William Mason High School Mason, Ohio
The
Life on the Offensive Line see page 15
Chron l cle
October 7, 2005
6100 South Mason Montgomery Road, Mason, Ohio 45040
Katrina victims find refuge at MHS
NEWS Flash
BY OLGA BORODULIN Chronicle Editor
Nikki Armstrong Memorial Fund There is a Nikki Armstrong Memorial Fund set up for donations to support her 7-year-old son, Torrey. You can donate at any FifthThird Bank location. Please make checks payable to Fifth Third Bank – Nikki Armstrong Fund and Mail to: Fifth Third Bank, 225 W Main St. # 110111, Mason, OH 45040 Attn: N. Armstrong Fund.
H.O.P.E. initiative nets $6,837 for Katrina relief
Chronicle
The H.O.P.E.Club raised $6,837.41 for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The money will be donated to the Red Cross. “I am always blown away by how much this community cares for others. Whenever I feel like the community can't possibly give any more, they outdo themselves again,” said H.O.P.E. club advisor Monica Schneider.
Was sending troops into Iraq a mistake?
P l l 44% no
36%
yes
20% not sure (Based on a survey of 105 students. See complete story, page 4)
INSIDE... ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 7 SPORTS
14
OPINION
22
Volume 3 Issue 1
Chronicle photo by Sarah Fukatsu
Kirk and Kirtrell Taylor enrolled at Mason after their home was lost due to Katrina.
Kirk,17, and Kirtrell Taylor, 14, may seem to just be new students among Mason's vast majority of teenagers, but this brother and sister pair has endured much more than most teenagers can imagine. They've moved almost 900 miles away from their homes but this hasn't hindered their minds from the catastrophe awaiting them at home: the results of Hurricane Katrina. The Taylor family, consisting of Kirk, Kirtrell, their mother, Cheyenne, and their father, Kirk, all left their home of Boothville, Louisiana on August 28,
2005. They stayed at a motel only 100 miles away. However, Kirk and Kirtrell could not expect the horrors that would encroach upon their town only a day later. "We thought that we could just come home after the storm. The news made it seem like it would miss our town," Kirtrell said. This was obviously not the case as the Taylor home was completely submerged underwater. The two levies positioned next to their house broke resulting in a 35-foot tidal wave. The Taylor family received a phone call from their father's employer detailing the town's situation.
see Refuge page 2
Focusing In Huff cites faith as factor in his battle with deadly skin cancer BY MATT PARTINGTON Chronicle Staff Writer
Sitting at his desk on a normal summer day at Mason High School, a fellow staff member pointed to a mysterious black spot on Mason staff member Dwight Huff's earlobe. Knowing the potential dangers of an unassuming outgrowth on the surface of his skin, Huff went to a doctor to have it examined. Results came back concerning the lesion and Huff tested positive for melanoma. "It was urgent," Huff said, whose melanoma was at a level 4 out of 6. Huff was sent promptly to the operating room a few days later, where his lymph nodes and a significant portion of his left ear were excised. A technician at Mason High School and professional photographer, Huff was forced to stop working for several weeks during the stages of therapy. The dangers of melanoma, however, frightened Huff. "If the melanoma doesn't kill you, then the things on the internet about it will," Huff said, light-heartedly referring to the multitude of websites documenting the dangers of melanoma. Although only accounting for 4% of skin cancer diagnoses, melanoma is the cause of more than 80% Chronicle photo by Josh Geiger A closer look at Dwight Huff reveals a scar on his neck and a portion of his of skin cancer deaths. Melanoma is a tumor which originates in the melanocytes, the melanin-producing left ear removed after undergoing surgery to remove cancerous melanoma. Huff, a technician at Mason High School, can often be seen photographing see Huff page 6 the action at Comet football games and other sporting events.
Students, teachers return to school September 12 to find ‘empty seat’ in room C309
CENTERSPREAD
BY OLGA BORODULIN Chronicle Editor
SNEAK PEEK Are teens seeking refuge in their iPods? In this edition’s centerspread feature The Chronicle takes a look at the gadgetry that seems to be taking over the lives of teenagers. photo provided by Mason City Schools
Mason High School Spanish teacher Ms. Nikki Armstrong.
Mason High School Spanish teacher Nikki Armstrong was involved in a car accident on September 10 and was pronounced dead the following day as a result of injuries sustained in the accident. Armstrong, who was beginning her second year at MHS had touched the lives of many. This never rang more true than at her death, when many of Mason's students, teachers, staff members, and residents all came together for a time of mourning. "She brought her faith and her strength everywhere she went. She was a pillar to
stand by and a role model for us all," Spanish III teacher Deborah Sicking said. Ms. Armstrong's death, inadvertently, brought about her last lesson to her students and colleagues, which was to remember the meaning of the “No Empty Seats” campaign started this year. Armstrong's death was a grave reminder to all students on the fragility of life. "She affected everyone's life and reminded everyone the preciousness of life. She reminded all students what the aftereffects of a death are and how death affects other students and teachers," Sicking said.
see Armstrong page 5