News: MHS will have familiar face taking over as principal next year
Chronicle Sports: Local recreational sports gain intense student following
The William Mason High School
Volume 6
NEWS BRIEF
New council member takes oath On February 9, Michael Gilb was sworn into Mason City Council to fill the council member seat left by Victor Kidd, who resigned for a job in Hawaii. Gilb is a lawyer and a former state representative of northern Ohio. He graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a law enforcement degree, and then received his law degree from Ohio Northern University. He currently works as general counsel to American Business Personnel Service, which provides direct and temporary hire services. His seat, along with three others, will go up for re-election in November -- those seats including Mayor Tom Grossman’s seat. This is due to term limits. Gilb said that he plans to campaign to keep the seat he has acquired. He was chosen for the position from ten applicants and is the third appointed replacement for Mason City Council in the last 14 months.
TODAY
Talent show voting now by texting The annual NHS Talent Show will take place tonight in the auditorium starting at 5 p.m. Tickets will be sold at the door for ten dollars and all proceeds from the event will go to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. New this year, the vote for the winner of the talent show will be done through text message. Instructions for voting will be given at the event. The administration has also planned to perform something for the show.
Winter Homecoming presale ends Today is the last day to turn in forms for presale tickets for Winter Homecoming -- themed “Central Park Chill.” In order to purchase presale tickets, all school fees must be paid and your ticket form must be verified by Mrs. Brown in room A51-A. Presale tickets are $15 for singles and $30 for couples and can be turned in to Ms. Dean (A62) or Ms. Allen (A63). All forms must be turned in by 3 p.m. If 500 presale tickets are not sold by this time, purchased tickets will be reimbursed.
The Chronicle William Mason High School 6100 S. Mason Montgomery Road Mason, Ohio 45040
February 20, 2009
Issue 5
Student actors aren’t bothered by stage kisses Alyssa Howard | Editor in Chief From a distance, the moment is perfect. The boy leans in, his eyes glistening with adoration, to the face of his female counterpart, who smiles up at him. Their lips touch for a brief instant of hormonal, adolescent bliss. Perfect, except for one minute detail: the glaring stage lights. Known around Mason High School as a tightknit group, students from the MHS drama program generally aren’t fazed by the prospects of performing stage kisses with some of their best friends, according to senior Brad Helwagen. Helwagen, who had his first stage kiss with senior Renee Rabenold during the most recent drama production of Noises Off!, said that most of the blocking of plays depends upon the director’s preferences, despite some personal considerations. “There’s a personal matter to [each kiss],” Helwagen said. “I’ve known Renee forever…so it didn’t really matter to us. To other people, it’s kind of different. And some people’s first kisses are stage kisses. More of it is just about how the director wants it done, and if people are okay with how he wants it done, that’s the way it gets done.” Helwagen said that even though there was some awkwardness in kissing one of his best friends, their respective “significant others” were okay with the stage kiss because Helwagen and Rabenold are such good friends. “When we practiced, it was kind of weird, because she’s always just been my best friend,” Helwagen said. “We both had boyfriends and girlfriends…and I told my girlfriend about it, and she was like, ‘As long as it’s Renee, I don’t care.’” Junior Moira Cevasco, who has kissed
senior Woody Goldsmith onstage in Much Ado About Nothing and You Can’t Take It With You, said that knowing the person before kissing them in a production can ease any awkwardness accompanying theater smooches. “Sophomore year, we didn’t know each other all that well,” Cevasco said. “[Woody] was a year older and one of the main members of the drama club, so it was more intimidating.” Production practices before the kiss has been rehearsed are more awkward than those during performances, according to Cevasco. After the students take the initiative to practice the scripted embrace, it is expected that they continue until the show opens. “We both tried to act nonchalant about it, but we were both really embarrassed,” Cevasco said. In addition, Cevasco said that all offstage passions must be put aside to successfully perform a kiss onstage. “It’s a real kiss, but it’s not like, ‘This is so romantic or passionate,’” Cevasco said. “Even if you did like the person romantically, it still wouldn’t be a ‘moment,’ because it’s all for show.” A major technical consideration to the kiss that must be accounted for is the ample stage makeup that each actor wears for a show, according to Cevasco. “One thing that the costume designer does talk about is, you have a lot of make-
up on your face and the lights are really bright,” Cevasco said. “I could get lipstick on his face if I kiss him because there’s a lot of perspiration, and I have lots of makeup photo by Alyssa Howard on. And he has makeup, too, which is weird, because it’s stage makeup.” The most notable difference between personal and scripted kisses, however, is the volume at which each person is speaking to each other, Cevasco said. “I had trouble with volume because you’re saying romantic things to each other…and standing close to each other, but [the director] would be like, ‘I cannot hear what you’re saying at all,’” Cevasco said. According to Cevasco, stage kisses become a running joke between cast members and crew throughout the various performances of a show. “Everyone talks about which kiss was the most awkward and which kiss wasn’t,” Cevasco said. “Each night they give [each] one a grade based on awkwardness.” When the show is over, however, Helwagen said that the onstage couples immediately revert to offstage platonic friendships with ease. “At the cast party [after the] last show, Renee and I were hanging out, playing Halo and talking,” Helwagen said.
PAGE 2 | NEWS
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2009 | THE CHRONICLE
McCarty-Stewart to be principal next year Alyssa Howard | Editor in Chief Associate Principal Mindy McCarty-Stewart will step into the principal position next school year at Mason High School as Principal Dave Allen will move Mindy McCarty-Stewart into an assistant superintendent of human resources role. These administrative position changes will be effective August 1, after the contract of the current assistant superintendent, Craig
Ullery’s contract with Mason City Schools expires. According to McCarty-Stewart, her role with the administrative staff will be allencompassing next year as opposed to the specialized position that she holds as associate principal. “Basically I oversee all aspects of the building as opposed to specific responsibilities assigned to associate [principal],” McCarty-Stewart said. “At this point you start to have meetings, saying, ‘I’m working to transition somebody into this role.’” With this promotion to the head supervisor of the building, McCarty-Stewart said that she will miss some of the areas in which she has been most concentrated
over the past two years she has been associate principal. She said that finding new people to fill these roles, however, will also be a rewarding experience. “Letting go of things I’ve really worked on and been a huge part of [will be hard]. Now I just know I’m going to get updates from someone else,” McCarty-Stewart said. “As a building principal of something this size, [it’s important] to know how to delegate and allow other people in administration and in the team to get the opportunities that I did.” Meanwhile, Allen said that he looks forward to the prospects of working as an assistant superintendent, a role that entails leading the hiring process for the
school district. The downside, however, will be working in a central office that lacks a student body, according to Allen. “Part of my doctorate degree involved human resources, so I have had an interest in this area for a long time,” Allen said. “However, this is probably going to be my most difficult transition because as a teacher, I was with students, which I really enjoyed. As an assistant principal and principal, I was still engaged in the students’ lives, which I really enjoyed….This will be really the first time that I will not be in a building, which provides a little anxiety for me, because I got into education to begin with to work with young people.”
Student criminals face variety of punishments Ellen Duffer | Associate Editor Mason High School students are not immune to court system punishments. During the evening of Thursday, January 15, three students unplugged bus yard heaters, keeping the diesel fuel warm despite below-freezing temperatures, rendering 59 of the 129 Mason City School District buses unusable, according to The Pulse Journal. The effect was school cancellation the following day. The students, charged with both the fourth degree misdemeanor of criminal trespassing and fourth degree felony of disrupting public services, face the possibility of several days to months spent in a juvenile detention center and a fine. Such charges warrant different punishments due to the varying degrees of the crimes: the misdemeanor has a penalty of up to 30 days of incarceration and/or up to a $250 fine and the felony could result in up to 18 months of incarceration and/or up to a $5,000 fine. When minors are charged with a crime, either a felony or misdemeanor, they are rarely taken into custody following a physical arrest; in most cases, including that involving the students charged with bus vandalism, suspects are issued a court summons, according to School Resource Officer Troy Nelson. “Typically what would happen is, once the police have a crime reported to them, they investigate it [and] they determine what individual is responsible for it,” Nelson said. “They can do one of two things -- they can either go out and make a physical arrest, which means the person would be locked up and taken to the juvenile detention center, or they can just go up to the court and file charges against the individual, which is the same as being arrested, but [the suspect is] just not taken into custody or taken into the jail. They would just be summoned in the mail with a court paper that tells them when they have to appear for their court date.” The type of arrest made is also dependent on whether the suspect needs to immediately be taken into custody. “Certainly, in violent criminal offenses, like rape or murder, there’s always going to be a [physical] arrest there,” Nelson said. “When you’re talking about a crime to where there’s not a victim that has to be protected out there, like
a domestic situation, a lot of times charges are just filed. But, it all depends upon the seriousness of the crime and the potential for if we have to protect victims.” After a minor has been charged, he or she must report to court to be issued a punishment or be cleared of charges. The court date, in relation to when the crime was committed, depends on the type of arrest and the magnitude of cases already filed. “[The court date] really depends upon how soon we found out who committed the crime,” Nelson said. “As soon as they’re charged, the paperwork goes through the court system. If they’re physically arrested, the proceeding happens quicker because if you’re sitting in jail, you have a
certain amount of time before they have to have an initial hearing to let you out of jail. But if [you’re] just summoned into court, usually it’s about four to six weeks down the road. [The court system] is so backlogged with cases that are being charged and filed that they’ve already been set for several weeks out. [So,] by the time a new charge comes in, it’s put at the back end. ” Following appearance in court, minors carry out their punishments, which can include community service, fines and incarceration. At the age of 18, convicted or tried persons can go through the court process of having their records expunged, so it is as if the trial and succeeding penalties never occurred.
photo by Ellen Duffer
The Warren County Juvenile Detention Center, located in Lebanon, Ohio, holds minors convicted of felonies and misdemeanors. Their period of incarceration varies based on the seriousness of the crime.
Local restaurants lay off student employees Danni Simms | Staff Writer The unstable economy is endangering the jobs of Mason High School students, which allow them to go out on Friday nights and support themselves in college. Senior Alli Kolish was working at Basicilo Organic, a new organic food restaurant located on Tylersville Road, when she was laid off due to the lack of customers. “The [business wasn’t] doing as well as [it] would have liked money-wise,” Kolish said. “They laid off a whole bunch of people, and I was one of them.” According to Kolish, it is reasonable that [management] fired people, but she didn’t agree with the method. “I was told they just went down the list [of employees] and crossed off names,” Kolish said. “But it was understandable. It was a rough beginning [for the restaurant].”
Junior Kendall Ebaugh worked at Johnny Carino’s for a short period of time before she was suddenly laid off from her job when the restaurant closed. “I was there for three weeks, but then I was [told] that I had to get my severance check,” Ebaugh said. “I thought I got fired, but they were like ‘No, we’re closing.’” According to Ebaugh, the managers at Johnny Cariono’s were not aware of the restaurants financial troubles until the day before the restaurant closed down. “[It] closed on a Wednesday, and [the managers] were called on Tuesday night,” Ebaugh said. “We weren’t making enough profit so they couldn’t keep our [restaurant] up and running. They closed it out of nowhere.” Even though Ebaugh was given short notice about losing her job, she was okay with the way the process occurred. “I was fine with being laid off because I
got a severance check,” Ebaugh said. “They paid me the money that I would have gotten two weeks later, so that was nice.” Ebaugh said that she was not caught off guard by Johnny Cariono’s shutting down. “With the way things are going right now, I’m not surprised that businesses are closing,” Ebaugh said. “A lot of retail places and food places [are at risk for closure,] but all businesses are in jeopardy.” Senior Logan Sagle lost his job at Noble Roman’s, a pizza joint located off of Mason-Montgomery Road, when it closed down on February 3. Sagle said he thinks restaurants are most likely to close down due to tighter human resources budgeting. Sagle said he was surprised by the sudden closure of Noble Roman’s, but he knew that the economy would eventually catch up to him. “I thought my job would stay most of the summer, just because I thought it was
secure,” Sagle said. “But it’s just kind of like anything can happen; everyone gets affected by [the economy].” According to Sagle it has been hard for him to find another job, but he must in order to pay for rent at college. To avoid getting laid off from part time jobs, Kolish said that people should work for companies that have been around for a long time. “I knew that IHOP wasn’t going to go out of business,” Kolish said. “Look for a job where you know it’s going to be stable.” Ebaugh said she also believes that it is still possible to find sustainable jobs despite the unstable economy. “There’s nothing you can do if your store gets closed or [management] has to let people go,” Ebaugh said. “Just keep your head up high. If they fire you and you did nothing wrong, take it as a learning experience and go find yourself another job.”
THE CHRONICLE | FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2009
NEWS | PAGE 3
Rewarding jobs found in working with senior citizens Mandy Chiara | Senior Staff Writer
son Christian Village after she volunteered there with the HOPE Club. These Mason High School students Senior Iain McDavid applied to join two have more than the usual number of of his friends and has been working at the grandparents. Their employment at the Mason Christian Village for over a year. Mason Christian Village, a Continuing Care McDavid said he dismisses the criticism Retirement Community on Western Row he has received regarding his job and, like Road, has expanded their families outside Gamble, enjoys coming to work. the traditional boundaries to include the “At first everyone I tell about the job says residents at the Village. they don’t want to work with old people,” Junior Emily Gamble has been working at McDavid said. “But they are really nice. the Mason Christian Village for around six It’s nice to see a familiar face.” months and looks forward to the time she Junior Rebecca Herman, who has spends there. worked at the Mason Christian Village for “I really anticipate going to work,” about six months, said that their employGamble said. “It’s a fun experience to get ment is unique because while they all have to hang out with people who are not your the title “food and beverage assistant,” age and getting to learn from them.” unlike restaurant waiters and waitresses, Gamble first took an interest in the Mathe students get to serve the same people every time they work. “It’s cool because normally in a restaurant you’d see different people every night,” Herman said. “ I see the same people so it’s pretty comfortable.” Gamble said she has also become close to the residents. “There are a couple of people I’ve really bonded with,” Gamble said. “There are a couple people who give me hugs when I see them.” According to Herman, servers get to work at four photo by Alyssa Howard o’clock p.m., the dining hall Mason Christian Village offers lunch and dinner to senior citizen residents seven days a week. Mason High School stu- doors open at five o’clock dents prepare the salad bar (pictured) to get ready for meals. p.m. and the senior citizens
On the walls & In the halls
photo by Alyssa Howard
Junior Rebecca Herman serves Mason Christian Village resident Francis Howe in the facility’s Matthews Dining Hall.
are usually gone by six forty-five p.m. During that time, the servers set out the silverware, take orders, make lemonade, fruit punch and coffee and prepare soup and salads. According to McDavid, the residents normally sit in the dining hall with their friends and family at the same tables every night. “Every table has a number, and the table D1 is a group of old ladies,” McDavid said. “They are really nice and they really like to see me.” Herman said she has also grown accustomed to residents at certain tables. “The tables that get to know you ask how you’re doing,” Herman said. Despite the connection McDavid and Gamble have with the residents; both said they agree that the job has its challenges. “There have been a couple of [residents] that are hard to deal with,” Gamble said.
“Sticking” requires technique Cady Meece | Staff Writer
Information that can be found in the walls of MHS. LECTURE SERIES: Every Tuesday night this month, Mason African-American Students for Change is hosting lectures from six to seven o’clock p.m. The last presentation, on the 24th, will be held in the KIVA. ROWING: Sign up for Great Miami Rowing racing teams, summer camps, and lessons. The rowing program is partnered with the YMCA and other local organizations. Go to www.GreatMiamiRowing.com for more information.
“Spunking” is the new trend that is taking over Mason High School, one Otis Spunkmeyer cookie at a time. “Spunking” is defined as secretly putting stickers from the individually-wrapped Otis Spunkmeyer cookies found in the cafeteria on someone’s back while they continue to walk around for the rest of the day, unaware of the sticker’s placement. Sophomore Griffin Strayer said that there is a certain technique to mastering this hobby effectively without letting the victim known about the attack. “There really is an art to Spunk-sticking,” Strayer said. “The goal is to do it in a way so that no one can tell that they have been Spunked.” According to Strayer, the most effective way to “spunk” someone is to make as little contact as possible. “I used to try and throw the sticker onto people’s backs, but they aren’t always aerodynamic,” Strayer said. “The best way, by far, to spunk anyone is to get really close with your hand to their back and let the stickers just fall into place.” Like Strayer, junior Cory Wane said he uses a similar tech-
BROOMBALL: Mason intramural broomball games begin on Thursdays in March, continuing into April and May at Sports Plus in Sharonville from three to six o’clock in the evening. TEACHING: Teacher Academy is now accepting applications for the 20092010 school year. Sophomores can pick up applications from their guidance counselors. Students involved participate in classroom observations in various Mason schools.
“[But] it’s their home so you have to remember to treat them like you would want to be treated in your home.” Gamble, Herman and McDavid said that the majority of residents they serve live on their own in apartments or cottages on the Village, and don’t need much assistance, but that really, any resident is welcome. “I can think of three married couples -- one’s in assisted living and one is not -and they’ll bring [the person from assisted living to the dining hall]so they can eat together,” Gamble said. The students employed at the Mason Christian Village walk away from each time they work with new experiences and stories to share, Gamble said. “Every day I go home, pretty much, I tell my mom something about them,” Gamble said. “I just love my job.”
photo by Rachel Schowalter
Sophomore Griffin Strayer “spunks” students in the hallway, using his personally devised technique of connecting several Otis Spunkmeyer stickers to each other.
nique when “spunking” someone. “Usually, I just drop the sticker casually as I’m walking by someone and let it fall onto their back,” Wane said. “You absolutely don’t want to do the obvious ‘slap on the back’ technique because people can pick up right away when they have been ‘spunked.’” Due to the higher cost of the large Otis Spunkmeyer cookies than the unwrapped, smaller cookies, Strayer said that he collects stickers from his friends. “I, personally, don’t like the taste of the cookies, so I get my friends to give me their stickers,” Strayer said. “I have a policy that when my friends give me their stickers, I don’t ‘spunk’ them so that I can continue to get their stickers.” According to Wane, he, too, collects stickers from willing people in the cafeteria. “To get stickers, I just walk around to other tables in the cafeteria and ask around if anyone wants to donate their stickers to me,” Wane said. “I usually ask my friends but I, sometimes, ask random people, too.” According to Strayer, the people that he decides to “spunk” depend on how he’s feeling and how others are treating him. “It depends what mood I’m in, but if someone is bugging me or if there is someone that I have been dying to stick, then that’s who I target on that day,” Strayer said. “I usually try to stick someone every day because I always have lots of extra time after I finish my lunch and it’s really fun to do.” According to Wane, unsuspecting students are the best people to attack multiple times. “When I stick someone and I see that they didn’t notice that I did, I usually go back and put more on,” Wane said. “My record is thirteen stickers all on one person.” According to Strayer, his record was set due to his newlyinvented technique of combining stickers. “I’ve recently started sticking four stickers onto one middle sticker to make a set of five,” Strayer said. “Five is my record, but I’m still trying to perfect my new technique.” Strayer said that the unused stickers that he puts on his planner still haunt him after lunch is over. “Whenever I have a sticker that I haven’t stuck to someone when lunch ends, I add it to my wall of shame,” Strayer said. “It is a constant reminder of how many stickers went to waste and it helps me stay motivated to try and use all of my stickers from every lunch.”
PAGE 4 | NEWS
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2009 | THE CHRONICLE
Student bands perform at professional venues Samantha Stulen | Staff Writer For a typical high school student, the bands that he or she may listen to are on his or her iPod screen; at Mason High School, established bands roam its own hallways. While still attending high school, student bands have emerged: One Fatal Flaw, Seventh Hour and Twelve-Eight are working to achieve the caliber of bands anyone can easily download to his or her MP3 player by professionally performing at local venues. Junior Eric Nikolaides, guitarist for blues band Twelve-Eight, acted as a catalyst to start the group with his love of blues, ac-
photo by Rachel Schowalter
Sophomore Adam Vermejan, bassist for Seventh Hour, plays with his bandmates at various venues around Cincinnati.
cording to Nikolaides. “[In] ninth grade I started to listen to a lot of blues because my dad showed it to me,” Nikolaides said. “I asked Tim if he would be interested in playing any of it. He didn’t really have much of a reaction to it because he never really heard of that music [before], he thought I was kidding. We decided to try it out and he liked it.” Junior Tim Miller, drummer for TwelveEight, said that the intent of the band in the beginning was to see if the band could make the National Honor Society Talent Show. The band’s growth stemmed from there. “It was really just to have fun and see if we could make talent show,” Miller said. “It was never [that] we felt like we had to keep it going. It was kind of like, ‘Let’s see where we can take this thing.’” Twelve-Eight participated in the NHS 2008 Talent Show and won Battle of the Bands last year. The roots of the blues band are found in Miller and Nikolaides
who played at the Under 21 Jam in Cincinnati. “Eric had been going there and he started having me go there,” Miller said. “These old guys ran it and they would teach younger kids about the blues and how to play it. [It] was a very relaxed environment so they could learn.” At the band’s beginning, the Under 21 Jam became one of Twelve-Eight’s first paid gigs. “About a month [after playing at the Under 21 Jam], the guy who ran it -- John Redell --our band’s biggest influence, gave us a call saying that his drummer could no longer be part of [the Under 21 Jam],” Miller said. “So, I, at the age of 15, started to get paid to drum [as a member of the Under 21 Jam], which is a very cool thing. That went strong for about three to four months.” Along with the two juniors of the band, Nikolaides’ younger brother, Kevin, is the bassist for Twelve-Eight and, according to Miller, is very talented, especially for being so young. “He’s an eighth grader right now,” Miller said. “He was a seventh grader when we won Battle of the Bands and a sixth grader when he joined the band. It’s very impressive; it scares me sometimes [because] he’s already better than I am and he’s four years younger.” Miller said that playing an uncommon type of music among high schoolers is important to keeping the blues alive. “Our biggest goal is to prove blues is a great form of music and [to try] to get the word out that blues is still alive and well,” Miller said. “It’s not just some old guy with an acoustic guitar in the ‘30s.” Though the goal is proving to young people that blues is thriving, after graduating, Miller said that Twelve-Eight is finished. “We’ve talked about [stopping the band after school] and what I think it comes down to is Eric,” Miller said. “[He] is going to Texas probably for college, and as much as it is a group effort, Eric has really been the ringleader for two years and we’ve accepted that as a band.” Junior Robby Wakeley, lead guitarist and vocalist of Seventh Hour, said that his band does want to ascend and achieve the same level of some major bands that influenced Seventh Hour. “It’s what I want to do,” Wakeley said. “There’s nothing else I really want to do with my life. We plan to go places.” According to Wakeley, Avenged Sevenfold is one of that bands that has influenced Seventh Hour the most because of its progression from an unknown to famous metal band. “Some of the bands that I’m really influenced by were dirt poor before they ever got anywhere big,” Wakeley said. “I’m
photo by Rachel Schowalter
Blues band Twelve-Eight’s guitarist, junior Eric Nikolaides (right), and drummer, junior Tim Miller, practice in Miller’s basement.
probably willing to do that, because music is my life. That may sound corny, [but] I’m ready to do that if that’s what it takes.” Seventh Hour was born two and a half years ago, according to Wakeley, and is comprised of sophomore Sam Sunderland, drummer; sophomore Adam Vermejan, bassist; and sophomore Tony Rood, guitarist. The band has recorded five songs and played at the Heritage Festival in the fall and at venues such as Dirty Jack’s, a music bar in Cincinnati. The band will play at Blue Note in Cincinnati on February 22 and is
Fatal Flaw has played in various venues, including The Attic, The Fisherman Club and Mad Hatter. In December, One Fatal Flaw played at Dirty Jack’s where the band was approached by Cincinnati-based Gorilla Productions, a music company. “[The prize for playing in the Battle of the Bands at Dirty Jack’s was] 20 hours recording time, $500, [and a] $25,000 record deal, [also a] 25 US city-tour,” McVey said. It is hard for the band to tour, which is its ultimate goal, due to their ages, according to McVey.
photo by Samantha Stulen
Guitarist of One Fatal Flaw, sophomore Derek McClintick, practices with the rest of the band in preparation for their studio debut. The band hopes to obtain a spot on the Rise Records music label.
also playing in the NHS Talent Show along with Twelve-Eight on February 20. As Seventh Hour continues to play, its fan base develops, according to Wakeley. “I think there are people that like what we’re trying to do,” Wakeley said. “I’m still surprised [that] at lunch I have people who come up to me and say, ‘You’re an inspiration to me.’ It just really surprises me and blows my mind to hear that. It makes me feel good about myself [and] it makes me feel what I’m doing is right.” Because it is a student band, Seventh Hour’s message echoes to the plights of many in MHS and how they relate to fellow peers. “Lately, I’ve been hearing a lot of people talk about college and what they want to do when they grow-up,” Wakeley said. “There’s so much time -- you don’t have to rush or anything. Just thinking about me going to college sounds a little ridiculous, because I don’t think I would be a person who goes to college.” Like Seventh Hour, One Fatal Flaw is growing and plans to tour after high school, according to sophomore Ryan McVey, vocalist for One Fatal Flaw. McVey; sophomore Derek McClintick, guitarist; senior Matt Kelch, drummer; and Ben Woycke, keyboardist, make up One Fatal Flaw. Since forming the band in May 2008, One
“We’ve been talking about touring [and] we’ve gotten a couple offers, but [since] we’re still in high school, they won’t let us go on tour,” McVey said. Plans for going into the studio, however, are underway, McVey said. “We’re going to practice for a while and then we are going to the studio,” McVey said. “My friend owns a studio and we’re going to send into some big-time company and see if they’ll accept us.” The band’s preferred place of recording would be Rise Records, according to McVey. Rise Records manages bands including The Devil Wears Prada, Dance Gavin Dance and Drop Dead, Gorgeous. McVey said his band is in the style of screamo and hardcore music and one of the band’s influences is The Devil Wears Prada. One Fatal Flaw’s genre of music is popular to MHS students, according to McVey, and the band is different from what other students may hear because of the songs’ lyrics. “I think we put a lot of heart in our songs and we actually take the time to practice our songs over and over again,” McVey said. “We don’t just make up whateverfloats-in-our-minds stuff.”
Views THE CHRONICLE | FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2009
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The Chronicle is the official student newspaper of William Mason High School. The Chronicle is produced by students enrolled in Journalism I, II and III. Editorials reflect the staff’s opinion but do not neccesarily reflect the opinions of the school administration or the Mason City School District. The Chronicle is published monthly. Call 398-5025 ext. 33110 for information regarding advertising in The Chronicle. The Chronicle reserves the right to refuse advertising we deem inappropriate for a high school publication. As an open forum for students, letters to the editor are welcome, but are subject to be edited for length, libel, obscentiy, clarity and poor taste. Letters to the editor may be dropped off in room C110 and must be signed. The Chronicle is a member of The Columbia Scholastic Press Association, The National Scholastic Press Association, Quill and Scroll International Honorary Society for High School Journalists and the Journalism Association for Ohio Schools.
Contact Information The Chronicle William Mason High School 6100 S. Mason Montgomery Rd. Mason, Ohio 45040 398-5025 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 Deanna Allbrittin Jordan Berger Duncan Fischley Woody Goldsmith Scott Hutchinson Jessica Kantor Cady Meece Rachel Schowalter Danielle Simms Sam Stouffer Samantha Stulen Adviser Mr. Dale Conner
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EDITORIAL | PAGE 5
In my Opinion
How has the worsening economy effected your job status or search for employment?
“It hasn’t affected my job search, but the importance of keeping my job.” Zohair Hussain Senior
“At my job, three people got laid off. The boss couldn’t afford to pay them.” Benny Garcia Sophomore
“My work place is making me pay an extra ten cents for my meal plan and I won’t be able to get a raise in at least a year.” Dasia Hood Sophomore
“I work for a privately owned karate business [and] we are doing bad right now. No parents want to pay for their kid to go to karate school.” Mary Hoover Junior
“It hasn’t really affected me that much, just my hours are being cut back more.” Brendan Kelly Junior
“I got laid off from the PetSmart on MasonMontgomery, and I am not really going to look for a new job.” Josh McBride Junior
“It hasn’t affected me. I have been with the counselors in training at the community center for two years. I have the job pretty much secure.” Brent Kitchen Freshman
“I am trying to quit my job and get a new one. But the bad economy is making it really hard to find a new job: no one is really hiring.” Brandon Brewer Senior
Staff Editorial
Steady composure necessary for Bright It is easy to criticize Superintendent Kevin Bright. Think about it: he runs a district with about 10,700 students in grades kindergarten through 12. He’s bound to make some mistakes. But there’s something we can often take for granted as we attend multiple board meetings at which our superintendent gets ripped to shreds by the condemnations of various community members. We just assume that he is obligated to keep the peace and hold a stiff upper lip in the face of such ferocious criticism. The uniform composure that Superintendent Bright maintains throughout each board meeting is overlooked. Even in the face of the most personal and derogatory comments, our superintendent constitutes the head of a school district. But, in a sense, he leads something more. On a greater plane, Dr. Bright represents the ideas, the goals of the Mason community as a whole. He knows that he needs to avoid political discord, because such superficialities are superfluous to the mission of the Mason City School District. This community wasn’t created to satisfy the biased agenda of one side, or attack the character of its leaders. Mason schools came into existence so we could create. But in the end, it all comes down to politics. As the leader of such a sizable district, Superintendent Bright has no choice but to be a politician. He needs to encapsulate the politi-
cal views of Mason to adequately represent the best interests of the student body and its families. This is no easy feat. It entails the incorporation of a multitude of opinions that clash and mesh alternately on a daily basis. With any offense to the speakers of some of the district’s harshest criticisms, he risks alienating an entire cross-section of the Mason population that may empathize with certain points of their arguments. So, he does what is sensible for both the district’s unity and his position in the community: he maintains a considerate silence toward his opponent. But more importantly, he listens. Because as unfortunate as it may seem, our culture is shifting towards one based upon politics. The rhetoric of our public figures, although often dismissed as little more than meaningless banter, has begun to shape the climate of our interactions as humans. Everything is about politics, how you come across to friends and foe alike, and this mindset doesn’t end in the conventional governmental realm. We see this every day, even within the walls of Mason High School. So, when we can all be quick to attack the actions of our district’s leader, we need to retain respect, if not for his policies, for the composure with which he represents Mason.
Beauty lost in over-thinking Mandy Chiara | Senior Staff Writer Decisions have only become more complicated; what was once seen and dismissed with jovial, juvenile eyes is now thoroughly inspected beneath a microscope. Why do stars twinkle: the question of a curious youth, is still the question a high school senior may ask herself, but after dissecting an object, a theory, a poem, a work of art -- or a star -- to the n-th degree, the object begins to lose the luster and the intrigue that drew her to pose the question in the first place. I am not saying that we should stumble ignorantly through a world we know nothing about. Obviously many positive outcomes are derived from research -- breakthroughs in health and science, technology, psychology, literature and art have led us to live longer, live easier and live to avoid the mistakes in our past. But, something monumental is lost in the overly analytical process. To be uninformed is not always to be misled, gullible and uneducated. Sometimes the absence of knowledge is beautiful; to be able to look at a thing and think it is striking without having all the answers is insightful in itself. I understand that the Advanced Placement classes I am taking this year require explication for understanding, and later, hopefully, high scores on the AP exams. The emotional attachment that used to create an enduring love between myself and an author or a piece of writing, however, has been replaced with notes pointing out the syntactical structure, rhyme scheme, and literary devices. The pieces I annotate leave no legacy in my mind; I rarely remember them after the bell rings. I believe this is problematic for two reasons: if these pieces of literature do not form an impression on me -- what use are they to me now or on the AP exam? We must not mistake interrogation for exploration, confuse annotation for understanding and believe that appreciation is the result of explication. Students can hardly recall information taught on a Friday by the next Monday. While the skills we use to break down heavy prose are indispensable, as they teach us how to tackle any intimidating piece of writing, not everything sophisticated calls on 75 minutes of interpretation -- when the minute and particular details will be lost to the weekend. Some people might disagree, they might argue that knowing why, and how, and when a piece of artwork was composed is crucial when first viewing the painting. But the way I see it, if a painting evokes enough emotion to stir its audience, the audience will seek the why, how and when out of the curiosity they feel towards such a stunning piece. And when they discover the answers to those questions -- they will remember them.
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SSG John Craig at 513-932-7690.
THE CHRONICLE | FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2009
NEWS FEATURE | PAGE 7
Reality show culture pervades MHS Rachel Schowalter | Staff Writer “Can you believe what Lauren did last night?!” “Why did Heidi and Spencer have to get married?!” “I’m so glad Audrina moved out!!” Every Tuesday morning, these familiar phrases are squealed throughout the halls of Mason High School. MTV’s reality show The Hills has become the latest teenage phenomenon since 90210. According to junior Griffin Frank, the show was created after MTV aired Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County, which followed the lives of high school students in California. The Hills began another chapter in the life of Lauren Conrad, who moved from Laguna Beach to Hollywood to pursue her career in fashion. Frank said the show became popular because viewers wanted to see the relatable Conrad grow up. “Lauren’s been filming for seven or so years; we’ve seen her in her junior year, senior year, through college and into her professional life,” Frank said. “As she’s grown up, the camera’s been there. Once you’ve seen it, you have to keep following along.” According to junior Kira Fluker, the show’s popularity can also be attributed to Conrad’s intense personal drama with her friends Heidi, Spencer, Lo and Audrina. Fluker said the drama in the show keeps her wanting to know “what’s going to happen next.” “I just like the drama; I think it’s funny,” Fluker said. “It’s just something to talk about, watch and discuss with your friends.” According to Frank, Conrad’s drama seems to be carrying over into the lives of MHS students, as more and more
text messages are frantically filled with vengeful words and death stares are being flashed from one mascara-ed eye to another. “Everybody says, ‘Oh I have so much drama,’” Frank said. “I think that started from Laguna Beach, The Hills and The City. Girls have a lot of pressure today to live up to what they see on TV. But sometimes they add the drama to themselves when it’s not necessary.” Junior Becca Shreve said the show makes girls look shallow and catty because of their frequent fighting. “All they do is bicker and gossip and stab each other in the back,” Shreve said. “It makes girls think that is okay or even cool and whenever there is drama in the show, the characters involved become the thing to talk about. Drama looks good and the show thrives on it.” MHS girls are not only imitating Conrad’s actions -- The Hills has spawned a new wave of materialism amongst teenagers, according to junior Carli Hudson. Hudson said she frequently sees students trying to act and dress like the characters on the show. “They [try] to live more like these rich southern California girls with their designer clothes and whatever else they have, and I think it’s getting rid of a lot of individuality between young women,” Hudson said. Even Fluker, a fan of The Hills, said the show makes teenagers want to be “just like [the characters].” “They want the things that they have,” Fluker said. “I know of people that do it [with] the cars and the shopping and parties. They’re trying
The Best Things You’ve Never Heard Of Woody Goldsmith | Staff Writer
because they are too ignorant about it.” But the general indifference toward the criticallylauded media is not exclusive to the film industry. Television shows, like the 2008 Emmy-award winner for Best Drama, Mad Men, are generally ignored by audiences. For its second season finale on the basiccable channel AMC, Mad Men was only watched by 1.75 million viewers, according to national data posted by Nielson. Last season, Grey’s Anatomy averaged almost ten times that amount of viewers. The public’s tendency to ignore well-received television shows is not a new phenomenon. In 2006, the
critically-acclaimed Emmy winner for Best Comedy, Arrested Development, was cancelled due to low viewership. Rutherford, an Arrested Development fan, said he was worried that shows like Mad Men could fall victim to the same outcome as shows like Arrested Development, or a fate worse than cancellation. “There is a danger of [television shows] becoming too watered down to appeal to the mainstream,” Rutherford said. “More people mean more money, and if [the television business] becomes too money-driven, you sort of lose that artistic integrity.” For those who enjoy these movies or television shows, the critical praise will hopefully be enough to keep this steady stream of unknown greatness going. Both Rutherford and Mocilnikar said that they hope that these unfamiliar films and television shows will persist, regardless of audience size. “I’ll continue to seek [this kind of entertainment] out, and I’ll continue to share it as much as I can,” Rutherford said. “Because good stuff is good stuff and you want people to know good stuff.”
photo art by Caleb alter
w Scho
As of February 17, 2009, the average box office gross of the five films nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture was $54,670,400, according to Boxofficemojo. com. To put that number in perspective, The Dark Knight grossed over $10,000,000 more than that average on its first day in theatres. Even though these films are not watched as much as, say, Paul Blart: Mall Cop, they are obviously well-received by the select few who watch them. Mason High School senior Sam Rutherford said that he tries to see the movies that may not be as popular with audiences, and he does not understand why they are generally ignored. “There are good things that you wish other people had seen, but nobody does for whatever reason,” Rutherford said. According to Rutherford, websites like Rottentomatoes.com and Metacritic. com are helpful in discovering unknown movies. He said he takes suggestions from his family and friends, and that he enjoys spreading the word about less well-known entertainment. “I try to find ways to get to [these movies],” Rutherford said. “I just try to find out what people like. One of the main things I like is sharing with people things they don’t know about or haven’t seen.” Junior Gianna Mocilnikar, another avid film-watcher, said she goes out of her way to try to see the movies that aren’t wellknown. “I make sure that my mom rents [certain movies], and if I am going to the movies, I make sure I see the movie that looks interesting [and] that I want to see,” Mocilnikar said. “If I see commercials for them, I just
think, ‘That’s interesting.’ And usually my taste is very different than other peoples’ [tastes].” Films like Best Picture nominees Frost/ Nixon and Milk have also enjoyed an almost unanimously positive response from the critics, boasting 91% and 93% approval ratings, according to Rottentomatoes.com. The response from the audiences has not been as positive, however; neither of these films has earned more than $25,000,000. Hidden gems in the movie industry like these are not uncommon. In 2005, when Crash took home the prize for Best Picture, none of the five Best Picture nominees earned more than $100,000,000. According to Mocilnikar, films like the ones nominated for Best Picture are unfortunately overlooked and ignored by the masses, while the “common movies” are generally not of the same standard. “People are ignorant toward [less wellknown movies],” Mocilnikar said. “They see a movie and they think, ‘Well, that’s weird.’ People can be oblivious to what a good, quality movie is. The ‘common movies’ are the same movie with different actors, and they’re really boring. I think the movies I watch are more thought-out out and better acted. They’re more mature and they get your mind working, and I like those movies.” Mocilnikar also said that she feels some alienation from her friends when she tries to talk about the movies she enjoys. “I can’t talk about movies with people,” Mocilnikar said. “For instance, Slumdog Millionaire is the best movie in my opinion, recently. When I talk about it, people are like, ‘That name sounds stupid; why would I want to see that movie?’ I can’t talk to people like that,
to live [the glamorous life], but it’s just not real.” Whether or not the show is actually reality or scripted is the subject of another intense debate. Some argue that if the show were scripted, no one would write a script that pointless. Frank, on the other hand, said he believes the show is mostly reality, but the scripted parts are events that have already happened. “When The City started, it was still in The Hills,” Frank said. “Whitney went on an interview for a job with Diane von Furstenberg, and I think that that part was scripted because I don’t think they would show her going on a job interview that wasn’t going to be a part of the next show. I think it is really reality, but some parts are scripted in order to fill the timeline and the storyboard of how everything needs to play out.” While Shreve and Hudson said they fear the show’s effect on our generation, Frank said it’s simply mindless entertainment. “It fills my guilty pleasure,” Frank said. “I just love catching up with everybody on The Hills.”
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“I just feel like you should just have fun every day”
phot o
s con tribu ted
She is the fun in Fun League Bowling
photo by Jordan Berger
Jordan Berger | Staff Writer As the bells before third period conclude, the intercoms speak to every individual in each classroom with a familiar voice of enthusiasm, of refreshment, of encouragement. Acquiring students’ attention through posters and announcements to provide reminders for student involvement is a daily ritual for this Mason High School support education teacher. The excitement heard through speakers does not compare to the genuine spirit and passion behind the
words, from the voice of Paula Schroer, the advisor of Fun League Bowling. Since being diagnosed with skin cancer, Schroer has overcome daily health struggles to motivate students to have excitement and put life into their days, according to study hall monitor and Schroer’s long-time friend Connie Smith. While most students and faculty may only hear Schroer’s words through announcements, her passion for life and Fun League Bowling reverberates throughout the school. “Her personality is contagious,” Smith said.
“People can’t help but go a little crazy around her.” Schroer’s energy lifts spirits and comforts those around her on a daily basis, according to Smith. “She has this insane energy; I cannot see how she does it,” Smith said. “I wish I had half of her energy.” Smith said that rather than focusing on the negatives that could loom in her mind, Schroer has chosen to close a door to unenthusiastic brain waves and thrive in an alternate realm, a
realm that disregards every fault and inconvenience occurring in her life. “Paula is amazing with her attitude about her health,” Smith said. “I didn’t realize she was ill until she had to miss work, because she’s always so upbeat and never complains.” This innate optimism stems from an internal motivation to simply live, according to Schroer. “I just feel like you should have fun every day,” Schroer said. An interest in bowling and having fun helped fuel the establishment of a fun-based bowling
club, but bringing everybody together was the largest factor, according to Schroer. “It’s so cool because I have seen honor students and students who need support bowl together,” Schroer said. “I saw a whole group of guys lift this guy up who was in a wheelchair and put him down on the alley so he could bowl.” As Schroer encourages students and faculty to live out loud, MHS has been affected in a much bigger ways, according to study hall monitor and long-time friend Jamie Steinhauer.
Steinhauer said that after her son suffered a severe head injury, he fell into a stage of social withdrawal and unhappiness. When he entered high school, Schroer became his support educator, who quickly became a symbol of opportunity and support, according to Steinhauer. “Ms. Schroer worked with my son not only with academics, but she made him feel so special,” Steinhauer said. “She made him laugh, brought him out of his shell and to this day my son admires and loves her.” A universal reference of Schroer as a role
model is known as students love being around her, seek her attention and find solace in her presence as she looks for equality, happiness and acceptance for everybody, according to Smith. “You never know because sometimes you can’t believe the things people have been through,” Schroer said. “Everybody has something that they have to get over; everybody has something they have to get through.”
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FEATURE | PAGE 13
Jessica Kantor | Staff Writer From campus supervisor to political activist, Mason High School has its share of superheroes. As you reflect on MHS, these are the faces that come to mind. These people all have some kind of impact on our school and set the tone for students and staff members. NICK TUELL – Captain America Around school, senior Nick Tuell is known for his political activism – however, Tuell said that his involvement in the last election was his first chance to really make an impact on his community. Tuell helped his peers to register to vote and canvassed for Obama during the last election. “As a freshman, I was just able to talk to people [about politics],” Tuell said. “I didn’t have anything to back myself up with. Now, people ask me how they can get involved, which is really cool. People came to me asking what they needed to do.” Tuell said that he takes pride in being politically active and enjoys being involved in his community. “I feel that everyone should take part [in politics],” Tuell said. “We are able to make a difference even in our community with small things. I love doing community organizing and getting people involved – that definitely makes a huge impact.” Every citizen has a different reason for getting involved politically – a previous candidate, a certain issue or a belief. Tuell said that his motivation comes from his disappointment in the previous president. “President Bush got me angry [about] a lot of things,” Tuell said. “He inspired me to get out there and do something, instead of just complaining about it.” Tuell said that he would love to see underclassmen continue to be involved with politics. “Once I leave this school, I hope people still have that vibe and passion for politics,” Tuell said. “This past election, so many people were willing to do more. People should volunteer even if they can’t vote, and have that mentality that they are making a difference. The chances and abilities we have should not be taken for granted.” KRIS OGUNGBEMI – Wonder Woman Whether she is dressing up during spirit week or orchestrating the pep rallies from the arena floor, junior Kris Ogungbemi is always involved with boosting school spirit. Ogungbemi is the Spirit committee chair for student government and helps to plan all spirit activities at MHS. She said that she thinks it is very important to be involved in your high school. “I hear negative talk all the time about pep rallies because people don’t know that I am the one who plans them,” Ogungbemi said. “It makes me sad, but you can’t force people to like our school. I try to make people understand that high school does not have to suck and that they deserve to have fun.” Ogungbemi said that she has learned a lot by taking on leadership roles in her church as well as with the school – she is a class officer and the leader of her church youth group. “Be the leader and people will follow,” Ogungbemi said. “People don’t like to do things by themselves. Take small steps to get involved.” Besides her level of involvement, Ogungbemi said that she tries in her daily life to help others be happy. “Church makes me the positive person that I am,” Ogungbemi said. “It makes me want to help people and make them happy.” Her inspiration to help others, she said, does not only
ANDREW GOETZ – Captain Singalong ECA teacher Andy Goetz is the guitar player you hear as you stroll through B3 near any holiday, or even a typical Friday afternoon. Goetz said that he didn’t always know he wanted to be a teacher. “My bachelor’s degree is in radio and television production,” Goetz said. “Around my junior year, I thought that being on the radio would be a whole lot of fun. Then, I decided that I didn’t want to be so concerned with ratings and the stability of a radio job.” After deciding that radio wasn’t for him, Goetz said that he had to consider his interests. “Television was fun, too,” Goetz said. “But it would give me headaches looking at the monitors and I stressed about trying to get everything done on time.” Both of Goetz’s parents were teachers. He said he enjoyed reading and talking about stories, and decided that he would be an English teacher. “I have a good time [teaching],” Goetz said. “God has blessed me with something I enjoy doing that’s fun for me. Find something you enjoy doing and then get someone to pay you for it.” Now that he has been teaching for a number of years, Goetz said that he has found ways to motivate his students. “I teach speech, and there are a lot of kids who have anxieties about public speaking,” photo art by Caleb Schowalter Goetz said. “I see a big portion of my job as come from church. “My mom is the most important influence in my life, just being a cheerleader, saying,‘You can do it! What’s the besides God,” Ogungbemi said. “She is the kind of person worst that could happen?’ Sometimes, I even do spirit who will stop on the side of the road and help somebody. fingers, but I don’t do any of the stunts.” By example, I have followed her. I know she works hard, Aside from motivating his students with speaking, Goetz and it inspires me to do good things for people.” said that he tries to help students look forward to coming Ogungbemi said that she hopes to apply leadership to school. skills she has learned to a career in public relations. “I like to think that I am the spoonful of sugar that helps “It would be a direct tie [to my personality] because I the medicine go down,” Goetz said. “I try to help the kids love people,” Ogungbemi said. “I like to deal with people, who don’t like school and who would rather be doing just even if they are negative, and help them understand about anything else. But if they have to come, at least things.” they think, ‘Hey, that guy is all right.’” HANS LOEWE – The Hans One of MHS’s campus supervisors, Hans Loewe, travels through the pods, occasionally tossing a piece of bubble gum at a student or just giving a simple wave. Loewe has worked for Mason for seven years. “Before this, I worked in distribution for Kroger,” Loewe said. “I was inventory control manager, distribution manager . . . I held many different jobs at Kroger.” After spending his whole life working for Kroger, Loewe said he needed some kind of job to keep him active in the community. “I have two kids of my own,” Loewe said. “I have always liked kids. I retired from Kroger and needed to do something that would keep me active and keep me on my toes, and kids definitely do that.” Loewe said that the part he loves most about his job is getting to know the students. “I tell most of the students [to] just look at me as [their] unofficial grandpa,” Loewe said. “I try to help everybody and I try to listen to their problems and help them if I can. I am supposed to keep you all safe and monitor the hallways to make sure people stay in class.” Loewe said that he has seen his share of various situations where students are struggling and always tries his best to help. “There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t find a girl crying on a bench because she broke up with her boyfriend or had a bad day,” Loewe said. “I reach in my pocket and pull out my handkerchief and make her feel better then take her down to the counselor then back to class. Most kids get a lot of instruction at home and at school, and just need someone to listen and empathize with them.”
MIKE SPARKS - The Blackholian When the roller coaster gets started at the basketball games and even football games with the Black Hole, you can look to the front of the crowd to see senior Mike Sparks leading the group. Sparks said he got involved with the Black Hole during his junior year. “Last year I started to be really involved,” Sparks said. “No one was really talking about [stepping up next year] and then once the season got started we got a group of friends together to continue what happened last year.” Sparks said that it is important to carry on the tradition started by the class of 2008, and that he spends a lot of time working on Black Hole plans. “We meet about twice a week [to plan for the games],” Sparks said. “I hope somebody will step up next year and continue it. I spend more time planning for the games than I do on homework. I do all the announcements at school and through Facebook.” Sparks said that his involvement in school has been increased greatly by his participation in the Black Hole and school spirit. “I am definitely involved way more than I used to be when I was a freshman,” Sparks said. “I was more scared to step up when I was a freshman, but now that I am an upperclassman it’s definitely easier to get involved.” According to Sparks, people who aren’t involved with school spirit are missing a great opportunity. “People who have negative attitudes [towards our school] are missing out,” Sparks said. “Everyone comes together and we are one big school with all the grades -- it’s awesome.”
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FEATURE | PAGE 15
Mason High School’s
Best Dressed
Girls choose style over comfort Deanna Albrittin | Staff Writer You see them: the girls who always seem to have stepped off the pages of Seventeen magazine and into the hallways of Mason High School. Shoulders back and chin up, they stand out in a myriad of jeans and sweatshirts. “I rarely wear sweatpants, so I guess people notice that a lot because a lot of people wear sweatpants and sweatshirts every day to school,” senior Carly Renner said. Senior Lauren Merritt said that how she dresses is a direct result of her daily standards concerning appearance. “I don’t like to look or feel sloppy at school or anywhere really,” Merritt said. As she doesn’t enjoy the ultra-casual look that dominates MHS, Merritt said she has honed in her own style. “I like professional, dressier clothes,” Merritt said. “People at my old work used to say that I look like a business woman.” While Merritt said she prefers a more professional look, junior Caleigh Bougeouis said she favors older styles and draws influences from movie stars of the past. “I really like the whole vintage look,” Bougeouis said. “Audrey Hepburn is my idol.” Although Merrit, Renner and Bougeouis all have different styles, they do have something in common -- they love clothes and they love to shop. “I love Forever 21 and Charlotte Russe,” Bougeouis said. “I only shop every few months so when I do shop, I try to buy a lot.” Renner said she also likes Forever 21, but tries to diversify her wardrobe by going to more unorthodox stores. “I love Target and Forever 21 and I love the shops in downtown Cincinnati on Ludlow [Street]. Just little shops that are different from the typical stores in malls.”
Junior Brooke Mason said she avoids name-brand stores, especially stores with their names plastered on the clothing. Merritt, though, is the only self-confessed shopaholic and said she identifies with Rebecca Bloomwood’s character, Isla Fisher, in the upcoming movie Confessions of a Shopaholic. “I have a lot of clothes, Merritt said. “I have a shopping problem.” Merritt’s confession is far from exaggeration. By definition, a shopaholic is a person who shops compulsively or very frequently and Merritt fits the mold perfectly. “Before September, I would buy something every week,” Merritt said. “It didn’t help that I used to work, for a year, at a clothing store, so I would get my discount and I would get a couple things from them, but I was shopping every week.” Unlike Merritt, Renner said that even though she loves clothes, she has no problem staying away from the stores. “I have a steady job, so if I need something, I’ll go buy it, but I’m not someone who goes shopping every week,” Renner said. “I just buy things as I need [them].” According to Renner, her closet has not suffered from infrequent shopping trips. Many of her clothes are passed down from relatives. “A lot of my jewelry is passed down from my grandma or my great-aunt,” Renner said. “This bracelet [I have] was my great-aunt’s. It’s like 70 years old, but it looks like it’s in the trends today. A lot of my [other clothes are] passed down from my sister or my aunt.” The secondhand clothing has expanded the amount and types of clothes in her closet, Renner said. Renner equates her closet to an “explosion of clothes.”
Although it’s well organized, Merritt’s closet also contains full shelves, racks, bins, baskets, jewelry tacks, and space for more than 50 purses. With so many clothes, each girl has her own process of picking out their outfits. While junior Brooke Mason pulls her outfits together when she wakes up, Bouegouis, Merritt and Renner said they put together their outfits every night. “I pick out my clothes before I go to bed because I’m too tired to process all that in my head [in the morning],” Bouegouis said. The girls’ processes and styles may be beyond the understanding of many MHS students, but for Merritt, she said her weight loss originally influenced her to start dressing up. “Most people who know me know [that] I lost a lot of weight from middle school,” Merritt said. “I lost 30 pounds right before my freshmen year. In middle school I wore lounge-wear most days; I didn’t really care.” As her self-confidence increased, Merritt said her clothes became dressier. “Freshmen year, I wore sweatpants once a week or once every other week,” Merritt said. “Then sophomore year, I started the ‘No Repeating’ Rule. Then junior year, I wore even dressier clothes.” For Bougeouis, Mason and Renner, dressing up comes naturally and is something they have been doing since they were young. “Ever since I was little, I would always dress up my Barbie dolls and I guess I just never grew out of that,” Bouegeouis said. “I’m just doing it in a different way now.”
photo by Deanna Albrittin
Senior Lauren Merritt searches her color-coordinated closet for an outfit each night for the next day at school. She said that her closet is filled by her shopaholic tendencies.
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Sports THE CHRONICLE | FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2009
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 17
Mason students invest heart and soul into recreational sports
How did you feel about the men’s varsity basketball team performance against Lakota West?
“The last shot of the game was ice-cold as a Stouffer’s frozen TV Dinner.” John Palmer Senior
“The Comets came up in the clutch. Sam Stouffer is the beastest guard in Ohio.” Sam Osborne Junior
“It was a great game because even though they were losing, the Comets never gave up. They gave 100% effort till the very end.” Barry Hensley Junior
“The game was probably one of the best I’ve seen. It was extraordinary and it kept us all on the edge of our seats.” Becky Dunn Junior -Compiled by Scott Hutchinson
photo by Scott Hutchinson
Senior Devon Davis gears up for a shot during an intense game against a Kings intramural team.
Scott Hutchinson | Staff Writer While it is traditionally the highly competitive, school-sponsored sports that attract much of the student body’s attention, there are many athletic alternatives which students invest their effort into all throughout the community. They are known as recreational sports and as they grow in popularity, a new breed of athletes is emerging here at Mason: the Intramural All-Stars. They aren’t highly recruited and they aren’t out to impress the collegiate scouts, but for the intramural athletes of Mason High School, having Mom and Dad or younger siblings in the stands is more than enough to set the stage for some serious competition. Sometimes thought of as a step down from “real sports,” intramurals have begun to see a considerable increase in popularity as more and more serious athletes turn to the less time-consuming, but equally intense competition that they have to offer. While many students think of them as “soft” or “just for fun,” senior Darius Staples, an intramural basketball player said he insists that despite not having that “must win” feel to their games, intramurals are by no means uncompetitive. “Every time I take the court it’s like an animal emerges,” Staples said. “It’s about
pure and utter domination and I’m not happy until I send my opponents on their way, feeling pitiful about themselves and their basketball abilities.” Staples, a first-year member of the team, said that while he was once guilty of devaluing recreational sports as well, he feels that people don’t give intramural sports and their participants the respect that that they deserve. “A lot of people would be surprised to know that we actually practice and that the games are pretty intense,” Staples said. “There are a lot of guys that used to play school ball that just don’t have the time to commit anymore. We have good athletes and so do most of the other teams.” With competitive intramural athletes clashing week in and week out, bad blood often seeps its way into the competition just like at the varsity level. Staples’ teammate, senior Aaron Brodie, said that despite competing at a lower level, he and his teammates refuse to let the term “intramural” act as an excuse for soft play. “We play a lot of Kings and Lakota kids, so that inspires us to play a little rough. We throw elbows, we trash talk, we do it all. We actually had eight technical fouls called on us once, and everybody yelled at the refs…especially the dads in the stands.” While Staples and Brodie do their work
on the basketball court, senior Dan Forero gets his intramural fix in a slightly different way: taking to the turf with his coed soccer team at Mason’s Wall-to-Wall indoor facility. While Forero said that he too enjoys the competition that intramural athletics have to offer, Forero’s inspiration for joining a team was a little different than most. Also a member of Mason’s varsity soccer team, Forero said that while the talent pool may not be as deep as what he encounters at the varsity level, it is the conditioning that drew him to intramurals. “I play intramurals for fun, but I also do it to stay in shape,” Forero said. “There is no out-of-bounds in indoor soccer, so I’m running constantly. I can get a serious cardio workout.” Whether it’s for the thrill of victory, to stay in shape, or just to have a good time with friends, intramural sports are gaining popularity here at Mason High School and with flag football exploding onto college campuses and athletes packing gymnasiums for pick-up games, intramural sports and the students that take part in them are finding their niche across America. “[Recreational sports are] a lot of fun, and they give you something out of the ordinary to do with friends,” Forero said. “Intramurals will just become more and more popular because of that.”
Team Tracker
photo by Sam Stouffer
The boys’ junior varsity basketball team is on track to an unbelievable season after going 12-4 in its first 16 games. According to junior Andy Aylmore, the team counts its January 24 victory against the once-undefeated Centerville Elks among its most notable achievements. “Going up there and beating a team like Centerville just proves that we are doing something right,” Aylmore said.
The boys’ and girls’ varsity swim teams entered the post-season with yet another victory in the Greater Miami Conference championship meet. The boys won by 74 points and the girls won by a staggering 126 points. According to junior Cari Caprio, both teams are more than ready for what lies ahead. “We work so hard, and are always ready for all the challenges thrown at us,” Caprio said.
photo by Alyssa Howard
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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2009 | THE CHRONICLE
Game Changers
Getting To Know...
Sophomore varsity wrestler Jeremy Artrip has only been wrestling for five years, but he is leading the 112 pound weight class division in the Greater Miami Conference. Artrip said he enjoys wrestling because he is able to hurt other kids, and he has been doing just that while on his way to the 27-4 record he has this season. Artrip has 14 pins with one more meet and GMC championships left to go.
Andy Hanson
Though senior Cara Werner said her nine years of basketball playing started as just “something different to do,” her statistics for this season do not reflect the casual beginning of her career. Werner shoots 42% from the 3-point line, averages 10.8 points per game and shoots 93.1% from the free throw line this season.
Varsity bowler Chuck Hammond finished out his season with an average score of 203.5, and his high of 287 was the third highest in the Greater Miami Conference. Hammond was a major contributor to the first men’s bowling GMC title that the Comets captured on February 3, 2009 with his scores of 259 and 247. The men’s bowling team finished with a perfect 9-0 in the GMC.
Sports Talk
“The Frog”
With his last swimming season winding down, senior Andy Hanson is concluding his high school career with an impressive third place finish at the Greater Miami Conference championship meet in the 100-yard breaststroke. After spending the majority of his high school experience in the pool, Hanson is facing life after swimming. How have you felt about your senior year so far? I like it; it has been fun so far. I am relaxed right now, knowing that I have been already accepted to my colleges. I have been accepted to Ohio State, Georgia Tech, Purdue University and Marquette University. Now it is just a matter of picking which one to go to. What will you miss most about high school swimming? I might miss [swimming] a little bit. I liked being able to stay in shape. Without it I am kind of lazy. I will miss the meets too, they are always fun. I can socialize a lot.
Do you think Michael Phelps has fallen from grace? “I do not think his reputation is tarnished. He is still one of the best athletes of our time and he is a young lad; we all make mistakes.” -Colin Pagenstecher, Junior
What did you hate the most about swimming? The hard practices, and there are just a lot of them, too. We practice all of the time: [with] every day, two-adays and Saturday practices. I have no time to really do anything else.
“Yes, because everybody thinks he’s such a great person and has so many gold medals, but now people look upon the bad things rather than what he achieved.” -Alli Cryder, Junior “No, I believe whatever he does outside of the pool should not be associated with what he does inside it. He is still a legend.” -Logan Collins, Senior
What is the most difficult thing about swimming the breaststroke? It is pretty much like anything you want to be good at: you have to work hard at it and keep practicing and working at it. Though the breaststroke is the second hardest to perfect, the [butter]fly [stroke] would
“I think he is still a great athlete, even after this incident. He will still go on to help the U.S. in athletics. He is young, and he will learn from it, so people should understand that.” -Joe Spencer, Freshman -Compiled by Sam Stouffer
be the hardest. How did you get into swimming? I have been doing it pretty much my entire life. I just started swimming for fun in the pool when I was a kid. Then I started to swim for a swimming team, and then I went out for the high school swimming team when I got into high school. Do you believe you will be able to make it to the state meet in the breaststroke? Why or why not? It just depends. I definitely need to get faster, or I won’t be able to make it. But I believe that I will be able to do that. I think I can get faster and make it to the state meet. How does it feel to be almost done with swimming forever? It is nice; I am getting ready for the freedom of it. I am going to have so much free time. I will feel so much better being able to relax at home more. What do you plan to do with all of your spare time? I don’t really know. I will probably just be relaxing a lot at home. I will head home right after school now, and hang out with my friends after school, too. -As told to Duncan Fischley
Stat of the Month
Comet Culture Grid Name
The Super Bowl was...
Professional Wrestling Name
I am going to be famous for...
Most daring thing I have done
Valentines day is...
Kelsey Egan Varsity Basketball Senior
A really good game
The Punisher
The good stuff I do
Skiing down a big hill for my first time skiing
Stupid
Brain Luria Varsity Wrestling Junior
Was exciting, but the outcome was dissapointing
The Flying Elf
My good looks
Talking to Murnan, my coach
Free candy
Keaton Freds Varstiy Swimming Senior
Retarded; they had lots of bad calls
Swammy of Swimming
Swimming
Jumped off a roof
Depends on who your with
9 5 4,6 Number of pins knocked down by varsity bowler senior Melissa Nabel this season
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