The Chronicle, 11.5

chroniCle

February 14, 2014

thecspn.com

Volume 11, Issue 5

the

Netflix kingdom

Popular site conquers film and television realm, see page 13.

Crushing waves

Swim team is going into the post season with goals to beat last year, see page 27

Semesters ...they’re coming.

[See page 4/5] Photo art by Gabrielle Stichweh

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news

Trending Now View these and other stories and galleries at

thecspn.com

C Boys basketball vs. Middletown

The last boys basketball game of the regular season will be held at Middletown tonight at 7:30. Check thecspn. com for coverage.

Photo by Madison Krell

Senior Adam Thomas dribbles the ball up the court against Colerain.

C NHS Gatsby Dance

National Honor Society’s Gatsbythemed dance has survived the polar vortex and is rescheduled for tonight.

Check thecspn.com to view a wrap-up on the event’s success.

C Student Government event

Student Government is broadening their horizon this weekend by attending a National Association of Student Councils event in Chicago. See a wrap-up on the event by checking thecspn.com in the upcoming week.

compiled by Gina Deaton

Pink Out Comets Care keeps charity benefits close to home Katie Hermann | Staff Writer

Comet Zone’s charity organization Comet’s Care raised over $6000 last year to aid local families. This year with stronger community ties, Comet Zone employees said they are hoping to exceed their goal.

The idea sparked from Comet Zone employees who wanted a charity dedicated to assist Mason families, according to senior and Comets Care manager Isabel Lebowitz.

“We used to pick an established sponsorship like Susan G. Komen,” Lebowitz said. “Now, [the money] is not going to some great, big organization where we don’t know the people. We trust the established organizations, but [Comets Care] is smaller and hits closer to home.”

Connecting with local social workers, Comets Care can focus directing donations back into the community, Lebowitz said.

“This year is special because all these funds are going to support families within our own community,” Lebowitz said. “We give the funds in Kroger gift cards and teddy bears.”

According to junior Marketing employee Emma Wittman, the growth of sponsorships increased the projected donation outcome from prior years.

“We did well with the

sponsorships we got,” Wittman said. “We are expected to make more money than we did last year to give to Comets Care.”

Contacting Cincinnati based Dragonfly Foundation and Cancer Family Care, Comet’s Care is spreading its name, according to Lebowitz.

want to make it a department.”

The partnership between Comet Zone and Comets Savings and Loans consists of five leaders. According to Wittman, the collaboration is great.

“It’s easy to get along because we have the same

Graphic contributed by Comet Zone, photo art by Gabrielle Stichweh

“We went to Dragonfly and Cancer Family Care and told them we’ve created an organization through the Comet Zone,” Lebowitz said.

While support outside Comets Care is growing, Lebowitz said, inside is too.

“Next year we are planning to have more people in charge,” Lebowitz said. ”We

motive--to further advance our knowledge of the world and how business works,” Wittman said.

The main goal is to support our local community, according to Lebowitz, and involving Mason students.

“It’s not just the Comet Zone’s event,” Lebowitz said.

“It’s everybody’s event.”

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Shoes

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to Fill District treasurer will write final check after 14 years on the job Sheila Raghavendran | Managing Editor

This June, as hundreds of seniors toss their hats, retiring school board Treasurer Richard Gardner will join in.

Gardner has served a successful 14 years with the district, according to school board President Kevin Wise. He said that Gardner has been firm through large changes--such as the swapping of superintendents.

“Mr. Gardner has been as steady hand for this district,” Wise said. “He has provided strong financial leadership and been a consistent partner for two superintendents. His consistent leadership has resulted in a confidence felt by our board, staff and community.”

Wise said that Gardner anticipates his last day to be June 30, 2014, and the school board has dived into appointing the next treasurer.

“The board has begun the search process,” Wise said. “…We expect to identify and hire a top flight treasurer by [June 30].”

Assistant Treasurer Chris Hofer said that Gardner’s leadership has proven effective in various

circumstances.

“Mr. Gardner has done a tremendous job forecasting the district’s financial landscape and making sure that our district’s resources have been used wisely,” Hofer said. “We [have] clean audits and have consistently spent less than the state average while performing better than average.”

Public Information Officer Tracey Carson said Gardner’s determination in his job is only one of his innate traits.

“Many people would not know all the behindthe-scenes things that he has done over the years that make him so special,” Carson said. “For instance, one of the things that stands out for me, and that illustrates his character, is him going to weekly Mass with former [Mason Intermediate School] Associate Principal Dave Segrist as Mr. Segrist was battling pancreatic cancer. Mr. Segrist ultimately lost that battle, but I know he was comforted by Mr. Gardner’s faith and steadiness during a terrible time.”

According to Carson, Gardner’s character goes a long way, as he has been completely committed to providing the best for Mason City Schools.

“His integrity is beyond question,” Carson said. “He pours himself into the work so that our schools have the resources that students need to be successful.”

Not only has Gardner’s performance been noteworthy, but Wise said the same about school board Vice President Marianne Culbertson, who is also retiring this year. Their determination to provide students with the best exemplifies their tremendous values, according to Wise.

“Their legacies are both based on running this school district with students at the center of their decisions and that legacy will continue,” Wise said. “Both Mr. Gardner and Mrs. Culbertson leave a very strong district that is poised to offer even more opportunities for students while at the same time continuing to offer our community one of Ohio’s top performing school districts.”

Photo contributed by Tracey Carson

From left to right: Chris Hofer, Richard Gardner, Christa Criddle, and Superintendent Gail Kist-Kline at the 2011 Auditor’s Award presentation.

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page 4 With scheduling wrapping up and the era of semesters looming around the corner, many teachers and students have something to say about the changes coming in each subject.

Semester Fast Facts

february 14, 2014

Semesters... They’re Coming.

Abbey Marshall | Staff Writer Katie Rojas | Staff Writer

Science

“If you enroll in AP [Chemistry or Biology], you also have to sign up for AP [Chemistry or Biology] lab. AP labs will not meet every day… [The labs] will be twice a week for sure… All AP Biology and AP Chemistry are moving towards inquiry labs, which are longer [and] more college-like. It’s impossible to get them done in 48 minutes, especially with chemistry; you can’t just stop in the middle of a chemical reaction.”

-Aimee Hansen, AP Chemistry teacher

•Prime Time every Wednesday •No Super Prime Time •Juniors and seniors who are eligible can still apply for early release and late arrival •Thirty-minute lunch periods during 5th bell •Start date: August 14, 2014 •End of first semester: December 19, 2014 •End date: May 27, 2015 •Honors and AP courses carry an add on of .03 per semester •Class of 2015 and 2016 only: An add on of .045 will be applied for these courses: AP Physics, AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, AP US History, AP Statistics, Honors Wind Symphony, Honors Symphonic Orchestra, Honors Concert Choir •Graduation requirements: o Class of 2015: 23 credits o Class of 2016 and beyond: 22 credits

“For me, [AP science labs are] really obnoxious because I took AP Chemistry this year and on the schedule it looks like you get an advantage if you take it next year.

You can use that flex time that they’re giving for the zipper to alternate between AP Biology lab and AP Chemistry lab. They’re obviously not doing it for AP Physics, so for me, it takes up a lot of my bells because you can’t take as many classes.”

-Josh Reddington, junior

Math “[AP math classes are] going to end up with a little bit less time as far as the in-class stuff is concerned, which will put a little more on the kids to remember their algebra…

Statistics is going to become a one semester course…

The pre-calculus classes are essentially breaking up and becoming separate semester-long courses…Hopefully it will give the students a little bit more flexibility in terms of trying to fine tune their math experience to what they want to do afterwards.”

-Johnothon Sauer, Honors Pre-Calculus teacher

“[The teachers have] been trying to prepare us, especially for AP Calculus next year…They’ve been giving us skill quizzes and other things to kind of match what is going on in AP Calculus, and also, [skill quizzes are] refreshing us on topics we’ve learned in the past, so that’s going to be helpful. [Next year], it’s going to be more difficult obviously with trying to keep up with [algebra skills] on your own, especially at the beginning of the year when you’re trying to refresh yourself on everything.”

-Sam Hodge, junior

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English “[AP Composition and Honors English III] are sort of merging…The benefits [of the blended] course are going to be much more in [the students’] favor: getting AP credit and already having AP embedded in an Honors environment...

That’ll be spread out over a long period of time and I think that will benefit the kids.”

-Lori Roth, AP Composition teacher

“It would probably be better because you have more time to expand and go through the process of learning better. You won’t have to cram, and there might be less homework some nights so it will be less stressful for the students. It’s usually… pretty stressful, but if you lengthen it out, it would give you more time.”

-Leah Hilley, junior

Communications “The Integrated Media Internship class is going to give the kids the ultimate experience as far as being able to use all different types of skill sets and develop that instead of being so isolated in just one area of journalism or one area of technology…The reality is that we can give [the students] a better experience, we can give our community more timely information, and our students can see real-world products that they produce.”

-Craig Murnan, future Integrated Media Internship teacher

“Combining the classes is going to open a lot of opportunities for students next year. I do MBC and if I wanted to branch out more and start working on media more based on the web, I could do that without taking two different classes.”

-Katelyn Emter, junior

The Arts “Our art classes being a little longer [do] help the kids to think about their projects from one day to the next, while trimesters squeeze that all together quite tightly. AP Art History is a College Board-approved class. Most of the state schools in Ohio provide quite a bit of college credit for good performance in that AP Art History class. Comet Creative Design Studio is an internship experience that allows students to create graphics including advertisements, t-shirt graphics, marketing materials, logos, and other real world graphics for real clients. Anybody who has taken Digital Image Design I and II is eligible for that class.”

-Aaron Roberts, head of Art department “The guitar class was something that we had three years ago. This year, we’re going to be able to bring it back with the addition of the seven-bell day. It was [a] very popular class at the time. It’s a beginning guitar course, so what it’s meant to do is to introduce people who have no experience with guitar or have limited experience with guitar but would like to learn how to read music and be a little more proficient at guitar.”

-Avious Jackson, Band director

“If you’re going into an art major, you’re going to need to need to know some of this information. I’m considering majoring in architecture and if you know the [art] history, you can incorporate the designs into what you’re working on.”

-Julianne Su, junior

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opinion Chronicle Policy The Chronicle is the official student newspaper of William Mason High School.

The Chronicle promises to report the truth and adhere to the journalistic code of ethics through online and print mediums.

The Chronicle is produced by students enrolled in Journalism I, II and III. Editorials reflect the staff ’s opinion but do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the school administration or the Mason City School District.

The Chronicle is published monthly. Call 398-5025 ext. 33106 for information regarding advertising in The Chronicle. The Chronicle reserves the right to refuse advertising we deem inappropriate for a high school publication.

As an open forum for students, letters to the editor are welcome, but are subject to be edited for length, libel, obscenity, clarity and poor taste.

Letters to the editor may be dropped off in room C106 and must be signed.

The Chronicle is a member of The Columbia Scholastic Press Association, The National Scholastic Press Association, Quill and Scroll International Honorary Society for High School Journalists and the Ohio Scholastic Media Association.

Tweets to the editor

Contact Information The Chronicle William Mason High School 6100 S. Mason Montgomery Rd. Mason, Ohio 45040 (513) 398-5025 The Chronicle Staff Editor-in-Chief Chloe Knue Managing Editor Sheila Raghavendran Associate Editors Katherine Hansen Taylor Telford Layout and Design Editor Gabrielle Stichweh Sports Editor Erin Brush

Staff Editorial

Online Editor Gina Deaton

Promoted selfie culture emphasizes personal gain, motivation

Business Manager Emily Culberson Photo Editor Madison Krell Staff Writers Emily Taylor Katie Rojas Meghan Harris Jimmy Halpin Katie Herman Abbey Marshall Matthew Marvar Will Leathers Madison Krell Monica Brucher Kelly Noriega Fernanda Hurtado Sonia Rayka Katie Hibner Lindsay McCalmont Rashika Jaipuriar Adviser Dale Conner

It’s not that hard to admit and it’s not that hard to see: selfies are selfish.

And yet that doesn’t make every selfie bad.

The quickly emerging trademark of our generation, the selfie, can be done under different motives: for your own approval, or, for others’. Good or bad, respectively. Both seek to serve the self featured in the selfie, but one knows how to be a little less selfinvolved and a little more pleasantly self-confident than the other. We like that one.

A selfie taken out of a want to celebrate yourself, is to be encouraged. Ok, maybe not too much, but it’s certainly not to be frowned upon. This celebration is not vain, but rather gives yourself the briefest consoling reminder that you can be you. That your individuality and self-assurance is there and you are in control of it. As you strike a ridiculous stance and

face, you remember yourself for yourself. And it’s nice.

These selfies can be, in moderation, posted across social media. But they are also commonly found lying around personal phone camera rolls--unshared.

Selfies inducing the critical and disapproving commentary of our elders (or those among us trying to be above it all), are the ones taken for the approval of peers. The ones intended solely to be publicized and monitored afterwards for ‘likes’ or comments--continual affirmation. This is the ‘bad’ selfie.

These selfies are found en masse across social media. All bad selfies are social media selfies, but not all social media selfies are bad (all squares are rectangles but not all...yeah).

And as is fitting for selfies, only one person can tell where one’s selfish selfie motive lies: yourSELF.

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opinion Forgive, not forget

Guest columnist

Mason has the ready resources and programs to prepare students for life

Sheila Raghavendran | Managing Editor

Santa Ono | University of Cincinnati President

Mother Teresa: “Forgive them anyway”. But aren’t there times where grudges are understandable?

2014 has seen a multitude of inexplicable shootings.

My heart breaks for each community. But for me, the most shocking was the school shooting at Berrendo Middle School in Roswell, New Mexico. A shooting at any school seems unethical, but this shooter, age 12, sparked my utter confusion.

I lived a year as a 12-year-old--it wasn’t my prime (was it anybody’s?). To think that I was dealing with dental train tracks and weird haircuts at the same age that someone knew how to use a gun and had the motive to shoot it at school bewilders me.

But the most baffling element of the New Mexico story isn’t even about the boy or his age. One of the two victims, 13-year-old Kendal Sanders, was wounded in the arm and spent time in the hospital. According to Kendal’s dad in a Roswell Daily Record interview, Kendal was friends with the shooter and now forgives him.

She forgives him for shooting her in the arm.

Maybe I’m a bad person to suggest that Kendal would hold a grudge against this boy for shooting her. But it’s not the “I’d-take-a-bullet-for-you” mentality, it’s “you shot me”. He tried to hurt, and maybe kill her. It’s unforgivable--isn’t it?

The entire situation is beyond my comprehension, and Kendal’s reactions follow suit. It’s sweet of her to forgive.

But still I wonder if the boy’s apology was sincere, if he deserved Kendal’s forgiveness.

John F. Kennedy: “Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names”.

Despite Kendal’s agreement to forgive, surely she will never forget Mason Campbell.

Which are better - “blizzard bags” or extra days into the summer?

compiled by Monica Brucher

Cwhat you think

One of my favorite activities as the president of the University of Cincinnati is visiting high schools, and recently I had the opportunity to visit the high school from which more UC freshmen graduate than any other school. The No. 1 feeder school to the Bearcat nation is none other than Mason.

I want to thank Mason Principal Mindy McCarty-Stewart for allowing me to visit and guidance counselors Seth Johnston and Tony Affatato, along with Tom Canepa, associate vice president for enrollment management at UC, for arranging for my pizza lunch with students interested in attending UC, my tour of classrooms and the opportunity to meet both students and teachers. Along with me, Student Government President Joe Blizzard, Vice President for Governmental Relations and University Communications Gregory Vehr and Assistant Director of Admissions Ted Magdzinski--all of UC--participated in the visit, too.

While I love visiting all of the high schools in Greater Cincinnati and across the state of Ohio, with their great variety ranging from small to big, from public to religiously-affiliated and private, I was impressed with Mason High School and its proximity to so many other community amenities at the Mason Community Center.

The community of Mason and its students are very fortunate to have such a great school with excellent facilities that are well-equipped to prepare pupils for a college education and a bright future.

One program that was particularly exciting was the Comet Zone, which offers Mason students with hands-on experience in how the capitalist enterprise and our economic system function. It reminds me of our UC Economics Center, which reaches out to elementary and high school teachers and schools in our region to help educate them about our nation’s economic system. In fact, I learned after my visit that our Economics Center provided guidance and help to Mason in launching the Comet Zone. Also in 2011, our center named Mason High School teacher Cindy Donnelly the “Financial Education Teacher of the Year.”

According to information provided to me by the UC Economics Center and taken from a national financial capability study done by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Ohioans rank fourth from the bottom in the nation on financial literacy. In many schools across our state and around the country, financial literacy skills are not formally taught. But last year our Economics Center reached over 14,000 students from kindergarten through grade 12 through its educational programs. Because Mason High School has chosen to incorporate financial education into its curriculum with the Comet Zone as well as the small business management and entrepreneurship courses associated with it, students at Mason are getting an opportunity that many other schools do not yet offer.

Our UC Student Government president also was struck by the Comet Zone and what a great concept it is. “The bank and the school store were both extremely impressive as they provided students with the opportunity to obtain real-world work experience much like the co-op program at UC,” Blizzard said.

“These types of opportunities are going to be invaluable for the students’ future successes in college and beyond.”

Congratulations to Mason High School for doing a great job of preparing students for their futures. I look forward to meeting more and more Mason High School alumni in the years ahead as they enroll at the University of Cincinnati. Go Comets! And go Bearcats!

“School in summer [because blizzard bags cause] extra work on top of work we have already.”

--Morgan Smith, junior

“School in summer because I don’t like blizzard bags and I feel like they took too long and you had to work a lot longer than you would in class.”

--Jake Ball, sophomore

“Blizzard bags so we can stay home and work on it.”

--Nadir Brandon, freshman

“Blizzard bags because I can sleep in and do it at night after I hang out with my friends.”

--Abby Barham, senior

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Blizzard Blues Calamity day alternative brings more work, less play Sonia Rayka | Staff Writer

Five strikes and we’re out? That may not be the case since Superintendent Gail Kist-Kline introduced a new snow day alternative for the winter season.

The calamity day makeup plan will require teachers to post a set lesson in the case of another school day missed due to snow or dangerously low temperatures. As students and teachers alike were thrown headfirst into the plan on the sixth snow day of the year, junior Faryaal Zindani said that she was able to see the benefits despite the surprising “blizzard bag” assignments.

“Calamity days can be kind of annoying and take away being able to relax and not worry about school on snow days but they’re also necessary because our five snow days have passed,” Zindani said. “I don’t want school at the end of the school year so I think it’s a good way to make up your work for that lesson.”

Statistics teacher Colleen Everett said that the basic outline of the calamity day plan is still up in the air for many teachers and students.

“It’s good because students are doing actual work that applies to the classes they are currently taking during the snow day,” Everett said.

“However, I think it’s vague as to how much something is worth, what category it goes into, and more so students are kind of uncertain about how much effort they should put forth in the assignments.”

Junior Garrett Popovich said he agreed that the plan has been vague in terms of how it will work, leaving many students and teachers frozen in this frosty frenzy.

“It’s not consistent throughout the district as a whole,” Popovich said. “So they definitely need a set guideline for it to inform parents, students, and teachers because even teachers have told me different things.”

According to Popovich, the calamity day plan will be beneficial once a general guideline is formed.

“At the end of the day, it doesn’t really make sense to add to the end of the year since we’ve missed second trimester so I think adding the work will help,” Popovich said. “I just wish there was more of a defined outline--there has been a lot of confusion.”

Senior Jackson Smith said that the use of blizzard bag assignments restricts the student’s time

Photo by Madison Krell, photo art by Madison Krell and Gabrielle Stichweh

Through this winter’s arctic blasts, Mason has tallied seven calamity days, exceeding the district’s limit of five.

and life for non-academic activities.

“It’s unfortunate that the weather is jeopardizing the students’ power and their lives outside of school,” Smith said. “It gets rid of all the joy of snow days.”

Everett said that she hoped there would be no more snow days in order to go back to the simplicity.

“As a parent, it was tough for me because my children spent a lot of the time doing academics but at the same time it was all so uncertain about grading and due dates,” Everett said. “At this point, I am hoping and praying that we do not have another snow day this year.”

According to Zindani, one of the notable problems with the new plan is figuring out the

appropriate amount of work to assign.

“Some teachers are over-assigning so I think that the teachers should have a limit as to how much they can assign,” Zindani said. “Everyone is still trying to adjust and it’s going to take time so they should definitely know the limitations.”

As the unpredictable winter rages on, Popovich said that the adjustment is necessary for the district to improve as a whole, despite the bumpy start.

“Going from snow days with no work to suddenly having work will always be something the students don’t want to happen,” Popovich said.

“However as a student in a district trying to be better, we have to.”

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feature

Crowning Glory Website dominates online video-streaming market

Home Top Picks New Releases Genres Sheila Raghavendran | Managing Editor Katie Hibner | Staff Writer

Netflix has conquered the throne of the film and television kingdom.

It captures 31.62 percent of data transferring from Internet to computers during the peak surfing times, according to Forbes. That’s just about four percent less than the proportion of 2013’s obese American adults.

Other modes of viewing film and television have been overpowered by Netflix--literally, according to senior Aditya More.

“I’ve noticed like Blockbuster and Hollywood Studios used to be a thing, but those have died out,” More said. “I think [Netflix has] taken over, especially since it’s so convenient--you can watch whatever you want whenever you want. So that convenience factor, I think, helps it overpower its industry.”

Convenience is not the only dynamic determining Netflix’s popularity, senior Alexa Janus Photo art by Gabrielle Stichweh

said. Its low price, wide range of shows and lack of commercials keep viewers watching.

“It’s really cheap and there’s just a huge variety of stuff that you can watch,” Janus said. “It’s so much easier than having to wait for each episode, and there [are] no commercials.”

Senior Samantha Villagran, who allows Netflix to rule for up to ten hours every week, said the site is her go-to location for all film and television.

“Before [I had Netflix] I used to just go to Google and look up movies,” Villagran said.

“Now I don’t have to do that, I can just go to Netflix. And YouTube, I don’t have to look up episodes or anything, I just use Netflix. So it’s really cut back on me using Google or YouTube for looking up videos I want to watch.”

Netflix’s assortment proves helpful to Villagran’s school film-watching assignments and saves time, she said.

“A lot of [the time] for AP Lit[erature] we need to watch a movie for our books, and it’s always on there,” Villagran said. “…I’ll just look at the film on there instead of like going to Google and finding a slower version.”

Although Netflix can be used for school, it often seizes time needed for homework, according to Janus.

“A lot of the [time] I forget to do my [calculus] or English homework and it’s usually because I am watching a continuous [series on] Netflix,” Janus said.

More, though a self-proclaimed non-addict, said Netflix is an option to procrastinate on homework.

“Usually when I don’t want to do homework I’ll watch TV, go hang out with friends or [watch] Netflix,” More said. “I wouldn’t say it’s a go-to, but it’s one of them.”

For Villagran, watching Netflix has become such a routine that she doesn’t even need to have the volume on. Its simple presence satisfies her.

“I’ll be doing homework and instead of playing music I’ll play Netflix and when a good scene comes on I’ll stop everything and watch the scene instead of doing my homework,” Villagran said. “It’s distracting, but sometimes I’ll even put it on mute. It’s just kind of force of habit to have it on now.”

Villagran said that Netflix’s future looks optimistic: she thinks its powers will expand to the world of music videos.

“I think…music videos [will be added] instead of just TV shows,” Villagran said.

“They’ll put music videos to watch, and kids will just watch music videos over and over again, just for the music, not even the videos.”

According to Janus, Netflix will not be relinquishing its crown anytime soon.

“I feel like Netflix is so popular and they know what they want and what people like that it’s not going to go anywhere soon,” Janus said.

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Planning Ahead Arranged marriages more than standard ritual, create lasting unions Kelly Noriega | Staff Writer

Fifty-five percent of all marriages around the world are arranged. Of those, on average only four percent end in divorces.

Junior Hira Qureshi believes that arranged marriages are misrepresented in media and that people don’t get the true sense of what arranged marriages really are.

“Arranged marriage isn’t something that’s just, here is a boy, here is a girl, slap them together,” Hira said. “It’s [calculated] through careful peer connection. You kind of research that person, in a sense.”

Hira’s mother Asma Qureshi said that the process of arranged marriages hasn’t changed much, the only things that have changed are that now couples can communicate through cell-phones and emails.

“The way [Islamic] marriages work in [Muslim] society is moms and dads, when kids are in their 20’s, start looking for appropriate matches,” Asma said. “[My husband] was in England and I was in Pakistan [when we were getting arranged] so his mom basically did the ceremony. I got engaged without him.”

According to Hira the media may create a negative stigma towards arranged marriages because of the extreme cases they present to the public. In reality, arranged marriages take careful consideration and time.

“Contrary to popular belief it’s through connections,” Hira said. “I think people need to keep an open mind, with new information you see on the news, this 16-year-old is being forced to marry this 50-year-old, that’s a small extremist point of Photo art by Gabrielle Stichweh

view that [people] shouldn’t overgeneralize with the population.”

Arranged marriages aren’t set in stone, according to Hira’s father Amir Qureshi. The only difference with normal marriages is the involvement of family.

“Same things happen if things don’t work out,” Amir said. “People can divorce, it’s not like it’s not going to happen. But it’s not like done, divorce.

[Couples] bring in both sides of the family to see if they can hash out some of the issues. Same thing when you get married, you bring family and when you divorce, you bring family.”

People may be unaware that in Islamic culture not all marriages are necessarily arranged by parents, but are actually a result of youths finding someone that is Islamic that they want to marry, according to Hira.

“In a lot of cases it’s love marriages,” Hira said.

“Like you met this guy at college and you take the initiative to go to your parents and say, hey I met this guy could we set up a meeting or something.

People categorize that as arranged marriages but [it really isn’t].”

It’s still the decision of the person whether they want to marry the arranged person or not, according to Hira. No matter the conditions the final decision falls to the person being arranged.

“In your religion it is your choice--you can’t be forced to marry anyone,” Hira said. “The forcefulness is wrong, that’s completely discouraged in the religion. In arranged marriages in Islam, it has to be agreed on both parties, even if your parents disagree you can still go ahead and do it but it’s not encouraged.”

Asma said that in order for arranged marriages to be successful they rely heavily on the relationship between children and their parents. Some arranged marriages do not succeed because the

parents do not know their child well enough.

“It also depends on your relationship with your parents and how trustworthy are your parents,” Asma said. “It has to be a love and trust relationship between parents and their children before the children can let the parents be the source of decision making.”

Although sometimes she thinks about what it would be like to date, Hira said that she feels safe in knowing her future. With faith in her family, Hira said she knows they will make the best decisions for her.

“I find comfort in it because I trust my parents and I know they are going to advise me in a wise way,” Hira said. “I like the fact that I don’t have to date because it takes a lot of pressure off of me, like sometimes I wish someone could cuddle with me but sometimes [I think] thank God I don’t have to go through heartbreaks.”

Asma said that the most important part of arranged marriages, and what makes them the most successful type of marriage, is the involvement and trust within families.

“In arranged marriages if you have conflict differences, your parents kick in, you brother and sister kick in,” Asma said. “Everyone is trying to protect the marriage. In a love marriage it’s between you and your husband, because your parents weren’t involved you don’t have the protection around you. In an arranged marriage you have more protection and more cushion because more people want [the] marriage to work than not to work.”

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Killer B’s High personal standards make B’s a sign of failure Rashika Jaipuriar | Staff Writer

B = F. It isn’t a new math formula or science equation. It’s a mindset.

According to guidance counselor Phyllis Bell, for some students getting a B in class can be failure, or the end of the world.

“Sometimes they forget that a B is good,” Bell said. “Some kids can roll with [getting a B]. Some kids go off the deep end if they get a B and you kind [of] have to talk [them] down from the ledge.”

For senior Sam Baynes, her dread of receiving a B stems from the fear of shattering a perfect streak.

“It’s just a personal pride thing,” Baynes said. “I’ve never [gotten a B] before, and I really don’t [want to] start now. I’ve just always told myself, ‘I could do it if I wanted to. I could get the A in the harder classes.’ It’s never really been an option for me [to] get a B in class.”

Even with the assurance of college acceptances, Baynes said she continues her hard work because she views an A as a symbol of pride and challenge. According to sophomore Katarina Schneiderman, a B would represent failure more in the sense of disappointment.

“I’ve always been someone who [has] just really liked learning, and then that kind of developed into always getting good grades,” Schneiderman said. “My parents are big factors in getting A’s all the time...I’m just trying to live up to their expectations as well as expectations set by my older sister.”

Similarly, senior Harry Taylor also said he upholds A’s with importance.

“My entire life leading up to this year, it was always extremely important for me not to get a B,” Taylor said. “I was always a straight-A student so I just kind [of] had that mindset of ‘You have to be successful. You have to get A’s.’”

Taylor said that changed, however, when he got hit with not just one, but two B’s for the first time this year.

“Because [AP] BC Calculus and three [trimester AP] Physics have reputations as the two hardest classes, over [the] summer

I kind of mentally prepared myself to get a B because I’ve come close before, but I’ve always managed to get the A,” Taylor said.

“And then with both classes, I got a B last trimester and it was really hard because you do feel like you’ve let yourself down to an extent because you pushed for the A for so long.”

According to Taylor, that disappointment

Senior Sam Baynes feels the constant pressure and to maintain straight “A”s in high school.

arose from an individual standard, rather than pressuring outside influences.

“I never felt like I let my family down,” Taylor said. “It just personally kind of sucked.

It was like the feeling of getting an F, [even though] I got B pluses in both classes. It’s kind of like if you’ve ever gotten a really bad grade on a small assignment. It’s not as bad as that feeling, but it’s much more drawn out, [because] one assignment will eventually go away whereas [this won’t].”

According to senior Tivon Tsung, ‘senioritis’ has caused him to downplay the dramatics of the dreaded B. “I got my first B last [trimester] and it was a bummer, but it wasn’t a huge [deal],” Tsung said. “I don’t feel like it’s failure because I still tutor other kids in the same subject. I’m helping them get A’s. I just know that the reason I’m not getting an A isn’t because I don’t know it; it’s because I don’t care enough to put more effort in.”

In contrast, Baynes said the possibility of a B on her next report card would create a much bigger dent.

“I would probably break down and cry because 13 years of hard work would go out the window,” Baynes said.

But at the end of the day, Schneiderman said the seemingly baneful B doesn’t automatically mean doom.

“It would be disappointing [to get a B],” Schneiderman said. “But I think I would take it more as a part of life that is eventually [going to] come, whether it’s in high school or college.”

According to Bell, while students should be rooting for excellence, the key is to maintain balance.

“We try to help [students] understand that no one can be perfect all the time,” Bell said.

“Sometimes we take it a little too far and things just get out of perspective...this environment at Mason is one which is meant to push you a little bit--and that’s okay. Setting high goals for yourself is not a bad thing; crumbling because you can’t handle a B is a whole [other] story.”

Photo by Rashika Jaipuriar, photo art by Gabrielle Stichweh.

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Selfie Sensation

Photo obsession blurs line between confidence and pride

february 14, 2014| Page 17

Lasting Implications

Social media potentially damaging for college applicants

Meghan Harris | Staff Writer

Pose, click, post.

Selfies are taking over Mason High School.

According to sophomore Dani Weaver, selfies are our generation’s way of promoting self-confidence.

“Our generation is obsessed with selfies because we like to get a confidence boost,” Weaver said.

“People post them on social media and if they get a lot of ‘likes’ then they become more confident.”

Whether it’s a simple smile or a recent imitation of Miley Cyrus, senior David Oswalt said students post selfies because of ease.

“Selfies are popular due to the convenience and simplicity,” Oswalt said. “People also get a huge confidence boost when they get tons of likes on an Instagram selfie.”

While a selfie every once in a while doesn’t do much harm, Oswalt said when people post numerous pictures, it begins to come off as conceited.

“The line between self-absorbed and having self-confidence is when people post too many selfies,” Oswalt said. “Some people think it’s a good idea to post 300 selfies a day and it makes them look conceited and over-confident.”

Along with the number of selfies, Weaver said there is a fine line between self-confidence and selfabsorbed when it comes to selfies, and it lies in the filter.

“I think that self-confident selfies are unedited,” Weaver said. “Selfabsorbed selfies would be when you edit every single detail of the picture to try and make yourself look perfect.”

While seeing a selfie is one thing, posting one is a different ball game.

According to junior Reghan McCurley, posting a selfie that may not appeal to everyone takes guts.

“When I post [a selfie], I’m usu-

ally afraid someone will judge me or not like it,” McCurley said. “I always think of the consequences considering I take some different pictures, just because I like to be artsy.”

According to Oswalt, the comments posted about the picture can be just as detrimental as no comments at all.

“Selfies can negatively affect a person’s self-esteem if they take a selfie that they think makes them look attractive, but gets little-to-no likes or acknowledgment,” Oswalt said.

According to freshman Meg Hubbard, the red ‘like’ button can both hurt and harm students’ selfesteem.

“If you’re looking at selfies, it can destroy self-esteem because you could think ‘Oh, I’m not as pretty as her’,” Hubbard said. “But if you are posting a selfie and you see that people are ‘liking’ it, it can promote self-confidence.”

Whether a collage of not-so-attractive selfies or a college rejection letter is in the near future, senior Jessica Thompson said students need to be aware of how their selfies could affect their future.

“I don’t post anything bad because I know that [it] could affect my future,” Thompson said. “I’m comfortable with any funny picture of me so I don’t really think of the consequences of who might see it.”

When it comes to selfies and selfesteem, Thompson said not to let a photo determine self-worth.

“If [a student] depends on a selfie to let them know they’re pretty then that’s pretty negative,” Thompson said. “If you just have fun with it and not do it all for the compliments then I think [selfies] would have a positive effect on selfesteem.”

Emily Taylor | Staff Writer

Photos contributed by Reghan McCurley, photo art by Gabrielle Stichweh

Junior Reghan McCurley posts cell-phone “selfies” to her social media accounts like Facebook.

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140 characters are all it takes to go from prospective student to just another face in the crowd. The popularity of sharing your opinions through social media has outpaced the thought of future consequences.

Assistant Principal Bill Rice said that when it comes to sharing information via social media, students often don’t think about the implications of what they post.

“Students tend to have that ‘I’m invincible’ mentality when it comes to social media,” Rice said. “They think that nothing bad can happen to them when it absolutely can and it sticks with them forever.”

It’s not just students that are impacted by social media, though.

According to athletic director Scott Stemple, social media profiles can also have a significant effect on athletes.

“With the technology and resources that a lot of the major schools have today, I think that there’s a possibility that social media may be something that recruiters look at,” Stemple said.

Maureen Sullivan, who recently committed to Miami University for swimming, said she has to be careful about what she is putting out there as her coaches are keeping tabs on what she posts.

“Once I committed [to Miami] my coaches followed me on Twitter,” Sullivan said. “I didn’t want [them] thinking anything badly of me so now I really only tweet positive things.”

Now more than ever, coaches, teachers, and employers are able to

size up potential candidates by simply checking up on what they have been tweeting or posting.

Despite this, Ann Larson, the director of admissions at Miami University, conceded that they do not review social media as a way to evaluate applicants.

“Our admissions process does not include social media review,” Larson said. “That being said, if someone brings something to our attention, then we will investigate.”

Although colleges and administration may not be reading everything you put out there, Stemple said that it is important for students to be prudent of what they are posting.

“You have to be careful if you’re going to go expose yourself because you never know who is going to end up seeing what you post,” Stemple said.

According to Stemple, students often disregard the fact that what they post creates a reflection of who they are.

“Anytime that you are subjecting yourself to an evaluation of your private life, you have to be careful how you portray yourself,” Stemple said. “The fact of the matter is that when you are exposing yourself, you are susceptible to the judgment of your character.”

Rice said students need to keep this in mind and realize that what they are posting has repercussions not only to themselves, but to the recipients of the posts.

“Just stop before you do it and think,” Rice said. “It’s too instantaneous not to.”

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Car Crazy Affection for cars extends beyond typical teenage love of wheels Matt Marvar | Staff Writer

Most teenagers love their license. But not as Craigslist and Autotrader every day and see little nicer. many really love their cars. what kind of deals I could find and so finally, “I do think a car should be clean and what-not According to senior Gene Park, love for a car five months after I got my license, there was this but I don’t think that you should be obsessing sprouts from the moment of purchase. If you guy in Dayton…and he had this great price on over it,” Knechtly said. don’t look back and smile as you walk away from this car that was perfect for what I wanted. We Although Knechtly may express a good point, your car, you’ve bought the wrong one, he said. went ahead and got it.” according to Chamblain, he still disagrees.

Park is a self-proclaimed car enthusiast and he According to Park, he has a strong fascination “I can understand how people would think currently drives a 2004 Hyundai Tuscon which with cars. He, along with Chamblain, sees his car that,” Chamblain said. “But for me, they’re a lot he bought about a year ago. According to Park, as a companion rather than an appliance. more than that and they’re kind of a part of my when he found it online, he knew the car was “It depends on your passion for cars,” Park personality.” going to be special. said. “When I drive, it’s more like a leisurely acAccording to Park, his car is a representation “We happened to come across it on Craigslist tivity, so I want it to be more fun than anything. of his personality. When he was car shopping, he so we drove up to wanted one that Columbus, tried it would not only out, and as soon as stand out, but we saw it, we knew reflect himself. it was the car we “When I looked wanted to get,” Park for a car, I didn’t said. “A lot of people want something have Mustangs and that you comstuff, but you see monly saw on the those everywhere. streets,” Park said.

What’s so special “When I drive about something around, I can tell that you see so people look at my many times during car when it goes the day? My car just by because it’s kind of stands out.” loud, looks way Park said his car is different from any important to him-other car in Maand so is keeping it son. I didn’t want clean. something that “I’ll wash it at least was mainstream, once a week,” Park to say.” said. “...I’ll wax it, According occasionally. I’ll to Knechtly, Photo by Madison Krell, photo art by Gabrielle Stichweh Senior Brad Chamblain said he is passionate about maintaining cars, such as his family’s vehicle Hyundai Sonata. vacuum out the things like distincinsides, clean evtion don’t matter, erything out and wipe it down. That takes about It’s more like a partner to get you places.” whereas safety and practicality should be a a whole day.”

According to Chamblain, having a passion for higher priority.

Senior Brad Chamblain said he is also a car something is great, but sharing it with others is “I would rather have a safe car than a fast car,” connoisseur who makes sure his car is always in even better. In his case, he and his friends wash Knechtly said. “Whenever we have a snow day, good shape. their cars together on occasion. [my friends and I] would try to go do something “I always keep with me in the trunk cleaning “[My friends and I] will all go to the car wash but [my friends] couldn’t because their cars can’t wipes, so if anyone puts [something like] a boot together,” Chamblain said. “It’s one where you handle the snow.” mark on the door, I’ll go and wipe it off right can wash it yourself--they have all the nice supAccording to Chamblain though, none of that after they get out,” Chamblain said. “It’s easier to plies there--and so we go and enjoy washing matters. He said that cars are what he loves and clean it off right when they do it.” our cars together and waxing them and making sensibility isn’t on his must-have list when buyChamblain said that his passion towards auto- them look nice.” ing one. mobiles comes from his family.

Senior Andrew Knechtly, on the other hand, “For me, cars are a passion,” Chamblain said.

“My uncle has had really cool cars his whole believes that cars shouldn’t be something to be “When I grow up, I want to have a collection of life, so it kind of runs in the family,” Chamblain infatuated with. He used to drive an old Ford cars--it’s not really a measure of my success, it’s said. “Before I even got my temps, I’d look on with a big dent, but he now drives something a just something that I love.”

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Wisdom Woes Robbed of wisdom, short-term pain outweighs long-term benefit Madison Krell | Staff Wrtier

Teenagers dread the wisdom tooth fairy.

Whether through ‘post-wisdom teeth surgery’ selfies or videos of the car ride home, wisdom teeth surgery has become a staple. The icepack head wrap may make funny pictures, but according to junior Winnie Bohls, this surgery should not be taken lightly.

“I am scared to get my wisdom teeth out. I don’t like being put to sleep, I think it’s weird and I don’t like being in a lot of pain,” Bohls said.

“I don’t like IVs or needles. I don’t like people touching my mouth, I think it’s weird and I don’t like dentists in general.”

Every surgery has its potential problems, according to senior Rachel Stein who experienced one after her surgery.

“The doctor called it dry sockets; he said mine was the worst that he has ever seen, because it kept coming back,” Stein said. “I had to keep going for like three weeks.”

According to senior Alex Marquardt, the post-surgery pain was overwhelming.

“I just felt very tired all the time, and I got flustered easily,” Marquardt said. “My tongue was numb for the longest time. My cheeks felt ginormous. Where my teeth got pulled it was really sore pain and it hurt all the time.”

Being in pain for a couple days is much better than being in pain for a couple of months, according to Bohls.

“I see some benefit in it, if I don’t get them out, then I’m obviously going to be in a lot of

pain,” Bohls said. “And I know there are a lot of side effects; I think you can get gum disease and stuff from it if you don’t get them out.”

According to Stein, there are many reasons to get your wisdom teeth out.

Hers was the most usual: because of a small mouth. The reasons to get them out vary from the size of the mouth, to the amount of pain the

Senior Alex Marquardt underwent painful wisdom teeth surgery.

wisdom teeth causes.

“The reason they told me I should get my wisdom teeth out was because if I didn’t my teeth were going to shift, and I already had braces so it was worth it,” Stein said.

Whatever the reason according to Marquardt, the surgery is a good thing in the long run.

“I am more relieved now, about a month after, because there’s no pain,” Marquardt said.

“But the first couple of days after the surgery, I wish I hadn’t gotten them out, because I was going through a lot of pain.”

The medication is known to cause some silly behaviors in the car ride home, according to Stein.

But that didn’t happen in

her case.

“During the car ride home I actually wasn’t that loopy,” Stein said. “I was really disappointed; I wanted stories about myself. [But] when I was waiting for my dad to come around they had me sitting in the waiting room, and I fell asleep in less than a minute.”

If you do get loopy in the car, according to Bohls, it makes the surgery a lot better.

“You look on YouTube and you see all of these videos of people like going crazy,” Bohls said.

“I’m just like man if someone tapes me doing that and I look back at it, I’m just going to laugh, cause I think it’s hilarious. That would make the surgery more of a positive thing.”

But, according to Stein, the humorous hype about the surgery isn’t necessary.

“Even when bad things happen with the wisdom teeth, it really isn’t that bad,” Stein said.

Photo by Madison Krell, photo art by Gabrielle Stichweh and Madison Krell

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Smooth Moves

Zumba provides forum for Latino culture, unique excercise

Monica Brucher | Staff Writer

Just dance. That’s what certified Zumba instructor, junior Andrea Castillo, always tells her class.

From the moment she learned about it, Castillo knew the Latin-based dance was for her.

“I started dancing Zumba when I was 11 and I fell in love,” Castillo said.

Those wishing to be certified must be at least 16.

Castillo turned 16 in September 2012 and was then certified and hired as an instructor at the Mason Community Center August of 2013.

Castillo’s enthusiasm for Zumba spawned not only her love of exercising, but also a way to let loose.

“You go and you have fun for an hour,” Castillo said. “It’s a stress reliever--that’s something in Zumba you don’t really get in anything else.”

Spanish National Honor Society president, senior Rickey Terrell, said that Zumba also created a unique way to present Latino culture.

“We saw [Zumba] as another means of incorporating Spanish culture within our events in a fun way, that’s making people get up and be active,” Terrell said. “[Zumba] is popular among our age group and older age groups as well, as a different kind of exercise that’s not just walking on a treadmill.”

Castillo said that all age ranges can participate in Zumba-based activities--a key to the exercise trend’s popularity.

“You can do Zumba in the water, Zumba with weights, there’s Zumba for older people who can do it in a chair,” Castillo said. “It benefits so many different people and that’s why popularity is growing.”

Zumba is not only growing as an exercise fad, but also as a way to entertain and raise money.

Senior Jessica Hastings is co-chair for one of National Honor Society’s Pasta for Pennies fundraisers--Zumbathon. Zumbathon, which will be held February 19 in the large commons, is one of Hastings’ favorite NHS events.

“Coming to Zumbathon is so much fun because you’re dancing and you’re with your friends and it’s funny but it’s such a great exercise and it’s such a good cause for Pasta for Pennies,” Hastings said.

This year, Hastings hopes to raise attendance with increased marketing of the event.

“We want to have a promo video to show what it is, show that it’s just like dancing and it’s fun,” Hastings said. “That’s one of the major issues from last year--that people didn’t know what [Zumba] was.”

According to Hastings, Zumba not only makes participants sweat, but also crack a smile.

“Watching people is so funny because everyone is trying and their faces are so concentrated on learning how to do [the dance] or people are five beats behind,” Hastings said.

Zumba classes create a comfortable environment, according to Castillo.

“When I say left they go right, and when I say go back they go diagonal--I just think everything is funny,” Castillo said. “And I think that’s such a good environment because it’s a judge-free zone.”

Terrell said he hopes to create a community Zumba event through Spanish National Honor Society.

“Zumba is a good activity and Spanish National Honor Society uses it as a way to expose people to Spanish culture,” Terrell said. “It’s just a fun and exciting way to stay active and have fun with your friends.”

Dancers or not, people just have to jump in, according to Castillo.

“People should try it,” Castillo said. “I think people are deceived at the fact that it is a dancebased class, but you don’t need to know how to dance to do the class.”

Pictured: 16-year-old junior Andrea Castillo who has been a Zumba instructor at the Mason Community Center since August of 2013.

Photos by Madison Krell

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Seniors step out of comfort zone to “make most” of final year Fernanda Hurtado | Staff Writer

There’s only one senior year.

With this in mind, some seniors at Mason High School feel the pressure to make the most of it.

For Senior Erika Busch, prom is one event that she does not want to miss out on.

“Going to prom this year is something I don’t want to not go and then regret it a couple years later,” Busch said. “It sucks that I am not really a person who likes to dress up, but I want to go [to prom] just to have the experience of going.”

Senior Kathryn Devaney didn’t do Powder Puff last year, but said she will this year. Because it’s her senior year.

“I am going to do Powder Puff this year because I think it would [be] fun to do your senior year since you only have your senior year once,” Devaney said. “I didn’t do it last year because I didn’t really want to but this year I thought it is my senior year so why not do it.”

According to Busch there are many things she did this year that she hadn’t done the past years because she didn’t want to miss out.

“For band, I went to all of the away games because I didn’t want to miss out on that,” Busch said. “I don’t want to look back and say, ‘Oh, I should have done this while I had the chance’. I didn’t feel there was any need of going to all the

games the past years because there was always going to be next year but this year is the last year.”

For senior Breanna Bracher, going to sporting events is where she feels the pressure.

“Going to all the sporting events is a really big deal because it is your last football game or last basketball game that you are ever going to have as a high school student,” Bracher said. “It is the last chance you are going to get to do it and you don’t want to miss that in your life.”

According to Busch, the pressure comes from herself.

“It mostly comes from wanting to keep the really old school traditions of going to all the dances,” Busch said. “I don’t want to miss out on an experience.”

Senior John Howard said that he doesn’t let the pressure to participate affect him.

“I don’t want to miss out, but I feel like if I haven’t done it for all these years before I don’t see a reason to start,” Howard said. “For example, I went to the last football game, I will go to the last basketball game and the winter dance but I think it is more because I want to go and not necessarily because it is senior year.

I have always been someone who tries to get the most out of life so I haven’t really changed

that much.”

Senior Judit Anusetx transferred from Spain last year and said she did a lot more this year because she felt more comfortable, not necessarily because it is her senior year.

“I got more involved in school activities like becoming international club president and creating a family with my swim team,” Anusetx said. “I think that changed a little bit because when you are new you don’t really know what to do and then you start meeting more people, getting comfortable and you start doing more things.”

Although Howard doesn’t feel pressured, he said he does have a senior-year bucket list.

“I definitely went to more football games [this year],” Howard said. “I haven’t been to any basketball games yet but I am 18 now and I want to go skydiving soon just because it is a celebratory thing for senior year.”

According to Devaney, she is trying to get the most memories out of senior year.

“I have a lot of memories with all of my close friends but making more memories with people I am not close with would be cool before I graduate,” Devaney said. “I just want to make more memories and look back in the future and think, ‘that was fun’.”

Photo by Fernanda Hurtado, photo art by Gabrielle Stichweh

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Parent-Teacher Conference Children of MHS teachers face unique challenges, gain perks Katie Hibner | Staff Writer

Senior Andrew Langen’s teacher lives in his house, loves his mom, and knows his life story.

It just so happens that Andrew’s sophomore American History teacher was his dad, Daniel.

Andrew said this arrangement caused his classmates to suspect he had an unfair advantage.

“People thought [my dad] gave me answers to a test or special help on homework,” Andrew said.

“He was there to help me like every other teacher; the only difference was that I could see him at home and didn’t have to stay to ask him questions after school.”

But students taught by their parents have more academic challenges because of their close relationships, according to Daniel.

“There’s nothing unethical about [someone teaching their child] because kids that have their parents [as teachers] get pushed a little harder, like when you coach your own children,” Langen said. “You know them well so you know whether or not they’re giving their best.”

Teachers can also use their intimate knowledge of their children to embarrass them in front of their peers. Spanish teacher Amy Ortega’s daughter, sophomore Clara Ortega, said her mom shared one of her awkward moments to her class. “[My mom] will tell embarrassing stories about me to her classes and other teachers,” Clara said.

“I accidentally threw my phone away at lunch and she told her whole class about it.”

When his dad, world history teacher Ken Whitney, shouts his “Wild Man” routine on the morning announcements, however, junior Andy Whitney said he isn’t embarrassed.

“Some people make comments about my dad

being on the announcements,” Andy said. “I’m not embarrassed by ‘Wild Man’ Whitney because he’s done it for so long and I actually used to do it with him when I was in third grade. It’s pretty cool that he does that for athletics. It does embarrass me when he’ll walk down the hallway and yell out ‘Andy Whitney, I love you!’”

Although he pursues Andy in the hallways, Ken said he tries to stay out of his son’s and other students’ lives outside of school.

“It’s tough when [Andy’s school] friends are at our house,” Ken said. “I try to give them their space; I might say ‘hi’ but I try to go somewhere on my own or do something with other family members. I turn Andy loose and I don’t want to be a helicopter parent.”

Daniel also refrains from intervening in his son’s high school career, but Andrew said he feels extra pressure to achieve for his dad.

“I forgot homework twice [in my dad’s class],” Andrew said. “After that I definitely paid more attention. You want to make your dad proud. You want to show that you aren’t slacking and want to succeed in life.”

According to Clara, there are also expectations that a teacher’s child will grow up to be like their parent.

“I’ve thought about being a teacher but I don’t like school that much,” Clara said. “My grandma was a teacher too so my mom wanted me to follow in her footsteps. But I don’t think it’s the job for me.”

She may not want to be a teacher herself, but Clara said she benefits from having a teacher for a parent.

“I hear gossip about final exams and I’m always first to get the lunch schedule,” Clara said. “If I’m late to class I can ask her for a pass. [She can arrange my schedule] if I ever want to be in a certain class with a certain teacher. My mom got me into Ms. Gentene’s English class because they’re good friends.”

A connection to the other side of the teachers’ desk allows staffers’ children extra insight into the other teachers--and gives the teachers expectations of the other students, according to Andrew.

“I’ve known Mr. Prescott all my life and Mr. Whitney always comes over to borrow our kayak,” Andrew said. “Plus, when they came out with the roster for my dad’s government class next trimester, he asked me if I’d go through it and point out any outstanding kids in the group.”

Daniel may have extra knowledge about his students, but Andrew said it’s funny how little students know about their teachers.

“Some people think teachers are aliens,” Andrew said. “People always ask if my dad watches TV. They think it’s crazy that as a 50-year-old teacher he plays popular video games like ‘Call of Duty’. We also play paintball.”

Such bonding time gets extended when teachers see their children at school, and Ken said he will miss that experience with Andy after he graduates.

“I will cry like a baby [when Andy graduates],” Ken said. “It’s been great for me as a father to ride to school with Andy every day and talk and laugh about life and school. I’m going to miss it. It’s been a greater experience than I’ve ever imagined.”

Pictured: Spanish teacher Amy Ortega, sophomore Clara Ortega, American history teacher Daniel Langen, and senior Andrew Langen.

Photos by Katie Hibner

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Transformed Missing forearm serves as motivation, not hindrance Gina Deaton | Online Editor

Sophomore Rita Flores is more than meets the eye, as recited in the Transformers theme song.

Before Flores was born, an issue caused one of her arms to stop growing while in the womb. She was born with a left arm that ends at the elbow, and has lived her life learning to cope.

“I was born like this,” Flores said. “There was a [umbilical] cord wrapped around my arm that stopped it from growing and throughout the years I’ve just learned to live with it. It took me forever to learn how to walk. I never could ride a bike because I never found my balance.”

According to Flores, many people overlook the things that she struggles with on a daily basis.

However, she does not let this affect her independence.

“There are simple things [most people take for granted],” Flores said. “It can be as simple as cutting paper. I’m so slow at it; everyone else is done when I’ve barely cut out the first piece. My teachers will offer to help but I don’t want that. I don’t want to feel like I need help for something when I don’t. I can do it. Teachers treat me like I have a disability, and technically speaking, I do.

But I don’t see it that way.”

Flores said that having only one full arm has also been a social struggle as she has had to put up with a lot of negativity from her peers.

“I have to ignore people so much,” Flores said. “But if you still aren’t mature enough to have people that look different physically, then you aren’t mature enough to be in high school yet. That’s middle school, for goodness sake.

In middle school, I had no friends. Everybody judged me. Everybody was so worried about how popular they were going to be. I thought, ‘Just get over it’.”

Despite the option for Flores to wear a prosthetic arm and appear to look as if she has both arms, she said she only has negative thoughts towards her prosthetic and it is always left at home.

“I hate [wearing my prosthetic arm],” Flores said. “It’s so annoying and I can’t do anything with it…I’d rather not wear one and be defined by how I look than wear it just to look like a normal person.”

Flores is in Personal Fitness this trimester, and according to Personal Fitness teacher Gary Popovich, she does just about everything that everyone else does in the class and maintains a great attitude through it all. “[Flores] is really positive,” Popovich said. “I don’t really think she looks at [her arm] as a disability at this point in her life. I think she realizes this is something she is going to have to live with,

Photo by Madison Krell

Despite missing her left forearm, sophomore Rita Flores doesn’t let anything hold her back from experiences.

and she doesn’t use it as an excuse. Her attitude is great.”

According to Flores, despite her struggles, she has been able to have fun and see her life as an adventure where she is constantly learning new things about her abilities.

“It’s fun discovering things [I can do],” Flores said. “My mom still won’t let me balance a plate on my arm and serve food because she thinks I’ll drop everything. But I’ve balanced a milk carton on it to drink milk before and I had a lot of fun with that. Also, spinning a basketball? Everyone does that on their finger. I put the basketball on my arm and spin it. I think it’s awesome. Who needs to spin it on their finger when I can spin it on my elbow?”

When asked if she would want to change to have two healthy arms, Flores immediately declined.

“No, I wouldn’t change,” Flores said. “I’m used

to it. Fifteen years of my life have been spent having one arm. I’m doing what most people do. I can get out of stuff that nobody wants to do, like pull-ups.”

Popovich said that Flores serves as an inspiration to her classmates on a daily basis. “[Flores] is an inspiration; I think it’s good for the other kids to see her,” Popovich said. “Someone who may be having a tougher time with something can look up to her. I haven’t really changed anything with [the way I teach her]; I told her to let me know if she needs something, and she does. It’s been an experience.”

Flores can do just as much as anyone else, as she explained using the movie Transformers.

“I like Transformers because in the end of the third one, Optimus Prime gets his arm taken off, but still beats Megatron,” Flores said. “Just see me as Optimus Prime. I can do anything. I can kill Megatron, c’mon.”

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Often unrecognizable, scoliosis makes daily life painful for sufferers Lindsay McCalmont | Staff Writer

Sitting up straight is not an option for some students at Mason High School.

These students have a condition called scoliosis that affects two to three percent of the population, mostly girls, according to the National Scoliosis Foundation.

Scoliosis is defined as a crookedness or curvature of the spine.

Many teenagers get diagnosed with scoliosis during the screening done in middle school, according to junior Simone Fluker.

“I found out that I had it in middle school when they did the scoliosis tests during class,” Fluker said. “They found it in my back and they told me and then I went to the doctor.”

Despite the fact that scoliosis is so common, many people don’t know about it or are unable to identify people that do have it, according to sophomore Peyton Oak. “A lot more people have [scoliosis] than you would realize,” Oak said. “Not a lot of people know what it is but if they know someone that has had it then they know what it is.”

According to Honors Anatomy and Physiology teacher Maggie Long, she would never know that a student of hers had scoliosis by looking at them.

“The only way that I would know if a student had scoliosis is if I looked on my [computer],” Long said. “A lot of times they would have a medical alert that would say ‘scoliosis’. Other than that, would I have any idea that they had scoliosis? Absolutely not. Unless when we talk about scoliosis and the skeletal system they bring it up and share with us their particular case.”

According to the American Chiropractic Association, four out five people affected by scoliosis have curves of less than 20 degrees which is considered mild. Those that have only slight scolio-

sis usually only notice it in their posture and performance in sports, according to Fluker.

“Sports and just having proper posture in general [are harder],” Fluker said. “I slump a lot and it’s kind of natural that I can’t really sit up straight. Also I’m a cheerleader so sometimes I end up tumbling crooked or something because of my back.”

The effects of scoliosis are greater for those with more extreme curves. Severe scoliosis can cause problems with the heart, lungs, and other vital organs if ignored. Scoliosis has no cure which leaves only a couple of options for the remaining one-fifth of people affected that have severe scoliosis, according to Long.

“Sometimes [scoliosis] can be treated through physical therapy, strengthening muscles,” Long said. “They might put you in a brace when you’re developing so it can help straighten those bones up as your bones are growing. In extreme cases they will go in and do surgery.

They can put Harrington rods in which will literally be a metal rod that acts as the back bone.”

While neither of the options are ideal, they make life better in the long run, according to freshman Romie Suer who wore a back brace for a year and a half.

“Wearing the brace wasn’t exactly fun,” Suer said. “It hurt my self-esteem a little but then afterwards it helped me realize how good [not wearing it] was before and taught me to appreciate more things.”

Oak also wore a brace but ended up choosing to have spinal fusion surgery to straighten her spine.

“I had a brace and then spinal fusion surgery,” Oak said. “So I have two metal rods, 15 screws, and two hooks in my back.”

While the surgery is aggressive and has a long recovery time, Oak said she believes that it was worth it. “[The surgery] has made my life a lot better because I don’t really have back pain anymore,” Oak said. “I dance so before [my back] would hurt me sometimes or when I would do sports it would be really sore.”

Long said she agrees that scoliosis can impact people in both sports and in everyday activites as simple as walking around school.

“Athletics-wise, scoliosis, depending on its severity, could have some major implications for people,” Long said. “Moving through the hallways and upstairs and downstairs during a day could cause some lower back pain. The amount of time between classes, having to carry a tremendous amount of books, it can be very difficult for an individual with scoliosis because that extra weight, because your curve is out to the side, all of the pressure is now on your lower back and not on your hips.”

Students with scoliosis find ways to make things work for them, according to Long.

“You can find ways around [moving around school] by figuring out what books you need to take,” Long said. “Or talking to your teachers about books that can be left here or doing the double strap on your backpack instead of the one shoulder.”

According to Oak, having scoliosis makes you realize not to take your back for granted.

“When I dance, I can’t bend my back,” Oak said. “Sometimes like you can’t bend over to pick stuff up or touch your toes, it still is hard for me to touch my toes because I can’t bend my back. You don’t realize how much stuff you actually depend on your back for.”

Photo contributed by Romie Suer

february 14, 2013

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Photo by Madison Krell

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Swimmers aimed and ready for postseason Will Leathers | Staff Writer

The Mason boys and girls swim teams walked away from their GMC meets as champions, marking the first time in four years that both trophies have resided at Mason.

For the girls, it’s a familiar result, winning the GMC meet for the seventh year in a row.

“We knew going in that we had a pretty comfortable lead on the girls’ side so it was just a matter of the girls performing and stepping up,” Sullivan said.

Freshman Ashley Volpenhein, recently named Swimmer of the Year in the GMC, said that the team’s confidence going into the meet allowed her to worry more about her individual results.

“We were all pretty confident because we had won GMC’s as a team for a good number of years,” Volpenhein said. “So for us that wasn’t as much of a problem, we were more worrying about how we would do individually.”

As for the boys, they ended a four-year hiatus from the title, taking back the trophy from rival Sycamore, who has won it for the past four years.

“We knew that we were a little bit stronger of

a team than Sycamore,” Sullivan said. “So we felt like going in that if the guys swam the teams they did during the season we knew we would probably be able to win it.”

But according to Sullivan, the upcoming meets carry different levels of significance for each of the two teams, and affect each team’s approach to the postseason.

“It’s tough being the head coach of both teams because you have to set different goals,” Sullivan said. “For the boys, GMC is a bigger goal. State is important, but as a team we’re probably not going to fare nearly as well [as the girls], so our goals are a little bit pushed back.”

Regardless of the expected postseason results, winning the GMC is an accomplishment that both teams are proud of and something that will provide them momentum heading into their upcoming meets.

“It’s something we’ve strived for since the beginning of the season when the teams set goals,” Sullivan said. “So winning both leagues provides us with a lot of good momentum.”

(Editor’s Note: Page 27 Photo Identification: Senior Alyssa Sincheck starting her race. Photo by Madison Krell)

MVP: Jailyn Mason, basketball Class: 2016 Claim to fame: My shoe game Best part about basketball: Being with my teammates Worst part about basketball: Getting bruises Role Model: My mom Pregame Meal: Subway Pump Up Song: “Hold on We’re Going Home” by Drake Most Embarassing Moment: We were warming up for a game and doing closeouts and I fell Common Misconception about Basketball: The girls aren’t as good as the guys Toughest Opponent: Myself Motto: “I can accept failure, but I can’t accept not trying” Favorite Smell: Vanilla

Photo by Madison Krell

Highlight

Photo by Madison Krell

Senior Nick Orlando goes vertical in the Comets’ 6057 comeback win over Colerain on senior night.

22

Senior wrestler Adam Wall has a current total of 22 pins for the 2013-2014 season.

15.1

Senior basketball player Jenna Gunn has an average of 15.1 points per game this season.

Gunn has comitted to play basketball at IUPUI next year.

478

The boys swim team sealed their first GMC victory since the 2008-2009 season with a team score of 478.

203.7 Junior bowler Chris McPherson has a season average of 203.7 this year.

results as of February 10.

february 14, 2014

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Making a Racquet Racquetball makes a comeback at local fitness centers Chloe Knue | Editor-in-Chief

Mason seniors are making a racquet. On the racquetball court, that is.

The game is simple, according to senior Angel Tramontin. One person serves the ball and you can only score on your serve. You have to hit the back wall once and the ball can only hit the ground once. You can hit any other wall, but only get rewarded with a point if the ball bounces twice before the other player hits it.

“It all started two months ago,” Tramontin said. “Enrique Dominguez and I were at Lifetime Fitness and we decided we need[ed] a good cardio workout. Then we looked off into the distance and there were the racquetball courts.”

According to Dominguez, the pair didn’t know what they were doing at first but quickly caught on to the competitive sport.

“We just kind of like smacked the ball as hard as we could and screamed and yelled,” Dominguez said. “Then we looked up the rules and actually started getting competitive with it and we’ve been playing really often ever

Seniors Angel Tramontin and John Kenneally hit the courts at Lifetime Fitness.

since.”

Dominguez said a group of guys goes to Lifetime to play racquetball about three to four times a week to get a good cardio workout in.

“I feel like it is as good of a workout as you make it,” Dominguez said. “If you put like a lot of intensity into it, it is a good cardio workout.”

Tramontin said that it has been a great experience learning to play racquetball and said that he and his friends are redefining the stereotype of the sport.

“Often times people think racquetball is a sport for old people which I mean [if you go to the courts] it may look like it,” Tramontin said. “But it really is great and should be played by more people.”

According to Dominguez, the stereotype is that only old guys wearing goggles and short shorts play racquetball. “[Which is] probably true I see a lot of older guys there and they wear that stuff,” Dominguez said. “But I think if more people played it they’d understand how fun it really is.”

Photos by Emily Taylor

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Ranking Roughness Athletes respond strongly to ESPN.com’s “Toughest Sports” list

1. BOXING Total Score: 72.375 / 80

2. ICE HOCKEY Total Score: 71.750/ 80

3. FOOTBALL Total Score: 68.375 / 80

Cartoon based on Neil Leifer’s iconic 1965 photo of Muhammad Ali.

Jimmy Halpin | Staff Writer

Endurance. Strength. Power. Speed. Flexibility. All of these categories and more were taken into consideration in ESPN.com’s list of the “50 Toughest Sports”. According to the website, boxing won the prize, followed closely by hockey.

Andrew Marzheuser, a junior hockey player, said he agrees with the ranking because of hockey’s violent physicality.

“It’s one of [the] most physical sports and it takes a lot of talent. It’s more than just ice skating,” Marzheuser said. “I need lot of stamina because it’s a lot of hard work and you need to move fast.”

According to junior Brad Siekmann, one of the more underrated sports that made the list was swimming. Siekmann said people just aren’t aware how difficult swimming actually is.

“People don’t understand because not many people swim laps competitively. They don’t understand the training that we have to do,” Siekmann said. “We don’t get to breathe whenever we want.”

According to ESPN, one of the least glamorous and unknown sports is rowing. Although it may just look canoeing, sophomore rower Ryan Polto said it takes so much more.

“Rowing is like benching a lot of wait for a long time,” Polto said. “It takes a lot of cardiovascular strength because you’re breathing a lot and you have to learn to push through the soreness. After a week I got to get stronger, and could run half marathons, and when people start to do it they realize how much muscle it takes.”

The title of toughest sport will continue to be argued and debated, and Polto is insistent his sport should be at the top of the list.

“Swimming is really hard and rugby is one of the most physical,” Polto said. “But in rowing you use more of your muscles than you think, and you have to push your limits every day.”

Art by Madison Krell

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