MARION HIGH SCHOOL Facebook: MHS The Student Newspaper
March 2011
Volume 73, Issue Four
MHS Musical a Huge Success On March 4th and 5th, MHS put on the production “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” at the Marion Cultural Civic Center. Senior Katelyn Salzman and sophomore Vinny Segretario played the leading roles of Rosemary and Finch respectively. Along with supporting roles filled by Chris Simmons and the MHS choir, the classic show came to life.
All of the acting in the play was top notch; however, a few noted actors really connected with the audience. Everyone laughed out loud at Chris Simmon‟s Erkle-like delivery. During the last song, “Brotherhood of Men”, Kelsey Clark made the crowd laugh as her serious character of Mrs. Jones suddenly turned flirty and whimsical. Katelyn Salzman also had a spectacular final performance of her high school career.
The story line consists of Finch climbing the business ladder from a window washer to eventually the Chairman of the Board all from following the directions of a “How To” book. Along the way, he creates the enemy of the President‟s son, Bud Frump (Chris Simmons), and falls in love with Rosemary. After a business plan gone wrong, Finch finally succeeds when he tells the truth of his meager past and his ignorance of business management.
Without the help of choir director Mrs. Adams, and band director Mr. Graham, there would be no show. The amount of time and energy that the teachers, the choir, stage, and pit orchestra members put in is immeasurable. The play was extremely successful and entertaining. Bravo! -Sarah Anderson
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Senioritis
Senior Spotlight
Justo Lamas
Pom
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Food For Thought Typical student response to school lunches: Nasty, Eww, What is that? Is it the students fault for their response, or is it the school‟s fault for serving unidentifiable food? First Lady Michelle Obama is on a campaign to decrease teen obesity and increase awareness of nutrition. Ideas such as removing the vending machines from school and changing school lunches have been pushed in all school districts, even ours. While the majority of the spectators view the student as the picky eater, one should look at the food being served. The schools can not control what is supplied them, so the blame does not go to MHS and the cooks. On the contrary, our cooks do an
amazing job. By relying on nothing but common sense, it seems apparent that it is futile to serve peas and carrots and foods that the average student has never tasted and expect the majority of the student body to eat it. Even adults would refuse such items. Also, the appearance of the foods adds to the student‟s acceptance. If something looks scary, one can only determine that it tastes scary. Once this is decided, that‟s when the vending machines and even not eating comes in. The students aren‟t choosing junk food over school food. They are simply doing what anyone at any age would do and follow their taste buds to food that they know will taste good.
The Student is a newspaper that is produced by Marion High School students on a periodic basis. Head Editor: Jordan McBride Editors: Sarah Anderson, Dakota Evans, Aaron McGee Sponsor: Mrs. Presley Contributing Staff: Kristen Fowler, Essence Kimble, Michael McAnelly, Taylor Pankey, Nicholas Rakers Special Thanks: Google Images,
The Daily Republican
Instead of the health departments giving speeches on junk food and McDonalds, they should make healthy food more appealing. And this starts in the cafeteria. -Sarah Anderson The Student Marion High School
Spring Break Offers Glimpses of Summer For once, spring break actually felt like spring this year. Fantastic weather, long, school-less days, rigorous courses) made last week an excellent time to rest, recuperate, and realize that we only have one quarter remaining until summer. Teachers, too, seem to have caught on to this almost-summer vibe (though not enough to posses them to stop from piling on the homework the moment we returned from break) and they have already begun the inevitable, “don‟t quit yet!” speeches.
Whether you intend to work diligently for the remainder of the school year, or „quit‟ at some point in the near future, it is imperative at this time of year that all of us hammer out at least a few more weeks of work. After all, we still have an entire quarter left, and there is plenty of time for almost-summer laziness after Easter.
1501 S. Carbon St. Marion, IL 62959 (618) 993-8196 thestudentnewspaper@hotmail.com
-Jordan McBride MHS The Student newspaper
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Senioritis After attending Marion High School for the last three years of my life, I must say I am quite ready to move on. Every morning I find that various shades of exhaustion have lined my eyes, my back has decided to start hurting again, and I almost never have time for breakfast. After spending all day receiving my education, I go to work and stay there until 10:00 at night. How am I supposed to make time for myself? I have a lot on my platter. Like many high school students I go to school, hold a job, and attend classes at John A. I barely have time for anything, and I am without extracur-
riculars. How any student gets through the week with all of these stressors and outside activities is beyond me. I truly hate to wish my life away, but I am completely ready to graduate. A few more weeks are all that separate us seniors from the rest of our lives-it‟s no wonder we are so impatient and eager! Teachers, please take it easy on us. We cannot help that our minds are somewhere else. And to all my fellow seniors . . . hang in there guys! -Michael McAnelly
All Wound Up Ready, set, pull! That‟s right, it‟s time for Mr. Wallace‟s annual Mousetrap Car labs, where physics students design and create their own mousetrap cars. There are only 2 rules, your car must be powered by the mousetrap and all mousetraps must be the typical mousetraps created by the “Victor” mousetrap car company. The lab has been described as one of the best labs ever done in Physics.
Cody Wilson, a physics student, says “I found this lab to be a very rewarding educational experience”. The Worldwide Record for longest distance traveled by Mousetrap Car is said to be 111 meters. The longest distance traveled in all Mr. Wallace‟s classes is 55 meters. Mr. Wallace says “It is a good project for relating acceleration, speed, torque, momentum, potential energy, power, and basic engineering principals”. The winners this year are Blake Stigal and Emilee Bowles; their car traveled over 44 meters. -Nicholas Rakers
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How to Succeed in Business… : A Pit Perspective Marion High School certainly has some talented performers, musicians, and directors. The performance of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying was beyond excellent, not only from my personal pit orchestra perspective, but also from the wildly entertained crowd in the packed auditorium on both nights the musical was performed. Though being down in the pit does not allow for a particularly enjoyable viewing location, it does present the opportunity to notice the flow of the music and how well our actors blend with the orchestra. I may not have been able to truly see the musical, but being involved in the majority of the practices from the beginning, I have been able to realize how much it really came together. Because I know the script, I could truly tell that the performers really did know their lines, and could take liberties with them, judging the direction the scene was taking. I was also quite proud of my fellow Pit Orchestra members. Thanks to Mr. Graham, our devoted band director, and long practice hours, I believe our performance was just as
impressive. On the piano was Ms. Armetta Beltz, who was a great help to us, and we were all very glad to have her. The Percussion I part was Nick Meneese, who never ceased to amaze me, for he would have long scene change solos. We would also have been lost without our outside string players: Sylvia Graham and Andrea Murphy on the Violin; and Phil Carstens and Jessie Croster on the Cello. Other important members of the pit: Mike Lynch on the Guitar; Chesney Crain on the Bass Piano; Kristina Vick on the Alto part of Reed I; Ben Woodard, who played the entire Reed IV part (which entails the Clarinet/Bass and Tenor Sax); and also Aaron McGee, our only Horn player. There were a few hiccups: most notably of Mike Lynch deserting the pit and appearing on stage during our dress rehearsal (Mr. Graham was furious), as well as an extremely long black out before the Saturday night performance. But in the end, Mrs. Adams, who also put in long, dedicated hours for this performance, gave us the cue to begin the overture. But overall, I was quite proud of the performance on both nights, and everyone involved should be also. -Taylor Pankey
Senior Spotlight: Damon Holst Relatively new kid, Damon Holst , is a senior this year. Last year, he moved to Marion from St. Louis after living in Chicago and Minneapolis. He has an older and younger sister along with a dog named Nanook, who is “the love of [his] life”. Although he loves his dog, he also cares for his girlfriend a lot, too. For the foreseeable future, Damon will be graduating MHS. As a member of the top ten, he is looking forward to reading names at graduation. In the summer, he is traveling with his sister to Haiti on a mission trip. Along with the majority of the senior class, Damon will be attending college. He will spend
the next four years at Elmhurst in Chicago studying Political Science. He plans on living his life based off the phrase, “If you earned your seat at the table, sit down and eat.” (L. Sanders) Damon is a jack of all trades. He owns and rides a unicycle on a regular basis, he is an excellent singer and he frequently amuses his AP
Literature class with spontaneous ballads in imitation of Shakespeare. Last year, he started “No Worries Wednesday,” which entails wearing plaid or argyle. Also, all of his birthmarks are on the left side of his body. He‟s a member of the MHS golf and tennis teams, as well as playing the saxophone and oboe, although he hates the oboe. He watches the Discovery Channel and enjoys watching the marine life shows. His aspirations are to become the first non-corrupt politician and to become the President of the United States. Along the way he plans on buying an El Camino, but until then his “Danger Ranger” will suffice. -Sarah Anderson
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Review: An Abundance of Katherines Michael L. Printz awardwinner John Green has written another stunning novel. An Abundance of Katherines is a hilarious and addicting novel. It tells the story of prodigy, Colin Singleton, who has only dated girls with the name Katherine, and his quirky best friend, who has never had a girlfriend. Comparable to The Catcher in the Rye—which is mentioned in the novel several times—An Abundance of Katherines is a memorable comingof-age story. As Colin waits and longs for a “Eureka moment,” he tries to perfect what he calls “The Theorem of Un-
derlying Katherine Predictability.” This math is explained in exhaustive detail in the appendix. This passage was actually written by a career mathematician who is a close friend of Green‟s. Through flashbacks and funny footnotes, Colin‟s story is told in the a very unique way. Though the novel is one of the most open-minded and amusing books I have read; it comes highly recommended. Though, just like with his past novels, John Green is still somewhat of an acquired taste in reading. -Taylor Pankey
Justo Lamas Rocks Marion One Last Time On March 8, Spanish students from all over the area came to the Civic Center to watch Justo Lamas‟ last performance. He is an Argentinean singer who travels the United States and whose songs are famous in Spanish classrooms. He has been singing and performing for students for many years, but this year is his last tour. Justo‟s concert is very entertaining. He sings famous songs from artists such as Selena and some of his own.
Along with singing, Justo gives the message of striving after your dreams. As a child, Justo dealt with his mother‟s schizophrenia and suicidal tendencies. She died when he was only 16 years old and then he was determined to reach his dreams of becoming a star singer while motivating youths to learn a new language and to follow their dreams. After this year, Justo will manage new artists with the same goal. His reason for discontinuing his concerts is because he wants to spend time with his wife and two little boys. Katelyn Salzmann and Maggie O‟Neill sang “Te Necesito” with Justo. Many students from Marion were able to go on stage and participate in Justo‟s games. After the concert, Justo signed
autographs and took pictures with his fans. Gracias to Sra. Yeck and to all those who helped make the arrangements for Justo to perform. All of the students appreciate the experience. Te faltamos Justo! -Sarah Anderson
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THE STUDENT
Pom Squad Has Successful Season The Marion JV and Varsity Pom Pon Squads have had a great season. On February 4, they hosted the annual Chili Supper before the home basketball game. The JV team performed their competitive kick routine during JV halftime and varsity performed their competitive kick routine at varsity halftime. The following day Marion hosted the IDTA regional at the high school. It was a successful
competition for both squads. The teams have also attended regionals in Belleville East, Belleville Althoff, and Benton. The varsity team attended the Highland competition as well. Both teams received first place and qualifying scores for state finals. Junior Varsity won first place in kick and pom dance at their state finals in Bloomington. Varsity received
second place in kick and third in jazz at their state finals at U of I. Color guard also received a first and second place finish at state. Congratulations to all the pom girls for an outstanding season!! -Kristen Fowler
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MHS Boys, Girls Basketball Teams Finish Great Seasons The MHS Lady Wildcats finished the season after a tough loss against Mt. Vernon in the regional game; however, the season was sparked with many great memories. At the beginning of the season the girls were 5-0, winning their opening tournament. Throughout the season Senior Lindsay Lenon scored her
1,500th career point. During regional‟s, freshman, Cydney Paul was the only Lady Cat to make it through past the first, second, and third round of the regional where she came one short.
home territory for the first time in many years at the Pink Out game for breast cancer awareness. "The boys have had their ups and downs but always played as hard as they could," says an outside source. Congratulations to both teams on their seasons!
The boy‟s basPhotos Compliments of ketball team has The Daily Republican also wrapped up -Megan Lewis their 2010-2011 season. Throughout the season they also had many memorable moments. The boys beat Carbondale on the Terriers
Album Review: “Speaker of the Dead” Emmure‟s 5th album “Speaker of the Dead” was released February 15th and has been shaking stores across the nation. I was starting to believe Emmure was losing focus with their music, considering they rapped in the last installment. But these thoughts have been put to ground after listening to the new record. Emmure has come back stronger and heavier than ever. The lyrics are still simple yet deep, such as on song‟s like “Drug Dealer‟s Friend” and “Bohemian Grove.” The band still has their comic side, with every song a reference to an ani-
mated television series or comic book, the obvious song‟s being “Demons With Ryu” and “Children of Cybertron”, references to Street Fighter and Transformers, respectively. I found this album to be their best so far. Those of you who have lost faith in them, I suggest sitting down and listening to “Area 64-66” or “Cries of Credo,” your faith will be restored. I easily rate this album
a 4.5 out of 5, I suggest anyone who likes the hardcore genre to go out and buy it. -Nicholas Rakers
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Newspaper Staff Competes in SISPA Journalism Conference
Award Placement
Awardees
Division
First Place
Michael McAnelly
Review Writing
First Place
Sarah Anderson
Featurette
Third Place
Dakota Evans
Front Page Layout
Third Place
The Student Staff
Editorial Writing
Third Place
The Student Staff
Overall Layout
Honorable Mention
Aaron McGee
Sports Writing
Honorable Mention
Megan Lewis
Sports Writing (on-site)
Honorable Mention
Taylor Pankey
Editorial Writing (on-site)
Honorable Mention
Nicholas Rakers
Review Writing (on-site)
Honorable Mention
Kristen Fowler
News Writing (on-site)