News: Electronic submission of homework proving to be troublesome
Chronicle Sports: The anatomy of cross country phenom Zach Wills
The William Mason High School
Volume 6
NEWS BRIEF
Walking to find a cure On October 2, the night will blaze with red, white and gold illuminated balloons as Mason hosts the tenth annual Light the Night Walk for the Butler and Warren County area. Walkers will gather at Mason Sports Park to walk two to three miles in support of Leukemia and Lymphoma cancer patients. Senior Sarah Coyle, the Mason chairwoman for Light the Night, has been trying to raise money and awareness in Mason High School, going to businesses asking for donations and raising $315 in gift cards to auction off in the form of a gift basket. She recently got Principal Tim Keaton involved with the Bring Back the ’Stache challenge to students, that will require Keaton to grow back his mustache if the student body raises three thousand dollars before the walk. “It was Mike Sparks that came up with [the fundraiser], when I talked at the class meetings,” Coyle said. “Now, CometZone is creating Bring Back the ’Stache t-shirts to help us fundraise.”
October 1, 2008
Students upset with new tardy policy Cady Meece | Staff Writer
Get to class on time. That’s the message being sent to students this year. A new tardy policy, put into effect this school year, is part of a push to get students to class on time, according to Assistant Principal Dave Hyatt. “This year, we are really pushing the importance of time management,” Hyatt said. “We are really stressing the fact that it is no longer okay to be a few minutes late to class.” The consequences for tardiness will be the same, but it is now easier to get a tardy because the new policy is a minute-based system. Whether it’s getting to first bell on time or to any class throughout the day, every minute that a student is not present in class will be documented.
“As a result of the new policy, there should be a decrease in tardies throughout the school,” Hyatt said. “As a school, we should start to see more of an effort by students to get to class before the bells ring.” The new tardy system is influencing student drivers, who have to make sure to arrive at school with enough time allotted to get into the building. Swimmers, who have morning practices and are still expected to arrive in class on time, are especially affected. According to junior water polo player Abbey Thomas, Coach Mark Sullivan allows the team to park in visitor parking and move their cars after practice, but Thomas said she still has a problem getting to her first class on time. “Our coach always tries to give us enough time to get showered and ready after
OSU rep will be here today
Jessica Kantor | Staff Writer
The Ohio State University is presenting information for prospective students today at 8:30 a.m. in the auditorium. Due to power outages, the administration is aware that some students were unable to sign up prior to the visit. Students that have not signed up but planned on attending will be permitted to do so.
Today is the final day to purchase Volley for the Cure t-shirts for $6. Students and staff are encouaraged to wear the shirts to the Stuff the Stands/Senior Night game tomorrow, October second. The varsity girls volleyball team will be playing Hamilton High School in the Mason Middle School arena at 7:00 p.m. Proceeds from t-shirt sales will go to organizations focused on finding a cure for breast cancer.
The Chronicle William Mason High School 6100 S. Mason Montgomery Road Mason, Ohio 45040
practice, but usually it’s not enough time,” Thomas said. Sophomore T.J. Bizzaro said he thinks the new tardy policy creates a fair way to keep track of tardies, regardless of a student’s reputation for being late to class. “I like the new policy because people shouldn’t be late to class,” Bizzaro said. “Everyone should be treated with the same discipline whether you’re late once or ten times.” Sophomore Morgan Bamberger said he disagrees with the new tardy policy. According to Bamberger, situations can occur between classes resulting in a student being late, and this shouldn’t warrant a tardy. “If there is a problem with a locker or something, you shouldn’t be penalized for being late,” Bamberger said.
School board member objects to best selling novel
A blurry proposal
TODAY
Be a part of the fight against cancer
Issue 1
photo art contributed
College presidents sign proposal to lower drinking age to 18 Mandy Chiara | Senior Staff Writer One hundred twenty-three college presidents, including those from Dartmouth, Duke, Ohio State and Tufts, signed a petition proposing a change of the minimum drinking age from 21 to 18. The goal, according to Georgia Nugent, president of Kenyon College in Ohio, is to minimize the number of student deaths due to binge drinking. With the decrease of drunken driving accidents in the last ten years, there has been an increase in alcohol abuse and alcohol poisoning.
While Mason High School Principal Dave Allen said he believes that lowering the drinking age would be a mistake, he also understands the concerns regarding binge drinking. “I have a real concern for young people that are out using alcohol because that research that we see is that young people don’t drink to have a social drink -- one beer or one glass of wine -- young people drink to get drunk,” Allen said. The editor of the Journal of Studies
See DRINKING AGE page 2
Mason school board member Jennifer Miller believes high school students should not be reading The Kite Runner. Miller strongly objects to the teaching of this best selling novel and Miller recently voted against adding the novel to the required reading list for College Preparatory and AP Multicultural English due to a graphic rape scene, suggested pedophile activity and violence. “I would hope [the students] would react with complete sadness and disgust [to the book],” Miller said. “I am sure they can [learn lessons from the book], but the subject matter is not appropriate for high school students.” The Kite Runner, a novel by Khaled Hosseini, follows an Afghan boy’s life story from the time of the Soviet occupation in Afghanistan to the current Taliban regime. The story focuses on dealing with political insecurity, guilt and struggling family relationships. Board member Marianne Culbertson read the book and came to the conclusion that it should be required reading material.
See KITE RUNNER page 2