The Chronicle, 5.2

WILLIAM MASON HIGH SCHOOL

ENTERTAINMENT

Girls’ Golf Team continues incredible post season run In SPORTS page 24> >

PLUS: A conversation with hard hitting soccer player Adam Jones.

Volume 5 Issue 2

inside Gerda’s final visit Story on page 6 > >

Story on page 17 > > SNAPSHOTS

Spirit Week brought out the bizzare photos on page 22 > >

OCTOBER 26, 2007 WHAT’S

Guitarist or gamer?

Is your car souped up? How much are you willing to spend on your ride? See Page 21 > >

We got

Spirit

. . . or do we?

SO M E S A Y SPIRIT IS A LIV E A ND WELL, OTHE R S S A Y IT’ S D E A D

Coke is it Story on page 3 > >

center SPREAD

Boo! Story on page 14 > >

The Chronicle William Mason High School 6100 S. Mason-Montgomery Road Mason, Ohio 45040

Is spirit defined by how well sports teams do on the field or on the court?

Or is school spirit something else? While many at Mason High School think school spirit is alive, some argue that it’s dead.

Story on page 2 > >

check IT OUT

7

The percentage of students who said they care about the upcoming local elections.

See local candidates on page 8 & 9 > >

In SPORTS: Boys’ soccer team wins GMC championship

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chronicle

October 26, 2007

Is this school spirit?

School spirit is dead I AGREE WITH

By ELLEN DUFFER Staff Writer Students at Mason High School aren't as enthusiastic or spirited as outsiders might believe. Pep rallies thunder with our screams and hallways burst with green and white, but our normal actions do not reflect much school spirit.

When the Comet planners arrived weeks late, I did not switch my assignments to the shiny new book. I continue to use my Tiger planner without a second thought that it was supposed to have a comet. Glancing at students as they jot down their work, I notice that many of them haven't switched planners either. While the newer planners may have a nicer cover and the year's sports schedule, they're both planners.

Last year, as I waited to be released from the normal routine to the homecoming pep rally, murmurs of early dismissal plans were prevalent.

To some, it seemed silly to sit in the crowded Middle School auditorium for two hours when they could be participating in something they truly enjoyed (or just getting homework out of the way). Many students were excused from the remainder of school, leaving the rest of us to file into the plastic bleachers.

As I watched students lobbing dodge balls heavily at each other a couple of weeks ago, I wished that I was doing something else. I kept making lists in my head of what I could be doing-reading for history, writing papers, sleeping, and a number of other tasks crying out for my attention.

This year, attempting to foil plans of possible skipping, the administration changed the assembly schedule: the rally was conducted in the middle of the school day. Some still managed to evade the peppiness, but I couldn't bring myself to miss my last two classes. The pep rallies are supposed to get us excited about the Comets and bring us together corporately, but we often view them as merely a relief from class.

"Classes are 40 minutes on Friday," my English teacher told us before the festivities occurred two weeks ago. Immediately I thought

By DUNCAN FISCHELY shorter classes equals less learning, since my Staff Writer brain likes a break every so often from the piles of homework and mounds of tests I receive daily.

Tailgating, cheering for your team, and Because I was enthused about my brief dancing to the drumline--each evirespite, not an ounce of me stopped to dence of school spirit: The consider why hundreds of students question is . . . do we have were packed into the arena in the it? Mason does everything first place: school spirit. to get kids pumped up for Devised for the purpose of creatfootball and other sporting a community of spirit is, of ing events. The touchcourse, Spirit Week. Plenty of down club organizes rafkids participate in the entertaining fles. Student dose of creativity, wearing hilariGovernment gets ous costumes, wigs, etc. that I Homecoming and Spirit love to gawk and laugh at while I Week ready. In short, maneuver the halls. But, it is more Mason does all that is in than an excuse for us to dress in its power to rev up the outrageous outfits; after all, you don't enthusiasm in our school to have to be spirited to adorn yourself in get students to support the the garb of Flavor Flav or McLovin. green and white.

One particular day of Spirit Week, Assistant Principal Tim "Spirit Day," is attributed to the home- "[Students] booed the Keeton encourages these football team at the coming football game, which is attendevents with the hope that pep rally, and that's kids will participate more. ed by a large portion of the school. pretty bad. At the Attendance at other games, according He believes that showing game, most of the to various peers of mine, is sparse. support for the school's people don't even pay activities, whether sport or Sure, there are those like me who don't enjoy watching sports; but, many attention: they all just non-sport, is the true meankind of sit under the ing behind spirit. still go to the games to socialize. Let's bleachers." appreciate that games and assem"Compared to other Brandon Brewer blies are created for us to let loose schools, I think that Mason Junior and have fun. has school spirit,” Keeton I must admit, I find myself at the end said. “Even with the footof lunch wanting to teasingly shout, "Go Oak ball's losing record, I still see the stands Hills!" in Mr. Keeton's microphone. A joke like pack[ed] with kids.” that would probably make a few students angry, Football isn't the only sport being but the majority that heard it would possibly played. Golf, soccer, tennis, cross counlaugh. I see school events as a time merely for try--all of the other sports that are not as talking, laughing, and having fun--things not publicized as football, don't fill the related to showing school spirit. stands the same way. Even with tennis,

I AGREE WITH

School spirit is alive

By SAMANTHA STULEN Staff Writer

BLEED GREEN. Does "bleeding green" exactly entail students literally dropping like flies in the hallway gushing kelly green tinted blood?

I will be the first one to answer that--no.

Go to any football game and the evidence of this so called "green blood" is there. Topless men with hand painted messages on their abs are a prime example of the love shared for our school. Maybe MHS has lost a game . . . or two . . . or several, but students still attend to support the team along with having a good time with friends.

When I go, there is just a certain air about the stadium. It's the crush of fans coming together to sit down and watch a football game. It jacks me up just to see people packing the stands. I love watching with my fellow students in our special section. I don't care if you like our football team or not, but the sea of students makes you want to join right in. Screaming at the top of your lungs and being hoarse the next day is one of those painful side effects.

I like wearing Mason shirts, whether it's out in public at Kroger's or at the movies, or even just sitting at home completing my homework. I feel like I am a part of something that is much bigger than myself, which is what I call school spirit. By wearing a shirt with an astronomical object on it, I carry my school wherever I go.

We shouldn't have one week devoted to spirit-we should have spirit all year. Spirit cannot be manufactured; it is within our hallways, auditorium, cafeteria, basketball courts, and soccer stands. For those of you who say 'no one dressed up for Decades Day. We have no spirit at our school' I ask does dressing up as a hippie from the 70's show our love for the Comets?

Spirit presents itself at Volley for the Cure. Spirit comes out at the Homecoming Game. Spirit comes out at every event that gets the student body involved.

Being an athlete, nothing gets the adrenaline going or the team pumped more than when a golf, and cross country going to the state coach tells the team, "Mason is the most sought competitions this year, students still leave after team. We will dominate." There is no possithem out of the loop. ble word that describes the sensation you have "I have been to golf and tennis, but I tingling inside of you knowing you want a don't think that they get as much match, game, or tournament for you, support as the other popular your team, and your school. Not only sports like football or basketdo you raise the bar for your team, ball," Keeton said. but for MHS. You help Mason get The administration may to the top of the totem pole in the feel that MHS has school Greater Miami Conference. spirit, but not all the stuBand in itself is a whole other dents do. Sophomore side of the school. It is made up Devin Elfers feels that of top-ranked individuals, which Mason pride has died. is clear when you walk by their His version of spirit is trophy case. Going to multiple that you should have competitions no doubt can be pride in your school, no exhilarating, but how many of us matter what happens. can say that we have really present"Of course we don't have ed our school in that manner multiple spirit--we booed at our foottimes. ball team during homecoming.

School spirit is not all about athletThat is when we should be cheering the most," Elfers “People really cheer ics and extracurricular activities. said. at the games. There Mason's scholastic achievements also represent another factor that Dressing up during homeare people pumped coming week is a tradition at up and it just makes contributes to school spirit.

If we did not have school spirit, we Mason to voice your pride, to the school a would not be cranking out those "bleed green." Elfers’ opinion better place.” of Spirit Week is more critical Roman Backscheider great SAT/ ACT scores or National Merit awards. Andrea Sohn, Class than that of the other students.

Freshman of 2007, was the first student at "The only time any one is MHS accepted to Yale. Bobby Yu, Class of 2006 spirited is on Spirit Week, [and] even was the first MHS student to be accepted into then they are hypocritical. You can't say Harvard. Accomplishments of that kind further that you have pride for your school after reflect the pride in our school. you boo the football team," Elfers said.

People do not have to wear green and white Even though Keeton and Elfers have garb to show school spirit. Rather, I think it can be two different ideas on what spirit is, they found in who we are and reflecting where we do not voice the opinions of every stucome from. Whether we dress up for Spirit Week dent and faculty member out there. The or wear the craziest get-ups at the games, we question still remains. Do we have spirit? bleed green everyday.

or is this?

Sides split on spirit debate

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chronicle

October 26, 2007

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Pantona’s mother hopes other kids will learn from her son’s mistakes

By SHEA DAVIDSON Editor Senior Anthony Pantona never liked to see others around him upset and would always try to make his friends laugh or smile according to his mother Georgia Shafer.

“My son was a good son—very caring and lovPantona ing,” Shafer said.

19-year-old Anthony Pantona died on October 5. Pantona was found floating in a retention pond by joggers where he had drowned.

Pantona’s mother said that the loss on the family has been catastrophic.

“I have lost my only son and my daughters have lost their big brother and their best friend,” Shafter said. “It has broken my family.”

Shafter said the thing that she will miss the most about her son is his ability to make anyone laugh.

“If he saw someone sad or upset then he would try to make that person laugh or smile,” Shafter said. “No matter how silly he looked doing it he’d do it just to cheer that one person up.”

Pantona was a good kid but didn’t always make the best choices according to his mother.

“He had a good heart and was a good kid,”

Shafter said. “He just didn’t always make the smartest decisions.”

Through this tragedy Pantona’s mother hopes that other kids will be able to learn from Pantona’s mistakes.

“Kids in this school have various issues with drinking and partying, and obviously they have buried two kids in six months regarding this type of behavior.” Shafter said.

“I know there are a lot of kids in that school making the same decisions and there is going to be more loss if they don’t smarten up.”

Pantona’s funeral took place on October 10 at Grace Baptist Church, and many of Pantona’s friends were in attendance.

Pantona’s mother took this time to try to teach Pantona’s friends to learn from his mistake.

“These kids need to stop hurting themselves and get on a good path,” Shafer said. “There is a lot of kids in that school who drink.

There is a reason the age is 21 and that is because they’re not able to handle it.”

Pantona said that even though her son vowed to never drink and drive it was still not enough to save his life.

“He always promised me that he would never drink and drive, but we also know now that he couldn’t walk and drink because that didn’t work either.

Pantona’s mother emphasizes that Anthony was a good friend and was loved by many.

“He was a good friend and we he never let them down so a lot of people are missing a good friend that they could rely on,” Shafter said.

Mason makes the switch; decides Coke is It

By SPENCER WEBB Staff Writer Enjoy Coca-Cola at Mason City Schools. Three beverage companies vied for the rights to distribute throughout the district, but none could beat the real thing.

Food Service Supervisor Darlene Hicks said three major beverage companies, Coke, Pepsi and Tri-State Juice, responded with proposals to distribute beverages at Mason City Schools.

"Based upon these proposals, Coke was awarded exclusive rights to be the beverage provider for all concessions, booster, athletic & special events, as well as for selected products for the school cafeterias," Hicks said.

Hicks said that Coke has the rights to sell their products throughout the district for one year and there will be an option to renew the contract after the year has passed.

Hicks said that Coke responded with the better deal between Coke and Pepsi, and along with Coke's 35 percent commission on products they also offered a rebate on cases of 24 count 20 oz bottles of soda, saving the school almost $20,000.

Athletic Director Scott Stemple said Coke will also provide equipment such as the refrigeration units and coolers needed to serve the beverages at athletic events.

"It's the financial end coupled with the service that made [Coke's] proposal better," Stemple said.

Hicks said from 1997 until 2007 Pepsi had the rights to provide beverages for Mason City Schools. Guidelines regarding a beverage provider having exclusive rights to

What students are saying about it...

both food service and special events changed. Coke can only provide certain products that meet the criteria of the National School Lunch Program and Wellness Policy for Mason City Schools. In order to provide beverages that Coke cannot provide, Tri-State Juice has rights to sell products such as Switch, 16.9 oz bottles of Crystal Geyser bottled water, and 20 oz bottles of Glacier Lakes bottled water in the Cafeteria.

Junior Patrick Nalley thinks having the Coke machines on all day is a good thing because anyone can get a drink at anytime during the day. However, he believes the School Lunch Program and Wellness Policy limits beverage choices for students.

"Everything is either diet or Zero,” Nalley said. “I've heard plenty of people complain about the tastes of what is being sold.”

Hicks also said the wellness policy the district adopted requires certain products to be in certain serving sizes.

The biggest change students notice is the 12 oz Powerade bottles and the 20 oz bottles of Gatorade from last year are the same price.

"If you have something larger for a certain price [and] then you have something smaller for the same price, then you are being ripped off,” Nalley said.“The product should be cheaper if it is smaller.” photos by Spencer Webb Stemple said any money the district gets from the sale Coke is definitly it. Now as Coke takes over as the official beverof beverages has to be used for capital improvement, such as permanent improvements made to athletic fields. age supplier of Mason City Schools you don’t have to go far to "In the long run, we felt this would be more beneficial find an advertisement reminding us. to the district and athletics," Stemple said

Plans for Mason skatepark put on hold Council can’t agree on how to finance project

“They’ve been talking about it for years and now they’re just not going to do it.”

Chris Pelopida Senior “I don’t know why they raised all the money and all of the sudden they just canceled it.”

David Martin Junior “They’re building this other little park in Mason, that nobody’s going to use.”

Thomas Mulhall Senior

By NINA BRESSAU Staff Writer Area skateboarders better get used to skating in local parks and street curbs in Mason.

After two years of believing that a skatepark was in their future it appears as if plans for a new skatepark have been put on the back burner. That, after three out of six City Council members voted against the planned construction of a skatepark near Mason High School last month.

The tied vote at the Council meeting on September 10 wasn't enough to confirm the construction. Mayor Charlene Pelfrey voted to approve the skate park.

"I feel very sure about my decision to support a skate park for the City of Mason," Pelfrey said "I have had the opportunity to think about it for quite some time."

In October 2004, 49 students proposed the construction of a skate park at a Council meeting. In January 2005, City Council decided, depending on the price and collaboration, that there would be a high probability of approval.

Pelfrey has been involved with the skate park discussions from the beginning.

"A skatepark in Mason would provide a place for skaters of all ages to enjoy the

sport," Pelfrey said. "The location suggested behind Mason High School would provide a safe environment and would be convenient for after school usage."

Deerfield Township recently offered money toward the park construction, if Mason would give two parts of land to Deerfield in return.

"Several Council Members felt the project should not be funded solely by the City of Mason, when students and residents from both Mason and Deerfield Township will use the skatepark," Pelfrey said.

Vice-Mayor Tom Grossmann voted against the park because the proposed Deerfield contribution did not correspond to the requested land.

"It would be okay if the value would be fair," Grossmann said, "But it's not.

Deerfield made no contributions to the skate park at all. I'd consider that getting something for free."

Grossmann said that his decision could change if Deerfield Township would consider contributing a fair amount.

"I have always expressed my support for the skate park," Grossmann said. "I never voted against the idea. I voted against a specific proposal that was 20 percent over the budget."

Grossmann listed more disadvantages than advantages of constructing a skate park. "[The park] is expensive," Grossmann said. "It's probably not going to be used as much as we intend. It's a dangerous sport."

Grossmann said that statistics show that skating is a male sport for the most part.

"Do we really want to have a park that's contributed to only young boys?"

Grossmann questioned.

Junior Collin Martin is one of the students who requested the construction of a skate park three years ago.

"I really liked the idea [to build a skate park], because it is hard to find a way to skate without getting in trouble," Martin said.

Martin wasn't surprised by the Council's decision to wait with the plans.

"I don't think they're ever going to make [a skate park]," Martin said, "They would rather spend the money on something else."

The City Council hasn't made a final decision, so there is still some hope left for Mason skaters.

"Any decision Council makes is open to review," Pelfrey said "Several Council members have expressed their interest in pursuing options."

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What Soulja Boy’s agent had to Say . . .

"When I found Soulja Boy, he had songs that had profanity, but it was his idea to clean them up, because his records are fun. You can't please everyone, but this is crazy. Here you have the most clean cut guy in the game. For anyone to ban him for what he has achieved is crazy. This is a dance.

Supersoak is a dance, the Roosevelt, they are all dances.

How about we turn it off and let the kids listen to raps about drugs and shooting people?

These adults need to check themselves. It's not a fair standard to set. These people are hypocrites."

Michael "Mr. Collipark" Crooms Soulja Boy’s agent courtesy AllHipHop.com

October 26, 2007

Students not happy about administration’s decision to pull song from homecoming dance playlist

By SHEA DAVIDSON Editor What originally started as a parental complaint at Mason High School about the lyrics in the Billboard hit "Crank Dat" by Soulja Boy, snowballed into a news story that was picked up nationwide.

Over the protests of the students, the song was banned at the homecoming dance since lyrics were considered inappropriate for high school students. Principal Dr. Dave Allen said he agreed with parent complaints after reading the lyrics.

"In printing those lyrics out, there were obviously some words and some different things in the song that made that individual student or those students and those parents uncomfortable," Allen said. "In looking at the words of the song, I couldn't defend playing it and saying to our parents that it is indeed something we deem appropriate."

After spending five weeks on Billboards top 100, and having an instructional video of the special dance that accompanies the "Crank Dat" song receiving over 10 million hitson You

Tube, students at MHS like senior Nick Garcia were upset about the song not being played.

"It was really stupid--I mean it's just a song," Garcia said. "They were going to play the edited version anyway. The edited version didn't even have the same meaning of what the [unedited version] meant or the cuss words and slang terms."

Garcia said he thought the school could have done a better job informing the students of the ban.

"The way the student body found out about the ban was through word of mouth and through local newspapers," Garcia said. "They really pushed it to the side."

Not only did local news stations pick up the story, but it also ended up receiving national attention by appearing on websites such as allhiphop.com, aceshowbiz.com, steryotyped.com, mobstarz.com, memphisrap.com, and Sixshot.com. There is even a video on You Tube, which has already received over 10,000 hits, pertaining to the controversy.

According to an online poll on Polls Boutique's website, 61 percent of online voters thought that MHS students should have been

allowed to do the dance along with the lyrics to Soulja Boy's song.

Even with all the attention received in the media, administrators stood by their decision not to play the controversial lyrics. As a compromise, however, administrators did allow the instrumental version to be played at the dance.

"No one was really satisfied," Garcia said. "I know [the school administration] tried to compromise, which I do appreciate, but I just think they could have done a lot better job by just playing the edited version."

Garcia said he thought the administrators catered to the needs of the minority in this situation.

"For them to drop the song for the needs of one person out of about 3000 isn't right," Garcia said. "Service the needs of the majority, rather than to the needs of one person. I think we proved the point at the dance when over 2000 kids were singing the song."

In the future, Garcia said he hopes the administrators won't pick apart songs and will consider the needs of the majority of the students.

Under the influence...teenagers are taking their eyes off the wheel to check their messages; a practice that is proving to be deadly

By MEGAN ROEHM Staff Writer

his age t Is ess th e? m or lif w our y

Text messaging while driving is as almost as dangerous as driving under the influence of alcohol.

While texting is among the most popular means of communication today, it is causing problems--

some deadly--on the road.

According to MSNBC, there have recently been numerous text-related car accidents, a majority being the fault of teenagers.

In one case, five recent graduates from Fairport High School in New York were killed in a car accident this past June.

A report on Fox News states that the driver of the car, 17 year old Bailey Goodman, had sent a text message to a friend just seconds before crossing the center line of a two lane road into oncoming traffic, hitting a tractor trailer head on.

According to the

photo by Ellen Duffer

report, Goodman and her four friends in the car were pronounced dead at the scene after both vehicals caught fire.

Even though Ohio has no restrictions on cell phone use while driving, the banning of these devices is spreading quickly, with more and more states considering it.

The American Automobile Association told MSNBC that 16 states, including California, New Jersey, Connecticut, and New York, are considering bills banning teens from using electronic devices on the road. Another 13 states have already passed bans.

Seventeen Magazine conducted a survey in a recent issue asking teenagers between the ages 16 and 17 if they have any risky driving habits.

61 percent of these teens admitted to being risky on the road, with 46 percent stating they have text messaged while driving.

"I usually just text when I am stopped at a light, but I have texted while I was driving down the road," Mason High School senior Jessica Lowdermilk said. "I know a lot of people that text while they are driving, even when I am in the car with them."

According to a published report on MSNBC, California state senator Joe Smitian introduced a bill

banning 16 and 17 year old drivers from using electronic devices while driving.

Smitian told MSNBC that his reason for this proposal was that it will save lives. While this may be true, it is indisputable that teenagers are not the only drivers on the road with risky habits.

"I do have some adult friends that text while they drive," MHS teacher Melanie Milligan said.

She noted that one of her friends even got in an accident because of it.

"I do think it is a good idea to ban texting while driving. I think it would make the road a safer place."

Milligan said that she doesn't think it is safe for anyone to do, and that it is not just a teenage activity.

According to a study by AAA, any distraction that takes your eyes off the road for more than two seconds doubles the risk of an accident.

Reading e-mails and text messages naturally requires some concentration, making it unsafe for drivers of all ages.

It has yet to be decided whether or not more states will ban text messaging while driving. "I think people would still [try to] get away with texting anyway, so it wouldn't really make the road any safer,” Loudermilk said.

Young out to prove that Shakespeare can help on the ACT

By RACHEL BROCKHAGE Staff Writer Here's the latest tip for raising your ACT scores: bring along the Bard. This is the theis of Mason High School Drama Teacher Allen Young, who is conducting a study for an educational research class at Indiana Young Wesleyan University.

The purpose of his experiment is to prove whether knowledge of Shakespeare could improve ACT scores on the English portion of the exam. For the first testing, he used 40 old ACT questions, which included sentence revisions and reading pas-

sages. At the end of the experiment, Young will use a different test.

Besides Acting I, II, and III, Young teaches ACT/SAT Prep and Introduction to Theater.

He is using his Intro to Theater students as controls, and Much Ado About Nothing students as test subjects.

Young feels his students are open-minded about being part of this experiment.

"Students are overall very positive,” Young said. “It's something that's interesting to them and we have a wide diversity of kids.

"We have ninth graders who've never seen, or thought of, an ACT test, and we have seniors who have already taken it. They're interested to see if my hypothesis is right."

He says there will be a lot to learn from the results.

"If the results show that participating in theater improves your language arts skills or

ACT scores, it's certainly an argument for why the theater department is important,” Young said. “It further bolsters theater's credibility as to why it’s important."

Woody Goldsmith, starring as Claudio in the school's upcoming play Much Ado About Nothing, finds Young's study to be a valuable opportunity.

"I think Mr. Young's study is a really cool idea," Goldsmith said. "Teachers always say that Shakespeare makes you smarter, but I've never actually tested it before."

Goldsmith believes the results will show an improvement of scores due to the level of sophistication of the Shakespearean language.

"I think that it will improve my score because it takes a lot of thinking to participate in a Shakespeare show and that much thinking has to improve your knowledge,"

Goldsmith said. "It's exciting."

An experiment like this has never been conducted in the same way, according to Young's research.

"There has never been a study like this that I found," Young said. "This is a new beginning of a research question and once you have these big research questions, they have to be tested and tested and tested. This is the starting step."

As the initial testing has ended, Young is unconcerned about errors that could occur to skew the outcome.

"If it doesn't work, it doesn't work. There is some room for errors, like the fact that the sample size isn't very large," Young said.

"But [it] is an interesting question that starts to answer itself through a small research study."

news

October 26, 2007 District maintenance employees want to be heard; picket at homecoming football game

By JACKIE SWOYER Staff Writer The maintenance employees at Mason City Schools want to be heard. On Friday, October 12, they exercised their freedom of speech at the homecoming game.

David Kappes, a member of the maintenance staff, said the picket was for Kappes informational purposes as it pertains to negotiating the staff's first contract with Mason City Schools.

"We're trying to get our side of the story heard," Kappes said.

Their side of the story dates back to January of 2006, when the Mason City Schools' custodial, grounds, HVAC and maintenance employees voted 44-41 to unionize under the Ohio Association of Public School Employees (OAPSE). Almost two years later, the Union and the Mason Board of Education have failed to negotiate an initial contract for the employees.

"The process has moved very slowly," Kappes said. "But we are ready for our slice of the pie."

Derryl Hall, the local representative for OAPSE, said that Federal and state mediators are now involved in the negotiation process.

The goal of the picket was to raise awareness about the situation, according to an article in the Pulse Journal.

"We want to educate the public about certain conditions," Hall said.

The demonstration consisted of over 65 supporters for the maintenance staff, who passed out brochures and bottles of water to the public.

The brochures called into question the Mason City Schools' hiring of a custodial staff from a

sub-contractor company that did not perform background checks for the employees.

While Tracey Carson, the Public Information Officer of Mason City Schools, confirmed the use of a sub-contractor company, she said that background checks were performed.

"Our district has saved nearly $400,000 this year by contracting with a private company, Blue Chip, to provide custodial services at the early childhood center and the addition to the Intermediate campus," Carson said. "All custodial staff provided by Blue Chip undergo background checks and these employees are just as real and caring as any other employees."

In addition to this debate, the maintenance staff pointed out in their brochure that the staff has not had a pay raise in over two years. These are issues others among several others on the negotiating table between the Union and the Board of Education.

"We're hammering on the table for negotiations," Kappes said. "We just need someone across the table to hammer back."

The choice to picket on the night of the Homecoming game set the demonstration as the most public effort to gain attention because of the potential for publicity.

"This has been our most obvious attempt [of being heard]," Kappes said. "Homecoming is the biggest night of the year. Why waste a prime opportunity to expose our cause?"

In response to the picket during the Homecoming game, Carson said the Board of Education reacted respectfully.

"We respect the Union's right, and trust that this will provide minimal disruption to the Homecoming festivities," Carson said. "We remain committed to reaching an agreement that will allow us to continue to operate in the excellent and efficient manner we know that our parents and community expect."

Recent headlines involving illegal immigrants

By SAMANTHA STULEN Staff Writer With the rise in population of illegal imigrants in our area, headlines dealing with immigration busts, hiring of illegal immigrants and deportations have become more frequent. Here are some of the stories that have recently made headlines:

160 arrested at Koch Foods in Fairfield A chicken processing plant in Fairfield was raided in August for an illegal immigrant bust. 180 people were obtained and, of those, 160 people were arrested. 20 people were charged with fraudulent charges of identity theft and social security numbers.

Murder of Kevin Barnhill In August of 2006, in Mason Kevin Barnhill was stabbed to death by Humberto Mota, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, outside the Mason Pub. In May, Mota was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Here is what the law says The Free and Appropriate Public Education law stems from a 1982 Supreme Court case, Plyer v. Doe, which ruled that schools cannot deny an illegal immigrant student a public education. Students without U.S. citizenship are supposed to attend school until an age set by state law. Further, schools are not allowed to treat a student differently based on documented citizen status, ask a student about his or her citizenship status, or ask others about a student's citizenship status.

The case took place during December 1, 1981 and June 15, 1982. Plyer v. Doe also decided that aliens should be considered “persons” and the Equal Protection Clause is applicable to them since it states, "no state shall deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." Accordingly, illegal immigrants are protected under the fifth and fourteenth amendments, just like an American citizen.

chronicle 5 District seeking ways to cut energy costs School will undergo energy audit

By NISHA GRINIDHARAN Staff Writer Recent awareness about helping the environment and energy saving has caused Mason High School to reevaluate its policies concerning energy consumption. Compared to other schools, MHS has fallen behind on reducing energy costs, but Michael Brannon Brannon, Assistant Superintendent of Operations, says that MHS is hoping to change that.

"The district has recently teamed with Duke Energy to conduct an energy audit on Mason High School," Brannon said. "Toward that end, a team of specialists spent two all-night sessions in the building this week looking for ways to reduce energy consumption when the building is empty."

At this time, MHS is also hoping to become more intelligent in how we use our heating and air conditioning systems.

"We are currently working with an engineering firm to allow them real-time access into the computerized control systems that run the heating and air conditioning," Brannon said.

"The information will be studied to look for trends and hopefully give us clues as to how we may be smarter in how we use the system."

Not only have heating and air conditioning been a factors in reducing energy costs, but

lighting is also an important contribution to the electric bill. MHS has already started work on improving efficiency in this department.

"Nearly all of our lighting is fluorescent and provided by use of T-8 lamps with electronic ballasts," Brannon said. "These provide a much higher efficiency rating than the normal lamp one might be used to seeing."

In addition, MHS has already found ways to reduce lighting costs at night.

"We have a lighting control system at the high school that cuts power to the fixtures at certain times," Brannon said. "The new construction will include motion and sound sensors in the classrooms that will automatically turn the lights off if the room is vacant for a specified period of time."

Similarly, the district is seeking measures to cut down on the amount of energy wasted by leaving computers on.

"PC's that are left on and go to standby still use a considerable amount of energy, when you consider the number of PC's used by the district," Brannon said. "Our IT department has implemented a program that remotely shuts down the unused PC after hours."

With these many changes and future modifications to our school's numerous energy systems, you can expect to notice a difference in the way our school runs.

"Last winter, we set the heat maximum at 68 degrees," Brannon said. "We heard some complaints about that, but it is an example of the kind of initiatives we will have to take in order to achieve energy reductions.

District dealing with issue of educating illegal immigrants

By SAMANTHA STULEN Staff Writer Illegal immigration has become an issue all across the country, including the Mason City School's district.

On August 28, 2007, in Fairfield, federal agents Morris obtained 180 illegal immigrants at Koch Foods a poultry packaging facility, of which 20 may be facing fraud charges. Koch Foods is 18 minutes away from Mason High School.

With such a large student population, it is probable that one or more students at MHS are not a legal citizen of the United States. Tom Morris, Student Services Director, is the person who handles this issue for the school.

"I get anonymous phone calls about students,” Morris said. “I will get phone calls from building administrators giving me a heads up to a situation which needs further research. It could come in a variety of ways to me."

One circumstance involved a student who that had won an award. In order to receive this award, the student had to produce a social security and could not do so.

"Further evidence came to us that there could be a possibility of an illegal immigration with the student," said Morris.

The Mason school system is respon-

sible for educating students, whether they are a natural citizen or an alien, so long as they can prove residency. It will be taken up with the police department once the true status of citizenship is determined.

"Once I have enough information that proves they are illegal immigrants, then my responsibility is to call the local police department," said Morris. "[After] I call the local police department, it's taken out of the school's hands because it becomes an issue law enforcement deals with."

In one situation Morris verified that there was an illegal immigrant, and he turned the information over to the local police department who took it up to a higher authority.

"Once it leaves the school's hands, it becomes a situation where the law deals with it,” Morris said. "I think [it] is determined by an agency. The FBI becomes involved as well and they do their own investigation. Whether or not they are deported is out of our hands as a school. I know there are new laws that are coming out of the books everyday concerning immigration."

Koch Foods is one of just many examples that hit close to home. With the major building industry growing in Mason, Fischer homes also had a raid of about two to three hundred illegal immigrants.

"When you have a mass number like that, then obviously I think people become much more opinionated than if it's a single isolated incident," said Morris.

There have been other occurrences

in Mason involving students not being naturalized students. Such students have to be picked up by the police and removed from school.

"It's a matter of awareness,” Morris said. “How much awareness the students have of a potential situation like this. I think young students are more apathetic to a situation where a student would be involved in the situation; instead, they would react in a much less negative way than [the] overall population. I think young adults are [a] little more rational than older adults,” Morris said. “They are much more patient when making a decision or pointing fingers so to speak. I think their thought process is a little more open the younger they are so they are more willing to deal with a situation like that.”

"Once again, they are breaking the law. If they're breaking law, then you need to understand that rules that govern all individuals coming in America and living in America. Those laws are set up for a reason," Morris said.

Whether a student is legally in the country or not, Ohio law requires equal education for all. The Free and Appropriate Public education law specifically states that anyone who resides in the district has to be educated.

"If a child is living in our school district, we have to educate that child,” Morris said “Ohio law tells us that. I don't hold any biases against children who are illegal immigrants obviously, their parents brought them to the country in hopes of prospering."

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October 26, 2007

Gerda’s final

farewell Holocaust survivor, author, academy award winner visits Mason a final time

By RACHEL BROCKHAGE Staff Writer Eighty-three year old Gerda Klein, one of the most famous living Holocaust survivors of our time, visited students and teachers at Mason High School on October 16.

She traveled from Arizona to Cincinnati as part of her last speaking tour. Klein, a bestselling author, national lecturer, Academy Award winner, and honorary doctorate recipient, spent time sharing her story, answering students' questions, and signing copies of her book All But My Life.

Klein was fifteen years old when her Jewish family became one of Hitler's targets during 1939. Klein and her family were eventually moved from their home, which had been in the family for generations, to a ghetto. From there, her parents were deported to Auschwitz, and she was sent to a transit labor camp. She compared the turbulence of the sequence of events to the recent tsunami in Sri Lanka.

"One day, when you came home, you saw to your horror on television an angry wave that rose from the sea," she told students. "It was called a tsunami. On September 18, 1939 at 9:10 in the morning, a wave of hate rose over Europe, and swept away my father, my mother, my brother, my uncle, aunts, cousins, friends, childhood home, and everything I owned."

Klein described her experience under Nazi rule as horrific and difficult, but not devoid of special moments of care and understanding.

"I know that many of you, when you hear the word Holocaust, have a fear run down your spine. You must also remember there was something much more," Klein said. "There was friendship, there was caring, there was love and understanding, and reaching out to one another for the ultimate goodness of humanity."

Klein also handed out roses to teachers when she reflected upon the impact of the lessons she learned from her parents and teachers.

"During [the Holocaust], I remembered my parents, teachers, and what they had done for me," Klein said. "This became my lone star."

She emphasized the role students will play in the future.

"You are at the cutting edge of your life," Klein said to students. "You are the future, backbone, and pride of this country.

Your understanding hearts, I pray, will fashion this world to the kind which I dreamt about in the dark hours of horror."

Besides the lessons she learned in the past and hopes for the future, Klein shared her concern for America during the present.

"I learned what freedom meant when I came to this country," Klein said. "I'm sad patriotism is not as strong as it can be. You must love your country. We have so much to be thankful for."

Klein has devoted the last few years promoting tolerance and seeking to end world hunger through a foundation she established with her husband called the Gerda and Kurt Klein Foundation. Klein repeated what she said at the Oscars in 1995.

"I don't want to live in a world where a potato is more valuable than an Oscar," Klein said. "And I don't want children to be in a world where an Oscar is so important that you forget that there are people who do not have a potato."

Students and teachers have extensively prepared for her visit. Margaret McKinnon's Multi-Cultural class had a bake sale to raise money for her foundation. The class also read Klein's best-seller, All But My Life, in which Klein describes the conditions of the concentration camps and the relationships she developed with her friends.

McKinnon feels there is a lot to learn from Klein's story.

"Her story is emotional,” McKinnon said.

“It's poignant. It's something that will not be forgotten. This is life-changing."

McKinnon said she also thinks this was a valuable opportunity, especially for students.

"Not only is this the last time she's touring, but this is something that we won't have another opportunity for in a couple of years," McKinnon said. "The opportunity to hear a Holocaust survivor, as I always tell my students, is not one that their children will have.

It's crucial to take advantage of this while we have it."

McKinnon was grateful that Klein was able to make it to MHS. "She has taken this experience and turned it into something that calls for tolerance and awareness and public action to help others.

That's why it's such an honor to have her here at our school." photo by Kristin Yawit Gerda Weisman Klein (center) signs copies of her book All But My Life at the conclusion of her final lecture at Mason High School.

Students react to Gerda’s message

“She impacted me even more by coming in person to talk, because it put together her book with her and the holocaust. It made me appreciatemy life more.”

Kaitlyn Muff Senior

“Gerda was precious. The way she talked about her story didn’t make you feel sorry for her, but gave you a new outlook.”

Drew Burnett Senior

“I loved the speech she gave, that with faith and optimism you can survive anything.”

Katie Wills Senior

“Gerda Klein had a lot of cool stuff to say about what she went through. She sounded like she was very grateful that she survived.”

Andrew Galyan-Mann Sophmore

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October 26, 2007

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SPECIAL REPORT

Students are riding caffeine highs New products are designed to deliver caffeine directly to the brain

By MANDY CHIARA Staff Writer Two pieces of Jolt Energy Gum contain the same amount of caffeine as one cup of coffee.

One soda contains 42mg of caffeine while a piece of Jolt has 45mg. With 12 pieces a pack, that's six cups of coffee or over 12 sodas.

Your mouth's buccal membrane absorbs the ingredients as you chew, so your brain responds to the caffeine three times faster than an energy drink, mint, or pill.

"I got [energy gum] for my birthday and I do like energy drinks, but I thought it would be quicker than energy drinks," junior Zohair Hussain said.

According to Jolt energy gum's website it takes only five minutes for the full amount of caffeine to be delivered since it is absorbed straight into the bloodstream.

According to National Geographic, taking moderate doses of caffeine this way extends the time it takes for bicyclists to exercise to exhaustion by almost 40 percent.

Energy gum includes sugar, trimethylxanthine (caffeine), ginseng, guarana, aspartame (sugar), taurine, and B vitamins; all of which are said to increase energy.

Caffeine increases dopamine production in the brain, which blocks adenosine reception

and creates the feeling of being awake according to How Stuff Works. The "alert" effect of caffeine lasts one to two hours.

"It kept me awake while I was chewing it, but as soon as I spit it out it stopped working," junior David Martin said.

With 90 percent of people consuming more than 300mg per day; caffeine is the most popular drug in America according to doctors.

Caffeine is an addictive drug that operates by manipulating the same channels as cocaine and heroine according to How Stuff Works.

Martin said that to receive noticeable effects he had to chew multiple pieces of energy gum.

"I chewed two at a time, then stopped, and then an hour later, I put two more in," Martin said.

According to Finnish Food Safety, the toxic dose of caffeine for a 150 pound person is about 1,361 mg which would be about 30 pieces of gum.

Caffeine is often used as a diuretic in the medical world to increase urine production.

Martin said that convenience is the main reason he prefers energy gum over energy drinks.

"I used to drink energy drinks but sometimes they're hard to drink all of them in the morning, so I thought chewing the gum would be easier," Martin said.

Ingredients from energy gum are absorbed in the buccal mucosa inside of the cheek, under the surface of the tongue, and on the floor of the mouth according to How Stuff Works.

Because caffeine is an addictive drug, people often get on a caffeine cycle where they never enter a deep sleep, and continue to feel worse each day.

graphic by Mandy Chiara

Leaking the info on caffeine drinks

Popular energy drinks full of mysterious chemicals Glucuronolactone, pyridoxine HCL, inositol, niacin, and D-pantothenol are all ingredients listed in a can of Red Bull. Energy drinks like Red Bull have gained popularity, especially among teens. These drinks claim to boost energy by "giving you wings", "unleashing the beast", and giving you the ability to "party like a rock star."

According to the 2006 Mintel Energy Drink Report 65 percent of energy drink users are under the age of 35. Marketing strategies for energy drinks focus on appealing to younger age groups.

Students at Mason High School are not excluded from this group. Many students drink energy drinks before participating in several different activities for the same purpose-to get energy.

Naman Rakheja, a senior and who runs crosscountry and track, said that his favorite energy drink is Amp by Mountain Dew. He drinks them because he is "obsessed" with the citrus flavor.

"I had one yesterday actually, I'm pretty much obsessed with them," Rakheja said. "I had to drink one every day."

Rakheja would drink Monsters with a teammate last year before track in hopes that the energy boost would help them perform better.

Rakheja quit this year because he said he didn't improve his times while drinking it and that he knew they weren't good for him.

"Last year, me and another guy used to bring in a Monster and drink them every time before a meet, but now I don't anymore because they're not good to drink before you run," Rakheja said. "Now I stay hydrated and I limit the number of energy drinks and pop before if possible."

Senior Natalia Petrova said that she does not drink energy drinks on a regular basis, but that she drank two Monsters before taking the ACT. "I drank them to keep me awake because the

test is really long and it would help me not to fall asleep, especially during the reading part of it," Petrova said.

Petrova said she thought that the negative effects of drinking energy drinks before taking the ACT outweighed the positive ones and therefore will not be drinking them the next time she takes the ACT. "I think that it helped me stay awake, but I don't think that it helped me concentrate," Petrova said. "I think, especially if you have more than one, it makes you hyper." Petrova said. "I found myself tapping my pencil and it was hard to concentrate."

Petrova said that while she drinks energy drinks on occasion when she wants to be wide awake, she thinks that it is unhealthy to drink energy drinks all of the time.

"I know people who drink them all the time, just like

drinking pop," Petrova said "I don't think that is good for you because it speeds up your heart rate."

Energy drinks are designed to give consumers a shot of energy by giving them a mixture of caffeine, B vitamins, and herbal ingredients. According to BevNET there are currently about 130 different kinds of energy drinks on the market.

According to BevNET, long-term health effects of energy drinks include not known since they are so new. However, known side effects of energy drinks are headaches, anxiety, increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, and insomnia.

Energy drinks are also commonly used as mixers creating popular alcoholic beverages, such as jagerbombs and Red Bull-Vodka, according to the Christian Science Monitor.

These drinks are considered dangerous since alcohol is a depressant and energy drinks are a stimulant, especially since taurine is one of the leading ingredients in energy drinks.

According to BevNET, energy drink consumers don't have much to worry about as long as they are drinking energy drinks in moderation. photo art by Shea Davidson and Patrick Lipka

By SHEA DAVIDSON Editor

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A high schooler’s guide to the local candidates

By ALYSSA HOWARD and ELLEN DUFFER Staff Writers In a recent poll conducted by The Chronicle, only seven percent of students are monitoring the upcoming local elections, proving once again that you might feel like the realm of politics, even on a local level, is far-removed from your own. While it is true that most people at MHS are not yet eligible to vote, the relevance of local elections to each of our lives as minors is sometimes forgotten. These elections deal with the people who are going to be making decisions affecting the school district, local courts, and city infrastructure. Considering all the responsibility that the elected candidates will receive, it is imperative that you can develop an informed opinion about local politicians before the voting process. To help you out, here's a guide of this year's 16 local candidates from Mason and Deerfield Township.

Meet the Candidates for Mason City Council

and, study really hard on your science, math, and English."

for your community."

Advice for High School Students Interested in Politics: "Get into a service organization; donate time to the Heritage Festival."

Advice for High School Students: Take advantage of opportunities that interest you: they will give you skills for later.

Meet the Candidates for Mason School Board

CHRISTINE SHIMROCK Party Affiliation: Republican Previous Experience: None with the city council Alma Mater: Taylor High School Favorite Class in High School: Journalism Least Favorite Class in High School: Geometry Gadget she would've wanted: Cell phone Clique with which she would identify: Smart kids Ridiculous High School Fashion Trend: Ripping up their clothes Most Embarrassing High School Moment: She and her classmates decided to stand up to their Geometry teacher when they were confused, but her peers didn't back her up when she acted.

Why you should vote for her: Values family and her goal is to make sure families have places to go and things to do.

Most Important Issue on 2007 Ballot: They are all equally important Advice for High School Students: "Get involved in as many different areas as you can, even if you feel that you are incompetent; success later comes from being well-rounded."

TONY BRADBURN Party Affiliation: Republican Previous Experience: 4 years Mason City Council, 12 years Springdale City Council Alma Mater: Princeton High School Favorite Classes in High School: History (sociology) and science Least Favorite Classes in High School: Arts and music Gadget he would've wanted: Cell phone Clique with which he would identify: "I did debate."

Most Embarrassing High School Moment: He participated in senior skip day and when caught, the students' parents had to call the school; however, the parents thought the seniors should be allowed to have a skip day.

Why you should vote for him: "I think the biggest thing is experience. Having been an elected official in another community, there's a number of things that we're now starting to do in Mason that we had done [in Springdale]."

Most Important Issue on 2007 Ballot: Full tax credit for earnings in another city issue Advice for High School Students: "Typing is probably the smartest thing anybody can take because you need that for the computer;

PETE BECK Party Affiliation: Republican running on a nonpartisan ballot Previous Experience: 1997-2005 on Mason City Council and former mayor of Mason from 2003-2005 Alma Mater: Butler High School (Butler, Pennsylvania) Favorite Classes in High School: "We had bookkeeping type classes, finance; those were the ones I really enjoyed."

Extra-Curricular Activities: Varsity cross country and varsity track Most Embarrassing Fashion Trend in High School: "I was always short so I wore the platform boots to make me taller."

Clique With Which He Would Have Most Identified: "I was able to be involved with a lot but I mainly hung out with the cross country team."

Why High School Students Should Vote: "I think the future of our country is our high school students. Just like when I was in high school and they were talking about the environment…We would say to the older adults, 'Why don't you do something about it?'. But they said, 'It's your problem.' If the younger children don't get involved, the younger generation won't make a difference."

Advice for High School Students Interested in Politics: "The easiest thing, if you're in high school right now, you can get involved in local clubs; get involved in being leaders of those clubs. Get involved in local elections. Help out going door to door with candidates to see what it's like to actually meet voters…but the first thing is get involved."

RICHARD COX Party Affiliation: Running on non-partisan ballot Previous Experience: "I had a great-grandfather and a great-uncle who were state senators…[but] myself I have zero political background."

Alma Mater: Mason High School Favorite Classes in High School: Math and science Activities in High School: "I was in the band.

That took up a lot [of time], just like the band members now. I was in jazz band, concert band, marching band; we did everything."

Most Embarrassing Moment in High School: He was chased into a crowded room at a jazz band seminar in only his underwear.

Clique With Which He Would Have Identified: "I wasn't the jock. I was more the band geek."

Why High School Students Should Vote: "They're going to be in the real world in the next couple years. It's doing what you think is right

KEVIN WISE Party Affiliation: Republican Previous Experience: 5 years Mason School Board with last 3 as the president Alma Mater: William Henry Harrison High School Least Favorite Classes in High School: "I struggled in art classes."

Gadget he would've wanted: Internet Ridiculous High School Fashion Trend: Cutoff shirts Most Embarrassing High School Moment: He took a junior to prom as a sophomore, and when she felt sick and wanted to leave, his car was blocked. He had to drive his friend's manual transmission (which he didn't know how to drive).

Why you should vote for him: He has a connection to the schools because his children attend them and the last five years have been successful.

Most Important Issue on 2007 Ballot: Mason City Council Advice for High School Students: Be curious, don't assume too much, and keep a positive attitude.

SHARON POE Party Affiliation: Republican Previous Experience: co-leader of Citizens for Accountability and Responsibility in Education (CARE) Alma Mater: Loveland High School Favorite Classes in High School: Business classes Extra-Curricular Activities: Choir Most Embarrassing Moment in High School: "I remember having a really hard time always getting into my locker. It's like I couldn't get my combination open. And I would always have to ask someone to come by and say, 'Could you open my lock for me?' I don't know what it was; I had a really hard time opening my locker for some reason."

Clique With Which She Would Have Identified: "I was kind of in-between. I wasn't really a cliquey person; I didn't really have a big group."

Why Should High School Students Vote: "I think that is a huge important issue. I think that all kids should be a part of local and national politics and they should learn that this is the foundation of our country, the democracy, the fact that you're given the right to vote. It's such an important part of being an American."

Advice for High School Students Interested in Politics: "I would advise them to get educated, to understand both sides of the issue. Decide for themselves what they feel is the right thing to do, but not to be biased."

Meet the Candidates for Mason Municipal Court

DEBORAH DELP Party Affiliation: Republican Previous Experience: 4 years on Mason School Board Alma Mater: Carmel High School for Girls Favorite Classes in High School: Physics and math Least Favorite Classes in High School: Speech Gadget she would've wanted: Cell phone Clique with which she would identify: Good Grade Kids Ridiculous High School Fashion Trend: Bellbottom pants and white Go-Go boots Most Embarrassing High School Moment: When she tried to skip school as a senior, her friend called in for her. The parental impersonation was not successful, and she was punished.

Why you should vote for her: She has a heart for the schools and wants to put students first by providing them with opportunities.

Most Important Issue on 2007 Ballot: "I can't prioritize them.”

ANDREW BATSCHE Party Affiliation: Republican Previous Experience: Currently he is a lawyer; prior to that he worked in various law positions (such as a part-time court appointed attorney) and served as magistrate for two years.

Alma Mater: Mason High School Favorite Class in High School: French Least Favorite Class in High School: Typing Gadget he would've wanted: Laptop for typing notes.

Candidates story continued on page 9

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A high schooler’s guide to the local candidates Meet the Candidates for Mason Municipal Court continued...

ANDREW BATSCHE CONTINUED Clique with which she would identify: Smart Kids Ridiculous High School Trend: Parachute pants and pegged jeans Most Embarrassing High School Moment: He was thrown into a muddy hole on the track (under construction at the time) as a freshman by upper-classmen girls.

Why you should vote for him: He has a "heart for service to the community," would be fair and respectful in his position, would ensure that cases would be heard, and any punishment given would be appropriate.

Advice for High School Students: Stay in school. Do whatever it takes to go to college, as it is one of the best times of your life. With more education, you can get a better job and therefore be more satisfied.

MITCHELL ALLEN Party Affiliation: Republican running on a nonpartisan ballot Previous Experience: Warren County acting judge from 1996-2000 and Lebanon acting judge from 2000-2006 Alma Mater: Kings High School Favorite Classes in High School: Science and history classes Extra-Curricular Activities: Tennis and Junior Achievement Clique With Which He Would Have Most Identified: "I knew people [and] I was good with people, but I would have been more of an academic type than an athletic type."

Why High School Students Should Vote: "Honestly, I think it's important for everyone to vote. The truth is, these elections can sometimes be swayed by ten, twenty, thirty votes, in local elections especially. When you look at this election right here, the candidate who wins this election may win by only a few hundred votes.

So that means number one, everybody's vote really does make a difference. Number two: it's part of our birthright as Americans. We have the right to participate in democracy."

Advice for High School Students Interested in Politics: "I would advise them to go out, look into getting involved in political campaigns. If somebody wants to work on a political campaign--if anyone wants to work on my campaign-contact me, I'd be happy to have them do things, obviously write letters of recommendation. It's important for people to get involved with if they want to…especially because the high school students could reach a [high school] demographic that we usually couldn't."

VALERIE FINN-DELUCA Party Affiliation: Democrat running on non-partisan ballot Previous Experience: "I work at the court of appeals now; I've been there for 13 years…[and] review lots of different kinds of cases in that position."

Alma Mater: Mother of Mercy in Cincinnati, Ohio Favorite Classes in High School: History, French, literature, government Extra-Curricular Activities: Mock Trial Clique With Which She Would Have Identified: Academically-oriented Most Embarrassing Fashion Trend from High School: Big, permed hair Why Should High School Students Vote: "In some ways, local elections could be the ones that affect them the most. That's one thing, I think, about the municipal court, even though it's the lowest level of the court; it is the place where the average person is going to have interaction with the judicial system."

Advice to High School Students Interested in Politics: "I know that campaigns are always looking for volunteers for one thing; there's all different kinds of work. There's clerical work, knocking on peoples' doors, helping provide visibility at events, things like that."

JAMES WHITAKER Party Affiliation: Republican running on a nonpartisan ballot Previous Experience: Lebanon prosecutor for 28 years, including 5 years as Mason prosecutor Alma Mater: Lakota High School Favorite Classes in High School: Math, US History, and English Extra-Curricular Activities: National Honor Society, basketball, tennis, and softball Most Embarrassing Moment in High School: His mother wanted cornstalks for Halloween so he went to his friend's farm and took some corn with permission. Since he was driving a convertible, he put the cornstalks in the back and was consequently pulled over for stealing corn.

Clique With Which He Would Identify: The "College Prep" group Why High School Students Should Vote: "First of all, I think it forces you to talk to people and become a little familiar with who the candidates are. If nothing else, it's a curiosity factor: who's running; what's different about them; how are they going to affect my life?"

Advice for High School Students Interested in Politics: "I think it's good, if you feel comfortable, to join a party. I think there's a lot of meetings and programs that you can find out what the party's general beliefs are. You can get a chance to figure out if you want to stay in that party or switch to the other party."

GEORGE PARKER Party Affiliation: He does not affiliate himself with a party.

Previous Experience: 6 years as Mason Municipal Court judge, has been a magistrate and lawyer Alma Mater: Sycamore High School Favorite Class in High School: Math, specifically Geometry Least Favorite Class in High School: Didn't hate any classes

Gadget he would've wanted: Personal computer: he loves to research and see other people's opinions.

Clique with which he would identify: He got along with everyone in high school.

Ridiculous High School Fashion Trend: Hair parted down the middle and mullets Why you should vote for him: He won't judge based on age and will wait to hear the facts before making a decision. He will also treat others the same way he would want to be treated: "I'm no better than they are."

Most Important Issue on 2007 Ballot: They are all equally important, as they affect everyone.

Advice for High School Students: "Listen to your parents." They know more than you do and do things you may not understand, but out of their love for you. You should respect them.

Advice for High School Students Interested in Politics: "I think it's a really good thing to get involved; to know what's going on, [and] to understand what the role of government is. We should understand what the Constitution says the government should be doing."

Meet the Candidates for Deerfield Township Fiscal Officer

Meet the Candidates for Deerfield Township Trustee

LEE SPEIDEL Party Affiliation: Republican Previous Experience: Trustee for 4 years,7 years on Deerfield Township Zoning Commission Alma Mater: Kings High School Favorite Classes in High School: Science Least Favorite Classes in High School: Got less out of music class than others Gadget he would've wanted: Cell phone Clique with which he would identify: Nerds Ridiculous High School Fashion Trend: Most of them Most Embarrassing High School Moment: He received a varsity letter for tennis which he joined because the school needed more people to have a team.

Why you should vote for him: He would make the government work for the people - not just insiders.

Most Important Issue on 2007 Ballot: School board Advice for High School Students: High school is not the end of the world: just do the best that you can.

PETE PATTERSON Party Affiliation: Republican Previous Experience: third term on Warren County Republican Party Executive Committee and Central Committee Alma Mater: Forrest Park High School (now Winton Woods High School) Extra-Curricular Activities: Football, basketball, and baseball (all four years) Most Embarrassing Moment in High School: In a senior year skit he lip-synched to "Let's Go to the Hop" in front of the student body.

Clique With Which He Would Have Identified: "All those guys you consider jocks."

Why High School Students Should Vote: "For us to have the ability to exercise our right to vote; there's people over in Iraq that are fighting for that opportunity. It's our civic duty, I think, to be involved to understand the issues, and to vote."

JOHN WAHLE Party Affiliation: Republican Previous Experience: Chief Financial Officer of Great Oaks School District for 20 years Alma Mater: Covington Catholic High School Favorite Classes in High School: Math and philosophical classes Least Favorite Classes in High School: Biology Gadget he would've wanted: Computer Clique with which he would identify: He was a rebel Ridiculous High School Fashion Trend: Always wearing white socks Most Embarrassing High School Moment: The first time he voted he read through everything on the ballot, taking 25 to 30 minutes.

When he emerged from the booth, a line of adults had formed and his father told him that you are supposed to come prepared.

Why you should vote for him: Honest reputation, experience with education (he was a teacher for four years), and he would be someone new for the job.

Most Important Issue on 2007 Ballot: School board members Advice for High School Students: "Take full advantage of the high school experience. I also, am a believer that when you are in high school, it's probably good to have a part time job."

KRISTIN SPIEKERMAN Party Affiliation: Republican running on a non-partisan ballot Previous Experience: Running for third term of the same position with a title change Alma Mater: Carol High School in Carol, Michigan Favorite Classes in High School: Art, political science, government, and math Least Favorite Class: English Why High School Students Should Vote: "I think it's really important for students to be involved in their community and it's a privilege to vote. It's something to look forward to because you're helping to make a decision for your entire community. I think the earlier you become involved in your constitutional rights and the benefits that it holds, it helps mold you into a better citizen."

Advice for High School Students Interested in Politics: "I was a member of the Young Republicans in high school…that is how I became involved. Help out your local candidates; they're always looking for people to help them. I know the township always has things for students to do."

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STAFF POLICY

October 26, 2007

editorial cartoon

Soundbytes

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

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

The Chronicle is published monthly. Call 398-5025 ext.

33110 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, obscentiy, clarity and poor taste. Letters to the editor may be dropped off in room C110 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 Journalism Association for Ohio Schools.

Do you think the decision made by city council to scrap the skatepark plans was a good one?

"I don't think so because if we don't have one the skaters would be skating in front of the building instead."Heather Jung sophomore

CONTACT INFORMATION The Chronicle William Mason High School 6100 S. Mason Montgomery Rd. Mason, Ohio 45040 398-5025

letter to the editor

THE CHRONICLE STAFF

Student not pleased with potential parking situation

E DITOR Shea Davidson

Dear Editor:

S PORTS E DITOR Drew Allen D ISTRIBUTION / C IRCULATION M ANAGER Kirsten McCafferty B USINESS M ANAGER Amanda Miller T ECHNICAL AND G RAPHIC Patrick Lipka S TAFF W RITERS Nina Bressau Rachel Brockhage Mandy Chiara Ellen Duffer Duncan Fischley Nisha Giridharan Alyssa Howard Megan Roehm Rachel Schowalter Samantha Stulen Jackie Swoyer Jeremy Powers Spencer Webb Kristen Yawit A DVISER Mr. Dale Conner

Regarding your article "Drivers: Prepare to Lose Parking Spots" (Sept. 28, 07), I am appalled by the lack of foresight by the designers to lose 350 parking spaces when the high school addition is completed.

A reasonable person would expect a replacement parking lot to be completed before the current senior lot is dug up.

Apparently this was not considered prudent by those planning the construction of the new wing. A new lot will be added in the fall of 2008, so this should only be a temporary problem. A temporary problem that, with a big of foresight, should not have been a problem at all.

Seniors, the administration argues, should have no problem with the new parking situation because they will still get the closest spots to the school. Even then, the seniors

are not guaranteed a parking spot. First come, first serve parking is especially unfair to the junior class because they, along with the seniors, stood in line to get a good parking spot last May. They paid their fee to be guaranteed a specific parking space for the school year.

The 2007-2008 Parking Application reads: "Failure to display tag or park in unassigned area may result in suspension or loss of driving privileges." Juniors and seniors were assigned specific spots for the school year.

They paid for a specific parking space. They were not told until after they had paid and had their spots assigned that the rules for parking would change halfway through the school year.

Rob Behlen Senior

"No, that's really stupid. Swimmers have a natatorium; runners have a track.

What about people who skate?"

Carson Newman junior

"No because it gives the skaters something to do on the weekends."

Sean Steele junior

"I think they should have [the skatepark] because it keeps kids focused and not doing drugs."

Danielle McAdams junior

"Yeah, [the skatepark] is just going to bring trouble. We have better ways to spend our money."

Stephen Souder junior

"No because people deserve to skate if they want to. We deserve a skatepark."

Shannon Mays freshman

"No because if they said they would do it then they should do it."

Josh Glemake freshman

"No because people are still going to whine about kids skating."

Steve Peele senior

column

Attack of the Left-Brained Children Recently, there has been an even greater push for math and science classes in United States high schools and colleges. More scholarships have been awarded for excellence in these subjects, and the imporBy MANDY CHIARA taince of math and science classes on the Staff Writer college admission process has increased.

While I believe we are able to change lives with math and science we need to keep these changes in check by keeping an eye into history through a moral microscope. If we continue growing left-brained children, we lose what defines us as a generation and we fail the call to teach those after us.

History and writing are a necessity.

Pictures have been drawn, books have been

written, and stories have been told all with the goal of communicating ideas to others.

We have a society where people have equal rights thanks to speeches by Martin Luther King, movies about the Holocaust, and books about feminist movements. We are obligated as a worldwide community to share our mistakes and achievements with future generations in order to move forward as a society.

When I look back on my high school years I will remember the clothes I wore, the music I listened to, the books I had to read, and the language I spoke. Our expression through the arts is what molds and preserves our generation. Each one of us is called to tell a story-whether that is as a parent to her children, or as a president to his country.

We cannot make good decisions without looking back. With such a push for math and science, who will tell the story of 2007?

Compiled by Alyssa Howard

October 26, 2007

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Bringing out my alter out my alter ego Bringing alter ego Kings Island’s Halloween Haunt brings out another side of Caroline Nesbit’s personality

By NISHA GIRIDHARAN Staff Writer

Trapped behind the bars of a cage at King's Island's Halloween Haunt, Senior Caroline Nesbit describes her role as a blood-sucking go-go dancer to be surprisingly thrilling.

Nesbit plays a vampire go-go dancer at Club Blood, the more disputable haunted house at King's Island. Nesbit acknowledges the dangers of taking on such a controversial character.

"Since I am a vampire go-go dancer, I get a lot of guys whistling at me," Nesbit said. "We aren't wearing as much clothing and men are walking through, but I know that's not who I am in real life. It is just a job."

Despite the risks of working at Club Blood, Nesbit enjoys the break from her normal routine.

"It's thrilling because there is always that bad side of you that you can't let out," Nesbit said. "You can do that at the job and people aren't going to judge you because they know it's your job."

The atmosphere in Club Blood is quite unique as Nesbit explains.

"Not everyone who does characters [at King's Island], does it," Nesbit said. "There are people from my department and there are people who are Hooter girls."

Nesbit and her co-workers seem to feed off of this diversity. The group has formed a close bond that helps Nesbit adjust to her setting.

"At Club Blood we have a

chant," Nesbit said. "When we're walking from where we get ready to the house, you have to try to get into the character then, so you have to be really serious and when people try to say something to you, you have to hiss at them. It's kind of like our time before we get into the house and we get really serious."

At times, Nesbit finds her work a little less than glamorous.

"We have to be somewhat seductive and it's kind of awkward to be seductive to someone you don't know like a complete stranger and someone that normally you would never hit on in your life," Nesbit said. "And you have to do it anyways."

However uncomfortable the situation may be, Nesbit has the necessary experience to carry herself through. With theater class in her schedule, Nesbit finds the role a little less intimidating.

"I'm used to not acting like myself in front of other people so it kind of comes naturally to change your character when you're in a different costume," Nesbit said.

Nesbit's day job as Dora the Explorer at the normal amusement park cannot be any more different than her night position. But Nesbit declares that this time of year is the only reason she continues to work at King's Island.

"I wasn't really planning on it, actually I really didn't want to come back, I was sick of the hot costumes, but I love Fearfest," Nesbit said. "It is so much fun. You get to be someone completely different. And yeah it's late nights but you meet so many good friends too."

Although it may have taken a little more convincing for Nesbit to return, she still finds the job exciting and worthwhile.

"It kind of feels good at the end of the day because you're like 'yes, I just did that and it's not something I would normally do on a normal basis.'"

"I’m used to not acting like myself in front of other people so it kind of comes naturally to change your character when you're in a different costume.”

photos contributed

Above: Senior Caroline Nesbit in character. Right: Caroline before getting in character.

Popular Kings Island attraction gets a spooky makeover

By Ellen Duffer Staff Writer Last year's FearFest has received a makeover and with that, a new name: Halloween Haunt.

When Cedar Fair took over the previously Paramount-run theme park, several changes were made, including additional "mazes" for the Halloween season that attracts many visitors hoping to be scared by an assortment of monsters. This year also brings a change in the festivities' hours, as the Haunt is now open from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

Club Blood, an entirely new haunt created in part by Knots Berry Farms (the minds behind various haunted adventures), features vampire women and gory DJs. Massacre Manor, a "newly acquired property," hints at murder and exorcism as potential buyers traipse around rooms adorned with portraits of a young girl. For those looking for a clownish fright, try CarnEvil: the 3D glasses make the dots and swirls pop right off the solid walls.

"Fear Zones" are still up and running in the park with sections such as Cornstalkers, where hidden creatures of wait to spring out from the corn, and The Worksite, where blood spatters the plastic curtains and chainsaws abound.

For those without Kings Island passes wishing to witness some frightening, visit the Halloween Haunt website where discount tickets can be purchased (Friday nights for $19.95 and Saturday nights for $24.95). The park will also be open on Halloween for "Bare Bones" Night.

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Bringing gamers and musicians together

By JACKIE SWOYER Staff Writer October 28th signifies much more than an average Sunday of NFL Football. To the three million plus purchasers of last year’s Guitar Hero II, this Sunday represents the long-awaited release of the third installment of the popular video game.

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock will consist of all new songs and will be available on Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, and both PlayStation 2 and 3, according to the Guitar Hero website.

For those who have never played, Guitar Hero is a video game that simulates the playing of famous rock songs through a guitar-shaped controller. It is loaded with five buttons and a strum bar to represent the different frets and strings of a real guitar. Rolling Stone magazine says that “Guitar Hero may well be this decade’s biggest rock and roll phenomenon.” And the best thing about the game? You don’t have to be a guitar player to enjoy the thrills.

Senior Chris Ragnacci, now a veteran Expert-level gamer, was able to master Guitar Hero I and II without much prior experience of playing a real guitar.

“When the first one came out, I played for hours a day,” Ragnacci said. “It took about a month for me to start playing Expert.”

It is true, however, that Guitar Hero does have some flaws in relation to the musician’s world. For one thing, gamers should not expect to be able to play any real notes on a real guitar.

Ragnacci said that the similarities between the guitar controller and a real guitar are minimal.

“A big difference is the strings,” Ragnacci said. “They definitely throw you for a loop. Also, there are quite a few more frets on a real guitar.”

Junior Evan Shank, a guitarist of six years and Beginner Guitar Hero-er, agrees with the differences between the game and the real guitar. “[Guitar Hero-ers] shouldn’t get all full of themselves and think that they could pick up a real guitar and play,” Shank said. “At the same time, I was the reverse effect. I thought I would be really good [at Guitar Hero], and people think that I should be really good. But I can’t even beat the easy songs.”

Despite the differences between the game and the instrument, a love of music is what keeps the

photo art by Jackie Swoyer

Clockwise from top left: Junior Alex Court, Junior Evan Shank, Senior Justin Paulson, Senior Chris Ragnacci

two connected. Ragnacci said he even started playing the real guitar after mastering Guitar Hero.

“I had taken a long hiatus from playing the guitar [in elementary school], but playing Guitar Hero inspired me to start playing the guitar again,” Ragnacci said.

Guitarist Shank said he felt that Guitar Hero gives gamers a chance to do something that at times can seem impossible. “[Guitar Hero] allows people to play the guitar even when they never thought they’d be able to,” Shank said. “It kind of puts them in the spotlight.”

The game really has brought two different worlds together: that of a gamer and that of a musician. Senior Justin Paulson was a musician who said that he was never much of a gamer until Guitar Hero.

“I think it’s that greatest video game ever invented,” Paulson said. “It allows people who do play the guitar to enjoy music with people who don’t. Guitar Hero, like Halo, is a brilliantly social game.”

The companies behind Guitar Hero recognize the infinite potential of the game's connection to music as well. Guitar Hero III is taking the music beyond the video game system by offering an online store similar to iTunes with the game. At about $2 per song, gamers will have access to play Guitar Hero along with a constantly growing collection of songs.

Even though it seems at times that the video game industry has taken over a musician's world with games like Guitar Hero, most people still recognize the value of the real guitar.

Though Paulson admitted that there are times when he would rather spend a Saturday afternoon playing Guitar Hero in his basement than up in his room playing his real guitar, he said he feels like the guitar is more valuable in the long run.

"Guitar Hero isn't applicable around a campfire, or when writing a real song and trying to express emotion," Paulson said.

Ragnacci said he agreed with the value of the real guitar.

"If you're looking for quick entertainment, Guitar Hero is good," Ragnacci said. "But if you are willing to give an hour a day, the real guitar will make you feel awesome."

Shank said he wants Guitar Hero-ers to learn the value of a real guitar as well.

"My advice to [Guitar Hero-ers] is to try out a guitar," Shank said. "If you are willing to pick up a guitar and try it out, then you might find yourself one day playing up onstage rather than in your basement for the rest of your life."

“Guitar Hero is a downright fake.”

In the midst of a sea of Guitar Hero fans, one MHS student takes an opposing view

By JACKIE SWOYER Staff Writer Junior Alex Court, an experienced guitar player, stands out when he says that he can’t see any benefit of playing a game like Guitar Hero. Instead, Court said he thinks the five buttons and strum bar of the controller are inaccurate attempts to recreate a guitar.

“Guitar Hero is unrealistic,” Court said.

“Comparing Guitar Hero and a guitar is like comparing WWE and real-life

wrestling. There is no comparison.”

While Court admitted that the game could be fun for non-guitar players, after playing the game for the first time at a friend’s house, he said all he could do was laugh at the differences.

“Playing a song on Guitar Hero is nothing like playing a song on the real guitar,” Court said. “The same button on the controller can be a different note every time you play it.”

It is the minute details like this that make most guitarists reluctant to enjoy the game.

Court admitted that the game could be fun, but as a guitarist, he said he felt that Guitar Hero was not for him.

And what does Court have to say to the aspiring Guitar Hero-ers out there?

“As long as you don’t go out and say, ‘I am really good at Guitar Hero, so I am really good at guitar,’ you’re fine,” Court said. “But really, you should know that Guitar Hero builds overconfidence in one’s musical abilities. Overall, Guitar Hero is a downright fake.”

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Mason vs.

Lakota East "Volley for the Cure" that took place on October 2 was a big success raising over $3,000 to help fight breast cancer.

Students from Mason High School showed up to support their classmates and raise money for a good cause. It was estimated that about 3,000 people attended this worthwhile event.

Top: Students do the roller coaster to show their support and cheer the team on to victory.

Middle: The volleyball team huddles together to discuss plays and stratagies.

Bottom: The ever popular drumline energized fans and players. Students even went down to the court and danced with the drumline during halftime.

October 26, 2007

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Identical Twins: They May Look Alike, But They're Different

By RACHEL SCHOWALTER Staff Writer It is safe to say that the number of twins in Mason High School is extremely high. Despite the fact that many of these multiples are identical twins, each twin maintains a separate identity here at MHS. This can be found for example in the cases of sophomores Autumn and Amber Court and juniors Tim and Tom Shutrump. These twins may look alike, but their similar physical features don’t extend to their personalities.

Both sets of twins cite differences in characteristics and tastes.

According to Tom Shutrump, he and his brother differ in musical taste and clothing style. Tom listens to classic rock, while Tim listens to alternative rock. There is also a difference in their academic courses.

According to Tim Shutrump, he takes the "required classes," while Tom takes the "more challenging classes."

"The first time [it] happened was in eighth grade," Tom Shutrump said. "I was in a gifted class." Tim says that it didn't bother him.

"I'm fine with just doing what I can," Tim Shutrump said. "If

[Tom] can take the better classes, then he should."

The Courts' differences in school can be found in their personalities as well as their academics. "In school, she's more shy than me, and people say she gets angry more easily," Autumn said.

The Shutrumps' personality differences are reflected with their separate sets of friends. "It depends on the social scene and who they're around," Tom Shutrump said. "[But] if I have friends over, then Tim will hang out with us." According to Tim Shutrump, his friends are wilder than his brother's. Tom's friends are more "laid back."

The Courts have pretty much have the same set of friends because they "hang out a lot." "If I'm hanging out with friends, I'm always with Amber; so, Amber will get to know that friend," Autumn Court said.

The Courts cite being compared as one of their biggest aggravations about being twins. "People compare us all the time. When [my brother's] friends come over, they'll compare us, and then he'll tell me," Autumn said.

Frequent comparisons have caused the Courts to try to differentiate themselves with one another. According to Amber, she recently joined the wrestling team in order to break away from playing the same sports as Autumn.

"I want to do something different than Autumn because I don't want to be compared to her," Amber said. "We usually do the same sport, and we were compared. I wanted to do something I knew Autumn wouldn't do."

The Courts are also treated differently by their parents.

"They call me 'the older one'," Autumn said. "They'll usually leave me responsible for stuff."

According to Autumn, Amber "loses stuff a lot."

"We have to share a cell phone," Amber said. "I think the main reason we have to share a cell phone is because they don't trust me with my own cell phone."

Obvious questions are also considered aggravating between the Courts and the Shutrumps. "There's been a lot of stupid questions, like, 'Can you read each other's minds? Or 'Do you have the same birthday?'" Tom Shutrump said.

Despite these supposedly silly questions, both sets of twins do have unique connections with one another. "We say a lot of stuff in unison," Tom Shutrump said. "We know each other well enough to know what we're going to say."

Such a connection leads to the question of separate futures. Both twins think that they'll be going to separate colleges. "It'd be cool [if we went to the same college]; I mean I wish we could," Tom said. "But I think I'm going to a better college than [Tim] is." Tom says that he wants to major in business, while Tim wants to go into architecture.

The Courts also think that they'll end up in different colleges. "We've been with each other our whole lives. It would be weird not being with her," Amber Court said.

There is still a great connection between the twins, amid the differences and growing up. "I don't know what it's like not to have a twin," Tom Shutrump said. Both twins tell each other things that no one else knows. "[There's] always someone to talk to," Autumn Court said.

Tom’s Superior Driving School

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Souped Up and ready to drive

By JACKIE SWOYER and ALYSSA HOWARD Staff Writers A high school student’s car has never been a mere “mode of transportation.” Think all the way back to John Travolta’s “Grease Lightning” number--even then a car was a symbol of status and individuality.

With television shows like MTV’s ever-popular “Pimp My Ride” contin-

uing to set the trend, it is no doubt that some students are putting everything they can into decking out their cars.

Meet Zac Blair, Craig Forte, Drew Price, and Rob Rushton, four MHS students partaking in the “souped up” frenzy of the car world. From tinted windows to full-exhaust pipes, these boys are putting more than money into their rides; they are putting a bit of themselves in, too.

Drew Price Senior

Craig Forte Senior

Forte’s motor application lives up to the name of “Power Adder” by boosting the power in the ignition.

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Car Model: 2000 Honda Civic EX

The back of Forte’s Civic stands out with its new exhaust system and wing.

‘Souped Up’ Additions: Various motor applications, body kit, carbon fiber hood, wing, new exhaust system, new ignition system, new intake system, super chip in car computer First Addition: "I got the exhaust and intake systems right after I got the car."

Favorite Addition: "The super chip in the computer makes the throttle response really good and it changes the timing with the rpm."

What Got You Interested in Cars: "Just right after I bought [my car], I fell in love with it."

1: Price inputed a new audio system for optimum 3 stereo sounds.

2: Price’s full-exhaust pipe is the first thing people notice about his car because it is so loud. 3: Most of Price’s additions are under the hood, adding speed to the car.

Car Model: 2002 Subaru WRX ‘Souped Up’ Additions: Carbon-fiber hood, full exhaust, cold-air intake, blow-off valve, audio system, tinted windows Favorite Addition: "I’m most proud of the exhaust. People are really surprised by how loud it is."

What Got You Interested in Cars: “When I got my temps I started looking into cars and got more into it.”

Inspiration: “I just want to go faster. I’m more concerned about the engine than anything appearance-wise.”

Rob Rushton

Zac Blair

Senior

Junior

Left: The turbocharger under the hood boosts the horsepower of the car without adding much weight.

Below: Rushton’s double exhaust system ignites a loud sound after turning on the car.

Car Model: 2003 Dodge SRT 4 Car Model: 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer Cosmetic Additions: Sound system, tinted windows, neon lights, cat-back exhaust First Addition: Neon lights were put in last April.

Favorite Addition: The Catback exhaust system adds horsepower and makes a lot of noise.

Inspiration: "I've always wanted to customize my car ever since I watched Fast and Furious."

I Learned to Drive in... "My dad's Corolla S" Dream Car: Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution My "Souped Up Car"… "Shows that I'm fresh."

Left: Pop the trunk and you’ll find a set of souped up speakers that complete Blair’s new sound system.

Right: Blair’s Cat-back improves the exhaust system.

‘Souped Up’ Additions: Full exhaust system, waste-gate, turbo timer, blow-off valve, hard pipes, plugs and wires, cold-air intake, wide band lowering springs Favorite Addition: “The blow-off valve because people can see ‘Oh, you work on your car.’”

Next Addition: “I’m going to start working on looks next year. You know, different rims and more audio stuff.”

Addition Process: “Basically, my friends and I just jack everything up at my house. Things go wrong all the time, and it gets really annoying because it’ll take a whole day to do one thing. It’s a lot of fun though.

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The traditional Spirit Week took place on the week of October 8 through the 12 before homecoming at Mason High School. Each day students dressed in a diffrent theme. Monday students came dressed in their favorite college sports team gear and wore a variety of diffrent kinds of hats. Tuesday being decades day many students came dressed up as people from their favorite historical time period. On Wednesday students came decked out in clothes they deemed “crazy� for crazy day. Celebraties and movie characters walked the halls of MHS on Thursday, and on Friday the halls were a sea of green and white for Spirit Day.

Freshman Nick Newell showed his Mason spirit with green, spiky hair. He managed to keep it up by coating it in unflavored gelatin and hairspray.

Sophomore Livvy Berry shows off a hat from one of her favorite movies, A Nightmare Before Christmas.

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Freshman Tyler Stewart refuses to smile, although he loves the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Sophomores Ian Callander, Sri Rajamouli, and Sneha Kolli pose for the camera as film characters for Celebrity/ Movie Day. They dressed as a zombie, Jessica Simpson, and Paris Hilton.

Alli Cryder, sophomore, flies like Supergirl in her spirit wear. er alt w o ch el S riter h c a

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Doubles team of Kang and Shaefer qualify for state tournament

JUST SO YOU DON’T LOOK STUPID TONIGHT AT THE FOOTBALL GAME When you hear someone refer to a “pigskin,” they aren’t talking about a popular breakfast dish. It’s slang for a football, which dates back to when footballs were made out of a pig bladder.

SPORTS COVER STORY

Not a bandwagon UC fan

BY DUNCAN FISCHLEY Staff Writer Sophomores Lindsay Shaefer and Sso-Rha Kang qualified for a second time to the state tournament in Columbus, Ohio. They got their first taste at state as freshmen last year, and after losing Kang in the first round they are ready to make another go.

"We are more relived that there is less pressure to qualify this year than there was last year.

Hopefully we will do better than we did last Shaefer year," Shaefer said.

The tournament started on October 19 as the girls faced off against a tough competitor in Chaminade-Julienne.

"Chaminade helped make us break our personal record when we went up against them," Kang said.

Shaefer was also slightly intimidated by the tough competition Chaminade presents.

"They are kind of scary," said Shaefer.

However, the duo fell in the first round, losing to a senir doubles team from Toledo Notre Dame Academy.

"We didn't really know what to do; it was lots of fun though even though we didn't make it past the first round," Shaefer said.

The girls finished an undefeated 19-0 during the regular season, including a 9-0 conference record.

Boys water polo wins regional championship

BY DREW ALLEN Sports Editor After a rocky first three years of existence, the Boys Varsity Water Polo team turned a corner this season. They posted a regular season record 30-12 and captured their first regional title last Saturday.

“I never envisioned this when I first started the team,” Head Coach Mark Sullivan said.

“We put the team together as something to do in the fall, and it generated competiveness.

We caught the water polo bug, and it took off from their year.”

Their monumental victory was made possible by strong team play.

“Our team play is exceptional,” Sullivan said. “The communication is great, and I call our guys player coaches. Sometimes I just step back and let them go because they do everything necessary for success.”

During their title game, two key players stepped up to lead the team to victory.

“Brandon Evans and Brandon Crawford stepped up this week,” Sullivan said.

“However, we had one player ejected in the first couple of minutes, and our subs stepped it up for three-fourths of the game. But [Evans] stepped it up. He had his best game of all season.”

Comets lead GMC With the fall sports season nearly complete, Mason stands on top of the all sports standings in the Greater Miami Conference. The Comets currently have 73 points with Sycamore in second place with 63 points. Lakota West is in third place followed by Lakota East in fourth. Colerain rounds out the top five in fifth place. The fall sports season will wind up tonight when the Comets take on Sycamore in football.

School Board Vice President hasn’t wavered in her support for UC football

BY JEREMY POWERS Staff Writer

Yingling knows now why UC football fans have stuck with the team through the thick and thin. She has felt that the pride that has rubbed off from the players to the fans.

"I have been acquainted with some of the players and am impressed with their pride in the team, and UC in general," Yingling said. "The team truly considers themselves a 'family' and each one of them [is] committed to making the team the best it can be."

As the college football season winds down and the bowl games are being determined, the University of Cincinnati and its fans will remember the 2007-2008 football season as a historic one. The Bearcats received their first top 25 poll appearance in a generation, contributed six wins to their longest win streak in 53 years (which was 9-0 over a two season span), and beat nationally ranked Rutgers in an important Big East clash. Loyal Cincinnati fans have been waiting for this kind of season for several years now, but the question lingers: who are the

BY DREW ALLEN true fans?

Sports Editor Energetic fans that have been supporting UC athletics for years can With University of Cincinnati football games breathe easy now, knowing their suddenly selling out and students camping out team is a legitimate college football for tickets, the UC bandwagon is getting full. contender. Still, this season has not With the wagon full, some UC supporters think been perfect for these proud fans. that these are simply fair weather fans.

Fans labeled as "bandwagoners" "These [bandwagon] fans are not really suphave tried to prove that they belong porting the team when they are down," Tim among true UC fans at the games Haubrock said. "Those chumps only support and around the town, but their affili- UC when they are good. Me, I've watched ation with the Greater Cincinnati almost every single game and made sure to area is not enough to be called supgo to as many as I could." porters.

Senior Lucas Long also feels disdain School Board Vice President Mrs. towards the bandwagon fans, but has less of Connie Yingling considers herself a of a problem with them. true fan, primarily because her son “The new fans are okay, because if they Brandon, is rostered on the team. keep showing up we might get Nippert "My interest was mostly generatStadium renovated,” Long said. “However, ed by Brandon's membership on the Cincinnati has the most fair weathered fans in team but through the years we have the country. They’re supporting the Cats only enjoyed UC football and basketball when they’re good, and that’s just awful.” just because we lived in the area,” Haubrock, a lifelong fan, has been attending Yingling said. "I can remember UC games for years. watching UC football during the "My mom and dad both went to UC, so I've years that Jonathan Ruffin was their pretty much been a fan since birth," Haubrock kicker." said. "We've had season tickets for both basWith the success of the team this ketball and football for years, and I've gone to year, Yingling says it has been just about every game." apparent that the fan support at Long has also been a UC supporter during games and the overall buzz around good times and bad. town has changed.

“I’ve been a UC fan for 18 years, pretty "I'm not really sure about the much since birth,” Long said. “I have grown up motivation of some of the fans," in this great city, my mom worked at the uniYingling said. "I do see more in versity when I was younger and I’ve always attendance at the games now. And lived with UC athletics.” they aren't just sitting [and] watching the game…they are really cheering!"

UC fans vindicated by surprising season Haubrock knew that the team's revitalization has been coming for years. The former Conference-USA front-runners have compiled a 45-41 record, five bowl trips, and two victories over top 25 teams between 2000 and 2006.

"I've known for a while that this season would happen,” Haubrock said. “They've been decent for years, and moving into the Big East was huge. After we destroyed Rutgers and hired Brian Kelly, I knew we were about to turn a corner. It was only a matter of time before they cracked the top 25.”

Both Haubrock and Long experienced UC’s win over then seventh ranked Rutgers, the highest ranked team UC has ever beaten.

“Me and Lucas rushed the field last year when they beat Rutgers,” Haubrock said. “It was pretty sweet.”

Both Long and Haubrock are experiencing sweet vindication for all their many years of rooting through hardship and suffering.

“This season has been great,” Long said. “A couple of years ago we had a great season with Gino [Guidugli], but we didn’t really get any respect. Then they turned the corner with their dominating win over Rutgers last season.”

UC has also come close to beating the Ohio State University twice in the last few years, and Long, with renewed vigor, hopes for a rematch with the Buckeyes.

“UC has had OSU on the ropes twice, and I say bring them on again,” Long said. “[Bowl Championship Series] champs all the way.”

Haubrock shares hope with Long for a national championship.

October 26, 2007

C C hronicle

onversation

Alexis Nelson Varsity Girls Golf Why did you start playing golf?

I started mostly because my family made me. I didn’t seem to like golf at first but as I grew older I learned to love the game.

How does it feel to finally be an upperclassmen on the team?

It feels good. I feel more experienced and more seasoned than the others.

Hopefully I set a good example for the others. I try to work hard and let my play rub off onto the younger team members.

Who are your golfing heroes?

I wouldn’t say there is one set person, but just professionals that work hard and put a lot of time in to their game.

Mike Weir, Luke Donald, and Ernie Els rank among my favorites.

What is your opinion of the freshmen crop of golfers?

I am extremely happy that we have freshman that are helping us as much as they do. They are very talented and their great work ethic comes out when they play.

sports

chronicle GETTING TO KNOW... ADAM JONES After seeing senior Adam Jones walking in the hallway, you might think “football player,” but certainly not soccer. His imposing figure on the soccer field allows him to be one of the hardest hitters on Mason’s stingy defense, and he is a key factor in the Comets first ever GMC championship. This brusing style of play has led him to cause multiple broken bones, and strikes fear into almost every one of his opponents. He is also a newfound celebrity, given his highly viewed YouTube video of his gut wrenching in-game collison with teammate Kyle Tosh.

How do you like your status as Mason’s newest online celebrity?

It’s tough, because people think I’m this mean guy now because of the video, but the truth is that I’m a big guy with a soft heart.

Besides Kyle, have you ever injured anyone else?

Yes, I’ve broken three legs, a wrist and given someone a concussion.

Why did you choose to play soccer when you could succeed playing football?

I’ve always been playing soccer, and my dad got hurt playing football in high school, so the thought never came to my mind.

What is your approach to playing soccer?

Basically, making sure I don’t mess up, obviously, and I try to make sure my man can’t do anything productive with the ball.

Hopefully, I’ll be able to hit him.

25

Is your approach modeled after any pro players?

Oguchi Onyewu, he is a 6’4”, 215 pound monster that can destroy anyone that gets in his way.

Mason soccer games can get pretty intense. What was your most intense game, and who is your bigest rival?

Our most intense game this year was against Princeton because we were down 2-0 in our first GMC game and we came back to win in front of our home crowd.

Our biggest rival is West, but they’re weak.

Who you do think is your toughest indivdual opponent?

[Matt] Bahner from Lakota West is one of the best players in the city because of his quickness with the ball and his strong play off of it.

What gets you excited to play a game?

I’m not really the excitable type. I can’t really get all that excited. I just try to stay loose and keep my teammates loose with my humor and good looks.

Do you hope to continue playing in college?

Yes, right now I’m looking at Transylvania University in Kentucky, Oberlin, and maybe Dennison.

-As told to Drew Allen How did it feel to beat Lakota West for the first time?

The feeling was incredible because we knew that they were the top dog when it came to golf. We knew from that point on that we had the potential of winning. It showed a little glimpse of what the future could hold.

What’s up with that?

What’s up with the number one ranking in the United States NSCAA/adidas national girls' soccer poll by the Sycamore Aviators girls soccer team? They may be number one in the nation but they’re number two on the I-275 beltway after the Aves were knocked off by the Comets 2-1 on Tuesday, October 9.

The COMET CULTURE Grid

Do you ever find Coach Reeder correcting your grammar while you’re on the course?

Yes, he does. I usually say “Where at?” referring to us meeting somewhere as a team and he usually corrects me on the spot, so that gets kind of annoying.

Who is your toughest competitior?

I would have to say myself because golf is so mental. I know I have what it takes physically to be good, but alot goes through your mind and that effects how you play.

If you could play one other sport what would it be?

Basketball. I used to play AAU basketball for 4 to 5 years. I just got burnt out of it, but I still love the game.

Compiled By Jeremy Powers

HOW DO THE COMETS FIT IN? MYCHEAL BEMBRY Jr., Football

EMILY HICE SR., TENNIS

ERIC PRATER Sr., Golf

DORI STEELE Sr., Soccer

Favorite Book as a child?

Counrty you probably couldn’t find on a map?

One thing I refuse to eat is...

Most annoying thing?

Pen or Pencil?

No Idea.

Onions and Lettuce

My little Brother

Both

Any Dr. Suess Book

Sweden

Asparagus

High, squeaky voices

Pen

Green Eggs and Ham

Nepal

Mushrooms

My brother’s friend

Pen

Junie B. Jones

Sri Lanka

Peas

Hailey Morris

Pencil

Cat in the Hat

26

sports

chronicle

October 26, 2007

Girls golfers state runners’ up

By DUNCAN FISCHLEY Staff Writer In their first trip to the state tournament, the girls golf team made quite a splash bringing home the state’s runner’s up trophy.

For the first time in the history of Mason High School, Mason’s girl’s golf qualified to compete at state. Over the course of two days of the two day tournament at the famed Scarlet and Grey Course in Columbus, the Comets were able to fire a 662 just 13 strokes behind state champion Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit who shot a 649.

The team was led by Freshman Emily Wright, Junior Alexis Nelson, and Junior Elizabeth Nebraski. Even though only a freshman, Wright shot a two day total of 163 to lead the Comets.

Her effort helped Mason overcome defending state champs, Lakota West, by five strokes.

“It was our first time ever and I’m a freshman so it was really special,” Wright said.

The weather proved to be one of the Comets’ top opponents on day one with winds gusting at forty five miles per hour. After the first round the team trailed the defending champs Lakota West by six strokes.

“Friday was awful,” junior Elizabeth Nebraski said. “I think there were 45 mph winds. It makes it so much more difficult to control the ball flight. I think that’s why the

scores were higher than expected, and that wasn’t just for Mason. I think all the teams felt that way. We really didn’t play as well as we wanted to Friday. We were down by 13 from the leader so that made it hard to come out here Saturday”.

By the end of the day Friday the Comets stood in third place trailing West by six strokes and and the eventual state champions Walsh Jesuit by 13 strokes.

Down but not out the girls played well enough on Saturday to pull ahead of fellow GMC rival West to claim second place and bring home the runner’s up trophy.

“On Saturday I could putt better,” Wright said. “It was also less windy so it was easier to get the ball to do what I wanted it to.”

Coach Fred Reeder was pleased with the team’s second place finish espeically since this team featured so many underclassmen which bodes well for next season.

“They did well,” Reeder said. “They’ll tell you they’re disappointed, but with three freshmen and two juniors, they did their best.

Nebraski showed the composure of a veteran in the final moments of the tournament.

“It doesn’t matter if we were the first team in Mason history to make it to the state tournament,” Nebraski said. “It was just another round of golf, just like any other day”.

photo by Jackie Swoyer

The girls golf team poses with the Division IGirls Golf State runner’s up trophy.

Team members are Emily Wright, Liz Nebraski, Jessica Zhang, Erin Michel, Alexis Nelson, Tara Buesking and Alli Wehrman, coach Fred Reeder.

Girls soccer team stuns nation’s number one ranked team

BY DREW ALLEN Sports Editor

photo by Drew Allen

Senior Katie Broerman (7) and Junior Hailey Morris (10) lead the attack in an early game against Northwest

In terms of great upsets, the Girl’s soccer teams defeat of nationally topranked Sycamore may rank up with some of the greatest of all time.

Stanford over USC. George Mason over Conneticut. Going into their game with Mason, the Lady Aviators were ranked number one by the NSCAA/Adidas national girls' soccer poll, and the Comets were given little chance of victory by posters on the Internet message boards. However, the team managed to gut out a 2-1 victory in a program-defining game.

The Comets scored two goals in the early minutes of the first half, which proved to be the deciding factor in the team’s win. Senior Katie Broerman scored the teams first goal off a penalty kick, which sophomore Kristen Leist promptly followed up with one of her own. Sycamore was held scoreless in the first half, and could not make up the deficit. They

were able to control the ball in the second half, but their one goal was not enough to overpower the Comets.

“The first half of the match was the best collective soccer we put together all season,” Head Coach Katie Barnes saud. “This team showed that they can play with anyone if they show up.”

Confidence was a key factor going into the game.

“Our team was confident,” Barnes said. “They were relaxed and knew that in every game leading up to the Sycamore match they had faced any type of situation that they could've faced that night.”

Leist also said that strong play was a contributing factor to the teams victory.

“We played as a team, and everyone played their best and hardest,” Leist said. “Our defense was also amazing and kept us from getting scored on.”

Barnes said that the entire team was key in the teams victory.

“There was not just one key play-

Cross country teams finish second at GMC meet; freshman Wills wins title

BY JEREMY POWERS Staff Writer There were two big surprises for the Comet runners at the recent Greater Miami Conference cross country meet.

First, the girls who have been accustomed to winning conference championships came in second and the second surprise was freshman Zach Wills, who placed first in the in the boy’s meet.

The Comet girls fell short of expectations after finishing behind Colerain by 20 points.

"We did not run together in a pack that day," Head Coach, Chip Dobson said.

"My hats off to Colerain for running a great race, but we only ran 'ok'. It takes a great race to win a conference tournament."

The team had a stellar regular season where the girls placed 1st in three races and 2nd in two others. One of the team’s most recognizable 1st place finishes was

at Malone College.

"Winning the Malone Invitational was a highlight for our season," Dobson said.

"We worked together as a team and people stepped up and ran at a higher level."

The future for the team is bright because of an impressive freshman class.

“We have an outstanding freshman class," Dobson said. "We have at least six freshmen that could run varsity on any team in the city and that is very encouraging for what's to come in the future."

The team also has notable senior leadership.

"My main role as a senior is to lead the freshmen," senior runner Rachel Weber said. "I feel like it is my job to lead them, not only at practice, but at school too."

The girls look forward to continuing their success in the post season.

"Our season is certainly not over,"

Dobson said. "Our goals are bigger than just the GMC." The boys finished second by only two points.

"We knew we were in for a battle with Oak Hills," boy’s Head Coach Tom Rapp said. "Several of our runners stepped up really big to make the race close."

The boys were lead by senior leadership and freshman, Zach Wills' capturing a championship winning the 5K race with a time of 15:52.30.

"Zach has a unique combination of God-given talent, work ethic, mental toughness and humility," Rapp said.

"They make him a great runner and a great teammate."

After being so competitive in the GMC this season the team knows they are a regional and state contender.

"As a team, I expect us to go on to regionals and be one of the top teams there," Rapp said. “This is always the

er,” Barnes said. “On that night, everyone stepped up.”

The control the team had over Sycamore helped them to pull off the upset. “[We didn’t] fall into playing the way Sycamore wanted us to,” Barnes said. “We have players that step up in big time situations, and we got that type of play through everyone that night.”

Leist knew that pulling off a victory would be difficult and would require the team’s best play, but her confidence never wavered.

“I knew it would be a tough game,” Leist said. “But our team was prepared and we knew if we played well we could win.”

After the final seconds ticked off the clock with Mason leading 2-1, it was apparent to Coach Barnes the impact this victory would have on the program.

“It was a great win for our program, our players, our coaches and our community,” Barnes said.

Boys soccer wins GMC title

BY DREW ALLEN Sports Editor In their first year in the Greater Miami Conference the boys soccer team disposed of the competition to bring home the conference championship.

The team posted an undefeated record on the season at 14-0-2, and outscored GMC opponents 24-4. They clinched the title with a 1-0 victory over Sycamore.

“To go undefeated in the GMC and win the league title with a two game cushion is quite an accomplishment,” Head Coach Paul Reedy said.

Due to their reular season success, the Comets managed to earn a number ranking in the Cincinnati area for the state tournament.

However, Reedy stressed the season is behind them and they are now focusing on the state tournament.

“We are obviously satisfied with our regular season,” Reedy said.

“However, that part of the season is behind us and we are now focusing on the tournament.”

To advance deep into the tournament, Reedy said some aspects of their game will have to improve.

Though the team has a goal of reaching the state finals, Reedy said they can’t overlook any opponent and are focusing on each individual opponent.

“The key opponent in the playoffs is the team we are playing that day,” Reedy said. “This has been our attitude all year.”

chronicle

October 26, 2007

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