC;?

These policies have been in place all year, but no one has made much of a commotion about them because Lakota is getting used to lowering expectations. The new policies come the year after the grading scale was lowered. Apparently, according to the school board, when students fall short the right thing to do is just to lower the bar. And then if students still fall short the right thing to do is to lower the bar again. Quite frankly, the standards of the Lakota at the time of my graduation are much lower than the standards of the Lakota just four years ago.

If a student doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do his homework, his teacher shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be required to accept it later than the original due date. If a student doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t learn enough material to earn a 50 percent, he shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get a 50. If a student doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make an effort to display knowledge of half the material, or an effort to do half the required work, he shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be thrown through the broken system.

He should fail. Â&#x201E;

editorial cartoon ellen ďŹ&#x201A;eetwood

excerpt from â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dump the Donaldâ&#x20AC;?

Donald Trump says he has a great relationship with the blacks.

Depending on which â&#x20AC;&#x153;blacksâ&#x20AC;? heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s referring to in particular, that could mean one of several things. But assuming the selfproclaimed billionaire and possible presidential candidate intended to refer to African-Americans as a whole using the term â&#x20AC;&#x153;the blacks,â&#x20AC;? itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s safe to say that the relationship has gone south.

As if it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t already bad. Prior to making the remarks, Trump had already attributed most of President Obamaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

Â&#x201A;

+

}

providing legal proof twice, certainly did not help his cause.

opinion online story faiz siddiqui

98 | Spark | May 27, 2011

Spark

High School Lakota East Online Edition

lehs lehs ssp sspark spar ark ar k .org .o org

MEGAN FOGEL

TOSS THE TANNING

I

contact megan at mfogel8@gmail.com

I look down at my legs and wonder why people are so dumb. I know

! 4 + 4 + !

nude-colored tights in a shade I thought would be blatantly darker than my naturally pale skin tone. And as a result, I get multiple compliments and comments on how gorgeous and tan my legs look.

This was an unintentional experiment of sorts. By the time the compliments become excessive, I was able to gauge the true opinion of East students toward a fake skin tone.

I came to the realization that shockingly tanned skin is perfectly accepted, if not revered in todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s culture.

According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, an estimated 30 million people tan indoors every year and an appalling 71 percent of those salon patrons are females aged 16-29, routinely torturing their skin cells for the sake of perceived beauty.

Our culture is hooked on the mindset that bronze is better and that tan is to die for. But soon leather skin will be the accepted norm and skin cancer will be something everyone has to deal with.

4 ! ] ^ ÂŁ

4

! can be accumulated in large amounts from tremendous sun exposure.

There are less risky ways, however, to prevent the stage of Vitamin D

X

! ] under ultraviolet (UV) rays may increase Vitamin D production. But changing to healthier eating habits and vitamin regiments do nothing but good for the body while indoor tanning exposes the individual to many risks.

X 4

the skin cells. The tanner people get from their original skin tone, the more damage their skin cells undergo.

According to the Melanoma Skin Cancer foundation, cells exposed to too much damage are transformed from normal melanocyte cell to melanoma (tumor) cells.

According to the American Cancer Society, skin cancer usually develops on the face, ear, neck, lips and handsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the areas of the body that are exposed to the most sunlight.

Additionally, the International Agency for Research on Cancer added UV tanning devices to its list of the most dangerous cancer-causing substances.

Most teens who tan simply do so for the look and feel. Tanning supporters claim that people love to tan so much because of the pleaseure-inducing endorphins that are released by the pituitary gland when UV rays surround the body. But there are no studies to say that any more endorphins are released while tanning than while exercising or laughing at a joke. This would be a healthier way to get the same mood boost that tanning gives, but without the unnecessary risks.

According to the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading supplier of tanning bed bulbs Wolff

Systems, cancer-causing UVB rays are never given off by their highquality bulbs. Apparently only the rapid skin-aging UVA rays radiate from the bulb to the surface of the skin, penetrating further than any other form of ultraviolet radiation, and causing damage to the skin cells every single time. Although UVB rays are known to produce tanner skin, a â&#x20AC;&#x153;more desirableâ&#x20AC;? look, and greater customer satisfaction, the bulbs with UVB cause cancer, so they obviously arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t used in industry products.

The tanning industries also claim that tanning indoors is safer because it is controlled and used in moderation. Yet this is refuted by medical professionals worldwide due to the increased occurrences of melanoma skin cancer. According to a study done by the dermatology department at Stanford University Medical Center, rates of melanoma among non-hispanic whites in the U.S. rose 3.1 percent a year between 1992 and 2004.

Tanning can be safe in moderation. But when we live in a society that has spent $355 billion on petroleum imports and over $1,000 billion on food products in a single year, we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do much in moderation.

Aside from their efforts to downplay the risks of their service, the tanning industry is just as much to blame for boosting the future rates of Melanoma skin cancer. The State of Ohio also allows tanning salons to offer unlimited tanning packages to minors without asking for parental consent. '

4 !

Whether it is the tanning equipment manufacturerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s press release to reassure their product is safe, or the tanning salonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s billboard enticing people to â&#x20AC;&#x153;stand out from the crowd,â&#x20AC;? the tanning industry is based on its ability to make a lot of money. The debated issues, advertising tactics

in the tanning industry call for comparisons to the history of the tobacco industry. The two industries are similar even in the longdebated health risks of their products.

Safety from an undesired development like skin cancer can only be achieved through abstinence or contraception. We should not become hermits, but rather use sunscreen when exposed to prolonged sunlight and avoid voluntary and unprotected exposure to the harmful rays of a tanning bed.

People are born the way they are meant to be. It is sad that people think they need a tanning bed to feel better about themselves. Maybe if I want to feel better about myself, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll wear those fake skin-toned tights again. Â&#x201E;

â&#x20AC;&#x153;OUR CULTURE IS HOOKED ON THE MINDSET THAT BRONZE IS BETTER, TAN IS TO DIE FOR, BUT SOON LEATHER SKIN WILL BE THE ACCEPTED NORMâ&#x20AC;?

99 | Spark | lehsspark.org

opinion | column

NUGEEN AFTAB ROYAL ROLE MODEL

L

contact nugeen at nugeen@yahoo.com

Like most young girls, I wanted to be Cinderella when I was in preschool. She was smart, beautiful and hard-working. Most of all, she was optimistic and always saw the best in people. She never went back on her word, and always helped others with what appeared to be joy. The fact that she actually became a princess encouraged me to be just like her.

Cinderella was an inspiration.

So I, sporting one of my three tiaras, my white puffy dress, my momâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s high heels and a scarf, would have tea parties. I would offer my pink singing elephant Ella another cup of tea in my faux-British accent.

Naturally the â&#x20AC;&#x153;teaâ&#x20AC;? was only water, but in my small tea cups it was the + !

As expected, I grew further away from that ideal as the years passed.

My dreams of becoming a princess were suppressed by the harsh reality that I cannot and never will become a princess. As a â&#x20AC;&#x153;commoner,â&#x20AC;? I would never have the opportunity to become what I had wished for admiringly ten years ago.

Some of the ideas that Cinderella teaches are commonly practiced.

Students volunteer at public events and at their places of worship The lessons that Cinderella, my parents and personal experiences have taught me and many other girls have impacted my behavior and

}

!

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve learned to love myself and accept my character.

But Kate Middleton gives me hope. Younger girls should have their own Cinderella, except she should be real. And for so many younger girls around the world, Kate Middleton, the princess of the British monarchy, can be Cinderella.

As Middleton walked down the aisle on April 29, at 11 a.m. British Standard Time, an estimated two billion peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eyes were glued to the television screen, predominantly those of the young girls who wished they were Middleton and the women who used to wish they were Princess Diana.

Becoming Duchess Catherine of Wales has already made Middleton one of the most closely followed women in the world. She is known for her fashion sense, especially the eccentric hats she wears. Parties were thrown on the day of the royal wedding, in which women dressed up } Â&#x2039; ! constitutes more than two-thirds the population of the United Kingdom.

Her wedding to Prince William, however, gives ^

duties of the princess that she is required to be. The princess is a smart, beautiful woman who received something every girl dreams ofâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a crown. Because the Duchess has so many followers, she

Â&#x2C6; ! she elects to use that power wisely, she can create positive changes in the world, starting with helping her younger fans.

Surrounded by social pressure and media that advocate illicit behavior, girls are easily persuaded. Pop culture and the mass media have set standards for girls, emphasizing beauty and body. This emphasis

comes from many â&#x20AC;&#x153;idols,â&#x20AC;? especially sinfully alluring celebrities such as Ke$ha, Britney Spears and Kim Kardashian, who are infamously known for wearing skimpy clothing and drinking heavily. The importance of attraction, illegal activity and sex appeal in everyday life has forced girls to focus on using make-up and wearing inappropriate clothing to avoid social suicide.

What girls see in magazines and tabloids lets them know if what they are doing is â&#x20AC;&#x153;inâ&#x20AC;? with the norms of mainstream society. This pressures girls to try unnecessary and harmful things like alcohol. Ultimately these behaviors cause young adolescents to feel all the more insecure about themselves.

In order to compensate for these insecurities, children are led to bullying and being bullied. According to a National Center of Educational Statistics report, approximatelty 33.7 percent of girl, reported being bullied during the 2007 school year.

Middleton can become a positive role model as someone that girls want to be: a well-mannered, yet beautiful and successful woman. Much like First Lady Michelle Obama, she can become an exemplar that will help girls realize their potential and show them that they do not have to start out at the top to get there.

Middleton, as a grade school student, was bullied for her appearance. }

! Â&#x2021; awkward child who was referred to as the â&#x20AC;&#x153;ugly ducklingâ&#x20AC;? has blossomed into a swan and can help girls confront common problems that she faced when she was younger.

The married couple had chosen 26 charities that they asked donations for in place of wedding gifts. Some of the charities included the Children & ] Â&#x152; & and Venture Trust, both of which

Z

and self-esteem, along with Into University, which inspires underprivileged children to seek education, and Beatbullying. For a couple that the world will look to in admiration, this is a great, inspiring gesture and a push for societal improvement. The Prince and Princess are already giving back.

As I watched Good Morning America the morning of the wedding, I felt the longing to become a princess return from childhood. But as I thought more and more about Duchess Catherine herself, I realized that I could just as easily become one. Maybe not in the literal sense,

inspiring others.

I could become my own princess with my very own â&#x20AC;&#x153;happily ever after.â&#x20AC;? And I could buy the hats too. Â&#x201E;

â&#x20AC;&#x153;IF SHE ELECTS TO USE THAT POWER WISELY, SHE CAN CREATE POSITIVE CHANGES IN THE WORLD, STARTING WITH HELPING HER YOUNGER FANS.â&#x20AC;?

100 | Spark | May 27, 2011

RACHEL KING

BIBLE GONE GAGA

L

contact rachel at mymail@racheleking.com

Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s be honestâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Lady Gaga scares me.

Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get me wrong, her songs have a catchy tune and I applaud her audacity in defying social norms, dressing as it were Halloween everyday and arriving at the Grammyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in a plastic egg. This Madonna inspired singer certainly has followed in her idolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s footsteps when it comes to

!

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just her tendency to cross the line between whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s acceptable and whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s downright inappropriate that makes me feel a little nervous.

In her recent music video for the hit single â&#x20AC;&#x153;Judas,â&#x20AC;? which debuted during Easter week, a motorcycle gang of apostles led by Jesus is accompanied by Lady Gaga, who plays the role of Mary Magdelene. As the video continues, it is made clear that Mary used to be in love with Judas Iscariot, but then goes to Jesus to seek forgiveness.

Lady Gaga is well aware that her fans are easily drawn in by provocative themes. Gaga has made a career and a name for herself by revolving much of her performances around often-debated issues staged in elaborate, theatrical manners.

But no one could have predicted that Christianity

^ !

By exploiting the Bible as a source material for her own business venture, Lady Gaga has risen to the top of the charts. Her infamous â&#x20AC;&#x153;Judasâ&#x20AC;? music video has gone viral with more than 21 million views in less than one week, while the song debuted at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 chart following its release on April 19.

If it were not for the songâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Biblical roots, it would not be nearly as successful, mainly due to the fact that audience members can relate the video to their religious beliefs. Even Lady Gaga herself felt a spiritual connection to the song. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I feel like honestly God sent me those lyrics and that melody,â&#x20AC;? she told the news magazine NME. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When you feel a message to give to the world and people are shooting arrows through it, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no way for something that pure to be wrong,â&#x20AC;? she said.

During one of the verses, however, Gaga dances wearing only underwear, a cape and a red bra with a cross stitched onto it. Modesty is a virtue that the Bible teaches and is something Christians aim to live by. = +

purity and puts not only the religion, but the morals behind Christianity to shame.

Gaga told E! News that, in her opinion, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The only controversial thing about this video is wearing Christian Lacroix and Chanel in the same frame.â&#x20AC;?

Whenever Lady Gaga releases a new single or album, she will invariably sell millions of copies to her loyal fans. In this recent stunt, she not

bonus revenue from people curious about the controversy. Taking a page from Madonnaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s playbook, Lady Gaga knows how to exploit the adage â&#x20AC;&#x153;thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no such thing as bad publicity.â&#x20AC;? Through this process, she may even be lucky enough to gain more devotees along the way.

Gaga believes that the religious allusions in her song provide a valid

message about â&#x20AC;&#x153;forgiveness and betrayal and things that haunt you in your life.â&#x20AC;? The way she attempts to convey this message, however, is through exploitation of Biblical passages. Given the point that her bold metaphors take an extremely agressive stance on the in life, it is clear that Gaga had intentions to provide strong commentary on religion. In her music video, Lady Gaga seems to put on a dramatic show rather than honestly convey messages of forgiveness, hope and overcoming challenges. In essence, the truth is distorted.

While Christianity is far from being forgotten, its doctrine and core principles have become distorted by society and the media. This false image has been created so that certain actions and behaviors can be ?

! Â&#x2021;

are neglected. For instance, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hellâ&#x20AC;? has become a slang word, carelessly ! ] Â&#x2021; describes has ultimately been watered down by the careless use of the same slang word in everyday speech. Without respect, the meaning of such powerful aspects of the religion is ruined and its importance to society is nulled.

Gaga certainly does go out of her way to be controversial, but as a leading artist in the music industry she sets the bar as to where musicians and artists can go with their music.

Her boundless ambitions do sell thousands of records, and her fearlessness yields mixed ! ! 4 !

just downright confused. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I like really aggressive metaphorsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;harder, thicker, darkerâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and my fans do as well,â&#x20AC;? Lady Gaga said in an interview with MTV. In an attempt to try to sustain her fans and keep them entertained, Lady Gaga pushes the limit beyond industry established limits. Her provocative, sensual reputation separates her from mainstream society, but her behaviors cross a line which borders insolence.

Gaga has purposely made herself a bizarre character who constantly makes the headlines, especially due to her ability to stir controversyâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;like

=

+ ! * say, the vegan sect of society wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t pleased.

Given the massive success of this sort of strategy, it would not be a surprise to see other artists employing similar tactics for the sole purpose of rising to fame and making millions of dollars, as Lady Gaga has done.

Such artists will continue to dance around boundaries, impassive to the sensitive feelings of others.

Entertainers like Lady Gaga do wonders, both good and bad, for the world. They challenge people to know what it is they believe. But still, ironically enough, they push the limits knowing that the music industry has the power to whittle perspectives. Â&#x201E;

â&#x20AC;&#x153;CHRISTIANITY IS FAR FROM BEING FORGOTTEN ABOUT, BUT ITS DOCTRINE AND CORE PRINCIPLES HAVE BECOME DISTORTED.â&#x20AC;?

101 | Spark | lehsspark.org

opinion | head to head

osama tommybehan

I

I was working on homework when my brother Michael texted me. He described how Facebook erupted and asked me what I knew about it. Immediately, I rushed into my sisterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s room. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Mary Kate,â&#x20AC;? I said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Michael just texted me and said bin Laden is dead. You have to check!â&#x20AC;?

I ran, nearly pushing her over and leaned over her shoulder. We checked msnbc.com. Nothing. Then Yahoo.

Nothing. Then CNN. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bin Laden Killed.â&#x20AC;?

I immediately ran and woke my parents. We were all in a state of shock. For some reason, I could not get the images of 9/11 out of my head. The truth seemed too distant to be real.

It wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t until later that night, amidst all of the chaos

^ ! @

bearing and join the rest of the nation in celebration

@ X ! described the scene at Mirror Lake as he joined his compatriots in loyalty and patriotism. It was a frigid 45 degrees outside, with the lake feeling even colder. Thousands of students were at the lake.

Yet for the second time in a year, something unheard of at The Ohio State University (OSU), students jumped in the lake. As they were splashing with sheer jubilance into the lake, they were chanting Â&#x2013;} }XŠ Â&#x2013;} }XŠÂ&#x201A; X

a roar, the mantra reverberated across the campus.

They were not alone.

Victims of the 9/11 attacks gathered alongside elated Americans at Ground Zero. Hundreds gathered outside of the White House, even before The Â&#x152;

!

MI, a heavily Middle Eastern area, crowds assembled, with echoes of allegiance ringing throughout the town. Millions of Americans came together to form a bond of nationalism stronger than any other bond seen in nearly a decade. With Americans united once again against a common enemy, any U.S. enemy would quiver in their boots. Yet as long as Al-Qaeda remains and plots for the next devestating attack against Americans, the peaceful nations of the world and the innocent people elsewhere, the U.S. should be on its guard.

Bin Ladenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s death should rather be seen as a rallying point

for the war in Afghanistan and a great military victory which X

Â&#x2C6; ! = Petraeus, commander of American forces in Afghanistan, remarked on how morale affects the war. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Morale, frankly, is an individual thing. And it often comes down to the kind of day that youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re having. I am not immune from those same swings. On days when we have had tough casualties, those are not good days. And I think the same is true of all of our forcesâ&#x20AC;?

The American people before bin Ladenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s death viewed the war in a negative light because of its length and the general feeling of losing. According to abcnews.com, in recent years the percent of soldiers who found high morale among their units was a mere 5.7 percent. With this great American victory, however, morale for soldiers spread out all across Afganistan will boost. As General Petreaus suggested in his review of the war, if American soldiers use this victory as a rallying point and believe in success from

! ] the path for victory can be created with a massive surge in ! X

a decade ago.

Determination has always been a facet of Americans. In the Revolutionary War, Americans did not surrender without complete independence. In the Civil War, the stubborn willpower of Americans led to a drawn out war with mass casualties.

In World War II, Americans fought for the greater good of the world against Nazism.

In the Cold War, Americans did not recede until communism fell across the world. Now, consistent with U.S. tradition, Americans did not falter until bin Laden

mission in Afghanistan and is completed.

Once per year, every year, students from The Ohio State University (OSU) jump into Mirror Lake to arouse school spirit for the upcoming Ohio State vs. Michigan Football football game. Although contracting hypothermia may not seem like an ideal way to stir up school spirit, this is and has been the current ritual since 1990. When bin Ladenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s death was announced by President Barack Obama, students at OSU had another jumpâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; this one spontaneous. Thousands gathered chanting and demonstrating an enormous outpouring of patriotism. It was a truly American scene.

A scene which I would have gladly frozen in the waistdeep water to join. Â&#x201E;

â&#x20AC;&#x153;BIN LADENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S DEATH SHOULD RATHER BE SEEN AS A RALLYING POINT FOR THE WAR IN AFGHANISTAN.â&#x20AC;?

102 | Spark | May 27, 2011

bin laden shivangpatel

I

It was 10:35 p.m. and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d been Facebooking for 20 minutes. I considered getting off, but being a chronic procrastinator, I stayed on. A simple refresh of my newsfeed said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;President Obama is expected to make an important announcement to the nation on a national security issue soon!â&#x20AC;?

It was unheard of for the President of the United States to address the nation around 11 p.m. on a Sunday night.

There had to be something important. I knew this was not plain old politics. I dashed to my living room and started Â&#x2C6;

station had information.

There was something going on and CBS was not giving me the information I craved, so through Facebook and statuses, I discovered that President Obama was going to tell the nation that Osama bin Laden had been captured and killed by U.S. military forces.

As I read of this, happiness and patriotism surged through every limb of my body. The leader of al-Qaeda, the most well-known terrorist organization, was no longer on the face of the Earth. The sheer amount of pride felt was unfathomable. I was not alone. Every time I refreshed Facebook, there were 10 new statuses regarding bin Ladenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s death. People rallied in Washington D.C. celebrating, students at OSU jumped into Mirror Lake to commemorate bin Ladenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ! &

!

But afterwards, I started realizing that the death of bin Laden was only a small victory in the war against terrorism. bin Laden did cause thousands upon thousands of deaths of innocent people all over the world. He did devastate America when his 9/11 plot killed approximately 3000 innocent citizens. He headed the most infamous terrorist group. But even though he is no longer living, his followers live on to plague the world with their treachery.

Bin Ladenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s death has provided closure to people who lost loved ones due to his actions, but it will not end terrorism.

His death is something most people, including myself,

in recent years. He will just be replaced and according to former Deputy National Security Advisor for Combating Terrorism Juan Zarate, Ayman al-Zawahiri would â&#x20AC;&#x153;clearly assume the mantle of leadershipâ&#x20AC;? of al-Qaeda.

The bombing of the Red Mosque in Pakistan was

suspected to be directed by al-Zawahiri. The Pakistani

}§

!

His increased involvement with al-Qaeda around 2007 prompted the State Department to say that al-Zawahiri was emerging as the operational leader and strategic commander. Â&#x2021;

al-Qaeda as al-Zawahiriâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s power started increasing.

With bin Ladenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s death, this does not change. Bin Ladenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s death was very important in a symbolic sense. However, it will not stop future attacks from al-Qaeda. Al-Zawhiri is still out there, running the organization.

Recently al-Qaeda released a statement that said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Soon, with Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s help, we pray that [America and alliesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;] happiness turns into sorrow, and may their blood mix with their tears. We will continue to plan and plot without any fatigue, boredom, despair, surrender or indifference.â&#x20AC;?

Al-Qaeda will try to harm innocent people regardless of bin Ladenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s presence in the organization. We must not let down our guard even though bin Laden died. Because, just as my fellow Americans united, so did members of al-Qaeda ! Â&#x2021; 4 bin Laden, we have added more fuel to an already !

Plus, there are more terrorist organizations in the world than just al-Qaeda and its associates. To them, bin Ladenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s death does not hold nearly the

does to al-Qaeda and Americans.

The 2006 Mumbai train bombings, which killed 209 people and injured approximately 700 people were carried out by Lashkar-e-Toiba a terrorist Z Z

the most active groups in South Asia, mainly operating from Pakistan. The terrorist organization Hezbollah Led

by Hassan Nasrallah, based in Lebanon, kills hundreds of innocent people in the Middle East. If the United States hunts for bin Laden, our priority should also be to put an end to the terrorist regimes of Saeed and Nasrallah.

America, its people and its allies must remain as vigilant,

Â&#x153; ! ]

! Â&#x201E;

â&#x20AC;&#x153;BY KILLING BIN LADEN, WE HAVE DANGEROUSLY ADDED MORE FUEL TO AN ALREADY RAGING FIRE.â&#x20AC;?

103 | Spark | lehsspark.org

opinion | column

EMILY CHAO OUR FUTILE FEAR

F

contact emily at elchao96@yahoo.com

For the past two months, I have ingested more seaweed than an aquatic mammal. Having an ethnic Chinese family, seaweed has always played a role in my diets but never have I indulged in the slimy green ocean plant more than once a month. And we are not the only family who has started to eat more seaweed. Mid-March, we discovered that the seaweed shelves in Cincinnati Asian Supermarket, the biggest Asian market in Greater Cincinnati, were completely empty.

The reason for this sudden spike in seaweed consumption is fearâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; the fear of nuclear radiation fallout from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant that began to leak after Japanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s massive 9.0 magnitude earthquake. After the news of the radiation leak was made public, millions of people went into panic mode, buying up any and all products that could combat the harmful effects of the radiation. Potassium iodide tablet sales have soared, salt sales around the world have dramatically increased and scared people like my parents are buying seaweed in quantities that would make its deep-sea consumers explode.

The radiation seeping out from the nuclear plant, which has put Japanese nuclear workers under intense emergency action, is mostly of iodine-131, the radioactive, usually man-made isotope of iodine. Seaweed and iodized salt contain iodine that, when consumed, is absorbed by the thyroid to help prevent the radioactive iodine from destroying DNA and ultimately make a desperate attempt to save one from the risk of thyroid cancer.

Potassium iodide (KI) tablets serve the same protective purpose.

Many Americans do not eat seaweed as comfortably as Asian families like mine, so they scourge the shelves for this small pill. It is effective and less risky than consuming the 6.6 pounds of salt considered necessary by , theChinese Ministry of Health for an adult, to get the same effect. Although the pills cannot prevent radioactive isotopes from entering the body, they do help lower the risk of getting thyroid or other types of cancers from the radiation and are an effective preventitive measure for long-term health . consequences. So because of "Â&#x2018;# ### Â&#x2030; Â&#x2C6; off the shelves just four days after the dreadful earthquake. Troy Jones, the CEO of KI supplier Nukepills.com, stated that the company sold 10,000 doses of liquid KI in one day and has been backed up with orders for one million more pill doses. Alan Morris, CEO of KI supplier Anbex Inc., said that â&#x20AC;&#x153;[the customers] who donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get [the pills] are crying. ] + !Â&#x201A; Forget the proximity to the plant; people 5,000 miles away are freaking out about thyroid cancer while the Japanese 40 miles away struggle to

! X

radiation from Japan reaching the United States in levels high enough to

cause extensive damage to the human body. It is completely misguided.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission of the United States has not predicted that the levels of radiation that workers near the Daiichi plant are exposed to will ever reach dangerous quantities. In fact, according to CBS Medical Correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton â&#x20AC;&#x153;the Environmental Protection Agency says this is well below levels that would cause harm to adults or children.â&#x20AC;?

In addition, the half-life of iodine-131 is only eight days, after which it decays rapidly and soon becomes harmless. With America located so far away from the island country, the iodine would have dissipated into harmless forms before it reaches U.S. territory. Quite simply, the idea that radiation from Japan can reach American shores should be the least of our worries.

Keep in mind, radiation is everywhere: in food, in water and even in common consumer products that have passed guidelines set by the Food and Drug Administration. In fact, according to MSNBC, Japanese food makes up less than than four percent of U.S. imports.

Yet, this rationale is constantly pushed to the back of peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s minds so when ABC News reported several cases of radioactive milk in late March despite the radiation being at only at 0.8 picocures per liter (a unit of measuring radioactivity in a substance), people still thought twice about buying.

Americans should not be the ones frightened about the risks. The workers at the Daiichi plant are risking their lives to try to counter the nuclear fallout. According to Time magazine, the level of radiation considered dangerous is measured at 1,000 millisieverts (a unit describing the effects of radiation), meaning that severe health consequences can arise if exposed.

However, the average American is exposed to only about 6.2 millisieverts of radiation per year while the Japanese nuclear workers are exposed to 13,000 millisieverts.

Therefore, buying liquid KI or KI in pill form just for the sake of protecting oneself against potential radiation is tantamount to spending thousands of dollars a year on placebos. Anbexâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 14-tablet packages cost $10 each and 45 milliliter ThyroShield liquid iodine bottles cost $13.25. That is 29 cents per milliliter. $10 is a decent amount of money that is not worth spending on potassium iodine tablets, yet most people overestimate the threat, jump to conclusions and are eager to pull out $10 for pills that they really do not need.

Combining the 10,000 little $10 packets that have already been sold, think about how many people actually affected by the earthquake could be helped by that money, receiving basic necessities that they lost in the catastrophe.

Being careful is acceptable, but when there is no real apparent harm, extreme precautionary measures become frivolous. More people in Japan can helped with the money than us Americans afriad of a nonexistent threat.

But regardless, I will not miss the green stuff weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re having again. Â&#x201E;

â&#x20AC;&#x153;BEING CAREFUL IS ACCEPTABLE BUT WHEN THERE IS NO REAL HARM APPARENT, EXTREME PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES BECOME FRIVOLOUS â&#x20AC;?

104 | Spark | May 27, 2011

editorial cartoon tommy behan

AMERICA

JAPAN

POTASSIUM IODIDE PILL CENTER

JAPAN RELIEF CENTER

MEANWHILE, SUPPLIES INSIDE...

Got a cold?

Nope. I’m Here because of the radiation from Japan.

East Speaks Out What do you think about the radiation situation in Japan? an?

Aaron Todahl, Junior

“No, I’m not afraid of radiation because I don’t think that it will reach Ohio. I’m sad for the people in Japan that died though.”

“I feel that the government could possibly be hiding stuff from the public, but I don’t think we have to worry about anything yet.”

Ciara Bergheger, Sophomore

“I am concerned about all of the radiation in Japan because it takes years for radiation to leave an area and a lot of our imports are from there.”

“

“

Katie Strahan, Senior

Brad Armstrong, Junior “It’s too far away from us to affect us. And if it did reach here, it would be insignificant.

We get more radiation from television than from Japan.”

105 | Spark | lehsspark.org

opinion | ďŹ nishing touch

MASONHOOD A FOND FAREWELL

T

his year was hell.

Just to give some perspective, I have spent more than 560 hours at Eastâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; after school. More than 600 hours frying burgers at McDonaldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. More than 8# } Spark, studying for Advanced Placement (AP) exams or completing 5,000-word Invisible Man AP English projects. I spent more time than I care to admit parked in a car venting to a few close friends about grades, girls and college applications. The people who ruined me, the workload that slowly aged me, led to a year that could only have existed in the depths of hell itself.

But thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not what I will remember.

X

4 } } old who had to eat his brussel sprouts before getting dessert. But then I realized something: high school drama, classes and relationships are all temporary.

Those times spent at school until 11:00 p.m. at night have been with people who have given me far too many hugs when I was stressed. Those times spent

4 Spark have been with some of the most gifted journalists I have ever met. And those times spent in a lab

4 =ÂŚÂ&#x201A;

consisted of gyrating in seemingly random directions.

I have been shaped by others all year long by my relationships with them.

Through the journey I have annoyed some, aggravated others. But those who have

Â&#x2C6; Â&#x153; people have become my true friends.

And, yet, we are all leaving one another: Cleveland, Indiana, St. Louis, South \ ÂŁ \ Â&#x2030; } * 4 !

Some of us will stay in Oxford or Cincinnati or Columbus. But the fact of the matter remains that we are moving away from West Chester. This â&#x20AC;&#x153;familyâ&#x20AC;? is dissolving across the country; only one will accompany me to Oxford. And we are not by any means excited to leave others behind.

The 560 hours I have spent working on Spark long after the end-of-day bell has rung and the time I have dedicated to my school all was spent with the people I have grown to love. We are moving onâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s scary. Terrifying even.

X 4 !

4

! Â&#x2021; actual educational experience, the actual dorms I will live in, the actual student social life is all up in the air. Where I will end up in 10 years I do not know. But the one thing that is clear: I am leaving Spark. We are leaving East. We are leaving high school. And some of us are leaving Ohio.

And it is sad, because Spark and East have changed me for the better. The once socially awkward guy afraid to talk to anyone now has conducted interviews with everybody from German teachers, to state senators, to unknown high school seniors. The guy who had a total of four different friends freshman year now has made bonds with college freshmen and high school juniors and sophomores to last a lifetime. And the guy who hated group projects was able to make lifelong friends in his coeditors over three years of writing, designing and editing.

Only these co-editors could interview U.S. Congressional candidates and later play nose-goes to decide who calls our printer. Only these co-editors could spend 40 hours at school over the course of a weekend producing a 108-page senior issue and then lay out plans to build an underground Spark base in the lab complete with 4 ! X } ^

designed to hold two, and still edit news and feature stories.

Yes, we are leaving the place and the magazine that has changed so many of us.

But as sappy as it seems, they will never leave us. This year wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t hell, quite the opposite in fact.

To my teachers of 13 years, to my principals, to my friends, to my fellow Sparkies and to Mr. Hume: Thank you for the memories. Â&#x201E;

106 | Spark | May 27, 2011

107 | Spark | lehsspark.org