The Chronicle, 6.1

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

PAGE 2 | NEWS

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2008 | THE CHRONICLE

DRINKING AGE: College presidents think lowering drinking age could curb binge drinking

Engs said she believes that by eliminatso, Coates says alcohol is currently the continued from page 1 ing the defiant spirit that makes over-con- biggest reason for ten-day suspensions. on Alcohol defines binge drinking as an sumption enticing, binge drinking would “Two weeks in, and we have already “extended period of time (typically at be under control. had suspensions related to alcohol,” least two days) during which time a perAllen said some parents believe that Coates said. “Alcohol is one of the bigson repeatedly becomes intoxicated and by letting their children drink alcohol in gest blockades with student learning.” gives up his or her usual activities and a controlled environment under parenAlcohol is also one of the largest issues obligations in order to become intoxion the road. cated.”

MADD, MothThis, according to “I see no concern on [colleges’] part to have an impact on ers Against college presidents, is Drunk Driva frequent occurthe negative effects of alcohol on young people.” ing, the group rence done quietly that has been off-campus, making it tal supervision, their children will have a long-time supporter of the minimum a difficult problem to control. healthy drinking habits in the future. drinking age of 21, is irate at the idea of However, according to Allen, lowering “I have talked with parents who say you more intoxicated young people on the the drinking age is not an appropriate can’t treat alcohol like a forbidden fruit roads. The minimum drinking age is a response to binge drinking. because then when [the student] turns law that is determined by the states.

“I see no concern on [colleges’] part to 21 they’ll do the same crazy things that However, all 50 states currently remain have an impact on the negative effects of you didn’t want them to do when they consistent with the age of 21 because the alcohol on young people,” Allen said. “I were 18 or 17 or 16,” Allen said. “The federal government withholds funding for certainly don’t see [a concern] by them roads if the age drops. Regardless of an saying ‘Well, let’s just go ahead and lower parents that I have spoken with that have had the most success in keeping their kids official change, MADD fears an inconsisthe drinking age from 21 to 18’. away from drugs and alcohol, [have] had tency among colleges, and worries that “My opinion is that the universities open lines of communication.” students will be driving back and forth are not tackling the problem and they’re As part of the Drug and Alcohol Task between universities to acquire alcohol. getting tired of being forced to deal with Force in the Mason community, a group “It’s very clear the 21-year-old drinking the problem of underage drinking at age that meets monthly under the direction age will not be enforced at those cam21,” Allen said. Now, at a college campus of resource coordinator Vicki Haught, puses [that signed the petition],” National if drinking is legal at 18, they don’t have a Allen encourages parents to become President of MADD, Laura Dean-Mooney, problem any more.” educated on the effects of alcohol and said.

According to Principal George Coates, get involved in their children’s lives.

“In the last couple years we’ve had Mason High School would see a lot more “One of the campaigns we have going [student] deaths related to alcohol,” infractions and disciplinary proceedings if now is the social norms campaign,” Allen Coates said. the change went through. said. “What that means is young people According to Allen, the administration’s According to Dr. Ruth Engs, the Profesoften communicate to their parents, and concern for students goes beyond their sor of Applied Health Sciences at Indiana really believe that everybody drinks.” high school careers -- it is a life-long University in Bloomington, the same Alcohol is already the most readily weight. consequences that are put in place to available drug at MHS according to the “My care for their well-being for what keep students in line, are actually luring Pride Survey.

The Pride Survey is given they [do] as adults does not end when students to make poor decisions in the across the state, and taken anonymously I hand them their diploma,” Allen said. first place. every two to three years to help indicate “They’re going to be off at Ohio State “[Binge drinking happens] because drug-related issues among high school next year and, quite frankly, I don’t want drinking is seen by these youth as an students. MHS’s results for teen alcohol it to be as easy as buying a pack of cigaenticing ‘forbidden fruit,’ a ‘badge of consumption, according to Allen, fall in rettes for them to go down and get a case rebellion against authority,’ and a symbol the average range for high schools. Even of beer or a bottle of whiskey to drink.” of adulthood,” Engs said.

M.A.D.D.’s reaction MADD acknowledges that underage drinking and binge drinking on college campuses is a serious problem, but lowering the drinking age is not the answer. Solutions to the problem can include: -Changing the drinking culture on college campuses and within communities -Enforcement of the 21 drinking age law -Upholding responsible alcohol policies -Holding those over 21 accountable for providing alcohol to minors -Working with high school and middle school parents and leaders to reach their youth well before college on the drinking age so this problem is corrected early versus once students are in college 130 college presidents signed the proposal asking for a lower drinking age. Among some of those on the list include: Rebecca S. Chopp, Colgate James E. Wright, Dartmouth Richard Brodhead, Duke William Brody, Johns Hopkins S. Georgia Nugent, Kenyon College E. Gordon Gee, Ohio State University Nancy Cantor, Syracuse University J.. Patrick O’Brien, Texas A & M John M. Stamm, Trinity Lutheran Lawrence S. Bacow, Tufts University C.D. Mote Jr., University of Maryland John P. Keating, Univ. of Wisconsin * source: M.A.D.D.

Kite Runner: Board votes 4 to 1 to add controversial book to reading list continued from page 1

about the controversial parts of the book leading to discussion of religion in classrooms.

“We have taken the Christian God out of our government [and] school,” Miller said. “So I feel strongly that there should be no conversation that would lead to any discussion relating to a religious topic.”

Senior Mackenzie Touby, an AP British Literature student, said she often asks her classmates’ opinions on the inclusion of an uncomfortable scene in any novel.

“In [a class discussion], I will just ask my classmates if they really felt the scene was necessary,” Touby said.

McKinnon presented The Kite Runner to the Board of Education’s Student Achievement Committee at their August meeting.

The Student Achievement Committee is in charge of reviewing possible curriculum changes or additions before they are brought

McKinnon said. “[The novel] helps seniors to become more open-minded and accepting of everyone. [It] offers critical points for discussion about such crucial topics as morality, judgment and power.”

Touby said she feels that some of the subject matter in past required readings was inappropriate, however.

“I don’t need to be reading that kind of material and filling my mind with things like that if they don’t help me to better understand the book,” Touby said. “Some scenes were really questionable in past books we’ve read and were not needed.”

Culbertson said she knew that if The Kite Runner was approved, her own daughter, a senior this year, would have the novel assigned in class.

“While there are some strong themes and it is uncomfortable to read at times, it is a book that I want my daughter to read,”

“After reading The Kite Runner, I understood why it was so highly recommended by our English department,” Culbertson said.

“I believe it is crucial for our students to be exposed to a variety of themes, writing styles, settings and issues as they continue their education.”

Meg McKinnon, AP Multicultural English teacher said she agreed that there are many benefits to adding the book to the curricuphoto by Jessica Kantor lum.

Students in Meg McKinnon’s class discuss The Kite Runner.

“I’ve had countless seniors read this novel as an independent Miller said she feels that there if you’re uncomfortable with a choice over the years, and they are more beneficial options for novel,” Touby said. react to it with the maturity and the senior reading list.

So far, however, Culbertson dignity that I expect from high “The classics would be a start,” said she has not come across any school seniors,”McKinnon said.

Miller said. “These books have problems with resistance to the “Reading the book as a whole advanced language and adult book in the community. class lets us evaluate the emothemes without the profanity “Since the adoption of The Kite tional and psychological impact and explicit sexual scenes and Runner at our last board meeting, that traumatizing events can have therefore would be a better I have heard from several parents on individuals.” choice to prepare students for and community members who Culbertson said she agreed that their futures.” support the selection of this seniors are Touby book,” Culbertson said. “I have ready to handle said she not heard from anyone who has the material in apprea concern.”

“While there are some strong themes and it is uncomfortable to read at a mature way. ciates McKinnon said she feels times, it is a book that I want my daughter to read.”

“I am confiteachstrongly that the novel is not only dent that our ers’ flex- manageable for seniors in her teachers have ibility if class, but that it offers students a Culbertson said. “If an individual the proper training and resources to the entire board for approval. a student has a problem with the chance to think critically.

“In the case of The Kite Runner, family has an issue with any novel selected reading. available to them to hold discus“The Kite Runner provides a it lends a very human perspecthat is part of the curriculum, sions in class that explore sensi“I can see our English departvaluable opportunity for readers tive to the Afghan culture, a they have the option to contact tive or difficult themes in a safe ment picking different books that to analyze complex topics and culture which many seniors have the teacher or administrator to setting,” Culbertson said. convey the same themes, but draw their own conclusions only witnessed on the news,” choose an alternate selection.”

Miller said she was concerned they are willing to work with you -- both about the text, the world

THE CHRONICLE | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2008

NEWS | PAGE 3

MHS staff to focus on diversity Danni Simms | Staff Writer Mason High School’s staff and administration are moving towards making MHS a more accepting and inviting environment for everyone, according to Principal Dave Allen. To achieve this goal, the staff members and administration are participating in several discussions geared towards diversity and its reception.

According to Assistant Principal George Coates, every staff member will be trained with a presentation he created in reference to the work of Glen Singleton, author of the book Courageous Conversations About Race: A Strategy for Achieving Equity in Schools.

“A part of the staff development, [about] three and a half hours, was devoted towards Beyond Diversity training,” Coates said.

During primetime training last year, a group of staff members worked on topics related to diversity. This group of staff members, including Coates, has now taken the initiative to be leaders of the entire staff. This alone is extraordinary staff development, according to Allen. The move towards a more receptive environment can be seen throughout the whole school district.

“It is not only a Mason High School goal and initiative: it is an entire district wide initiative and it’s multi-faceted,” Allen said.

These initiatives include the district trying to hire a talented, diverse staff while also adding to the multiple perspectives that can be brought to the table. Having people look at situations through different lenses has caused the teachers and administration to rethink how they run things regarding school.

“The greater influx of diverse opinions and personalities and cultures only richens, only heightens the learning that can occur in a building,” Allen said.

The move towards a more culturally

On the walls & In the halls

A sign in the hallway reinforces the message that Mason High School celebrates diversity. aware classroom did not begin in relation to any particular event.

“It’s not necessarily that this was a terrible place to be, but there is always room for improvement,” Coates said.

According to Allen, diversity training and progress will continue to occur.

“It’s an ongoing process,” Allen said.

“It’s not something where you sit down and take a one-hour class and then all of a sudden you have an understanding of how people from culturally diverse backgrounds feel.”

Other initiatives to diversify MHS are more obvious to its students. According to Coates, The Taste of Mason, the flags in the cafeteria and the randomly selected focus groups were all a part of the move

towards giving diverse students a chance to show and talk about where they’ve come from.

During focus group meetings, students with different backgrounds were selected to give their view of MHS. “We had a group of black students we met with,” Coates said. “There was [also] a group of poor students, there were Hispanic students, there were Asian students -- we wanted to know what it was like being you in Mason.”

The desired effect for all of the staff focused diversity training is that students will eventually take notice through their teachers’ new awareness, according to Coates.

“The students hopefully will know that their teachers are more engaging and they

Help Jerry’s Kids: Donate money to Abby, a third grader who has Mitochodrial Myopathy. Proceeds will go to sending her to camp for $850 and possibly helping her obtain a wheelchair.

Model UN: Join a model United Nations by attending the first meeting, held on October 6 in room C305.

Students will discuss current issues, debate and plan to compete with other schools in the Tri-State.

H.O.P.E. Club: The Helpers of People Everywhere, a volunteering organization, meets on the first and third Tuesdays of every month directly after school in Rachel Cronin’s classroom (B310).

Prize Package: The CometZone is offering students the “Ultimate Homecoming Prize Package.” Visit the school store to find out more.

are more receptive to different ideas, and that they are open to different cultures,” Coates said.

According to Allen, the goal for the entire process is for everyone to feel welcome at MHS and for everyone to learn from the diversity within its walls.

“You know we’re very fortunate over the last fifteen years to have such diversity move into our community,” Allen said.

“When you’re sitting in class next to someone from a different culture, from a different background, from a different state, from a different country -- that is real world learning.”

Teachers and students still warming up to the idea of online submission of assignments Deanna Allbrittin | Staff Writer

Information you’ll find posted in the hallways around MHS

photo by Danni Simms

For the first time this year Mason High School’s Edline pages have capabilities that have classes moving towards increasingly paperless assignments. Teachers can choose from multiple features including: online homework submission, student discussion boards and individual online “binders.”

Some students who play sports or do extensive extracurricular activities find some of the options such as the online homework submission restrictive. As a volleyball player, junior Tiwa Akomolede is required to watch varsity games, which limits the time for homework that needs to be done on the computer.

“It’s annoying because you can’t do your homework at games,” Akomolede said. In addition, the submissions can be due at a time chosen by the teacher. Once the set deadline passes, a student can no longer submit work to Edline. “[Online submission is] ineffective because some people work and do sports,” Akomolede said. “It would be unfair if they couldn’t finish because they had to work or had an activity after school.”

British Literature teacher Curt Bly also has concerns about grading essays on a computer. He said that for reading and grading essays and making comments, having the essays online is a disadvantage.

“There’s something to me about having a pen in my hand and paper in front of me,” Bly said.

The technology itself has garnered complaints. According to AP European History teacher Charles Dugan, there have been flaws with individual Edline accounts and documents uploading properly. Dugan said he believes the advantages outweigh the possible disadvantages of technical difficulties with individual Edline accounts and failure of documents to upload.

“Overall, [the response] has been positive,” Dugan said. “The initial reaction was hesitant, but it’s gotten better.”

Dugan said that hesitancy could be attributed to the same problems that previous generations have had with the adaptation of new technology.

“It’s hard to break 10 or 11 years of doing it one way and have to do it another,” Dugan said. “As the students get used to [online submission], the response has gotten better.”

Some teachers heavily rely on Edline for things in addition to grade updates this year.

“Having access to the PowerPoints is something the students like,” Dugan said. “It allows them to not have to take all the notes.”

With the boom of college-bound students, Dugan said that is important students do adapt to help with the transition to college.

According to Ed Tech Action Network,it is a minority of high schools that use these technological tools than those who don’t; however, colleges have been using the Internet to extend outside of the classroom for several years.

Even Bly, who said he is not yet comfortable using the technology, said he sees some benefits to online tools such as the discussion boards.

“It’s more about getting comfortable with it before asking students to use it,” Bly said.

Senior Anchin Liaw said she would describe herself as shy in class and is already comfortable with the different tools, especially the discussion board.

“I never talk in class,” Liaw said. “Whenever we have Socratic seminars, I get bad grades because I’m not aggressive enough to say things.”

Bly said he sees the loss of face-to-face interaction as a downside to the new system. However, Bly said he believes that teachers cannot turn a blind eye to the advancement of technology.

“It’s part of our job to prepare students for what’s next,” Bly said.”

PAGE 4 | ELECTION NEWS

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2008 | THE CHRONICLE

High school students hit the campaign trail Ellen Duffer | Associate Editor

she’d talk to him and try to get me involved.”

Along with her conservative friend senior Alex Muetzel, Joseph leads the “Mason High School for McCain” Facebook group that is focused on bringing together conservatives, in spite of the large number of people who she said she believes will vote in favor of liberal policies in the election.

“It seems like in this election people are going to tend to be voting more liberal, so we just wanted to rally the conservatives,” Joseph said. “We created the group, we have a couple discussion boards up about policies, so we just want to try to foster

Teens differ with parents in their political views Rachel Schowalter | Staff Writer Being a teenager is often defined as a time for rebellion against parental control.

Teens conventionally express differences from their parents through choice of clothing, music and friends, but some Mason High School students have even decided that they hold completely opposite political views.

The upcoming presidential election has inspired Mason High School students to rally support for candidates’ campaigns.

Senior Nick Tuell, who voted for Obama in the primaries and said he will be voting for him come November 4, began assisting the Obama campaign by donating about $10 to it every month and purchasing apparel. Tuell’s support has progressed into active involvement, as he now participates in aiding the Warren County Democratic Party. “[Senior Ryan Arsenault and I], we both volunteer for the Warren County Democratic Party,” Tuell said. “We canvass, going door-to-door, and we find people to register to vote. I’ve been volunteering at the Warren County Fair, and [the Warren County Democratic Party’s] booth at the Mason Heritage Festival.”

Arsenault regularly works with Tuell in supporting Obama, despite his inability to vote in this year’s election.

Although he initially supported Hillary Clinton, Arsenault said that the two candidates’ beliefs are essentially identical, leading him to support Obama.

“I’m a democrat, so I would definitely support the [Democratic candidate], whoever it was,” Arsenault said. “[Obama] basically shares the same views as Hillary and the rest of the Democrats.”

According to Arsenault, he and Tuell created the group “Mason High School for Obama” on Facebook to get students from the Mason community involved in Obama’s campaign.

“We wanted to get more people from Mason involved in this, so we got a Facebook group together,” Arsenault said. “Since then, our Facebook group has gotten over 150 people, which is the photo by Woody Goldsmith largest high school [group for Senior Nick Tuell (right) volunteered at the Warren County Democratic Party booth at the Mason Heritage this purpose] in the nation right Day Festival, displaying his avid support for Obama and other Democrats. now. Now, we want to get other people access to stuff [like canvassing and workdiscussions and have a place for people to openly Freshman Amanda Vanderbilt ing phone banks], people who might be interested. support McCain.” said she considers herself to be There’s a lot of opportunities and a lot of people Junior Kris Ogungbemi, supporting Obama, got the a Republican while her parents who can help you, and also you’re helping Obama. In chance to attend to Democratic National Convention are Democrats. She attributes November, you can be able to say, ‘I helped Obama in August, which allowed her to hear candidates and this to the fact that her parents win.’” government officials speak in person. were raised in Kentucky, and According to Tuell, because the school does not “I got something in the mail [from the Junior the different people they were want conflict to arise between Obama and McCain Statesmen of America], and then I saw it on [the surrounded by affected their supporters, Tuell and Arsenault have been restricted organization’s] website again,” Ogungbemi said. “So, political opinions. from passing out flyers for “MHS for Obama” and I was like, ‘I have to go.’ So you apply, write an essay, “[My parents] grew up in a holding meetings in the school. raise $2,500, then go.” poor town and I’ve grown up in “We went to Dr. Allen twice and we weren’t alOgungbemi said she liked getting to see so many Mason all my life,” Vanderbilt lowed to start [an official school] group or use [the people who share her views in one place, as well as said. “I’ve been influenced school] as a meeting place,” Tuell said. “We couldn’t getting to hear Obama speak. by everyone around me, and use the cafeteria as a meeting place unless we rent“I don’t get to see 85,000 Democrats all together they’ve been influenced by eved [it] out and [the administration] said no to flyers on a daily basis, [and] everything was building up to eryone who was around them in the hallways. Basically, they just wanted it outside Thursday [when Obama was scheduled to speak.]” [in Kentucky].” of school, but they were glad we were doing it.”

Ogungbemi said.

Junior Lilli Mueller said that After realizing that her first choice out of the Outside of the presidential election, students the generation gap between potential candidates, Ron Paul, hadn’t garnered continue to get involved. Tuell can be seen in a her and her parents has been enough support to have a considerable chance of campaign commercial for Congresswoman candidate the major cause of their politiwinning, senior Anupama Joseph said that she began Victoria Wulsin, an activity he got to participate in cal differences. While Mueller supporting John McCain, the Republican candidate. after speaking with Wulsin. is a liberal, her parents are “There was a point where [Ron Paul] had point “I met [Victoria Wulsin] at the Mason Heritage Day conservative Christians. some percent of [the supporters in favor of him],” Festival and I just came up to her and introduced “[My] parents have their Joseph said. Realistically, if I could have rallied for myself,” Tuell said. “Her campaign manager needed generation and those views people to support him, I would have, but McCain is a teenager to be in a commercial, so I volunteered fit that time,” Mueller said. big.” to do it.”

“With our generation, it’s a Joseph said she plans on rallying for McCain once Ogungbemi said that to get involved, you should whole new ball game. Instead she gets in contact with Vice Mayor Pete Beck, who start with local politics. of forcing the way things were may be able to help her get involved.

“The Obama campaign, for all their volunteers, onto the way things are now, “[My mom] used to work with Pete Beck, who is always [says to] just become a Democratic leader in our generation sees that there a [Mason City Council Member], and he supports your neighborhood,” Ogungbemi said. needs to be change. ConservaMcCain,” Joseph said. “So, my mom actually told me tive parents don’t see that.”

Mueller said she first realized her political differences from her parents when they discussed the issues of abortion and gay marriage. Her observances of the Iraq War and the Bush administration also influenced her decisions to become a liberal.

“The war in Iraq made me realize that war really bothered me, so then I had to figure out where I really stood on the issue,” Mueller said. “That made me figure out where I stood on what George Bush had done. When his last four years started to come to a close, I decided that this time around I was going to know what I wanted and what I think is right and wrong.”

While Vanderbilt said that she doesn’t bring up politics in her house to avoid arguments, Mueller frequently gets into debates with her parents and tries to make them see the issue from her point of view.

“When I try to reason with my parents, it’s always because I want them to see it my way,” Mueller said. “I’m not trying to be ignorant and fight with them, but for them to see that I have an actual point.

When I’m reasoning with them . . . I’m not trying to be a teenager, I just want them to stop living in their little bubble. I try to show them that [change is] not a bad thing.”

According to a Gallup poll, seventy-one percent of teens have “about the same” political views as their parents.

Vanderbilt said this is simply a matter of upbringing.

“You grew up around your parents and they teach you their morals, their values, and what they believe in,” Vanderbilt said. “You get heavily influenced by that, and that’s what you take on in your opinions.”

Mueller connects this fact with apathy more than family values, saying teens simply “don’t care” enough about politics. To avoid this dynamic, she said she would like to see teens figure out their political views for themselves instead of automatically siding with their parents’ opinions.

“Teens should research both sides, not just one, and then pick,” Mueller said. “They should go in unbiased, and figure out where they stand on all the issues. Then, they can find out which party best fits [their views].”

With the 2008 election nearing, both Mueller and Vanderbilt said that all teenagers should voice their political opinions without being swayed by others.

“I think a lot of kids should stick to what they believe in and what they want for the nation,” Vanderbilt said. “They are the ones that have to grow up here; they are the future. It should be [about] what they believe and what they think is right, instead of other people influencing them.”

Views THE CHRONICLE | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2008

Chronicle Policy

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.

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

EDITORIAL | PAGE 5

In my Opinion

Feedback

How do you feel about the electronic submission of homework?

“It’s more convenient because you don’t have to do as much.

You don’t have to print it off and have it in your hands, you can just turn it in online.”

Brendan Kelly Junior

“I don’t think it’s any different than handing your homework in normally. It doesn’t bother me.”

Jacqueline Gazda Freshman

“I think it’s bad because we have to turn homework in online, and I’m not computer savvy.”

Lee Schneider Freshman

“I don’t really like submitting homework online because it’s really confusing and it always messes up.”

Shannon O’Keefe Sophomore

“It’s no fun when it’s due on Fridays at 12 o’clock, because I don’t get home at 12 o’clock. I need extra time.”

Kyle Ebersole Senior

“I don’t like online homework because my computer broke once and I still got an F.” Lexi Eddy Sophomore

“I really like submitting online because I’m all ‘go green.’ You save so much paper and it’s just better for the environment.”

Sri Rajamouli Junior

“I think it’s a lot nicer. You don’t have to worry about printing things out; you just type it on the computer, click a button and it’s done.”

Taylor Walston Senior

The Chronicle Staff Editor In Chief Alyssa Howard Associate Editor Ellen Duffer Senior Staff Writer Mandy Chiara Business/Circulation Manager Kirsten McCafferty Technical and Graphic Manager Caleb Schowalter Staff Writers Duncan Fischley Rachel Schowalter Samantha Stulen Deanna Allbrittin Jordan Berger Woody Goldsmith Scott Hutchinson Jessica Kantor Cady Meece Danielle Simms Sam Stouffer Adviser Mr. Dale Conner

Editorial

We’re wired to technology Horror writers of the past have capitalized on imagining worlds of chaos and destruction, computers manifesting the downfall of the human race. The recent loss of power in the area demonstrated such dependence on technology.

As we increasingly rely on the multitude of programs packed into hard drives, thinking of a time without such technological assistance becomes difficult. So often do we use the Internet for basic tasks, that going a day without it hinders our schedules and ability to function.

When the majority of Mason lost power due to the violent winds produced by Hurricane Ike, schedules halted and people frantically hurried to demand the return of their electricity.

Subsequently, school was canceled. Without power, how could students complete their homework? Assignments require extensive research (almost always done online, a more convenient way to compile data than locating books and handwriting quotations) and typing.

Students rejoiced over the mini-break, having a legitimate excuse to procrastinate.

Boredom quickly ensued, however, as we realized that a lack of power didn’t provide adequate entertainment. The loss of television was disappointing and having no microwave to fix a quick dinner was unfortunate, but the absence of a computer was a real cause for complaint.

With cell phones quickly losing battery power, we instantly considered of Facebook to get in contact with those whose company we wanted in our dire time of disconnection. The free Monday warranted a celebration, but as we flitted to our computers to send out wall posts and messages, the meaning of “no power” finally clicked.

No internet. No talking to friends. No hanging out with friends. No amusement. We might have thought to read a book, if the boredom got that unbearable, but the lack of lighting made even that impossible.

For those lucky enough to have retained power, life was fantastic: there were still means of entertainment that could be utilized on the “calamity day.” Monday was a day of rest. Those with electricity could easily log on to Facebook, only to see twenty other people stating that there was no school the next day. People living in areas that could turn on their lights at will relished at the sound Tracey Carson’s recorded voice, notifying them of the day off (of which they already were aware).

In 2008, only 37 years after the debut of the personal computer, we are so dependent upon electricity that all things halt when it is lost. We don’t know what to do without that which helps us get through each day. And such eerie dependence is the stuff of B-list science fiction.

Get up, stand up... for what?

Alyssa Howard | Editor in Chief Counterculture is back in style.

Hemp bracelets and t-shirts advertising PEACE have returned as staples in students’ day-to-day wear. The hallways are again vibrant with the proliferation of tie-dye.

All the cultural elements that distinguished the age of the hippies are back in vogue today, but we’re missing something crucial: the movement.

Along with the creeds of free love and harmony was the spirit of activism that unified a generation behind causes of social concern, such as the civil rights and women’s liberation movements. On both racial and gender fronts, society at that time had reached boiling points. These social inequities dwelled at the forefront of communal conscience. As previously unheard segments of the population were ready to find a public voice. And thus, change was initiated.

We forget, however, that with this socially liberal period in our history, the gradual result was the return to the status quo. While segments of societal transition as the 1960s are ideal circumstances in which to grow and contribute to the world, they are not sustainable. Following these shifts in community values, there is always at least a partial return to normalcy.

While our generation still encounters social injustices on a daily basis, these fail to unite us in pursuit of a common goal. These separate causes are not adequately felt throughout our population to provide the impetus felt by the activists of the 1960s.

Although there are multiple worthy grounds for action today, we are dissimilar from this generation in our unity behind them.

But, that’s okay, too.

It’s okay that we aren’t a replica of that idealized generation. There’s cultural value in embracing the nonconformity of another age. We just have to realize: we’re not living in the past.

We can impact the world in a different way. However, as a generation, we may not fit the traditional civil that disobedience that characterized the sixties.

So, until we find a unifying cause truly worthy of a parallel to a generation of activism, we need to accept that 2008 is not the new 1968.

PAGE 6

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2008 | THE CHRONICLE

THE CHRONICLE | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2008

NEWS FEATURE | PAGE 7

Students gather for prayer before lunch Student activities director says any group can conduct similar meetings Samantha Stulen | Staff Writer Returning back from summer food of Chipotle and Planet Smoothies, students at A and C lunch can expect a new side with their cafeteria meals: Grace.

Freshman Andrew Schwartz and sophomores Britt Prescott and Andrew Springsteen are the leaders of this group, encouraging students to practice a Christian tradition at school before participants disperse to eat.

“I feel that it’s part of my faith [to pray before every meal],” Springsteen said.

“It’s definitely something I am passionate about. I’m not going to exactly go up to someone and say ‘Do this; do that,’ but it’s part of [Christian] faith.”

Prescott and Schwartz said they agreed that prayer is an important component to Christianity.

“My religion is a really big thing to me and a couple other people who’ve been really helping me out with this,” Schwartz said. “It’s a big thing to them, too.”

Although the group is geared towards Christianity, Schwartz said he believes people of all faiths should take an active role in religion.

“People should really stand up for what they believe in whether it’s Christianity, Judaism, Islam, or any other religion, or no religion at all,” Schwartz said.

Prescott said he feels the group serves as

motivation for these other denominations to get involved, as well. “[The group is] helping because we’re saying, ‘We’re willing to stand out, [so] why don’t you?’” Prescott said. “I think there’s already [a message of] diversity [in] just telling people to stand out.”

Although such religious groups cannot be school-sponsored, students’ rights to pray in schools are protected by the administration.

Assistant Principal George Coates said that as long as the religious group is not staff-initiated, the group is legitimate.

“We know that because of the separation of [church and state] it cannot be staffdriven, but at the same time we want to protect the rights of others,” Coates said.

According to Student Activities Director Lorri Fox-Allen, religion-based groups go through the same application process as secular clubs to be school-sponsored.

However, religious groups are permitted to meet on school grounds without being officially school-recognized.

“Groups of different faiths would be able to sit down and do that same thing,” FoxAllen said. “We won’t deny any group that comes forward, unless for some reason they’re disruptive to the school climate.

All groups are welcome to do their own thing.”

Regardless of controversial religious beliefs, Fox-Allen said that any group can

photo by Samantha Stulen

A growing group of students meets by the auditorium before lunch to say grace. choose the way it conducts meetings within the school’s rules.

Currently, the Facebook group, “MHS Lunchtime Grace” has roughly 115 members. Both upperclassmen and underclassmen have shown support, despite the fact that a freshman leads the group.

Senior Sophia Raptis is a regular participant of the group, praying with other members every day. She said that it does not matter that the leader is a freshman, as opposed to an upperclassman.

“[It] was a really cool idea that he was able to step up and just be able to [do it], even though he’s an underclassman,” Raptis said.

Schwartz said that despite his inexperience with high school, he hopes to make an impact.

“I felt like it was a big step,” Schwartz said. “I like to try to do stuff over the top…go big, stand out, and really make a difference.”

How do you feel about religious groups meeting in school?

“Meetings affiliated with religious houses of worship shouldn’t be advertising in the school. As long as it’s affiliated with the school, it’s fine.”

Courtney Wittekind, Senior

“I think it’s okay as long as you don’t disrespect other people’s religion; there might be other people who are interested in learning about different religions.”

Deepika Hebbalalu, Freshman

“As long as there are tests in school, there’s going to be prayer.

I think it’s okay as long as it’s open to all religions.”

Jennifer Striker, ECA Teacher

Religious groups popping up all over Mason High School

“I feel that people can do what they want as long as they don’t try to get people who don’t want to be a part of it.”

Ian Hill, Junior

Caution excercised when allowing groups to excercise religious freedom Alyssa Howard | Editor in Chief

Samantha Stulen | Staff Writer The prayer group isn’t the only religious gathering at Mason High School; the school also offers Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Comets4Christ, and the new Good Book Club advised by Mr. Goetz.

“The Good Book Club [is] basically a club [for] people who are interested, Goetz said. “It could be anybody -- you don’t have to be a Christian. “All we’re doing is reading the Bible and discussing it.”

People don’t have to be Christian in order to participate in these clubs, in case people of other faiths want to learn more about other religions. Student Activities Director Lorri Fox-Allen said that groups have to be open to anybody.

“If it’s a Catholic group for instance, a Jewish person may want to come and try to learn more about the Catholic faith,” Fox-Allen said. “We wouldn’t want them to be excluded or to feel excluded because [he or she wasn’t] of the Catholic faith, but [he or she] simply wanted to learn more about [Catholicism] and the differences or similarities.”

As well as religious groups not being restricted to just Christians, the Fellowship

of Christian Athletes, advised by Rick Huff, is open to any faith and not just athletes.

Huff said the group has evolved into being a Christian group and not necessarily just the FCA. The group entails Bible study and community service. Also, Huff said that there are hardly anymore athletes in the group, but nonetheless wants the students to learn more about their faith.

“My personal goal is to help kids grow closer to God and to reach out to others in the community,” Huff said.

While all the religious official clubs at MHS are centered mostly on Christianity, they are open up to anyone as well as any denomination of that religion. Comets4Christ, the group that coordinates “See You At the Pole,” welcomes anyone to pray with them.

English teacher Elizabeth Killian is the advisor of this group.

“In a traditional church youth group, the kids are all obviously from the same church, part of the same denomination,” Killian said. “The commonality at Mason is that they go to Mason High School and they all have a heart for making a difference here at Mason in some way.”

“People have misunderstood the meaning of church and state. It was proposed by Thomas Jefferson so that the government would never restrict worship, so I’m okay with religious groups in school.”

Andrew Goetz, ECA Teacher

The separation of church and state is a factor to consider as Mason High School approves clubs for official recognition. Student Activities Director Lorri Fox-Allen said that with religiously-affiliated groups the school takes special precautions to stay within the bounds of the Constitution.

“We do have to be very careful,” Fox-Allen said. “But as long as they’re studentrun, student-driven, they’re allowed to meet. And there just needs to be an adult there for supervision.”

Fox-Allen said that because all clubs formed in association with MHS must allow anyone to join, some may come to religious group meetings to contradict members’ views. “[Clubs have] to be open to every student,” Fox-Allen said. “That was one thing that I warned the kids in Comets4Christ about: You may get kids that are not in here to get faith information that they need -- they might come here to challenge you, challenge your faith, or challenge religion overall.”

In addition, Fox-Allen said the school acknowledges the need for uniformity in policy concerning spiritually-grounded organizations.

“It’s always kind of a touchy area…because if we deny one, we have to deny everyone,” Fox-Allen said.

In school-sponsored clubs with a basis in religion, a teacher may participate mainly as an administrator at meetings. “[Leaders] can be certified teachers but the teacher has to play a lesser role,” FoxAllen said. “Basically their role is supervision.”

For this reason, Fox-Allen said, some religious groups in the community choose not to seek school endorsement, and instead meet at different locations. These unofficial groups at MHS are also allowed to meet on school grounds before or after classes without affiliation with the high school.

Although Fox-Allen said the parameters for creating a religiously-based group are more complex than with secularly-focused organizations, some baseline regulations exist for all student-run clubs.

“One of the guidelines for creating a club is [that] we don’t have five million clubs like it already,” Fox-Allen said. “If a student comes and talks to me about starting a group of the Christian faith, I say, ‘How is it different from Comets4Christ [or any other religious group]?’”

PAGE 8 | NEWS FEAURE

In my Opinion New safety nets for freshmen hinder growth during first year

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2008 | THE CHRONICLE

Holding their hands

Senior sibs offer a helping hand to freshmen

Samantha Stulen | Staff Writer The ocean between Mason Middle School and Mason High School is a deep one. Vast, venomous waves lap at eight graders’ feet as they attend the transitional meetings at the high school in May. Administrators hold out their safety boats and help the freshmen on their first voyage in the waving waters of MHS. First day. The eighth graders, now freshmen, vacate their boats anxiously.

An onslaught of sophomores, juniors and seniors fill the seas of the A, B and C pods. Freshmen cling to their lifesavers -- school maps and schedules -- as tightly as possible. The murky waters of the unknown fill the shoes of the new freshmen struggling to get in the doorframe of first bell.

A freshman gazes in the room and tries to find a desk that is not too close to the teacher, but still close enough to not be cast as the ostracized introvert. The freshman peers at the desk right in front of him: a senior sits with buds in his ear silently sipping on a Rockstar. At this sight, the freshman asks the senior, “Are you going to finish that?”

Can you recall your first day? Timid, barely looking at any of the upperclassmen, you stood in the hallways secretly wondering, “Where the heck am I going?”

A clichéd statement, less of a question. I, on the other hand, was not going to go up and talk down to a senior.

My first day of high school, I couldn’t help but think of a shark tank. The freshmen got teased, got lost, got called “stupid” in class by teachers, got rejected by his or her peers and in the end, turned out okay.

Today, however, the safety net is being placed down below the shark tank to catch those guppies that fall. It is a sense of comfort provided to the freshmen that they no longer have to fear the darkly uncertain waters of high school. The assistance provided to freshmen is somewhat enviable to when I was a freshman. I had one advantage over the freshmen today, though: growth. The safety net should always be there, but there need to be some opportunities for freshmen to slip through the holes.

The freshmen fish become the sharks in a new way: being dependent on others, lack of work ethic, disrespectfulness, and no humility. With all this aid from others, which is great don’t get me wrong, what are the freshmen going to learn? When you go to your first job interview, no one is going to tell you what to expect the first day. You have to learn. When you’re put into a new situation at any point in life, no one is going to make everything easy. You have to learn.

I had to start over. I learned that you are never perfect by having my fair share of blunders and mistakes. However, those mistakes and good things are what make me the person I am today: a healthy junior who is not in a mental institution because I was embarrassed and teased my freshman year.

Yes, I was nervous for the first day. Yes, I did attend the transitional meeting. Yes, I walked through the school. I did the bare minimum and I still felt a little lost, but I figured things out and floated.

Alyssa Howard | Editor in Chief Senior Sibs has become more involved with freshmen homerooms this year due to a large increase in numbers of upperclassmen participants, according to English teacher and sponsor, Betsy Carras.

“Since [the organization] has started, we’ve always made changes,” Carras said. “The first year we only had about 35 students.”

According to Carras, this year the organization has an estimated 300 sibs to help transition freshmen into the high school. With this growth, there are now about five to six upperclassmen per freshmen homeroom.

Although Carras said that the mission of the group, to provide freshmen with a group of approachable upperclassmen to whom they can direct questions, has not changed, the numbers in the organization allow for the development of Senior Sibs.

“The point of the program has always been to break down into small groups [with freshmen],” Carras said. “[Our goals] are constantly evolving.”

English teacher and Senior Sibs sponsor Andrew Goetz also said he sees the organization moving forward with the same general mission.

“The basic principal level [has not changed],” Goetz said. “We’re about serving the young people….The jibs (juniors in Senior Sibs) and sibs function as mentors and their job is to serve the freshmen, make them feel at home.”

As a result, Carras said, the group has been able to incorporate new activities into the agenda for freshmen. For the first year, with the freshmen orientation, Senior Sibs organized the Freshman Spirit Party 2012. The event included tours for freshmen, food, drinks, bonding activities and a “pep rally.”

“It was the biggest thing we’ve ever done,” Carras said. “The preparing was a ton of work. [The sibs] had to do the collection of letters [for each student] and get the Emergency Medical Forms for every student.”

Senior Daniel Forero, a second-year participant in the program, said that

the idea for the party evolved during preparation last year.

“The spirit party became huge, [with] 412-plus kids,” Forero said. “[Motivational speakers] Chris Bowers and some other guys did a leadership conference [with the sibs].”

Forero said that he has seen positive effects of the program’s increase in involvement with

there was no involvement [with the freshmen],” Forero said.

Looking to the year ahead, Forero, Goetz, and Carras said they all see the program continuing to grow in the coming years and continue the new involvement with upcoming freshmen.

“In the next years, [we will] probably continue to make things bigger,” Forero said.

freshmen.

“The freshmen really came together with the sibs,” Forero said.

“The spirit party was actually fun [for freshmen and sibs].”

Since his freshman

year, Forero said he has seen an immense change in the sibs’ connection with homerooms.

“My freshman year, the sibs were good people, and they were cool, but photos contributed

THE CHRONICLE | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2008

PAGE 9

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PAGE 12 | THE CHRONICLE

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2008

THE CHRONICLE | PAGE 13

1st Bell: Sarah Brindza, 7:43 AM

5th Bell: Lisa Kingsolver, 1:37 PM

It’s 1:37 and junior Lisa Kingsolver is leaning over her desk, legs crossed and arms folded. Only her Pre-Calculus book and open notebook are on her desk. She is quietly tapping her toes while she is watching her Honors Pre-Calculus teacher, Jonothon Sauer, go over homework. There is nothing on the ground under or around her desk and she is sparsely taking notes in her fifth and final bell of the day. Lisa likes her teacher, and that her class is full of her friends. She also enjoys Honors math, a program she has been a part of since sixth grade.

Dedication isn’t new for Lisa; she is an active member of her youth group at the Christ Church of Mason. She attends church service regularly on Sundays and youth group meetings on Wednesday.

Additionally, Lisa took part in a church mission trip to Mexico to build a house in association with Casas por Cristo.

As is usually the case, the end of the day is a distracting time for Lisa. She is wrapping her black headband around her hands and fingers as she is taking notes. She is writing less as the bell is drawing to a close.

4th Bell: Ian Hill, 12:14 PM

It’s 12:14 and junior Ian Hill is well into fourth bell. Both his attentiveness and note-taking indicate he enjoys the class. Without the constraint of a seating chart, Ian chose to sit next to his friends and he appears to like the company and the conversation. He continues to take notes with both hands on his desk. But even the most studious are distracted. Ian uses his pencil to pick at the side of his desk and later, chews his fingernails. He regains focus, and continues to take notes and follow along with PreCalculus teacher Jonothon Sauer who is working out homework problems on the white board.

Ian shows his work ethic both in and out of the classroom. As he takes notes in class, his crowded schedule is on his mind. Ian is taking a ballet class Monday through Thursday after school at the St.Romain Dance Academy and had a lead role in Acting Up’s production of Footloose.

His hectic schedule, combined with the after-lunch exhaustion, makes it difficult for Ian to focus in class.

However, with his books sprawled on his desk and his pencil constantly in motion, he tries to make the effort.

It’s 7:43 and junior Sarah Brindza has been in school for less than a half-hour. She’s tapping her pen on her desk with a stack of two books (Economics and Pre-Calculus), a binder, and a pencil case on her left. Her Honors Pre-Calculus teacher, Jonothon Sauer, is going over homework, and Sarah is following along. She likes the black-and-white nature of math, and she feels like she is doing fairly well in her class. Yawning, Sarah pulls out different colored pens and continues to take notes on her open notebook.

Though Sarah enjoys math, her passion is Shitōryū, a form of karate in which she is a first-degree black belt. Before reaching this achievement, she had been working at Buckner Martial Arts for a total of five years. She is now working for her certification to instruct. In the meantime, she is working as an assistant in a children’s martial arts class, which she finds to be enjoyable, albeit occasionally tiring.

Sarah is continuing to watch her teacher and take notes. She is resting her foot on the bottom railing of her desk. There isn’t a seating chart in her class, so Sarah chose to sit near the front, but not front and center. She doesn’t want to be the center of attention.

2nd Bell: Stacey Hanson, 9:20 AM

A Day in the Life of a Desk A Saga in Five Bells

Woody Goldsmith | Staff Writer

We take our desks for granted. Whether we are having a bad day and need to put our heads down or we are distracted in class and doodle on the hardwood surface, the desk is a constant source of support in the occasionally taxing school day.

There is a Virco desk in room A111 that is always in place. It never moves from its location (right of center, second row) and it is always clean. In one day, is occupied by a karate black belt, a girl with a passion for singing, a Mandarin novice, the lead in a community play, and a girl actively involved with her church and her community.

It’s 9:20 and freshman Stacey Hanson is sitting with her legs draped over the right side of her desk. She is trying to smile at her best friend, who is sitting on the other side of the room. When her Algebra I teacher, Nicole Paxton, turns around, Stacey is diligently taking notes, facing forward. While her teacher is talking, Stacey often writes when no one else in the class is writing, and when everyone else is finished writing, Stacey continues. When she’s not writing, she’s chewing a piece of gum and tapping her mechanical pencil on her desk, arms folded on her work space.

She again glances at her best friend, who, because of the class seating chart, is not sitting near Stacey.

Despite the separation from her friend, Stacey likes her location and her class. She also likes the school, which she calls “ridiculously big,” but “pretty good.” She is involved in the Women’s Choir, but hopes to move up next year. And, at the suggestion of her summer gym teacher, Stacey is a scorekeeper at girl’s volleyball games.

Between diligently taking notes in class and adjusting to high school life, Stacey says she rarely gets to see her friends during the school day. But when her teacher gives her time at the end of the period to work on homework, Stacey gets the chance to work with and talk with her best friend. That is, until the bell rings.

3rd Bell: Jessica Miller, 9:57 AM It’s 9:57 and freshman Jessica Miller is quietly sitting as Ling-Ling Nian, her Mandarin I teacher, is going around the room asking for examples of questions in Mandarin. Jessica, nodding along, has nothing open on her desk. She does however, have a stack on the right side of her desk comprised of a binder with a workbook inside, another workbook, and a pencil pouch. Jessica is biting her pen, elbow on desk, as her teacher continues to circle the room.

Mandarin is only in its first year, and Jessica took the opportunity to take the class to prepare for her future. When Jessica graduates high school, she plans to move to Japan, and hopes that Mandarin, with its similarities to the Japanese language, will be a useful skill. She also hopes it will be useful in the future job industry. Jessica is currently improving her skills by attending the Chinese Club.

But the future isn’t the only thing on Jessica’s mind during Mandarin. The class has given Jessica a chance to interact with different people, because although she didn’t initially know anyone in the class, her assigned seat has introduced her to new friends. Jessica is glad for the opportunity. As her teacher finally reaches her, Jessica responds correctly, and Nian moves on to the next student.

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2008 | THE CHRONICLE

Hazardous to Your THE CHRONICLE | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2008

PAGE 15

Health

Could these daily conveniences be killing us?

Jordan Berger | Staff Writer The halfway-filled lime green water bottle’s screw-cap lid hangs to the side as Erica Minner, a Spanish teacher at Mason High School, sits down beside it at her A3 office desk. Daily, Minner keeps hydrated by filling the same recyclable bottle from the school water fountain.

“It’s easier because I can use it over again, it’s cheaper and it’s not hurting the environment,” Minner said.

“I probably wouldn’t ever switch back [to disposable bottles] because [they’re] expensive and I can drink out of the fountain for free.”

While some see benefits in carrying re-usable plastic bottles, others rely on disposables. Senior Megan Rudy carries a bottle every day to stay hydrated for crosscountry and track, but not a Nalgene bottle like last year.

“I switched [to disposables] because I heard on the news how bacteria and chemicals can get in your water,” Rudy said.

According to the University of Cincinnati, most Nalgene bottles are made of plastic that leaches the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) at room temperature; when the bottle contains a hot liquid, BPA is released 55 times faster. The chemical has been linked to breast cancer, prostate cancer and brain damage, according to the National Institute of Health.

Health teacher Stacy Schuler said she is conscientious about daily health risks overlooked in the community. “[People] are concerned about BPA, but then they go eat a pop tart that has tons of chemicals,” Schuler said.

“Then, they drink pop, which is acid[ic].”

Fast Food

Families and students pull up to the familiar golden McDonald’s arches after school, sports practice, or for a quick dinner. However, obesity, heart disease and high cholesterol aren’t found next to the Hot Wheels Happy Meal toy, but within the meals’ contents.

Obesity is taking the lead to replace smoking as the number one preventable killer in the United States, according to PBS News.

Meanwhile, Americans continue to spend large portions of income on the fattening culprits: according to Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser, Americans will spend over $110 billion on fast food this year.

As a result, some students are focusing on the negative economical effects of fast food.

“I don’t like to spend my money on food that’s unhealthy,” junior Collin Pagenstecher said.

Backpacks

Some students may even be harmed by educational amenities: backpacks. Senior Zohair Hussain said he has relied on a two-strap backpack to carry his locker contents home for the past eight years.

“It’s convenient for carrying all of my books,” Hussain said. “Last year, I was carrying at least four books a day and my back hurt from the weight.”

Health complications from backpacks include slouched posture and spinal misalignments; in 2001, more than 7,000 emergency room visits were related to book bags, according to The American Occupational Therapy Association.

Technology

Students rush to check cell phones and do homework over computers at the end of each school day. Junior Alex Chernyahovsky said that he has these commodities in constant use during breaks from school.

“This summer I always had two things with me: [laptop] and cell phone,” Chernyakhovsky said.

Technology, including iPods, headphones, computers and cell phones, has been rapidly integrated into society, but it bears various health effects according to Chernyakhovsky. “iPods are so common because we run, drive and eat with them,” Chernyakhovsky said. “It’s [rarer] to see a person without one than with one.”

The National Cancer Institute has published possible cancer risks and concerns due to electromagnetic radiation emission of cell phones such as cancerous brain tumors, tumors located in nerves around the ears and salivary gland complications.

According to Harvard Medical School Journal, staring at a computer screen for extended periods of time results in a slower blinking rate. Because blinking restores moisture in the eyes, intense dryness and irritation occurs. Other effects of heavy computer use include back and neck pain, arthritis of hand joints and carpal tunnel caused by excessive mouse use.

Flip-Flops

Folders have been neatly inserted into backpacks, lunches have been packed, and the computer screens sleep as students grow weary. They conclude their planning for the following school day.

Junior Margaret Zhang said she incorporates flip-flops into her outfits most of the week. “[Flip-flops] are easy to put on and I like my feet to be free,” Zhang said. “I wear them 6 out of 7 days of the week.”

According to New York’s Hospital for Special Surgery, flip-flops have single-handedly caused more problems with people’s feet in the last couple of years than any other type of shoe.

The summer style has been found to alter the way one walks, creating heel and ankle problems and inflammation due to the lack of foot support.

Hand Sanitizer

As October chills and sweater weather marks the transition to fall, hand sanitizer becomes a daily necessity for some.

Junior Erica Burton said she always has her pomengranate scented Bath and Body Works hand sanitizer in school.

“I carry it because I sneeze a lot and I don’t want to infect others with my germs,” Burton said. “And, it smells good.”

Junior Kristen Eberhard said she is also a daily hand sanitizer carrier.

“If I get something on my hands, it’s a quick solution,” Eberhard said.

However, hand sanitizers may be used as a supplement, but not a substitute for hand washing, according to the FDA. An experiment at East Tennessee State confirmed that a lack of active ingredients resulted in clumps of bacteria where the sanitizer had been spread.

According to Words of the Wild teacher Tim King, these conveniences will always be prominent unless the community reflects on where it’s heading.

“Think deeply about the choices you make,” King said. “The worst is to not think at all.”

photo art by Caleb Schowalter

THE CHRONICLE | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2008

FEATURE | PAGE16

I’m back ...

After missing her freshman year due to a life-threatening illness, Devon Buesking returns to school Ellen Duffer | Associate Editor Sophomore Devon Buesking walked into her first bell on the first day of school this year and, although she has been a part of the Mason City School District, it was her first time attending a full school day at Mason High School.

During the summer of 2007, Buesking began getting stomach pains, irregularly losing weight and always feeling tired. A week after she returned home from vacation in Wisconsin with her friend Zoie Schaefer, she fainted and was admitted into the hospital where she was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and given medication.

“They told me that I was going to be at school the first day,” Buesking said. “They were like, ‘Oh, we’ll get you on a medicine and you’ll be fine in a few weeks.’”

After this medication did not produce the desired results, Buesking was put on a different medicine. This process happened several times until she and her family decided to go ahead with a series of three surgical procedures that should cure her: the first of which was in April and the last is scheduled for November 3.

“The problem with this disease is that everyone’s different and they don’t know what causes it,” Buesking said.

“It’s just a lot of trial and error, in a way.”

The trial and error and subsequent surgeries lasted much longer than doctors initially thought the process would: Buesking missed her whole freshman year of high school, instead completing her basic classes online.

“At first, we didn’t know that I was going to be sick as long as I was, so we were just going to tutor through the first couple weeks of school,” Buesking said. “When it ended up that I was going to miss the entire year, they had this system

where it was a lot of textbooks online. So, I was able to get on the internet from the hospital and from when I was home and do my math and science classes and all that.”

Buesking said that she struggled with finding the motivation to do her schoolwork while sick in the hospital, but she said she doesn’t regret

before she was admitted. She said that higherlevel classes will probably have to wait until her junior year, after she has caught up with her fellow sophomores.

“I was planning on taking all honors and that kind of route, but the online classes were basic, so I’m [taking the] basic classes until I’m back on

learning from a computer.

“It was kind of hard, because I didn’t really want to do all that, but they weren’t [difficult] to the point where I couldn’t handle them -- [the classes were] set up so I could pass everything,” Buesking said. “I’m actually really happy about [taking classes online], because if that system wasn’t in place, I wouldn’t be a sophomore right now. After missing a year and having that happen, it would have been even worse coming back and having to start from scratch again.”

The program Buesking was enrolled in while she was in the hospital did not allow her to take advanced classes, as she had intended to participate in

track,” Buesking said. “Still, this year is kind of messed up with trying to get everything I missed last year in with my sophomore classes.”

Besides her schoolwork, Buesking said she worried about how her absence would affect the friendships she had.

“It actually brought out the true friends that I had and it’s unbelievable what a lot of them did for me,” Buesking said. “I had a group of about three friends, my best friends, who actually came and visited me about every week in the hospital, and I was there for like 9 months. When I came back, the best part about it was that it was like I’d never left. I was really stressed out about coming back, and that was one of the big things [that was stressful].”

Throughout the second half of last year’s third trimester, Buesking came to fifth bell for health class, so that she could get the required class out of the way. She said this experience gave her an idea of how high school would work.

“Being at least in one class, you got to see how things were like, so that helped a lot,” Buesking said.

When this school year started, Buesking was dropped into the realm of high school with a full schedule of both freshman and sophomore classes but she said it wasn’t as bad as she anticipated.

“It was just kind of like jumping into the sophomore year -- [you’re] expected to know everything, and I was completely lost,” Buesking said.

[But], it was easier than I thought it was going to be.”

After being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, Buesking spent nine months in the hospital undergoing trials of medication and surgical procedures. (photo contributed)

THE CHRONICLE | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2008

PAGE 17

PAGE 18

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2008 | THE CHRONICLE

Sports ACTOR F THE CHRONICLE | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2008

The Press Box

Fans often want to have their say. The Press Box is a forum for Comet fans to voice their opinion on the latest games.

SPORTS | PAGE 19

The Senior

After the football team’s 21-6 loss to Lakota West

“Our defensive performance was good, but our offensive line needs more work.

We’ve got to protect our QB and kickers and we need to mix up our play calling.”

Senior Nick Barot

“As an avid Madden gamer, I believe that we should be more aggressive. We can’t score if we can’t move the ball. We’ve got to have pride, and we have to make plays.”

Senior Matt Montes photo by Duncan Fischley

Senior soccer players Katie Erbeck, Courtney Collins, Skylar Chew, Kelly Loughead, Emily Crye,Rachel Defrank, Amy Lipton, Ali Seibol, Brittany Voorhis, Megan Matula, Not Pictured: Hailey Morris

Senior soccer players lead on and off the field “I think they played well on offense, but not at their best. There were a couple of big mistakes, too. The effort was good, though.”

Senior Jessie Brown

“There is a lot of room for improvement, but i think that we can still come back and make a push. We could surprise some people.”

Sophomore Adrian Center

-Compiled By Scott Hutchinson

Scott Hutchinson | Staff Writer As fall came around, marking the beginning of another high school sports season, the Mason girls’ varsity soccer team knew they had something special.

With ten returning seniors, six of whom have been offered athletic scholarships, and a coach who was a professional player herself, the Lady Comets believe that they have the talent, experience, and perhaps most importantly, the senior leadership to achieve excellence this season.

“We expect to be the GMC champs this season,” senior Hailey Morris said While such a prediction may seem bold to some, don’t tell that to the girls. This year’s senior class, one that is considered by many to be one of the most talented classes to come through Mason, said that they have all of the assets necessary to make a case for the GMC title, and talent is just the beginning.

“We have a pretty dominant class as far

as talent goes,” Morris said. “I think that we also bring a lot to the table because of our experience and leadership.”

Morris and the rest of the senior girls have been playing side-by-side with each other throughout their high school careers and for some, longer than that. This experience, the seniors say, is a major reason for the success they have enjoyed in years past and that which they hope to enjoy in the future.

“I’ve been playing with some of these girls since we were about seven years old,” senior Megan Matula said. “We all know each other well on and off the field. It’s like we know how each girl will react to certain situations and that helps us flow as a team.”

So far this season, the senior girls and the rest of their underclass teammates have gotten off to a quick start, winning six of their first eight games and climbing the GMC rankings.

Despite these recent victories, however,

the Lady Comets said that they know they will have to continue to lead on and off of the field if they want the team to enjoy success in the post-season.

“We have to continue to get better [by] playing each and every game” senior Skylar Chew said. “All of us seniors need to embrace our roles as well and try to be positive leaders so that all of the girls have respect for us. We have to be mentally focused and ready to play before each game and we have to lead by example.

As the season enters full swing, the senior Comets hope not only to continue to lead the team to victories, but also to take full advantage of each and every game as they enter the meat of the season and move on to the college level.

“This is our last chance,” Morris said, “Every time we go out there, it’s our last chance to play the teams and the girls that we’ve been playing since we were little kids. This is our senior season and we want to make the most of it.”

Team Tracker The Varsity Girls’ Cross Country team has come out strong this season. Freshman Monica Lake has taken a leadership role, achieving the third fastest time for a 5K in Mason girls’ cross country history. Equally impressive, the top seven varsity runners have finished their races within a ten-second time frame of each other, proving that Mason not only has stand-out runners, but outstanding depth. The Comets said that this depth will benefit them as they make their case for a GMC title.

By Scott Hutchinson

The Junior Varsity Football team went into their game against Hamilton with a record of 2-1. Though some may have been looking for a fight, the Comets stomped Hamilton with a 41-0 win. According to Assistant Varsity Coach Anthony Niemish, the sophomores on the team had a very successful season last year and were expected to do the same this year.

By Danni Simms

PAGE 20 | SPORTS

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2008 | THE CHRONICLE

He’s a

BEAST

Zach Wills is on his way to rewriting the track and cross country record books at Mason High School. Already a state champion in track Wills is on pace to bring home gold in cross country this fall. His times are remarkable and he keeps getting better. The scary thing about this athlete: he’s only a sophomore.

Ice in the HEAD

EYE-popping

Not only a cool head when running but in school, too, Wills keeps an A/B average. His favorite class, science, prepares him to study medicine. “ I just like to help people,” Wills said.

Wills has raised the level in runners everywhere, flying past his competition. This year he has ran a 5 kilometer race in only fifteen minutes and thirty-seven seconds. That’s nothing compared to last year; his career best is fifteen minutes and twentynine seconds. A person could take a shower and dress in that time.

Give up an ARM This cross country star wasn’t only just a running phenomenon.

Originally, he was soccer crazy. He started to play soccer when he was about four years old, and quit in eighth grade, for the sake of running cross country.

BUTT kicker A dominating force, Wills has captured wins in the following invitationals: Brian Plasman Invitational 15:47.89 Mason Invitational 15:37.12 Alliance Running Invitational 15:41.00 Malone Invitational 15:40.68

Fire in his GUTS

On his HEELS

His diet serves as fuel for each race.

Zach keeps himself as healthy as possible, especially during the season. He has but one vice when it comes to food: this force of nature cannot resist the cold temptation of ice cream. Just one look at a bowl of it and it will be gone just as fast his 5k.

Head coach Tom Rapp comments on the Zach’s supporting cast.

Ed Carlin, senior “[He] is the senior leader, no doubt. He knows that he has to lead the team even though he may not be the fastest runner.”

Matt Kahl, junior “Kahl is called the Red Fury, not just because of his red hair but also his passion when he runs.”

Tate Honaker, sophomore “He is close to joining the front pack, I can see it in practice, he is close to running the full 5k.”

Matt Larcomb, sophomore “A very talented runner, he is really about to bust out.

He had some problems, but they have been fixed.”

Matt Kincaid, sophomore “Kincaid is especially tough on race day.”

Eric Hauser, junior “Hauser is an inspiration to freshmen. As a freshman, he wasn’t near varsity, now he’s the 7th best man in Ohio.”

photo by Duncan Fischley

THE CHRONICLE | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2008

SPORTS | PAGE 21

Athletes want P.E. credit Danni Simms | Staff Writer

Though Principal Dave Allen and Physical Education teacher Greg Richards said they believe in the necessity of P.E., student-athletes senior Nisha Sachar and junior Kayla Lamotte disagree.

Sachar, a participant on the Mason water polo and swimming teams, said if a student plays a sport, his or her dedication to extra-curricular athletics should justify a P.E. credit.

“If I didn’t have to take the Life Guarding credit it could just be taken from my swimming,” Sachar said.

Sachar said she believes that P.E. is designed for the inactive students who need to be exposed to outlets of physical activity. The fulfillment of Sachar’s required half-credit of P.E. was strained when she had Life Guarding during school and swimming before and after school.

“I ended up being in the water three times a day,” Sachar said. “That was so much for me to handle…so much stress on my body.”

Richards said he believes that the label “extra-curricular” describes how sports credit should be handled.

“Just like any other classroom, if it’s extra-credit you do more,” Richards said, “If you’re in an extra-curricular activity, you should do more than what a normal P.E. class has to do.”

Allen said he comes to the same conclusion that P.E. is necessary because it provides a venue for students to be exposed to various athletic activities.

“The component about Physical Education that we believe is important right now is the awareness of the various ways that there are to be physically fit,” Allen said. “We feel at this point…that it’s important to give our

Party Tailgating at football games becoming as popular as the game

student exposure to those things.”

For athletes that are participating in sports now, Allen said the diverse aspects of P.E. can benefit them in the future when they are not active in their current sports.

According to Allen, the importance of the exposure is agreed on by the curriculum director, superintendent and board of education.

Lamotte has been on the Varsity women’s basketball team since freshmen year. She said she also believes the point of P.E is to keep the students in shape who don’t play sports. Lamotte said her conclusion was drawn from having Weight Lifting at the same time as basketball season, and the lifting not being good for game days.

Though differing from Sachar, Lamotte said that only certain sports should receive the credit.

“It depends on what sport you play,” Lamotte said. “If it’s contact or very physical then you should.”

in the parking lot

Sam Stouffer | Staff Writer With the start of the football season also comes the dawn of another tradition that is quickly catching on at Mason High School: tailgating.

On Friday at 2:15 in the afternoon, students rush to their local Kroger and buy all the necessary items to prepare for the festivities.

Taking their cue from college and professional stadiums, students are getting in the gig and starting to fire up the grills at high school stadiums. That’s no more evident than right here at MHS where the parking lot is teaming with students getting revved up before the big game.

From high school parking lots to NFL stadiums, countless fans arrive with grills and games prior to sporting event. Until now, this pre-game party has not been permitted at Mason High School. photo By Sam Stouffer That is until recently when Mason officials decided to change the rule.

Students are now able to tailgate before Tailgaters gather prior to the home football against Withrow. From left to right: Stephan Cooper, Rumy Varbonov, JImmy Lothrop, football games. Mason assistant principal Zach Brown, Jon Glandorf, Andy Aylmore Tim Keeton played a major role in Aylmore, has gone above and beyond, tailgating at each ing food, drinks and even a grill has been just as tough. bringing back this football tradition. of the Comets game to date. Although it has not been Money is tight and tailgating has its reputation for being “Several students just came up and asked me if it was easy for Aylmore to make every game on time and early to expensive. okay if they could tailgate before football games,” said tailgate, somehow it has been done.

“Well, Rumy accidently threw away our first grill so we Keeton.

However fun tailgating may be, it isn’t without its share had to go get one right after school before a game,” AylAt the college and professional levels, tailgating is known of difficulties. Ranging all the way from gas and cars to more said. “That cost a fortune along with all the food and for its obnoxious fans and foolish drunks. Despite the food and supplies, tailgating puts a strain on your supplies we got, but it was well worth it because it was reputation of tailgatthe first home ing, students are still game and the expected to uphold Comets got a win and behave all MHS when it was all guidelines. said and done.”

“I expect all students When the to never bring alcohol, 2008 football never play any games season kicked off that could damage students were other cars, and also to not taunt any opposing fans,” wallet. excited to set up shop on the blacktop of Mason Middle Keeton said. “Students have earned the right to tailgate “So far this season we have come across many obstacles School. “We have been talking about having this opporjust like seniors have earned the right to have a Senior with tailgating,” Aylmore said. “My friend Rumy Varbonov tunity since freshman year and finally we get the chance Picnic.” is the primary driver, but that doesn’t always seem to to tailgate just like it was a college or professional game,” While few students enjoyed the entertaining antics of work because his van has broken down twice already Aylmore said. tailgating in the 2007 season, students this season have when we were on our way to some away games.” taken it to a new level. One of these students, Junior Andy Problems with cars have not only been the problem. Buy-

“We have been talking about having this opportunity since freshman year and finally we get the chance to tailgate just like it was a college or professional game.”

PAGE 22 | SPORTS

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2008 | THE CHRONICLE

Game Changers

Getting To Know...

Though senior CLAY NORTHCUTT has only been playing football since his freshmen year, it doesn’t show on the field. So far this season he’s had 22 tackles, three sacks, a fumble recovery for a touchdown, and two blocked punts. This dominating defensive lineman will be a factor in games to come.

PHIL KESTER is a junior on the Boy’s varsity golf team who’s going into his last few games with an average stroke of 38.44 for nine holes and the eighth position overall in GMC rankings.

He’s been playing since he was just a kid with inspiration from his late grandfather and looks forward to continuing his success next year.

CARA BAARENDESE “Killing machine”

Senior Cara Baarendese kills her competition in volleyball, literarilly; she has racked up 202 kills and has a hitting average of 56 percent. A dominating force on the court, she has verbally committed to playing at Virginia Tech. She is one of the reasons why the volleyball sits on top the GMC. When did you start playing volleyball and why did you keep playing it?

If you weren’t playing volleyball at all what do you think you would be doing?

I started playing in third grade and I mainly picked up the sport because of my sister. I would always go to her practices with her and just be on the sidelines playing and practicing by myself.

If I wasn’t playing volleyball, I would probably have a job right now. Before I played volleyball, I used to swim so if I wasn’t a volleyball player I would probably be a swimmer.

What was your most embarrassing moment while playing volleyball?

Does the uniform make you uncomfortable?

Well, in eighth grade I was standing up by the net waiting for Kendall Hackney to serve the ball and

As a member of the girls varsity golf eam that recently captured the GMC title, senior ALEXIS NELSON is close to finishing out the year with a 38.07 stroke average for nine holes and ranked third in the GMC. She will finish her senior year as a member on the first-string conference team for the second year in a row.

No, not at all. It’s really comfortable and I actually wear spandex out and when I am just laying around my house because it’s so comfortable.

A lot of people

she served it and it hit me in the back of the head.

Then I blacked out.

What are some your pre-game rituals?

Sports Talk What college football team is going to win the BCS National Championship?

“Ohio State because their offense and defense are unstoppable. They have a team of veterans mixed in with freshmen.”

Chris Mosley, Freshman

“USC is going to make it to the National Championship because they have the best offense in the nation.”

Devonté Walker, Junior

What are volleyball stereotypes?

When it’s not volleyball season what do you do with your time?

After high school volleyball season I play on a club team. That normally starts in December so I have about a month and a half off.

I usually just run so I am not out of shape. So, sometimes I will just go to the gym with some of my friends to play volleyball because I miss it.

“The Georgia Bulldogs because of Knowshon Moreno” Matt Bertrams, Sophomore

make fun of us for it, but I like it.

The night before games we usually have a team dinner at one of the senior’s houses. We just socialize and talk about the game. The day of the game we usually have certain attire we have to wear. If it’s an away game we will dress up but it if it’s a home game we usually wear our Mason gear. We get to the arena around 5:30 and we will warm up and go into the locker room, have a dance party. That usually gets us pumped up. After that were ready for the game.

and they and -as

You have to be tall to play volleyball. I am actually short for my position. For my position you just need to be tall lengthy. For the back line have to be short and fast they’re quick on their feet.

- as told to Sam Stouffer

“Michigan State because they have an excellent running game.”

Austin Rabah, Junior photo by Kirsten McCafferty, photo art by Caleb Schowalter

-Compiled By Danni Simms

Stat of the Month

Comet Culture Grid Name

Last DVD you bought

I can’t wait for...

Pump Up Song

Dream Pet

Favorite Quote

Kevin Bohn Varsity Golf Senior

Joe Dirt

College

Bring em’ Out

By T.I

Sasquatch

“Pain is weakness leaving the body,”

Courtney Collins Varsity Soccer Senior

Strange Wilderness

Spring Break

Girl Talk

by Lisa Lopes

Baby Seal

“When life gives you lemons, make lemonade,”

My beard to grow in

Pocket Full of Sunshine

By Natasha Bedingfield

Alpaca

“Got ten hata’s time to get ten mo,”

Jordan Barnes What Women Varsity Want Football Junior

2 0 2 KILLS

Cara Baarendse, Senior, Girls Varsity Volleyball

THE CHRONICLE | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2008

PAGE 23

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