The Chronicle, 12.2 by The William Mason High School Chronicle

the October 22, 2014

thecspn.com

CHOOSING SIDE

Volume 12, Issue 2

Real stories from real people who chose to

See special report: pages 15-18 Photo by Sheila Raghavendran

enter the door to the

Mason suburban party scene.

october 22, 2014

news

T rending N ow View these and other stories and galleries on thecspn.com

Football Frenzy C The Comets look to keep their conference and play-off hopes alive as they take on the Hamilton Big Blue at Atrium Stadium. Follow on Twitter @MHSSportsRadio.

The Miracle Worker C Drama Club’s fall production has

two performances this weekend in the black box theater. Check thecspn.com for coverage.

Water Polo On To State C The boys water polo team is heading to Columbus this weekend to compete for the state title. See thecspn.com for coverage.

C Cross Country District Championship

The Comet cross country teams’ race for a state title continues this weekend at the regional cross country meet in Troy. See thecspn. com for coverage.

Girl Power Grant allows senior to share her love of computer science Jessica Sommerville | Staff Writer

Women are decoding the digital age. Senior Myra Gupta, one of Mason High School’s four recipients of the Aspirations in Computing Award from the National Center for Women in Information Technology (NCWIT), has received a grant to spread her love of computer science at the Mason Middle School. “It’s meant to raise awareness for women in computer science and to get young girls interested,” Gupta said. “I got a couple thousand dollars for grant money...to get girls interested…and to teach them the basics.” Computer programming teacher Gregg Kummer said this early exposure to computer science will benefit the girls. “I think the sooner they look into it, the better,” Kummer said. “We have a lot of talent here. I always tell the kids that talent will find its own level...the question is when. The sooner we get kids involved, the sooner they’ll realize what kind of Photo by Madison Krell talent they have.” Senior Myra Gupta explains computer science to a girl. Women make up only 18 percent of the field “It shows that boys don’t have to do everything,” of computer science, according to Kummer, but Hefferan said. “We can do just the same things Gupta said she hopes her program, Girls Code, that they can do...they’re not better. We’re equal, will keep the girls from being discouraged by the we can both do the computer, it’s not just for one gender imbalance. gender only.” “I hope that they’re more comfortable experiMiami University is helping with the program’s encing computer science or getting involved with logistics, said Gupta, and both she and the unithe field just because it’s so male-dominated that versity are interested in making it annual. If the a lot of girls get intimidated,” Gupta said. “They program continues, Hefferan said girls should be don’t really feel like they’ll fit in with the rest of open to joining. the group, so I hope that they all form relation“Girls should know that just because a lot of ships with other girls that are interested…so that boys do it, it doesn’t mean that they can’t do it,” they can keep learning.” Hefferan said. “If they tried, they may get interGirls Code participant, seventh grader Andrea ested in the program and learn...how to code, and Hefferan, said Gupta’s program is boosting her someday it might lead to a job in coding...it could confidence as a girl in computer science. start right here.”

Photo by Kylie McCalmont

The girls varsity cross country team lines up in preparation to race at the GMC meet.

compiled by Gina Deaton

Photo by Madison Krell

Senior Myra Gupta holds meetings at Mason Middle School for girls interested in learning computer science.

October 22, 2014

Coming Home

october 22, 2014

A pictorial look back at Homecoming 2014 A photo essay by Photo Editor Madison Krell

Mason High School’s Corps of Cadets lead the first homecoming parade since 1989.

Juniors Natalie Peebles, Leah Shepherd, Alec Sucaldito and Andrew Zhan ride their class float.

The freshmen’s Under the Sea float, featuring Ariel and Ursula from The Little Mermaid.

The seniors’ Frozen-themed float rides through the homecoming parade.

Mason High School sophomores, the winners of the float competition, ride their float dressed as princesses and pirates.

Photo

essay continued on page

october 22, 2014 Photo

essay continued from page

Sophomores take the win against the freshmen in the tug-of-war competition.

The Corps of Cadets hold flags and rifles during the national anthem sung by Honors Concert Choir.

The varsity cheer squad pumps up the crowd at the homecoming pep rally.

Freshman homecoming prince Collin Aldrich celebrates his homecoming court musical yoga ball win with the foam fingers.

The court lines up on the field during halftime of the homecoming game.

Teachers prepare to compete against the sophomores on the obstacle course.

The varsity cheer squad with the senior class float.

October 22, 2014

october 22, 2014

Classic Cafe Eclectic restaurant attracts younger crowd Matthew Marvar | Staff Writer

Troy’s Cafe is attracting a new type of crowd. According to co-founder Troy Meyers, it’s a small, upscale cross between Panera Bread and BRAVO! Cucina Italiana. His goal is to create a welcoming environment for everyone, even high school students, with emphasis on taste, ambiance, and hospitality. “The atmosphere is really cool,” junior Amanda Garvin said. “It has a bunch of vintage-y stuff in it, but it’s still modern.” Meyers has been in business with Troy’s Cafe for about five years. Over time, he and his staff built up their reputation with focus on chef-driven foods and fresh, casual dining--and according to Meyers, so far, it has worked. In September, he opened up his second restaurant on Reading Road in the heart of downtown Mason. The new location, according to Meyers, gets attention in the community from a new, different angle. “We’ve gotten some really good response from the community,” Meyers said. “People are just really interested in our busi-

ness and it’s been great. I like the Mason location because it’s a little more street-front visible. Our West Chester store sets off the road a little bit; we don’t get foot traffic. And in Mason, we get people (who) ride by on their bikes, jogging--there’s just a different kind of exposure to the street, which is really nice.” When Garvin went to Troy’s, she said that she saw the potential in the restaurant to cater to high school students. “Definitely that crowd-there weren’t a lot there,” Garvin said. “But there could be. It could be (a place to) hang out, if you want to walk there or drive there after school.” To appeal to the young crowd, Meyers hired some high school students to work at his restaurant. He said that they suggested he put emphasis on tables with space, quick service, and good music. “They tell us that (high school students) like to get your food fast, (and they) are not afraid of community--we have a big community table over there,” Meyers said. “When I do see high school stu-

dents come into this store, I always see them gravitate towards this bigger table...it’s big enough that you could put a laptop on it, you could spread out some paperwork. People can come in and enjoy the music while they’re eating--if you play some cool stuff, I think they’d appreciate that too.” Meyers said that it was slow going when he first started Troy’s Cafe because it was a restaurant that people were simply unfamiliar with. But now, having built up a solid reputation, he said they’re set. “There’s not too many restaurants that I think are in our category because I think we’re stuck in the middle somewhere,” Meyers said. “And I think that’s what the appeal of our restaurant is. In the beginning, it was tough, because people had to figure out what the deal was. They weren’t quite sure…but once they figured out that our concept is kind of there in the middle, and that they can enjoy it a few times a week and not spend a ton of money, that’s where we’re at.”

Photo by Matthew Marvar

Junior Amanda Garvin said she finds the casual atmosphere of Troy’s Cafe very appealing and relaxing, and a cool place for high school students to socialize.

october 22, 2014

Opinion

The Chronicle’s 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. 33103 for information regarding advertising in The Chronicle. The Chronicle reserves the right to refuse advertising it deems 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 C103 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 Sheila Raghavendran Managing Editor Erin Brush Associate Editor Rashika Jaipuriar Layout and Design Editor Gabrielle Stichweh Online Editor Gina Deaton Business Manager Emily Culberson Photo Editor Madison Krell Staff Writers Arnav Damodhar Juliana Discher Ariel Jones Madison Krell Charlie MacKenzie Duncan MacKenzie Abbey Marshall Matthew Marvar Kylie McCalmont Erin McElhenny Eric Miller Zane Miller Ashton Nichols Kelly Noriega Meghan Pottle Sonia Rayka Jessica Sommerville Morgan Teska Adviser Dale Conner

Staff Editorial Bathroom graffiti in desperate need of artistic quality to improve relief experience What happens in the school bathrooms, stays in the school bathrooms. Or so we think. In fact, the truth about restrooms is that no matter how private the reason for going, the act ‘of going’ is essentially very public. The personal habit of the bathroom break is accompanied with long lines and awkward silences, noisy flushing and thunderous hand dryers, overhearing and eavesdropping, and of course, the ever-so entertaining wall decor. Granted, all of this can become overwhelming. The echo of an empty bathroom might as well be the loud speaker used for morning announcements. The girls who carefully apply make-up and boys who fix ‘flows’ often clash with those who quickly want to get in and get out. And sometimes, toilets just flush all too aggressively. While there are the brave few who go to lengths to resist the school restrooms for seven consecutive hours, the most logical solution is to overcome

these tribulations. Even more than personal business, bathrooms are also a symbol for freedom of speech. Unadulterated artistic ability and brutally honest opinions are displayed openly and anonymously, information that creates a special bond between those who have occupied that particular stall. But the anonymous mass of people who feel compelled to doodle on the back of a stall door lack the one quality we also wish our aggressively-flushing toilets could master: some sense. The graphic diagrams of the opposite sex hastily scribbled on the plastic are sloppy and anatomically questionable. The lists of best…genitals…that circulate through the pods are outdated and highly arguable. Using the school restrooms is uncomfortable enough--but the poor handiwork on the walls makes them utterly unbearable. No wonder some students hold their bladders for entire days: it’s because of the low-quality entertainment.

October 22, 2014

Opinion

Silent Killers

Happy Now Jessica Sommerville | Staff Writer

compiled by Ashton Nichols and Zane Miller

what you say

I start every Sunday by rolling out of bed and groaning at the load of homework that awaits me. On school nights, I shuffle home from cross country practice, eat, shower, do some homework, ignore some homework, and flop into bed, relieved but too drained to sleep. I never question why. This is something that must be done, for the future. Because I must have six extracurriculars, seven rigorous classes, four leadership positions, and three hundred and ninety-two community service hours for the future, to go to college. Every Sunday, I sleep in, but every Sunday, I drink my coffee next to the computer, where I pull up APUSH texts and English essays and new assignments posted on Edline. Sophomores don’t need to worry about this, I tell myself. But my words are drowned by the voice that whispers this is crucial. Because it is needed for me to be happy–in the future. This Sunday, I woke up and drank my coffee in front of the TV while I watched Scrubs on Netflix and painted my nails. I didn’t open my planner, where the list of homework assignments couldn’t fit into the Monday slot. I let myself paint my nails vampire purple because it is relaxing. And these days, I never breathe. I gave myself that time to ignore obligations, and be happy now. If happiness is fleeting, insubstantial, nothing can come of waiting for it to land on my shoulders in the future. But I still go to cross country practice because I love the feeling after a run, and I still do that homework because I want to keep my grades, but when the weekend comes and my alarm isn’t set, I will try to shake it all away--be happy now.

Manager- 7.4% Slacker- 21.3%

Sheila Raghavendran | Editor-in-Chief

Naps are so deceptive. They taunt me as I curl up on a couch after school with a sleep-provoking textbook. They beg for my attention when I sit on my bed with the heat from my laptop comforting my lap. They’re so needy--and so tempting. “Just 30 minutes!” They tease, trying to convince me that I will wake up refreshed and content after an unsatisfying excuse for catching up on sleep. But I am smarter--I know what naps have in store for me: crankiness, a tired mind, appetite loss, unruly hair and clothes…but above all, naps impose on me some sort of tranquilizer to my conscience that persuades me to continue sleeping. My supposed half-hour nap becomes one hour, then two, then too many. It’s a possible consequence to every nap, but succumbing to it leads to regret, regret and selfhatred. I’ve seen many people fall victim to this trick and heard many renditions of, “I tried to take a nap for an hour but then woke up at 6 a.m.!” It’s a shame, really. It’s embarrassing that this sort of greater being has manipulated so many people. Naps are controlling, dictating and even possessive. They absorb hour after hour during the day and claim restless, tossing-and-turning nights. They operate quickly--contagiously. Naps have conquered the delicate sleep cycle system by slyly ruining it. They have perfected their master plan. And there’s no end in sight.

What

role do

you play in group Leader- 42.5%

projects?

All the Work- 11.3%

In Betweener- 17.5%

Total polled: 282 students See story on page 25

Graphic by Gabrielle Stichweh

Independence Day

october 22, 2014

Increasingly popular independent studies create personalized learning Gina Deaton | Online Editor It isn’t 1776, but students are declaring their independence. The new Declaration of Independence, written by Mason High School students, now has amendments made to the subsections of computer science, creative writing, and ceramics. Junior Jeet Shah is currently in an independent study for computer science, where he is working on creating an Android application that he hopes to release to the App Store by December. According to Shah, everything is very self-mandated. “I get to create my own curriculum in a select area of computer science, so I chose Android applications,” Shah said. “I create my own curriculum based on other college courses that have been done.” Shah said his passion for computer science has him completing the independent study to stay involved with computer science for all four years of high school. “I plan on majoring in computer science in college, and Mr. Kummer suggested (an independent study) to the class at the end of AP Computer Science because that was the last computer science course,” Shah said. “I took Computer Programming I and II freshman year, then III and AP sophomore year. Then I was out of classes, so I took an independent study this year because I didn’t want to lose computer science. I’m going to take one next year too.” While Shah is creating an Android app to be released at the end of the semester, senior Kaitlin Simpson is writing a book to be published around the same time. According to Simpson, trying to meet the deadlines she set for her independent study is a fast-paced task.

Photo by Gina Deaton

Junior Jeet Shah sits in a computer science class and works on creating an Android application during his independent study. “I’m writing a book,” Simpson said. “Every day, I go in (Mr. Coates’ room) and I open up my documents. I just continue what I was writing the previous day. I give myself homework, like every day I have to go home and write another page or two that night.” Simpson said that she should be able to make a check on her bucket list by the end of the semester. “With the independent study I wanted to fulfill something on my bucket list,” Simpson said. “I’ve always wanted to write a book, but I’ve never been able to find the time. I’ve done NaNoWriMo,

which is when you write a book in the month of November. I utterly failed; I got to chapter two and just crumbled. My friend was sitting next to me writing the whole book, though, and I was so inspired.” According to Simpson, her typical work environment is mingled in with an average classroom setting, and it is easy to forget about her independence. “It is so weird,” Simpson said. “There’s a class (in his room while I am), and sometimes I’ll put in headphones and listen to jazz because he’ll be talking and I’ll get really enthralled. Sometimes I’ll turn around and then I’ll remember I’m not in the class and I can’t participate.” Senior Madison Armbruster, who is in an independent study for ceramics, said that independent studies come with a lot of freedom but also a lot of responsibility. “Honestly I thought it would be a little bit easier of a class, but you do have to come up with a lot of project proposals and you have to go over those with Ms. Witham-Walsh, and she has to approve of them,” Armbruster said. “It’s hard because you’re not only doing the project, but you’re also making the re-

quirements for your project when you’re used to being given a rubric or something from your teacher. But in this case you’re making your own project, making your proposal, and self-grading. It’s nice to be able to be creative and make your own ideas, but then again it’s hard with semesters because you have that much longer so you have to come up with a lot of ideas and you don’t want to repeat yourself.” Armbruster said that she chose to participate in the independent study because she’s able to embrace her passion for art as well create gifts to take home. “I do like art, and my mom and grandma love pottery, so it’s fun for me but I also get to give them pretty cool things,” Armbruster said. “It’s my senior year so I wanted to do something kind of on my own.” The process may be lengthy and stressful at times, but it is worth it in the end, according to Armbruster. “I turned in a few proposals, and she’s approved (most) of them,” Armbruster said. “So you have to make the mold, let them dry, get them fired, glaze them, and get them fired again. It’s a long process, but it’s fun.”

October 22, 2014

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october 22, 2014

FEATURE

Leaked School bathrooms far from comfort stations Sheila Raghavendran | Editor-in-Chief

Every day, students are faced with the dilemma of whether to wet it or sweat it. Using school bathrooms has become an activity far from relief for some Mason High School students. Sophomore Emily Davis, who said she avoids the bathrooms at all costs, said the uncomfortable situation in the public rooms is terrifying. “I just get really scared,” Davis said. “I don’t like people listening to me.” Junior Karah Reedy said she also cannot stand hearing the slow trickle coming from the stall next to her. “I just hate walking in and then peeing in front of other people,” Reedy said. “The noise. I just hate it…I feel like I don’t have any privacy--that I just can’t go to the bathroom by myself.” According to Davis, any hope of relieving herself in solitude goes down the toilet when she walks into an occupied bathroom. “It’s so stressful,” Davis said. “I make awkward eyecontact and then wait for her to leave.” Reedy, who frequents the bathrooms at an infrequent one-time-per-week, said she also waits until she is alone. “I will go in the stall and wait until she leaves,” Reedy said. “I will not go to the bathroom until the bathroom is empty.” According to senior Alex Money, who has been missing in action from the school bathroom scene since elementary school, the awkward socialization and messiness build up his load of disgust. “People go in there and they stare at you and stuff and it’s really uncomfortable,” Money said. “… There’s paper towels on the floor and everything and high school teenage boys don’t really pick up after themselves.” When several people are in the restroom at once, Money said the clog is more unpleasant for boys than girls. “(It’s) probably (worse for) guys because there’s no privacy,” Money said. “…(It’s) awkward because you kind of pretend they don’t exist and they pretend you don’t exist.” Determined to avoid school bathrooms even in emergencies, Davis said she recently had a bad experience. “I had to pee in third bell and I waited until I got home,” Davis said. “It was miserable; I was sweating.” Likewise, Reedy rarely lets her no-bathroom streak go to waste. “I literally don’t go,” Reedy said. “…I can hold it.” Photo by Madison Krell

Because she feels uncomfortable in school bathrooms, junior Karah Reedy only uses them when they are completely unoccupied, but even then, she is disgusted.

October 22, 2014

Total Immunity In-school sick days becoming popular way to avoid absence Arnav Damodhar | Staff Writer

“In sickness and in health, ‘till death do us part.” Senior Gabriella Braxton has come to school for 1,326 consecutive days--and counting. With perfect attendance for seven years, Braxton said she comes to school even when she has a cold, cough, or allergies. According to Braxton, an excused sick day absence is not worth the blemish on her perfect record. “I want to come to school even if I feel sick,” Braxton said. “I want to keep up my perfect attendance. I have come to school before with allergies and runny noses. I have never had the pressure of making up work. I feel that due to my attendance, I have more time for

other things I would rather do. I can plan ahead. I have more time for the things I want to do the next day.” According to Braxton, her incentive to come to school has further increased. “I feel like I am more motivated to come to school now than in younger grades,” Braxton said. “The workload is a lot more in high school than in previous grades. It’s like college prep. Even if I am sick, I force myself to come to school.” Academics can also serve as a motivation to come to school in sickness. According to junior Lauren Lysko, too many absences make it extremely difficult to catch up in class.

“If I miss school, there is too much make up work,” Lysko said. “It’s junior year, and it’s really important not to fall behind now. Otherwise, it will negatively impact next year and the rest of my high school career. It’s not really worth missing that much school if I am going to be fine the next day.” According to sophomore Preston Hutchinson, it’s mandatory for athletes to be present on the day of their game or meet. Being the quarterback of the football team, Hutchinson said he isn’t willing to jeopardize his game just because he is sick. “I haven’t been sick yet,” Hutchinson said. “I would still come to school on a Friday even

if I was sick, because I don’t want to miss the game. I would come to school, unless my illness was very severe or I was lying in a hospital bed.” Sick students may be able to get through the school day with cough drops and tissues glued to their noses, but according to sophomore Meghan Perrin, this allows infections and germs to spread. “I think that it is annoying when sick people come to school because then they would get a bunch of other people sick,” Perrin said. “I am not disgusted by it, but it is not fair to other students for them to be put at risk of getting sick because the sick don’t want to miss school.”

When junior Lauren Lysko (left) and senior Gabriella Braxton (right) fall sick, they overlook their illnesses to keep up their school attendance.

Photo by Madison Krell

october 22, 2014 Special Report:

Drinking and Drugs @ MHS

The Power

Decisions,

Choice

Party goers choose short term high over potential long term consequences Editor’s note:

The stories presented are from individuals who are currently students or were students at Mason High School. The reporters and editors involved in this story guaranteed the safety of these individuals by providing anonymity through aliases. Any aliases resembling real persons are merely coincidental. The reporters and editors took the necessary measures to ensure that these individuals have received the proper guidance and interventions to a level of acceptability by their parents and/ or guardians. The Chronicle does not intend to indicate that the events displayed on this page occurred on the same night. This described scene is an amalgamation of several independent party situations.

Abbey Marshall | Staff Writer Ever since a young age, high school students have had the same message pounded into their brain: don’t do drugs. Sixth grade brought the D.A.R.E. program, warning students to be cautious of the dangers of drugs. High school health class brought drug education, informing them about the various types of illegal drugs and the negative effects that they have on health. Not everyone obeyed this message. Many reasons exist for high school students to do drugs, according to Seth. A very popular reason, Seth said, includes depression and personal problems. “I went through a really rough period a couple months ago where it just seemed like nothing was going my way and I needed an escape and I just couldn’t find one,” Seth said. “So I started drinking and doing drugs.” Other than personal reasons, the urge to do drugs and consume alcohol stems from social reasons and pressure. Typically, according to Drew, students will experiment with drugs at a party where their friends are participating in these activities. Drew tried LSD for the first time at one of these parties. “I was at some party,” Drew said. “There were a bunch of people sitting at a table and it looked pretty sketchy so that’s a good sign. So I go over there when (my friend) called me and he was like, ‘Do you want some of this?’ and I was like, ‘What is it?’ and he told me and so I tried it and it was a good time… Everybody else looked like they were enjoying it, so I joined the bandwagon.” Seth’s first experience at a party like

this eventually led to poor decisions. According to Seth, he has even hosted a couple parties where things happen that he wouldn’t do otherwise if he were sober. “One time, I was at this party and I drank three Four Lokos, which is equivalent to 18 beers,” Seth said. “It just kind of hit me at once and I couldn’t handle it. I don’t remember much, but I woke up in some apartment complex by myself without my shirt.” Seth said the outcome was fear and confusion, along with frustration of being unable to remember what had happened the night before. “I was scared,” Seth said. “People were sending me pictures the next day of me at this party doing all this stupid stuff and I was like, ‘I don’t remember any of that,’ because I drank so much so fast and it all hit me at once and I was just down for the count.”

Seth said. “He rolled it up, but he laced it with spice and it was messed up…He put his number in my phone and everything so it’s obvious that he wanted to sell to me more.” According to Marie, getting caught by parents or police is the worst scenario. Seth is familiar with this type of situation. He said his parents are aware of his drug and alcohol abuse and are very upset with his choices. “They are very disappointed in me all the time,” Seth said. “It sucks knowing that your parents are disappointed in you constantly because they know what you do. My dad bought a Breathalyzer. He wants to have me drug tested. He wants to do all this stuff and it kind of sucks to know that your parents don’t trust you.” According to Drew, he would quit and could quit if he ever had to. Seth, however, said it’s very difficult to do so.

“People were sending me pictures the next day of me at this party doing all this stupid stuff and I was like, ‘I don’t remember any of that.’”

Decisions,

Decisions

In moments leading up to entering the door to a party, a teenager has to make several decisions. Decisions that could have an impact on the rest of their lives.

GO IN

and have a wild,

fun Friday night

STAY OUT and miss out on a good time with friends

GO IN and gain popularity

STAY OUT and miss out on the conversations

— Seth Marie said that smoking marijuana has an immense amount of risk associated with it. A person can be caught at any time and get charged by the police, or they can suffer health issues and risk getting addicted to another substance, according to Marie. “I kind of do have a desire to stop smoking just because it’s more risk than there is good coming out of it,” Marie said. “There’s the keeping it on you. There’s the getting caught doing it. There’s the chance of getting pulled over and you’re messed up then your parents find out about it and then you’re just paranoid all the time. There’s also a chance of it being laced with something then you’re hooked on something else as well.” Seth said he had a personal experience like this with a drug dealer lacing marijuana with something else in an attempt to get him addicted. “Somebody tried to give me marijuana that my friends paid for and I was just going to smoke it with them,”

Monday “I always tell myself I want to (quit), but then I just lose faith in it or I’ll have another rough time and I’ll just start doing it again,” Seth said. “It’s hard to quit once you’ve started. A lot of people say that it’s really easy to quit right now, but you can’t. I mean, you can, but just going total cold turkey--it’s a lot harder than you think.” Seth, who is currently working on being drug-free, said he wishes that he had never started drinking and smoking marijuana. Drugs are simply not worth all the risk and the effects on your health and mind, according to Seth. “Don’t start,” Seth said. “If you have the opportunity and you’re going through something, don’t start doing this just because of that. It’s not worth it at all. I would rather be clean right now than doing all this stuff. It’s just not worth it and I wouldn’t advise it to anyone.”

GO IN and experiment with drugs and alcohol

STAY OUT and avoid trouble from a possible police crashing

GO IN and risk guilt by association

STAY OUT to stay safe from school or law punishment

october 22, 2014 Special Report:

Drinking and Drugs @ MHS

The Anatomy Editor’s note: The stories presented are from individuals who are currently students or were students at Mason High School. The reporters and editors involved in this story guaranteed the safety of these individuals by providing anonymity through aliases. Any aliases resembling real persons are merely coincidental. The reporters and editors took the necessary measures to ensure that these individuals have received the proper guidance and interventions to a level of acceptability by their parents and/or guardians. The Chronicle does not intend to indicate that the events displayed on this page occurred on the same night. This described scene is an amalgamation of several independent party situations.

The

of a

The

party scene

“Drugs like this are something you’d hear about famous Hollywood people doing, but it’s here in suburban Mason.”

The

trip

“It was terrible. I’ve done it other times and it just feels great and everything’s all warped and stuff, but then there’s this and it just feels like I’m about to fly away and ascend into Heaven or something. I was grabbing onto the bed crying because I didn’t want to fly away. It was bad...I wish I could’ve realized that he was going to do something to the weed instead of just giving me marijuana and he put in spice or whatever else people put in it.”

october 22, 2014

Drew

after effects

“At that party that I went to where I drank the equivalent of 18 beers… My friends told me what happened after. Apparently I was throwing up for three and a half hours. They said half the time I wasn’t even throwing up, I was just dry heaving because I couldn’t throw up because I already threw up everything in my system so I was just at this random person’s house throwing up for three and a half hours.”

The

upstairs

“I’ve been to a few parties where they’ve had people selling upstairs and someone would be selling drugs upstairs. People would come into the house, run upstairs real quick, and then sell, and they would just leave without anyone knowing. Or, people would be upstairs having sex or just crashing or something like that.”

Seth Marie

Seth

Compiled by Abbey Marshall and Ariel Jones

The

first glance

“I remember walking in the house and it was completely trashed. There was puke on the carpet, trash everywhere, couches cut open, bottles and cookware all over the kitchen. Then there was like razors on the kitchen counter.”

The

experimentation

The Chronicle question: You said you first tried LSD at a party. Do you remember where you were? What’s the setup of a house during a party? “It can happen anywhere. Really anywhere. Typically, there’s a table involved, some place for you to sit down and set everything up. I’ve seen it happen in bedrooms, kitchens, coffeetables, anywhere.”

The

end of the night

The Chronicle question: When your trip ends, where do you usually end up? “Same place you were before. It’s not like something that gives you a lot of energy. If anything, it mellows you out. You just kind of sit there and experience it.”

Drew Marie

Drew

18 Special Report:

october 22, 2014

Drinking and Drugs @ MHS

The Alternative Choice Innocent yet fun activities outweigh partying and experimenting for some Ariel Jones | Staff Writer

“Come on, dude. Just one time. You won’t get caught.” Most high school students experience peer pressure: a highly anxious situation that is often a choice between social status and moral values. The motivation to avoid drugs and alcohol in the perspective of most students is not getting caught, while others feel as though the decision to drink or do drugs would sacrifice their physical health, the respect of their parents, and their public image. According to junior Lovenia Stanley, she chooses to avoid drugs and alcohol because of her devotion to the sport she loves. “One time, I was hanging out with a group of friends at a party and they were all getting high and drinking, so I didn’t really feel comfortable being there,” Stanley said. “I was only there to look after some of my friends, and a couple of them came up to me asking me to try some weed or take a drink of a wine cooler. I just didn’t feel right doing it; after all my hard work and effort in sports and everything else, from training to waking up early for workouts, it wasn’t worth throwing it all away for one night.” Despite what she hears from others, Stanley stays consistent to her beliefs. Not only does she carry out drug-free behavior herself, but she advocates it for others. “Even though some people say weed isn’t really that bad because it doesn’t have any negative physical affects, it’s still a drug and it still does something to your mind,” Stanley said. “I think kids should always walk a straight line, and so should athletes. I know that one day I could get a scholarship for softball, so that is a huge motivator for staying clean.”

I’m not a super social person, so outside of school I just do my own thing. When I do hang out with friends, it’s usually just to spend our night playing Super Smash Brothers or Rock Band something.” Maine said he abstains from these substances due to his concern for his physical well-being, allegiance to wrestling, and his aspirations to one day wrestle at Ohio State University.

“After all my hard work and effort in sports and everything else, from training to waking up early for workouts, it wasn’t worth throwing it all away for one night.” — Lovenia Stanley “Not doing drugs has been a positive influence in my life,” Maine said. “I do well in school and sports because I don’t do them. Drugs are just generally bad for your body. Even beyond that, it keeps me out of trouble. As a student athlete, I want to eventually wrestle at OSU, and any substance abuse would hurt that even if I wasn’t caught because drugs are bad for your body. One of the main reasons I got involved in sports was to keep my body healthy, so I want to maintain that.” According to junior Chloe Shepherd, being a good role model to young athletes is a significant reason why she abstains from drugs and alcohol.

“I have lots of options that don’t require illegal substances. It’s simple, but it’s still really fun.” — Asa Maine

According to junior Asa Maine, recklessness is an unnecessary component to an exciting night; he finds entertainment in simplicity. “I don’t go to parties or anything; for fun I usually just play piano, play with my dogs, go to the gym, or hang out with the kids in band,” Maine said. “I have lots of options that don’t require illegal substances. It’s simple, but it’s still really fun.

those girls, and I want to be a good role model and make them proud.” Shepherd chooses not to drink and be a part of modern pot-culture, but despite her disinclination to try it, she is still confronted with these substances.

“I’m a cheerleader and we’re in the public eye a lot, so it is definitely a huge motive to be clean,” Shepherd said. “We get assigned our own MYF groups, which are little youth cheerleaders, and we do so much for the community. Going and helping your youth group is so fun, and you see how much the little girls look up to you; they’ll come up to us and say, ‘I want to be like you when I grow up!’ and it’s so sweet. We’re role models for

“I was at a festival at Christmas in Mason and these boys came up to me and they were smoking something and they were like, ‘Hey, do you want some?’ and it was really scary,” Shepherd said. “The whole event kind of bothered me because that was the first time I was ever really near it. I was like, ‘Oh, my god, are the cops going to come? Am I going to get arrested just because people were near me doing it?’” To avoid being subjected to uncomfortable situations, Shepherd finds entertainment in safer settings than parties and veering away from negative influences. “When I want to hang out with my friends we’ll go see a movie or go shopping; safe stuff like that, where it’s fun and you don’t have to be pressured or put in a situation that you’re uncomfortable with,” Shepherd said. “I always remember that I don’t have to be involved with the bad stuff. I don’t need to be at every party or group thing when they happen because I’m happy just sitting at home watching Netflix. I hang out with people who don’t do that and we still have a good time.” According to Shepherd, everyone is faced with peer pressure in one way or another, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to act on those temptations. “I feel like everyone has had that pressure at some point in their life,” Shepherd said. “It doesn’t have to be directly in front of you, but everyone has been in a situation where their friends are talking about it. You listen to it, but you just try to put it out of your mind and don’t think about it or act upon it because your friends are doing it. You have to realize that it’s your friends’ decision and it doesn’t have to be your own.”

october 22, 2014

Zombie Bell Zoning out inevitable in final period, stifling classroom productivity

Juliana Discher | Staff Writer

Seventh bell teachers beware, your final class of the day is occupied by zombies: a glassy-eyed, weary swarm of the walking dead. As the school transitions to the last bell of the day, students struggle to remain attentive and participate in class, according to sophomore Andrew Grimes. “During seventh bell, I tend to look at the clock a lot,” Grimes said. “Time crawls by.” Grimes said the switch from trimesters to semesters contributes to the lack of attentiveness students undergo. “You’ve been through the whole day, and with the new seven bells your brain is tired out from having to think about six different things already, and then another separate thing,” Grimes said. “In my case, it’s Spanish, which is a completely different way of thinking.” Though it may hinder learning time, biology teacher Robert Mitchell said he understands why students feel

uninspired during seventh period. “There are days when I am completely worn out by seventh bell and I don’t have anything else to give,” Mitchell said. The resemblance of students to zombies during last bell is accurate, according to Mitchell. “Folks don’t say much and sit there like a bump on a log,” Mitchell said. “They appear to be in agony.” Even though it’s easy to zone out, Mitchell said there are still ways to remain optimistic. “I don’t know if it’s because the light at the end of the tunnel is there after going through six bells, but I can become quite ecstatic knowing that when the bell rings, it’s over,” Mitchell said. According to Mitchell, the only way for students to get the most out of the period is to go into it with a positive mindset. “My marathon coach told me when I was training for my first marathon that you want to finish strong,” Mitchell said. “Just push through and you will be rewarded for that.” Photo by Madison Krell

This year’s addition of two more bells has been particularly taxing on sophomore Hannah Neese and junior Jake Ball who fall in and out of a zombie-like trance during seventh bell.

Squared

and

october 22, 2014

Solved

Sophomore holds fifth fastest time in nation for solving Rubik’s cube blindfolded Meghan Pottle | Staff Writer

A lot can happen in 37 seconds. Sophomore Sreeram Venkatarao is ranked fifth in the nation for quickness while solving a Rubik’s Cube blindfolded. According to Sreeram, his strategy is to look at the Rubik’s Cube and memorize it, then blindfold himself and solve it. Sreeram said he discovered at a young age that he had an exceptional memory. “When I was six years old, I had a placemat that listed all the presidents in order and I would always eat at that placemat,” Sreeram said. “One day I could just name all of the presidents in order because I had seen it a bunch of times.” Although the fate of his competition is determined in less than a minute, according to Sreeram, he has stuck to the same six colors and 54 squares with repetition since he was eight years old, when he first started solving Rubik’s Cubes. He said he practices solving the cube about 20 times a day. There are many different events at a Rubik’s Cube competition including a 2x2, 3x3, 4x4, and 5x5. Sreeram typically competes at competitions that have a 3x3 blind solving. Usually, every two out of three solves a competitor will think they’ve solved the Rubik’s Cube correctly, but when they take the blindfold off, the colors on the cube don’t match up. This scenario is called a Did Not Finish or DNF and according to Sreeram, it happens quite often. Sreeram said that if a competitor is one move off from solving the Rubik’s Cube, then the officials will add two seconds onto their time. According to Sreeram’s father, Sreepadraj Venkatarao, their family has had to travel hundreds of miles for competitions at prestigious universities such as Har-

vard and Yale. “I’ve gotten to visit a lot of good universities,” Sreeram said. “Which is good exposure for me

to see what success actually is in real life.” Sreeram memorizes the Rubik’s Cube in a few seconds by encoding the cube into a series of letters and a series of images. There are two kinds of pieces that he has to solve: 8 corners and 12 edges. “When I’m trying to solve the corners, I’ll come up with an image in my head and it will stem from the letters that I form when I’m memorizing them,” Sreeram said. “Let’s say the letters say CPDB. Then I’ll think to myself ‘CP,’ I’d probably think ‘cup’ because CP are two letters in ‘cup.’ Then I’ll think to myself ‘DB.’ In APUSH we do DBQs, so I will imagine myself getting a DBQ back and it will be in the cup.” When Sreeram is solving the edges, he will come up with an image and try to sound it out. According to Sreeram, the stranger it sounds the more likely it is to stick in his head. Sreeram said he has gotten many opportunities as a result of his unique talent. When he was in 8th grade, he met the First Lady of Pennsylvania and performed for her, along with an audience of 500 people. Assistant Principal Dave Hyatt asked Sreeram to perform at the Mason City Schools board meeting in September. “We were so amazed with it that we really wanted to welcome him in and have him be part of our community,” Hyatt said. “The great thing about him is that he’s obviously very intelligent, very gifted, and very skilled in a lot of different areas.” Now, Sreeram hopes to start up a Rubik’s Cube club at MHS. According to Sreepadraj, his son’s rare skill is a source of pride for their family. “If you want to do something big, you have to work hard and keep at it,” Sreepadraj said. “I think it was Thomas Edison who said, ‘Genius is one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration.’”

Photo by Madison Krell

Sophomore Sreeram Venkatarao can solve a Rubik’s Cube blindfolded in 37.777 seconds.

Scan this QR code with your smartphone to watch the video of Sreeram’s fastest blindsolve.

october 22, 2014

Marching On

Seniors entering military give up traditional post-high school college life Kylie McCalmont | Staff Writer

Senioritis may be contagious, but it can’t be caught by everyone. Seniors Jenelle Lee and Maya Hall are already preparing to walk off the graduation stage and march into their military futures. Lee plans to go to a civilian college and do Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) and eventually become an officer in the army while Hall wants to attend either West Point or the United States Air Force Academy and become an officer in the army or air force. According to Army Recruitment Officer, Sergeant First Class, Matthew A. Velazco, the process of being recruited is similar to the college process and students like Lee and Hall will have to take their senior year very seriously. “We are looking for a high GPA, a higher level of intelligence, and that’s all done via transcript,” Velazco said. “A lot of people get into their senior year and they get that senioritis, but we’re not looking for the minimum--they have to keep their studies up.” To prepare for the military, Lee and Hall are part of Mason High School’s Corps of Cadets. Lee serves as the Cadet Platoon Lieutenant and Hall is the Platoon Sergeant. “(Corps of Cadets) engrains in your bones how real it is,” Lee said. “I’ve learned that although the military is beautiful there are also a lot of hardships. It has taught me where to go and what I’m interested in.” The college application process for a university or a state school is complex but according to Hall there are regulations that must be fulfilled before one could be considered enlisted in the military or attending an academy. “(The Academies) are seen

as more competitive than getting into an Ivy League,” Hall said. “You have to get a nomination from a congressman or senator which is especially competitive in this district. Your physical assessment is important, as well as the leadership roles that they would like to see.” Being a senior, Hall says she understands why she must be so disciplined and show maturity as she prepares for her future. “(I’m) avoiding parties and drugs and things like that,” Hall said. “These scholarships and these programs, if they see any history of that, even something as small as a speeding ticket could cause issues.” A lot of work goes along with enlisting and applying for military academies. According to sophomore at the Naval Academy and 2013 Mason alumni, Gus Uecker, although it’s a time consuming process the military offers rewards that can’t be passed up. “I’m getting a free education and you’re able to get the type of training that is applicable outside the military,” Uecker said. “It’s really not about the partying. You are throwing away a great opportunity when you want to go out and party as opposed to studying and being a part of a great organization.” The military gives a surplus of benefits but it also gives students such as Lee a drive to succeed. Lee says that she is able to avoid senioritis because the military gives her a future and a focus. “Since I know where I’m going and where I’m headed, I don’t have a lot of distractions that other kids do,” Lee said. “…I have no interest in having some of those experiences because I know in the end I will get where I want to be.”

Photo by Madison Krell

(From left to right): Seniors Jenelle Lee and Maya Hall, Corps of Cadet Platoon Lieutenant and Platoon Sergeant, respectively, plan to enter the military after high school.

Sweet Spot

october 22, 2014

Seniors choose curb side delivery over hassle of driving to school Rashika Jaipuriar | Associate Editor

Senior Andy Trenaman has a chauffeur who drives him to school every day. That same chauffeur even picks him up and takes him home. According to Trenaman, although driving to school is a highly regarded transition to being an upperclassman, riding the bus is still a viable option for seniors. “I honestly think it’s a waste of money (because) when you ride the bus you can put a bunch more people on it,” Trenaman said. “And it also drives you right next to the school, so you don’t have to walk from the pool lot...I know people have senior spots but it still takes them a while to get out.” Senior Michael Chen is also in the same boat as Trenaman--or rather, in the same bus. But unlike Trenaman, Chen said he does not drive to school because he hasn’t received his driver’s license yet. Even though he doesn’t cherish the freedom and independence that comes for most teenagers when they drive, according to Chen, those feelings weren’t worth the time and financial investment. “I haven’t started the process of learning how to drive yet, so I’m just going to wait until I’m 18...this coming June after graduation, so then I won’t have to take driving school,” Chen said. “I don’t have any need to drive (right now), and I don’t want to spend the money on gas or make my parents spend extra money on gas, so I just stick to the bus.” Although Trenaman has his license, he considered factors like practicality and parking lot traffic when he made the decision to continue riding the bus. “When everyone drives to school, it all gets piled up and I think it’s bad for the environment,” Trenaman said. “It seemed kind of inefficient compared to the bus because the bus is gonna run by the house anyway…(and) not everyone does have access to a car.” Although there are logical reasons to ride the bus, for junior Justin Koehler, it’s not the most ideal transportation, especially since he has his license. “The bus isn’t exactly the social scene for me,” Koehler said. “I just go to get to school, and that’s about it...I don’t feel like an upperclassman.” While not all the upperclassmen drive, according to Administrative Assistant Annette Wood, the ones that do often have a sense of entitlement when it comes to driving and obtaining prime parking spots. “As a matter of fact, the students that get caught parking in the staff parking lot are usually seniors,” Wood said. “And they’re usually seniors that haven’t even registered for a parking spot, but they feel like they’re entitled to park

Photo by Erin McElhenny

Senior Michael Chen rides the bus because he is waiting until after graduation to get his driver’s license.

close to the building and so they just do it.” In reality, the senior lot only has 516 spaces-not nearly enough for the 822 seniors, according to Wood. “It’s something we like to do,” Wood said. “We wanna help make the seniors’ year a great year…(But) as the classes are getting larger, it’s becoming more of an issue. This will probably be the first year that I won’t be able to get everybody into the senior lot at some point in time during the year.” According to Wood, senior spots are given out on a first-come, first-serve basis, and Chen said he was fortunately able to avoid the stress many seniors went through last year. Although he doesn’t have assigned seats or parents picking him up from the bus stop anymore, according

to Chen, riding the bus his senior year is not much different. “(My first memory of riding the bus was that) it was scary finding a seat; and it still kind of is,” Chen said. “I guess you could see it as a social status symbol that if you drive you’re cool, but I really don’t think that applies.” While Trenaman and Chen are able to remain indifferent to the social stigma of not driving to school, according to Trenaman, others usually respond with disbelief when they find out he rides the bus despite his seniority. “(They say), ‘How do you ride the bus? That’s awful. Oh my gosh, you have to like sit it on it,’” Trenaman said. “And I (say), ‘Don’t you have to do that in a car? Except you actually have to pay attention.’”

october 22, 2014

L-Inked Family appeal of tattoos dismissing negative perceptions Kelly Noriega | Staff Writer

“Ohana means family, and family means no one gets left behind”--even when it comes to getting inked. According to seniors Kyia Chung and Greg Gruseck, tattoos are a way for them to get a permanent reminder of their families and backgrounds. “My dad, sister, and I all have tattoos that basically represent the family,” Chung said. “They have some meaning to show how important we are to each other. Our tattoos are a way to show our dedication to one another and how close knit of a unit we are.” Although over time, tattoos have acquired a negative stigma in popular culture, the perception is gradually changing. Despite the fact that his father is not keen on the idea of tattoos, according to Greg, the meaning behind them has helped his father and others be more lenient. “(My father’s) accepting of them,” Greg said. “He understands that it’s meaningful, it’s not like we’re getting the Reds logo or anything. It represents family, and family isn’t something that you can move away from.” Although the age requirement for tattoos is 18, minors can get tattoos with permission from their parents. According to Chung, she didn’t see a need to wait to get matching tattoos with her sister. “No matter if I waited a few years or not, she would still be my sister,” Chung said. “We’ve been so close for our lives that I didn’t think it would change. The day before my sister moved to California, we got matching tattoos on our arm, they say ‘A sister is a forever friend’. I would definitely get the tattoo if I had to do it over. I had always wanted a tattoo but the fact that I was able to get it with my sister makes it special.” According to Greg’s mother, Diana Gruseck, tattoos run in the family. With four tattoos of her own, Diana said she saw the value of letting her children get their own. “I don’t even know why we all have tattoos we just… do,” Diana said. “All four children have them. Our rule with the kids (was always) as long as it was hidden, as long as they could cover it up, (they could get it).” Although she has gotten unsupportive comments, Chung said her tattoo has not led to regret. According to Chung, she made her decision to get a tattoo with conviction and is content with the implications of it. “There have been people who have said getting a tattoo was a mistake,” Chung said. “But I think it has to do with perspective. Even if it is permanent, I don’t think writing on your body is a bad thing. If you really care about something and want a way to remember it forever, a tattoo is a good way to be proud of it. I think it’s amazing that we’re living in completely different states, but tell people the same thing when they ask about the writing on our arm(s).” Photo by Kelly Noriega

Senior Greg Gruseck wears a family crest on his back to represent the unity of his family members and erase the negative stigma tattoos have assumed in popular culture.

october 22, 2014

Un-fair Share

Individual students forced to carry the load in group projects Leader

All the Work

In Betweener

Manager

Slacker

Photo by Madison Krell

Pictured: (clockwise from top left) sophomore Spencer Walsh, seniors Annie Jones, Nathan Carras, Jay Thomas and Vinny Cevasco playing out the roles in group projects. Ashton Nichols | Staff Writer

There’s no ‘I’ in team, but don’t tell that to the kids who end up doing all the work in group projects. When AP Chemistry teacher Aimee Hansen and the rest of the science department brought Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) to Mason High School seven years ago, defined group roles also came with it. POGIL labs define group roles by having one person record the answers, one person ask questions, and one person lead the team. According to senior Vinny Cevasco, however, this is not always what the roles turn out to be. “Generally there is always one person who will do more work than other individuals,” Cevasco said. “There will be one or two other individuals who are always like, ‘I feel like you’re doing all the work. Let me know what I can do to help’. And then there is the one individual who does one or two things or doesn’t do anything at all.” Students such as sophomore Spencer Walsh feel the same way. According to Walsh, there is usually a sharp division between leaders and slackers.

“Some people seem to be very paresthetic in their way of going about things,” Walsh said. “Two or three people do all the work, and one or two people copy down all the answers. It’s not beneficial to them because they aren’t helping themselves or helping the group. The whole group would fail if not everyone pulls their part.” Senior Annie Jones said that even though teachers try to make roles equal, it doesn’t really happen that way. “I think that sometimes cooperation is successful in reaching a goal, but in classes when you do group projects, there’s always that issue of ‘Personally I would like things to go my way,’” Jones said. “It’s hard to trust people with my things, such as if they have all the work but then they don’t show up to school the next day. That’s a struggle. Or people that don’t want to do anything, then it’s all pushed on you.” When POGILs are not being used, Hansen said she tends to be more laid back about defined group roles. “In AP Chem, the kids have been doing (group work) for a few years, so I don’t really stress those

rules at all,” Hansen said. “What I usually say is, ‘In your groups, I want you to pick one person to be your leader. That person needs to keep you on task and make sure everybody has time to understand (what) they need.’ I assign the leader, then I rotate that role.” Although POGIL activities are very orchestrated in class, Hansen said they are used to set a life-long foundation of leadership and teamwork. “What’s really important is when (students) leave and they start facilitating their own groups,” Hansen said. “That’s when we see them learning leadership and the benefits of group work. In class it’s a little simulated.” According to Hansen, students who slack off tend to miss the opportunity to establish those skills. Sophomore Tunde Nelson admits although he has slacked off before, he recognizes the importance of group work. “Slacking off was kind of funny at first, but then it comes back to bite you when you least expect it,” Nelson said. “At times I felt like I needed to be helping and contributing to the group because it’s not okay to leave them hanging.”

october 22, 2014

October 22, 2014

Sports

Precision, detail, key components in figure skating routines Erin Brush | Managing Editor

ICE

QUEEN

Figure skating isn’t all just rhinestones and glitter. According to senior and nationally ranked figure skater Paige Osterwisch, figure skating routines have intricacies that most spectators don’t recognize. “The judges are evaluating your five elements: spins, twizzles, line sequence, short edge, and long edge,” Osterwisch said. “They look at how difficult (my routine) is and how I perform.” Junior Akane Ohara said that the key to mastering difficult routines is the repetition of the different jumps. “People definitely underestimate the difficulty of figure skating,” Ohara said. “They say, ‘Oh, you do all of those tricks and twirls, right?’ But they don’t understand how much work and time goes into that. You start off with basic skills...and go up by level. Basically it’s all practice. (Your coaches) teach you the technique and how to place your body because a lot of it is just physics.” But physics isn’t always kind, according to Osterwisch. “There’s a lot of falling involved,” Osterwisch said. “Right now I’m working on my double axle, which is the last double jump before the triple jumps. If you don’t go full out, you’re going to fall. Basically, you just have to go for it. Your coaches will show you how to do it but you’re the one who has to go out there and do it. You can’t do anything halfway in skating.” According to Ohara, ‘going for it’ is the only way to successfully master a jump. “(A jump) doesn’t come unless you go for it,” Ohara said. “If you don’t go for it, then you don’t understand what’s right.” Making the leap had big payoffs for Osterwisch. She placed third at the US Figure Skating National competition in the Solo Dance category. “The season started back in January,” Osterwisch said. “I did a minimum of three competitions to qualify. You gain points throughout the year. I ranked high enough to make it into the top six in the midwest. The regions are midwest, pacific coast, and east coast, and the top six from each section make it to nationals in Colorado Springs, which is where I placed third.” Photo contributed by Paige Osterwisch

Young Blood

Girls tennis surpasses expectations Zane Miller | Staff Writer

Experience isn’t everything, at least not for the girls varsity tennis team. This year’s squad, composed primarily of underclassmen, boasted an impressive 8-1 regular season record, far beyond what was expected, according to sophomore Prachi Lele. “Since we were not expected to do as well as last year, it motivated us even more to prove them wrong,” Lele said. “We wanted to prove that we were a team that was just as strong as last year.” According to sophomore Isabel Cepeda, losing a vital group of seniors to graduation was a major obstacle in their road to the state championship. “(My expectations) were not very high,” Cepeda said. “We lost half our team, so I wasn’t expecting as much as we’ve accomplished so far.” The girls gained confidence as their successful season continued, according to Lele. “At first we were not really sure what we wanted,” Lele said. “But as the season went on we realized that we could get to state and keep getting better.”

The only blemish on the Comets’ otherwise perfect record was the 4-1 loss to conference rivals, the Sycamore Aviators. Cepeda said that her team’s intense rivalry with Sycamore was constantly on her mind throughout the season and pushed her to improve her game. “My motivation was just beating Sycamore,” Cepeda said. “We beat them twice last year, and we knew they had been waiting to beat us pretty badly.” Although the loss to the Aviators robbed the girls of their conference title, doubles partners Cepeda and sophomore Lizzy Kong secured their ticket to the state championship this past Saturday and Sunday at the Ohio State University. Lele said that she is hopeful about next season because of the team’s growth from this year’s experiences and struggles. “We only have one senior, so she’s the only one that will be graduating,” Lele said. “Our team will stay as strong or be stronger because our players will improve over the offseason, and come back even stronger next year.”

october 22, 2014

4 The girls soccer team has allowed a season total of four goals over 16 games.

Junior Nick Pearson returned the opening kickoff for a 90-yard touchdown to put the Comets ahead of Middletown in the homecoming game.

Senior golfer Scott Purvis shot a 74 at Districts to secure his spot at the state championship at Ohio State last weekend.

15:43.26 Senior Tommy Stewart’s 15:43.26 5K makes him the third all-time fastest Mason runner behind Zach Wills and Nick Grismer. Results as of October 16.

MVP: Brad Siekmann

Sport: Water Polo Class: 2015 Best thing about water polo: Winning Worst thing about water polo: Playing badly Toughest Opponent: St. Charles Motto: Just keep swimming Celebrity Crush: Beyoncé Embarrassing Moment: Getting kicked out of a game Greatest Victory: Beating Sycamore in the regional finals last season Netflix Addiction: Arrested Development Photo by Erin McElhenny

october 22, 2014

Mind Games

Athletes learn to mentally prepare for high pressure situations Eric Miller | Staff Writer

Junior Toni Bizzaro defends her net in the Comets’ game against Fairfield.

Thirteen one-hundredths of a second. That’s the amount of time junior soccer goalie Toni Bizzaro has to react when she is facing an opponent’s penalty kick. Bizzaro, who has given up just three goals in 14 games, said boosting her self-confidence pre-kick is a big aspect of penalties. “(It’s) trying to keep calm and boost your self-esteem,” Bizzaro said. “Saying you’re going to get it and if you don’t, it’s okay because your team is going to get it back. Keep the concentration, don’t overthink it.” Bizzaro said she has a mental checklist that she goes though when the ball is coming towards her. “(I) make sure the defense is organized, make sure I’m in the right position and make sure I’m following the ball,” Bizzaro said. After Bizzaro goes through this mental checklist, she has to prepare for the inevitable, a shot on goal. But according to Bizzaro, contrary to popular belief, she doesn’t even have to think about the incoming shot. “Honestly, nothing really goes through my mind,” Bizzaro said. “It’s all natural, I get in my rhythm, get set and get ready for the shot.” Head girls soccer coach Andy Schur said soccer players have to play the game with a different mentality than their fellow athletes. “(You have to) condition yourself as a player to know not everything is going to be perfect every time,” Schur said. “To understand that (soccer) is not a sport that you can draw plays on a board and have them run perfectly.” Comets kicker Grant Kramer has all the pressure on him before he kicks a field goal. Kramer leads the GMC in kicking with 25 total points, and has the second longest field goal in the league at 42 yards. Kramer said his mentality when it comes to high pressure kicking is to have confidence. “You have to know you’re going to make it every time, and you do that when you go in,” Kramer said. While many athletes crack the pressure of 8,000 fans looking on, Kramer said he is too focused on his job to notice. “You can’t really think about if there’s going to be pressure,” Kramer said. “It’s the same kick every time.” Kramer said the key to moving on after a miss is to forget that it ever happened. “(I) don’t think about it,” Kramer said. “(I) worry about the next one.” While playing goalie or kicker comes with its fair share of difficulties, the reward outweighs the mental hardships. Bizzaro said making a save is as exhilarating as it gets. “It’s a huge adrenaline rush and a huge boost, because you’ve pretty much saved the game for your team,” Bizzaro said. “It’s the best feeling in the world.” Photo by Madison Krell

Crutch Club

October 22, 2014

Knee injuries plague newer generation of high school athletes Duncan MacKenzie | Staff Writer

One wrong move and their futures are torn. For many student athletes, this is the reality that they live. According to Contemporary Pediatrics, the number of knee injuries--especially torn ligaments such as the ACL, anterior cruciate ligament--has increased rapidly. This rise can be mainly attributed to the growing number of children participating in competitive sports and early exposure to more intense levels of training. Athletic Trainer Christina Hare has seen her fair share of knee injuries. According to Hare, knee injuries account for only about 30 percent of total injuries that she sees, but they can also be the most serious. “The worst case that you could have for a knee injury is if you dislocate your knee, which means you tear three out of the four stabilizing ligaments in your knee,” Hare said. For sophomore Daniel Niedermann, this has happened five times. Niedermann missed both his 8th grade and freshman year seasons due to dislocation after dislocation. He decided to come back for the beginning of his sophomore season, but according to Niedermann, his knee just isn’t holding up. “I already have a cadaver ligament and if I pop that ligament and it comes undone, I’m going to have to get a new knee cap,” Niedermann said. “I’m going to have to get a new knee and it’s going to be disgusting.” But football isn’t the only sport where injuries haunt student athletes. On September 6, the boys soccer team took on Olentangy Liberty in a routine season game. Junior Ethan Roser escaped the game with a torn ACL, torn MCL, and torn lateral meniscus. According to Roser, the problems he faces daily are starting to add up. “I can’t drive,” Roser said. “I won’t be able to go to the football games because it’s kind of sketchy to be in the stands with crutches. I can’t get my lunch for myself. Just regular day stuff, being on crutches makes it harder.” Senior Kayla Rotundo also tore her ACL, but it wasn’t on the volleyball court. Last December Rotundo was skiing when she had an accident, resulting in seven months of sitting on the bench. But according to Rotundo, her injury motivated her to come back stronger. “I definitely got a lot of support from my family and friends,” Rotundo said. “They helped me out when I was having a tough time with it at first, and then I just kind of looked at the brighter side. I could help out my club team by still being there and calling the shots for them. I could still be a leader off the court, and then once I was able to get back in the game, it just felt like everything that I had worked for was for a purpose.” According to Hare, rehabilitation is the most important part for a student athlete trying to play their sport again.

Athletes suffering from knee injuries require access to the school elevator. “If you’re not following what the trainer, what the physical therapist, what the doctor is saying from the very start, if you don’t take that serious, then yes, you are going to have really serious complications,” Hare said. “It’s going to be a real hindrance for you.” Junior Haley Moses took on her injury with a positive attitude. After an effort to tackle in a soccer game, her knee twisted and popped, resulting in a torn ACL and MCL, as well as ten months away from the field. Through her rehabilitation, she gained more encouragement than ever before. “I really had to strengthen my quads again because I lost all that muscle, and then I had to do a bunch of learning how to walk again,” Moses said. “It made me appreciate the game more than I had before because of how terrible it felt sitting out. It made me want to play even more.” Tearing an ACL doesn’t happen on a daily basis, but it can happen at any time, unexpectedly. According to Roser, the thought of sustaining an injury has never scared him. “Any time you step on the field it’s possible,” Roser said. “People have to realize that that’s why it’s important to work as hard as you can, because you never know what’s going to happen.”

Photo by Madison Krell

Photo art by Erin Brush

Illustration: A complete tear of the ACL.

October 22, 2014