OPINIONS P.2
NEWS P.3
DEC.11.2009
TOURNAMENT RESULTS
•Senior Emily Turk: Varsity Oratorical Declamation: sixth (Benton), Varsity Impromptu: third (Benton), sixth (O’Fallon), third (East St. Louis). •Senior Taylor Zimmerman: Varsity Humorous Interpretation: fourth (Benton), fourth (O’Fallon), second (East St. Louis). Varsity Humorous Duet Acting with sophomore Emily Horton: fifth (O’Fallon). •Senior Janelle Pfeifer: Varsity Dramatic Interpretation: fifth (East St. Louis) •Senior Alyssa Oitker: Varsity Radio Speaking: sixth (East St. Louis) •Senior Elliott Koehl: Varsity Original Comedy: sixth (O’Fallon) •Senior Anna Smith Bradley: JV Extemporaneous Speaking: fifth place (East St. Louis), sixth place (Carbondale) •Senior Chelsea Butler: JV Original Comedy: fifth (Benton), first (Carbondale) •Junior Nick Rivera: Varsity Informative Speaking: fifth (Benton). Varsity Radio Speaking: seventh (East St. Louis) •Junior Jake Fussell: JV Impromptu: fourth (Benton), first (O’Fallon), third (East St. Louis), second (Carbondale) •Junior Destinee Mitchell: JV Humorous Interpretation: second place (East St. Louis) •Junior Rachel Freese: Varsity Poetry Reading: fifth (Carbondale) •Sophomore Erika Brown: Varsity Impromptu: sixth place (East St. Louis). JV Impromptu: first (Benton), sixth (O’Fallon). JV Original Oratory: sixth (Benton), third place original oratory (East St. Louis) •Sophomore Ellie Kanaskie: JV Poetry Reading: first (Benton), third (O’Fallon), fourth (East St. Louis) •Sophomore Ana Alsup: JV Dramatic Interpretation: first (Benton), fourth (East St. Louis) •Freshman Tiffani McCormick: JV Radio Speaking: fourth (Benton), second (Carbondale)
the P r
IN FOCUS P.4 & P.5
SPORTS P.6
FEATURES P.7
PHOTO PAGE P.8
owler
O’FALLON TOWNSHIP HIGH SCHOOL, ILL.
VOLUME 39, ISSUE 4
“This season has exceeded my expectations”
Speech and Acting team makes strong showing for start of season BY RACHEL FREESE news@othsprowler.com
How do you spend your Saturdays? Relaxing? Doing homework? The members of the O’Fallon Speech and Acting team spend their Saturdays at school for longer than an average school day, often waking up before 5 a.m. to load themselves onto busses and head to other schools. They compete in one or more of 14 varying events and vie against neighboring schools for top spots. Events range from informational and persuasive speaking to dramatic and humorous acting. At the tournaments, there are two different competitions. One is an overall competition that includes everybody, called varsity. There is also a JV competition, reserved for freshmen, sophomores, and first-year competitors. The orators are scored individually, receiving rankings from the two judges in both of their rounds. If those scores are good enough, the participant may break into finals competitions. “This season has exceeded my expectations. I feel this is due greatly to the leadership of our captains who have shown previously unseen levels of dedication and hard work,” team coach Mr. Norman Henry said.
Senior captains this year are Emily Turk, Janelle Pfeifer, Alyssa Oitker, Taylor Zimmerman, and Emma Chapman. “We have a really solid team this year and I think it’s a sign of good things to come,” Pfeifer said. The first tournament of the season took place in Benton on Nov. 7. As a team, O’Fallon earned seventh place, being one point shy of sixth. On Nov. 14, O’Fallon hosted a tournament with a Zombie theme. The rules to surviving Zombieland hung from the ceiling in the cafeteria and cartoon-zombie posters were taped to lockers and walls. In the time between final events and results, senior Emily Turk read from the “Zombie Survival Guide” and arranged a game of “zombie says.” The tournament was a success. The fundstarved team made over $1,000 in concessions and again earned seventh place. On the following Saturday, the O’Fallon team took to East St. Louis and participated in its most successful tournament yet. The team took the Thanksgiving break off, but came back on Dec. 5 for the Carbondale tournament. Due to the many abent team members at this tournament, O’Fallon qualified to compete in the small school category and earned third place with five competitors making it to finals. “A lot of the new people are doing really
well, and we’re getting better practices this year,” Zimmerman said. “We’re a little bit more excited about speech this year.” The next tournament will be on Jan. 16 in Glenwood. After that, there will be one more tournament until the post-season starts.
Multiple copies of this poster hung all over the school on Nov. 14. Drawn by senior Linda Baynes and sophomore Eleka Smith, this poster helped accentuate the tournament’s zombie theme.
ROTC prepares for drill competitions, raises funds for new equipment BY JENNIFER BAILEY news@othsprowler.com
On physical training days, they march in a line down the hall, in perfect step with each other. They are the OTHS Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps. JROTC is beginning practice for their drill team competition season. They have three different teams—Color Guard, Unarmed Drill, and Armed Drill, which will compete against other JROTC programs in the area. “This year, we hope that the regular competitions will include OTHS, Alton, Mascoutah, Cahokia, Dupo,” Colonel Chris Moulton said. “There will be five or six of those.” The competitions are scored by military officials. In the past, this included people from ROTC colleges and airmen from Scott AFB. Their largest competition is the Gateway Regional, which will be held at Alton. Last year, they placed first in Unarmed Drill, second in Armed Drill, third in Color Guard, and second place overall out of 13 teams. “We are hoping to do a lot better than last year. Some of our goals are to have better discipline at practices, have cleaner routines, and win Gateway,” team captain Samantha Bley, junior, said. In addition to drill competitions, JROTC has athletic competitions among themselves. “A few weeks ago we held a three-goal challenge competition in the multi-purpose room. What happened is that Athletic Officer Tarina Crook constructed a double-elimination
knockout competition. Each flight got to weigh in. At the end of the competition, the senior fourth year flight (A Flight) won,” Col. Moulton said. “The next one will be a basketball competition.” Athletic equipment is a necessity for preparing for their many athletic competitions. Col. Moulton decided to participate in the Campbell’s “Labels for Education” program to finance some new athletic and game equipment. The different labels brought in are worth a number of points and will be glued or pasted to sheets, collected, and sent to the Campbell Company. They have a “sky’s the limit” attitude on how many points they are aiming for. Basically, more points equals more equipment they can buy. However, while they work together to earn points, each flight is trying to collect more points than the others. “I decided to turn it into a flight competition between the classes just to make it a more spirited campaign. I will keep track of how many points each flight collects, and the winner will get a pizza trip to Papa Vito’s at the end of the semester,” Col. Moulton said. The first collection was before Thanksgiving break. At that time, they had accumulated around 1600 points. The competition will start fresh flight-wise at the start of second semester. “It will be good to have our own equipment,” Athletic Officer Tarina Crook, junior, said. “I like the competition because instead of just bringing in money, we are being resourceful and bringing things that we normally throw away.”
Want more? Check out our web exclusive stories on “New Moon,” how to survive traffic circles, and more online at www.othsprowler.com.
MCTCAMPUS
BRYCE RADICK Junior Tarina Crook counts Campbell’s soup labels for “Labels for Education” in order to raise funds for ROTC to buy new athletic equipment for the group.
2
OPINIONS
DECEMBER 11, 2009
International cheesy goodness comes to OTHS BY ALEXIS HARDY opinions@othsprowler.com On Nov. 9, OTHS Smiley campus was hit with a new cheesy phenomenon that had students and teachers alike proclaiming its goodness for days. Sodexo, our breakfast and lunch provider, added a new daily item to the menu: grilled cheese. These delightful “internationally” themed sandwiches vary day to day. “They bring a new, tasteful variety to lunch. Five stars,” senior Shane Watson said. The American grilled cheese is simply traditional American cheese melted between two slices of Texas toast. The French grilled cheese has ham with American and swiss cheese. The Italian sandwich consists of
mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, and tomato. Last, but certainly not least, the English sandwich has cheddar and American cheese loaded with bacon and tomato. Students all around school can’t seem to stop talking about this tasty delight. “[They are] absolutely awesome. Just thinking about them makes my mouth water,” junior Pierceson Holmes said. The Sodexo staff prepared only 100 French sandwiches on its premiere day due to the expectance of their popularity to be quite low. To their complete surprise, the cheeses sold like hot cakes, and, by the end of the day the staff made a total of 437 sandwiches. “Just trying to do something different... something creative,” Bob Sommerfield, the Area General Manager of Sodexo, said. On Nov. 16, Milburn welcomed the four delicious treats to their campus, since its debut was a hit at Smiley. The staff plans on keeping them around for as long as students and teachers crave the delicacy.
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Dear OTHS, As the semester draws to a close I would like to take this time to thank, congratulate, and remind. First, I would like to thank everyone who has been emailed or stalked for information for any Prowler article. Thanks for your patience and cooperation. Your input is incredibly helpful in our attempts to have as an accurate a paper as possible. I would also like to thank the Prowler staff for an incredible and interesting semester, despite all the difficulties we had along the way. Second, congratulations to all the early graduates. It’s corny, but good luck in all your future endeavors and know that you will be missed. Also, congratulations to all the fall sports teams. I don’t normally pay attention to any kind of sport, but I definitely paid attention to our fall season. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that several teams including soccer, football, cross country, and
volleyball, had record-breaking seasons. So, congrats to all fall sports on your successful seasons. Finally, I would like to remind everyone at OTHS that your feedback is always appreciated. If there is something we are not covering and should, or you just have a comment about something we did cover, please let us know. You can either drop off a note outside room 608, or leave us a message at othsprowler.com. We do our best to cover all areas of the school and student life, but there is way more people in the school than we have on staff. So, please, let us know if we have missed something. Also, if anyone is interested in joining the newspaper staff, talk to your guidance counselor when you go to set up your schedule next year and ask about Journalistic Newswriting class. We would love to have more writers! Happy Holidays, Jennifer Bailey
THE PROWLER STAFF & POLICIES Jennifer Bailey Editor-in-Chief
Jake Hamilton Reporter/Web Editor
Alexis Hardy Reporter
Sare Reinert Reporter
John Davis Reporter
Rachel Freese Reporter
Bryce Radick Reporter
Giselle Brooks Reporter
Sarah Sheesley Reporter
Why NaNoWriMo is impossible Students attempt 50,000 word goal in one month, but fail due to time constraints BY BRYCE RADICK opinions@othsprowler.com While many do not know it, November has served as National Novel Writing Month since 1999. I never tried it, knowing that I would not have enough time to reach the 50,000 word goal. This year, I decided I would at least try. As expected, I failed. When I began, I decided that I would focus on just a third of the book I have been slowly writing since February. I soon realized that even that was impossible. And it wasn’t that I was lacking serious commitment. I was lacking time. The week of Nov. 8-14, for instance, had me working a 20 hour workweek after school and on weekends, doing hard-core studying for an Honors Physics I test and Trigonometry test, and fulfilling plans with both family and friends.
And that was not even a stressful Prowler deadline week. My point is that we, especially hard-working students, do not have time to do a lot of what we want, and NaNoWriMo kids are especially hindered. Senior Kat Statz, who has participated for the past few years, agrees with me, saying that senior year is “definitely not the time to do it.” While people who like art have art classes and people who like building robots have Robotics Club, those with a passion for writing novels only have one realistic academic time to writ: Advisory. But, why is it important that I get time to write anyway? No one reads it anyway, right? Well, for the most part, yes. But I’m confident that more people would read my book, especially if I got it successfully published, than there are spectators of certain sporting events in this school. From welding to hotel management, virtually every other interest has a place in this school, so why not novel writing? At the very least, a creative writing class should be added to OTHS curriculum.
Are we too touchy about political correctness? BY GISELLE BROOKS opinions@othsprowler.com Black, Indian, Chinese: what do all of these terms have in common? They are all somewhat considered “politically incorrect.” Things are not how they used to be. There were times where people were a lot less uptight about the things people say. However, now, there are a few people left in the world that get offended over the terms people use. Part of me feels that some people can be too touchy when it comes to certain word choices, but at the same time there are some things people say that really bother me. Of course, race is a big issue when it comes to people being politically correct. Some people automatically assume that if you are from the Hispanic heritage you are Mexican, or if you are from Asian heritage, you
are automatically Chinese. It is things like that that bother me. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. However, I do think that if someone of a certain race would or would not like to be called a different race, then people should respect their wishes. Religion can be a big issue that some may get touchy about as well. It’s sad that someone who may or may not be Muslim can automatically be assumed to be a terrorist. We all know that it is wrong ,and I think that we need to work on the fact that we, as a society, can be somewhat closed minded still. Nowadays saying “Merry Christmas” is frowned upon because by saying that you are assuming that everyone celebrates the Christian holiday. “Happy Holidays” is a more accepted term because it pretty much hits all of the holidays in one saying. Certain issues are never brought to light in a positive way. I feel that the only time we hear about race or religion tied in with political correctness is if something bad has happened.
STIMULUS PACKAGE FOR TEENS $50 off coupon available online! www.mytutorlearning.com
Next class starts Dec. 21
Ms. Mary Dempsey Adviser Contributors: Tyler Klingelhoefer, Ryan Kraft,Tyler Klaus, Linda Baynes, Eleka Smith, Caitlyn Coon, Caitlin Clendenin, Shannon Buchanan, Jacquelyn Bayham, Melissa Mecagni, Hyelee Han, Brittany Mater, Kelsey Sheldon, and Anthony Bailey The O’Fallon Township High School newspaper, The Prowler, is part of the educational curriculum of O’Fallon District 203.
to the editor. All letters must be signed. All signatures will be verified through a phone call or personal interview.
Although the paper is a class activity, OTHS students may submit materials, such as stories, photography, graphics, or art, for publication consideration. Students should bring any submissions to Room 608 Smiley Campus Submissions may be edited for content, length and grammar.
Letters may be submitted to Room 608, mailed to OTHS Publications, 600 S. Smiley St., O’Fallon, IL 62269, or emailed to letters@othsprowler.com. Letters should be fewer than 400 words in length. If excessive editing is needed, the letter will be returned to the author for approval. The Prowler reserves the right to edit any letter for grammatical errors, libelous content, or space limitations.
If written, staff editorials will not signed and will reflect the opinion of majority of the staff members. Commentaries columns, on the other hand, will be signed reflect the individual writer’s views.
be the and and
Any person with an interest in the OTHS community is encouraged to submit letters
The Prowler is a member of the National Scholastic Press Association and the Illinois High School Press Association. Some material courtesy of American Society of Newspaper Editors/MCT Campus High School Newspaper Service. The Prowler is printed by the Edwardsville Intelligencer of Edwardsville, Ill.
Call (618) 277-READ Metro East Bridal/Prom Show & Expo
Jan. 5, 5-9 p.m. Fashion Show 7:30 Belle-Clair Fairgrounds Belleville, IL
*Win A Prom Gown* Mon.-Fri. 10-7 Sat. 10-5 Sun. 1-5 1001 S. Lincoln O’Fallon 624-3611
www.BonniesFormalFashions.com
NEWS
DECEMBER 11, 2009
3
Local delegates discuss peaceful Top News resolutions for global issues Stories
Model U.N. students travel to Mckendree, debate world issues BY JOHN DAVIS news@othsprowler.com In November, McKendree College hosted delegates from countries all around the world to discuss peaceful resolutions to global issues. However, all of these participants are still in high school. The Model UN club participated in the Fall Conference on Nov. 1213. In this meeting of 15 area high schools, student delegates were placed in groups representing actual United Nations committees. In these groups, the members debated about global issues on behalf of the countries that they represented. Senior Emily Turk, a two-year participant in Model UN, was on the third social committee that discussed women’s issues, rights of ethnic minorities, and equalized primary education.
“We talked about different solutions to create a universal system to protect and help all countries. We also had a crisis situation where we figured out a whole new resolution to fix [it],” she said. Senior Max Polley said he also enjoys the conferences. “Every trip, I have learned new ways of debating. The trips are all a great experience. In the beginning, people hope not to mess up a speech, but by the end, people feel a sense of accomplishment, which is an indescribable feeling,” Polley said. “I was very pleased with our kids’ effort and dedication to the conference. We had several first-time delegates who really enjoyed themselves,” club sponsor Mr. Brad Dickerson said. The Fall Conference was a trial run for the Spring Conference in April.
“Every trip, I have learned new ways of debating.” -Max Polley, senior
Participants of the Model UN event Seniors
Josh Doil Emily Turk Ashleigh Jackson Sam Cassidy Danielle Carter
Juniors
Carl Thrasher
Sophomores Mark Schorfheide Emma Gatewood Erin Turk James Owens Brady Marston
Freshmen Jim Gass
Student journalists travel to Washington D.C. for national journalism convention Six OTHS students compete, four earn national recognition BY ALEXIS HARDY news@othsprowler.com On Nov. 12-15, Washington D.C. was bombarded with 6,500 high school journalists from all across the world for the NSPA/JEA National High School Journalism Convention. The students who attended from OTHS were Ian Wilson, John Davis, Jake Hamilton, Tyler Klingelhoefer, Elaine Andell, and Jenn Bailey. All students competed, with four receiving honors. Senior Jenn Bailey placed third in Design of the Year. Her layout was dedicated to the Spring Musical in the 2009 March issue of The Prowler. Junior Elaine Andell received honorable mention for Story of the Year. She wrote an opinion article on Challenge Day in the 2009 February issue of The Prowler. Senior Tyler Klingelhoefer and junior Jake Hamilton won a superior award for their texting and driving PSA. Their public service announcement was showcased on the Panther Beat in midNovember. “Getting the opportunity to travel to Washington D.C. and compete was a privilege that I had only because of the journalism department at our school. I cannot wait to go to the next JEA convention in Kansas City,” Hamilton said.
Hollywood TAN
4 Months of Tanning! $75 East End 234-3132 Fairview Heights 234-4688 West End 277-8877
BY BRYCE RADICK & SARAH SHEESLEY news@othsprowler.com
1 2 3
Space Shuttle Atlantis launched Nov. 16 to deliver key spare parts to prolong the life of the International Space Station. The shuttle lifted off as scheduled, at 2:28 p.m. ET from the Kennedy Space Center near Cape Canaveral. The delivery will add years to the station’s life after the space shuttle fleet is retired next year, according to NASA. (CNN. com) John Allen Muhammad, the mastermind behind the sniper attacks that left 10 dead, was executed as relatives of the victims watched, reliving the killing spree that terrorized the Washington, D.C., area for three weeks in October 2002. (Foxnews.com) President Barack Obama admitted that the United States will miss the January 2010 deadline he set for closing the Guantanamo Bay prison. President Obama made the admission in interviews with U.S. TV networks during his tour of Asia. He said he was “not disappointed” that the deadline had slipped, saying he “knew this was going to be hard.” Officials are trying to determine what to do with some 215 detainees still held at the U.S. prison in Cuba. (BBC.com)
4
Oprah Winfrey announced on the Nov. 20 episode “The Oprah Winfrey Show” that she will end her talk show, said a spokesman for Winfrey’s Harpo Productions. The show will end on Sept. 9, 2011, as its 25th season draws to a close. The show has been the highest-rated talk show for 23 consecutive seasons, according to the Oprah.com site. It is seen by an estimated 42 million viewers a week in the United States and is broadcast to 145 countries. (CNN.com)
5 6 7 8
On Nov. 5, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan killed 12 soldiers and one civilian and wounded 38 people at the Fort Hood Army Post in Texas. Hasan is a licensed Army psychiatrist. (CNN. com) A Missouri judge ruled that 15-year-old Alyssa Bustamante can be tried as an adult in the murder of 9-year-old Elizabeth Olten. According to police, she killed the little girl just because she “wanted to know what it felt like.” (Truecrimereport.com) Former Governor of Alaska and Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin released her book “Going Rogue: An American Life” on Nov. 17. The memoir details her life and the controversy that ensued after the 2008 Presidential Election. (CNN.com)
MS. MARY DEMPSEY Senior John Davis, senior Tyler Klingelhoefer, sophomore Ian Wilson, and junior Jake Hamilton stand on the observation deck of the Newseum in front of the Capitol Building. “The trip was fun and exciting, and we learned a lot,” Hamilton said.
President Obama said Tuesday, Dec. 1, in a presidential address that 30,000 additional troops would be sent to Afghanistan starting in early 2010. The plan, which is meant to reverse the Taliban’s momentum in the country, has a hopeful withdraw date of July 2011. (CNN.com)
10 sessions-ACT test tips 2 proctored math exams 12 hours of classroom work Individualized workbook 210 Hartman Ln, O’Fallon, IL www.mathnasium.com
624-6402
_________________________
High School Homework Help Available
4
IN FOCUS
Deck and
the
1000
300, 600, halls...
Students and staff share what they want for the holidays I want to graduate for Christmas. “ -Senior Emma Chapman ”
“
to not be a freshman. “ I want-Freshman ” Tyler Rowe
BY JENNIFER BAILEY features@othsprowler.com Amid the insanity of holiday shopping, family get-togethers, and last-minute holiday planning, many people take time out of their busy schedules to give back to their communities. Several clubs such as BETA, FEA, and NHS, which give back year-round through tutoring and other volunteer activities, are taking advantage of the “time of giving” to help their communities in just one more way.
A GIVING THANKSGIVING MEAL
to Germany! “ I want to-Mr.goElfrink ”
I want my mom to come home from out of town. -Sophomore Tevin Stevens
Slow dow others in l
”
From late October through Nov. 16, BETA Club and the O’Fallon YMCA sponsored the “Give Thanks, Give Back” Thanksgiving food drive at OTHS. The food drive was designed to provide families in the community with a Thanksgiving meal. BETA handed out boxes to many groups including SADD, German Club, Culture Mix, Speech Team, Softball, PWP, GSA, the Main Offices at Smiley and Milburn, and multiple advisory classes. In turn, all groups filled the boxes full of canned goods and non-perishable items, such as canned ham, turkey, vegetables, fruit, gravy, bread, cake mixes, and much more. “I was amazed how supportive individuals throughout the school were to provide a variety of food items to help the O’Fallon community,” science teacher and BETA sponsor Ms. Brandi Lich said. Junior Delisa Allen echoes Ms. Lich’s opinion. “It was pretty neat that so many different clubs donated,” she said. On Monday, Nov. 16, BETA members collected the heavy boxes, hauled them out to the cars, and delivered them to the YMCA. “Even though it was raining and the members were loading heavy boxes, I only heard comments about how amazing it was to have collected so many food items that we needed three vehicles,”
How will DEC.
19
DEC.
and money, good grades, “ I wantandclothes I want to graduate now. -Junior Ashley Herbert ”
20 DEC.
21
DEC.
“
I want a new iPod because my other one broke. -Sophomore Roy Bullock
ART BY KELSEY SHELDON INTERVIEWS BY JAKE HAMILTON AND ALEXIS HARDY
”
22 DEC.
23
HAPPY SATURDAY! Sleep all We’ve spent the last three da hard and staying up late for deserve a little bit of shut ey
Head up to any a squat on Santa Once a year we be kids again an Saint Nick for th
Take a ride to the top of the St. Louis Arch. According to ExploreSt.louis.com, the nat tallest man-made monumen four million visitors each yea
Wrap up (pun int minute Christmas gifts. Procrastinat it together at this
Take a car ride or walk arou and enjoy everyone’s Christm lights and decorations. You w surprised how far people wil top their next door neighbor
DECEMBER 11, 2009
wn, give back: Clubs at OTHS help local community during holidays Ms. Lich said. Members such as junior Tarina Crook enjoy the club for its many community service activities. “We’re unlike any other club. We’re very active in the community and really think outside of the box and put others before us,” Crook said. “I liked this project because I believe everyone deserves to have a great Thanksgiving meal. We had clubs, classrooms, and many others donate throughout the school. The turnout was amazing.” In another project, BETA teamed up with ROTC and handed out postcards during lunchtime for students to personalize and be sent to soldiers deployed overseas.
Today, Hoyleton is a non-profit organization that focuses on the well-being of children and families and offers assistance to children and families throughout the Metro-east St. Louis and South-central Illinois areas. Other OTHS clubs have been doing similar projects and donations. Interact Club is also “adopting” children through the “Secret Santa” program, which is sponsored by the Associated Physicians Group of O’Fallon. Secret Santa is for families who cannot afford gifts, send in their children’s wish lists, and a group “adopts” the child, and donates the gifts on the list. “It makes me feel like I can help other people and give back,” sophomore Emily Love said. Culture Mix club also collected toys and clothes for a local Angel Tree program that provides items to community members in need. The Golden Girls held a Project Compassion collection for blankets, hats, and other items at the boys’ basketball game on Friday Dec. 4.
5
“We had clubs, classrooms, and many others donate throughout the school. The turnout was amazing.” -Tarina Crook, junior
WISH LIST CHILD ADOPTION Until finals, FEA, Spanish club, and some Spanish classes will not only be “adopting” some new study habits, but also some special wish lists. These wish lists consist of gifts ranging from toys to clothes that will be donated to homeless children through Hoyleton Youth and Family Services. FEA’s donations will go to two homeless youths from Hoyleton, while the Spanish classes have “adopted” more than 15 local underprivileged Latino children in the Metro East for Puentes de Esperanza, which is a part of the Hoyleton Youth and Family Services. “I’m excited about doing this project,” sophomore Elizabeth Fuld said. “There are a lot of families asking for everyday items we take for granted. For example one teenage boy just wanted a coat, while families with small children have asked for clothes and diapers. Some have even asked for coloring books and school supplies.” The Hoyleton Youth and Family Services was founded in 1895, as an orphanage for children who had lost parents due to economic crises, epidemics, and other health related issues.
“HAPPY HATS” MAKE NHS HAPPY Being sick and hospitalized can be boring, scary, and life- altering, but sometimes the smallest gift can make all the difference in that person’s outlook on their situation. This a main goal for Glories Happy Hats, who believes in the power of positive thinking. According to GHH’s web site, http://www.glorieshappyhats.org, “clinical research shows peer-support as having the greatest impact on improving the positive outlook in hospitalized children. GHH not only
RYAN KRAFT On Monday, Dec. 7, the FEA and several Spanish classes donated serveral gifts for their wish list adoption project. The program is run through the Hoyleton Youth and Family Services.
measures the impacts of service on participating youth, it works to measure the positive functional impact this gesture has in the hospital environment.” NHS has joined GHH, and plans to make some “happy hats” for children hospitalized with cancer. “I found out about the program through my church and decided to bring it to O’Fallon for NHS,” project coordinator senior Natalie Ott said. The hats are hyperallergenic and doctorapproved, so they are safe for the kids. “What we will do is order a kit of pre-made hats and then decorate and sew them ourselves,” Ott said. NHS members will also write encouraging letters to accompany the hats. The effects of cancer hit close to home for Ott and give her a personal connection to the project.
“I love that we’re doing this project because it’s something different.” -Natalie Ott, senior
l you spend Winter Break?
the way in. ays studying r our finals; we ye.
mall and pop a Claus’ lap. can pretend to nd beg jolly ol’ hat X-box game.
tion’s nt has ar.
tended) any last s shopping and tors have to get s time of year.
und town mas would be ll go to rs.
DEC.
24 DEC.
25 DEC.
26 DEC.
27 DEC.
28
Pop in some home videos and have a laugh with the fam. Chances are your parents saved all of the embarrassing, yet entertaining tapes for just this occasion. Celebrate Christmas with the ones you love. Don’t forget to wear any festive sweaters from your Grandma today. Roast some marshmallows in your fireplace. Be careful! This could be a fire hazard for some. Enjoy a hockey game at the Scottrade Center. The St. Louis Blues play the Buffalo Sabres at 5 p.m. Create a massive music playlist for your iPod or burn a mix cd and take a drive somewhere. Gas isn’t cheap these days, but sometimes a trip to nowhere is the best.
DEC.
29 DEC.
30 DEC.
31
JAN.
1
JAN.
23
Take a trip to the largest outdoor ice skating rink in the Midwest: Steinberg Skating Rink in Forest Park. Admission is only $6.50 and it’s open 365 days a year. For more info, see www.steinbergskatingrink.com.
“My mom went through cancer and I saw how losing her hair affected her. There are four kids who have lost their hair from chemotherapy, and I just wondered what it was like to lose your hair as a teenager when your looks can be such a big part of your life. I love that we’re doing this project because it’s something different,” Ott said. Instead of just receiving toys or movies, the recipients will be receiving something that is unique because every hat will be decorated differently. GHH is a non-profit organization “aimed at strengthening social human and economic capital in youth while, at the same time, increasing levels of peer-support for hospitalized children.” “The officers loved the idea, and were excited to have a project where NHS members would do something for others instead of just buying something or donating money,” math teacher and NHS sponsor Ms. Lori Schieppe said. NHS will be making the hats this month, and will be delivering them to St. Louis Children’s Hospital and Cardinal Glennon after finals.
The Prowler staff has a few suggestions!
Stop by the local Starbucks to try a grande white hot chocolate for $2.85 plus tax. It’s a promising new favorite. Hit up St. Louis City Museum for a day of fun. The 600,000 square foot former International Shoe Company is full of jungle-gyms and art you can climb all over. See www.citymuseum.org for more info. Come up with a New Year’s Resolution and start it today. For example, if your New Year’s resolution is not to beat up your little brother as often, give the kid a break today. Find your favorite teacher’s house and remind them school starts up again this week. They will surely be ecstatic to see you! Classes officially start again on Jan. 5, so enjoy a few more lazy days!
CALENDAR BY ALEXIS HARDY ART BY JACQUELYN BAYHAM, HYELEE HAN, BRITTANY MATER, SHANNON BUCHANAN, CAITLIN CLENDENIN, CAITLYN COON, MELISSA MECAGNI
6
SPORTS
Fall Sports Wrap-up
Boys go to playoffs for first time in three years This season the football team dominated the field. After qualifying for the playoffs for the first time in three years, they upset the topseeded Lincoln Way-East 17-16. The next week, the boys lost to East St. Louis 27-14 to end their postseason run. They finished with an 8-4 record and only the fourth quarterfinals berth in the program’s history. “We had a large group of seniors this year. Their hard work and dedication provided a good example for the younger players. They have set the bar very high for future classes and will be missed,” Head Coach Brandon Joggerst said.
Spikers go down in OTHS record books The girls’ volleyball team completed the best season in school history. In Coach Erin Legendre’s fourth season as varisty coach, the team won their first Regional championship in 17 years. The girls lost to Quincy in the Sectional Tournament. Even though they lost, they did not go down without a fight. This was the longest post-season run in the program’s history. The girls finished their season with a 28-101 record. There were eight seniors on the team.
Harriers among best in state, place in top 20 The cross country teams’ hard work throughout the season paid off with a trip to the IHSA AAA State Championship. On Oct. 31, the boys’ cross country team took first place in Sectionals for the second year in a row. The team placed 18th place at State with a score of 407. Junior Michael Scolarici took seventh individually with a time of 14:46. “We had a great season this year. We won County, Conference, Regionals, and Sectionals, but we want to look forward to next year and increase at an exponential rate. Getting seventh was amazing. It was over too fast, and I want to do it again,” Scolarici said. After finishing second in the Sectional meet, the girls’ cross country team took 19th place at the State Championship. Junior Sarah Johnson led the girls to their second highest team finish in school history with a time of 18:41. Senior Anne Nikola finished her high school career with an 80th place finish. Sophomore Kaylee Schmitz finished four seconds behind Nikola with a time of 19:07. “I am so proud of the way our team pulled together and how runners stepped up to fill the voids. Our depth was as good as it has ever been,” Coach James Neil said.
Swimming completes successful season The girls’ swim team finished a successful year on a good note. On Nov. 14, the girls competed at the Sectional swim meet in Springfield, Ill. The team took fourth place. Senior Danielle Cooper was the top individual swimmer for the Panthers, gathering a sixth place medal in the 100-meter backstroke. The relay team of Cooper, senior Maggie Armstrong, senior Victoria Goodwin, and freshman Laura Black placed fifth in both the medley relay and the 400-meter free relay. The other relay team of Armstrong, Goodwin, junior Courtney Phillips, and sophomore Brynn Laverdure took sixth in the 200-meter free relay. The team had three swimmers place in the top 10. In addition to Cooper’s sixth place finish, Black took ninth place in the 200-meter individual medley. Junior Brittany Wallace also finished in ninth place in the 500-meter freestyle. “Many of the girls swam their best times and exceeded our expectations. [Coach] Kim Kurtz and I are extremely proud of them,” Assistant Coach Christina Buehler said.
BY JAKE HAMILTON AND JOHN DAVIS
DECEMBER 11, 2009
Wrestling faces rebuilding year Grapplers lost seven seniors to graduation BY TYLER KLINGELHOEFER sports@othsprowler.com
After coming off one of the best seasons in OTHS history, the wrestling team faces a tough task to improve on their previous successes. The grapplers no longer have a dynamic onetwo punch like last year’s combination of nowsenior Keith Surber and ‘09 graduate Terrell Pugh. Surber, a Nebraska recruit who ranks seventh in the nation, hopes to lead the Panthers to a conference title and maybe even further in his final year of high school. He feels very optimistic about his upcoming season. “I feel really good, I’m wrestling a lot better than I ever have in the past. I’m eager to live up to my expectations,” Surber said. “We’ve got some excellent senior wrestlers on the squad this year in Ryan Hesse, Marty Ercoline, and Courtland Rautio that should anchor our young
team this year and provide some stability.” In the team’s first dual meet over the Thanksgiving holiday, the Panthers went a solid 2-1 against some tough opponents in Pekin and two high schools in Normal. The boys’ only loss came to Pekin that ended in a 37-37 tie. However, Pekin won the Total Takedown battle to top the Panthers. Even though the team is rebuilding, they still hope to contend in the Southwestern Conference and compete at the highest level of competition. “[Our goals] are to try to have a winning season in conference and to send at least three players to State,” Surber said. On Dec. 3, the team held their first home match of the season against Granite City. The Panthers lost to the Warriors 49-18. On Dec. 10, the boys took on Collinsville. Tonight, they travel to Bradley University to compete in the Bourbonnais Dual meet.
JOHN DAVIS On Dec. 3, sophomore Drew Wise attempts to pin Devon Graville, the third ranked wrestler in Illinois.Wise won his battle, but the Panthers lost to Granite City 49-18.
Hoopsters win Thanksgiving tournaments BY JOHN DAVIS sports@othsprowler.com After a down season for Coach Rick Gibson’s squad, the Panthers are poised for a great season. The boys finished last year’s season with a 1316 record and were knocked out of the Belleville East Regional in the first round. Gibson, now entering his fifth season as the head coach, is optimistic about this year’s team. “This year’s team is a little more experienced at the varsity level than last year’s team. Several of these guys saw some significant minutes last year and that should help them adjust to the speed and toughness that it takes to compete at the varsity level,” Gibson said. The beginning of the season is a complete turnaround from last year’s start. Last year, the team started off 0-5 and never recovered. This year, the team began the season with a 5-0 record and the Tournament of Champions title. Although they finished the tourney with an unblemished record, it wasn’t easy. In their opening game of the event, they defeated Springfield in overtime 56-51. In their next game, they took on a squad from Sherman, Texas. Junior Roosevelt Jones shut down Cameron Clark, a University of Oklahoma-bound player that ESPN RISE magazine ranked 18th in the nation. In addition to stellar defense, Jones added 19 points. Senior Chevaughn Lawrence also contributed to the win with 13 points. Later that day, the Panthers went up against Peoria Notre Dame, the third ranked team in Illinois’s Class 3A. Jones once again led the team in scoring, dropping 16 on the way to a 60-56 win. On Nov. 28, the team met Little Rock Hall from Arkansas. It took two overtimes for the Panthers to win the tournament crown. Junior Josh Buie came off the bench to provide eight critical points in the second overtime. Senior Shane Watson led the team with 18 points. Jones
earned the tournament MVP for his efforts. On Dec. 3, the team defeated Granite City in their first home game of the year 78-43. The next day, the boys hosted Centralia. The Panthers easily topped the Orphans 74-40.
ANTHONY BAILEY On Dec. 4, junior Roosevelt Jones pushes the ball up the court. The Panthers defeated Centralia 72-42 to improve their record to 6-0.
GIRLS’ BASKETBALL
From the looks of the Taylorville Thanksgiving Tournament, the girls’ season is shaping up to be just as good. The girls breezed through the tournament with an undefeated
record. The team won every game by double digits en route to the tournament title. In their first tournament game, the girls defeated Hillsboro 51-38. Sophomore Taylor Klingelhoefer led the Lady Panthers with 16 points and senior Ally Fore added 10 points. In the next game of the round-robin tournament, the team cruised to a 57-41 victory of Rock Island. Freshman Katie Roustio, a 6’1” forward, led the team with 15 points and nine rebounds. Senior Stephanie Copelin contributed 12 points and five rebounds. Later that day, the Lady Panthers pummeled Springfield Lutheran 57-22. Fore and junior Kaitlin Kendall both had 12 points to lead the team. On Nov. 27, the team easily beat Lincoln 6029. The girls dominated the paint on the way to a +17 rebounding margin. Four of the five starters reached double digits. In the final game of the tourney, the Lady Panthers dispatched the Taylorville Tornadoes. By the end of the first half, the team had opened up a 17-point lead on the tournament hosts. The girls’ suffocating defense forced the Tornadoes to turn the ball over 29 times. After all was said and done, the Lady Panthers had three All-Tournament players. Fore, Copelin, and Klingelhoefer were named to the squad. Six other girls received at least a vote for the honorary team. “It felt really awesome winning the tournament, but it felt even better that one of our team goals was accomplished. We worked really hard in practice and it showed during our game,” Klingelhoefer said. In their first Southwestern Conference game, the girls outlasted Granite City 49-44. After taking a 10 point lead at halftime, the Lady Panthers iced the game by shooting 92 percent from the free throw line. After playing Alton and Collinsville, the girls will finish their three game homestand against Belleville East on Friday, Dec. 18 at 6 p.m.
Bowlers bounce back after slow start BY JOHN DAVIS sports@othsprowler.com After trips for both programs to the State Tournament a year ago, the Panthers face a tough challenge. After losing three seniors, the biggest issue for the boys will be consistency. This year’s team has four seniors: Tobias Sears, Kenan Lowry, Alex Gruberman, and Nike Nolan. Of these, Lowry and Nolan have the most varsity experience. “We had a really good team [last year] and we went really far. We think we can get to State this year,” Lowry said. The boys started their year at the Kahok Invitational on Nov. 14. In a mixture of teams mostly from the Southwestern Conference, the Panthers finished their early season test in fifth place. On Nov. 17, the boys opened their regular season with a disappointing loss at Granite City. Nolan led the team with a 617 series, along with a season-high 238 game. Sophomore Ryan Greynolds added a 603, but it was not good enough to overcome the Warriors.
The boys next game was against East St. Louis on Nov. 19. The squad beat the Flyers easily to get their first conference win. On Nov. 24, the Panthers made their second trip to Collinsville. This time, the team beat the Kahoks to improve their record to 2-1. On Dec. 1, the Panthers went up against Belleville West. Lowry led the Panthers to the conference victory with a perfect 300. Nolan, Greynolds, and freshman Tommy Frost all contributed with solid games to beat the Maroons. Coach Mike Imes is confident in his team’s post-season chances. “If the boys are willing to make adjustments to their games early in the season, they have the potential to get to the state finals this season,” he said. At press time, the boys’ record stood at 3-1. The girls’ team also lost a significant part of last year’s success. After a sixth place finish at the State tournament, younger and less experienced bowlers will try to fill the shoes of the four graduated seniors from last year’s squad. “There are several new freshmen who have the potential to bowl varsity,” Coach Garret
Spencer said. Despite the lack of experience, the team believes they have the talent to compete. The returning varsity bowlers, senior Melissa Mecagni and junior Natalie Goodman, both made trips to State last year, with Goodman taking third place individually. The girls are very confident that they can succeed in the post-season as well. “Qualifying for State is our main goal right now,” Mecagni said. On Nov. 24, the team started their season against Collinsville. The girls lost to the Kahoks 27-13. On Nov. 28, the bowlers competed in the Kahok Girls Team Challenge. Out of a competitive field of 18 teams, the girls finished in sixth place. Mecagni led the Panthers with a high game of 257. Goodman had the high series with a 1284. On Dec. 1, the girls traveled to play Belleville West. The Maroons dropped the Panthers’ conference record to 0-2 on the young season. Last weekend, the team took second in the Abe Lincoln Team Tournament.
FEATURES
DECEMBER 11, 2009
7
OTHS thespians bring new energy to old comedy 70-year-old play undergoes a fresh approach BY RACHEL FREESE features@othsprowler.com
TYLER KLAUS Seniors Megan Dice, Emma Chapman, and Joseph Young perform in “The Man Who Came to Dinner.” “The time commitment is huge. It’s not just rehearsals, it’s memorizing at home, finding costumes, and figuring out hair,” Chapman said.
Presenting the cast, crew of “The Man Who Came to Dinner” Sheridan Whiteside: Joseph Young Maggie Cutler: Emma Chapman Mr.Earnest W. Stanley: Kenny Maness Mrs. Daisy Stanley: Janelle Pfeifer Richard Stanley: Andrew Helfer June Stanley: McKenna Young Harriet Stanley: Kate Davis Miss Preen, the nurse: Megan Dice John, the butler: Tyler Kasper Sarah, the maid: Allie Smith Mrs.Dexter: Molly McKinstry Mrs. McCutcheon: Ennessa Curry Dr. Bradley: Taylor McKinstry Bert Jefferson: Drake Krueger Professor Metz: Brandon Del Pinto Sandy: Jacob Witherspoon Express woman: Naomy Real Santiago
Lorraine Sheldon: Lleyna Hinton Beverly Carlton: Quiandez McAfee Radio Technician: Victoria O’Connor Wescott: Kaitlin Carpenter Deputy: Hollie Cooper Broadcast Choir: Lauren Goodwin, Anna Smith Bradley, Brianna Holko, Caitlyn Coon, Jordan Park, Jessi Kerr Crew: Maddie Borchers, Kaitlin Carpenter, Anna Bradley, Julia Jones, Stephanie Konzen, Justin Grimmer, Arthur Benfield, Hunter Carson, Dan Kazanas, Connor Wiley, Kyle Seipp, Alex Glenn, Brent Carson, Sean McWhorter, Katealia Lilly, Rachel de la Vega, Adrenne Logan, Briona Bons, David Louis, Heidi Friedeck, Kurtis Thompson, Hylee Han, Kassidy Border, Calla Bruce, Angie Dardeen
The Milburn campus proved its worth by providing a brand new, shiny auditorium for this year’s fall play. “The Man Who Came to Dinner,” which was first performed in 1939, takes place in a single room of a wealthy Ohio family’s house. The well-designed set, painted green with red trim and gold design, was very appropriate for the play’s yuletide season. The production revolves around Sheridan Whiteside, a needy radio personality played by senior Joseph Young. When he slips on the ice out front of the Stanley’s house, he coerces them into housing him unconditionally. The main plot involves Whiteside’s secretary, Maggie Cutler played by Emma Chapman, who falls in love with the town’s newspaper man, Bert Jefferson played by Drake Krueger. Whiteside, who is quite fond of Maggie, calls his friend and actress Lorraine Sheldon, who has a reputation for picking up guys, to steal Jefferson from Maggie. When describing her character, sophomore Lleyna Hinton said Lorraine’s emotions “take a 180 every few minutes.” In addition, mini plots start to develop around the supporting cast members. Nurse Preen, a verbally abused worker for Whiteside, gives him probably the biggest telling off of his life, saying, “If Florence Nightengale had nursed you, Mr. Whiteside, she would have married Jack-the-Ripper instead of founding
the Red Cross.” Harriet Stanley, Earnest Stanley’s mother, was an ax murderer in her younger years. June Stanley tries to elope with her “anarchist” of a boyfriend and Richard Stanley tries to run away and become a famous photographer. The town’s ancient doctor, Dr. Bradley wants Whiteside to look at a book in which he compiled through all his medical experiences. Senior Taylor McKinstry, who played Dr. Bradley, called him “the classic absent-minded professor.” Furthermore, the play is sprinkled with hilarious one-liners. For example, after Maggie admits she is in love, Whiteside responds, saying it is “merely delayed puberty.” The acting was spectacular, with the reunification of the Romeo and Juliet couple from 2007, seniors Joseph Young and Emma Chapman. Also, the cues were on the spot, which is crucial for a play where characters are constantly running in and out of one room. “I had so many entrances and exits, just listening for the cue lines was difficult,” senior Megan Dice said. The sound mixing was spot-on as well, with every telephone ring, doorbell chime, and penguin chirp on cue. The only negative aspects to the play were its dialogue driven nature and too-old humor. With almost no action but tons of lines, some parts of the script may be lost in the constant spray of words, resulting in fewer laughs.
Emma Goldschmidt, Michael Sullivan honored as October Students of the Month BY BRYCE RADICK features@othsprowler.com
one thing about OTHS, she would allow upperclassmen to leave campus during lunch. Appreciative of her nomination, she thanked Every month, the most spectacular and those who gave her “the opportunity to be your amazing students at OTHS are recognized with October Student of the Month.” On the XY-side of the chromosome is an extra special parking spot and a belated Michael Sullivan. article in this publication. As Emma is to the volleyball For the month of October, team, “Sully” is to tennis. As seniors Emma Goldschmidt and Co-Captain for the team, Sully Michael Sullivan were chosen participated in the State Qualifier to fill this important spot in the last year. A versatile athlete, Sully parking lot and our Panther hearts. also plays varsity football for the Emma Goldschmidt has been Panthers. playing volleyball for the Panthers On top of his athleticism, Sully since her freshman year. serves as the senior class vice Her volleyball career has president. turned out well and Goldschmidt Being in NHS, he does quite was awarded a scholarship to well scholastically, even despite attend St. Louis University, where his admittedly “short attention she will play volleyball next fall. span.” With a variety of extracurricular Emma Goldschmidt He intends to go to University of activities, such as SADD, Lifesavers, Missouri or, pending a NROTC NHS, and Spanish Honor Society, application, University of on top of her time with the team, Oklahoma. Goldschmidt’s time might seem “[I] hope to become a taken. Naval Officer with a career in However, she finds time to do engineering,” Sully said. other community activities such as If he were to change one being a Luke 18 retreat leader and thing at OTHS, he would have participating in Relay for Life. the staff trust the students more. Although she said she’s “The majority of students are “stubborn about certain things,” hardworking and want to do a Goldschmidt also said that her good job,” he said. best quality is her “determination As far as advice to students, to succeed.” This quality came in Sully urged to “have fun in high use when she took Honors Physics Michael Sullivan school [and] get involved.” I with Mr. Curry, who she said was The rewards of following Sully’s her favorite teacher. “Although the class was extremely advice could be a Student of the Month title, the challenging, he made it fun and enjoyable,” best part of which is, according to him, “getting recognized for four years of hard work.” Emma said. Goldschmidt said that if she could change
8
PHOTOS
DECEMBER 11, 2009
Early grads enter real world, say good-bye to high school lives BY SARAH SHEESLEY AND SARE REINERT features@othsprowler.com
FROM 2007 YEARBOOK In advisory, Brittney Bateman takes a look at her schedule in the beginning of her freshman year. Bateman participated in golf during her high school career.
FROM 2007 YEARBOOK Senior Christina McClane has fun during her Homecoming dance freshman year. “I’m so glad I get to leave this month after a long three and a half years,” McClane said.
FROM 2007 YEARBOOK During Freshman Orientation, senior Kaitlin Portz navigates her way through the 600 hall. Portz decided to graduate early to “get a headstart on everything.”
As the first semester of the school year draws to an end, most students are thinking about how they are going to spend their winter break, and dreading their return to school in the next two weeks. A few others, however, won’t have to worry about those things: our early graduates. For a typical senior, they spend 180 days of their senior year in high school, but those who graduate early show up for just that first semester, take their finals, and turn in their books, homework, and lockers, and graduate high school an entire semester early. This years December graduates consist of 67 hard working students. While most students can take a couple of easy classes and maybe slide in a few hard classes, these graduates have to work extra hard for those three and a half years so they can get out an extra semester early. Most early grads have a tough senior semester because of a full academic schedule, but almost all mid-term grads agree that it will be well worth it on Dec. 18. So why do seniors decide to graduate early? “Who would want to hang around in high school any longer then absolutely necessary?” senior Sam Cassidy said. Some think that they are wasting their time sitting in a semesters worth of classes that they do not need. “I want to get a jump start in college,” senior Katlyn Ates said. Others think that it would be helpful for them to take some time off, and think about what they want to do when it is time to go off
to college. It also gives students the opportunity to find a job or take on more hours at their workplace, so they can start making money to pay off some of the heavy costs that life is going to throw at them soon. So now that they will be out of high school, what will they do? Instead of sitting in school for seven hours straight for five days a week, these students spend their semester off doing whatever they like. While some choose to sit around and relax after spending three and a half years in school, others decide to go right back into school: college, that is. “I plan on attending SWIC to get the general classes out of the way,” senior Nicole Gilkerson said. Most early graduates often end up taking a semester at SWIC to complete some college classes; others sometimes end up going directly to a four year university. If they do not feel like jumping right back into school, some end up spending that semester working, so when they end up going off to school they will not be tight on money. If working or school does not seem like an option, some find other alternative ways to spend their spring semester, like traveling. While some think that early graduation is an unnecessary privilege, to most it is a good experience that helps the student get started with life after high school. “I will have a better understanding of the college environment and save money,” senior Samantha Collins said. As the semester draws to a close and finals are right around the corner, OTHS bids farewell to the class of 2010 December graduates.
Good luck December graduates! Nicholas Armstrong, Katlyn Ates, Jacob Banks, Brittney Batemen, Arthur Benfield, Justin Bonds, Brittany Bosse, Brendan Bowles, Kamille Boyd, Ashley Boyles,William Brann, Katie Brown, Austin Bundt, Joshua Carson, Abigail Carter-Parker, Sam Cassidy, Alex Chaffee, Nathan Collins, Samantha Collins, Hillary Cook, Josiah Cook, Brittany Cooper, Nicholas Costantino, Lacey Curlee, Adam Davis, Kimberly Douglas,Valerie Douglas, Krista Dzengolewski, Colby Ellerbusch, Brittany Emmerich, Jocelyn Fiske, DeRon Flood, Levi Foreman,Talor Gannaway, Casey Gehrer, Ashley Genovese, Nicole Gilkerson, Chelsea Gilstrap, Alyssa Glover, Jeremy Hall, Jacob Haydock, Amirah James, Courtney Jordan,
Jessica Kemp, Alex King, Conor Knox, Kaitlin Lane, David Lawson, Bria Lee, Casandra LeGault-Venhaus, Rebecca Lindley, Derek Martin, Ashley Matheis, Meghan McCarthy, Christina McClane, Melody McCoy,Vanesha McGee, Shayla Merritt, Cory Mosely, Meaghan Nelson, Mariah Newsom, Felicia Parker,Victoria Pasley, Kelsey Poelker, Kaitlin Portz, Rachel Rambo, Alishia Randle, Krystin Recuero, Hannah Regnery, Sarah Reinert,Taylor Reno, Ashley Rice, Lyndsay Rieder, Lauren Rolek, Nicole Saunders, Sarah Sheesley, Jeffrey Simone, Kourtney Sinskey,Tara Sweeney, Alexandria Tegel, Emilyanne Thomas, Christina Ward, David Ware, Rebecca Weber, Justin Welker
FROM 2007 YEARBOOK Senior Krystin Recuero enjoys advisory during her freshman year. “I would rather be working somewhere making more money than sitting in a classroom not earning a thing,” Recuero said.
FROM 2009 YEARBOOK Seniors Samantha Collins and Katie Brown smile at the 2008 Homecoming Pep Rally. After having been friends since middle school, the two decided they would both graduate in December.
FROM 2008 YEARBOOK Senior Justin Bonds puts on a show for the Bleachermaniac Dance Team performance during his sophomore year.
FINAL EXAM SCHEDULES SMILEY CAMPUS Wednesday Dec.16 Thursday Dec. 17 1st Hour: 8:00-9:30 2nd Hour: 9:40-11:20 3rd Hour: 11:20-12:50
7th Hour: 8:00-9:30 6th Hour: 9:40-11:10 Early Bird: 11:20-12:50
Friday Dec. 18
4th Hour: 8:00-9:30 5th Hour: 9:40-11:10
MILBURN CAMPUS Wednesday Dec. 16 Thursday Dec. 17 1st Hour: 7:30-9:00 2nd Hour: 9:10-10:40 3rd Hour: 10:50-12:10
7th Hour: 7:30-9:00 6th Hour: 9:10-10:40
Friday Dec. 18
4th Hour: 7:30-9:00 5th Hour: 9:10-10:40