MHS Mirror May Edition

MHS Mirror

Mattoon High School

M AY 2 0 1 3

VOLUME 3 | No. 7

M AT T O O N H I G H S C H O O L MHSMIRROR.ORG

“Striving to reflect the MHS community”

MHS students take life-changing trips

Not your average tourist

By Sarah Foster, Features Editor

America, “Bon voyage,” the summer before his junior year. The group visited seven different countries—England, France, Switzerland, Italy, Lichtenstein, Austria and GerThe final bell of May 23 represents Mattoon High School’s student’s favorite: many. summer vacation. It symbolizes a vacant three months that is dying to be filled “[I decided to go] mainly because the chance to go to Europe is a once-in-a-lifewith enjoyable plans for a memorable summer. For juniors Ben Righter, Kadie time opportunity, and to be able to play music for the citizens of those countries Gentry and Maddison Thomason, that’s exactly what it was; Righter and Thoma- [was] an added bonus,” said Righter. son, before their junior year, and Gentry, before her sophomore year, took the ultiAfter the 16 days finished, Black witnessed complete transformations in students mate summer vacation: a trip abroad. like Righter who travelled abroad through the program.

However, these students didn’t travel out of the country as the average “Kids have changed for the better—in personality and musicianship,” he said. tourist; their trip’s commitments did not consist of seeing the Eiffel Tower. “You’re teaching them America through music. When they hear your group, they’re Each student travelled out of the country to share America’s compassion. expecting America. That’s where the ambassadorship comes in.”

Pleasing the citizens came first, and with that, came Throughout nearly 17 years of cooperation with pleasing Righter, Gentry and Thomason. the leaders of the program, Black explains there has “The trip was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” never been a negative experience. said Righter.

“We’ve sent several students, and we’ve never had “I will never forget this trip,” said Gentry. “I Kadie Gentry, a student say ‘I wish I’ve never done that.’ They allearned so much from it, and it changed my ways say, ‘I want to go again.’ We’ve sent all diflife so much. I came back as a different perMHS junior ferent types of personalities, and they’ve all had a son than when I had left for the trip.” ­ blast,” said Black.

“This was definitely something that I will never forget because Gentry travelled with a student ambassador group called People to People Amof the people that I met there,” said Thomason. “I wouldn’t have bassadors; this organization is helping travelling teens immerse themselves in the had such an enjoyable experience without them.” culture of other countries through volunteer work.

PREPARATION “I chose to be an ambassador because I wanted to help spread the idea of peace Two years ago, Todd Black, MHS director of through understanding,” said Gentry. “I also wanted to learn more about the differbands, thought in his office’s swivel chair. Black ent cultures and lifestyles of the people who live there.” was required to nominate students for an amAccording to the People to People Ambassador’s website, some activities student bassador program that he has worked with since ambassadors could potentially participate in include reforestation, construction of 1996. Illinois Ambassadors of Music is designed homes, relief aid, or as Gentry did, the preparation of peat for various homes in the for nominated Illinois musicians who fill seats of overseas communities. an orchestra, choir and band for 16 days as they “Our group of ambassadors did some service jobs for the area,” explained Gentry. travel and play concerts for European civilians.

“In Cahersiveen, Ireland, we cut peat for the elderly. Peat is a source that is used to PHOTO COURTESY OF K ADIE GENTRY One of those students was Righter, and af- heat homes [in Europe]; it’s also a good moisturizer for hands.” ter his freshman year nomination and sophomore The entire trip Gentry experienced lasted 19 days; in her stay, she visited the NetherGentry and Arthur stand in front of the year preparation, Righter told his peers, family and lands, Belgium, France, England, Wales and Ireland.

Eiffel Tower on one of the trips.

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“I will never forget this trip.”

Dice Run raises college money

By Kaylie Homann, Editor-In-Chief

Losing a parent could be one of the hardest events anyone could go through. Not only do people who experience the death of a parent lose a loved one, but they also have a piece of their support system taken away. This is true for many, but the community of Mattoon has come together to be that support system for Mattoon High School junior Brody Philabaum and his younger brother Cameron, who goes to Mattoon Middle School, by holding an annual Dice Run to help raise money for their college education.

The Run was created by a club made up of men who enjoy playing poker together; Philabaum’s father was the president of the club before passing.

“The Dice Run started last year right after my dad passed away,” said Philabaum. “It was more out of respect for my family to make sure me and my little brother have enough money to go to college and get an education.”

The decision to help the Philabaum family came naturally to the club.

“Right after Brody’s dad passed away, in a day or so, we all were DICE RUN/2

How to sign up Registration: Saturday, June 8 Custom Smoke House, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

The run will be held on June 8.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE MHS RIDDLE

Seniors Gavin Lewis and Austin Sherman dance with their dates during a slow song.

Students enchanted by ‘Masquerade’ 2013 prom lives up to hype, with some reservations

By Riley Trotter, Design Editor

For many students at Mattoon High School, prom is the last major event before graduation. Between the dresses and tuxedos, music and dancing, dates and dinner, although there were some negative comments about the music, 2013 prom lived up to the hype. This year’s theme was Enchanted Masquerade and was held on April 27 at MHS. “I’m glad I went because I got to have fun with friends,” said MHS senior Austin Owen. “If someone asks me next year, I would say ‘yes’, so I can go back again and see all of my friends.”

All of the time and effort spent for prom was worth it for many students.

“I loved the preparation; it was my favorite part,” said junior Hayley Boehm.

Owen didn’t detest the planning, either.

“It was worth the preparation because everything good has to be prepared for,” said Owen.

Out of the span of high school and all of its dances, most students have one school dance they consider the best. For some it could be their first, or maybe their last.

“For me, the best one was when I went to prom my freshman year,” said junior Will Kearny. “There was music that people could actually dance to. If there isn’t, it makes it boring.”

There was also one specific dance that Owen preferred also.

“My sophomore homecoming was the best because it was my first dance,” said Owen.

Although some have one specific dance that was their favorite, Boehm has multiple favorite danc-

es.

“All of the dances with Andy [Bell] were the best,” said Boehm.

For some students, there were many interesting occurrences at prom.

“I witnessed two girls start fighting in the middle of the dance floor.

One girl slapped the other, then the guys broke it up, and they were best friends again,” said junior Rhiannon Douglas.

While it was someone else that made prom fascinating for Douglas, for senior Jeremiah Pugh, he made prom interesting for himself.

“I dislocated my shoulder while doing the Harlem Shake,” said Pugh.

Though many students thought that this year’s prom was a great experience, Kearny didn’t agree.

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THE MHS MIRROR MAY 2013

TOURIST

Page Designer Riley Trotter

From One

From 1 PHOTOS COURTESY OF BEN RIGHTER

Left: During the Changing of the Guard, guards march along the streets.

Right: While on a bus ride through Switzerland, nice views are seen throughout.

Thomason found her way abroad through Teens Mission International.

“I decided to go on this trip because I considered being a foreign exchange student, and my grandparents recommended I try this first,” said Thomason.

The trip is organized similar to a mission’s trip. However, according to Teens Mission International, the program is more intense and rigorous than that of a normal mission’s trip.

“While I was there, we built a chicken coop, brick wall along the side of the property [and] gate to open the property. [We also] added some water-filter systems that would cleanse and heat the water and poured concrete as a pavement,” said Thomason.

Thomason and 30 others found themselves working in Latacunga, Ecuador, for most of a three-week period. On one condition: Thomason was restricted from bringing or using any technology to communicate. Despite its difficulty, Thomason feels transformed.

“I feel like I matured a lot from this. Having no contact with anyone other than through letters really changed me and how I look at technology now,” said Thomason.

THE TRIP In order to travel as a student ambassador, Righter found himself selling raffle tickets, Little Ceasar’s pizza kits, and preparing tickets for a 50/50 drawing.

As preparation for Thomason’s ambassadorship, a thorough, threeweek training period in Merritt Island, Fla. was required to be of good assistance to those abroad.

The city was used as a home base for the ambassadors. After the trip ended, Thomason said the team of ambassadors “flew back to Merritt Island for debrief.”

All explain the tedious preparation was worth it. Righter, Gentry and Thomason found themselves amazed with the cultures they were immersed in.

“In most of the countries, it was really fun to watch [the audience’s] reactions [during a concert,]” said Righter. “Some would stand up and cheer and wave flags, but in other countries, the people just sort of sat there.”

“The people were very nice, and the culture is just so different that it makes for a wonderful experience,” said Thomason.

“In Amsterdam, we watched some people make their own clogs by hand, and [we] also rode horse and buggies in the mountains for the view,” said Gentry.

Gentry was particularly impressed with Europe’s unique culture.

“Many of the countries were really big on their history and with keeping the country clean. Many also still have traditions that are centuries old or use different methods of transportation for different activities,” said Gentry. “They also

The MHS Mirror

is produced by the students enrolled in the Journalism II and I courses at Mattoon High School.

Kaylie Homann Justin Gordon Emma Diltz Riley Trotter Molly Dotson Sarah Foster Destinee Anderson Paige Jordan Jacob Harris Sydney Edwards Lane Plummer Wyatt Jones Albert Henderson Jarett Martin Fancie Lewis Jenna Butler Macie Drum Amanda Bright

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Mission Statement: We, the staff of the MHS Mirror, strive to be a public forum that evokes individual high-level thinking and sparks conversation in a way that defines high school journalism, while maintaining a high ethical journalistic standard.

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go out more and play. I remember that all the parks and areas were filled with people.”

Gentry found a new discovery when she was able to speak to political leaders in England.

“When I spoke to a former member of the Parliament in England, I learned that members consider themselves to be conservatives, rather than what everyone else considers them,” said Gentry.

Righter agrees that Europe puts an emphasis on its history; one of his favorite countries was England, specifically because it has “interesting history tied to it. The scenery and history is amazing.”

Righter found Europe’s continent-wide low drinking and smoking age unfamiliar, and Thomason admitted that road laws were sometimes unfollowed.

“Nobody stopped at stop signs or anything,” said Thomason.

Despite the differences, Righter and Gentry were still able to find the common bond that links America and Europe across the Pacific Ocean.

“We have fun, we use technology [and] we have our history that we like to show in museums just like them,” said Gentry.

“In some of the countries, everyone was very kind and generous, but in others [specifically France and Italy,] no one really seemed to care about anyone but themselves,” said Righter.

THE MEMORIES Righter and Thomason retain several memories of the trip deep in their hearts; however, Righter has a favorite.

“I’ll never forget the second day we were in Switzerland. We were given the first half of the day to do whatever we wanted, so a few others and myself went on a hike,” said Righter. “I’ll never forget the view of the mountains and just how far you could see.”

“My favorite place was Quito, where we got to go sightseeing,” said Thomason. “I liked going shopping and seeing all the handmade crafts.”

Gentry still remains awestruck.

“I can’t say that I had a single favorite place. There were many places that were amazing,” said Gentry. “I loved going on the London Eye. I also loved going to Omaha Beach and other battle grounds of World War II because I got to see firsthand where the men were and got to see the American cemetery in Normandy.”

No matter what aspects the students found rewarding, all exclaim ed the same phrase: “I want to travel abroad again.”

“Especially as a student ambassador because I learn so much more than an average tourist,” Gentry added.

“I think it would be cool to be able to plan out my own trip so that I could see what I wanted to when I wanted to, but I’m actually considering going with the same group

again the summer after this coming one,” said Righter.

“This was the best first trip out of the country that I could ever ask for,” said Thomason, implying that there will be more trips to come.

If a student is contemplating travelling abroad, the former ambassadors have words of advice.

For those students who do not wish to spend their summer in the confines of Mattoon, let alone The United States, there are profitable experiences.

“It was definitely worthwhile, and there are so many benefits to going, but I think one of the main ones would be experiencing the different culture and new places,” said Righter. “Before the trip, Europe was just a place I had read about in textbooks, but being able to see it for real is unforgettable.”

“My trip to Europe as a student ambassador was definitely worthwhile. It was so much fun and educational,” said Gentry. “It also helps in the long run in schooling because it gave me a school credit, and it makes it easier for me to get into the college or university that I want to attend.”

“It was definitely worthwhile because I met so many wonderful people, and I’m such a better person now. I still keep in touch with almost all thirty people who went along with me. I also have a better understanding of what life’s like outside the U.S.,” said Thomason.

PROM

Other students agreed that there was one common problem with prom this year: the music.

“More classic music would have made it better,” said Boehm.

Owen also agreed that a wider variety of music would have improved the dance.

If students are looking for a chance at change, perhaps a new theme would make prom more ideal for students.

For Kearny: it would be space, for Boehm: black and red and for Owen: Star Wars.

their college fund,” said Francis.

“We’re going to raise as much as we can.”

Although this Run is made by the club, the Mattoon community offers a helping hand, too.

“A lot of the planning is done by us as a club; people from the com-

munity help who aren’t part of the club, too,” said Philabaum.

The Run this year will be on Saturday, June 8. Registration is $10 per participant and starts at 10 a.m. until noon on June 8 at The Custom Smoke House. The Run will take place regardless of the weather.

From 1

“I’m not glad I went; there was too much grinding and no good music to actually dance to,” said Kearny.

DICE RUN From 1

sitting around and had the collective idea,” said Cory Francis, new president of the club. “We wanted to do something for Brody and Cam.” Francis reflected on what Brody’s father offered to the club and gave a reason to help his children.

Brody’s father served as a role model for the decision and the current club members.

“He was our fearless leader,” said Francis. “He was the first one to help someone out. He was a brother to all of us. If I passed on, I know he’d help in any way he could.”

When the Run raises enough money for the Philabaum brothers’ education, they have another way to spend the money.

“If they still do it after we have enough for college, they’ll donate to the American Heart Association or stroke research,” said Philabaum.

Because of this, a set goal for profit is not present.

“Last year we donated $7,000 to

News

THE MHS MIRROR M AY 2013

Page Designer Molly Dotson

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MHS library gets new book system ­­By Jarrett Martin, Distribution/Promotion Manager

Mattoon High School has had Lincoln Trails for years, but now we have a new library system. This year, the Illinois Heartland Library System combined all the library systems in Illinois, creating Share and Polaris Library Systems. Doing this will help provide a more advanced library system.

Executive Director of the Illinois Heartland Library System Leslie Bednar said the systems were merged due to the budget.

“The four regional library systems were merged in July 2011 due to severe restrictions placed on the funding we receive from the state of Illinois,” said Bednar. “We merged to continue the core library services of resource sharing (includes the online catalogs and delivery of library material) and Talking Books programs.”

Mattoon High School Librarian James Sledge said he likes that they merged all the library systems together.

“So far, Polaris has become much easier to search items,” said Sledge. “It became more advanced and accurate.”

Bednar said by having the new library systems it would help students have more options to choose from.

“We merged our automated groups, LINC, elCat, GateNet, and SILNet, to provide library patrons more opportunities and access to materials while at the same time reducing, in a small way, the cost of providing this service to our SHARE member libraries,” said Bednar.

Sledge agrees with Bednar saying it does give more options, and it has more items than Lincoln Trails ever had.

“Right now there are 90 million items on Polaris ranging from music, books and

get more sources, and they would be able to compare their sources,” said Wiberg.

Not only does Polaris have more items to choose from, but it has the most updated technology to help it make updates by not

PHOTO COURTESY OF ILLINOIS HEARTL AND LIBR ARY SYSTEM

DVDs,” said Sledge.

English teacher Ashley Wiberg hopes that having more information will give students more access to materials for research papers.

“In English, students would be able to

having to shut down the entire website.

“We are using the latest available technology in integrated library systems (ILS). The Polaris system server runs inside a private Illinois Heartland Library System (IHLS) Cloud. This cloud is a fully redundant scal-

able platform that is designed to be upgradable without ever interrupting service to our libraries,” said Bednar.

Sledge hopes Polaris is a lot better receiving books, unlike Lincoln Trails.

“When we had the old system, it took a week and a half to get a book. So far, I haven’t seen how long it takes yet because not many students have ordered books, but I think that it would be much faster than Lincoln Trails was,” said Sledge.

Wiberg’s goal for the new library systems is to develop a much quicker routine.

“My goal for the new library system is probably to get books from other schools and get access to them and get them quick in a timely manner,” said Wiberg.

Bednar said Polaris has some main goals for this year and hopes that these main goals will help Polaris be better than the old library systems.

Wiberg said the new library system will give more information like colleges have.

“In college, you have huge access of stuff to sniff through, and that I know having a new library system I think that students would be able to access more information,” said Wiberg.

Sledge hopes that students and teachers will check out Polaris sometime because he knows many have not checked it out because it is so close to the end of the school year.

“Students are already done with their research papers and haven’t use Polaris yet, and once they get back to school, it will still be new to them,” said Sledge.

Grisius-Sullivan to visit Chile, broaden horizons

By Jenna Butler, Reporter

Many teenagers mention wanting to get away and leave this little town of Mattoon, but only a handful act upon their words.

Ariel Grisius-Sullivan, sophomore at Mattoon High School, joined the Rotary Program to escape to a better opportunity by extending herself educationally, socially, and culturally. She has now been given the opportunity, by the Rotary Program, to stay in Santiago, Chile for 11 months.

“I never actually wanted to go to Chile. I’ve always wanted to go to Japan and foreign exchange seemed to be the only way to do that. We can’t pick our countries, though, so I took what I got. I decided it didn’t matter where I went as long as it was away,” GrisiusSullivan said.

Randy Krepel, MHS Spanish teacher, believes being a foreign exchange student is very beneficial.

“It’s a better opportunity to learn the language. You will not only be surrounded by language, but you will also be immersed in it,” Krepel said.

For Grisius-Sullivan, leaving won’t be difficult considering this is something she has been looking forward to.

“I have no reason to stay in Mattoon, so it’s not going to be a sad goodbye. I’m just glad I can leave

“I want to become completely selfreliant and fluent in Spanish.”

Ariel Grisius-Sullivan, MHS sophomore INFOGR APHIC BY MOLLY DOTSON

sooner rather than later. When I have to come back, I’ll probably be more emotional,” Grisius-Sullivan said.

As Grisius-Sullivan travels to Santiago, Chile, she is still unsure of what to expect exactly.

“It depends on the program.

Some programs put you in a dorm while others put you in a family.

What else involving the exchange like trips or what classes you will take depend on the program,” Krepel said.

Rendi Hamilton, MHS sophomore and friend of Grisius-Sullivan, will be affected by her absence.

“I’m going to miss just not having her there as a friend and locker buddy. We talked about writing little letters, like actual letters, if I get her address. Depending on if she has internet, I’d Skype her,” Hamilton said.

To prepare herself for Santiago, Grisius-Sullivan gets help with her Spanish from Krepel.

“Right now she is coming in the morning. I’m teaching her new vocabulary and the structure of it. We also do conversing back and forth,” Krepel said.

Grisius-Sullivan has a set goal to accomplish before she returns home from her trip.

“I want to become completely self-reliant and fluent in Spanish,” Grisius-Sullivan said.

4 News Students act upon ambitions THE MHS MIRROR M AY 2013

Page Designer Fancie Lewis

TURNING DREAMS INTO BUSINESS ACHIE VEMENTS

By Lane Plummer, Online Editor In an economy as shifting and bustling as the United States’ very own, the strongest way for citizens to boast better numbers for the government to work with is starting small businesses.

Adults yearn to provide their children with the money they need to obtain successful education in the large world, sheltering them from the big, bad world until they are tossing their graduation hats in the air.

By today’s standards, though, times have rapidly transformed, where the hefty responsibility of job maintenance is beginning to be handed down upon the children.

Students at MHS are some of the many following this new standard.

Raven Jackson, MHS junior, is the first example.

“It’s just a firewood business with no name yet. My father and

I started it in seventh grade, so I guess this would be the fifth year,” said Jackson. “My dad helped me a lot; he’s the one who invested in me.”

An interesting twist in the business’s fortune was how the economic downfall helped Jackson’s business more than ever before.

“The downturn actually helped me. People wanted to burn firewood instead of paying for electricity in their household,” said Jackson.

Another example of high school students opening up to the larger world of business early is MHS senior Colton Anderson.

Colton founded Right Path Landscaping and Lawn Care back in February of 2013.

“The business skyrocketed the first month. Right now, we’re actually booked until June 15,” said Anderson. “We’re planned to be landscaping Jimmy John’s in

May.” Working with Anderson is MHS sophomore Jacob Wagner. Wagner has just recently been hired by Anderson to help. Wagner explains how he became involved in Anderson’s business.

“Colton and I were just friends.

We started helping his grandma landscape, and it just sorta caught on,” said Wagner.

Both Anderson and Jackson shared some words for individuals on-the-fence with starting a business.

“You’ve only got your own act to build on. You’ve got to follow up on opportunity. There’s an opportunity in everything,” said Jackson.

Whereas Jackson finds opportunity in his work, Anderson struggled to find sleep in his.

“If you’re looking to start a business, be prepared not to sleep much,” said Anderson.

“You’ve only got your own act to build on. You’ve got to follow up on opportunity. There’s an opportunity in everything.”

Raven Jackson, MHS junior

PHOTOS COURTESY OF JEANNE DAU

MHS senior Colton Anderson and Oakland senior Michael Strader speak with potential entrepreneurs about what it is like to run a business. Strader and Anderson are the owners of Right Path Landscape and Lawn Care.

ACTs: Now juniors can breathe

By Fancie Lewis, Photographer

The ACT is the biggest test of a student’s high school career, and it’s the test Mattoon High School prepares students for the moment they come through the doors their freshmen year. It determines your college readiness as well as college acceptance.

According to Craig Graham, MHS junior, the ACT prep he was given did not truly prepare him for what the juniors endured on test day.

Some students may have felt unprepared; however, others felt like they were very prepared and ready for the test.

“I felt very prepared for the ACT, especially because of my Algebra teacher, Mrs. Talbert. All she did was give us ACT prep for like two weeks straight,” said Breanna Davidson, MHS junior.

Most teachers give students the material and identical problems to the test. However, students have the choice to use these materials.

“I took surveys to find out what the students needed or wanted to learn. From there, I made Problem of the Days and mini lessons. We did this all year long,” said

Jessica Bartlett, MHS math teacher. “I feel like the juniors did a good job, at least I hope so, anyway.”

Testing is over for juniors, and now it’s the sophomores turn to go through ACT prep papers and ten minute reads every week.

“I’m not that worried about the ACT; I will mainly start to worry about it next year when it comes closer to time,” said Allie Gonzalez, MHS sophomore.

The teachers focused on ACT prep and taking the test for so long, the students were elated when they walked out the front doors on the last test day.

“We have spent so long doing prep stuff for this test when in reality, most of that stuff didn’t really help, besides maybe the ten minute reads. I’m just glad it’s finally over, so I can stop stressing about it,” said Breanna Rhodes, MHS Junior.

Now, it’s about deciding what everyone will do with their scores and what will become of the future.

“I honestly wasn’t sure what my score was going to be, part of me thought it was going to be really good, and part of me was not confident about it.” said Rhodes. “I made the score to get into all the colleges I wanted.”

Features Physics Class Blast: Page Designer Sydney Edwards

THE MHS MIRROR M AY 2013

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MHS SENIORS L AUNCH, C ATCH ROCKETS

PHOTOS BY MOLLY DOTSON

Top Right: Matt Haeger, Caroline ZuHone and Megan Randolph, seniors, watch as their rockets fly into the sky. Above: Katilyn McDevitt, senior, and Jim Sparks, physics teacher, get the rocket ready for take off. Left: Senior Jordan Anderson catches his rocket as it falls from the sky.

Gaming Club shows talent in videogames

By Albert Henderson, Multimedia Editor When the halls of Mattoon High School are abandoned and students make their way home on a Wednesday afternoon, a select group of people get together to appreciate the fun and nostalgia of video gaming.

“They are what I have grown up with. I played them when it was raining out and when none of my friends wanted to play,” said Alex Jones, junior at MHS. Growing up with video games is something almost every member in this club has in common and some-

thing they appreciate.

This appreciation is partly due to the consoles they have grown up with and loved.

“My favorite system is the PlayStation 2,” said Jones. “It has all of my favorite classic games and can play PlayStation games too.”

While some members enjoy older systems such as Jones, some, like sophomore William Bryson, enjoy the new generation of games.

“Xbox 360,” Bryson said delighted, “[I like] all the downloadable content, and it’s relatively cheap.”

Along with the systems they

cherish, they all have one game that will always be special to them: the game that got them hooked on video games forever.

Jones’ was “Final Fantasy VII” “It was the first time I ever connected to a story like that as an eight-year-old,” said Jones.

Bryson shares similar feelings for a very different game: the first “Mortal Kombat” ever on the PlayStation 2: “Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance.”

“I played it with my brother a lot, and it was really fun killing him with Kung Lao,” said Bryson.

While a big part of Gaming Club

is the video games, it’s not all gaming club has to offer; camaraderie is another important value demonstrated in this club.

“It seems like you and a friend having something like this in common really boosts that friendship,” said Jones.

Freshman Daimien McGuire also believes that gaming club doesn’t just boost friendships, but creates them.

“When you get a bunch of people in the same room who don’t know each other and like the same thing, it forms a bond,” said McGuire.

The ability to create and boost bonds is part of Gaming Club’s individuality; the other part is derived from the devotion of its members.

“The uniqueness is based on personal opinion, but I like it because I play games all day every day,” said McGuire.

FYI If you are interested in joining gaming club for the 2013-2014 school year, contact Ms. McRoberts in room 217

Petals of Imagination

Paint Your Own Ceramics & Gift Shop

Now Open 1516A & 1518 Lake Land Blvd 11am to 8pm Tue-Sat Mattoon, IL 61938 Noon-6pm Sunday (217) 235-5150

There are several different items to choose from to paint.

PHOTO BY K AYLIE HOMANN

MHS gaming club member plays the Play Station in the commons with fellow members.

Don’t want to paint? Visit our Gift Shop for pre painted items, embroidered and hand-painted shirts, quilts, place mats/table runners, bingo bags, and misc. home decor, and photo quilts. We can also personalize a wall hanging by transferring your favorite photo to fabric, or add a name to personalize a stocking. We can even host birthday, bridal, and graduation parties, too! *Bring this ad into the shop and it will count as a 10% off coupon!

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THE MHS MIRROR M AY 2013

Page Designer Sarah Foster

Features

Making the foreign choice Spanish: A developing U.S. language

By Paige Jordan, Entertainment Editor Many incoming freshmen are confused about what classes to take, let alone the classes they need to take to graduate. Spanish, French or art are some of those required classes and each class has meaning.

To Mattoon High School Spanish teacher Amber Behrends, Spanish can be used for so much more than an available class to take.

“I think that our country is moving toward being bilingual, so people that know Spanish have an advantage,” said Behrends.

That is why several students at MHS have taken Spanish as a course.

“I find it helpful because I will be able to talk to more people,” said Owen.

MHS sophomore Alyssa Hudson also finds Spanish to be helpful for her life after high school.

“I think it will help me because I plan on

going on mission trips,” said Hudson.

Even though senior Austin Owen dislikes some things about Spanish, he also finds it useful for his life.

Even though Behrends didn’t go to college for Spanish at first, she still took it all throughout college.

“I took Spanish all four years of high school and all when I was in college,” said Behrends.

Hudson likes many things about Spanish class, but there is one thing in particular she likes a lot.

“I like to verbally talk in class,” said Hudson Hudson chose Spanish over French because she can use it more because of the countries everywhere that use Spanish.

“I took Spanish because there are a lot of countries around us that use it. It is widespread,” said Hudson.

French: A unique, interesting culture

By Sydney Edwards, Advertising Manager Mattoon High School students who take French as an elective enjoy the diversity and differences between French culture and American culture. They also revel in the challenge of the language, which is not common at MHS or around the Mattoon community.

José Lira, MHS sophomore, has been in French for two years.

He said he wanted to take the language because he wanted to learn another besides Spanish.

“To me, French is easy because a lot of the words sound like words in Spanish,” said Lira.

Anissa Swearingen, senior, has been in French for four years and said she thinks the language is difficult to learn.

“There’s a lot of conjugating. I can’t fluently speak the language, only put a few sentences together,” said Swearingen.

Sarah Burke, French teacher, said in Spanish the conjugating is the same, so French isn’t

any harder.

“There is the same amount of conjugation; there’s a lot of changing the stems of the word to the match the subject,” said Burke.

Burke has been in French since high school.

She said she took the language to be different, like a lot of students do today. Burke also traveled to Canada; she said the French she learned in high school helped her with her stay.

“I was able to speak enough to get my point across. I knew what to say to get to the bathroom and to get food,” said Burke.

In French, the students not only learn the language, they also learn about the French culture.

“We spent a section learning about the culture,” said Swearingen.

Lira said he enjoys the differences between the French and our everyday lives.

“We’ve learned some about the French culture this year. I like that a lot of their restaurants aren’t like ours,” said Lira.

PHOTOS BY SAR AH FOSTER

As students transition into the new year, they are asked to decide between a number of classes that are recommended for high school or college. Foreign language courses are among them. Deciding between French and Spanish is difficult for many students.

Project4_Layout 1 9/28/2011 4:27 PM Page 1

PHOTOS BY SAR AH FOSTER

Above: A French book lies on a desk waiting for a student to study.

Above Right: A Spanish book is opened to one of the several activities inside its binding.

Buick GMC Toyota Hyundai Scion 117 S. 19th Street Mattoon, IL 61938 (217) 234-8863

Nissan Mazda 2404 Lakeland Blvd.

(S. Route 45) Mattoon, IL 61938 (217) 235-4136

Proud to Support The Green Wave!

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Last day to buy a yearbook is May 20!

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green to blue in just 15 minutes Choosing the right college can be a tough decision.

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The hard part can be finding the perfect fit for you – a place where you can achieve at your greatest potential.

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Discover why students from near and far choose EIU. EIU offers a private-school experience at one of the lowest tuition rates in the state. Choose from more than 48 majors and minors taught in small classes where professors actually know your name; find opportunities to connect your life in the classroom with your life outside the classroom; and discover ways to get involved so you can learn about who you are and where your life will take you.

When you’re ready to go from green to blue, come visit us.

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Summer Visits: Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. til 2 p.m.

Summer Open House: Thursday, July 18 Visit our website at www.eiu.edu/admissions for more information.

congratulations

Class of 2013!

Seniors: past & future

8

THE MHS MIRROR M AY 2013

Centerspread

Page Designer Kaylie Homann

PHOTO COURTESY OF DARIEN HARVEY

PHOTO COURTESY OF AMBER DIAMOND

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1. Michael White prepares for the soccer ball coming his way. 2. Watching over his sheep, Austin Sherman enjoys FFA. 3. U.S. military veteran Stanford Sharp accomplishes his lifelong goal by receiving his high school diploma from MHS. 4. Waiting for a tennis ball to come his way, Jeremy Woodyard focuses. 5. Sam Mitchell watches his team during the Coles County Clash. 6. Winterguard performer Kalee Kasey smiles to the crowd at the Coles County Clash. 7. Graphic Arts student Ali Vang presses a shirt. 8. Megan White and Dalton Manning hold hands while walking down the 200 hallway.

2012-2013

Centerspread

THE MHS MIRROR M AY 2013

9

Melinda Holmes

Lacey Solomon UNIVERSIT Y OF ILLINOIS, BIOLOGY AND PREMEDICINE “I HAVE ALWAYS DREAMED ABOUT BEING AN ILLINI CHEERLEADER.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF PAT GAINES

PHOTO COURTESY OF AMBER DIAMOND

UNIVERSIT Y OF ILLINOIS, CHEMIC AL ENGINEERING “I’M GOING TO BE ON THE ILLINI DANCE TEAM.”

Grant Speer

PHOTO ILLUSTR ATIONS BY K AYLIE HOMANN

Meghan McCain K ASK ASKIA COLLEGE, BUSINESS MARKETING AND GR APHIC DESIGN “I’M REALLY EXCITED TO CONTINUE SOFTBALL BEC AUSE IT ’S JUST A BIG PART OF MY LIFE.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF MEGHAN MCC AIN

PHOTO COURTESY OF MHS RIDDLE

STERLING COLLEGE, UNDECIDED “I KIND OF KNE W ALL ALONG I WAS GOING TO GO THERE TO PL AY BASKETBALL.”

Amber Diamond

Todd Reardon L AKE L AND COLLEGE, POLITIC AL SCIENCE “IT ’S ALWAYS BEEN ONE OF MY FAVORITE TOPICS TO DISCUSS.”

PHOTO BY K AYLIE HOMANN

PHOTO COURTESY OF MACIE DRUM

L AKE L AND COLLEGE, CULINARY ARTS OR METEOROLOGY “I’VE ALWAYS LOVED THE CONCEPT OF WEATHER AND STORMS.”

10

Page Designer Jenna Butler

THE MHS MIRROR M AY 2013

Feature

Students suggest hands-on classes

By Kaylie Homann Editor-In-Chief

Throughout one’s high school career, approximately 30 classes taken may all seem to blur together. However, this year, the 2013 Mattoon High School seniors suggest their favorite, most memorable classes to upcoming underclassmen and next year’s seniors.

Katie McNamer, MHS senior, suggests “biology because of Mrs. MacDonald. We didn’t do notes every day; we did labs also, so it’s more hands-on.”

Other seniors also suggest taking a class taught by MacDonald.

“Zoology,” said senior Allie Diltz when choosing one out of three of her favorite classes. “I love MacDaddy [McDonald], and she teaches you a lot of information, but you can keep up.”

Other science classes taught by other teachers are suggested, too.

“Chemistry II is hard work but well worth the dual-credit and working with Mr. Sparks,” said Diltz.

If one is looking for less of a science class, other interactive classes are suggested as well.

“I like taking foods; I like Ms. Hartbank a lot,” said Diltz. “You get to eat; who doesn’t like that?

And if you have left overs, you get to make a teacher’s day.”

Foods class is popular for MHS because of the love for food.

“Foods is easy, and I like to eat,” said Ryan Paige, MHS senior.

The interactive trend seems to be favored by MHS senior students.

“Graphic Arts is my favorite just because it’s hands-on,” said Dulcey Weaver, MHS senior, “It’s my learning style.”

PHOTOS COURTESY OF MHS RIDDLE

MHS students participate in both Graphic Arts and Biochemistry classes. These classes were recommended because they were interactive, hands-on and the students liked the teachers.

“I love MacDaddy, and she teaches you a lot of information, but you can keep up.”

Allie Diltz,

MHS senior

Student participates in multiple athletic roles at MHS

By Macie Drum, Contributing Reporter

Juggling two sports in one season seems like a lot to put on a highschooler’s plate.

However, sophomore Samantha Thompson does a pronounced job of making it look easy.

Thompson has been playing sports since she was young.

Always competing, she made her way onto varsity for basketball and softball during her freshman year, but that wasn’t enough.

With Thompson’s talent and

speed, she thought about running track during her sophomore year, which is during the same season as softball.

When she finally made her decision to compete in both sports, she talked to her coaches and got the OK. “It actually hasn’t been that stressful,” said Thompson. “My coaches have made it a lot easier on me and so have my teammates.”

Teammates and friends of hers are doing their best to keep her motivated and trying her hardest.

“We cheer her on and support her through both sports,” said sophomore track teammate Lauren McCain.

Her coaches also agree that she’s doing an exceptional job balancing and improving in both sports.

“I think she’s done a great job balancing the two sports. It’s very difficult, not only mentally but physically,” said Coach Troy Haacke. “She’s been able to help both sports and helped both teams be successful.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF BRENDA JEAN

Samantha Thompson sprints in a relay for the Mattoon girls track team.

Last day to purchase a yearbook Monday, May 20 at jostens.com!

11 Entertainment New album saves rock and roll Page Designers Paige Jordan & Destinee Anderson

Fall Out Boy makes great comeback with new music

PHOTO BY PAIGE JORDAN

THE MHS MIRROR M AY 2013

By Paige Jordan, Entertainment Editor From announcing that they were coming off of hiatus to releasing iTunes No. 1 album months later, “Fall Out Boy” amazed fans with their comeback.

“Fall Out Boy” is a rock band from Illinois who started in 2001 and went on a break in 2009. The day they came off of hiatus, they released a new song with a music video: “My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark.” It was immediately on the radio, and “Fall Out Boy” was bigger than before.

Now that the CD is out, they are making music videos for all of the songs. The videos are all about the same events. They got kidnapped and their girl kidnappers are pretty much torturing them. So far, there are also music videos for “The Phoenix” and “Young Volcanoes.”

The song “Young Volcanoes” has a great vibe to it. It can change a mood just by the beginning tune.

It is a very catchy, upbeat song that I find myself listening to over and over.

“The Phoenix” was the second song that was released before the

Reviewer’s Rating

album came out. This song was another shocker. Even though it didn’t sound like old “Fall Out Boy”, it was still something new and great. There is a part toward the middle of the song where lead singer Patrick Stump held a long note, and it sounded perfect.

The last song on the album is called “Save Rock and Roll” featuring Elton John. This song has a lot of soul from two of the best singers with great soul in their voices. When i found out that Elton John was going to be in a “Fall Out Boy” song, I knew that it was going to be good.

I was expecting a solid album from my favorite band, and I was not let down one bit. “Fall Out Boy” took a whole new angle with “Save Rock and Roll” with more of a pop rock feel and succeeded greatly.

If you haven’t heard of “Fall Out Boy” already, I would recommend to check them and “Save Rock and Roll” out.

‘Injustice Gods’ serves justice to fighter genre

By Lane Plummer, Online Editor

I have had little to scratch my itch for a good fighting game in the past few years. The last time I ever fell head-over-heels in love for one was NetherRealm Studios’ “Mortal Kombat” back in April 2011.

It only made sense to me to build anticipation for the second release from the talented developer, “Injustice.” While I never saw someone’s head fly or a character’s ribs ripped through his back, I realized that I didn’t need excessive gore to enjoy a solid fighting game backed by hours of replay value and made by a team that truly cares about its source material.

The first noticeable lacking aspect from the developer’s last fighter is the relentless bloodshed. The game has been drastically toned down to a T for Teen rating, so for those who came in wanted to see Wonder Woman’s eyeballs gouged, there isn’t much to satisfy that hunger. However, I see gore merely distracting the player from the goal that was achieved with “Injustice,” which is the fact that you’re pitting one DC hero against another DC hero from another universe! This concept reigns throughout the game and clearly presents the fun that the developers had in making it.

The story surrounds the roster of 24 characters set against each other as they’re split after Superman kills his wife and son from a plot Joker set upon him, leading to the mass destruction of Metropolis. The player is placed in the shoes of several heroes as they fight against the bad guys and girls to reach Superman

meter, and the options open up as it is further packed. You can wait to either fill up your meter to unleash a devastating super move or burn the meter down using the character’s unique set of special moves. It adds depth to the fighting, more so and stop his almighty kingdom that the X-ray attacks did in “Morfrom ruling the world. The plot tal Kombat.” plays on the idea of parallel uniAll fighting which takes place in verses plentifully, which doubles a variety of backgrounds and arethe amount of heroes and villains nas ripped out of DC’s large venpresent. Moments where two cop- ue of cities and mansions. Plenies of the same hero are talking to ty of detail have been added to the each other (sometimes resulting in background around you, which a brawl) are also scattered around is hard to appreciate when you’re the story. The idea of parallel uni- busy chaining together 14-hit jugverses is really tongue-in-cheek, gling combos on-screen. The great implemented just so it could exist. I graphics extend beyond the backreally have no problem with it, be- grounds, as it’s apparent that mascause the story is so outrageously sive amounts of detail have been unpredictable and impossible that used to bring the characters to life.

I just threw my hands up and sur- The animations are smooth, and rendered the idea of plausibility. the game never falters in framerThis is great because I don’t have ate. Clashes that light up the screen to worry about it when I jump into are dizzyingly marvelous to watch the well-tuned gameplay. blow up. Basically, there are no issues that will pop up with the graphic fidelity that “Injustice” comes swinging out of the game strongly with.

Unfortunately, some changes brought are for the worse.

The aforementioned clash system, essentially built to level the battle for a playPHOTO COURTESY OF NETHERREALM STUDIO er in low health with a large suThe fighting in “Injustice” has per meter, is just outright annoying. been tweaked and adjusted to fit The game is slick and fighting is the comic book feeling that glues never broken up, all until a random together the game. Most changes clash occurs, where if you see his have been centered on the new su- meter is higher than yours, you’re per meter. As you throw punches finished with no chance but to bet and chain combos, you will slow- your whole meter to avoid lending ly fill up the meter this super me- him too much health. It is cumberter. There are three tiers within the some when AI save theirs up only

Reviewer’s Rating

to unleash it right after I unleash my hard-earned super move only to be dodged by merely crouching, the largest problem with the game.

Blocking is pretty broken, as the only way to block mid-attacks is by walking backwards, and crouching blocks low attacks, yet they block super moves. It’s incredibly frustrating to notice that some super moves aren’t blockable (such as Superman’s), which is infuriatingly unbalanced. Playing through the entire cast of “Injustice” on one health bar in one of the hardest “Battle Mode” modes, I reached the 23rd and final fighter, Superman, only to be defeated after lowering his health to 1/4th of its normal capacity because he executed his supermove and destroyed my body.

Smaller issues aside, these are the glaring issues that plague “Injustice’s” better aspects.

I would be kidding myself if I said I didn’t have a blast with this game. It not only bests “Mortal

Kombat vs. DC Universe” in every way, it sets a standard for crafting comic-inspired fighters with apparent care with the material.

Ed Boon and company designed one of the greatest fighting games ever made two year ago with “Mortal Kombat,” and they’ve repeated it with only slightly lower of an impact. With a background knowledge of the characters, I felt proud to consider this a game that speaks to comic fans and gamers alike. So much heart and creativity was used here, and it speaks great lengths for the end product. It’ll easily take me over 200 hours to three-star every S.T.A.R.S. mission, complete every battle, and unlock all concept arts and alternate costumes, not to mention the insane amount of unlockables for the customizable player card. This will last me throughout the long summer ahead and stay in my head long after it. “Injustice” is the practical masterpiece the fighter genre needs more of.

12

THE MHS MIRROR M AY 2013

Page Designer Lane Plummer

Opinion

‘Iron Man 3’ proves iron is still hot

the misstep he had in “Iron Man 2.”

Now, while this is a much more personal and scaled-back film, that does not mean there is no action to speak of, it is just far and few between. However, when there is action, it is a sight to be seen. It’s done in spectacular fashion and is the most suspenseful of any in the “Iron Man” franchise. The ending battle kept me guessing and made every punch and blast all that more meaningful.

Shane Black also adds his own sense of humor to the movie in the same way Joss Wheadon added his to “The Avengers.” This is by far the funniest of the Iron Man movies. The banter Tony Stark has with a 12-year-old boy is worth the price of admission alone. I was laughing the entire movie.

Now, with saying all of this, the movie is not without flaw. There is a twist at the halfway point of the movie, which I will not spoil here, that will leave fans of the Iron Man comic books in furious rage. I personally liked the twist and rolled with it because I did not see it coming and what the twist meant added to the movie. However, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little disappointed with how the buildup was, only for this twist to ruin it. book character and how much charisma he brings to this “Iron Man 3” was the not the movie audiences will be role. It is Downey’s role, and I dread the poor soul who expecting after the colossuses that was “The Avengers.” ever tries replacing him. Gwyneth Paltrow also has much However, that does not make it a bad movie; I dare say more to do in this movie than the previous entries as love it made it even more engaging. The biggest detail I take interest and business partner Pepper Potts. Guy Pearce away from this movie was its ambition. From the story to and Sir Ben Kingsley both play great and entertaining vil- the action to even a few unexpected surprises throughout, lains, and Don Cheadle steps it up as Rhodey Rhodes after this movie is loaded with ambition, which is admirable.

It’s another good and ambitious time with the world’s faPHOTO COURTESY OF FANART.COM vorite narcissistic superhero- Iron Man.

Reviewer’s Rating

By Justin Gordon, Managing Editor

It’s that time of year where movie audiences cheer in glee and Oscar judges turn their noses up: summer blockbuster season. What better way to kick it off than a “sequel” to last summer’s kick-off movie “The Avengers” in “Iron Man 3”?

“Iron Man 3” takes place after the events of “The Avengers” where Tony Stark (played once again by Robert Downey Jr.) is suffering the effects of the attack on New York, becoming a workaholic and insomniac. However, when a terrorist known as The Mandarin (Sir Ben Kingsley) starts making his presence known and reeking havoc on Tony’s life and psyche, Tony must separate himself from his suit and save the world.

Shane Black, who replaces Jon Favreau, is the new director of the franchise and crafted himself a little gem with this movie. It’s very much a personal tale of Tony Stark and less of an action fan which will confuse many movie goers’ expecting a gigantic action sequel to “The Avengers” and even the other “Iron Man” movies. I actually liked this direction, personally; it wasn’t what I had expected and that was a welcome change of pace. I wanted something new and unexpected, and I got just that.

The fact that the movie is mostly dealing with Tony’s realization that the man makes the suit and not the other way around was a treat for me. I liked that in this grand universe with gods and super soldiers that “Marvel” was able to scale back and focus on the most relatable of “The Avengers” team as a human being.

The acting was also a step above just being some other popcorn flick an audience can expect from the summer movie season. Robert Downey Jr. is out of this world as Tony Stark. There honestly could be a study on how perfect he is in representing the comic

PHOTO COURTESY OF KLEI ENTERTEINMENT

‘Don’t Starve’ gives plenty for players to digest

By Wyatt Jones, Multimedia Editor Stay out of the dark, craft tools to ensure survival, and most importantly, don’t starve. These are the main objectives in indie developer Klei Entertainment’s newly released game, “Don’t Starve.”

In “Don’t Starve” you play as Wilson, a gentleman scientist, who was teleported to a strange world by a spiffy looking demon named Maxwell. Maxwell’s intentions for Wilson are at first unknown, but is seemingly trying to bring Wilson to his demise.

The game starts you off in an infinite and randomly generated

Reviewer’s Rating

world, and gives you no instruction as what to do or where to begin. This may seem harsh but it adds to the overall mystery and intrigue that the game offers. To survive, you need to gather supplies and build a fire by nightfall. If you are out at night without a source of light, you will die within seconds to a brutal onslaught of hidden creatures.

You can find the following stories: Pain and Gain The Great Gatsby May 2013: This Month in Media

and more on our news website,

www.mhsmirror.org

Another huge part of “Don’t Starve” is, well, you guessed it, not starving. You need a constant food supply and if your stomach goes empty, your health begins to deteriorate and you will soon die.

Food can be obtained in a variety of methods, such as animals, monsters, plants and farming, with cooking providing the most benefits. Don’t Starve is unforgiving, and at times can frustrate you, but proves very rewarding once you learn the ropes.

A good couple weeks in the game without dying and you truly begin to see what “Don’t Starve” is all about. Wilson will come

across a variety of environments, characters and items. From villages in the forest inhabited by pig people to a sandy desert roaming with mammoth-like creatures, “Don’t Starve” is truly a unique game and experience.

The art style in “Don’t Starve” is among the best I have seen in a two-dimensional video game and looks as if you are playing in a hand drawn environment. The developers truly went out of their way on the presentation. The gameplay is reminiscent of “Minecraft,” “Diablo” and oldschool horror survival games, and it comes together in its own bril-

liant way.

The longer you survive in “Don’t Starve,” the more you are rewarded when you die. When you die, the game accumulates all the days spent alive and uses them as experience to increase your overall level and unlocks new characters to play. There are many new characters to unlock and each comes with its own unique perks, such as Willow, who ignites fires in the dark.

Overall, “Don’t Starve” is a dark and beautiful game whose addicting gameplay and mysterious story make it into an indie game you should check out.

Entertainment

Page Designer Justin Gordon

THE MHS MIRROR M AY 2013

13

‘Django Unchained’ is off the chain EPIC CONCLUSION TO THE QUENTIN TAR ANTINO RE TROSPEC TIVE

Reviewer’s Rating

By Justin Gordon, Managing Editor

Editor’s note: This the fourth part of a four-part Quentin Tarantino retrospective.

After “Kill Bill” slashed its way to success, Quentin Tarantino solidified himself as one of the greatest directors working in Hollywood today. For his next film, he teamed up with his good friend Robert Rodriguez and made a throwback to old 70’s drive-in double feature exploitation films with “Grindhouse.” It moderately successful and was well received by fans of that genre. After “Grindhouse,” Tarantino took a new direction in his style by making a movie about World War II with “Inglorious Basterds,” is a highly enjoyable and well-made movie that showed Tarantino has a far bigger range than most expected. It was nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars and greatly deserved that nomination.

Tarantino’s next project would be in the same vein as “Inglorious Basterds” by taking a historical element in time and taking an odd spin on it. The question was could Quentin Tarantino catch lightening in a bottle a second time with “Django Unchained?”

Part IV: “Django Unchained” Racism and slavery have been serious issues America has faced since even before its birth. In “Django Unchained,” Tarantino truly captures the cruelty and horrific nature it was for African Americans during those times, while also creating a beautiful tale of friendship and the pursuit of vengeance.

“Django Unchained” is basically three stories in one movie of the travels of the freed slave Django

ART COURTESY OF DAILYZOMBIE.COM

(Jamie Fox) and the bounty hunter that saved him Dr. King Shultz (Christoph Waltz). The first is the story of murdering slaver brothers that sold both Django and his wife Broomhilda (Kerry Washington).

The next story is the deception of plantation owner Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio), who also is in procession of Broomhilda. The third story is Django’s revenge.

Each story Tarantino tells in this movie is fantastic and gripping,

mostly due to the fantastic characters he created for this movie. The audience roots for Django because you know the struggle his wife and himself are going through. The audience also roots for Dr. King Shultz because despite starting out as a bounty hunter perfectly ok with killing a man in front of the man’s own son, he is probably the most likable Tarantino character ever devised This is most part to Christoph Waltz’s Oscar winning

performance, who brings a softness and charm to an already solid character.

The villains are undeniably memorable, whether it’s Leonardo DiCaprio’s greatest performance of his career as the sadistic southern gentlemen Calvin Candie, or Samuel L Jackson knocking it out of the park yet again in a Tarantino flick as the sinister handyman to Messier Candie, Mr. Stephens.

The direction in this movie left

me awestruck. The attention to detail for the time period is spectacular. There is a scene in this movie where the house slaves are preparing the big climatic dinner table scene. It is done with no dialogue to a of-the-time music tune and shows the strict procedure’s they had to endure at every dinner.

They had to fold the napkins a certain way and do it in unison. This is the example that sticks out the most to me, but there are plenty of others during this near three-hour movie.

This movie also has generated up a ton of controversy on the word “nigger” being used 67 times. However, I felt it kept in tone with the rest of the movie and stayed true to the time frame the movie was taking place in.

“Django Unchained” is an amazing homage to the spaghetti westerns and Blaxploitation flicks of the days of old. The characters are likeable and menacing; the plot is a solid three-act structure of an unlikely bromance and is the true gem of 2012. For any other director, “Django Unchained” would have been his masterpiece. For Quentin Tarantino, however, this was just another day at the cinema.

Quentin Tarantino has created a legacy of great films and has done so by staying true to what he loves and making the way he wants to, not what anybody else wanted him to do and by creating an atmosphere that movie-goers will never forget. Love his movies or hate them, there is no denying the impact one Quentin Tarantino has had on film.

14

THE MHS MIRROR M AY 2013

Page Designer Jarett Martin

Editorial

Opinion

Mirror reflects on Cyber Bully Over the years, social networks such as Twitter have become popular websites among several teenagers, adults and even businesses. These sites have a multitude of uses such as: communicating, advertising, inspiring, coping and much more.

However, recently an issue with these networks has been brought to the attention of the MHS Mirror and staff at Mattoon High School.

Bullying is an age-old problem that some people cannot seem to wrap their heads around. Although discussing this concern could be seen as beating a dead horse, a new method to accomplish this form of cruelty has recently developed.

For those who are not informed, students are creating Twitter pages under false identities dedicated to

the slander of other Mattoon high schoolers. This takes cyber-bullying to a new level of cowardliness because now anyone can post rude tweets on these pages anonymously.

These pages contained “MHS” within their name, and some of these accounts were created on the school’s premises. The administration interfered in order to resolve the issue with a hefty consequence.

The punishment for association with these pages can be suspension and even jail time. Although this many seem extreme, the nastiness spewed on these pages damaged the esteem of students and also had the potential to

damage the school’s reputation.

Indeed, these accounts were erased, but students still did not change their thoughts on this hurtful behavior. They simply put these ac-

By Wyatt Jones, Multimedia Editor

By Kaylie Homann, Editor-In-Chief

By Jarett Martin, Distribution/Promotion Manager

By Destinee Anderson, Opinion Editor

By Justin Gordon, Managing Editor

This is it. The end of the last 12 years of my life. It has taken up more time than any other thing we as students have experienced thus far, and in its own sense has helped create our dearest work of art, our magnum opus, and that is ourselves as people. Ever since the first day I was forced to attend school, I was never fond of it, at times even hating it with a passion, but I made it through, sometimes just barely, and here I am today, typing this paper and wondering what to do next.

Although school can at times seem like the definition of evil, through its experience I have learned that it is a necessary one, and without school we wouldn’t be the same. We started with basic skills and worked our way up. Although the rewards were not immediately evident, we eventually began to form interests and hobbies, new processes of thinking and skills needed for the society we live in.

We were introduced to the social circle and gained friendships, enemies and love.

Every day we would go to this place, some days with anticipation, others with dread, waiting for that last bell to ring. Now that it’s almost over, I sometimes wish that ring would never come. With this year coming to an end, it is now time to give up much of what we know and have known for the better part of our lives and begin a new one, a rebirth of sorts.

School helped destroy a certain innocence we all had. That innocence, although comforting, kept us from growing into a more complex person. With it gone, we have a whole new world to face: college, jobs, children of our own, an array of things we’ve never experienced, a new innocence to lose, and school has prepared us for it.

All these things it taught us, not limited to the subject taught in it, but most importantly the experience of school as a whole. It gave us the things we needed to evolve, it gave us the things that make me, me, and make you, you, it gave us the things that define us. As kids, we made plans, we wanted to be astronauts, to be rock stars, to be scientists, and as this new life that soon faces us, we know that things change, we lose many of the things we used to hold dear, and life’s plans aren’t the ones we originally wanted.

Journalism is the most stressful, time-consuming, hair-pulling and chair-throwing activity that I have ever participated in.

I’m head over heels in love with it.

When I was a sophomore, struttin’ my young stuff in the newsroom, I thought it was all about me, all about seeing my name in print, all about being the top of the staff’s totem pole.

I was so, incredibly wrong.

It’s about telling amazing, accurate, true stories we tell through words, photos or even design.

It’s about helping your staff members become helping your staff members become great journalists too, and as a senior, and Editor-In-Chief, seeing my name in print is the least of my worries.

When I was Managing Editor my junior year, I started to mature and realize this newspaper is bigger than I realize, and I’m only a tiny part of it.

What really matters is the family created in these four walls. Every staffer has gone through a hard time, and none of the staffers have ever paused to give a hug or offer a helping hand.

We’ve given rides home to other staffers, bought them their lunch or even edit pages for their English class. We’ve always been a helping family.

I walk into the newsroom every day seeing Lane and Justin discussing the new movie coming out, Emma and Sarah helping each other with their English assignment, Paige and Riley talking about their new favorite band, and Molly and Wyatt making fun jokes at each other.

This staff is what made my senior year the greatest experience possible by being the most welcoming, comforting group of people I have ever met.

In the end, it wasn’t about me or even the journalistic side of it all.

It was about the way the whole staff encouraged each other, helped each other in classes, hugged and cried when one of us were hurting and teased each other about the nasty Katy Perry or pushing each other down a flight of stairs.

This was the best experience I’ve ever had, and it’s because of you, MHS Mirror staff.

Thank you for everything.

When I joined Journalism I, I never imagined that it would be what I thought it would. It only became 10 times better. When I joined Journalism I everybody was nice, warm and welcoming. I became really close to everyone. I experienced what it would be like once I was in Journalism II. We helped out on distribution day when we gave out newspapers to each class room and drop points. We did that because Journalism 2 was a lot smaller when I first joined Journalism I; we stepped in and helped out as much as we can.

When I did join Journalism II, everyone was really friendly. Everyone helped; I became a better journalist by others showing me how to use InDesign and capture photos.

When I started off, we would work as a group and help each other out.

Today we have expanded so much that it has made us become a better newspaper and group. We all have improved so much together.

Just this year, I started to write much longer stories. I was inspired

by Sarah Foster who writes long, well-written stories.

By writing my stories longer, I was able to put more sources in my stories and give more angles. I would have never written my stories that long without seeing her amazing, lengthy stories. Kaylie has helped me improve taking photos and ranging my word choices for my stories. I really appreciate her friendliness and being the EIC for Journalism II. Journalism has improved a lot since I first started. I am glad to be a part of it. I never imagined I would be able to do a lot of things that I am able to do now.

Mrs. Bright has helped make journalism a true place where you are a family and know the true meaning of being a journalist.

I am so glad that I joined Journalism and now have experienced many events since. I have made some awesome friends who I will be close with after I leave high school.

I will never forget what I all did in journalism and hope that next year they keep up the good work, and know there is always room to and by doing that, it will give more people a reason to read our newspaper and show that we are a professional newspaper.

All through my years at the Mattoon High School there have been many friends, teachers and classes that have influenced me to be who I am today. I would like to thank those remarkable people for teaching me so much.

High school has definitely been like a crazy roller coaster ride. Who knew these four years could fly by so fast?

Choosing a career, preparing for college and having to work hard to make good grades in every class can be a handful. I just remind myself that I will soon be moving on to a bigger and more challenging place and suck it up.

Like most students, I never really found high school that challenging. As long as you deal with your homework and pay attention, it’s not really that bad. Life is how you make it. I feel like as long as you have some friends in school who can relate, we can all complain together and do it all over again the next day.

For the most part, you have the choice to pick classes you’re interested in and then gain new experiences. Some of my favorite classes have been Intro to art, Sculpture, Ceramics, 2D, Graphic Arts and Journalism. I am a huge art person, so of course I managed to squeeze as many classes related to that as I could.

The class that has truly taught me a lot this last year has been Journalism. I wasn’t really sure about it at first.

Honestly, I just figured it would be a writing class, and I enjoy writing a lot.

However, that wasn’t the case. I learned how to capture life in a new perspective by catching the beauty about every little angle, with simply a photograph or an interview.

Interviewing people, making pages, for our school newspaper and distributing to different places has shown me a diverse responsibility. These were new experiences for me.

I truly ended up loving every bit of it. I struggled with anxiety for quite some time, but Journalism taught me how to push it aside and live. Not only the class itself, but the people involved in it have made a gigantic impact on me.

It’s changed my view, and I am grateful.

During the course of these senior columns I believe the readers of The MHS Mirror will read about the impact this class and newspaper has had on each of us, I am no exception. As I walked in my sophomore year to Journalism one I had only taken it because it was an English class and I loved to write.

What I discovered was a new path my life would take and learn the value of teamwork.

I had a bumpy start. Now, as I am typing this column as the Managing Editor and second-incommand of the staff I felt I have grown both as a journalist and as a human being. However, none of that would have been possible without the expert mentoring of Amanda Bright and the continuous staff I can proudly claim to be a part of.

My junior year on staff was probably the most fun, having a legendary rivalry with Austin “Trekkie” Keating and connecting with my future partner in crime Kaylie Homann by fighting over the integrity of Katy Perry. However, the most important year I had on this staff came my senior year where the amazing Amanda Bright had a brief loss of sanity and gave me a position of power on this newspaper.

It was also important because this has turned out to be the most crucial and hard year of my high school career where I faced incredibly hard times by giving up on my dream of being an actor and various other personal problems. However, I found a new passion and dream to become the next great film critic and the unbelievable love and support this staff has given me honestly keeps me smiling and writing. I owe this staff and Amanda Bright more than I can put into words.

So, as I stand upon the top step on the high school flight of stairs, looking down at my past on this staff, my perspective is enlightened. I would not be the man I am today without this newspaper and this second family I have developed. Whether it be my partner and fantastic boss Kaylie Homann or the Gene Siskel to my Roger Ebert in the astonishing Lane Plummer or my new random rival in the lovely Riley Trotter, I adore all of you, and I thank you for every step on this flight of stairs.

C ARTOON BY K AYLIE

counts under a name that did not contain MHS, but instead ‘Mattoon’.

This reflects on Mattoon in a poor manner.

Many people who see this account would be astonished at what “the entire town” has to say about trivial matters, such as whose butt looks nice in yoga pants and who stuffs her bra.

These types of pages are not only immature, but they could affect a perHOMANN son’s future.

For example, when a student gets in trouble for affiliating himself with an account that produces slander, it could appear on his permanent record.

The MHS Mirror Editorial Policies

Opinions in editorials reflect the consensus decision of the newspaper staff and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Mattoon High School. Opinions expressed in columns are solely those of the author.

This will make him stand out negatively to a future employer and even make it more difficult for him to get accepted into certain colleges.

Although the punishment will affect a student’s future, students should have the discretion to not partake in such activity, and we, the MHS Mirror agree with the administration’s decision of punishment.

Journalism II seniors take time to reminise over the years

15 Sports Girls soccer team perseveres THE MHS MIRROR M AY 2013

Page Designer Emma Diltz

By Jacob Harris, Sports Editor

PHOTOS BY DARIEN HARVEY

Above: Junior Kara Brand and senior Allie Diltz work to keep the ball in favor of the Wave.

Above Left: Senior Hunter Worthey battles for possession of the ball.

Below: The team gathers around as Coach Ryan Ghere further instructs them on what to do in the next play.

Journalism celebrates state-bound staffers

4 journalists take experiences to next level

By Destinee Anderson, Opinion Editor At Mattoon High School, the journalism program has proved to be very successful by winning numerous awards. This year, the program has continued its succcess.

Four students, junior Emma Diltz and three seniors, Briana Nevius, Justin Gordon and Jarett Martin, participated in Illinois High School Association for journalism state competition.

“To qualify for such an event, the participant must place in the top three of the category at sectionals’” said Nevius. “There were seven different sectionals across the state, so 21 people qualified for each category at state.”

Nevius was awarded second place in state, which tied the highest placement of an MHS journalist ever. To prepare, she was gifted with help from her best friend, Kaylie Homann, who is involved in journalism, and Amanda Bright, adviser of journalism and yearbook. “Kaylie Homann taught me the basics of copy writing, and Mrs. Bright gave me examples of past state winners,” said Nevius.

Journalism has diverse meanings to both Diltz and Nevius.

“Journalism means being able to say what other people are too afraid to say themselves.”

Emma Diltz, MHS junior “Journalism means being able to say what other people are too afraid to say themselves; it means freedom of speech and that goes a lot deeper than what people understand,” said Diltz.

“Since I’m in yearbook, I don’t really know a lot about journalism, but I definitely want to learn more about it and possibly be involved in it in college,” said Nevius after experiencing placing second in state.

The students concentrated hard for the competition and then got see the results of how well their work paid off.

“We were given a prompt and had to write a story based off the information given and then a professional journalist judged it,” said Diltz.

Mattoon Green Wave girls soccer team has competed in Charleston’s Red and Gold Tournament for seven years. This tournament has proved to be a challenge, but the Green still showed their strengths through the games.

“We played well, and it was a good experience for us,” said Allie Diltz, senior at Mattoon High School.

Even though they lost all three games, Rendie Hamilton, sophomore at MHS, agrees with Diltz.

“We played well together as a team,” said Hamilton With playing good as a team, there were still some weaknesses.

“We needed more commination on defense,” said Hamilton.

Coach Ryan Ghere said, “We played well together as a team, but we played really good teams.”

When asking Ghere what are their weaknesses he said. “Our defense wasn’t too good.”

16

THE MHS MIRROR M AY 2013

PAGE DESIGNER

Jacob Harris

Keep calm: Do yoga

Sports

Teachers and community members relax with yoga

By Molly Dotson, News Editor

As the daylight increases, schedules become increasingly busy as well. Although this occurs every spring, there are ways to cope with the stresses of everyday life.

One of these techniques many find effective is yoga.

“It calms the nerves and helps people gain control of their mind and body by simply teaching them to relax and take deep breaths,” said Vickie Nevius, a hatha yoga instructor at the Mattoon YMCA. Although Nevius finds this method to be useful for relaxation after a lengthy day, others do yoga to stay lean. One of these people is Mattoon High School Spanish teacher Amber Behrends, who began doing yoga in college in order to stay fit.

“I wanted a way to exercise, but I didn’t want to lift weights, and yoga is a great way to strengthen the core and keep me fit,” said Behrends.

Behrends does cardio yoga in her classroom after school every Monday and Wednesday.

“Sometimes it’s a little awkward when people pass by the classroom, but oh well,” said Behrends.

MHS bookkeeper Carla Dufford also does yoga on Mondays and Wednesdays, but instead of performing in a classroom, she prefers to go to the YMCA. “I look forward to relaxing at yoga, but I also enjoy the days where it’s not as easy. The challenge is

fun,” said Dufford.

Nevius also believes relaxation is a major benefit of yoga, and went on to say it has changed her entire thought process when she feels stress.

“We all have stress in our lives, especially around the holidays, but when that time comes I find it helpful to relax, take deep breaths, and I even encourage my yogis to put their legs up the wall when they get into those stressful situations,” said Nevius.

Nevius also encourages doing yoga when going on a long trip because sitting in one position can get uncomfortable.

“I tell my yogis to get out and stretch at least every two hours when they travel long distances,” said Nevius.

Dufford, a student of Nevius, said this advice has been helpful to her in the past, and said she even practices at home while doing everyday tasks.

“I like to do the tree when I’m brushing my teeth, and I often put my legs up the wall when I need to relax,” said Dufford.

Dufford is not the only yogi who practices poses at home.

Behrends also does stances in front of her 3-yearold daughter at home, and she has picked up on some of the positions.

“Maya loves yoga. A few days ago when we were at the grocery store, she told the cashier ‘I do yoga’ and got down right there to show her,” said Behrends.

“It calms the nerves and helps people gain control of their mind and body by simply teaching them to relax and take deep breaths.”

Vickie Nevius Carla Dufford does a pose called ‘Warriar 3’ the at her YMCA yoga class.

PHOTOS BY MOLLY DOTSON

Above: Vickie Nevius, hatha yoga teacher, reads to the class during shavasana. This is the “asana” or pose where yogis relax. According to Nevius, this is the most important pose because it provides time to reflect. Below: To prepare for yoga, many streteh.