Novmeber Issue of the Prowler

Volume 41 Issue 3 www.OTHStoday.com

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600 S. Smiley St.,O’Fallon Ill. prowler@othstoday.com twitter@OTHStoday

Scrooge, sophomore Alex Shelton, Belinda Cratchit, freshman Lauren Patterson, Martha Cratchit, senior Rachel Rousseau, Mrs. Cratchit, senior Llyena Hinton, Tiny- Tim, Joshua Huffines, and Bob Cratchit, senior Michael Jordan on stage towards the end of the play.

Mycal Hurley

mycalhurley@othstoday.com

November 17, 18 and 19 marked OTHS’s 2011 fall play, “A Christmas Carol”. Following closely to the book by Charles Dickens.

The story begins on Christmas Eve with an annoyed and angry Ebenezer Scrooge, played by sophomore Alex Shelton, who’s persuaded to spread some holiday cheer.

After “shooing” and “bah humbugging” the various neighborhood residents, Scrooge leaves his office and heads home for the night. While settling into bed, Scrooge is confronted by the ghost of his deceased friend and business colleague, Jacob Marley, played by sophomore Tori Rogers, telling Scrooge that if he doesn’t want to end up like him, Scrooge must agree to be haunted by three ghosts: The Ghost of Christmas Past, The Ghost of Christmas Present and The Ghost of Christmas Kameron Johnson

kameronjohnson@othstoday.com

Yet to Come.

At one o’ clock, Scrooge meets the The Ghost of Christmas Past, played by senior Jessica Kerr, and is forced to relive events in his life that relate to the current situation he’s in and makes him think about the decisions he’s made in his life.

The first flashback is of Scrooge and his birthplace. Scrooge is seen as a young boy at school and later transitions to Scrooge as a young adult meeting his fiancee, and the eventual break-up after she becomes aware of his obsession with wealth and well-being

After being returned back to his

bedroom after several flashbacks, The Ghost of Christmas Present, played by senior Kurtis Breger, appears and whisks Scrooge away to experience the day of Christmas and the resentment people feels towards him.

He firsts takes him to the house of Bob Cratchit, played by senior Michael Jordan, where he shows the Cratchit’s mediocre feast and their crippled son Tiny Tim, played by Joshua Huffines, the younger brother a cast member.

During the midst of The Ghost of Christmas Present’s haunting, the somber Ghost of Christmas Future, played by sophomore Dirk Huse-

mann, appears and shows Scrooge his future if he continues to walk down his angry and greedy path. The visions show people’s dislike and even hatred of Scrooge, and eventually, Scrooge’s death bed and grave stone.

Upon seeing this horrible sight and being returned back to his house, Scrooge promises to change for the better and promptly runs outside to make amends to the people he has inadvertently harmed. He does this by delivering a great Christmas turkey to Bob Cratchit’s as well as giving him a raise to help support his ailing family. He also pledges to donate large amounts of money to the poor. Scrooge then attends his nephew Fred’s Christmas party where he shocks everyone with his heartfelt cheer.

This ending to the story leaves a warm feeling in the hearts of the crowd.

(Photo Credit: nsumc.com, Haewon Jung)

GOT A SMARTPHONE

Use your barcode scanner to see all the play pictures

INSIDE THIS ISSUE From Coldplay to

An Odessey of the Mind Pop Culture Showdown

Secrets? Got a secret, can you keep it?

Metallica check out OTunes for a variety of picks from our staff

Only 25 days till Christmas, see back page for a list of fun related activities

2OPINIONS

THE PROWLER

DEC. 1, 2011

Black Friday opposing viewpoints steal one video game.

There was violence and unruly shoppers throughout the country, especially at Walmart connorholzinger@othstoday.com stores, but one of the most shocking instances of Black Friday madness occurred at a West “Many shoppers, myself Virginia Target. Shoppers stepped around and included, took advantage of discounted items such as the hoodie over a dying man on the ground who collapsed I bought at H&M for just $10.” after becoming ill inside the store. After a nurse came to his aid, the man was taken to a hospital, where he later died.

Black Friday is a great time to get deals on Last Friday, the country witnessed the biggest things that would normally be out of one’s reach; shopping day of the year: Black Friday. There many tried to take advantage of the few 42-inch were many great deals to be had: American Sharp flat screen TVs that Best Buy was selling Eagle, Hollister, and Abercrombie were all takfor a mere $200. Even myself, who decided to ing 40% off everything in their stores. Many hold off on shopping until Friday afternoon, shoppers, myself included, took advantage of managed to pick discounted items up some new such as the hoodie I clothes at West bought at H&M for County Mall for just $10. a fraction of what Amidst the great I would have deals, new electronnormally paid. ics, and updated Saving money wardrobes, however, and snagging were extreme shopgreat deals, howpers who would do ever, is not worth anything to get a the reckless deal. endangerment of A woman at a other shoppers, Walmart in Los Anlet alone blindly gelas pepper sprayed ignoring a man 20 people in order who has colto get her hands lapsed and is in on a discounted obvious need of XBOX 360. She 226 million people went shopping Black Friday and the following assistance. turned herself into weekend. This is up from 212 million last year.

One of the the LAPD, but it is major factors that unknown whether intensified this year’s Black Friday pandemonium or not she will be charged. included earlier opening times; Walmart opened A police officer released a puff of pepper spray at 10pm while Toys-R-Us threw open their doors into a crowd of shoppers at a North Carolina at an even earlier 9pm. Shoppers were even more Walmart to calm them down, affecting at least anxious to get their hands on great deals before 20 people. At another Walmart location in other patrons.

Buckeye, Arizona, a grandfather was slammed We all love to save money, especially in this to the ground by a police officer, all because he economy with such a stagnant job market. put a video game into his waistband so he would have two hands free to protect his grandson from Injury and even death, however, are not at all worth saving money on an item that has been the stampede of shoppers that were headed their discounted. Hopefully, next year’s Black Friday way. The grandson was trampled by the crowd shoppers will use a little more humanity when and both of the unlucky shoppers ended up fulfilling their shopping lists. with broken, bloody faces as their Black Friday (Photo Credit: Mark Boster/Los Angeles souvenirs. Keep in mind that the grandfather Times/MCTcampus) already had some $600 worth of merchandise in his cart, making it unlikely that he was trying to

Connor Holzinger

or seriously injured scare me away.

Like many events, Black Friday is talked up and taken to the extreme. Year after year, stores meganivey@othstoday.com compete with each other for our attention and wallets. This means coming up with more outra“I would much rather wait a geous sales and opening earlier and earlier. Many month to see what gifts I get and use my Christmas money to do stores are opening as early as midnight. my shopping then.”

When stores open the minute one day turns into the next, the full experience of Thanksgiving is taken away from us. Instead of spending Thanksgiving is a time for family. Whether time indoors with family, we are rushing out the you’re traveling to your grandma’s house or havdoors of our loved ones and into the automatic ing everyone come to your house, sharing one sliding doors of a department store. big meal together a year is special. There’s no Black Friday is just another example of how worry about work or school the next day- famwe as a society are fast paced, constantly rushing ily is the only and overlooking priority. Well, it the simple things was until another in life. What was holiday crept its once a holiday to way in: Black celebrate family Friday. simply became an I dread Black opening act for Friday. To me, the materialistic Black Friday is gains of Black nothing more Friday. than waking up For once, it too early, waiting might be good outside in the to procrasticold for hours nate. Stores are and fighting your prepared for way through Black Friday: crazy people to they stock up and maybe buy an have a set quota item on sale. they wish to sell.

Granted, those However, when I dread Black Friday. To me, Black Friday is nothing more than waking Christmas Day is sales do seem up too early, waiting outside in the cold for hours and fighting your appealing when way through crazy people to maybe buy an item on sale. approaching and you open the ads they still have on Turkey Day, their merchanbut the ads that caught your eye also caught the dise, companies drop their prices in hopes of last eyes’ of hundreds of other people. Stores that minute purchases. advertise computers and other electronics for And for your own personal items, consider the ridiculously marked down prices likely only have after-Christmas sales. You can use all the money a set number they can sell- Black Friday is like a and gift cards you received from the holidays, game, and odds are you’ll lose. and then you won’t have to worry about dupliWhy would you want to get out of a warm cate gifts. bed at 3 a.m. and venture into the freezing cold?

I would much rather wait a month to see what Why is it okay to trample over and deceive gifts I get and use my Christmas money to do people just for materialistic wants? my shopping then. And in the meantime, I’ll People say the “chase” for items is fun. Maybe spend my Black Friday relaxing, eating leftovers it is because I’m not competitive, but I don’t see and spending time with family- the way the fun in the chaos. People are more aggressive and Thanksgiving break should be spent. the workers at the stores are high-strung or worn (Photo Credit: (Gerry Melendez/The State/ out. Each year stories of people getting trampled MCTcampus.com)

Megan Ivey

Are students really safe in school?

Ellie Edwards

ellieedwards@othstoday.com “With the help of teachers, administration, and staff member, OTHS remains extremely safe and secure.”

Editorial staff: Kameron Johnson Emma Gatewood Sports Editor Editor-in-Chief, News Editor Tyler Klaus Emily Love Photos and Web Features Editor Editor

Megan Ivey Copyeditor

Connor Holzinger Business Manager General Staff:

Mycal Hurley Entertainment Editor

Ellie Edwards Sarah Hesse

Dylan Highley Dianiche Baxton Faculty Advisor Ashlee Heady

Contributors: Brittany Matar, Haewon Jung, Cathleen Klusek, TJ Price

The O’Fallon Township High School newspaper, The Prowler, is part of the educational curriculum of O’Fallon District 203.

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. 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 e-mailed to emmagatewood@othstoday. com. 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 to the editor. All letters must be signed. All

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.

In our nation, there is a rising number of incidents involving violence in schools. Whether the violence is coming from within the school or from the surrounding environments, schools are adapting to these growing security issues.

In many schools there are metal detectors that students have to walk through on their way into the building. Although we don’t have these at O’Fallon, the administration goes to great lengths to make us all feel safe.

OTHS is a closed campus, which means every door is locked, and if you leave, you must come back in through the front doors and check in with the security desk.

Behind the security desk, there are 128 cameras, capturing the views of the parking lots, every hallway, and even the teacher’s lounge.

Every visitor must check in at the desk, and in order to obtain a visitor’s pass, each person must have a state issued ID. The ID is then scanned and the computer checks for background information. It will be able to tell if the person is a sex offender or if they have committed any crimes.

Mr. John Kemp and Mr. Kelly Boschert monitor the security desk throughout the day. Kemp gets here at 6 am every morning and opens the school up a half hour later.

After the school opens, an administrator stands at the main opening of the school.

As more and more students arrive to school,

more faculty are assigned to stand by doors leading into the school.

To keep the school secure throughout the day, we have a school resource officer, Jay Spanley who patrols the campus making sure students stay out of trouble.

In addition to our on-campus police officer, five to eight officers patrol the streets of O’Fallon through out the day. This makes it very convenient if an incident ever did happen at our school and we needed law enforcement to be here quickly.

Also, the police department brings in dogs to perform random drug searches throughout the year. They patrol the hallways, cafeterias and parking lots.

The school has many procedures in place to ensure the safety of every student.

There have been incidents in the past where the school has been placed on lock down. Last year, a local bank was robbed and everyone had to remain in the building for almost 30 minutes.

Although many students may not have realized it, the school had a specific plan to handle the situation.

Students were prohibited from being near any windows or doors and the administration monitored all the entrances to the school.

There are also drills we have to go through regarding specific instances. We have at least three fire drills over the course of the school year, and tornado drills are put in place as needed.

Assistant principal Randy Dickenson is in charge of implementing various safety plans here at OTHS. With the help of teachers, administration, and staff member, OTHS remains extremely safe and secure.

(Photo Credit: Mycal Hurley)

DEC. 1, 2011

THE PROWLER

Flu shots have more than one benefit: keep you and others healthy off. You may feel a little fatigued and have a low grade fever, but these symptoms occur because of your antibodies fighting off the injected cells. emilylove@othstoday.com

Many people think that the flu shot is expensive and they won’t get one because of “I think getting a flu shot anthat. After doing some research, I found that you nually should be one of your top priorities.” can get one at Walgreen’s with or without an appointment, for free with insurance or Medicare part B. Another bonus to getting the vaccine at Walgreen’s is that they can send the record to your doctor so that they know you got the vacAHHHHH-CHOOOO! Are you sneezcine. Aside from Walgreen’s, all doctor’s offices ing and coughing? Do you have a fever, chills, carry them, so talk to your doctor about getting and body aches? If so, then you might have the one. If you decide to get the flu shot, make sure seasonal influenza. you get an appointment soon because they run Every year, new strains of the influenza virus affect people all over the world. This is the reason out fairly quickly.

Being why a new teenagers in a flu shot packed high comes out school, we every year. I are all almost think getting destined to a flu shot anget the flu nually should every year. If be one of you get the your top flu, you will priorities. It obviously protects you have to miss against getschool for ting the flu More than 200,000 people are hospitalized from the flu each ear. a few days. I and complicaknow that I speak for all of you in saying that tions that come with it. Yes, you still might get missing even one day can be extremely hard the flu that year, but the case you come down to make up. When you get the flu shot, since with will not be as bad and your symptoms will you have the deadened virus in your system, it not be as severe. spreads to other people, thus protecting them Many people think that if you get the flu from the virus too. shot, you will automatically get the flu and get

Although it is not a law to receive a flu sick because of the vaccination. That is not the shot, getting one is to your benefit. If and when truth. A vaccine is an injection made of dead or you get the flu, you will be sorry that you did weakened cells of a certain virus. Once it enters not get the flu shot. your bloodstream, your antibodies know that it is something they need to fight against. Because (Photo Credit: Vern Fisher/Monterey County you get the vaccination, when you come into Herald/MCTcampus) contact with that virus, your body is immune to it because your antibodies know how to fight it

Emily Love

Does high school prepare you for college Ellie Edwards

ellieedwards@othstoday.com “When it comes down to it, if you try your best in your classes throughout high school, you will most likely be better prepared for college.”

Throughout high school, students are working their hardest and trying their best in hopes that their hard work will pay off by being offered more scholarships and being accepted into a prestigious college.

A lot of people wonder, however, if high school really prepares you for college.

I’d like to think that it does, but the truth is, it’s a completely different environment.

Lindsay Pierson, a 2011 OTHS graduate, does not think she was well prepared for her freshman year at Mizzou.

“You are literally all on your own. No one, such as teachers or parents, checks up on you. If you miss a midterm or a paper, you will most likely fail the class unless the professor is nice.”

Pierson believes that the main difference between high school and college is the fact that a lot of her classes don’t give homework.

“Most of them just give exams. You can’t make things up if you miss them. You definitely learn from your experiences,” she said.

On the other hand, Alaina Bauer, a freshman at the University of Kentucky, believes the courses she took in high school properly prepared her for her college work, but the amount is so much more.

“The work/ reading in college is a huge change

from high school. There are nights when I have a good three hours of reading or homework to do, sometimes even more,” Bauer said.

However, Bauer does not think high school socially prepared her for college.

“For the most part, people in high school stay with the same group of friends, some groups have even known each other since grade school,” Bauer says.

“When you get to college, you’re dropped off and you have to be able to reach out to others, which can be challenging.”

Bryce Radick, a freshman at Mizzou, says that high school does in fact you prepare you for the social aspect of college.

“A lot of the people in high school are petty and dramatic, so as long as you stayed away from them, college interaction is really easy because most people are nicer than people at OTHS,” Radick said.

This aspect of college is something that I am especially scared for, but I don’t think we can really be prepared for it, it’s something that we all just have to face when we get to it.

When it comes down to it, if you try your best in your classes throughout high school, you will most likely be better prepared for college. Of course every school is different, but if you put forth your best effort in whatever you do, you will be successful no matter where you end up in the future.

(Photo Credit: Renee Jones Schneider/Minneapolis Star Tribune/MCTcampus.com)

3

OPINIONS

Twitter, a violent Facebook? Social media sites foster violence Dianiche Baxton

dianichebaxton@othstoday.com “Approach that person and handle your issues in private, and avoid posting things for your followers and the rest of the world to see.”

“Did you see what he said on Facebook? I know he was talking about me!” You might have caught yourself saying or over hearing something like that last year. This posting status about

people was commonly done on Facebook.

Now a lot of teens at O’Fallon are doing their talking on Twitter. And with all the retweeting and subtweets, you never really know what or who someone is talking about. Then again, sometimes tweeting very blunt statements are obvious that you have a problem with someone.

A person could be having a whole conversation about someone on your time line and you could mistake them to be talking about you. This could definitely cause a few conflicts at school.

Sophomore Sara Branz commented and said,

“Yeah, I’ve seen Twitter cause conflicts at school.

People use it to talk about others and it causes drama,” In high school not everyone gets along, and that’s okay. But we can’t leave school, get on the Internet, and talk or make fun of someone.

That’s not what Twitter is about, and you sure wouldn’t want anyone doing this to you.

Twitter is a place where students can go and vent about their day.

How they did on a test, wonders they have about life, or just random things that come to mind. Sometimes though, students use it to bul-

ly and talk about others. What used to be done on Facebook has now been moved to Twitter.

Going home and starting a trending topic about that person you got into an argument with at school is not the way to deal with conflicts, it’s not mature and shows that you’re a coward.

Approach that person and handle your issues in private, and avoid posting things for your followers and the rest of the world to see.

4

THE PROWLER

NEWS

Top News:

Nation

DEC. 1, 2011

& World

Gingrich pulls ahead in the polls after key endorsement Emma Gatewood

As the

emmagatewood@othstoday.com

2012 presidential campaign heats up, the bid for the Republican nomination intensifies.

The original front-runner former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has started to lag behind Newt Gingrich, former speaker of the House, in the polls.

Gingrich has been lately rising in popularity among voters, popularFormer Massachusetts governor ity that has hit a peak with the endorsement of New Hampshire’s Mitt Romney at a Republican debate.

Union Leader.

As New Hampshire’s largest newspaper, this endorsement is not only important locally but also nationally because New Hampshire voters head to the polls Jan. 10.

The endorsement has also raised Gingrich’s poll rating which has risen 14%. Despite this Romney still has 40% of voters according to the polls.

The Union Leader conservative editorial page has, in the past, endorsed other Republican frontrunners.

In both 1976 and 1980 the

paper endorsed Ronald Reagan, in 1988 Delaware Gov. Pete DuPont, 1992 and 1996 Reagan aide Pat Buchanan, in 2000 Steve Forbes and in 2008 Arizona Sen. John McCain.

“Romney's a guy who wants to be liked,” Andrew Cline, editor of the editorial page for the Union Leader, said. “He's a politician who wants to be liked. Gingrich is a politician who wants to be respected, who wants to actually accomplish - he has an agenda that he wants to set in place.

Former House Speaker Newt Cline goes on to say, "I'm really Gingrich speaking to voters at a not sure precisely what we get out Republican debate.

of a President Romney who might very well be a good president, but we don't really know. So given the choice between the candidate who wants to be liked and the candidate who wants to be respected, we would rather have the guy who wants to be respected.”

CNN.com (Photo Credit:Olivier Douliery/ Abaca Press/MCTcampus.com)

Ohio authorities identify possible serial killer Emma Gatewood

In Ohio, Craigslist is quickly

strange. The job is to watch over 680 acres south of cambridge.”

Odd jobs emmagatewood@othstoday.com and such but mainly becoming a tool for murder. In the just secure past week, Ohio authorities have it. Trailer, found the bodies of three men utilities, buried in shallow graves. salAuthorities suspect that the three ary. Drawmen all answered an ad on Craigbacks? No slist for a job. cell phone The latest victim was identified as Police vehicles near where two of the victims were found. service, Timothy Kern of Massillon, Ohio. kids are up Kern’s murder was quickly linked here, and i with the other two murders, by local police as have to move this Sunday.” well as the FBI. The victim’s son Zach Kern said of his father’s Authorities are suspect this because of Kern’s feelings about the opportunity to work on the last Facebook post where he writes; “Just got cattle farm. “He was all stoked about it. My one of the strangest job offers. A good offer but brother ... thought the whole situation was

sketchy.”

Authorities have two suspects in custody in relation to the case. One of the suspects father Michael Rafferty said that his 16-year-old son Brogan Rafferty is charged with attempted murder.

He then claimed that his son had been “manipulated” and “corrupted,” insisting that his son is a “mild-mannered gentleman.” The other suspect is 52-year-old Richard Beasley who is being held on unrelated charges.

The investigation first began when police were called to investigate a man with a gun shot wound to his arm, who was being treated at a local emergency room.

The victim, who police refused to unveil, told authorities that he had answered an ad on

Craigslist that involved working with cattle on a 688 acre farm.

He went on to say that he met with the two suspects, who then attempted to shot him in the head but he deflected the gun but was injured while fleeing.

The police then received a call from a woman in Boston, who reported her brother missing and told them that she was certain her brother had answered the same ad as the first victim. The police followed up the lead by using cadaver sniffing dogs, where they then found the body a white male; police have yet to identify the victim.

CNN.com (Photo Credit: redlasso.com, wkyc.com)

FEATURES THE PROWLER 5 Water has more benefits than Effects on Families with you think loved ones deployed DEC. 1, 2011

Sarah Hesse

Attention all students!

This is important sarahhesse@othstoday.com information which could benefit you in more ways than one.

Have you ever felt tired for an extensive amount of time? How about constant headaches or numerous muscle cramps? If you have, chances are you were dehydrated. Being dehydrated is harmful to the body.

There is a simple solution to staying away from dehydration...drink water!

Although Gatorade and Poweraide are advertised as health drinks, nothing beats water.

Drinking water provides numerous benefits to the human body that other drinks can not.

For one, drinking water helps maintain and/ or lose body weight. It does so by flushing down the by-products of fat breakdown, resulting in less body fat.

Water also reduces hunger because it is an appetite suppressant which will result in you eating less. Hence, the less you consume, the less weight you gain.

Also, water is a natural remedy for headaches and back pain because it reduces dehydration which allows for hydration to the different muscles causing the pain.

Another positive side effect of drinking water is that it allows your skin to be and feel healthy!

Water and hydration go hand in hand with one another. Water helps replenish skin tissues, it moisturizes skin, and it increases skin elasticity.

Over time, drinking plenty of water can help skin from aging as quickly as it may other wise do. Have you ever found yourself zoning off in

meganivey@othstoday.com

Over the past couple of months, you might have noticed bulldozers and construction across the street

from Greenmount Crossing Plaza.

To many it looks likes something disastrous, stripped down of trees and crops.

Although it may look unfavorable now, in time the new buildings will surely bring light to our area.

This new project has many people talking, and The Prowler was lucky enough to talk to Shiloh’s mayor, Mr. Vernier, for more information.

The new plaza, called Three Spring’s Shiloh, is a 125 acre area.

This space of land appeared almost out of nowhere, hidden behind trees and homes that were torn down for the land.

After three years of planning, the project was finalized in June 2011. McEagle Properties and the sister company Paric is developing and contracting the site.

It is expected to hold 300,000 square feet (about the same size of Greenmount Crossing) of

commerical and office space.

Three Spring’s Shiloh is a big project taking an estimated 10-12 years to complete and 100 million dollars in costs.

Those costs will bring in an approximate revenue of two million dollars a year for the village of Shiloh. Another positive effect will be the opportunity of nearly 2,500 full and parttime jobs for the area.

Sadly, at this time we do not know of any users for this site, but Mayor Vernier states, “There are many interested clients.”

Although it will take a decade to complete, Three

Tyler Klaus

Boarding a plane may mean the ticket to a family tylerklaus@othstoday.com vacation, but for some it means saying goodbye to their family, risking their lives, and protecting their country.

Every day men and women are deployed to protect our country. While leaving their families to deal with their absence. While some say the hardest part of a deployment is saying goodbye, many think. It is the few weeks before the deployment begins.

You know your time is growing thin, you are getting packed up, and making last minute repairs, it is just easier to get the deployment started. It is always hard to say goodbye to a parent for any length of time, but how do you deal with having to say goodbye to them for over a year and knowing they are in harms way?

On top of worrying, you feel obligated to fill your parent's shoes, show support to other siblings, and still have a normal life.

By the end of the deployment, you can be stressed to the max and you’re just the teenager in the family. Overcoming these obstacles is what separates a strong person from a weak person, make sure to stay involved.

Hanging out with friends can be a huge help to relieve stress along with talking with your deployed parent.

Technological advantages have made it pos-

sible to see your parents’ face half a world away.

This is a huge help and can really help fill the emptiness of them not being there.

Now nothing will replace them from actually being safe at home, but being able to see them, talk to them, and laugh with them can really help you forget that they are protecting our country far away.

Going back, hanging out with friends gets you out in the real world; it shows your the world doesn't stop spinning when a parent is gone. The moment you accept that your life is bad, and can't get better is the day the deployment wins and you stop helping yourself overcome all of your emotions.

Stay active! If you stay active, it will keep your mind off of what is going on. Don't forget what is going on, and just keep your mind off of it. You do need to cry, and experience your emotions because they are very powerful and you have them for a reason.

However they aren't meant to be shown all the time though.

Stay strong, keep going, and relieve stress. Do not give up and things will go back to normal eventually.

If your stress and emotions do build up seek help from a counselor or the armed forces. The armed forces provide many free services that help people deal deployment and are very beneficial.

Just remember a goodbye is not always forever, it can be only temporary.

(Photo Credit: Cathleen Klusek)

Erin Turk,gives back domestically and internationally Elizabeth Edwards

Greenmount crossing ten-year project makes way

Megan Ivey

class? Okay, we all know the answer to this is yes, but drinking water allows the mind to focus better than if it is dehydrated. So if you would like to stop missing key points in class lectures, I suggest you grab a bottle of water and start sipping.

Besides the reasons listed above, water also allows your body to perform better when exercising.

By consuming water on a regular basis, you will feel more energetic, which in turn will boost your intensity when working out. Water fuels muscles.

When muscles are fueled, less cramping occurs because hydration keeps joints and muscles lubricated.

A major plus that water offers to the human body is that it helps prevent illness.

The keyword here is “helps.”

Drinking water does not secure that you won’t catch the flu bug roaming the halls, but what it will do is give a fighting chance against it.

As you can see, water benefits a body in more ways than one. If you do not currently drink water, I suggest you start.

Besides you have nothing to lose.

It is recommended that a person drink anywhere from seven to ten full glasses of water a day. If that seems far fetched for you, begin drinking less and work your way up.

With all the above benefits of drinking water, one would be crazy not to. Do your body a favor and drink water.

(Photo Credit: Tim Johnson/MCTcampus. com)

Turk poses with young schoolchildren in Kenya.

Turk carries water from a stream to a local village like other women from the village.

This time of year is often thought elizabethedwards@othstoday.com of as the “season of giving”, when people are filled with holiday spirit and have the urge to help others.

For senior Erin Turk, however, every season is a season of giving. Turk participates in many charities and service projects throughout the year, including Relay for Life, Caring Hearts, 30 Hour Famine, One Life Revolution, Operation Christmas Child, One- by- Youth, Matt’s Hats, and Water for Kenya. She also volunteers at the food pantry, serves on the Missions Committee at her church, and has gone on several mission trips, including the Dominican Republic and Kenya.

Turk has been giving back as long as she can remember. She gives the credit to her parents, saying, “My parents did a great job raising my siblings and I. We were aware of how fortunate and blessed we were but also very aware of the fact that too many people, both here in the U.S. and around the world, were not.”

When Turk and her brother were little, they would sell baked goods at their mom’s garage sales and use the money they made to buy things to take to the food pantry.

Out of the many memories she has created through giving back, Turk says her most memorable moments come from the time spent with the children in the Dominican Republic and Kenya.

“Kids are just bursting with laughter no matter how devastating a situation they may be in,” Turk says. “They always have a way to remind you what is really important in life.”

In all of the cherished moments she has created, Turk says the connections and the interactions with the people she has helped are the best, regardless of the economic level, geographic location, or belief system.

“People are all the same,” she says. “We all need love.”

In the future, Turk hopes to continue international mission trips. All of the colleges she is looking at offer countless service opportunities and wherever she attends, she hopes to obtain a nursing degree. With that, she hopes she’ll be of more assistance in areas where she wasn’t before.

“We all have the potential to impact the world in a large way and opportunities to give back are everywhere,” Turk says. “I look forward to all of the great things the future holds.”

(Photo Credit: Erin Turk)

Turk poses with schoolchildren after helping them with a craft project.

Turk poses with a local women before carrying water back to the village.

Turk poses with the children of the village after playing a game of soccer.

Best ways to study; how to use time effectively Dianiche Baxton

All high school students should know by now that procrastination is not our friend. Waiting until the last minute to cram in a study session will do you no good. But with our busy schedules, finding time to study for every test and quiz for every one of our classes can be difficult. We all have to find the best and most efficient way of learning and remembering information.

First off, we’re all different and are going to learn at different paces and use different techdianichebaxton@othstoday.com

Spring’s Shiloh is an exciting addition to the village.

Vertical construction plans to take place next summer in 2012.

(Photo Credit: theinfomine.com, frankscottparkway.com)

niques. Try out a few different methods and see what works best for you.

Here are some different tipss to try: Listen to music: research shows that a great way to recall memories is to listen to a certain type of music while learning the information.

What was learned can easily be recalled by playing the song back in your head.

Brain maps: create relationships between disparate ideas to help you organize your train of thought. This will also help with recall of information.

Listen to yourself: create a podcast of yourself reviewing your material, then when you go to sleep listen to yourself. This method is good for studying vocabulary or a different language.

Test yourself: make up a practice test and before the real test/quiz take and see how you did.

Some people learn form their mistakes and this lets you know exactly what you need to work on.

Mnemonics: is a personal way to remember information. You could make up a song, draw a picture or relate a terms to things your use to.

Teach it: some research shows that not only

reading material aloud helps you remember it, but also teaching it to someone. This will enhance your understanding and recall the information.

For the best results when going into a test/ quiz make sure you are prepared mentally. Stay healthy, get plenty of sleep the night before.

Make sure you are not hungry or too full of food. And lastly, smile and stay positive!

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DEC. 1, 2011

Teen violence’s recent evolution

Kameron Johnson

Forty years from today many things kameronjohnson@othstoday.com will be said about our generation. We will be known as the age of the social networks, rock star hippies, and a group of people full of meaningful (and some pointless) body art.

Though we live in a time where being individual is considered cool and to be ”in” is not, chasing your dreams and not letting anyone interrupt your quest is the fundamental mind set we all share.

Violence in our generation has also changed, greatly due to one thing much associated with us: social networks.

Violence amongst teens is not something one hears on a daily schedule. Not saying we are the most peaceful kids ever, but we have relaxed in the aspect of using extreme prejudice against one another. We still watch the ten o’

clock news to see a report of a local kid shot and killed. Sadly, that is something that will continue.

But many forms of violence today are not stated on the news. This is because they are under wraps. Hidden by the use of social networks.

Social networks have taken the place of arguments amongst students, turning them into wimps, almost sissy like.

When a person is hidden behind a computer, more hateful slurs will come out of their mouths instead of the bully being face-to-

face with his victim.

Violence has taken a turn with our generation, shying away from a physical aspect to more of a physiological duel. Verbal abuse has shown to have taken a toll on teenagers.

As an example, 20 percent of teenagers will show depression like symptoms by the time they reach adulthood according to teendepression.org. This may directly relate to cyber-bullying according to bullyingstatistics.org. They say one in three teenagers have been

cyber-bullied.

Although teenagers hate to admit it, we are incluenced by our media. All types of violence are showcased on t.v. When we watch t.v. shows such as “UFC”, “Law and Order” and even “Pretty Little Liars”, they send us a message.

Violence sells.

Another possible influence that today’s generation has is videogames. Mindless videogames make a person feel like they are invincible, which could also relate to a cyber bully with a computer or tv screen to hide behind.

So even though we are a generation of individuals, we still have been a cause for the sad truth of cyber-violence. Violence is violence. Not being physically abused does not still hurt. This form of physiological violence needs to stop as well.

Dickenson and Heinrich win November SOTM Emily Love

The November students of the emilylove@othstoday.com month are Tyler Dickenson and Samantha Heinrich. While Heinrich hasn’t fully decided on college yet, Dickenson intends on going to the Naval Academy to study mechanical or nuclear engineering.

Although Heinrich hasn’t decided on a college yet, she wants to major in architectural engineering.

When asked why she wants to major in architectural engineering, she replied,

“I’ve always liked art, but I like math better. I think this is a good blend of the two.”

Heinrich has participated in many activities in high school including jazz ensemble, concert band, spring musical pit, pep band, wind ensemble, math team, German club, robotics, and is the alto section leader in the marching band.

Dickenson has also participated in many OTHS clubs and sports including math team, marching band, wind ensemble, NHS, robotics, ultimate frisbee, model UN, JV tennis, student council, SADD, Lifesavers, and Saturday scholars. They both also do many activities outside of school. While Dickenson participates in the Kiwanis club and O’Fallon Township Youth Committee, Heinrich is a girl scout, an

assistant Sunday school teacher, participates in plays in her church’s jazz band, and has made the IMEA district band the past two years. When asked what the greatest thing about being named student of the month, Dickenson said, “The shocked look on some of my peers’ faces.”

Heinrich said.

“Definitely knowing that I get to park in the front of the school. It will be really nice

not having to walk to and from Weber every

day.”

Both Heinrich and Dickenson said that their favorite class is Physics. Heinrich commented on that saying, “It helped me understand how the world works.”

Dickenson said “I learn more in there than any other class and I’ve never met anyone smarter than Mr. Curry. I have so much respect for him.”

Both gave interesting answers to the question, “What is one thing you would change about OTHS if you could?”

Heinrich answered with, “I would want there to be a greater selection of honors science classes, like adding astronomy.”

Tyler gave a list of things to change, with: 1. Replace the deli stand in the cafeteria with a Jimmy John’s.

2. Remove all water fountains except one and makes students duel for a sip.

3. Make all students wear a Coke/Under Armour uniform.

4. Make every day a half day.

5. Allow dogs and iPods.

6. Every time a student is on time to class, they receive a Twizzler.

These are two very accomplished people, so make sure to congratulate them when you pass them in the hallways. Tyler Dickenson and Samantha

Heinrich are two of OTHS finest who display intelegence, maturity, and carisma. Each show how O’Fallon is a great place to live, grow and develop. Though it has its highs and lows, Novembers Student of the Months make up proud to be apart of this community.

Bonjour Pauline Nicolle

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What she

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misses most: Sinigang, a pork stew served over rice

Mycal Hurley

The first question, how would you write 99 in mycalhurley@othstoday.com Roman numerals?

Mr. Denny: IC, because 1, or I, less than one hundred, or C, is 99.

Daniel Hogue: “Shoot. Is it LXXXXIX?” Actually the correct answer is XCIX. After the first round (and Daniel’s outrageous answer) the score is now, 0-0 , with both of the scholars tied.

On to the next question. How loud is a vuvuzela in decibels?

Mr. Denny: “I would say around 120 decibels?”

Daniel Hogue: “270?”

The correct answer to this question is 127 db. Despite Daniel’s efforts, he can’t manage to beat the Trivia King. We’ll give the Trivia King the point since he was somewhat close to the answer. This leaves the second round at, 1-0, with Mr. Denny in the lead.

Third question. Of the 7 Wonders of the World, which still stand?

Mr. Denny: “I know there’s only one left. It’s not the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. It’s not the Lighthouse of Alexandria... I have to say it’s The

Great Pyramid of Giza.”

Daniel Hogue: “Wow, that’s a lot of wonders.

I’m gonna say Stonehenge.”

Again the Trivia Master is correct! There is only one Wonder of the World left: The Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt. Three questions down, seven left. The score is now, 2-0 with Mr. Denny leading. This next question is a tricky one. How many official jelly bean flavors are there?

Mr. Denny: “Hmm, that’s a hard one. I would have to say seven.”

Daniel Hogue: “35?”

The correct answer is 50 flavors. Due to both contestants ignorance in candy flavors, the score is still, 2-0. Next is question five. True or false, do Valencia oranges have more Vitamin C than sweet red peppers?

Mr. Denny: “I have a feeling you’re trying to trick me so I’ll have to say false.”

Daniel Hogue: “True?”

The correct answer is false, red peppers surprisingly do in fact have more Vitamin C than Valencia oranges. It looks like smooth sailing for the Trivia King as he scores his three consecutive point over Daniel. Following up with that question, what does HTML stand for?

Mr. Denny: “Hyper Text Markup Language.”

Daniel Hogue: “I have no idea. Hot Transmittable Mechanical Lice?”

Mr. Denny is correct with Hyper Text Markup Language, the computational skeleton of web pages and after Hogue’s outlandish answer, makes him up by four points. Question number seven is more recent: Name the two main characters in Cartoon Network’s show, The Regular Show.

Mr. Denny: “Oh, I have no idea. Frank and Beans?”

Daniel Hogue: *walks away in disappointment* “I don’t know. Ben and Joe.” Both are incorrect. The correct answer is Mordecai & Rigby. If only these two scholars would embrace their child-side. The score remains, 4-0.

Next question: Who made the first popsicle?

Mr. Denny: “Hmm, I would have to say Benjamin Franklin.”

Daniel Hogue: “Costco?”

Again both answers are incorrect. The correct answer is the Romans, who froze ice then added flavoring before eating them. After a second straight let-down, both the King and Daniel the Acolyte keep their same scores. Question nine.

Only one question more left. Mark Hamill was a voice actor for which 90’s superhero cartoon and which character was he?

Mr. Denny (answering almost instantaneously): He played the Joker in Batman: The Animated Series.

Daniel Hogue: “Mr. Fantastic in the Fantastic 4?”

After a scoring draught, the Trivia King is correct again with Hamill playing as the Joker in Batman: The Animated Series making the score, 5-0. Tenth and final question: What do scatologists study?

Mr. Denny: “I have to think...

Scat.

Scat. Jazz music!?”

Daniel Hogue: “Skits?”

The correct answer is feces. Scatologists study an animal’s feces in order to find possible diseases, eating patterns and various other things. After taking a shot at the title of King of Trivia, Daniel the Acolyte failed to outwit Mr. Denny, being completely shut out the entire competition.

(Photo Credit: Emma Gatewood)

OTHS Newsfeed

In addition to spending time with our families, I am looking forward to traveling with my husband. Each year, we take our vacation over Christmas break.

Mrs. Seipp

Where she’s from:

The

Battle of the Scholars

What are you looking forward to this holiday season?

De la Serna, Nicolle bring culture to OTHS

FEATURES

Pop Culture Showdown

Question of the Month (Photo Credit: Tyler Klaus)

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DEC. 1, 2011

in the States:

Americas next top model

Kamusta Arianna de la Serna

Favorite things to do:

es atch w he at s h s: W tate S he in t

misses most: Couscus, a spicey sausage carrots and yellow grain

The Original NCIS is my favorite.

Where she’s from: France Favorite things to do:

I love the mall it’s my favorite place to be.

What food she

I enjoy basketball back home where there are no clubs so everyone plays for their city

“I’m looking forward to seeing my family from out of town and the holiday basketball tournament.”

Senior Taylor Klingelhoefer “I’m looking forward to going ice slating and watching Christmas movies. I’m also looking forward to seeing the lights at the Shrine.”

Senior Leah Wells

“I’m looking forward to spending time with my family.”

Mr. Albers

~See any funny Facebook or Twitter posts, want to see them on Newsfeed. Submit them to newsfeed@othstoday.com

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DEC. 1, 2011

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t u o l l a t

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OTHS SECRETS

s of tres ly, s e h fami ll t th a nds and en of i W . burd frie toms symp school, ave the inside. h e high ouldn't s locked d ag ve, n h u e s o r c t i seAr we g se or f y own n i r r p u u e o o f ke all iche not ponsible y m norm ur Dian n ay.co t's e s i er w e stod o h r s t o o . Ev isime we are rom undt t f u Banxicthebaxton@ e o m s b t So dia eir et a hat s e bo ecre et t ping qui s has th emselve ep s to creat nd the r e c k h d o e a t n t e y e k a s o l n for e of fri keep t en it's bega ts. Main ourselve ets are h y l e r n c n e e e r s e circ that the y. But w ers, th pa etw world, b . h a se e t k s s nc sue hat's o ng to o Of cour arie of the ende p e i t ho . d n w d e d o rest ng of in ll g eep an e threat o be tol the one a e i w k u e lif t has t feel and ives to b g run yo . re ur l things ant c r e n o w e u f o s o i l t t u don' in the meones l s to rent ugho you o t Thro gh diffe perience ge from y ng s s bu n x u t heav tell be savi thro of our e s can ra gs abou a d n d n t nd of a arou coul some s. Secre ttle thi major a ing or even t r i a e d g l c v n n l se t i wn nor somethi ittle a are g mi you f your o ay to le ff your l r f u e I o s bein lves to e k o m ts o s o et safro . Th e ll secr d's, it' ur secre conver ours changing we keep ally to a o n u y frie To get of a have life ibs that mily act uld d adult a o f . . f h t y s g u d d i o e u b bo an rust t yo and nds ches with a t ner frie r brain n i u okes tion friend. on o prov to anxi se s e t e au ds cr clos g se hich lea ty can c n i p Kee ict, w xie ongoing er . An l h conf nd worry mbling, less ot t e a n r u t y co et s, and ache head , nausea y worr

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(Secrets were anonymously submitted by OTHS students)

Photo Credit: MCTcampus.com

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Connect the Dots

O-Tunes TWENTY Boyz II Men The group Boyz II Men, featuring Nathan Morris, Shawn Stockman, Michael McCrary and Wayne Morris, made a tremendous impact on the R&B genre when releasing their first album, “Cooleyhighharmony” back in 1991. Now twenty years later, Boyz II Men, save McCrary, released their twentieth anniversary album, aptly named “TWENTY”, which features two disks containing 20 tracks and includes 12 new songs along with remakes of eight of their top singles including the famous “Motownphilly” and “End of the Road”.

Many of their new songs have a modern vibe to them and don’t have the same 90’s feeling as with their older songs, but the new sound is great nonetheless. Instead of sticking to what the group knows and is distinguished by, they chose to go out of their element to appeal to a newer crowd. This alone makes the album a must-buy simply to see the group’s transformation from a young ‘caterpillar’ starting off in the music industry to a mature ‘butterfly’. Although they changed their style, their message still remains the same: love and caring for those who are significant in your life, and the group

never strays from this moral.

Of the 12 of the new songs on the album, “More Than You Know”, featuring R&B legend Charlie Wilson, has shown the most buzz around the music scene. Other than the recent appearances on famous pop stars’ albums, such as Justin Bieber’s “Under the Mistletoe”, little promotions have been made for “TWENTY”, but is still able to capture a large fan-base with listeners young and old alike. If you’re new to the R&B scene, this is the perfect group to get started with. If you’re a fan of 90’s R&B, Boyz II Men, or just good music in general, this is an album you must have in your collection.

Aries Cancer Libra Capricorn Taurus Leo

Overall, some amount of challenges would also prevail. Luck may improve and you may experience an overall growth. There is a probability of a travel.

Your mind may become over active while some amount of ego could rule your thoughts till 15th December, 2011.

Creative work will fetch financial growth. You are suggested to be modest in your speech and communications for this month. There is a possibility of travel.

A gainful period in monetary terms, while your social life will also brim with activity.

There are chances of useless expenses, which may possibly be accompanied with some losses as well.

Your health and stamina may see a fall after 16th December, 2011. Obstacles could also rise in routine matters during this time. Exhaustion & increased fatigue may be observed.

Active period in work as well as domestic matters. Some amount of resentment could build up against family members during this time. Avoid conflict.

Scorpio Aquarius Gemini

Hard work and support from people in authority helps you make good progress in work.

It is a positive period in love life and relationships too.

Your career progresses well and you will feel an increased liveliness. Now you will lead a happy social life and there is a possibility of an extremely positive reunion with friends.

Your sincere labor and support from people holding authority will bring noticeable progress at work. There is a possibility of facing opposition to your ideas and relationships.

Virgo Sagittarius

During this month you will taste growth and an increase in repute. You also experience higher energy levels & creative ability. If you remain positive, you will have abundant energy to sort out matters.

Pisces

The December begins with low activity and a little pressure and sluggishness. You burst back into activity with an improved outlook. Be cautious about being egoistic or getting over aggressive.

Spirituality and creative work would form your outlook this month. You will find yourself lucky. Your career will get a boost based on your labor and innovative ideas.

Winter Word Search

loween night and is the first album where Metallica is collaborating with another musician for an entire album.

This album tells a beautiful journey about an abused dancer who is now at the top. The sound is really soothing when you listen to the lyrics of the songs, but it has a rock twist to it which is expected when it’s played by Metallica.

Although the storyline of the album is great, the sound of the album didn’t live up to the hype. With the voice of Lou Reed mixed with the hard rock style of Metallica, it just didn’t go together very well.

If you’re a fan of Metallica, then you will probably agree that Metallica is best by themselves.

Drake

mertime” tells the story of a summer romance starting at the country fair and the rest of the tracks on the album elegantly continue that story.

This album is a classic country album and on those stressful days this is definitely a great album to sit back and relax to. The lyrics tell a story that you can just listen to and apply to yourself, and leaves a memorable experience for any country enthusiast.

Mylo Xyloto

Drake’s highly anticipated sophomore album “Take Care” dropped Tuesday Nov. 15 selling 700,000 copies the first day. After being pushed backed a full month October’s “Very Own” gave the world a work of art Drake fans crave.

Surprisingly the album leaked on the internet only a weak before its debut in stores. Drake was not disturbed with the cyber link, so undisturbed that when he found out he tweeted his three million followers , “I am not sure if the album leaked. But if it did thank god it doesn’t happen a month early any more. Listen, enjoy it, buy it if you like... And take care until next time.”

USA GQ 2010 Man of the Year surely played his cool displaying his confidence on how well “Take Care” would do. To create a constant sound throughout the entire album Drake worked with Toronto native Noah 40 Shebib only. “A lot of albums today have a bunch of hits with different sounds, I wanted to tell a story on Take Care the

sound helps relay the message.” To help bring that sound Drake collaborated with unsigned artist The Weekend for a soft falsetto sound, a technique the two use all to well.

Other artist featured on the album include YMCMB superstar Wezzy, Rick Ross, Rhianna, Niki Minaj, and Stevie Wonder. “Take Care” is the best album to be released on 2011 and should sell well.

Ambition Wale

Coldplay

Coldplay’s new album, “Mylo Xyloto”, is their fifth album to be released by the British alternative rock sensation.

Released on Oct. 24, this album sold more than 200,000 copies in its first week in stores and around 80,000 digital copies as well.

To promote the album, Coldplay released its lead single, “Every Teardrop is a Waterfall”, on June 26 along with several other songs on the album.

Their new album exudes a feeling of innocence.

Most of the songs on the album are pure and simple, with relaxing guitar riffs. On some occasions, the band will throw in some intricate change to the melody, that holds the listener’s attention throughout the whole song.

The lyrics in many of the songs can relate to certain events in a persons life as well as their relationships with others. Love seems to be a prominent theme present through the whole album and seems to tell a love story at times.

Folk-metal musician Lou Reed and world renowned thrash metal hit Metallica collaborated to release their new album called LULU which released October 31.

This album was inspired by a German expressionist writer Frank Wedekind’s plays Earth Spirit and Pandora’s Box which tells the story about a young, abused dancer’s life and relationships, and are now collectively known as the Lulu plays.

Since their publication in the early 1900’s, the plays have been the inspiration for a silent film, an opera and countless other creative endeavors.

Originally the lyrics and musical landscape for “LULU “were sketched out by Reed for a theatrical production in Berlin.

After Lou performed with Metallica at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame concerts in New York in 2009, they all knew they wanted to make an album together. The LULU project began in May 2011 at HQ studios in Northern California, with Lou’s lyrics as the starting point.

This album will hit the stores on Hal-

Take Care

Scotty McCreery

December Horoscopes

LuLu Lou Reed AND Metallica

Clear as day Scotty McCreery was the winner of the 2011 American Idol season and has just released his first full album “Clear as Day” on Oct. 4. He is the youngest male American Idol winner at only 18 years old.

This album broke the record and made Scotty the youngest male ever to put a debut album at the top of the all genre chart. His album also made Scotty the first country singer to have a number one debut album.

His new album immediately hit number one above all other albums. His single on the album “I Love You This Big” made it to the Top 20 and stayed there for seven weeks and was purchased by 197,000 fans in its first week.

The first track on the album called “Out of Sum-

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Despite the album’s theme of love, it still contains the same artistic “weirdness” as their previous work, namely, “Vida La Vida.”

Along with their innocent act, one song in particular on the album is a darker, sinister one.

“Princess of China,” featuring Rihanna talks about the multiple regrets and downsides of life.

This album seems to appeal to their older fans, but still makes and effort to grasp a new audience.

Even though this is a great album, at times it feels dull and too simplistic for some peoples’ tastes.

This shouldn’t stop true Coldplay or alternative rock lovers from picking this album up when given the chance.

Wale’s “Ambition” album brings the pure essence of D.M.V music to the mainstream. Starting off with “Don’t Hold Your Applause” listeners hear his distinct style of drums and GoGo music beats.

Gogo, a combination of snare drums and high tempo dance music easy for rappers to freestyle to originated, in the streets of Washington D.C, Wales’ hometown.

“Ambition” features many hot artist including Big Sean and Mayback Music Group (MMG) counterparts Meek Mill & Rick Ross. This album’s sixteen tracks of pure music magic combines everything hip hop lovers want in record today. Banging beats, blended with a strong message, add a few sick lyrics on top to create the perfect recipe for a tasty style Wale calls his own.

A style MMG owner Rick Ross wanted for his label, in order to bring the original style of hop-hop back to the streets. Stalley, Meek Mill, and Pill three rookies to MMG who styles match Wale have a renaissance effect on rap today. A bit more charismatic than your typical rapper, but he still brings that gutter sound to his album we all enjoy with “No Days Off.”

On the track Wale discusses the struggles he endured before making it. His hunger for greatness drove him to break out of the status quo to simply take life as it is given too you.

Yet, he chooses to make his own luck through ambition and hard work. Through a combination of, family, and absence of an significant other he so longed for, Wale gives us his best work yet, “Ambition”.

(Photo Credit: Tyler Klaus)

Original vs. Remakes, Hollywood’s creativity falling short Dylan Highley

Movies are filled with excitement, thrills, and laughs. Usually, they are a lot of fun to watch because they keep your attention. If you look at the storyline of most of today’s movies, they line up perfectly with a lot of big hit movies throughout the 1970’s and 80’s.

It seems like every movie is a remake now because a lot of movie writers have run out of new story ideas. The talent is all there with big time actors like Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin, Mel Gibson, Russel Crowe and Tom Hanks and more.

Even with all this talent, there has to be a good plot to the movie to keep the viewers attention.

We see movies remade all the time.

Movies such as “Footloose”, “King Kong”, “The Thing” and even “I am Legend” all have been recently remade. Then there are movies like “The Incredible Hulk” and “Planet of the Apes” which have three different versions each.

Sometimes the remakes are reinventive, but other times it is just best to make a movie once. Movie makers can cross the line and drift too far away from the original story line.

On the other hand if you remake an original movie it is very easy to drift too far away from the original story and that can easily change the movie from epic to dylanhighley@othstoday.com

horrible.

In the midst of all these movies that are being remade we just need to remember that sometimes a classic should not be changed. It is called a classic for a reason.

For example, Willy Wonka with Johnny Depp had its high points, but lets be honest Johnny Depp cannot replace Gene Wilder.

The first Willy Wonka had Gene Wilder in it and it was original, the first of its kind as far as movies go. Gene Wilder was hilarious as Wonka a little weird, but not over the top to the point of being distracting.

Thissame story was done with Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka and it seemed like the hilarious moments were erased from the character of Willy Wonka himself. They tried so hard to make Johnny Depp look and act so strange that it was distracting.

Playing the role of Willy Wonka was not as natural of a role for Johnny Depp to play compared to Gene Wilder.

When movie remakes are a success it is usually because of all the special effects that can be done with today’s technology that was not available 30 years ago.

The computer system now days is so advanced and you can now just have the voices and make the video portion entirely on the computer.

(Photo Credit: Kurt Strazdins/MCT campus. com)

go of Edward. What seemed like almost overnight, Jacob and his friends changed drastically in moods and in stature.

As if Bella did not have enough magical creatures to deal with, she later uncovers the secret of her close friend and the young men in his tribe becoming werewolves. The tribe is put to work keeping Bella safe from yet another vampire, Victoria, tracking her whereabouts.

Bella becomes somewhat of a daredevil in “New Moon”, including falling of motorcycles and cliff diving. Her reckless behavior results in a big misunderstanding.

Alice has a vision of Bella’s cliff diving and assumes she was committing suicide.

Edward, who has been AWOL since leaving, is informed of Alice’s misinterpreted vision. Leaving the one you love unconditionally is in itself practically unbearable- the only thing worse would be to know your loved one died.

Wrenched with sadness, Edward attempts a “Romeo” move, trying to commit suicide because he believes his loved one is dead.

Edward goes to Italy to see a powerful vampire clan, the Volturi and asks them to take his life.

Bella finds out about Edward’s plan.

Luckily and just barely, Bella saves Edward and they are both saved from the Volturi for another day.

Bella and Edward agree after the fiasco to never separate their love again. “New Moon” ends with Edward asking for something Bella has doubts about- marriage.

Now, engaged or not, the perfect couples is back together. What bad could come of that?

“Eclipse” shows the complex lovetriangle of Edward, Jacob, and Bella. Jake feels as if he was completely forgotten as soon as Edward came back into the picture. Bella is torn between her best friend and her other half.

While this hostility continues, an “outbreak” of young vampires come to Forks.

Victoria is back again, trying to hurt Bella. The Cullens and werewolves must come together to save their small town. Edward and Jacob must put their differences aside to protect the one they both love.

With the vampires and werewolves working together, they destroy the young vampire clan and their leader Victoria.

At the end of the movie, Bella finally answers Edward’s question about taking her hand in marriage. Even though she is skeptical about matrimony, she agrees to marry Edward.

There is one condition- after they are wed, Edward must change her into a vampire, where she can live forever alongside him.

Does Edward comply to her request?

What happens between Bella and Jacob? And, most importantly, will the powerful Volturi make another appearance?

Find out by following the next part of the Twilight Saga, “Breaking Dawn Part One”, in theatres now.

Van Halen back with album, possible 2012 tour Dylan Highley

dylanhighley@othstoday.com

with a new album coming out soon and the epic return of the vocal front man David Lee Roth.

This album is the first time David Lee Roth has made an album with Van Halen since 1984. In 2008, the band successfully toured, putting their differences behind them.

This band had broken up previously because arguments and problems between David Lee Roth and lead guitarist Eddy Van Halen.

Both of these musicians wanted to lead the band and sought the spotlight which led to David Lee Roth leaving the band and starting his solo career.

Van Halen is back in a big way

The band then looked to find another singer, so they picked up Sammy Hagar as the lead singer and he held that spot until David Lee Roth’s return.

So now David Lee Roth is back for Van Halen and a new album with the original Van Halen members and a possible tour with David Lee Roth in 2012.

The band manager Irving Azoff says that a tour in 2012 is definitely in developing stages.

David Lee Roth, lead singer (left), and Eddy Van Halen, lead guitarist (right), performing at one of their reuniting concerts in November of 2007 where they traveled over seas for a tour.

(Photo Credit: Todd Sumlin/MCT Campus)

@

B

e h t f charts o

C

“ We Found Love”

“Sexy and I Know it”

Rihanna

B

“ The Walking Dead”

D

“Someone Like You”

LMFAO

B

“ Mylo Xyloto” Coldplay

ENTERTAINMENT

“ Stronger” Kelly Clarkson

C

C

“Gossip Girl”

E

D

D

“ Hart of Dixie”

F

“Moves LIke Jagger”

Maroon 5

Foster the People

Adele

“ Christmas” Michael Buble

“Pumped Up Kicks”

“ Fire and Ice” Kaskade

E

E

“ The Real Houswives of Beverly Hills”

Artwork by Brittany Mater

Many of you probably know about the entrancmeganivey@othstoday.com ing love story of Bella and Edward in the “Twilight Saga”. But because the new movie showcased recently, The Prowler staff agreed we could all use a recap, reliving the love triangles, near death experiences, passionate characters and vampire/werewolf action scenes.

The self titled first movie, “Twilight” began with main character Bella Swan moving to small town Forks, Washington to live with her distant father. Used to feeling different, Bella found no connections with her peers, except an uncanny attraction to a mysterious, quiet boy, whom we later find out to be Edward Cullen.

Edward is part of the “adopted”, seven member Cullen family. Although none of the family was blood related, all had similar golden eyes, flawless porcelain skin, and confidence that made sure people were not allowed in their tight knit circle.

Bella, however, was let in, piecing together clues from past historical stories and events. Her conclusion was outlandish but true: the Cullen family (Edward particularly) were vampires.

As if being as strong as a rock and breathtakingly beautiful were not enough, some of the Cullen’s posses powers. Edward can read into other peoples’ thoughts (although surprisingly not Bella’s), his sister Alice sees into the future, and Jasper, Alice’s boyfriend, can detect and control peoples’ moods.

For whatever reason, Bella was not afraid of Edward or his family. In fact, he intrigues her. Even after many warnings and signs of protest from Edward (which were only in attempt to keep Bella safe) , their love for each other was undeniable and they could not keep themselves apart from one another.

Sadly, this unconventional couple lead the Cullen family and Bella into trouble.

A neighboring vampire, James, sought out revenge on Edward by hurting him in the worst possible way- tormenting Bella.

Edward and his family bounded together, and luckily saved Bella from a potential death. This powerful love is what keeps Bella and Edward alive through the course of the saga.

“New Moon” set a different tone, one of yearning and sorrow instead of lust. Because Edward was in shock after the James experience, he tried to save Bella from anymore dangers that he felt the cause of. Edward’s idea of keeping her safe meant leaving her.

Edward leaving did not settle over well for Bella. With the person she cared for most gone, she fell into a staggering depression.

Slowly, her new friend Jacob, who lives on the nearby reservation, pulled her out the sadness by working on a motorcycle project with him. During this time Jacob is also dealing with his own issues. Each day he is falling more and more in love with Bella, who still cannot let

the

Megan Ivey

top

Singles

The love triangle completely surrounded by water that is bluer continues in Break- than the sky, and the sun always seems to be ing Dawn Part I. present. sarahhesse@othstoday.com The movie The Cullens’ happen to have the only house on begins where New Moon left off. the entire island.

Bella, Edward, and Jacob are graduated and The house is magnificent, it has everything ready to move forward with their lives. from a beach view from nearly every spot in the The first major scene in the movie is Bella and small cottage to dazzling decorations.

Edwards’ wedding, which was phenomenal to Needless to say, Edwards and Bella’s honeysay the least. moon was one sweet trip.

Everything was perfect and once the words “I Another point of interest in Breaking Dawn do” were said the two embraced in an everlasting Part 1 is the expected action screen between the kiss. vampires (CulAfter this point len Clan) and in the movie the werewolves Edward and Bella (Jacob and his take off on their crew). honeymoon to In this particuBrazil where they lar film, the fight spend 14 wondergoes down right ful days together. in front of the The two spent Cullens house. their trip frolicking However, it in the ocean waves, is not vampires walking through vs. werewolves, the mountain side, three werewolves and embracing believe that their in heart to heart group is in the conversations. wrong and they Just when it decide to fight on seems like things the Cullens’ side. could not get any This scene better, Bella discovcome to an ers something abrupt hault serious. when Jacob does She is pregnant, something unexbut what is going pected. on inside of her is This scene may unknown to everyleave actionone, even Carlisle. seeking people This is where disappointed. the movie turns Overall, Breakaround. ing Dawn Part I From this point is a great movie. on, the central It is appropiproblem in the ate for nearly all movie is whether ages. or not they will It rightfully be able to keep continues the Edward, Robert Pattinson, and Bella, Kristen Stewart, share a moBella alive before love story of Edment on their honeymoon in Brazil. she gives birth to ward and Bella as the fetus growing well as continue inside of her.

Jacobs obsession Bella is convinced she is strong enough to get with newlywed Bella Cullen. by, whether she is right or wrong you will have The movie leaves viewers on the edge of the to see for yourself. seats.

The acting in Breaking Dawn Part I was deBreaking Dawn Part II can’t get here soon cent. The actors kept you interested in the story enough! but the locations and scenery really stood out.

For example the honeymoon is no normal trip to the beach but rather to a vacant island located (Photo Credit: breaking-dawn-movie-trailer. somewhere in Brazil. blogspot.com) The island is covered in flourishing green trees,

Albums

Sarah Hesse

The Twilight Saga: recapping previous movies

13

THE PROWLER

DEC. 1, 2011

T.V. Shows

Breaking Dawn Part I movie review

DEC. 1, 2011

Movies

THE PROWLER

“ 21” Adele

F

“ Once Upon a Time”

F

B C D E F B C D E F “Captain America”

“Steve Jobs”

“Bad Teacher”

“The Litigators”

“Horrible Bosses”

“Can You Keep a Secret?”

“Margin Call ”

“Destined”

“Attack the Block”

“1Q84”

Books

12

ENTERTAINMENT

Walter Isaacson

John Grisham

Sophie Kinsella

P.C & Kristin Cast

Haruki Murakami

14

SPORTS

THE PROWLER

DEC. 1, 2011

Lockout hurting players pockets, frustrating fans weeknight programing Dianche Baxtron

The NBA preseason was canceled and dianchiebaxtron@othstoday.com with the season supposed to start November 1, basketball fans are left wondering when an agreement will be made. Commissioner David Stern has postponed games three times now. Right now the lockout is said to last at least through November, with a total of over 102 games cancelled.

Negotiations fell apart after three days of meetings when union officials were told they had to commit to a 50/50 revenue split. While the owners are okay with the half split, players are wanting a 52.5 percent.

The 2.5 percent difference would put about $100 million between the owners and players.

Since the season is not starting on schedule, many players are going over seas to play ball.

Some will be allowed to come back when the lockout ends and others will not.

Deron Williams, guard for the New Jersey Nets, now plays for the Besiktas Black Eagles in Turkey. With a contract of $200,000 a month

until the lockout ends, he’ll be back in the states once an agreement is made.

Williams decided to go overseas to keep his game up and to make a statement for the NBA. The L.A. Lakers shooting guard, Kobe Bryant, is playing in Italy on a one season contract for $6.7 million.

He’ll also be able to return to his team when the lockout ends. Bryant chose to go to Italy because when he was young his father played there and he’s spent a lot of his life in Italy.

Kenyon Martin, power forward for the Denver Nuggets, is now playing for China. He signed a season contract for $2.65 million. But when the lockout ends he’ll not be allowed to come back to play in the states until next year. It’s been said that Martin chose China because he believes the lockout will continue throughout the entire season.

Along with Williams, Bryant, and Martin, over 60 other NBA players are playing overseas or planning to during this season.

hollers, hoping to rile him up in the pre-game stretches. Instead, he simply smirks and continues on with his routine, not being phased at all by others. Mclenton’s biggest performance came in the regular season closer on October 21 against the Belleville East Lancers. During this game, Mclenton caught four receptions for 45 yards, including a fumble recovery for a 55 yard touchdown.

This game secured his position as not only the top five receivers South Western Illinois Conference, but also one of the most elite receivers in the state. Four receiving touchdowns in the regular season, Mclenton is acknowledged as “the party starter” from his teammates and peers because he is often the first big play of the game.

His defensive presence is known as well, being a great coverage player. Offences think twice before thinking going deep with him on the field.

His leadership, athleticism and overall attitude make Antuan Mclenton a valuable asset for the Panthers. Congraulatins Antuan “Swan”.

(Photo Credit: Kameron Johnson)

Wrap up to a historic year the panthers which resulted in a safety.

With mementum on Pekins side, they were able to punch the ball in for a touchdown. sarahhesse@othstoday.com During the fourth quarter, in an extremely close game, Panther defense dug in and held 2011 playoffs. there own with a final score of 34-31 your Starting on Friday, October 28th and ending O’Fallon Panthers! on November 4th your O’Fallon panthers Now onto the quater finals against St. Rita. went 2-1 in the post season.

The O’Fallon vs. St. Rita game took place at Round one of the playoffs kicked off on our the high school. The game was action packed home turf against the Edwardsville Tigers. from the get go.

O’Fallon opened there offense up by runHighlights of the game are as follow: Todd ning the ball consistently with Ejay Johnson Porter ended the game with a total of 227 and Kara yards and Stewart. receiving the Johnson ended ball was Dariu the game with Mosley with a a total of 202 grand total of rushing yards 102 yards. and six touchOur leading downs. tackler was Your panther Mike Cotton defense kept the with 4 tackles. tigers from scorDue to St. ing the entire Ritas massive first half, they defense your played a key role Band of Brothers clash rally for a win, before the big game at Pekin.

Panthers were in the advanceunable to ment to the next run. This left round of the playoffs. the game in the hands of both quarterbacks, The final score was 48-27. The second round Todd Porter and Scott Thomas(St. Rita QB). of the playoffs took are boys on a trip up Although the game did not turn out the way north where they defeated the Pekin Dragons. many had hoped, the team had a sensational In a close game, Jr Todd Porter, played an year. They had a year in which they all can astonishing game throwing 200 yards. He also walk away from with their heads held high. did a good job passing the ball to his fellow This years team was one of the three teams to teammates: Ejay Johnson, Antuan McClenton, make it to the quarterfinals in all of O’Fallon Marico Cowans, and Darius Mosley. On the Footballs History.That is something to be defensive side of things, Sr Amani Perry and Jr proud of.

Darius Mosely totaled seven tackles followCongrats goes out to the 2011 Varsity ing close behind them were Mike Cotton and Football Team.

Antuan McClenton with six tackles during the (Photo Credit: TJ Price) game. Luck remained on the Panthers side until the referees called a holding penalty against

Sarah Hesse

This year your Varsity football team made it to the quarterfinals round of the

Panthers offense was explosive, jumping out to a quick 21-0 lead.

Things were looking good for the Panthers. dylanhighley@othstoday.com The defense was fired up, between O’Fallon Panthers and and Todd Pekin Dragon on November Porter was fourth. Pekin put up a great having the fight, but O’Fallon took this game of his game 34-31 where the offense young career. was all left on the field.

Everything Pekin ran more run plays went right for on O’Fallon than any other the Panthers team has. They were consistent until the big on offense aside from the first turn-around drive. With first down after play. The first down the defense was Panthers were worn out by the fourth quarter. backed up The Panthers had a hard time inside their just giving the ball to there own ten and offense to start the game. a holding O’Fallon played a great call against game on offense with Senior the offense O’Fallon defense runs at Pekin offensive in an attempt to Ejay Johnson, running for occurred as a regain the ball.

241 yards, and scoring four result of the touchdowns. Johnson ran for safety. When 145 yards in just the first quarter alone. The backed up inside your own ten yard line its cru-

cial to play discipline football and avoid tackles on a drive that would have given them the lead. in the backfield to protect from a safety.

The Panthers were able to hang on for the win in The safety was a a close one with the killer in this game score of 34-31. it gave Pekin two O’Fallon’s repoints, and the mained in the playball, also it shifted offs after this game all the momentum but Pekin played to Pekin’s side of O’Fallon tough the field. Pekin and was not the then marched it Pekin team that the down the field and Panthers expected. finished the imThis game proved pressive drive with O’Fallon’s persevera touchdown. ance and was close

In the fiall the way til the nal quarter the two final quarter. This teams were just a fighting determinafield goal apart and tion made this a Pekin had the ball. fun and thrilling The defense held game to watch and the game and was a playoff classic. starting to get tired near the end of the (Photo credits: game. They played The two teams line up as O’Fallon hicks the ball.

TJ Price) hard to the end Pekin was stopped

Unpredictable three touchdown passes in his first two games, and stressful are one of which he gained against the Baltimore Ravens black hole defence. In Tennessee Britt kameronjohnson@othstoday.com two things that can be said about tore apart the Ravens, looking unstoppable. this year’s season for fantasy football players.

Week by week owner fear that a player on their roster will be the next big injury report that could crush their entire season and the hopes and dreams of collecting bragging rights for the year.

Much of the blame may be placed onto the off-season lock out and interrupted a great deal of time players use to work out not only to become bigger, faster, and stronger but also a varity of exercises that prevent injury as well.

Kenny Britt entered this season under the radar after Randy Moss left last season Britt became the No. 1 receiver for the Tennessee Titans.

Even more responsibility was placed upon him during the off season after Titans Kenny Britt grabs this pass for a 6-yard gain, while being defended by Chris Johnson, the leagues leading Ravens’ Lardarius Webb and Cory Redding. rusher, refused to attend practice due to a controversial contract agreement.

Britt certified his starting spot by catching With nine receptions for 135 yards, his force

was present in the 13-26 win over Baltimore.

Staying healthy has been the name of the game for fantasy players. This epidemic of players

Boys’ soccer ends strong season with loss at Quincy

Coach’s corner

On Tuesday October 27, the O’Fallon tylerklaus@othstoday.com boys’ soccer season came to a devastating end. Losing to the Quincy Blue

Mycal Hurley

Kameron Johnson

Player of the Month

Senior Antuan Mclenton, having 23 receptions for meganivey@othstoday.com miraculous 457 yards, has been everything the coaches have expected -and then some- during this year’s historic football season.

Mclenton brings a certain energy to the team that has not been seen in previous years. After school but before each game, he does not leave the campus. During this time he stays behind in order to place his uniform comfortably and mentally prepare for his responsibilities on the field.

His calm state of mind is displayed on the field, even when the opposing team hoops and

The playoff game of the month was a tough battle

Fantasy Fallout

O’Fallon’s Megan Ivey

Panthers win game of the month at Pekin Dylan Highley

15

SPORTS

THE PROWLER

DEC. 1, 2011

Antuan “Swan” Mclenton lines up for O’Fallon Offence in preparation for a big dive.

Tyler Klaus

Devils in 4 overtimes, the boys worked extremely hard all season to get to the playoffs. In the regular season, the boys went 19-4-1.

“I wish we were still playing. I’ve been doing this for 11 years, and I honestly thought we had all the ingredients to win a state title,” said Coach Turkington.

The boys lost their sectional game, against Quincy, in 4 overtimes 1 to 0.

Coach Turkington said, “The boys played so hard and fought so hard and it was unfortunate for them to see their season and wonderful careers end before we wanted it to end.”

Many said this was O’Fallon’s year to head to state. Even though their road to

state was abruptly ended, the boys’ did hit a wide variety of mile stones. They where one win away from the school record of 20 wins. On top of almost beating the school record, the boys were also ranked number 1 in the St. Louis area for the first time ever.

Not taking days off, the boys’ prepare for every game the same way, with hard work and fun.

“We take each day the same -- work hard and have fun. We work hard in practice and every game as well,” said Coach Turkington.

This year’s team was comprised of mainly seniors, Next year the boys’ soccer team will begin with a clean slate and will try for another run for state. The boys’ had an amazing season, with many ups and downs, now we look forward to next year for another exciting soccer season.

VS.

(Photo Credit: )

dropping like flies has changed the way people set their starting lineups week in and week out.

These situations have definitely weeded out the football mega-minds to the from those who simply choose players based on their name.

It is the year of the back up, for so many would be back ups have taken the role as starter. Buffalo knows all too well to not be someone’s first choice. A team of misfits and leftovers band together to take on AFC East.

QB Ryan Fitzpatrick and RB Fred Jackson have taken it to the charts, racking up over 2,000 yards of offence together, making them must have players on ones roster.

Yes, this season has been one of shock and awe. Although it has been tough and excruciating, at the same time it has been a thrill. And were only halfway in.

(Photo credits: Gene Sweeney Jr. - Baltimore Sun/MCTcampus.com)

Ravens safety Ed Reed is penalized for grabbing the facemask of Titans’ Kenny Britt during the 1st quarter.

Coach Gibson

Personal finance Gibson discovered his goal to become the most teacher, head boys’ successful person he could possibly be and to be basketball coach a productive member to society. mycalhurley@othstoday.com and Illinois native, Gibson finally got to fulfill his passion for Rick Gibson knew he wanted to become a coach coaching basketball in college by volunteersince he was little. coaching while “My dad used to be student teaching for a basketball coach, so Salem High School.

I immediately knew After finding a job I wanted to be one at OTHS, Gibson first too,” Gibson said. became the sophoBorn in Centalia, more coach for two Ill., Gibson went to years, before becoming Centalia High School the freshman coach where he played golf, for three years. baseball and basketSoon after, Gibson ball and also ran track was elected head boys’ and field all while basketball coach and focusing on his school has held that position work. During his basfor seven years. ketball career in high Gibson feels sucschool, Gibson earned cessful in meeting his the Athlete of the Year goal of becoming an award and received 11 important individual varsity letters which in the eyes of others led to a scholarship to by teaching students his future college. how to better their After high school, lives through educaGibson attended tion but also by teachKaskaskia College ing them to have heart in Centralia for two and cooperation on Coach Gibson is head boys’ basketball coach and has held years before transthe court. that position for seven years. ferring to Eastern Illinois University (Photo credit: and then eventually Southern Illinois University Emma Gatewood) Edwardsville for teaching. During that time,

PHOTO STORY 16

THE PROWLER

DEC. 1, 2011

25 things to do beforeW C hristmas 3 3 Here are 25 fun activities to keep you busy during the

XW

k

1. Go Christmas caroling with your friends.

2. Visit Santa and have your picture taken.

3. Go shopping for ornaments with your friends.

4. Host a family game night and invite another family.

5. Go pick out a Christmas tree with your family.

6. Make Christmas cards for loved ones.

7. Build a gingerbread house.

8. Serve sparkling cider with dinner.

9. Bake Christmas cookies with your family.

10. Build a snowman (if it snows).

11. Host a Christmas movie night with popcorn and yummy treats.

12. Go for a ride and look at all the decorated houses.

13. Have dinner by the Christmas tree.

14. Make homemade fudge.

15. Decorate your Christmas tree.

16. Make Christmas gifts.

17. Have a secret santa or gift exchange with friends.

18.

Help

a

family

in

need

(volunteer

at

the

food

pantry,

etc.)

19. Go ice skating in St. Louis.

20. Make hot chocolate with whipped cream on top.

21. Make paper chain garlands and hang them around the house.

22. Make a sugar cube castle.

23. Decorate your bedroom with Chrismas decorations.

24. Invite neighbors over for BINGO and have Christmas themed prizes.

25. Have a slumber party by the Christmas tree.

k

k k

holiday season! They are sure to get anyone in the holiday spirit and get you ready for Christmas time.