William Mason High School Mason, Ohio
The
Chron l cle
Sibling rivalry on the softball diamond, see story page 15.
May 3, 2006
6100 South Mason Montgomery Road, Mason, Ohio 45040
Volume 3 Issue 7
NEWS Flash Breathalyzer will be in use on prom night MHS Chess Team Wins First Place Led by Stephen Lim, the MHS Chess team finished first at the Greater Cincinnati Chess League Tournament. The team finished in first place ahead of St. Xavier, Elder, Moeller, Roger Bacon, Mariemont, Deer Park, and Madeira. The tournament's individual champion was sophomore Stephen Lim, who finished with a perfect 4-0 score for the second year in a row. Freshman Eric Wei finished in a five-way tie for 3rd place.
BY OLGA BORODULIN Chronicle Editor
The fear that students may be driving intoxicated on prom night may be lessened by using Breathalyzer testing on students, or so Mason High School assistant principal Tim Keeton hopes. Though most students are yet to notice, administrators and student resource officers have been bringing Breathalyzers to school functions for the past five years, and plan on doing so on May 13, the day of the MHS prom. "This is a practice that helps us to ensure the safety of our students. It's not that we want to get kids into trouble. It's just not safe
for them to be drinking," Keeton said. Breathalyzers have already been proven effective, according to Keeton, who has tested students at football games, basketball games and school dances. If a student has consumed alcohol, the regular punishment is a 10-day suspension with a recommendation for expulsion. Lebanon High School has purchased a digital Breathalyzer as well, and sent out information to parents and students at the beginning of April warning them that testing will be present at prom. The push towards alcohol-level testing originated when principal Sam Ison noticed an increase in drug and alcohol abuse among LHS students.
However, this increase is not just seen in Lebanon. In 2000, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released data from its Fatality Analysis Reporting System that indicated that 58 percent of traffic fatalities were alcohol-related during the prom and graduation period. City of Mason police officer Troy Nelson agrees that officers must do anything necessary to protect the lives of others on the road on prom night. "Students shouldn't need alcohol to have fun. We're not targeting anyone when we have the Breathalyzers. We're going to treat it exactly the same way as if we are on the road," Nelson said.
Chronicle
Do you think Iran has intent to create nuclear weapons through its uranium enrichment program? See related story page 4.
65%
yes
P ll
10%
no
25%
not sure
200 students surveyed
INSIDE... ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 5 SPORTS
15
OPINION
20
Chronicle photo by Candice Philpot
Camping Out at MHS From left to right: Seniors Justin Brown, Derek Wilson, Tyler Chini and Tom Burnette camped out at Mason High School on Wednesday, March 29 so they would be first in line to get signed up to play in the Senior/Staff basketball game.
CENTERSPREAD SNEAK PEEK
Plans for MHS expansion delayed until ‘09 BY CAROLINE JOHNSON Chronicle Staff Writer
Former Chronicle Sports Editor and current UC freshman traveled to New Orleans to help in the clean up. He shares his journal with us.
The plan to expand Mason High School has been put on the back burner. With enrollment growing at slower rate than projected the expansion has been pushed from the fall of 2008 to the fall of 2009. "The only thing that was known for certain is that expansion of the high school would be necessary in the future, but that has never been date-driven. It has always been driven by the actual numbers of students attending and our ability to adequately manage the educational function taking place in the facility," Assistant Superintendent of Operations for Mason
City Schools Mike Brannon said. According to Brannon, building only three wings to begin with was more efficient because it saved taxpayer's dollars. "Had we built four wings when voters approved the current high school building, our taxpayers would have been paying for excess space from 2000 through 2009," he said. Currently there are 2,498 students enrolled at the high school, which is 117 students below the projections. Although maximum capacity is 2,950, according to Brannon, Mason City School's administration is always looking for ways to maximize space. "There is no doubt that growth in the stu-
dent body has required us to occupy spaces for education that were not necessary for those purposes when the building was completed in 2002," Brannon said. "It is likely we will continue to examine ways to deliver education in the most efficient manner possible, while always providing adequate spaces for learning," Brannon said. According to Brannon, the rapid growth of Mason has forced Mason City Schools to become efficient in predicting the population in future years.
!see EXPANSION page 22