Spark, Immigration Issue by Sarah Massey

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW with THE ACADEMY IS...

Spark Lakota East High School December 19, 2007 Newsstand $3

immigrants migrate to Ohio, igniting a firestorm in Butler County

CR EA TI E O X N H IS IB IN IT ; B IO O N DI E ES D AR IT E IO IN N SI DE

Walking into a Warzone Each year over one thousand

O UT

SPECIAL REPORT:

FEATURE

Creation or Evolution?

Under the Skin

The new Creation Museum in Kentucky lets you decide. The BODIES Exhibition informs the public on the human body by displaying human cadavers.

PACKAGE

SPORTS

Down With the Sickness

Blades of Glory

Go Global Fashion: Part 1

Coaches at East take actions to prevent MRSA from spreading. Senior Sabrina Shrider describes the solace she finds while ice skating.

FASHION

Spark explores fashion in nontraditional places around the globe.

ENTERTAINMENT

The Academy Is...

Two Little Opinions

Lauren Byrwa interviews The Academy Is... bassist Adam Sisky on his life on tour.

OPINION

Columnists Simar Khera and Graylyn Roose share their opinions on the play from unique perspectives.

volume 16. issue 3

Crossing the Border

Spark explores undocumented immigration in Butler County and beyond.

Spark

“And Then There Were None”

Spark covers the aftermath of Lakota East Theater’s three-week “roller coaster” ride surrounding the controversial play, “Ten Little Indians

Spark The SPARK is a publication that is produced at Lakota East High School. The magazine is completely student-generated through the efforts of the Journalism I, Journalism II and Journalism III-Honors classes. The publication material may not always reflect the views of the Lakota School District. Content is controlled and edited by the staff editors. The staff will publish only legally protected speech adhering to the legal definitions of libel, obscenity and the invasions of privacy. The publication is produced every five weeks. Production costs are covered through advertising sales, subscription sales and fundraisers. Advertising information can be obtained by writing to the business manager at the address below or at sparkbusiness@gmail.com. The purpose of the SPARK is to inform the students, faculty, subscribers and community members of news, information and issues that influence or affect them. The SPARK accepts news releases, guest columns and sports information releases. The magazine, which provides an open forum for students, faculty, subscribers and community members encourages letters to the editor. Letters can be sent to the publication at the address below or dropped off in the journalism classroom (room 118). Letters must be signed, and the staff reserves the right to edit letters for length, grammar, invasion of privacy, obscenity or potential libel. The opinion editor will contact letter writers for confirmation. The SPARK is a member of the National Scholastic Press Association, the Ohio Scholastic Media Association, the Northeastern Ohio Scholastic Press Association, The Journalism Education Association, Quill and Scroll, and the Columbia Scholastic Press Association. To view the complete SPARK policy, a list of past and current SPARK members, and a complete list of awards won by SPARK writers, please visit http://www.lehsspark.com.

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Sarah Massey Dede Pan Matt Myers Katie Everson Rachel Dinan Graylyn Roose Robyn Geiger Rosa Zhang Zach Schneider Cidney Fitzpatrick Lauren Byrwa Belinda Cai Chethan Eleswarpu Morgan Namian Maggie Brown Kelly Muenchen Becky Trentman Kyrie Culp Emily Nietupski Trisha Patel Aimee Peng Kathryn Thomas Ian Bowman-Henderson Sarah Thomson Stephen Salisbury Kim Amedro Katherine Cooney Amrita Jagpal Liz Trentman Chris Haught-Thompson Kaitlynn Kerley Chris Ricke Diane BeCraft Simar Khera Neelum Amin Alyssa Douglas Rohan Kusre Brittany Thomas Megan Paulson Allison Cargill Emily Neltner Stephanie Neltner Jessica Huizenga Dean Hume

Spark c/o Lakota East High School 6840 Lakota Lane Liberty Township, OH 45044 Phone: (513) 759-8615 ext. 15118 Fax: (513) 759-8633 E-Mail: sparkmain@yahoo.com www.lehsspark.com

From The Editor It’s not everyday Lakota East is on national news. But during the week of Nov. 26, East managed to make it front page above the fold in the Cincinnati Enquirer, on Fox International News and grace WLW’s notorious Bill Cunningham show. As the coverage of Ten Little Indians, or the more politically correct title And Then There Were None, exploded, the issues of censorship and racism surfaced. Community leaders and administrators alike claimed that the lack of racial sensitivity in performing Ten Little Indians would divide the community. After a roller coaster of cancellations, reinstatements and media coverage, which, according to Dr. Kline, “ignited more fires,” the show was to go on. As luck would have it, the resolution of the Ten Little Indians fiasco came the night before Spark’s deadline weekend. As writers covering the play analyzed various story angles, the staff soon discovered the correlation between another topic we had been covering long before the issues surrounding Ten Little Indians surfaced. That issue was the culture of racism against undocumented immigrants. The Latin American community, whether it be undocumented migrants or legal citizens, has faced an increasing amount of racial discrimination throughout America. Spark decided to cover immigration from a different perspective than most magazines do--a personal perspective. Although the aspects of this package are wide-ranging, each story has one thing in common: they all put a face on the issue of undocumented immigration. Whether it be a heart wrenching story told through the eyes of Rev. Gregg Brekke (page 36) where undocumented migrants are portrayed not as commodities or criminals, but as people, or an enlightening feature on Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones (page 30), our package tells the stories of the people at the frontline of the immigration battle. It will also introduce you to people like former Mexican President Vicente Fox (page 40), an outspoken advocate of immigration reform, and Mariana Prado (page 32), an East junior who after five attempts acquired a visa and immigrated in 2003 to the U.S. This issue also features a compelling photo essay (page 42) that captures the environment and culture of the Mexican borderlands. With stories and photos such as these, we hope to dispel stereotypes that many in the Butler County community have acquired through sensationalized reports and provide further much-needed discussion on the issue at hand. In order to make progress on the issues of race, it is important to reject sensationalism and take an informed approach to race relations in our community. While Ten Little Indians and undocumented immigration are two vastly different topics, I believe that by taking a personal approach and realizing the effects each situation has on the individual, our community will gain a better understanding and be able to generate a more productive and civil discussion on racial tolerance.

5 l Spark l December 19, 2007

Forum

OPINION Letters Dear Spark, In a recent article (Living Liberal), Ian Bowman-Henderson proposed a question to a group he calls the “religious right.” He claims that the Bible is “dubious” regarding the issue of homosexuality, and that the intersection of Roman persecution of Christians and homosexuality in Roman life led to the development of both a Christian God who “hates” homosexuals and “biblical homophobia.” I feel that Ian Bowman-Henderson has proposed a fair question, especially today, where the biblical stance is misunderstood by both those who support and disapprove homosexuality. I will address his question and present the biblical stance on homosexuality. Central to the issue at hand is the biblical understanding of sex. God created humanity (Genesis 1:26-27), procreation (Genesis 1:28), and the institution of marriage (Genesis 2:24). Sexual relations were designed to be between a man and a woman who are married to each other (Genesis 2:24). Anything outside of this perfect design, where it is premarital, extramarital, or homosexual is equally wrong in the eyes of God, as it is in the violation of the design of creation. In other words, any sexual activity besides that between a man and woman married to each other falls under the umbrella of wrongful

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SPARK re-

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SPARK

c/o Lakota East High School 6840 Lakota Lane Room 118 attn: Opinion Editor Liberty Township, OH 45044 Phone: (513) 759-8615 etx 15118 Fax: (513) 759-8633

sexual activity. After humanity fell (Genesis 3), sexuality was changed (Genesis 3:7, 16). Things such as adultery and lust came to the fore, and here we are today, with the same struggles faced from antiquity. Perhaps it is for this reason that the simple definition of sexuality presented in the previous paragraph is accompanied by direct prohibitions against adultery, lust, rape, incest, etc. Included among those direct prohibitions of wrongful sexual activity is homosexuality. These prohibitions can be found in both of the major division of the Christian Bible: the Old Testament (OT) and New Testaments (NT). In the OT, there are two particular references that are especially relevant for this discussion; Leviticus 18:22 and Genesis 19. Leviticus clearly prohibits homosexual relations between men. Genesis contains the narrative of Sodom and Gomorrah, where the men of Sodom wish “to know” (sexually) the two men in Lot’s house. This behavior was below the ethical standards set by God and resulted in the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. The NT also addresses homosexuality. Romans 1:26-27 clearly condemns both male and female homosexuality. Also, 1 Corinthians 6:9 contains a certain word, arsenokoitai, which refers to a male who engages in sexual activity with a male. Though homosexuality is prohibited in the Bible, it is not specially highlighted as exceptionally evil. Paul lists homosexuality together with robbery, drunkenness, lying, adultery,

greed, murder, and perjury. Leviticus 18:22 is within the context of all of Leviticus 18, which lists many other laws besides those against homosexuality with the purpose of protecting the family and keeping it within its God intended design. In other words, the biblical perspective is that homosexuality is one of many serious sins before God; it is as serious as adultery, as serious as theft, as serious as any other sin. Importantly, it is also an equally forgivable sin. What conclusions can be drawn from this information? For one, the Bible is quite clear regarding homosexuality. Also, since the Roman persecution of Christians occurred long after the OT books were written, it had nothing to so with shaping biblical views on homosexuality. There is no such thing as “biblical homophobia.” This concept is more a reflection of unfamiliarity with scripture concerning homosexuality than anything. Equally important, the God of Christianity does not hate homosexuals, an utterly absurd claim. A Christian who makes such a claim has no understanding of scripture. Finally, God has always cared for homosexuals, just as he cares about every other person in the world. In the larger scope of scripture, the more appropriate question one should ask may be this: what is or should be the priority in my life, God or my own prerogatives? -Joe Price M.A. Biblical Studies (Old Testament) Dear Spark, A hearty congratulations to the Lakota administration for bending to the wills of not one, but two separate entities during the course

“Ten Little Indians” saga. First, it cast off months of preparation by its own students in favor of an unaffiliated third party. Then it buckled again, under national media pressure, by reinstating the play and hailing itself as a guardian against censorship. Anybody can see it was a desperate attempt to save face, and if the issue hadn’t received this kind of attention, it would have simply become “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Part II.” Some of us still remember why Maya Angelou’s classic isn’t in Lakota classrooms. - Sanjay Hari of its

Spark Notes In this 1996 issue of SPARK, the staff investigated the removal of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou, from the curriculum. Many parents and the superintendent felt that the book was too graphic for high school students, while many parents, teachers and members of the ACLU felt that it contained educational value. 6 l Spark l December 19, 2007

Correction

Last issue, “Progress Check,” by Diane BeCraft, referred to the Ohio Achievement Test as the “OGT”. The test should have been referred to as the “OAT”.

NEWS Newswire

Pakistan

Bangladesh

[Nov. 29] President of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf, announced the state of emergency will be removed on Dec. 16, after originally suspending the constitution and removing the chief justice.

[Nov. 15] Cyclone Sidr, the deadliest storm to hit the country in a decade, killed nearly 3500 people and left about 2 million displaced.

Infographic by Elena Martinez and Neelum Amin

NEWSWIRE Australia

Caracas, Venezuela

[Dec. 4] Constitutional amendments proposed by President Hugo Chavez to elimiate presidental term limits were rejected 51 percent to 49 percent in popular vote.

Sudan

[Nov. 26] British school teacher Gillian Gibbons is sentenced to 15 days in jail after a class of 7-year-olds named a teddy bear Muhammad.

[Nov. 24] Former Prime Minister John Howard lost his 11 year title to Labor Party opposition leader Kevin Rudd.

Information provided by MSNBC

FACE VALUE

The Student Athlete Leadership Team (SALT) is working with Reach Out Lakota in order to provide holiday gifts for needy children in the Lakota area. SALT hopes to collect enough money for 30 gifts.

Lakota schools did not meet the Adequate Yearly Progress requirement

Photo by Megan Paulson

2545132363269038467 5464234545353487680 3186484152488235051 5789654136552582797 4229005671235715202 7820341656871009510 1287654910330057155 8 5330174513321598756 l Spark l December 19, 2007 4325377198354800587

Photo by Kristen Whaley

Senior Allison Hart, an AP Art student, prepares for the Scholastic Art Competiton that will take place Jan. 12 and 13.

German II classes create advent calendars to represent each day before Christmas, a German holiday tradition since 1851.

Bodies have traveled the world as a part of Bodies...the Exhibition currently located in Columbus

SPOTLIGHT ON LAKOTA

CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS story l Lauren Byrwa

Every three years teacher contracts are revised and renewed. Currently teachers are preparing for spring negotiations in order to establish a new contract with the school board for the next three years. Contracts are revised based on teacher surveys as well as the contracts of neighboring school districts. Union representatives consult the documents in other school districts and take ideas that could also benefit Lakota faculty. “We do not negotiate in a vacuum. If we like what one says than we may use that wording when developing our own contract,” said Lakota East Union Representative and science teacher John Severns. There are two categories that are addressed in negotiations: salary and language. Language consists of wording and clarifying statements in the contract. “A lot of language is clarification,” said Severns. “So we may agree to change in order to make it clearer.” Currently, teachers are being surveyed on their opinions concerning salary, structure, insurance, leave policy and working conditions. “We have got to get through these surveys,” said Severns. In addition to working through surveys to find out what issues need to be addressed, Severns is also training his team. “We need to go through and select negotiators,” he said. The Lakota Local School Board is also preparing. According to Georgetta Kelly, director of human resources for the school board, the board is reviewing articles and issues with concerns about current language in the contract.

For many teachers, the new contract is a chance to voice their opinion in the union and modify the contracts to improve the working conditions. “I always think we should move forward and as time goes by our expectations for higher salaries and enhanced benefits increases as well,” said Jennifer Reid, East social studies teacher. Negotiations will take place next spring. Until then, union representatives are preparing to make changes that teachers truly want. Once the contract has been proposed, it must be approved by both sides. “We will work until we get an agreement,” said Severns. “Once we have a tentative agreement we take it to all the teachers and they vote.” Major changes are not expected to take place during negotiations. Most changes will be fluctuations in salary and wording of the contract. “I think that teachers are generally satisfied in the last contract, but with any change they would like to see improvements,” said Reid. “I don’t think there is a tremendous amount of discontentment among the staff.” While the board is expecting that teachers will request improvements, those suggestions are not expected to be drastic. “I’m sure there will be changes but I’m not sure to what extent,” said Kelly. If all the teachers vote in agreement, then the tentative contract is sent to the Board of Education, who must also approve it. If an agreement isn’t reached by all teachers, it is transferred back and forth until the contract can be agreed upon by all. n

150,000

Estimated number of undocumented immigrants currently residing in Ohio, according to the Pew Hispanic Center

Number of years Sabrina Shrider has been ice skating

“If we see a kid walking out of the locker room and his hair is not somewhat wet, we make them get their butt back in the locker room and clean.” — East wrestling coach Jim Lehman on precautions taken by the wrestling team to protect against the threat of MRSA. (page 45) “At first I wasn’t [excited], because it wasn’t my country; why would I be here? But now I think it has good opportunities. And it’s great to be able to speak two languages.” — East junior Mariana Prado on moving from Mexico to America (page 32) “Also, contrary to popular belief, there is no contradiction between science and God. God created science and used science to create the earth.” — East senior Katie Gormas on her beliefs concerning creationism (page 20) “If that’s the version they’re putting on, I guess I would argue that considering that we’re in a war where we are losing many young men and women in Iraq, to kill of soldiers is again insensitive.” — Lakota parent and member of the West Chester NAACP on the alterations made in And Then There Were None (page 14)

Percentage of 512 East students who have had to put a pet to sleep 9 l Spark l December 19, 2007

NEWS East News

National Honor Society members Jessica Derickson, Hayley Campbell and Chris Ricke discuss activities and plans at one of the monthly meetings. The club prepares to begin its yearly sale of Coldstone Creamery ice cream cups outside the cafeteria during fifth period lunchtimes. NHS accepted several new seniors this fall, and has also recently organized its members into subcommittees.

JCL

Junior Classical League members Cody Kirby, Lena Davis and Brad Schieve count pennies after school in the weekly tally for JCL’s annual Penny War, which raises funds directly for JCL. All levels of Latin classes, from Latin I to AP, compete in the Penny War. Every cent in pennies is a positive point, and every cent in other money is negative. The class with the highest points wins a party for their Latin class.

INCREASED SECURITY MEASURES AT EAST story l Leah Wolf photos l Kristen Whaley

Administrators stress that cooperation between staff, students and parents is key to keeping the school environment safe.

Top: The glass entrance is the only entrance open after 7:30 a.m. Bottom: Visitors are required to sign in through the main office.

10 l Spark l December 19, 2007

ecurity at East has increased in the 200708 school year with the addition of the new front entrance to the building and of security cameras in the new wing. The purpose of the secured front entrance, which leads to the school’s main office, is to make everyone who enters East after the beginning of the school day sign in, so they are sure to have a valid reason for being in the building. Tapes from the security cameras around the building can be viewed in order to resolve a problem. However, according to administrators, the most important element of school security is the cooperation of students and staff. “I’ve always believed that security and safety in our school is everybody’s responsibility,” said East principal Dr. Keith Kline. “We all need to be working together to make sure our school stays safe. That goes back to not opening doors for folks that are not coming in the way they’re supposed to. We all need to be cautious enough to not do those types of things.” Director of school and community relations Jon Weidlich felt that the biggest problem the district faces when trying to ensure student and staff safety is dealing with rumors and inflation of information. “At one school this year there was a list of students that another student found and it was

quickly labeled a ‘hit list’ and students and parents got panicky,” said Weidlich. “In reality, it was a list of students to be invited to a party but some students and parents believed the rumors and didn’t believe the school administration about the truth of the list.” Weidlich also felt that sending letters home to parents in order to inform them of problems in their student’s school could make Lakota appear to be less safe than other area districts. “Sometimes Lakota seems less safe because we have a history of sending letters to parents about everything that happens in schools, which many other school districts don’t do,” said Weidlich. “For example, my son is a high school senior in another district and several times I’ve heard much later after the fact about crises in [his] high school.” Kline stressed that another major part of ensuring school security is preventing problems. One of school resource officer Doug Hale’s responsibilities is to be seen by students in order to discourage any problems that might arise. “I’m out in the hallway during class change and in the cafeteria during lunch time, basically anywhere there’s a group of students; just to be seen and be out there in case something does go wrong,” said Hale. Kline said that problems are often avoided when people let school officials know about

Photo by Rosa Zhang

Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) co-president Daniel Tait discusses ideas for an upcoming holiday party open to both members and non-members. The club’s goal is to promote a broader understanding of alternative lifestyles. GSA hopes to bring in a speaker from Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG). GSA meets the first and third Monday of every month in room 106.

Photo by Zach Schneider

NHS

Photo by Caroline Tompkins

GSA

their concerns. “We, meaning students and staff and administrators, take initiative to tell somebody if we’ve heard there’s a problem, or a problem brewing,” said Kline. “Folks have said ‘Hey I thought you ought to know I overheard this.’” Weidlich said that problems are prevented by encouraging student participation in school activities, getting to know district families and finding out about bullies. “We believe that we can minimize school violence, which is much better than having to deal

“We, meaning students and staff and administrators, take initiative to tell somebody if we’ve heard there’s a problem, or a problem brewing.” with it after it happens,” said Weidlich. In addition, principals at all district schools are trained to use the FBI’s Threat Assessment Guide to help determine how serious or credible threats are. All administrators in the building have a radio with them so they can get to any part of the school where they are needed. According to Kline, administrators frequently review the building safety and crisis plan, which ranges from lockdowns to fire drills. “We’re reviewing [it] and making some adjustments to it based on the new spaces we have, the new things that we know,” said Kline. “We’re constantly getting updates from the police and law enforcement about things that we need to change. So we’re in the process of tweaking that, and we’ll be sharing components of that with students and staff.” n

The new main office is one of a number of additions to the building this school year, which also includes a new wing and a bridge.

Above: Two tiles dropped out of the ceiling after two iron angles fell through on Nov. 26. Inset: The angle irons left a dent in the floor below, along with dust, pieces of metal and other debris.

IRON FALLS FROM SCHOOL CEILING

After two angle irons fell through the ceiling, East has been under review in efforts to make sure the mistake does not happen again. story l Emily Baumgardner photo l Kristen Whaley

n Nov. 26, in the hallway near rooms 140 and 130, two metal angle irons fell from the ceiling. East British Literature teacher Bobbi Hume, a teacher at Lakota for ten years, immediately rushed out her door to see what had made the noise. “One ceiling tile was torn in two and collapsed on the floor and there was a lot of dust everywhere, and then there were two red metal beams on the floor,” said Hume. A custodian immediately came and alerted the principals. Assistant Principal Eric Bauman was one of the first to arrive. “I was hoping that no one was hurt, and then when I saw the two pieces of metal I was a little concerned,” said Bauman. The administrators blocked off the hallway and called the building project manager, Robert Meritt, who came out and assessed the situation. The structural engineers determined the problem had been caused when a subcontractor failed to remove angle irons from the ceiling after tearing down a wall in order to extend the building. According to Turner-Megen Operations Project Manager Eric Gaalaas, an angle iron is a piece of iron that comes in various sizes and is bent into a 90 degree angle lengthwise. It can be used to reinforce any type of material in a structure. However, Gaalaas was unable to go into detail about the circumstances surrounding the fallen angle irons at East due to Turner-Megen’s company policy. Over time, the two iron pieces worked

their way loose in the ceiling and fell through the ceiling tile to the floor outside Hume’s classroom, causing a distracting noise. “It was very loud,” said Hume. “I mean it was startling.” East sophomore Amanda Kaine was disturbed upon hearing about the fallen angle irons as well. “Well, yeah, I’d say I’m a little worried that my school is falling apart while I’m inside it,” said Kaine. “That’s a little disconcerting.” To ensure this situation would not be repeated at East, the building project manager and

“One ceiling tile was torn in two and collapsed on the floor and there was a lot of dust everywhere and then there were two red metal beams.” structural engineer checked all other sites of construction where an existing wall had been removed. “We wanted to make sure there weren’t any other pieces that had been overlooked, or anything that was not structurally safe,” said Bauman. The administration decided to make similar reviews at Lakota West due to its parallel building structure and recent construction. Forgotten angle irons were found there as well and removed. n

11 l Spark l December 19, 2007

NEWS District Report Card: Part II

SUBGROUP EVALUATION story l Diane BeCraft photos l Peter Roser

The current Excellent rating for the Lakota Local School district is being reevaluated through the state report card and the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) report mandated from the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

he AYP report is evaluated through subgroups in each building throughout the district. AYP requirements were not met at Hopewell Elementary, Van Gorden Elementary, Cherokee Elementary, and Liberty Junior School. One of ten possible subgroups, which is composed of students with disabilities, did not meet the reading requirements on the Ohio Achievement Test (OAT) in 2006-07. According to Liberty Junior Principal Dr. Gabriel Lofton, the AYP requirements were not

cycle assessments, twice a quarter to predict performance on the upcoming OAT in the spring. “Our focus here at Liberty [Junior] has turned to a focus on intervention for kids,” said Lofton. “We recognized that certain kids need more time and enrichment.” In response, Liberty Junior now requires an after-school program for students who do not meet the requirements on the common assessment. At East, the Special Education Department is working with students to dedicate more time on

“Instead of being general, [the Special Education Department] is more specific and targets the needs. We focus hard on how to write goals and deliver services.

IEP student Mary Phifer receives one-on-one attention from her instructor, Linda Chaney, on the twelve months of the year.

12 l Spark l December 19, 2007

met at Liberty Junior in both the economically disadvantaged subgroup and the students with disabilities subgroup. To be considered as a student with a disability, the student must be evaluated through a multifactor evaluation. The results will determine if they meet the eligible requirements to be under a disability category. Afterwards, the family and school unite to write the Individual Education Plan (IEP). Students who are eligible for free or reduced lunch qualify for the economically disadvantaged subgroup. With the chance of dropping ratings, schools around the district are establishing new methods to increase performance on the OAT and Ohio Graduation Test (OGT). “Our focus has moved as a building from a focus on teaching to a focus on learning,” said Lofton of the recent plans at Liberty Junior to improve performance on the OAT. Lofton believes that the best way to improve performance is to give students more individual attention. The school administers common assessments, or short

testing preparation. “We try to get [the students] up to date in whatever they’re struggling with,” said East Special Education Department Chair Linda Chaney. “We encourage them to keep taking it and taking it to at least improve.” The department has been working to put new programs in place, such as the recently established Study Island, where students receive individual attention. Also, the Special Ecucation resource room classes put a heavy focus on OGT preparation. “Each time they get a better score, it as a whole, helps the entire building,” said Chaney of the effects that the students’ scores have on the building report. The OGT test taken by students with disabilities is generally the same as the one taken by other subgroups. However, some students receive special accommodations, such as having the test read to them in person or by CD, having extra time to take the test or taking the test in a small group. “The scoring is the same,” said Chaney. If they’ve reached proficient, they’ve passed.”

EDLINE LINKS EAST PARENTS AND TEACHERS

story l Kathryn Thomas art l Neelum Amin and Megan Paulson Individual Education Plan (IEP) students Sara Lafferty and Brittany O’Hara practice filling out job applications during class.

However, some students with significant disabilities take an alternate assessment. One percent of Lakota students take this assessment, including nine students at East. Although the test is set up differently, the students are evaluated in the same areas as the regular OGT. According to the Ohio Department of Education, to be eligible to take the alternate assessment, the IEP of a student with a disability must be modified considerably from the standard curriculum. Or, the student must have a disability that presents challenges exceeding the criteria for available accommodations for the regular assessment. “Usually [East] students do very well on that,” said Chaney about those who take the alternate assessment. “It helps [East] and gets us good scores.” Currently, the district is trying to tighten the goals to increase the scores within the students with

disabilities subgroup. Executive Director of Special Services Vicki Curtis is hopeful for improvement. “Instead of being general, [the Special Education department] is more specific and targets the needs,” said Curtis. “We focus hard on how to write goals and deliver services.” To stay organized, the department must work with teachers and students directly. Their special accommodations are in operation throughout the entire year. “We’re paying more attention to the testing process itself,” said Curtis. “We know to include every person that is on the IEP, all operating under the same understanding.” Chaney hopes that the new goals will benefit the scores of students within the district. “Our hope is those efforts pay off,” said Chaney. “We want every student in every subgroup to improve.” n

Infrographic by Leah Wolf

fter use of Edline was introduced during the 2006-07 school year, teachers have been utilizing the beneficial aspects of the website to aid students. East Economics and AP Psychology teacher Dave Vogt uses Edline as another avenue for his students to access assignments and supplemental information. Vogt also sees Edline as an advantage to students because it is another way to teach them how to obtain information using the Internet. “They download mp3s, movies, files, why not homework assignments?” said Vogt. East Physics teacher Sandee Coats-Haan also believes Edline to be beneficial to students. “The more information that’s out there, the more kids can be responsible,” said Coats-Haan. East junior Adam Voegle uses Edline about twice a week to keep tabs on his grades. “It shows you where you are grade-wise, it kind of gives you a visual image of how you’re doing in a class, because sometimes you don’t know,” said Voegle. Voegle also uses Edline to keep track of assignments and make sure that he has completed them all. “I don’t really write down my assignments a lot,” he said. Along with the benefits that Edline provides for students come the disadvantages of using technology to better inform students and parents of progress in class. Vogt and Coats-Haan recognize that there are discrepancies with the program. “The only downside [of Edline] is that kids aren’t used to checking it every night or once a week to see what the assignments are or that they’re available,” said Vogt. Vogt has also recognized an interference between Edline and

his professional schedule. “It’s one more thing to do, so sometimes I do fall behind,” he said. “But that’s just a time management issue.” Coats-Haan also thinks that Edline could be improved. “It should update every night,” she said. Voegle also acknowledged that there are problems with the program. “It should calculate your total grade because they don’t do that,” he said. To Vogt, the problems that come with Edline don’t affect his use. “I think it’s fine just as long as it’s consistent,” he said.

Voegle’s mother, Carla Girten, checks Edline every time she receives an email containing private reports. “Sometimes I know about things before [Adam] does,” said Girten, who started using Edline when she received a notice from the school about the program. According to a Spark survey of 512 East students, 55 percent have parents who use Edline. This could pose a problem to some students, but not Voegle. “I don’t think [Adam] minds it,” said Girten. n

13 l Spark l December 19, 2007

NEWS Lakota East Theater

And Then There Were None THE PLAY BY PLAY

story l Dede Pan photos l Kristen Whaley

After a tense two and a half weeks, the curtain finally rises on East’s play but the controversy will continue long after the final bows.

n Nov. 29, East senior Alicia Frost braced herself as she entered the East auditorium, taking a seat with her 15 cast mates. In September, Frost had earned a starring role in East’s fall play Ten Little Indians, originally scheduled to be performed on Dec. 1 and 2. However, that week, she was starring in a different role; she had taken center stage in a controversy that in a few weeks, had the entire community up in arms—the cancellation of East’s play by East’s administration and Superintendent Mike Taylor. Yet again, facing Principal Dr. Keith Kline in a theater where discussion and debate had recently replaced line-reading and scene-blocking, the cast was informed that the decision was final. They still would not be performing Agatha Christie’s internationally popular murdermystery, Ten Little Indians. Instead they were told they ought to be ready to stage And Then There Were None, the slightly modified version of Christie’s work, on Dec.13 and 14. Frost was shocked. “But very grateful.” The controversy surrounding Ten Little Indians began as early as 1939, when the novel on which the play is based, was published in the United Kingdom under Christie’s original title Ten Little N------. In 1940, Dodd, Mead and Co. printed the novel in the United States, changing the title to And Then There Were None along with other modifications. The glass figurines that are destroyed one by one in the story were changed from n------ to Indians and the other mentions of the derogatory slur were also edited. In the U.S, with the exception of certain editions, the book remained And Then There Were None with the corresponding modifications while the play version under the name Ten Little Indians amassed its popularity as one of the top 25 most performed high school plays according to the Educational Theatre Association. On Nov. 14, almost two weeks before opening night, Kline explained to the cast that he and Taylor had recently been contacted by Gary Hines, president of the West Chester branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and a concerned East parent, who found the play offensive due to the background of its title. Kline admitted that he and Taylor were discussing a potential cancellation of the show, outraging the cast members and their parents who flooded the administration

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and superintendent with phone calls and emails the following day. By Friday, Nov. 16, to the cast’s surprise, the decision had been made for the show to go on, but under a few conditions. “One of the things that [Kline and I] had brainstormed about was looking at helping people understand differences of cultures and other types of programs and things. Maybe we could divert some of the funds the play earned to help support that for students as well as staff,” said Taylor, elaborating on those conditions “Really it was looking for a compromise.” The NAACP, however, was not involved in the “compromise.” On Monday, Nov. 18, Hines had inquired about procedures for filing a public demonstration at East. According to Taylor, offended parents and Lakota staff members had raised more concerns over the weekend. By Tuesday, the play was called off. “I couldn’t see how we as a school could manage having to walk through protest lines,” said Kline, who attributed his decision to cancel the play to its lack of racial sensitivity. However the cast members who had been rehearsing since September cried foul play. Although it was agreed that the original Ten Little Indians cast would start afresh and perform Harvey on Feb. 1 and 2, the cast felt that the show had been unjustly censored. During Thanksgiving break, Frost and East senior Kristen Korb, the student director of Ten Little Indians, discussed possible remedies for the situation with East senior Ian Bowman-Henderson, an actor in past East productions. They worked together to create a blog detailing the events that led up to the play’s cancellation and discussed possible involvement of the American Civil Liberties Union. BowmanHenderson called FOX News, the Cincinnati Enquirer and the Pulse Journal. “It was the right thing to do,” said BowmanHenderson. “The administration left the students with basically two options. They could either, sit down, shut up and accept their situation, or they could turn the tide of public opinion in their favor. No one was saying that the play wasn’t offensive to anyone, but we’re saying we have as much right to put it on as the NAACP has to protest.” By Nov. 27, East’s play had made the front page of the Cincinnati Enquirer, igniting in the words of East Theater Director Rich Schmaltz,

East sophomore Karen Bird watches her castmate, senior Brenden Fookes change the Lakota East Theater marquee.

Photo by Rosa Zhang

(TOP LEFT) Theater Director Rich Schmaltz calmly listens at the Nov. 26 Ten Little Indians cast and parent meeting. (BOTTOM LEFT) Superintendent Mike Taylor speaks to the cast and parents. (CENTER FROM LEFT) Seniors Kristen Korb, Alicia Frost and Ian Bowman-Henderson were outraged when Ten Little Indians was cancelled. (TOP RIGHT) The original Ten Little Indians cast rehearses And Then There Were None. (BOTTOM RIGHT) Principal Dr. Keith Kline addresses the concerns of the cast and parents after calling off Ten Little Indians.

“the media blitz,” and community-wide debate. “I think it got ridiculous.” said Schmaltz of the play’s intense media coverage between Nov. 27 and 30. “Like I was hoping Bush would decide that [that was] the week to invade Iran.” The syndicated Ten Little Indians stories continued to spread from Cincinnati to as far as Australia and Pravda, Russia. Editorial cartoonist Jim Borgman illustrated a cartoon satirizing the play’s cancellation and cast members and parents appeared on both national and local news and broadcasts. Frost and Korb, for instance, spoke on Bill Cunningham’s WLW radio show. “I think that it was important,” Frost said of the media coverage. “It made the community aware of what had happened and rallied their support which was a key factor [in getting the decision to cancel the play reversed].” Frost received about 40 emails from community members and people from as far as London expressing their support for the cast and show. “It was really touching,” she said. “I was almost brought to tears because I never thought anyone would care that much.” The cast received several offers to perform the show at multiple theatre venues such as Play House in the Park which staged Ten Little Indians in 2001, and Westwood’s The Drama Workshop. On Nov. 28, the cast unanimously agreed at rehearsal that they did not want to continue with Harvey and instead, decided to focus their time and energy on staging Ten Little Indians elsewhere. Earlier that same day, Kline and Taylor had decided to bring back the play as And Then There Were None. “It was very clear in listening to the community, to the phone calls, the emails, conversations I was having out in the community that people supported bringing the play back,” said Taylor, adding that he and Kline had consid-

ered the offended individuals. “Even though the name change seems like a small change, the name change was made purposely by the Christie estate because of the controversy and recognition that people were offended.” As a result of the national attention focused on East, Samuel French Inc., the company which owns rights to Christie’s play, got wind of the situation and contacted Taylor. As of 2004, Samuel French Inc. does not license the show Ten Little Indians, except under the name And Then There Were None with corresponding changes made to the original script. For example, in And Then There Were None, the glass Indian figurines that are destroyed one by one are replaced with “soldiers,” as are all of the references to “Indians” in the original script. Lakota Freshman English teacher Richard Klus who teaches And Then There Were None, calls this edition of the coinciding novel, the “whitewashed” version. “There’s nothing racially inflammatory in that at all,” he said. According to Kline, had East Theater performed Ten Little Indians, a legal matter with Samuel French Inc. could have developed. “There’s a possibility that we could have been sued,” he said. “We did not own the rights nor could we own the rights to Ten Little Indians.” Schmaltz attributed the mix-up with the publishing company to a misunderstanding. “The way it worked was for a long time the novel was And Then There Were None and the play was Ten Little Indians,” said Schmaltz. “And whenever I inquired about the rights I used Ten Little Indians. Any form I filled out, any emails of interest, any paying for it, I wanted to do Ten Little Indians.” Overall, Taylor said he is “very comfortable with the decision” to allow the play to run

with the different title and script modifications. However, to many, the original problem remains unsolved. “If you look at it in terms of a 90 page script— If you totaled up all the light differences, you wouldn’t fill a page,” said Schmaltz of differences between Ten Little Indians and And Then There Were None. “The play we were doing before and this play started in the same place which is the whole reason for all this hubbub.” Jennifer Ciancio, a concerned parent of East students and NAACP member, contacted Hines when she found out East Theater was set to stage Ten Little Indians. She said she disapproves of Taylor and Kline’s solution. “If that’s the version they’re putting on, I guess I would argue that considering that we’re in a war, where we are losing many young men and women in Iraq, to kill off soldiers is again insensitive,” said Ciancio of the alterations in And Then There Were None. Ciancio agreed with the school’s initial decision to cancel the play and allow the students to perform a new show. She also added that she and Hines “just wanted some education to be initiated” and were never promoting censorship or the play’s cancellation. She said she opposes Christie’s famous mystery because it encourages violence and to perform it in a school setting, is irresponsible. “The students believe that they won but I feel that they lost,” said Ciancio. “They lost a great opportunity to do the right thing and they lost a great opportunity to make an example of the situation for other school districts.” However the And Then There Were None cast could not disagree more. “We’re just really, really happy that the show is back on,” said Korb. “All we ever wanted was to just perform it at our school.” n

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NEWS Lakota East Theater

Performance POLICY East’s play ignites a media firestorm and discussion on the adminstration’s role on and off stage.

lthough Ten Little Indians was performed as And Then There Were None at East on Dec. 13 and 14, questions raised during its cancellation still linger. “We’re still in the middle of it,” said Superintendent Mike Taylor. “Part of it is having time to let the dust settle and take a step back and really reflect on what’s occurred here, being able to ask those hard questions. How the decision-making process occurred. What policy should we have in place? Do we need other types of policy to prevent some things like this from happening where students are caught in the middle?” According to Board President Joan Powell, the cancellation and reinstatement of the play were administrative decisions. “There is definitely an established chain of command,” said Powell. “The principal of Lakota East reports to the assistant superintendent of secondary education, who reports to the superintendent, who reports to the board.” Powell said she received comments expressing dissatisfaction with the administration’s decisions, but the board could not act because it was never presented with an official appeal. Although the board was not involved in the decision-making process, it is responsible for creating policy the administration must follow. “My job, then, is to enforce the policy that exists,” said East principal Dr. Keith Kline. There is no policy outlining a procedure for selecting plays to be performed by students. Kaye Korb, mother of East senior and student director Kristen Korb, was not surprised to to learn that there is no policy for selecting plays. “I always assumed it was the responsibility of the theater director to make those choices,” said Korb. There is also no policy outlining a procedure to be followed when a play is challenged. “There is not a board policy that says ‘this is how you select a play’ or ‘this is how you challenge a play,’” said Powell. “We do have a board policy that involves the challenge of controversial material. The question is, does [the play] fall under that, or doesn’t it?” Board policy 7105 concerns the right of Lakota residents to challenge educational material “through established policies and procedures.” This policy was not applied to the Ten Little Indians situation. Kline said it did not apply because there is “a big difference between a public performance and something that we’re studying in class.” He said that he considers plays to be “co-curricular.”

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“Certainly, something like a play where we’re presenting literature is more academic than inter-mural basketball, but there’s still a difference for me,” said Kline. Taylor said board policy 7105 could have impacted the outcome of this situation. “Originally, when this policy was written, it was meant for classrooms,” said Taylor. “One of the things we’ve learned from this, since we’re never been down this road before, is that that policy probably could have been a great policy to apply to this.” According to Powell, the wording of board policy 7105 makes it a challenge to interpret. “In a perfect world, the language would be

(FROM L TO R) Assistant Superintendent Ron Spurlock, Superintendent Mike Taylor, and East Theater Director Rich Schmaltz.

clear for everyone to understand what the expectations are,” said Powell. “What we’re moving towards in [the board’s] evaluation is to make the policy very clearly stated philosophic statements.” The Board of Education is currently reevaluating board policy, an ongoing process that began in October. Although this process has already begun, Powell said this situation has helped bring certain aspects of policy to her attention. “It’s very difficult in light of situations that are confronting you not to look at a list of policies and go ‘wow, we don’t have anything about that,’” said Powell. For example, Powell points to the board policy’s definition of extra-curricular activities as

story l Aimee Peng photo l Kristen Whaley

something to be reexamined. “It became apparent that our policy may not be firm enough about the goal of an extra-curricular,” said Powell. There has been no move to create or change policy to accommodate for the selection or challenge of plays as a result of this situation. Nor does Powell expect the board to create specific policies concerning controversial material in plays or other extra-curricular activities that are not strictly academic. “I would rather see it be either a more generic version regarding extra-curriculars and what role the district plays in that,” said Powell. “Or, taking language we already have for challenging materials and making that language a little more general.” Due to the absence of such a policy, Kline said the decisions made concerning Ten Little Indians were based on “data and feedback and information from a variety of sources.” “It comes down to trying to weigh all of the factors that are involved, trying to look at the ramifications of a decision one way or another,” said Kline. However, East senior and And Then There Were None cast member Luke Null said he felt left out of the decision-making process. “They cancelled it without any input from us, so we were kind of left in the dark,” said Null. “That’s really what made us mad – because we had no say in it.” Taylor acknowledged this lack of communication between the administration and the cast of Ten Little Indians. “We gave the students and the parents of the play no other avenue to really look for a way to voice their concern,” said Taylor. “Again, that is a learning we can take away from this – that in other situations, if anything like this occurs again, absolutely make sure that all voices are being heard.” To Kline, communication is key to moving forward from this experience. “We need to sit down and check on where we are,” said Kline. “What are students thinking? What are adults thinking? Obviously people have very different opinions on where we are.” For now, Taylor said that the best action to simply “let the dust settle.” “Right now, everybody’s riding on a lot of high emotion,” said Taylor. “Let’s move forward with the play and then really take a look at what our needs might be and not have a kneejerk reaction.” n

Ten Little Indians TAKE TWO President of the local branch of the NAACP Gary Hines offers another perspective on East’s play.

our separate decisions were made regarding the on and off status of Ten Little Indians, the fall play performed at East. While the concern of the play’s possible offensive nature was brought to the administration’s attention by Jennifer Ciancio, member of the local West Chester branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and Lakota parent, and Gary Hines, president of the local West Chester branch of the NAACP and Lakota parent, the initial decision to cancel the play was made by Superintendent Mike Taylor and East principal Dr. Keith Kline. Taylor and Kline both felt after researching and talking with other community members that the play was inappropriate. “I was also concerned that as more and more people became aware of the background of the play, more concerns [would begin] to surface by some other parents as well as staff members,” said Taylor. Ciancio and Hines initially brought the history of the play to Taylor ’s attention, but were never involved in the decision-making process that led to the cancellation of the play. “There was no time that the NAACP even suggested that this play should be pulled,” said Hines. “Never happened.” In regards to East Theater Department’s selection of the controversial play, Hines said the district has a history with diversity issues. “Over the years, our organization has reached out to Lakota, to try to get some continuous dialogue about diversity,” said Hines. “Those attempts have been met with ‘Okay,’ but at the end of the day, nothing in terms of the things that we wanted were really accomplished.” In 2002, Hines sent a letter to former Superintendent Kathleen Klink outlining specific areas the district needed to work on in order to improve diversity, such as hiring more minority faculty and addressing the discrepancy between the disciplinary action enforced upon white students and students of color. However, acknowledging that there are over 400 English as a Second Language students and over 40 different languages currently spoken in the district, Taylor does not agree with Hines’ opinion of Lakota’s lack of diversity. “Diversity is a way of life in Lakota. And I think it’s a healthy thing. I think we have cultural differences,” said Taylor. “What we’re trying to do is help acceptance, tolerance and different view points. And diversity is everything from

the color of our skin to the learning styles that we have in our classrooms.” While it appeared that concerns around racial insensitivity played a role in the cancellations and reinstatements of the play, the resulting censorship also caused a stir in the community. “[The community was] trying to censor me -that I can’t speak out on issues that people bring to me. We never asked for them to cancel the play. A lot of students were upset with us,” said Hines. “Now if they’re upset with me because I brought the issue up, well that’s unfortunate. But if you believe I was the one trying to censor the play, you got the wrong information. I don’t have the power to censor the district.” Instead of preventing the play from being performed, Hines and Ciancio’s goal to shed light on the play’s history was in part an effort to educate the students.

President of West Chester NAACP Gary Hines speaks of race and diversity issues at the public forum sponsored by the NAACP.

“We wanted to come in to the schools and develop a facilitated dialogue,” said Hines. “What that would have done for the students is an opportunity to hear the other side of the story.” However, Kline felt that the issue of the play concerned neither racism nor censorship. “Quite honestly, this is a no-win situation that we’ve tried to make the very best of. On one hand we’re going to be insensitive to what I feel are genuine concerns of a certain part of our community. On the other hand, I shut down the play because of that concern and now we’ve got a censorship issue,” he said. “I can honestly

story l Trisha Patel photo l Kristen Whaley

and very clearly say, for me, this issue was never about racism or censorship.” While the impact racism and censorship had on the status of the play is questionable, it was clear to administrators and those involved that the media played a large role in the controversy as well as the community’s reaction. “[Hines] became the focus, and that’s what concerned me the most,” said Taylor. “It seems as though the relationship that the NAACP had with the district seemed to be the focus of what was going on and we kind of lost that we had a high school play that students had been working very hard for the last two months on.” Much of the media attention that surrounded Hines suggested that his goal in bringing the play and lack of diversity to Lakota’s attention was an attempt to create business for GPH Consultants, a diversity training company located in West Chester that Hines operates. However, Hines denies having such an agenda. “If I was really interested in making money, I’d take some of those offers and go on national talk shows,” said Hines. “Typically, when people speak out like I do, it costs you business; it doesn’t get you business.” In an attempt to give community members a chance to weigh in on the issues surrounding the play, the NAACP organized a public forum held on Dec. 8 at the Lakota Central Board Office. Several board members of the West Chester branch of the NAACP attended and made presentations on Ten Little Indians. Wendy Creekmore, a local Native American who was offended by the play’s content, also made a speech sharing her concerns. Although Hines, Kline and Taylor have each presented their own opinions, their general consensus is that there was a lack of sensitivity encompassing the situation of the play and that students and community members alike failed to listen to one another with an open mind. “If [I] always surround [myself] with people who think like me, I’m not going to grow,” said Hines. “I need to talk with people who don’t see the world the way I do.” Kline agreed, referring to the approach that should have been taken to handle the situation. “The right thing to do is to sit down and have a civil and respectful conversation about how we come together, instead of how we move further apart,” he said. “The fact that we weren’t able to do that as a school or community is disappointing to me. It does reinforce for me, however, that we have much work to do.” n

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NEWS In the Public Eye

LOOK WHO’S TALKING

Director of school and community relations Jon Weidlich is the voice of Lakota: he writes news releases, speaks to the media and works to improve district communication. Now, he speaks for himself and his experiences. interview l Katie Everson What does your job entail? My job is to build relationships with the people who Lakota serves—students, parents, staff and residents. I do this through informing them (by newsletters, news articles, website, etc.) and hopefully involving them in the district. I spend much of my day in personal communications—emails, phone calls, etc.—and I also advise principals about the best ways to communicate with parents and staff, write news releases, talk with reporters, develop plans for marketing the district to our community and set up meetings and other events to get people involved in the district. How long have you worked for Lakota, and where did you work before then? I have been at Lakota for 11.5 years. Before that I worked in public relations at several community colleges (and also taught English and public relations at the community college level). I also worked for a cable television company back in the days when there were just 12 channels and HBO. I remember helping to launch MTV in our town. Trivia question: What was the first video played on MTV? “Video Killed the Radio Star” by the Buggles. What role do you play when Lakota faces controversy or scrutiny by the community? It’s a dual role: I must help the community understand what the district is doing, and I must listen to the community and help the administration understand what the community thinks. I have to keep in mind several things: First, the community should know what’s going on in their schools, good or bad, and I need to make sure they do. Second, sometimes bad things happen, and whether it’s caused by us, caused by a student’s actions or caused by natural conditions like a fire, people will react. Parents want to know their children are safe and that we’re trying to do the right thing. What is the most challenging part of your job? The part that I like least is the occasional situation in which people are legitimately angry about something and I’m unable to do anything to help them.

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What would you like to see Lakota accomplish before you retire? Tough question. My last day at Lakota is December 21. I have taken a job at Great Oaks Career Campuses. How do you want the community to view Lakota? I want the community to see that Lakota offers an excellent education, and that people here care about students. I also want them to think of Lakota as their schools.

Photo courtesy of Jon Weidlich

What is it like dealing with the media, especially after the media coverage that occurred as a result of Ten Little Indians? We have a good relationship with local reporters, and most of them are willing to try to understand what goes on here. I know that some of them will get the story right and some won’t, but for the most part they are doing their best with the time and space limitations they have for telling a story. When speaking to the press, how difficult is it to think on your feet and still accurately represent the district and the opinions of Lakota? Hmmm…let me think about that a while and get back to you…luckily, most of the reporters I work with know that I sometimes have to think a little before answering. What do you enjoy the most about your job? Talking with people—sitting in meetings with parents, having conversations with students and answering questions. I’m also very proud of LakotaPOP, an organization that gets parents of young children involved in education and Lakota before their kids are even old enough to attend school.

How difficult is it to separate your own opinions when you explain and justify the district’s opinions to the public? I have a great position in a great organization— my colleagues will listen to my opinions and take into consideration what I think. However, when communicating with others publicly my role is to assist with understanding. People have to clearly understand the school district, and administrators here have to clearly understand what members of the community think and feel. Injecting my opinion in that situation could damage that understanding. How has your job changed over the years, especially with the growing district and the recent changes in the schools? Growth and changes in technology have made the biggest difference. For example, Lakota OnLine gets more than 2 million hits each year—it is a primary tool for communicating with people. It wasn’t around 11 years ago. The growth, though, makes it more difficult to do my job well; I don’t spend as much time in our schools as I’d like. Regarding changes in personnel, I have a great deal of respect for Mike Taylor and believe that Lakota will become even more outstanding under his leadership. What do you want to do when you retire? I’d like to write, sleep and spend my summers sitting in major league baseball parks watching games. n

FEATURE Creation Museum

WHERE IT ALL BEGAN

story & photos l Becky Trentman infographic l Brittany Thomas

A exhibit at the Creation Museum  An featuring Adam sitting in the Garden of Eden surrounded by animals before the Earth was affected by original sin.

20 20llSpark SparkllDecember December19, 19,2007 2007

A little girl sits in the exhibit next to a pool of water surrounded by lush vegetation, a little boy and a raptor. Scenes of humans and dinosaurs coexisting peacefully are only some of the exhibits at the Creation Museum depicting how God created the earth. According to the Book of Genesis, on the first day, God created light, making the night and day. On the second day, he made the waters and the sky and on the third, he created land calling the waters ‘seas’ and the land ‘earth’. On the fourth day, to “govern the day and the night,” God created the sun and moon. The fifth day he said, “let the water teem with an abundance of living creatures and on the earth let birds fly beneath the dome of the sky.” He then created animals, then man in his likeness to “have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and the cattle, and over all the wild animals and all the creatures that crawl on the ground,” on the sixth day. And on the seventh day, God rested. This is the theory that the Creation Museum of Petersburg, Kentucky presents in over 60,000 feet of 160 exhibits. Patrons of the museum wander through the serenity of the Garden of Eden, are exposed to the fallacies of the earth in the fall of man and even relax in the planetarium to see how God designed the universe. Planning for the museum started in 2001 when Ken Ham, President and CEO of Answers in Genesis, and Mark Looy, cofounder of the Creation Museum and Chief Communications Officer, teamed up with Patrick Marsh, creative director of the museum. According to Looy, he and Ham were the visionaries, but when Marsh started designing exhibits, “the dream became tangible; someone had to take the dream and make it a reality.” Construction of the museum started about five years ago. According to Looey, all the $27 million needed to construct the museum was raised through donations before the opening, so it could open without debt. He added that the grand opening on May 28, 2007 was one of their busiest days with approximately 4,000 guests in attendance. Now, their busiest day of the week is usually Saturday, when attendance can exceed 3,000 and during the week, the average is around 800 guests a day.

A graffiti sign at the entrance of Graffiti Alley.

Adam working with Cain and Abel.

Paleontologists at a dinosaur dig site.

“The attendance is far exceeding our projections,” says Looy. “We had a goal for 250,000 [guests] by next year and we just crossed that line… just over five months from the opening.” According to Looey, during the opening there were about a dozen protestors. “If they pay and are not disruptive, they can come in,” says Looey. “Everyone is welcome; we want the believers, the non-believers, the protestors, the atheists.” The museum has received numerous remarks from past visitors, and according to Looy the number one comment is, “they came thinking quality, having high expectations and we [the museum] exceeded their expectations.” Visitors also mention that they did not expect the exhibits to be so well done and involved and that they were not expecting the museum to present so much scientific information and research. The museum starts off showing models of humans coexisting with dinosaurs before leading into a dinosaur dig site which shows two men exposing dinosaur bones. Visitors can also listen to a video about how different paleontologists can interpret the age of dinosaur bones differently. Visitors then wander into exhibits called Starting Points, Biblical Authority and Biblical Relevance. These walls are covered in graphics comparing and contrasting the biblical and scientific evidence and opinions on creation and how animals and plants evolved with the world. Graffiti Alley and Culture in Crisis show how in modern day, man has abandoned the Bible. Collages of news clippings and stories of hurtful events cover the walls. Graffiti screams “modern world abandons the Bible” and “today man decides whatever.” These exhibits all lead up to the seven Cs of History. Creation, Corruption, Catastrophe, Confusion, Christ, Cross, and Consummation chronicle the earth from creation to present day. Explaining everything from God forming the earth to Confusion, when God gave people different languages to spread them out over the earth, to Consummation, when God will come back to “cast out the disobedient, and dwell with the believers,” according to Biblical Authority

exhibit. Through all these exhibits, Michael Johnson of Goshen, IN enjoyed the museum. “The people who studied this left no stone unturned, they are thorough…they don’t try to make the Bible fit science, but they show that it agrees with it [through the evidence shown in exhibits],” says Johnson. Some visitors tend to side more with the protestors who visited opening day. Lawrence Krauss, professor of Physics and Astronomy at Case Western Reserve University, visited the museum. “The creation museum is a very high production quality institution,” says Krauss. “but it is not a museum in the common sense of the word.” He adds that creationism is not presented scientifically, but that the Bible is taken literally to show “dinosaurs in the garden of Eden cohabiting with man.” Nine percent of 512 East students surveyed have been to the Creation Museum and one of

those visitors is senior Ronak Buch. Buch does not believe in Creationism, and says that although the evidence was thorough, it did not shake his beliefs. “I liked the overall presentation, even the Biblical tie-ins, as it legitimizes the Book to a degree and manner in which it showed the ideology of the conservative Christian group.” 12 percent of the 512 surveyed agree with Buch’s beliefs, but 35 percent agree more with senior Katie Gormas, who believes in creationism “because the Bible teaches it.” Although Gormas has not visited the museum, she thinks visiting is an important part of understanding all the points of views. “I think that no matter what, how the earth came to be is a scientific matter. Also, contrary to popular belief, there is no contradiction between science and God. God created science and used science to create the earth,” says Gormas. “It’s important to understand other strongly held points of view. That’s just part of being educated.” n

“

WE WANT THE BELIEVERS, THE NON-BELIEVERS, THE PROTESTORS, THE ATHEISTS.

Evolution of continents

Information provided by www.creationismmuseum.com

Let there be light and Firament

Infographic by Brittany Thomas

”

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BODIES

FEATURE Bodies...The Exhibition

...THE EXHIBTION

22 22llSpark SparkllDecember December19, 19,2007 2007

story & photos l Amrita Jagpal infographic l Anjana Jagpal & Neelum Amin

ny visitor can read this fact on the wall. “An average pack of cigarettes takes two hours and 20 minutes of a person’s life.” Walk a little further and witness the glass case filled with other visitor’s cigarette packs. This place can change a person’s life. It contains 206 bones, 62,000 miles of blood vessels, and 8,000 gallons of water in a lifetime. 600 muscles line and wrap every square inch. This is the amazing thing that over seven billion people share: the human body. 21 of these bodies and over 260 organs have traveled the world. After being in cities such as London, Amsterdam, New York, and Las Vegas BODIES...The Exhibition currently resides in Columbus, Ohio and will be there until January of 2008. This exhibit is appropriate for all ages and is something to which every person can relate. The bodies have steel rods running through their legs and are attached to a base, allowing them to be transported in wooden crates and placed in cases that have been molded to perfectly fit each body. The bodies are transported in semi trucks and other poles are individually screwed in. The bodies were obtained legally by Premier Exhibitions, the organizer of the exhibit, from the Dalian Medical University Plastination Laboratories in the People’s Republic of China. There, the bodies underwent dissection by highly skilled dissectors, as well as a preservation process, that can take up to a year to complete. After being dissected, the body is immersed in acetone, getting rid of any extra water. It is then placed in silicone, and sealed in a vacuum chamber, which causes the acetone to leave the body in the form of gas. The silicone enters each cell and body tissue. Finally a catalyst, a substance that alters the speed of a chemical reaction, is applied to the specimen, hardening the body. When this preservation process is complete, many bodies are given to Premier Exhibitions and put on display for the public. This is when controversy erupted. There has been much debate over the bodies that are put on display to the public. The fact that some bodies are unidentified only adds to the angry sentiment that some people are feeling. Some argue that the people of these unclaimed bodies have not given consent for their body to be used by science. Some people feel that since consent has not been given it is not justifiable to show their bodies for educational purposes, let alone be open to view by the world. East science department head Karen Kamm has a different viewpoint. “It’s not controversial because it’s just the human body that everyone is equipped with,” says Kamm. “With the unclaimed bodies, it makes more sense to learn from [them], rather than burying it to decay.”

...THE EXHIBITION

“Some people think of cadavers being used only by scientists and medical students, but people are learning to take care of their bodies and the bodies are still being used for educational purposes, just in a different way.” not take responsibility for the body, the body is signed over to the state. The state then has control and is able to donate these bodies to medical universities. “For the bodies that are donated, they probably [would] go to medical universities and the public [viewing them] doesn’t really make a difference,” says Budzynski. “Bodies are still being viewed and people are learning.” Visitor Ryan Skidmore, a Pre-Med student at Columbus State, agrees with the exhibit as a means of education. “I pretty much concur,” says Skidmore. “I love the medical period. It highly interests me.” Despite controversy, the majority of responses about the exhibit have been positive. “It’s absolutely amazing to give the general public a chance to see bodies that only medical students can get the opportunity to see,” says Budzynski. “The public is given a chance to learn the same way that the [medical] students do.” Visitor Kara McClain says that she wants to expand her knowledge. “It’s awesome, I go to lab and see stuff but

this is so much more real,” says McClain. “It’s neat that they did such a thing and I think that the people who have unclaimed bodies knew it was for education would be thrilled to know people can see how the body works.” Although Kamm has not seen the exhibit yet she has a positive response. “I’m willing to take all my anatomy classes to go see it, because we study the human body and it is very applicable,” says Kamm. “AP Biology needs to go too because we do a unit on the human body, and one of the attempts at this exhibit [is] a further understanding of how the human body works.” Others who are in elementary school still find the exhibit interesting. “I love bodies and want to be a doctor one day,” says seven-year-old Meg Foster of Westerville, Ohio. “It’s so interesting to look at the body.” The air from a cough moves at over 60 mph and 600,000 particles of skin are shed every hour. There is so much more to learn about the human body and BODIES…The Exhibition is where anyone can start. n

BODY FACTS ● The risk of a heart attack is higher on Monday than any other day of the week. ● If all your muscles were used you could lift more than 10 tons. ● Nerve cells can create electric impulses that exceed 270 mph.. ● A sneeze can exceed a speed of 100 mph.

Inforgraphic by Neelum Amin and Anjana Jagpal

BODIES

Other people who share the opposing viewpoint are able to sympathize with those who donated their bodies and did not know they were going to be displayed. “I heard a lot of the controversy and wanted to see it for myself.” says visitor Lisa Cudd from Worth Central, Ohio. “I can see both sides, it’s a great learning experience and a great way to learn, but I’m not sure, if say, I would want one of my relatives on display.” Kamm understands that there is a great deal of controversy surrounding the issue. “Some people believe that after a person dies their body should not be anything but buried,” says Kamm. Certain people have beliefs about what should and should not happen after death and that’s where the controversy lies.” Amy Budzynski, a volunteer guide at the exhibit, says that the display has a great deal of educational value. “The exhibit is not disrespectful in any way, shape, or form, and is still teaching people,” says Budzynski. “Some people think of cadavers being used only by scientists and medical students, but people are learning to take care of their bodies and the bodies are still being used for educational purposes, just in a different way.” According to Budzynski, when a person dies, there is a record of their fingerprint in the Census Bureau and they locate the next of kin. This could be a third cousin who was unaware of their passing relative or does not have the financial resources for a burial service. If this person will

● Babies have 300 bones and adults have 206 bones. ● On average infants blink 1-2 times per minute. ● Females brain take up 2.5% of their body weight and males brain take up 2%.

Information provided by BODIES...The Exhibition

23 23llSpark SparkllDecember December19, 19,2007 2007

FEATURE Dartboard

R E E H C it’s all about

story l Liz Trentman photos l used with the permission of Meghan Jones

East sophomore Meghan Jones cheers 15 hours, six days a week. It’s not just a past time, it’s her passion.

Each issue the Spark Staff picks a random East student and covers a unique aspect of their life.

Meghan performs a jump during Ace Senior Jazz.

24 l Spark l December 19, 2007

en people moving in sync to the music. Ten smiles are plastered on their faces as they jump, sprint and tumble in time with the beat. A girl falls, but her smile never leaves her face. By the end of this intense two-minute cheer routine, the girls are sore and aching, but they have not missed a beat. The only evidence you will find of the toll it takes is the bruises. East sophomore Meghan Jones is not your traditional cheerleader or dancer. You could call her the antithesis of the blonde-haired, blue-eyed stereotype. At five feet three inches tall, she possesses surprising strength. Instead of straight, blonde hair, Jones has long, curly, thick, dark hair. Replacing the conventional blue eyes are coffee brown ones. But her smile is brilliant, and she shows it often. Jones’ ethnic look comes from the fact that she was born in Bogotá, Colombia. Adopted at a young age and nationalized by age three by Mary and Leighton Jones, Meghan remembers nothing of her native country. “I’ve lived here for so long, I can’t remember anything about Bogotá,” she shrugs. “I’m cool with [being adopted].” Because of the difference between Meghan and her parents, her dad being British and her mom from Kentucky, people make the wrong assumptions about her heritage. “We are one of the most diverse families you can find,” says Meghan. There is more to Meghan than her ethnicity, as she participates in four different cheer, dance or gymnastic teams: Senior Jazz, Senior Pom and Senior Level five cheer, all at Ace Athletics, a cheerleading program that

Meghan (right) poses with her sister Brittany Jones before an Ace cheer competition.

competes at a national level. Come winter, Meghan will be sporting East colors as a member of the gymnastics team. After all, the beginnings of her dance and cheer career were in gymnastics and ballet, which she started at age two and continued until seventh grade. According to her dad, Leighton, gymnastics used to take up to 16 hours a week, but now cheer and dance take up slightly less time. “Meghan gets deeply involved in whatever she does….she has to schedule and plan her time so she can get everything done,” says Leighton. “She likes being busy.” Her sister Brittany Jones’ involvement in cheer has influenced Meghan’s choices in activities; Meghan is considering cheering for East next year to be with her. The sisters experience a mutual admiration for each other. “She works so hard and has the natural ability,” says Brittany. “I wish I could do what she does and keep up the grades.” Leighton agrees with Brittany’s assessment of Meghan’s dedication to all aspects of her life. In order to stay on top of her school work while maintaining a busy schedule, she has to fit in homework during car rides between practices. “We are very strict when it comes to grades. School comes first and if grades slip she gets grounded from activities in her spare time,” Leighton says. But her family is still supportive of Meghan. At least one parent goes to every competition. Her mother, Mary, says, “competitive sports are not cheap but she enjoys them so it is worth the cost.” Meghan values her parents’ constant encouragement to keep doing what she loves. “I know they don’t like the price all the time, but they are really good about supporting me,” says Meghan. “They are the ones who take me to practice.”

Meghan with her Ace Athletics Senior Level 5 team after they competed at a national level and earned their bid to worlds.

Meghan (left center) strikes a pose with her team during a competition.

In seventh grade, Meghan decided to try out for a spot on Ace Athletic’s junior cheer team, but she didn’t make it. Instead, she made the senior cheer team. “She put in way more effort than I did,” Brittany tells. “It made me respect her so much.” Last year, for the first time, all of Meghan’s hard work paid off when both her jazz and cheer team made it to Worlds, the biggest and most difficult cheer and dance tournament to get into. Held in Disney’s Milk House in Orlando, Florida, a state-of-the-art stadium; it’s a difficult tournament to qualify for. “The atmosphere…it’s just psycho,” Meghan recounts. “The audience was huge.” Unfortunately, Meghan had to decide which team to participate on, because a person can only compete with one team at Worlds, and both her senior jazz and senior cheer teams qualified. “I decided to do jazz because we qualified first,” says Meghan, “and it’s harder to replace people. But it was really hard because I had to watch somebody take my spot and cheer.” Despite not doing well at Worlds, Meghan can’t wait to qualify again this year, saying she will cheer instead of dance.

Cheering and dancing make up a huge part of Meghan’s life, as she spends most of her time after school in the gym. With all her various teams, she has anywhere from one to three practices everyday. “I’m at some gym somewhere everyday but Friday,” says Meghan. “I have to juggle my priorities. Excluding sleep, I probably spend 30 percent of my time at home, 40 percent at school, and 30 percent at practice.” With East gymnastics practices already starting, it is just one more thing to add to Meghan’s already full plate. She worries that the gymnastics meets will get in the way of her Ace Athletics events. “I would really hate to miss a competition,” she says, “but I’m excited. I think we’ll do well.” Her senior cheer coach for Ace Athletics, Jamie Lamb, enjoys Meghan on the team, saying that she is a natural leader. “Meghan leads by example,” she says. “You never have to correct her, she knows her responsibilities and often helps the coaches come up with new ideas for the routines and is a great sound board…she also has a positive energy that the others on the team follow.” However, these activities are not just a high school passion. Meghan plans to cheer in college, with her sights set on Louisville and her career all planned out. According to Meghan, she plans to go to Louisville because they have the best cheer program. “I want to major in athletic training, so next year I have to take all the anatomy classes,” Meghan says. As always, her parents are supportive of her plans. Leighton says, “we would love Meghan to cheer in college, but it’s really up to her.” If Meghan does decide to cheer in college, she will once again find herself in the spotlight. n

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Meghan gets deeply involved in whatever she does... she has to schedule and plan her time so she can get everything done. She likes being busy.

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25 l Spark l December 19, 2007

FEATURE Sonya Ngo

AROUND A perfect blend of Western and

story l Belinda Cai

t is ten in the evening, a time when many Americans turn out their lights and prepare to go to sleep. However, in Germany, East senior Sonya Ngo is wide awake, dressed up and ready to go out for the day. However, Ngo does not have the same style of most American teenagers. A typical outfit for her includes a belted shirt, big earrings, a scarf, jeans and pointy flats. Due to her spontaneity and unique appearance, Ngo is a striking individual to look at. She is easily noticed and recognized by her flamboyant clothes. “I always wear different clothes,” says Ngo. “My friends say I have weird shoes.” She also stands out because of the luminescent auburn colors streaked in her hair. “I have many colors in my hair—a little blonde, light brown, red and black,” says Ngo. “I dyed my hair myself and it took the whole afternoon. I did it because I was bored. I didn’t even plan to do it.” To all those who know her, Ngo is daring, outgoing and fun to be around. Her warm smile, open nature and willingness to make conversation illustrates these qualities right away. Once she begins speaking, it is easy to mistake her for another movie-going, fun-loving, American teenager. However, Ngo’s life is as different and exceptional as her sense of style. For instance, Ngo can speak four languages. Despite her young age, she has nearly mastered Cantonese, German, French and English. Because of her Chinese background, the first language she learned was Cantonese. Her native country is Germany, so Ngo picked up German when she was in first grade and has been fluent ever since. In Germany, everyone is required to learn both English and French in order to be accepted into colleges. Therefore, Ngo knows both English and French. However, Ngo picked up English by interacting with others and being social. “With English, I’m not sitting at home and learning vocabulary,” she says. “If you talk to people, you just pick up the language.” Sandy Lerman, East English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher, describes Ngo as a great

26 l Spark l December 19, 2007

“She is a good model for She helps with her [two]

THE WORLD

Eastern cultures, Sonya Ngo is bringing it all together in America. photo l Kristen Whaley

student who is always prepared, works hard and has a unique ability to speak many languages. “[Her advanced English] allowed her to start out in ESL II and it was difficult to put together her schedule with all of her language classes,” says Lerman. Ngo’s schedule includes Advanced ESL, AP German and Intermediate Composition. Ngo continues to improves her English skills day by day in her new life in America, which began on July 27, 2006, when Sonya first immigrated to America. She had visited the country in the past, once to see her mom’s family in Washington D.C. and New York. In 2004, she came to the United States a second time, visiting Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. At age nine, her parents divorced causing her family to split up. Her father lives in a small city in Eastern Germany, while her mother currently resides in Virginia. “I stayed in Ohio because I didn’t want to change schools,” says Ngo. “My dad and brothers are still in Germany. My family never really lived together for years so I’m used to it.” Ngo currently lives with her uncle, aunt and two cousins in West Chester and plans on staying in America for the rest of her life. However, the suburban lifestyle is different for Ngo, who was born in the big city of Berlin. “[In Berlin], everything is connected to the subway or the bus so you can always go out, even at night,” she says. “Your friends live close to you; one friend lived two floors above me in [our apartment complex]. It’s so fun; everywhere you go, you see someone you know.” The lack of transportation in West Chester has caused problems for Ngo. Although she is planning on getting her driver’s permit, she is currently unable to drive. She says that she does not want to attend driving school and wishes to get her license when she becomes 18 years old. “Ohio is the suburbs,” says Ngo. “You need a car for going anywhere.” Ngo reflects a city vibe not only in her shyness to the suburbs, but also in many facets of her appearance and personality. Her second cousin, East junior Aimee Peng attests to this fact. “She’s really bold, really daring,” says Peng.

“She’s unique in style—I really do love her style. We were just talking about how everyone in West Chester dresses the same, but she has no problem wearing something a little different.” While in the city, Ngo began a street dance group with some friends, which quickly became her favorite hobby. “A bunch of friends and I were in a room and we started dancing,” says Ngo. “We kept doing it for two weeks so we decided to make a dance team. Some other friends hooked us up with some managers for organizations like festivals. They called us and wanted us to dance for them.” Ngo plans on dancing in America once she settles in her new lifestyle. In the meantime, she is still trying to master everyday life at East. In school, Ngo participates in National Honor Society and Multicultural Club. She has over a

Ngo’s aunt and guardian Mei Li agrees with Peng. She describes Sonya as extremely responsible and helpful. “I love having Sonya in my house,” says Li. “She is a good model for my children when it comes to studying and homework. She helps with her [two] cousins and acts like a big sister to them, guiding them.” Ngo wants to stay in America because of the educational system and more opportunities for better jobs in the future. “I told her that she is very prepared for college,” says Lerman. “She’s applied to some schools and has recently been accepted into Otterbein.” According to Ngo, some people in Germany finish college and don’t even get a well paying job. “[These people] may end up working in a

4.0 grade point average and manages to balance schoolwork with her personal life. In her spare time, Ngo likes to call her friends in Germany to catch up on what is going on in their lives across the Atlantic Ocean. “I don’t know how [Ngo] does it, but she manages to have these good grades although she’s not sitting there doing homework for hours at a time,” says Peng.

clothing store,” says Ngo. “Here, you know you will get a good job.” Li agrees with Peng that Ngo will have a good life in the future with many opportunities, based on the progress she has made with her change of lifestyle in America. “She does a lot of hard work now,” says Li. “If she keeps her open-minded attitude, she will be very successful.” n

my children when it comes to studying and homework. cousins and acts like a big sister to them, guiding them.”

27 l Spark l December 19, 2007

FEATURE Where Are They Now?

Becky and her brother Nick cheering for OSU.

At the Huntsville Inner-City Learning Center.

Becky as a photographer with Santa.

Becky working as a producer at WAAYTV.

BECKY BANASZAK From white water rafting instructor to world traveler to big-time news producer, 2001 East graduate Becky Banaszak has made her life an adventure.

story l Elena Martinez photos l provided by Becky Banaszak She is just one of those girls. The kind of honest, Wilkerson recalls. During her senior year, Becky traveled to West girl that everyone wants to talk to. The kind “Maybe the best was when I worked front Virginia every weekend to train to be awhiteof girl that lights up a room. The kind of girl door sign in and Becky signed in late. When she water rafting guide. She chose to be a guide for that acts like your best friend the first time you was asked to put the reason, she would say, ‘I’m the thrill after seeing how fun it was when she ever talk to her. She’s all of these things, and not going to lie. I was at Waffle House.’ went on a trip with Nick. she doesn’t even know it. She’s just one of those Wilkerson may remember Becky’s antics “I was just at a point in my life where I was exceptionally unique, meet-once-in-a-lifetime and exploits as a student, but speech teacher like I want to live,” she says. “I want to live the girls. Sue Bateman, remembers her for her writing. adventure; I want to really do something.” Bateman was the advisor of Under Pressure, a She’s Becky Banaszak. After receiving her high school diploma in Her jobs have ranged from a white-water group of East students that performs skits about 2001, she spent the summer as a white-water rafting instructor to a waitress in a little cafe to peer pressure. Becky was actively involved in rafting guide in West Virginia. a TV show producer. Not only has she traveled the group while she was at East as one of the Becky then decided to go to college at all across the United States, but she has also authors of the scripts. Xavier University, because Nick went there, visited Thailand, studied abroad in Belize and “Becky had the ability to go right to the heart and, according to Becky, it was a “really good Guatemala, and lived in Costa Rica for six of important issues,” says Bateman. “She really school.” The proximity to her home was also a months. impacted the emotions of the audience.” factor as she “was feeling a little hesitant about Becky describes her time at East as “the going far away.” Right now, Banaszak has an apartment in Huntsville, Alabama with her brother, Nick, age when I realized I have a voice.” She was However, that hesitation slowly disappeared. that is 672 miles away from their parents; she involved in many of the activities offered at During her freshman year at Xavier, she went works a hectic, but enjoyable job at WAAYTV, school, such as cheerleading, theater, Spark and down to New and Gauley River Adventures a medium-sized TV station; and, in December mock trial. every weekend as a rafting guide. After her first “I was kind of all around,” says Becky of this year, she will receive a Masters in year at a college close to home, she decided Journalism. to transfer to Concord University in Even though this 26(?) year old is West Virginia to continue white-water considered a responsible adult now, it rafting. has not always been this way. “I wanted to wake up and feel the East English teacher Michelle fresh mountain air against my face,” Wilkerson remembers Becky’s days at says Becky. East. Becky says her freshman year was “a “I had Becky for creative writing on coming of age experience.” third period block day. Even with late “I think I learned the reality of arrival, she was always late, generally consequences during my freshman year because she spent too much time at of college,” she adds. Waffle House. 9Finally I told her that Nevertheless, Becky continued to if she was going to be late, the least she work as a rafting guide throughout her could do was to bring me a waffle,” undergraduate education and on into her Wilkerson smiles, “and she did!” first year of graduation school at Regent Becky may have been tardy in her University in Virginia Beach. teenage years, but she was completely Becky Banaszak (far left) guides a raft through the rapids of the New and Gauley Rivers. She also traveled around the United

28 l Spark l December 19, 2007

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“take a shuttle and get dropped off in the middle of some mountains. Then you set up camp and go down the river and just live off the land.” Not only did Becky travel a lot, but she received her degree in History with an emphasis on Philosophy in 2005. However, graduating was a shock for her “I was like ‘oh my gosh what am I going to do now?’ I was so caught up in wanting to live the dream and travel around,” says Becky. She then began graduate school to receive her masters in Journalism at Regent University. One day, Becky met a girl who was an anchor at a local news station that was looking for a

After coming back from Costa Rica, she lived with her parents in Milwaukee and worked as an event photographer while taking classes online until Jan. of 2007. When she visited her brother at his job in Huntsville, AL, she met his news director, who she told she “didn’t really have anything going on.” He then offered her a job, saying, “If you’re Nick’s sister, you’re already qualified.” Becky’s been working with her brother at WAAYTV for 11 months. She started out producing a one hour mid-day show, but now produces four shows every weekend. “Producing a TV show is a kind of like being an editor of a magazine or newspaper. When you’re the producer, you’ve got all these different puzzle pieces and you have to know where they go,” she says. “You’ve got your whole crew that’s bringing you all these different pieces of the puzzle, and it’s your job to put it all together into a nice package.” The two Banaszak siblings then decided to move in together. “I’ve learned a lot more about her even in the past year,” says Nick. Her brother, who is one of the people who knows Becky best, says she is “the life of the party. She’s kind of an attention grabber, but not on purpose. She’s just got such a lively personality that people are naturally drawn to her.” She is just one of those girls. n

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States “to go to river festivals and to paddle in different rivers.” Becky didn’t want to just learn facts while she was in college, she wanted to learn experience them. “College for me was an adventure,” she says. “It was so much more than hitting the books. I didn’t want to just learn about history; I wanted to about life.” During winter break of her sophomore year, Becky took a trip to Thailand for herself she says. According to her it was an eye-opening experience stepping into a “different world,” and she soon realized how blessed the people who live in America are.“You can hear about it on the news and you can watch the documentaries, but until you see it face to face, until you smell it, until you taste it, until you experience it. I realized I had been taking so much for granted. It made me appreciate my country more than I wanted to complain about it.” In addition to this trip, her other ventures lead her to study marine biology and Mayan culture in Belize and Guatemala that spring. After actually seeing what she learned in the class room in real life, she appreciated the intricate details in every organism. “I was in awe of creation,” she says. Becky also took a “girl trip” and went on a kayaking excursion from West Virginia to California and back. She and a friend would

I want to live the adventure; I want to really do something. new reporter. Her and her brother made a resume tape, which landed her the job. “I had the interview, and then he hired me that day,” she explains. “Usually it would take a while, but it just ended up working out.” However, she was too busy with graduation school and work so she resigned from the position. “I just wanted to finish school then see what I wanted to do,” she says. In January of 2006, Becky moved to Costa Rica for six months to study “the globalization of American media on Costa Rican culture.”

MMP AD PLACED BY PRINTER

29 l Spark l December 19, 2007

Photo provided by

Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones (far right) with Ohio State Representative Courtney Combs at the MexicoArizona border.

Butler County Sheriff Richard K. Jones is known across the nation for his outspoken views and strict deportation of undocumented migrants. After his trip to the MexicoArizona border, he is eager to continue with this new law-enforcement policy. story l Kelly Muenchen art l Codi Matheis

t the end of a long night in Cochise County, Arizona, law enforcement officials have caught about 300 undocumented migrants who were trying to get across the border into the U.S. However, this number pales in comparison to the approximately 1,000 undocumented migrants who cross through the “Tousants Sector” of the Mexico-Arizona border each day. Risks of being killed or robbed by bandits emerge as migrants further their journey. Situations such as these are what Butler County Sheriff Richard K. Jones witnessed on his recent summer 2007 trip to the border. “It was an eye-opening experience,” he says. “I saw film footages of illegals carrying 80 pound packs of compacted crystal meth, marijuana and cocaine into this country.” According to Jones, Cochise County confiscated nine tons of drugs in six months. He adds that most of the drugs in Butler County can be traced back to Mexico. “The people that are sneaking across the border may be coming here for a better life,” he says. “But some of them are coming here to join gangs, commit crimes and bring drugs over.” Rev. Robin Hoover, pastor of First Christian Church in Tucson and founder of the humanitarian group Humane Borders, agrees that a lot of marijauna comes across the Mexico-Arizona border. But, he says harder drugs are much less common and that drugs are rarely transported across the border by foot. “Most of the pot is actually transferred using vehicles, trailers, cars, trucks through the desert,” says Hoover. “The average Joe Blow is not going to carry huge amounts on his back.” Jones says that undocumented migrants are hurting the American people because they are not only breaking the law, but are taking jobs away from American citizens. He believes there should be decent job opportunities for legal American

SHERIFF’S COW

30 l Spark l December 19, 2007

citizens with only a high school diploma. “Not everybody gets out of high school and becomes a rocket scientist or an engineer and can get these high paying jobs,” says Jones. “Do illegals bring down the pay scale for Americans? Sure they do, because they work cheap.” However, Alfonso Cornejo, President of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Greater Cincinnati believes undocumented migrants are vital to the U.S. economy. “As a nation, we are not going to solve the problem by ignoring the reality and the strong contributions of all the undocumented workers we have in the country,” says Cornejo. “There have been reports by our own government that we need approximately 400,000 new people every year just to keep the economy moving.” According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, by 2008, there will be five million more jobs available in the United States than there are people to do them. “I don’t believe that,” says Jones in response to the statistic. “Well sure, [American citizens] won’t work for five or six dollars an hour. Why would [companies] want to hire somebody and pay a fair and decent wage when you can hire somebody for five or six dollars an hour who has no say? ” Despite their importance to the economy, according to Cornejo, Jones believes in strict deportation of undocumented workers, especially if they have committed other crimes. “My problem that I have here in [Butler County] is not just illegals, but the ones who have committed other crimes,” he says. “I have enough trouble with my home grown criminals-U.S. citizen criminals-- I don’t need some other country to dump criminals on my back.” About three years ago, Jones noticed an increase of crime in Butler County dealing with undocumented migrants who were plugging up the jails, courts and the welfare system while Butler County was not receiving any compensation. According to Jones, they are also taking away social services from American citizens. “It’s a privilege to live in this country, to have what we have,” he says, “but Americans should get it first.” According to Jones, undocumented migrants that commit crimes are treated like any citizen. “You don’t get special passes to commit crime here because you sneak into this country,” he says. Jones adds that undocumented migrants who do not commit crimes are still at fault because they broke the law by coming into the country. “It’s a federal crime to come into this country illegally,” he says. “It’s a state crime if you

falsify documents, use somebody else’s social security number and drive without a drivers license…” Although immigration enforcement is a power generally reserved for the federal government, Jones recently applied for a 287 G, a permit that would grant him the federal power of immigration enforcement on a local level. According to a survey of 512 East students, 43 percent think Butler County sheriffs should have power to deport undocumented migrants. East junior Danny Perinovic says it would be impossible for federal authorities to deport mi-

children who might be here alone,” she says. In situations such as these, Jones is more concerned about enforcing the law. “When I arrest people, sometimes a wife goes to prison, a mother goes to prison [and] a father goes to prison,” he says. “Well what happens to those children? They get split up from their families, but you have to obey the law.” Despite laws being in place, a solution for the controversial issue of undocumented migration has yet to be found. “The lack of a robust and good immigration policy has been creating problems for 20 years

grants everywhere. “It’s not like the federal government is going to come in and take out all of the illegal immigrants,” he says,” so the local government has to do it themselves.” But according to Hoover the enforcementonly mentality has not been successful. “Since 1993 we have tripled the size of the border patrol and spent millions and millions of dollars,” says Hoover, “but we’ve still not reduced the average number of people crossing successfully by one person.” Cornejo believes that some people want to deport undocumented migrants just to make a name for themselves. In response to Sheriff Jones’ actions, he feels that “each part of the federal and local governments have their areas of responsibility. The issue here is personal ego,” she says. “Somebody trying to be famous for doing populistic things.” Jones believes he is following the majority opinion, stating that in a survey of Ohio, 82 percent of the population wanted something done about undocumented migrants. “I was elected to enforce the law,” he says. “I get hired and fired every four years so if people don’t like what I do, they can vote against me and I’m okay with that.” East Junior and Mexican immigrant Mariana Prado is against deportation because it sometimes breaks up families. “It might affect families because they have

now. This is nothing new,” says Cornejo. “We need to find the way to make the immigration system work for everybody.” Jones, who was in firm opposition to the Senate’s Amnesty Bill, which would pardon the offenses of 12 to 20 million undocumented migrants, believes the first step in the solution would be to seal the borders. “When [undocumented migrants] come in as quick as they do, you can’t do anything,” he says. “Then you have to have some type of comprehensive immigration [plan] where you need to be a U.S. citizen to be in this country…It’s a unique problem and it appears that our government’s not doing anything about it.” Jones also believes law enforcement must regulate who comes in to work in America and punish employers who knowingly hire undocumented workers. “I agree that we should have a guest worker program where people come in and pick vegetables or fruit,” he says, “but you can’t come in here and lie and cheat and just work and think that I owe you, or this country owes you anything.” Although Jones’ clear, firm stance and execution of immigration issues faces much opposition, he says he is prepared for the challenge. “I’m okay with people having different views and different opinions,” he says. “That’s what it’s all about and I don’t argue with anybody. My job is to simply enforce the law.” n

WBOY JUSTICE

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Mariana Prado, a migrant from Mexico, works on an assignment in her ESL class.

As immigrants enter Butler County at a growing pace, officials have differing opinions on the subject. Do undocumented migrants deserve a degree of leeway or the harsher side of the law? story l Graylyn Roose art l Chethan Eleswarpu

he woman and her daughter walk up to the counter. They are in Mexico and they cannot cross the border without a visa. Just as she did last time, and the time before that, and the time before that, the woman pleads for the certification that she needs to visit her husband in America. Again, the authorities turn her away, not even giving her the reason why. “Some people go over to visit their families, and they won’t give [a visa] to them,” says junior Mariana Prado, who attempted to gain a visa with her mother five times before it was granted. In 2003, the Prados came to America legally to live with Mariana’s dad, who had been living in America since 2000. Prado says at first she was not thrilled about leaving behind her family and friends in favor of a new country and culture. “At first I was not [excited], because it wasn’t my country; why would I be here? But now I think it has good opportunities,” says Prado. “And it’s great to be able to speak two languages.” In spite of her gratitude for the opportunities that America offers, ranging from college to careers, Prado says that she plans to return to Mexico after she finishes her higher education.

IMMIGRATION

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photo provided by Mariana Prado

“I think it’s better for me to be in my own country,” she says with a sad smile, adding that because her boyfriend was deported three weeks ago, she has many reasons to go back. Because of his undocumented status and a minor law infraction, Prado’s boyfriend, who wishes to remain anonymous, was deported in Nov. 2007. Prado admits that while she was very upset by his forced departure from the United States, she understands that when migrants break the law, the government has a right to step in. “I felt so sad because we’d been going out for a long time,” she says, “but then I thought it was OK because he was breaking the law.” Prado, who recently received her U.S. citizenship, plans to travel to Mexico next summer to visit her brother, as well as her uncle, who was deported in Oct. 2007. Jason Riveiro, the Ohio Deputy Director of

the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), and the president of LULAC’s Cincinnati chapter, says that his group works primarily to give aid and legal assistance to the families of deported migrants. In the Sept. 2007 raid on Koch Foods, of Fairfield, Ohio, the organization gathered attorneys and notified the families of the deported immigrants. Riveiro attests that LULAC is a “voice for immigrants,” yet also adds that the primarily volunteer-run organization does not promote undocumented migration. “I think that one of the most common misconceptions about an organization such as our own is that we’re pro-illegal immigration or ethnocentric,” says Riveiro. “We advocate for everyone to follow the law.” Riveiro also believes undocumented migrants have the same rights as any other human being, needing the same attention and care. “There are millions of people who are in a humanitarian situation,” he says. “We can’t dehumanize people in these situations. They are in a country where they can hardly feed their families-- they have to migrate to another place.” Butler County Chief Deputy Anthony Dwyer feels differently, believing that while our country promotes acceptance to those of all cultures, everyone has an obligation to follow the law. “We’re not a border state,” says Dwyer. “The law’s the law and should be abided by.” Dwyer attests that when immigration laws are not followed, the law enforcement’s efficiency level is affected. He says that the number of undocumented migrants in the Butler County area has had an effect on the general way of life. “It’s had a substantial negative impact,” says Dwyer. “It’s taken a toll on [the criminal justice system].” However, he says that law enforcement individuals do not actively seek those who live in this country illegally, stating that the finding of undocumented migrants “has to be connected to some predicating event.” “We’re not just out doing immigration enforcement,” says Dwyer. “Our primary focus is the illegal aliens that we have connected to other criminal events.”

East English as a Second Language teacher Sandi Lerman agrees it is important to see the personal side of the undocumented migration issue. “We have to make sure we’re not violating human rights,” says Lerman. “Regardless of your political position on the issue, it is important to consider the individual situation. These are human beings we’re talking about.” However, Lerman assures that East does not involve itself in the debate concerning undocumented migration. “We, as a school, are prohibited from asking those kinds of questions. We don’t officially know anything,” says Lerman, who says that the majority of East students legally live in the United States. “The school shouldn’t be involved and they’re not involved.” Undocumented migration proves to be an issue on which the student body remains divided. In a survey of 512 East students, 71 percent believe that the United States should deport undocumented migrants. Dwyer agrees that it is important to support the wide range of nationalities that make their home in the Butler County area. “We support diversity,” he says. “But there’s a legal way to do that.” n

N VINDICATION

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Lerman laughs as students gather around the table during her ESL class.

For East ESL teacher Sandi Lerman, relating to her students’ experiences as migrants is easy. For her first teaching job, she immigrated to Mexico because the adventures of a new culture have always been her passion. story l Kim Amedro photo l Kristen Whaley art l Dan Wagner

he stands at the front of the sixth grade classroom as an American teacher. She teaches an American curriculum at an American school. But, almost 80 percent of her students are Mexican. In the hallways, at lunch, on the playground, only fluent Spanish is heard. She’s the minority. After sending her resume over the world “just for fun,” East ESL [English as a Second Language] teacher Sandi Lerman heard feedback. “I got a call from Mexico about two weeks before school started. They said “we have a job if you want. So that was my first teaching job. I taught sixth grade Language Arts in Mexico,” says Lerman. She taught three years at the American School Foundation in Monnoray, Mexico. The students in her class were primarily from rich Mexican families who wanted their children to receive an American education. The few Americans were of the middle class, whose parents worked at the American Consulate or had American business there such as a Toyota plant. “It’s a very different dynamic,” she says as she recalls the reverse situation. “Many of our ESL families, of all backgrounds, had professional jobs in their countries, but they left and are taking more manual labor jobs here just for the freedoms.” She often speaks of her students, combining their lives with her own. Through their struggles she noticed one of the most obvious but overlooked hurdles of the entire process is the language barrier. “It’s not that they don’t want to speak English,” she says. “In fact I went to one of the student’s house the other day. They’re from Afghanistan and the mom begged me, she said, ‘Please teach me English, I really want to learn English.’” Due to the distance of the available language classes and the large family the mother was caring for, it was too difficult for her to attend one.

SPEAKING BEYO

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Lerman’s teaching degree seems just as diverse as the department in which she leads. “When I was in high school, I was a volunteer student for ESL students when they had a brand new program,” she says. “I always enjoyed my world history class and anything to do with cultures and languages and I really enjoyed meeting kids from other countries and cultures.” After high school, she attended Indiana University where she took linguistics courses, Spanish and American Sign Language. Immersed in volunteer work and languages, Lerman chose to complete her student teaching through an overseas program in Scotland. “It was the first time I had ever been on a plane, but I flew to Scotland and taught there,” she adds, laughing at herself. It was after she completed her student teaching and found her first job in Mexico that she returned to the states to settle and teach. However, it was not East or the typical ESL program she chose first. It was in deaf education and interpreting that she found jobs in Columbus, Westerville North High School and even St. Rita’s School for the Deaf in which she taught two years of English. “For me it has always been ESL,” Lerman says in reflection. Finally she wound up at East, originally as the district ESL specialist then finally became the primary East ESL teacher once Angela Nelson resigned. The idea of ESL as Lerman witnessed through her various degrees and jobs has progressed immensely from when she first began in high school. “ESL wasn’t really a profession then. It was more like, ‘OK, we’ve got these foreign kids, what are we going to do with them?’” Lerman recalls. According to Lerman it was more like tutoring. However, during the ‘80s, people appeared to realize that with the influx of immigrants, there would need to be programs to better meet their needs. “Now the state has an actual certification for ESL teachers,” she says. “It’s an endorsement that you have to add to whatever certificate you have.” Lerman feels by realizing more and more immigrants are coming, we as citizens need to be aware of the needs, their education, their cultural backgrounds; the kinds of things that are important to them. “It’s not going to hurt our American culture to have [immigrants] because these are people who are hard working who really want to benefit their family and benefit our society,” she feels.

“I think it’s important to respect and honor her partner sitting next to her in class can help where they come from.” her understand what I’m telling her.” Yet she still understands that at the same time The collaboration between the students is everyone hopes they would embrace being here beneficial. Prohaska takes in account the size of in the United States. Lerman still believes it is the building and students. “They have a place that’s theirs with the ESL important for her students to understand why Americans do things a certain way. Recently, room,” he says. “They’re not getting lost in the the ESL students had their annual Thanksgiving general population.” dinner to learn about and honor the American “If we need help, you just talk to [Lerman] holiday. and she’ll explain things for everybody,” says “The teachers brought the turkey and we had East junior Cristian Rojas. “She’ll just go inside to bring the coke and mashed potatoes,” says our study hall, every time… she’s going to be there.” East junior Mazin Elmardi. After that Thanksgiving dinner, ESL Prohaska also sees that Lerman has a motherly Instructional Aide Sandy Barker was enjoying relationship with her students. Furthermore, he her relaxation time at home. When she walked believes East’s ESL program is headed in the out to the mailbox, she discovered some of the right direction. Lerman’s life experiences have ultimately students had found a way to be with her even on break. shaped her impact on the East ESL program. “I’ve only worked in ESL at East since She experienced the stereotypes, the culture August,” she quietly reflects, “but over shock and the homesickness in Mexico. Yet it Thanksgiving I received Top Countries Represented in ESL some sincerely appreciative hand-made notes from some of the students.” When they thanked her for the different things she had done only in the past few months, she knew she was a part of something. East, in fact, is at the forefront of ESL development. There are two unknown variables to language: was not moving to a foreign country that was BICS, (Basic Learning Communication Skills) the most difficult for Lerman; it was the re-entry and CALPS (Cognitive Academic Language into her home. “The biggest cultural shock was walking into Proficiency). Many ESL learners can hold up a basic conversation of “Hi, how are you?” [BICS] the grocery store and walking down the cereal On the other hand, they still don’t have the skills aisle,” she says. She saw the rows and rows of Cornflakes, to read an article and pull out the main idea. This concept is hard to grasp and Lerman feels it also Lucky Charms, Cocoa Puffs; each cereal brand with their own version of the competitors. In fuels misconceptions about her students. A big step in the East ESL program was to Mexico, she only had three to choose from. Not create “sheltered content classes.” These courses three brands, three kinds of cereal. “We have so many choices and opportunities,” of math, science, government and history are a mid-step for the students. The information is she says. “I realized all the excess.” The combination of all her travels has taught broken down to a slower, more comprehensive her what exactly creates change. She does not pace. East American History and American History believe that one simple diversity class, a lecture, Sheltered Content Class teacher Tom Prohaska a club meeting will change an attitude. She says, “When you meet someone, when has seen the class as a definite benefit. “I have a student who speaks Spanish, I mean you have that one friend,” that is what produces that’s all she speaks pretty much,” he says, “but understanding. n

OND BORDERS

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story l Ian Bowman-Henderson art l Chives Michalandro (far right) standing with a group of men in Altar.

Illegal immigrants are living in the United States, but some people donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see migrant workers as a threat to the nation. Instead, these humanitarians see people who help America, and who need help themselves. story l Ian Bowman-Henderson art l Stephanie & Emily Neltner

he Spanish influence was evident in the town square, which harkened back to days of conquistadores. Then, as now, the border was a battlefield. Reverend Gregg Brekke stood in the town of Altar, fifty miles south of the U.S.-Mexico border. He was surrounded by hundreds of people, but it was impossible for him to blend into the crowd. True, he was one of the only gringos in town that night -- but there was another difference that separated Gregg from the crowds, which huddled in groups around vans and buses. While the other men in the crowd seemed to buzz with nervous anticipation, Gregg was calm. Gregg knew he was safe. He was an American. Gregg approached two young boys, ages 16 and 17. Had they been born in a different place they might have still been in high school. After Gregg introduced himself and explained that he was in Altar to learn about their trip, the boys opened up to him. The older boy said his name was Michalandro. They told him that they were from farming community in Chiapas, Mexico that was impoverished after it became cheaper to buy subsidized American grain than to grow thier own food. They were open and honest about their intentions -- unashamed. Gregg continued to talk to the boys until he noticed Michalandro had a phone number written on his jeans. Michalandro told him that it was the number of his sister in the United States. When Gregg asked where she lived the boy could only say that it was near Canada. Gregg tried suggesting states, but Michalandro was

AIDING AMERIC

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Photos provided by Gregg Brekke

Michalandro’s sister’s telephone number, on his pants.

unfamiliar with the United States’ geography, and simply reiterated that it was near Canada. And then Gregg asked why he wrote the number on his pants, assuming that it was because they were more durable and harder to lose than a piece of paper. Michalandro, at age seventeen, replied that if he died in the desert whoever found his body could call his sister. A month after Gregg returned from his trip to the border, he called the number written on Michalandro’s pants. A woman answered in Spanish. Gregg told her about the night in Altar and asked if Michelandro had come. The woman replied that he had not. Then Gregg asked where she was located, and she told Gregg that she lived near Nashville. “To this young boy, Nashville was near Canada,” Gregg sighs. “He had very little idea of where he was going or how he was getting there, but a lot of faith; a lot of trust that he would get

there. Gregg visited Altar with a group called BorderLinks, which describes itself as, “a bi-national non-profit organization that offers experiential educational seminars along the border focusing on the issues of global economics, militarization, immigration and popular resistance to oppression and violence.” According to Monica Collins, the Delegations Coordinator for BorderLinks, the U.S. government is militarizing the border. “By that I mean a lot of border patrol agents and a lot of National Guard,” says Collins, “and just an increased presence of enforcement on the border, and we also see a lot of migrants being deported – on a daily basis.” She feels these policies are ineffective because the root causes of migration are not being addressed, and calls them short sighted. Gregg says the cause of migration is poverty. “I’ve seen entire communities that have been deserted because they can’t sustain their agricultural economy,” said Gregg, “and when you see that you understand that migration isn’t about getting to America because ‘that is where everyone is rich’ – it is because these people are starving.” According to the Arizona Star newspaper, 846 people have died in the Sonoran desert since 2004, including 197 in 2007. The desert runs most of the length of the ArizonaMexico border and temperatures there can soar to over 104 degrees. “It’s very unsafe from a standpoint of personal safety. That’s what I hear,” says Pastor Luis Diaz of the Vineyard Church’s Hispanic ministry, La Viña Iglesia Hispana. The desert is not the only hardship migrants face when attempting to immigrate to America. “They are often robbed on the Mexico side and then on the American side,” says Collins. “If they are coming from Central America they travel great distances and endure very difficult conditions. Traveling on the tops of trains and losing limbs.” While border ministries and missions are primarily concerned with the safety of migrants, groups in the Cincinnati area serve the needs of the broader Hispanic community.

One of those ministries is La Viña Iglesia Hispana. According to Diaz, La Viña’s mission is to provide spiritual direction to people who live in Cincinnati and meet needs within the Hispanic community, from job services to help finding medical treatment. Diaz knows how difficult it can be to be an immigrant in the United States as he immigrated through New York when he was 16. “I went through a very difficult time trying to adjust to the system – where things were and so on,” says Diaz. “You may have whatever you need right around the corner, but because you don’t know how to go about it, you suffer.” Despite Gregg’s history in border ministries, Nexus Church, Gregg’s Libert Twp. United Church of Christ congregation, currently does

not run an immigrant ministry. But Gregg does believe that the church has a duty to help immigrants. “There’s a man named John Fife who works with immigrant communities in Tucson, Arizona,” says Gregg, “…and he said in the Old Testament only once does it say that you are to love your neighbor as your self, but 17 times it calls for care and hospitality to the foreigner.” But Gregg also realizes that in Butler County, immigrant ministries could easily come in conflict with Sheriff Richard K. Jones, who has made headlines for his views on immigration. “As a church we don’t ask questions, we don’t ask for documentation,” says Gregg, “the compassionate role that the church plays, and has always played, is bumping up against the law.” n

CA’S INVISIBLE

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photo provided by highschooljounalism.org

A migrant worker scoops blueberries at a fruit farm.

Dissenting opinions about migrant workers around the United States raise the question of whether undocumented immigrants are actually a vital economic crutch or an unneccesary financial burden. story l Katherine Cooney art l Katie Campbell & Anna Hartman

unger grips a family as a father desperately searches for a job in order to provide for his children. Employer after employer rejects the applications-- they are already laden with employees experiencing similar situations. These circumstances may be foreign to some citizens in the United States, but it is an all too familiar reality for people in Latin America where the unemployment rate has reached 10 percent, inciting a flow of immigration to the America. East junior Cristian Rojas understands this attraction to American businesses because his family chose to immigrate to the United States from Peru three years ago for job opportunities. “It was hard to get a job [in Peru],” says Rojas. “There was so much competition.” This competition is present throughout many Latin American countries where, according to the Inter Press Service News Agency, poverty in this region and the Caribbean reached about 36.5 percent of the population in 2006. This has caused an influx of undocumented migrants to the U.S. workforce where jobs are easier to attain. But whether this is helpful or harmful to the U.S. economy is still a hotly debated topic with experts on either side of the fence. One of these aspects would be the jobs migrant workers fill that would otherwise be taken by American workers. George Vredeveld, a Professor of Economics and the Director of the Economics Center of Education and Research at the University of Cincinnati, says that immigrants, legal and undocumented, have the same overall impact on the labor force, but affect workers of different skill levels. “Highly skilled immigrants have access to work papers and better access to visas and things of that sort,” says Vredeveld. “If you focus on undocumented [immigrants] my guess is that many of these would be low skilled, and so that’s where they’re competing.”

MIGRANTS: PRO

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As the Pew Hispanic Center stated in a 2006 research report, about 7.2 million undocumented migrants were employed in 2005, accounting for around 4.9 percent of the civilian labor force and made up 24 percent of all workers employed in farming occupations. According to a report from The Century Foundation, less-skilled workers will be the ones who are impacted when it comes to wages. As a 2003 report from the Federal Reserve Banks of Dallas and Atlanta finds, these wages will be about 2.4 percent below the normal amount. However, some economists agree that if undocumented migrants were not in the workforce, certain low paying jobs would not get done at all because of the demand for better wages by American workers. This was seen in 2005 when border control was tightened, and caused a loss of workers in the agricultural industry of the Western United States leading to an approximate $1 billion loss for the industry. Peggy Godar, a senior associate at Frost Brown Todd law firm who practices U.S. immigration and nationality law, has also observed employers’ necessity to fill low income jobs. “Employers have had a hard time filling these positions,” says Godar. “There is a higher demand for these jobs, but people should definitely come into the country legally.” This necessity of workers willing to do lowpaying jobs has made immigrants, including undocumented migrants, important to the maintenance of U.S. economy. “Without immigration we would have less economic growth,” says Vredeveld. “I don’t know how large the illegal immigrant population is, but it would have the same effect [of less economic growth].” Vredeveld also confirms the validity of a statistic that economic growth would be half a percentage point to two points lower without the influx of foreign-born workers, including undocumented migrants.

But whether or not these undocumented workers are actually helpful to the economy is irrelevant to law enforcement, as their presence is in clear violation of the law. The responsibility of deportation lies in the hands of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which has changed its tactics from targeting individuals to focusing their attention on the reason behind undocumented migrants coming to the United States: its business opportunities. “Yes, focus is on businesses,” says Godar. “It is a more effective way [for the government] because if there are not jobs, there is no motivation to come.” Godar has explored this topic in her exposition Immigration Reform Targets Employers and Workers Enforcement, and has explained the requirements faced by employers to ensure the prevention of hiring undocumented migrants. One such requirement international company

Wal-Mart must face after a 2005 settlement agreement is the creation of an internal program to ensure that the company and independent contractors make “attestations regarding their compliance with immigration laws.” This tactic of targeting businesses was recently and successfully used in the Koch foods factory in Fairfield, Ohio where more than 160 individuals were arrested by ICE officials on immigration charges. Despite knowledge of these sting operations and the possibility of being deported, undocumented migrants still come to this country for reasons like those of East junior Cristian Rojas and his family. Rojas says that the competition in the U.S. is not as prevalent as in Peru, allowing him to maintain his own job, a luxury he appreciates. “It’s a responsibility, but I don’t have to go to my parents,” says Rojas. “I have my own money.” n

TARGETED sidebar Maggie Brown

Congress’ failure to agree. Within the boundaries of the existing 1986 law that makes it illegal to hire undocumented workers, the Bush administration plans to impose larger fines and increase investigations. Owner of Arborx Tree Specialist, Dave Partin says “the government needs to step up their process on determining whether the [immigrants] are legal, that’s their duty.” Wal-Mart has also been investigated by Immigation and Customs Enforcement. In 2003, immigration agents raided Wal-Marts in 21 different states arresting 250 undocumented workers and another 125 in Nov. 2005. The company denied knowing about it, but had to

pay $11 million in 2005 to settle allegations. Wal-Mart says they are experiencing the same amount of pressure they always have from the government. “We at Wal-Mart are doing things the right way,” says manager Dane Bryan of the Cincinnati-Dayton Wal-Mart. “There is no need to feel any pressure.” The businesses that depend on immigrant workers are feeling uneasy about the new enforcement. Keith Benson, an employee at Wal-Mart says, “I would hate to have to pay six dollars to buy an apple just because Bush can’t get along with Congress.” n

The price of fruits and vegetables could dramatically rise in the future if farmers are not able to find a legal supply of labor to replace the estimated 530,000 undocumented migrants that make up the agricultural work force in the United States, according to the 2001-02 National Agricultural Workers Survey, Farming and landscaping industries rely heavily on immigrant labor and are targeted in the search for undocumented workers. The Bush administration is stepping up efforts to track down undocumented migrants despite

OS AND ECONS

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photo provided by www.highscooljournalism.org

Vicente Fox, former presdient of Mexico, speaks during a press conference.

With a 700 mile wall being built to keep migrants out of the United States, Vicente Fox is working to break down the barriers.

story l Liz Trentman

e was a ranch hand then a truck driver for Coca-cola and eventually ascended the ranks to become the president of Cocacola Mexico. But now, he can add President of Mexico to his resume. Elected as Mexico’s President in 2000, Vicente Fox was the first man in Mexico’s history to be elected president from the opposition party. Near the end of his term and after leaving office, Fox tackled an issue close to heart: immigration. President from 2000 to 2006, Fox, whose grandfather was born in Cincinnati, believes public opinion on immigration is misguided. As President of Mexico, one of Fox’s main reforms was immigration. He hoped to implement a Guest Worker Plan where Mexican citizens could temporarily work in the U.S. “It is not a problem, but an opportunity,” says Fox. “Immigrants all over the world are great people. They are my heroes and I respect them and love them.” Fox also says that 90 to 95 percent of Mexican undocumented migrants are working, and with half a million new jobs created each year, “this

economy badly needs these immigrants to keep running. They are harvesting, building, working in hotels, and hospitals.” Jason Riveiro, President of the Cincinnati chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), agrees with Fox that migrants are helping the economy, while not taking taxpayer’s money. “Undocumented immigrants tend to underutilize government assistance programs and are generally not eligible to participate in federal benefit programs,” says Riveiro. “The available evidence suggests that illegal aliens underutilize public services, while contributing labor to the local economy and tax money to the state fiscally.” Fox calls immigration an asset to the United States and an asset to Mexico, saying the ongoing problem of immigration reform needs to be resolved. “What we need is the government to take the bull by the horns and bring in a framework to manage immigration,” says Fox, “not let immigration manage authorities and nations.” According to President of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Greater Cincinnati

Alfonso Cornejo, the immigration system is complex and cannot be solved easily, but migrants should be treated with respect. “The [immigration] system has been broken up for 20 years. Up to this point there is no legal way to bring unskilled people into this country,” says Cornejo. “Our own government estimation is that we need 400,000 every year just to maintain our economy.” According to Cornejo, jobs migrants take are ones no U.S. citizen is willing to fill. “In order to maintain our standards of living, we need people who would like to do those jobs,” says Cornejo. Fox has worked for freedom and democracy in Mexico because of his grandfather’s influence. “Those core values of the [American] founding fathers- [my grandfather] brought them to Mexico…he was a migrant and Mexico opened her arms to him and he found his American dream,” Fox says. That is why it is such a regret for Fox to learn of the wall being built between the U.S. and Mexico to keep migrants out. Fox says, “I don’t like walls. Walls don’t’ work, walls divide. What we should do is build bridges.” Cornejo agrees, saying, “God did not create walls. This is fear at its best. We need to develop a win-win partnership.” However, despite the walls being constructed, efforts are being made to improve US-Mexico relations. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is a trade agreement

“Walls don’t work, walls divide. What we should do is build bridges.” between America, Canada, and Mexico, which eliminates almost all tariffs on products being traded in those countries. “NAFTA’s success is yet to be determined, however, I believe it is a painful and integral part of creating a global society,” Riveiro says. “Eventually these pains will bring financial and political benefit to both sides.” Until drastic changes are made to immigration policy, Fox, a one time rancher, truck driver and President of Mexico, will work to improve this situation. “The more we delay decision, the worse it will get,” says Fox, “mañana, mañana, mañana.”n

IN FOX’S DEN

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photo by Zach Schneider

A view of Cincinnati, where undocumented immigration is a growing concern.

With the increase of migrants in Butler County, it appears as if the art l Allison Cargill story l Sarah Massey state of Ohio a new “border state.”

some of those being undocumented. “The rise we are seeing, at least in the Latino population, consists of about 50 percent with papers and 50 percent without,” she says. “There are other undocumented populations in the area with a much larger percentage without papers, but because they ‘blend in’ most people do not even realize they are here.” Butler County Sheriff Richard K. Jones says that the Hispanic demographic of the Southwest Ohio area is “different.” “They don’t branch out and move all over,” he says. “They get in a community, and they stay in that community...West Chester has an area where Latinos live, an apartment complex somewhere...[and] Middletown has an area.” Due to the Latino population living within their own community, many misconceptions have been formed. Passel says there are many misconceptions regarding the socio-economic status of undocumented migrants in their native country. “Compared to U.S. populate, [undocumented migrants] have a much lower level of education and are much poorer,” says Passel, “but they are not the very poorest of poor in Mexico, because if they were, they couldn’t afford to come to [America].” Bromberg, president of the

Butler County Community Alliance, an organization that promotes cross-cultural and intercultural communication and cooperation, believes that many people think undocumented migrants could have come to America legally, but decided to cross without papers. “There is a backlog of 650,000 visa applications in this country,” says Bromberg, “and most, if not all, unauthorized immigrants would be happy to apply for a visa.” According to Jones, “if you listen to the statistics, the future doesn’t look good for America.” However, Passel sees differently. “There’s a lot of claims made about the impact of illegal immigrants that just really aren’t supported by research,” he says, “and I do think that people, in general, are afraid of things they don’t know about.” n information provided by www.pewhispaniccenter.com

he states of Texas, California and Arizona receive the majority of attention regarding immigration due to their prime location. However, the issue of undocumented immigration hits closer to home for citizens of Butler County. According to the Pew Hispanic Center, the state of Ohio has become a new settlement state for undocumented migrants from Mexico. In 2000, the former Immigration and National Service (INS) reported 40,000 undocumented migrants living in Ohio; Currently, the figures reach closer to 150,000, according to the Pew Hispanic Center, ultimately securing Ohio’s spot as a new “border” state. Jeffrey Passel, Senior Research Associate with the Pew Hispanic Center, says the movement into new settlement areas began about ten to twelve years ago, when immigrants migrated out of California. Due to the state’s economic recession, many migrants moved elsewhere in search of work. “The places they ended up were the places that had the kinds of jobs migrants could do,” explains Passel. “That process of migration networks driving migration has sort of continued these flows into these new areas.” Communities similar to West Chester, OH became popular destinations of migrants due to the availability of jobs. Dr. Shelley Jarrett Bromberg, Assistant Professor of Latin American Studies at Miami University Hamilton, says that Ohio has seen an increase in the Latino population in general, with

AROUND OHIO

41 l Spark l December 19, 2007

LIVING ON THE BORDER photos provided by Gregg Brekke

4 6

7 9

1. Religious art and political art is a common sight on the fence that marks the United States - Mexico border. 2. “If we do not think different... all will be equal.” 3. The sun sets over the Sonoran Desert. 4. A tricycle overlooks the border, telephone poles rise in the distance on the American side. 5. A parking lot in Altar, Mexico overlooks the city. 6. “The house of mercy” 7. Memorial crosses placed along the fence that seperates the United States from Mexico. 8. Overlooking the central street in a Mexican community. 9. “You, I, they...we are important and together we can achieve what lives in our world: without drugs, peace, justice love.”

SPORTS Inside East Sports

ic measures to keep the wrestlers safe. “We push our wrestlers to take showers after every practice,” said Lehman. “If we see a kid walking out of the locker room and his hair is not somewhat wet we make them get their butt back in the locker room and clean.” The coaches require that every wrestler does

illnesses. Covering any possible cuts, burns or rashes immediately is a leading way to prevent MRSA and to “bring everyone’s awareness up a notch,” according to Latessa. “If they do not cover [cuts], then they have no business touching anyone,” said pediatrician Laura Peck. The state of Ohio mandates how to deal with illnesses. Latessa recalled a former East student who had eczema during the wrestling season. “Eczema is not contagious but it looks bad,” said Latessa. “At matches officials perform skin tests and need presentation from a doctor saying if the skin condition is contagious or not.” Junior wrestler Kyle Mays feels that keeping everyone safe goes beyond skin checks and the requirements the coaches set. “It is up to the individual wrestler to keep up his part,” said Mays. “Most of the guys [on the team] take care of everything. Sometimes you may be in a rush and forget to grab something out of the locker rooms but for the most part they realize how serious MRSA is.” Mays is not worried about contracting MRSA with all the precautions the coaches and wrestlers have taken. In a recent Spark survey, 169 of 210 East athletes said they do not feel they have a greater risk of contracting MRSA because of the sport they play. “You can’t run around totally scared [of MRSA],” said Mike Mays, Kyle’s father, who worked as a paramedic for 25 years. “You have to try and take precautions to be safe. The biggest thing is for parents to be informed and if they have questions, to seek answers.” “I think Lakota has always been on top of medical issues,” said Mike. “My wife went to a meeting and [the coaches] informed us about a soap we can use if Kyle gets abrasions and cuts. The coaches are doing all they can [to keep the wrestlers safe].” However, antibiotics and soaps such as Hiboclenze are becoming less effective. “Bacteria has the ability to adapt and change,” said Peck. “They are developing resistance to antibiotics that they could not before.” According to Lehman, no East wrestlers have

not leave towels in the locker rooms and that they wash their clothes every night. Also, the team has had regular skin checks to ensure that no one wrestles with possible

contracted MRSA. “I have seen more MRSA in the last few years than [what I’ve seen] in practice [as a pediatrician],” said Peck. n

East wrestlers roll up the cleaned mats after a scrimmage.

TAKING MRSA TO THE MATS In an effort to keep East athletes safe, the wrestling team sets high standards for staying “MRSA-free.” story

Robyn Geiger photo

Megan Paulson

ast wrestling coaches have taken numerous safety measures to protect their athletes from Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA). “We’ve always taken strong precautions in the past whether it is with ringworm or other illnesses,” said coach Jim Lehman. “It’s not a drastic change for us or for our wrestlers.” Head coach Bob Latessa expressed gratitude for how involved the administration has been with ensuring the safety of the athletes. “It’s nice to have a little help [mopping under the mats],” said Latessa. “For years we’ve been solely responsible for maintaining the area.” The coaches have required additional hygein-

“Most of the guys [on the team] take care of everything...they realize how serious MRSA is.”

Inforgraphic by Alyssa Douglas and Megan Paulson

Photo by Weston Neal

SPORTS News

SPORTS SHORTS

BOYS’ BASKETBALL 0-1

The East boys’ basketball team is trying to regroup after a disappointing season in which they finished 7-14 overall and 6-9 in the GMC last year. Head coach Wally Vickers said the team has progressed “really well” leading up to this season. Part of the team’s challenge this year can be attributed to the loss of three strong seniors. Andrew Strautman, Rafee Smith, and Kevin Kester accounted for 73 percent of the points put on the scoreboard last year. The Hawks hope the contributions of freshmen Mike Boyd and Kirby Wright will be able to replace some of the lost talent. “I am just focused on working hard every day at practice,” said Boyd. “There are a bunch of good guys

James Boyd (right) goes for a layup in a game against Middletown. Morrisson works on her q Kerrianne breast stroke at a recent practice. Photo by Weston Neal

Holton (left) and Brad Laq James sance (right) strategize at practice. Photo by Austin Smith Photo by Lauren Mulcahy

Rachel Hindle does a cartq Junior wheel on beam at a mini-meet.

46 l Spark l December 19, 2007

on the team and I really enjoy working with them.” Senior Aaron Pashi, a member of the East team for three years, is confident that the freshmen will contribute a lot to the team. Still, he said that many of the returning players will have to step up as team leaders, such as senior James Boyd and junior Daniel Lyons. “James and Daniel will really have to come out to play every game,” said Pashi. This year, the team is looking for another GMC championship since their last win in 2004. Pashi is confident that this is within the team’s reach. “We could be competing for the league championship by the end of the season,” said Pashi. - Matt Sorrows

GIRLS’ SWIMMING After placing fifth in the GMC’s last year and sending four swimmers to the state meet, the East girls’ swimming team returns with high expectations. “Getting athletes to achieve more than they did last year is one of our main goals,” said eleven-year head coach Dennis Beck. Though they lost five seniors, the team is hoping to improve their place in the conference. “The juniors really need to step up, since we only have one senior,” said junior Alexis Kennedy. The swimmers are required to attend five out of seven practices each week. The practices consist of

dryland strength training and thousands of laps. The team feels that working hard in practice will reflect how they perform in meets. “I really want to get a good time so I can raise the bar for the team and myself,” said sophomore Kerrianne Morisson. The swimmers are hoping to conquer the Girls’ Sycamore Aviators, who have had eighteen consecutive GMC titles. “I really want to get the satisfaction of beating Sycamore. I know it’s possible for us,” said junior Alexis Kennedy. - Anjana Jagpal

CHESS 3-2-1 The East chess team started the season strong by defeating Colerain in a shutout of 5-0 and district rival West 3-2. Five-year coach Stephen Orlando said beating West was his “favorite moment” so far this season. Despite the success, the team has also had its downs. “We lost to Princeton and Sycamore 3-2,” said Orlando. “We haven’t overcome these challenges yet, but we will try again on December 15 by playing against every GMC School on the same day.” It wasn’t long until the freshmen, who make up four

out of nine players, impressed the upperclassmen. “It turned out that the freshmen are better than I expected,” said sophomore Ryan Fay. “Playing them is definitely a challenge, and it’s great to learn from everyone.” Not only is the team working together, but according to Orlando, it is a “nice outlet” for the players to have an after school activity where they can enjoy themselves. “[Practice is] a time when I can interact with different people,” said junior Kevin Landers. “It helps me grow as a chess player.” - Lisa Liu

GIRLS’ GYMNASTICS Coming off a ninth place finish at state, the East gymnastics team is setting high standards for this season. “Basically our goal is to win districts again and hopefully win more meets to get our confidence up,” said senior Jessica Derrickson. Yet, the team has had to overcome many obstacles. “We had a few girls get injured on the team, so recovering from that has been tough,” said junior Rachel Hindle. The team also lost last year’s only senior, Sarah

Kachovec who qualified to state on floor, and junior Phoebe Hart, last year’s all-around district winner on vault, bars, beam, and floor. Coach Mardi Simmons has a positive outlook on how the team will perform. “We have a chance to requalify to State,” said Simmons. With their first meet on December 8, the team is hoping to be fully prepared and ready. Hard work, consistency, and having fun will help them reach this goal. - Ashley Yanzsa

Photo by Kristen Whaley

HIT THE “MATT” RUNNING Latessa sweats fundamentals and takes down leadership There are ten seconds to story l Kaitlynn Kerley mines who you are,” says go in the final period and Matt. “It takes so much out of he’s down by four points. you mentally and physically. RANDOM He has no chance to win unIt’s a challenge, and it’s just less he pins his opponent. like taking on something new With victory just within his everyday. You have to push reach, he positions himself on top, behind and yourself and set new barriers for yourself.” in control. Matt then entered into the East wrestling proThe other wrestler is already on his hands and gram, where his father is head coach. Yet it was knees down on the mat, just one turn, and he not until last year, when Matt made Varsity, that could be pinned. As the whistle calls, he gathers Bob had the opportunity to coach his son. all the strength he has left to break down his op“The fun part for me is finally being able to sit ponent and turn him with a half-nelson onto his in his corner every round,” says Bob. “[A wresback. Pin. As he stands up, the referee raises his tling match] isn’t measured by the result, just hand in victory. how he goes out and tries his best. That’s the East varsity wrestler Matt Latessa lives for coolest thing in the world to watch and that’s all this moment of triumph. “[Matt] tries harder than any“It’s one of the best feelings in the world. body I know ... He’s a watchIt’s why everyone really wrestles. Why they go me, do-as-I-do kinda guy.” through those workouts, cut weight, and endure all the pain that comes with wrestling,” says La- you can ask.” According to teammate, senior Andy Billisits, tessa. “When your hand is raised in front of the Matt “tries harder than anybody [he] knows.” crowd, it’s a feeling of great pride for you.” “His work habits definitely get people,” says Latessa has experienced this moment of triumph many times. Ever since he can remember, Billisits. “He leads more by example than he Latessa’s been wrestling. It all started when he does vocally and he’s very good at what he does. was young and went to the wrestling practices He’s a watch-me, do-as-I-do kinda guy.” Not only does Matt work hard in the wrestling his father Bob Latessa coached. He watched the older kids wrestle on the mats, and could not room, but he brings his work ethic into the classroom as well. He plans on wrestling in college wait until he was old enough to do so as well. Matt’s first experience of competition came next year at either Davidson or Wesleyan. “Pretty much anywhere I go, I’ll be wreswhen he participated in the Lakota Kids’ Club in the fourth grade. It was not until seventh grade tling. It all depends on who’s interested,” says when he joined Hopewell Junior’s wrestling Matt. “I know I can handle both schoolwork and sports.”n team that he realized his love for the sport. “Wrestling tells you so much about yourself. n RANDOM ROSTER will cover a randomly You figure out your limits and it really deter- selected East athlete each month.

roster

Caption goes here yipee yidda yadda put something East matt wrestler (171 lbs.) Matt here about latrsssa. Latessa in his stance.

Spark file photo

Infographic and Photos by Dana Sand, Elena Martinez and Allison Cargill

HAWKS’ ALUMNI story Chris Haught-Thompson l

Jared Miller, a 2006 state swimming champion and a 2007 graduate of East, is now a freshman on the University of Michigan men’s swimming and diving team. Miller swims the 100 and 200 meter breastroke, and is the only freshamn on a senior laden medley team for the Wolverines. His best time, a 2:26.85, came in the 200 meter race against Eastern Michigan, making him the second fastest breastroke swimmer on the team. Michigan as a team has a record of 5-1, with their only loss to Texas, who is ranked number one nationally. With four meets remaining, the Wolverines face a rematch with

Jared Miller swims butterfly at the 2007 State Meet .

seventh-ranked Indiana and with Ohio State, who is ranked 13th in the nation. Ranked as the fourth team in the nation, they look to the Big 10 Championships at home and the NCAA Championships in Washington as a huge opportunity. n

47 l Spark l December 19, 2007

SPORTS Feature

SKATING

li fe

story l Stefani Bauman photo l Zach Schneider

n the ice they seem graceful and almost flawless. The precision, the elegance and the angel-like movements that ice skaters have are illuminated with every glide, turn and jump. It’s quiet out there, out in the barren wasteland where only the truly confident at heart skate. The place where the only sound that can be heard is the swish swish as the skate cuts across the ice. The ice skaters all appear to have been placed there like perfect little figurines. But what is seen is only a slight hallucina-

48 l Spark l December 19, 2007

tion; a trick of the eye. For East senior Sabrina Shrider, skating has been a way of life since she was nine years old. And for the past seven years, she has experienced a whirlwind adventure that not only has her traveling all over the state of Ohio as a local representative, but across the entire United States. “I used to dance and do gymnastics when I was younger, so I was already doing a sport similar to ice skating,” says Shrider. “It wasn’t until I watched Tara Lipinski in the Olympics

that I decided I wanted to be even younger than her and win a gold in women’s figure skating.” Shrider begged her mom for skating lessons, and her mom eventually gave in and paid for her to take public lessons from Learn to Skate at Sports Plus. Soon enough, Shrider got her own coach and started to participate in competitions. “I have been Sabrina’s coach for a little more than a year now,” says Shrider’s synchronized skating coach, Heidi Hartley. “I can already tell that she is something special. In just one year she has moved up two ranks in ice skating levels

and is now currently in level five out of eight.” However, this did not prove to be much of a challenge for Shrider. “She’s very determined and she works very hard,” says Hartley. “Don’t get me wrong, she is very athletic, but she adds this certain degree of grace to the sport. She is such a pretty skater; every move is clearly defined and elegant.” Moving up in a world of high class skating takes a lot of work, but Shrider took a chance at what she thought was a larger than life goal. Slowly but surely, she moved from local rankings to becoming one of few young high school students to rank nationally. A lot of hard work and dedication goes into becoming a figure skater. In order to perform well, precision is a key during practice. Because of this, it is very common for ice skaters to become engulfed in or obsessed with getting a jump or routine down. “There is an endless amount of things that hinder practice, such as new skates, falling, getting injuries and being pressured for meeting deadlines for testing or competition,” says Shrider. “You have to be able to deal with the frustrations of skating without speaking to your coach or teammates about your frustration. There is no talking in figure skating. If there was, nothing would ever get done.” Due to the two types of practices Shrider is required to attend several days a week, there is a lot of falling and skating with injuries, as well as an overall exhaustion at the end of each program. “Sometimes it hurts,” says Shrider. “But I have learned to skate through the pain and focus on what needs to be done.” Unfortunately, what needs to be done at the rink takes away from Shrider’s time for her academics and social life. “Skating is such a huge commitment. It takes

my team.” It is this team of ice skaters that Shrider has made such a close connection and bond with, particularly Susan Osgood, one of Shrider’s best friends at Ice Force. “There is a definite feeling of family when we practice together,” says Osgood. “We are all really close outside of skating too. Sabrina has such a big heart and is always making us laugh. Sometimes we may be hard on each other, but she is always there and willing to help if you need it.” Seven years of skating has brought the team together in more ways than one. “Sometimes when we are skating backwards, our lines aren’t always perfect and we may hit each other every now and then,” says Shrider. “Susan had to get stitches the other day and I have a chuck of my knee missing, but we’re best friends and that trust level will always be there.” The injuries, missed homework assignments and long car rides haven’t seemed to really bother Shrider. She remains positive about her life goals. However, Shrider cannot pursue her Olympic dreams in the field of sychronized figure skating because currently only individual and pairs are permitted to compete in the Olympics. “A lot of what I wanted to accomplish in skating, I have,” says Shrider. “But, there is still a very long way to go. Even though my plans for the Olympics have changed for myself, I am part of a much bigger organization trying to get synchronized ice-skating accepted as an olympic sport for the next generation.” Despite everything that has stood in defiance of her and her dreams, Shrider remains determined to compete. “I truly love ice skating,” says Shrider. “And I will do whatever it takes to be the best.” n

She adds this certain degree of grace to the sport. Every move is defined and elegant. pairs and synchronized competitions can last up to a full day, so standing around for long periods of time is inevitable. Each skater has to warmup, put on make-up and then go to practice ice, where they continue to warm-up, hang around until the competition ice and then stay with a coach until it is the skater’s turn to compete. But the anticipation does not end there. After all the lingering, comes the final wait, the time for the judges to announce a winner. “It can get pretty intense sometimes,” explains Shrider. However, Shrider doesn’t complain, because she enjoys every aspect of ice skating, even after all of the injuries, long waits and hour-long practices. “My plans to go to the Olympics changed when I started doing synchronized figure skating when I was 12,” says Shrider. “Now I’m more focused on testing levels and skating with

”

Infographic by Neelum Amin

SCRATCH SPIN

“

away all of your time after school some days, and it completely takes away your weekends,” she says. “Where other people can make up schoolwork and projects on the weekend, skaters are busy all day in the rink. I only have time to do school work on some Fridays, so I miss the football games with my friends.” Rather than tailgating or hanging out with her friends, Shrider spends her weekends traveling to competitions with her teammates on Ice Force. Once they arrive at their destination, the skaters must first recover from the car rides, which can be hours long. Next comes the waiting. Individual, dance,

STEP 1: Position yourself on the ice, standing on one skate. Your body weight should be centered over your standing leg.

STEP 2: Bring one arm out in front of your torso and bring the other arm straight out to the side.

STEP 3: Keep your back and neck straight as you swing your sideways extended arm into your chest and your free leg in against your standing leg.

STEP 4: Join your hands together in front of your chest and begin to spin on your standing skate.

STEP 5: To finish the spin, release your free leg and open your arms to their starting position.

Information provided by www.ehow.com

49 l Spark l December 19, 2007

SPORTS Open Gym

OPEN GYM 1

Consistency is a must.

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT BOWLING

“It’s just consistency on hitting your shot. Throwing the same ball frame after frame.”

You have to be confident...

“You have to be able to step up to the line and know what you’re doing. You can’t just wing it.”

...but you have to concentrate.

“You always take the same amount of steps. You want to keep your body low. You don’t want to bend at the waist; you bend at the knees. You have to focus on where you need to lay the ball down.”

4 5

Team before individual.

“Each individual contributes their individual scores to the team total and the individuals bowl together in a five man game.”

Don’t rush it.

“A lot of people just rush up there and wing it down there. That’s going to mess up your routine and your rhythm.”

We have special bowling balls...

“You have to go out and buy equipment that’s designed to do different things on certain lane patterns because each lane has different oil patterns that determine whether a ball will hook or go straight down.”

...and our own shoes.

By Michael Ballard East varsity bowler (As told to Elena Martinez) photo l Megan Paulson

50 l Spark l December 19, 2007

“Different pairs of shoes will slide different ways and stick more or slide more. Usually people go ahead and buy their own shoes to match how they feel comfortable at the line.”

2 individual + 4 team = 6 games total

“You bowl for yourself the first two games. The next four games are bakers, or team games. There’s five people on each team, and we alternate each frame where we bowl.”

ALL THE RIGHT MOVES

opinion l Kaity Conner

weat runs down my back as my muscles are forced to stretch just one so effortless—that’s what made it amazing. That’s the reason basketball inch further. I clench my teeth and grimace at the pain that spreads from players shoot free throws on their driveways after practice. That’s why my legs to my shoulders. My body shakes in exhaustion and I use one swimmers go to practice at 4:45 in the morning. It’s the reason why last burst of energy to peel myself off of the floor, grab my jacket and go gymnasts spend every day in the gym to master a complicated floor home. My muscles begin to cramp and I know I will be sore for days, but routine, and why baseball players spend Saturdays in the cages for batting practice, year-round. I am content. Content that I have left everything I have on the floor. Everyday, athletes go beyond what is required to hone their skills and I am a dancer. “Wait a minute,” dancers have been told. “That sounds like soccer perfect their game. And dancers are no different. They practice hours a practice—give until there’s nothing left. But that can’t be right. Dance week to jump higher, last longer and stretch further. Unlike other sports, there is no off-season in dance. They isn’t a sport.” must stay in shape all year and never let The definition of a sport is, “An activity "The injuries and bruises that cover up. Not to mention the extra pressure involving physical exertion and skill that a dancer's body are comparable to entertain the crowd at halftime and is governed by a set of rules and often to the battle scars sustained in a keep up the spirit necessary to maintain undertaken competitively.” a home court advantage. Dance practices are run much like that Friday night football game. " Dance demands the same blood, of many other sports. The team stretches sweat and sacrifice involved in other and warms up to prevent injuries. The coaches push their athletes to give the very best they can. If dancers don’t sports. The injuries and bruises that cover a dancer’s body are comparable do it right, they do it again. And again, and again until it’s perfect. Practice to the battle scars sustained in a Friday night football game. Volleyball often ends with conditioning, such as push-ups, crunches and running, but players can also relate to the painful floor burn dancers experience on their feet, knees and even shoulders. They deal with the same pain as any other dancers add one unique element to the average training—toe-touches. Toe-touches are the dance equivalent to running suicides. They are used athlete. The only difference is that they smile and perform when it hurts. Some may think that dancers only care about how many pretty colors to strengthen the muscles, but are also given freely as punishment for laziness or tardiness. Dancers jump until their legs are numb and lungs are of cute shorts they own or how many rhinestones are on their uniforms. But dance is so much more than that. Dance is a sport which requires searing. Nevertheless, this is what it takes to succeed. dedication and endurance. Respect is needed for the sport itself and for the “But it looks so easy,” my friends have said. Isn’t that the point in all sports? The incredible catch in left field looked athletes who devote their time, energy and bodies to it. n

51 l Spark l December 19, 2007

FASHION Global Fashion

GLOBAL This first piece of our two-part special features style in one of the most unexpected international markets—the Middle East. story l Morgan Namian photos l Kristen Whaley

In her closet . .. This Kandahari hat is an example of Afghani menswear for women

This necklace features a charm in the shape of Afghanistan (right) as well as an Arabic pendant that says “In the name of God” (left).

“I like this dress because of the silver details,” says Ali. This silsila is an Afghani head piece, which is worn on the forehead.

“I like the colors and the mirrors [in this dress],” says Ali.

52 l Spark l December 19, 2007

These vintage Afghani necklaces represent the “old style,” according to Ali.

t’s beautiful…they have big malls there,” gushes senior Nargis Ali of her home country, which she visited this summer. Few would guess she is talking about Afghanistan. For the first time in seventeen years, she returned home for her sister’s wedding. “I am proud to be Afghani—I don’t care what people say about my country,” she says with an air of loyalty. Ali, who grew up in both Pakistan and the US, interrupted by five-weeks in Qatar, uses her international experiences to influence her personal style. With a closet full of “Afghani, Pakistani, Indian and Arabic dresses” and a dresser packed with jeans and American tees, her day-to-day style incorporates love of simplicity with passion for couture. “I like something simple. It’s just my style,” asserts Ali, hoping to pursue a career in fashion design. For now, she walks the halls of East with a mature confidence rarely found for her age. At home, she fulfills normal teenage responsibilities—except for one thing. “I like making clothes—my own kind of clothes,” says Ali. “Clothes with jewels, something special.” While her smile and somewhat meek demeanor indicate a slightly reticent personality, her articulate opinions on her country’s stereoptypes and her family attest to her strong character and the liveliness witnessed by those close to her. “She is one of the coolest girls I have ever met,” says senior César Melchor. “She’s really mature—like an adult. I know a lot of girls who live in fairytales, that don’t care about what other people do.” East ESL teacher Sandi Lerman, who has known Ali since her sophomore year, elaborates. “She’s kind of reserved when you first meet her,” she says, “but she’s really not. She has a little bit of feistiness in her, but she’s also a little more traditional. She loves fashion, though,” says Lerman. She wears heels to school, and, according to Lerman, “her headscarves usually match what she’s wearing that day.” Combined with her love for vintage Afghani jewelry and her

numerous clothing sketches, her aptitude for global style is uncanny. Her ability to create the clothing she designs is not as developed yet. “I did some pants for myself but they were too short…I have to get longer pants, but I can never find them,” says Ali. With model-like proportions and a 5’ 8” frame, it is a daunting task to shop for pants. Or any kind of clothing. “When I go shopping, and I find shirts that look long, I try them on and they’re to my belly,” says Ali. During her free time, Ali enjoys “having little fashion shows” and trying on her elaborate dresses. Her computer hard drive is packed with photos and videos of herself and her friends. Lerman recalls a time when she visited Ali’s household. “They dressed me up…in an Afghani wedding dress,” laughs Lerman. According to Ali’s Muslim faith, she is not allowed to show her hair unless she is wearing traditional attire. She must cover herself from head to toe excluding her hands, feet and face. The head scarf, or hejab, is traditionally worn because Muslims believe that women are more beautiful than men. “[Nargis] is a beautiful, beautiful girl—she should be a model,” says Lerman, “But [in her culture] they cover their beauty so they can share it with only their husband, with their family.” Ali shares Lerman’s sentiment. “Originally, I wanted to be a model, but they make you wear those dirty little clothes,” Ali says bluntly.

“

With a handful of Afghani designers making their way into the American fashion industry, it seems as though Ali’s aspirations could potentially find fulfillment close to her American home. Take Tarsian & Blinkley. The label, which debuted in 2003, has unique Iranian, Pakistani, and Afghani roots, but they have boutiques worldwide. According to the duo’s website, Tarsian.com, their goal is “to create beautiful garments that integrate, in a very modern fashion, the elaborate handicrafts talents of Afghan women, transcend the category of common ethnochic fashions, and link East and West at a unique level of artistry.” For now, Ali’s sights are set upon graduation. And after that? “I really want to get out of Ohio,” she says. “I don’t like it anymore.” n

I am proud to be Afghani— I don’t care what people say about my country.

“

53 l Spark l November 5, 2007

ENTERTAINMENT Music

QUICK list

ALICIA KEYS As I Am (Sony)

The third time can make or break an artist in the music industry. Kelly Clarkson’s third album My December fell flat compared to her previous releases while Kanye West excelled into superstardom with his third album Graduation. For Alicia Keys, As I Am only solidifies what is already known: that Keys possesses the most soulful voice of this generation. Listeners expect moving vocals from Keys and nothing less. As I Am features thirteen passionate, moving songs. And nothing more. Keys debuted the lead single off the album, “No One,” at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards to a stunned audience. The powerful track has an engaging beat and strong lyrics. “No One” has been blowing up on the charts as well. The second single “Like You’ll Never See Me Again” has not gained as much following yet, but the lyrics are dripping with Keys’ characteristic feeling, “Every time you hold me, hold me like it’s the last time.” One of the most anticipated collaborations is featured in “Lesson Learned,” where Keys teams up with John Mayer. Such a partnership should have been beyond compare, but for some reason, it did not reach its fullest potential-probably because John Mayer repeats a mere four words throughout the entire song. As I Am would have been an absolutely amazing debut album. But as the third album from an already accomplished and sophisticated artist, it falls short of being something “new and fresh.” --Trisha Patel 

BAND MEMBERS EXPOSED Fall Out Boy X-Posed (Island Records) The emo-punk quartet from Wilmette, Illinois is back and ready for the world to hear what they have to say. In their latest release, X-Posed, Fall Out Boy members Pete Wentz, Patrick Stump, Andrew Hurley and Joe Trohman sit down with the fans that have followed them to the ends of the world, answering questions from the four corners of the globe. Not just the typical, average, run-of-the-mill album, X-Posed contains over an hour of interview time with the band. Unique in its format, the band decided to release its thoughts on a CD rather than in DVD format, claiming that a CD remains true to the form of media that sky-rocketed them to fame. Nothing remains safe in this open forum, and the guys willingly open up on all topics including relationships, Andy’s vegetarian eating habits, remaining straightedge (not engaging in drinking or drugs), touring and the future of Fall Out Boy. Fans can also indulge themselves in secrets they never expected. “When I go on airplanes my favorite guilty pleasure is to read

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fresh

gossip magazines,” states bassist Pete Wentz. “The funniest thing about it is I think we know more about Brad and Angelina than we do about the war in Iraq.” The in-your-face honesty and humor makes this CD stand out even more from its competition. Along with the brutal honesty from the musicians, listeners may find themselves learning that their favorite band may not be as confident in themselves as they appear. “It’s not that we get nervous about playing in front of people,” says drummer Andy Hurley, “It’s like ‘will I forget the song, or do I even know what this band is about?’” Listeners and fanatics alike will also find themselves treated with two unreleased tracks by Fall Out Boy. The numbers “It’s Hard To Say ‘I Do’ When I Don’t” and “G.I.N.A.S.F.S.” remain true to the band’s vibe of melody-drenched pop-punk lyrics and upbeat rhythms. No Fall Out Boy fan’s music library can be complete without the two unreleased tracks. The tracks really stand out from the band’s other songs with longer choruses and overly dramatized guitar rifts. If you want to really get to know the guys who are continuously rocking out on your stereo, be sure to check out X-Posed. --Stefani Bauman 

adequate

In his fourth album, CubanAmerican artist Pitbull pulls off a mediocre all-star-laden record. The Boatlift features rappers Lil’ Jon and Twista as well as several lesser-known others like Cubo. As part of the ever-growing Reggaeton genre, Pitbull’s art resembles that of a Latin Snoop Dog with songs like “Go Girl” and is reminiscent of Usher with “My Life.” Pitbull’s versions seem like a cheap knock-off. “Candyman,” with Twista, is arguably the best song on the album. “Too Latin for hip hop/too hip hop for Latin,” his lyrics warn in the merely mediocre endeavor. --Morgan Namian 

If you ask anyone over the age of 40 if they’ve heard of Genesis, the response would be, “Oh yeah! They’re happening!” And even after four long decades, the British rock band hardly sounds different in their album Live over Europe. The album is a compilation of past hits recorded live on the 2007 tour. The songs sound better than they did a couple decades ago, even after the loss and gain of 11 different members over the years. They include modern instruments with the enthusiasm of the concert in the background. The album is a variety of their great and not-so-great songs. As band members approach their ‘60s, the continued success and vitality of Genesis attract younger generations. --Jenna Everson 

almost acceptable

sickening

AMY WINEHOUSE

ONEREPUBLIC

Imagine lounging in a jazz club, listening to soulful beats and expressive rhythms. This describes Amy Winehouse’s new album Frank. A tumultuous year and a newly refined feisty attitude combine to create aggressive lyrics with a bit of unexpected spice: “And although my pride’s not easily disturbed/ you sent me flying when you kicked me to the curb.” Winehouse has perfected the art of obscene yet artsy tunes. The musicality makes up for the sketchy lyrics that may take the album a step too far for younger ears. In fact, the retro sound of her Motown-like voice has the ability to remind music lovers of 50s and 60s pop. Winehouse is incredibly fearless in this album. However, compared to her previous album, Back in Black, Winehouse shows a more sensitive side to love than former lyrics that speak of independence. Still, Winehouse manages to steer clear from typical romantic lyrics. With a voice analogous to Joss Stone and an attitude like Lily Allen’s, it is no surprise the song “Help Yourself” appears on this album; listeners will simply not be able to help themselves from tuning in to this song. --Rachel Shaw 

Britney Spears’ “Toxic” producers, Swedish team Bloodshy and Avant, take their turn on Sparks’ “Young And In Love,” a club anthem that could become bigger than expected, with fresh beats pouring in like it’s vegetable stew night at grandma’s. “Permanent Monday” stands out from the rest. With a rock feeling and a little country spin, this misfit tune doesn’t have much potential for Sparks’ career. The last fourth of the album slows down and becomes more inspirational, with “This Is My Now,” and the teen-girl role model anthem “God Loves Ugly.” It shows that Sparks is reaching out to all of her fans, not just the DJs who provide the airtime. Being younger than most artists, Sparks has a lot of room to mature. However, she definitely has the potential for the popularity that fellow Idols Carrie Underwood and Kelly Clarkson are currently enjoying. --Zach Schneider 

Since summer of 2006 OneRepublic has been one of the top musical features on Myspace.com and has recently released its first album, Dreaming Out Loud. The band, created by lead singer Ryan Teddy and friend Zach Filkins, first hit the charts with “Apologize” in collaboration with big-time producer Timbaland. The song reached number two on the charts and has been featured on many television shows. Dreaming Out Loud proves that the band is far more than a novelty act. The overall sound of their album reminds many people of The Fray’s first album, How To Save A Life. OnePepublic’s second single, “Stop and Stare,” is a musical masterpiece. The combination of heartfelt lyrics and soothing guitar makes this track stand out, despite the band’s other gems. However, many of songs, however, sound very similar. If not for “Mercy” and “Tyrant” Dreaming Out Loud would run together and be rather boring. “Tyrant”, which includes much louder guitar riffs and a quicker pace, shows OneRepublic’s edgier side and hopefully gives a peek into what is still to come from this new, rising group. --Chris Ricke 

the musicians released their first live performance and they have improved with time. Not only does the album feature classic Dave Matthews Band songs such as Crush, it also brings in Stay or Leave from Dave’s 2003 solo album. The album even has room for some of Tim Reynolds’ original songs and revamps classics by

Dave and Tim such as, Down by the River by Neil Young. When you get two of the greatest musicians of all time on one stage, it is an album for everyone. Whether you are a veteran Dave Matthews fan or a new listener to R&B, this is an essential album for your collection. --Dan Wagner

Frank (Universal Republic)

Dreaming Out Loud (Interscope Records)

ALBUM FULL OF SPARKS Jordin Sparks Jordin Sparks (Jive) If you fell in love with Jordin Sparks only because of “This Is My Now” on American Idol, you have the wrong album in your hands. Experimenting with different musical styles and trying to gain a solid reputation, Sparks takes on the attitude of hip-hop/R&B superstars Rihanna and Beyonce. “Tattoo,” her first single of the album, is noticeably similar to Beyonce’s “Irreplaceable,” which is not a surprise because both songs come from the same producer. Her lyrics mimic Fergie’s in “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” with “Sorry, but I’ve got to be strong/ and leave you behind.” Still, it is an amazing song. Sparks has room to grow, evident in her duet with Chris Brown, “No Air.” She is able to step up and pull it off, with Brown serving as a nice touch throughout the song.

STAFF PICK + STAFF PICK + STAFF PICK + STAFF PICK + STAFF Live at Radio City: Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds is one of Dave’s best albums. It is the 29th album with Dave Matthews on the cover and is still one of the best live performances of all time. Live at Radio City brings back the amazing guitar player Tim Reynolds as Dave’s co-performer for the night. It has been almost 10 years since

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ENTERTAINMENT Movies

HITMAN: WAY OFF TARGET

Protagonist and plot fall short of expectations in this confusing videogame cross-over Hitman Timothy Olyphant R, 100 min, Daybreak Productions

An Irish guitarist (Meyers) and a cellist (Russell) together after newfound love.

RUSH TO SEE THIS HIT

Music unites mother and son in this heartfelt drama about a boy looking for his way home August Rush Freddie Highmore PG, 100 min, CJ Entertainment Soft-spoken, 11-year-old orphan Evan Taylor (Freddie Highmore) says that he believes in music “the way some people believe in fairytales.” Desperately searching for a way to reconnect with his parents, Evan thinks that if he learns to play music his parents will find their way back to him. Flashback to 1995. Bright-eyed orchestral cellist Lyla (Keri Russel) and suave Irish rock singer Louis (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) have a romantic rendezvous on a rooftop but are forced to part ways the next morning. Predictably, Lyla finds herself pregnant with Evan, but after a life-threatening accident, an emergency C-section and a mountain of confusion, she believes that her baby has died. Returning back to present time, Evan ventures out into New York City and finds himself under the

care of a man named Wizard (Robin Williams). Wizard makes a living by teaching orphaned children to play music on the street corners of the city then collecting the money that they make. Seeing Evan as an investment, Wizard introduces the orphan to the world as “August Rush,” the musical prodigy. Later Evan’s gift for music is nurtured even further and he performs a symphony just six months after picking up an instrument. Although it’s unlikely that two strangers would fall in love after just one night, or that an 11-yearold boy would be invited to perform a symphony, the uplifting and sentimental feeling communicated in this movie allows audiences to overlook these details and enjoy every second of this movie. Sweet and hopeful, though entirely unrealistic, August Rush captures the charming quality of fairytales and the mystery of music portraying it in a way that even the musically-challenged can understand. --Katie Everson 

Not many game-to-theatre movies have been good ones, and Hitman is no exception. Not only does this movie thoroughly confuse the general viewer, but its plot is so blatantly predictable that enjoying the movie itself becomes an unachievable task. Unfortunately, Hitman somehow manages to go from a tolerable movie with enough sex and violence to prevent it from being a flop to one that just barely manages to keep the audience from leaving mid-movie. One of the biggest roles in the movie, the protagonist, becomes one of the biggest problems. Agent 47 (Timothy Olyphant), a professional killer from a secret community of assassins known simply as The Organization, looks as though he may actually be scared. Throughout the movie, the

viewer gets the sense that under the rock-solid front he somehow manages to put up, there is a little boy feeling guilty of his deeds, scared to death about what lies ahead. This role may have been better filled with actors such as the hardnosed Jason Statham or possibly even Bruce Willis. Another problem in the movie is the complicated yet incredibly predictable plot. Although I never had the apparently mind-blowing experience of playing the game this movie is based off of, I still foresaw the obvious plot progression of this movie. The only shocking part was the ending. All in all, unlike the Bourne movies, which actually made me want to be a fugitive on the run, or 300, which made me want to be a Spartan, or even American Gangster, which made me want to be a rising Don that dealt with international drug dealing, Hitman fell short in making me want to be, well, a hitman. --Rohan Kusre 

Nika (Kurylenko) and Hitman 47 (Olyphant) doing his job as a professional killer.

STAFF PICK + STAFF PICK + STAFF PICK + STAFF PICK + STA Leaving even the most macho men with teary eyes, A Walk to Remember is a crowd-pleasing movie that hits home in the hearts of all audiences. Set in a slow, Southernstyle suburb, the film's plot thickens in a gut-wrenching fashion from the very first scene. Troubled teen Landon Carter (Shane West) meets his unlikely match with uptight Jamie Sullivan

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(Mandy Moore) in this original spin on high school love. The two, destined to be together, meet after Landon is ordered to participate in the high school play in addition to other community service. Though the bad boy meets good girl plot has been utilized in too many films to count, the heart wrenching conclusion of this irresistible plot and this lovable couple

make A Walk to Remember a truly memorable film. Instead of a cliché “and they lived happily ever after,” viewers are left to contemplate the heavy concept of love and death with a suprising plot. A good watch for any age, A Walk to Remember grounds its viewers in a way that is unlike most typical teen dramas. --Sarah Thomson

WHAT LIES IN THE MIST The Mist Thomas Jane R, 127 min, MGM Studios The Mist is a movie based on best-selling author Stephen King's novella with the same title. The new production does not disappoint its audience. This movie, directed by Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile), has successfully done another one of King's stories justice on the big screen. Filled with many obscure and unrecognizable names, The Mist won't receive many awards; however, with such a well-rounded cast, the lack of known names will go entirely unnoticed. A small town is devastated after a vicious thunderstorm tears it apart during the night. David Drayton, who is played by The Punisher's Thomas Jane, takes his son into town to pick up a few things at the store. While waiting in the checkout line, a strange mist spreads from a nearby military base. The mist is thick, unnatural and filled with terrifying creatures from another world. The movie tells the horrifying tale of the refugees stranded in the store and their attempt to survive. They must survive, not only from the man-eating creatures outside, but from the different cliques and groups that quickly form among the remaining survivors. The audience will quickly see that the enemy is not only the creatures themselves, but the fear that they instill in the people. The movie is a stunningly accurate depiction of the effects that fear has on groups of people. The movie's only real flaw is its vague predictability. However, with loved and despised characters, the magic touch of Stephen King, a creative sense of humor and an unexpected ending, viewers will definitely be sitting on the edge of their seats from the opening scene to the ending credits. -- Billy Lawton 

WATCH THIS CHRISTMAS DELIGHT This Christmas Chris Brown, Delroy Lindo PG-13, 117 min, Sony It is that time of year again; the time for another feel-good holiday movie. This Christmas is a dramatic family comedy that follows the Whitfield family's long-awaited reunion called for by their mother, Ma'Dere (Loretta Devine), in order to participate in her "perfect" Christmas. All five children return to their home in suburban Los Angeles to be with their mother and youngest brother Michael "Baby" (Chris Brown), but each of them has a secret to hide. As each of the children venture home, they all catch up and eat homecooked meals together, giving warm feelings of close family relationsips and past holiday seasons. The childrens' loving mother

Baby (Brown) sings a holiday tune and inspires a church audience.

Ma'Dere is planning on having the Christmas of her dreams with all of her beloved children together for the first time in four years since their father left the family in pursuit of a music career. However, there seems to be something that weighs down each member of the family; every person has a secret that they haven't yet let the others in on. Gradually throughout the movie, each secret is revealed, displaying the true personality of each of the characters. No matter what they

learn of the others' problems, the family manages to stick together and help each other with their issues. With the holiday season coming up soon, This Christmas is a great family flick with plenty of hugs, tears and laughs. This movie is both heart-warming and perfect for drawing family togetherness as Baby and his family do. Just make sure to bring a notebook to keep track of the very busy storyline. --Mike Scott 

NEW FAIRYTALE CLASSIC ENCHANTS ALL Enchanted Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey PG, 107 min, Disney It’s not the bippity boppity boo and evil step sisters, two dogs sharing spaghetti or even prince charming with the magic mirror. Somehow, this lighthearted Disney movie takes a magic ride outside of the fairytale and into a whole new

world. Enchanted contains modern scenes lifted from classic Disney movies using both 2D and computer generated images, including a show-stealing chipmunk. Based on the story written by Bill Kelly called “Blast From The Past,” this film begins with an animated Princess Giselle (Amy Adams), meeting her true love, Prince Edward (James Marsden). All is well until the prince’s evil

Prince Edward (Marsden) "rescuing" princess Giselle (Adams) from New York.

stepmother Queen Narissa (Susan Sarandon) finds out and worries that her throne is in jeopardy. As evil and skillful as the witch from Snow White, the tricky queen transforms into an old hag and sends Giselle over the side of a wishing well smack dab into the middle of Times Square. Shocked and unsure of what to make of the non-magical world, Giselle wonders if a storybook romance is possible in this new place. To her surprise, she is unexpectedly rescued by a charming, divorced lawyer and his little daughter. After days of learning how to cope under all new circumstances, Prince Edward joins Giselle in the foreign land. The acting in this film is fantastic, especially from the talented Amy Adams who enthusiastically performs as though she was taken right out of a fairytale book. Longtime fans of Disney as well as younger, new fans are guaranteed to enjoy this modern spin on classic magic. --Brittany Thomas 

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ENTERTAINMENT The Academy Is... Interview

TIME ON THE TOUR BUS WITH THE ACADEMY IS... Among strewn computer cables, pillows, video game wires and notebook paper scribbled with lyrics, bassist Adam Sisky spills about weekly phone calls to his mom, the band’s recent Halo addictions, helping those in Darfur and what life is really like on the road. Mike DelPrincipe keeps the beat on the drums.

interview  Lauren Byrwa & Cidney Fitzpatrick photos  Mackenzie White SPARK: What happened when Armor’s trailer was overturned? TAI: Oh man, it was bad. I was sitting in the front when our driver slammed on the brakes. Their trailer was tumbling at us. We had to go pick up Anthony’s new Rickenbacker bass off the highway in pieces. It was on the way to Toronto and we ended up missing the show.

we’re hanging out and catching up. I talked so much that the next morning I woke up and had no voice. I couldn’t talk, and it was really hard because I’m really inexperienced with that. But you find other ways to communicate.

SPARK: How was it being nominated for the MTV Woodie Awards? TAI: We won the Viral Woodie. It’s the one where the fans vote on videos. It was a lot of fun. We had a good time, and we got to see some old friends.

SPARK: What was it like when you all got dressed up for the Halloween show? TAI: It was great. We all got done up in makeup. Butcher, I think, has a new calling as a makeup artist. We had a great time. We were originally planning to go as “The Police Academy Is...” and Butcher was going to be a hot cop with short shorts, but we couldn’t find very good costumes.

SPARK: Were the awards better compared to last year? TAI: Yeah. We flew out there last year during the writing of Santi. It was a little weird for us. It was our first public appearance since we fired our guitar player. We showed up in New York with just four people when we’re normally five. It was a man down, I guess.

SPARK: What do you miss the most when you’re on the road? TAI: I definitely miss my family and I think that your relationships definitely suffer because you have nearly no time to give. When you’re off tour, you’re working on the next album. We never really sit down and relax. I also miss that feeling when you wake up and you have the freedom to do whatever you want to do. Not

“[Halo] has become a pretty common competition between the buses. It’s a good male-bonding experience.” Frontman William Beckett sings his lungs out at Bogarts concert.

SPARK: Now that you’re nearing the end of the tour are you relieved that its coming to an end? TAI: Yes and no. We’ve really been on tour since last March. This tour started in September and it ends at the end of November. There are parts of me that are excited for it to end and have some time off to work on our new record. But at the same time I like the road. I like touring. I like playing. SPARK: How was your Rock for Darfur show? TAI: We did that in Buffalo. I was really happy about it. We had been given the opportunity to help. Actually the concert was oversold, there were so many people that it was a fire hazard. That was good though. It makes me happy that people can show support. They all came together and helped whether they knew it or not and we were able to raise up some money. SPARK: I know you cracked your voice awhile back, what was that like? TAI: We had like ten days off from the tour. Then we started back up in Florida. When we got back down to Florida everything was great. We all get there, and

THE ACADEMY IS...

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The Academy Is... has another hit album, Santi, that has left fans ecstatic. It differs from the group’s last album, Almost Here, with incorporation of more personality and attitude in the lyrics and music. A perfect example of this stimulating music is the track “Bulls in Brooklyn.” The song has a beat that is very fast-paced, and the vo-

that I wouldn’t choose to do a concert, but sometimes I like to go see a movie or go to a nice restaurant. Relationships are definitely the hardest. I call my mom once a week and she seems grateful for that. SPARK: Do you enjoy hanging out with the guys on the bus and just playing Halo? TAI: Yeah, I think that we were never really into Halo until like last week. We’ve been on tour for so long that its just gotten like that movie Groundhog Day. Not to say that we’re over it. We have had a blast at the concerts, but during the day we have begun to look for new ways to entertain each other. It’s fun. It has become a pretty common competition between the buses. It’s a good male-bonding experience. SPARK: What are your pre-show tradititons? TAI: For awhile it was just “slap the Butcher” but it only lasted two days. He wasn’t very happy, and his skin was getting red. Usually though, we just gather the whole band in the dressing room and listen to music to kind of get in the mood. Our biggest tradition is just spending quality time together. n

cals have a tone that give it sass. However, the album’s first track “Same Blood” has a much slower, somber beat conveying a completely different mood. Each song has its own distinct feeling and expresses emotion in every beat. Producer Butch Walker worked with the group on both albums and has opened their views entirely for this album.

The lyrics in the album are sung as though they came directly from the heart of lead singer William Beckett. The band takes the lyrics and makes more than just a song, but rather portrays an emotion to its listeners. Santi is the album that will set the bar for all indie rock groups out there. --Mackenzie White 

& QA

FICTION Exclusive Author Interview

exclusive interview

Christopher Moore interview l Kyrie Culp

Why did you first start writing? Sort of an outlet for an overactive imagination. I was an only kid and learned to pretend to keep myself entertained. Now I pretend to keep other people entertained. Which of your novels is your favorite? Why? Probably Lamb, because it was such a huge project to take on: a comic retelling of the life of Christ. I was just happy I was able to pull it off. A Dirty Job comes in a close second, though, because I think there are some truly hilarious moments in it. What is your best advice for an aspiring writer? Read a lot. Read things that you love, that touch you, and pay less attention to things that people tell you that you should read. If you’re not moved by what you read, you won’t be inspired to write. Then write. Learn your craft. Pay attention to how professionals do it. Do you receive any criticism from religious groups or others for writing about things like demons or Jesus Christ learning kung-fu? None at all. Strange, I know, but I’ve never gotten a negative letter from a religious organization, out of tens of thousands of letters. I did get three negative letters about Lamb. Two from people in Alabama who hadn’t actually read the book, and one from a retired Monsignor in Toronto who questioned my theology. Which of your characters do you identify with the most, and why? Probably Tommy, the kid from the Midwest who goes to San Francisco to become a writer (in Bloodsucking Fiends and You Suck) and Charlie, the hapless Beta-male in A Dirty Job who becomes Death. Both are like me in that they tend to be a little out of sorts with what’s going on most of the time, but somehow they manage to prevail. In reviews, you have been compared to Douglas Adams. Did Adams have any influence on you? Are there any other authors that influenced your writing? Absolutely Adams influenced me. It’s not an ac-

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cident that my first book, Practical Demonkeeping, has a title that sounds like an instructional. (Like The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.) I initially set out to do for horror what Douglas had done for science fiction. I have a different set of skills, however, and my focus has broadened since then, but Adams was one of those guys, along with Kurt Vonnegut and Tom Robbins who proved that you could get away with writing funny, thoughtful fiction. Beyond those guys, my biggest influence would be John Steinbeck -- his comic work, like Cannery Row and Sweet Thursday. He wrote with such a kind and forgiving voice toward his characters and I’ve always admired and aspired to that. Many of your books deal with myths and religion. How much research on these subjects goes in to your books? It depends on the book. A book like Lamb, where I had to learn history, theology, philosophy, and virtually memorize the Gospels took 18 months just for the research, where a book like Fiends, where I was writing about vampires, which I’d been reading about since I was a kid, took about a month, and most of that was wandering around the streets of San Francisco writing down impressions of what I saw. Each book is a little different, but I shoot for six months of research and twelve months of writing. The one I’m working on now is set in medieval England and has a lot of Shakespearian influence, so the research actually took longer than the writing will take. I often will pick a subject to write about that I know very little about, but by the time the book is done, I’ve become an amateur expert. It’s a fun way to live your life. Finally, what are your plans for your future career? I’m negotiating to do some graphic novels, so we’ll see how that goes. I’d like to do another whale book and a third in my vampire series. I’ve sort of decided to stay out of the film aspect of my books because that world is so unpleasant to work in (for me, anyway), so I can’t say I have anything planned for film, other than I’d like to see some of the books made into good movies. Seven out of ten have sold to the movies, so it could happen. n

Lamb

A comical retelling of the story of Christ, told through the eyes of his best friend Biff. The novel is hilarious, but also surprisingly heartfelt.

You Suck

Vampires in love, with a story that is far removed from the usual dramatic angst. The main character Tommy tries to adjust to his new life as vampire.

The Stupidest Angel

When a young boy prays for a Christmas miracle, he gets Raziel instead. The incompetent angel throws the town into Christmas chaos.

A Dirty Job

A nervous man named Charlie Asher struggles to deal with his new role as a father to baby Sophie, and his new job as the ever feared Grim Reaper.

Fluke

While on a whale observation trip, Marine biologist Nate Quinn tries to understand the appearance of the words “Bite Me” on a whale’s tale.

What will a girl who always held the “good-girl” reputation do once her unhealthy lifestyle takes over?

A crowd of black-clad teenage students huddles together on the street in front of the old chapel. They are mourning the loss of their beloved classmate, friend, and team member. However close they might have been to her, they hadn’t been there. They hadn’t been there to feel the tires skid, to hear the glass break, to see the flashing lights dance in her glossy eyes. But I had been there. I remember her sitting in the passenger seat of the navy blue sports car, the feel of the cold leather interior against her dark blue jeans. I used to know her, but, that night, I didn’t know who she was at all. I suppose I still don’t. As I walk up the stairs into the church, I am invisible. The puffy, swollen eyes of my peers don’t notice me or stare. The sun barely trickles through the stained glass windows and the darkness accents the already dreary mood of the chapel. An open casket stands alone on the altar and flickering candles line the walls of the interior. As I stare down into the coffin at the girl’s face, an eerie sensation extends through my body. Her familiar features are plastered onto her face with makeup, making them flat and pale. Except for her vivid red lips, she looks dead, which I suppose is undeniably true. The warm eyes I had known so well are closed, but they haven’t been warm in years. The pale features painted on her face have an uncanny similarity to the expression that has appeared there in the recent months. This was not how I had known her. When I knew her, she was vibrant and friendly. Nearer to her death, she hadn’t been involved in sports or clubs, her

only activities had been ‘parties,’ where everyone just stood around getting drunk and high. Originally, she had held the secretary position in the student government. Her friends would have slumber parties every weekend, and the craziest thing they would ever do would be to sneak out to go swimming at a nearby lake. Looking back, I suppose there was never one particular thing that triggered her descent into rebellion. She dated guys like any normal girl, but, throughout the winter, the quality of her boyfriends dropped to dangerously low levels. Her first ‘serious’ relationship was with Brian, a sophomore at Ohio State. On weekends she traveled north to visit him, and often attended college parties, getting intoxicated. The Brian phase only lasted a few weeks, but the crowd in which she had been introduced continued throughout the spring. Still attending frat parties on occasion and spending the night at her old friends’ houses, her two worlds began to merge. After trying a joint at a party only a few weeks prior, she suggested that her student government friends try it as well. Still influenced by the elementary values instilled upon them, they refused any participation. From then she dove deep into the heart of her new crowd of drunken college-aged friends. I

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photo used from Spark file

LAYING THE PAST TO REST story l Bethany Grimm art l Brittany Thomas

shouldn’t completely trash her new way of life, as she did hold fast to some of her moral values. She kept her virginity intact and still attended church. However, every time she denied another stone-drunk guy or snuck through the back door of the chapel, her guilty conscious reminded her of the late-night activities that she had been involved in. As I stand here and look down upon that face, grief sinks deep into my stomach. Those features that had once been mine, bright and friendly, lay sunken and sad in contrast to the white roses lining the coffin. I cannot look down onto the body that had once been mine, degraded by my destructive lifestyle, and not be tormented by what my decisions have led me to become. As I slowly step down from the altar, the saints and martyrs painted on the stone walls seem to stare accusingly at me. But, unlike the hoard or mourners now pouring through the cathedral doors, they see me and who I really am. I suppose I don’t know why I came today; this funeral isn’t held for me. Although this is the official funeral for my body, I died a long time ago. After exiting the church past the crying girls and huddled families, I refuse to look back. Nobody should have to go to their own funeral. n

Except for her vivid red lips, she looks dead, which I suppose is undeniably true. 61 l Spark l December 19, 2007

EyesOpen

FICTION Eyes Open

story l Chelsea Bell

An eerie moment of clarity shows a young girl the dark side of growing up.

nother boring Saturday at Dad’s house. It’s so weird here now. Brianne and Alicia have moved away, Jon-Jon’s always at the skate park, and I don’t even know if Ben and I are still friends. My step-mom’s getting on my nerves and I decide it’s time for a ride. Waving to my dad, I walk out of the house and hop on my bike. Hey, if the drunk down the road doesn’t start yelling again, I might have the guts to pass his house. Maybe, just maybe, I’ll see that cute guy with the dark hair who moves so perfectly when he walks… I thought this was a good idea. It usually helps me to relax, to blow off some steam. Tell that to my legs. There are definitely too many hills around here. I ride until I can see the river through the autumn-turned brush, near the spot where the construction is going on. I wish I knew what they were building there. If my mom knew I was here alone, she’d wring my neck. Until I get my license, this is my sense of independence, my freedom. Sad, yes, but at least it’s exercise. I must be stubborn, or stupid, or both, but I don’t want to be bothered by the exaggerated worries of overprotective parents. I’m still a little tired from last night, and decide not to go much further. It’s a long way back. I could head up to the park, but it’s no fun to chill there without company. I turn around, and loneliness slithers into

62 l Spark l December 19, 2007

my soul. The breeze feels suddenly cooler, and I pedal hard, longing for the comfort of home. Thank the Lord. There’s only one hill to go. I’ve got to increase speed around the curve. I’ve become a bit wary ever since that accident here in the spring. It looks clear, except a van is creeping up behind me. Finally, my neighborhood comes into view, and I exhale with relief. The van behind me slows down. Once we’ve passed the curve, I try to wave him past. Ugh. I guess the idiot didn’t understand my signal. Come on, just pass me already so I can coast down the hill. Instead, the drivers shifts to the left of me. I expect him to wave and be on his way, but he doesn’t. The creepy old man stays at

crashes. I pull quickly onto Branch Hill Drive and my heart continues to pound. I stop to catch my breath, almost wheezing. There is a burning in my throat, lungs, and chest, and I want to cry. The tears sting my eyes, but I’m too determined to get home to let them fall. If I get there, assuming I don’t crash first. My legs feel weak and wobbly, like Jell-O, and my vision is fogged. Finally, my porch is in sight. I go side-saddle and jump into a running motion. My step-mom will complain that I threw my bike down on the ground, but right now, I could care less. Inside, I warm my feet with a blanket, but I shudder. I flip on the T.V., but can’t focus on

my speed, staring out his open window at me. When I was younger, my Pappy always told me to stay out of his woods because hunters might mistake me for a deer and shoot me. At the moment, I feel that vulnerable. This feels like a Dateline special- When You Know the Predator, Who is the Prey? It’s probably been ten seconds, but in my mind, it’s eternity. I’m been waiting for him to pass. I have nowhere to go but over the guardrail. I’m panicking. I try to make my meanest, ugliest face and to look tough. Eventually, the vile being accelerates down the road. I hope he

the images before my eyes. I try some self-consolation. I’m just paranoid. He could’ve been a nice man on a Sunday drive. No. That doesn’t work. It’s a Saturday, and nice men don’t look at young girls that way. My dad knocks on my bedroom door and walks in. “What’s up, Pumpkin? You look sad. What’s on your mind?” “I’m just tired. I’m fine,” I say. How wrong he was to mistake my expression for sadness. Worry encompasses me. From now on, my eyes will be wide open, but for a different reason. Gone are the carefree days of childhood. n

“I must be stubborn, or stupid, or both, but I don’t want to be bothered by the exaggerated worries of overprotective parents.”

OPINION Staff Editorial

Facts Do Not Support Sheriff Staff Editorial

the Editorial Board will select one of the opinion editors to vote with them on an issue at hand. After each vote the majority will be ruled as the official stance.

this edition of Spark the editorial board analyzes the effectiveness of Sheriff Jones’ enforcement on undocumented immigration.

s a result of the lack of negotiation in the U.S. Congress to create a federal policy that addresses illegal immigration, individual communities have taken the task of enforcing their own regulations on immigration upon themselves. Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones has adopted a stringent strategy regarding undocumented immigration in his county. However, the approach that Sheriff Jones has taken only seems to target Latin American migrants. Jones has created a no exceptions, no tolerance approach to immigration, most recently known for part in the arrests of 160 illegal immigrants at Koch Foods in Fairfield. He has also illustrated this by displaying six billboards across the county to remind employers that hiring undocumented migrants is against the law. People may also notice the bright yellow sign staked out in front of the county jail that reads “Illegal Aliens Here.” Jones’ determination to control immigration into this county led him to write to the Ohio legislators in early November asking them to take action on immigration. According to Jones, one of his reasons for coming down so harshly on undocumented migrants is because he believes they are taking away job opportunities from Americans, and therefore, are hurting the economy. Nevertheless, a 2006 population composition estimated that the Butler County population is made up of 2.3 percent Hispanic ethnicity. The U.S. Bureau of Labor also reported that there will be five million more jobs in the United States by 2008 than the number of people to do them. Not only are there more than enough jobs for both undocumented migrants and citizens alike, but

‘‘

Contact the ed board at sparkmain@yahoo.com

Not

only are Jones’ methods overly strict, but they can also be viewed as a form of racial profiling.

‘‘

The

editorial board and guest opinion editor voted 7 to 0 against the effectiveness of Jones’ policy on undocumented immigration.

43%

Of 512 surveyed believe the Butler County sheriffs should have the power to deport undocumented immigrants.

57%

Of 512 surveyed believe the Butler County sheriffs should not have the power to deport undocumented immigrants.

many undocumented migrants are willing to take on the laborious jobs that Americans do not want to do. In a 2006 Pew Hispanic Center report, it was stated that 7.2 million undocumented migrants make up around 4.9 percent of the civilian labor force and 24 percent of all employees in the farming industry. Also, a 2003 Federal Reserve Banks of Dallas and Atlanta report states that the competition the undocumented migrants have brought to the country is helping the economy, namely lessskilled workers. Not only are Jones’ methods overly strict, but they can also be viewed as a form of racial profiling. By solely targeting Hispanics and Mexicans as illegal immigrants, Sheriff Jones is sending the message that Butler County is intolerant. However, this atmosphere will only escalate considering that Hispanics and Mexicans are the largest and fastest growing minority in the country. Creating this atmosphere of racial tension will only end up hurting the community and stifling the economy. As the sheriff of Butler County, Jones believes that eliminating and punishing illegal immigrants is part of his job of enforcing the law. Although this is true, he should not be focusing all of his efforts on this issue, especially when the crime rate is ever-growing. In 2004, there were 1,281 total reports made to the sheriff’s office or the county police regarding murders, rapes, robberies, assaults, burglaries, thefts and auto thefts. It is necessary for the U.S. Congress to come up with a federal policy that all states can follow. Because most come to the United States to get a job and to better their lives, there should be a process that makes it easier for hardworking, law-abiding undocumented migrants to gain citizenship. An example of this is the Dream Act. It would enable the children of undocumented migrants to go to college. After graduating, they could apply for legal status or permanent citizenship. Unfortunately, illegal immigration is far from being resolved in a law and Jones’ method of dealing with this is not helping. n

The Editorial Board

Editor-in-Chief: Dede Pan

Editor-in-Chief: Sarah Massey

64 l Spark l December 19, 2007

Business Manager: Managing Editor: Matt Myers Rachel Dinan

Managing Editor: Graylyn Roose

Copy Manager: Katie Everson

Guest Editor: Stephen Salisbury

East Speaks Out “If they want to come over for the opportunity at a better life...then they should have to come forward and become a citizen.” Domon Shuler, Junior

“I believe that if they are going to live in our coun-

try they should follow our laws and regulations.” Steven Williams, Senior

“No, because once they are in our country, they already have their lives established and they have families.” Cara Braun, Junior

“I don’t want to ship a bunch of people back to a life they don’t like, but I don’t want them to ruin my life either.” Ally Kist-Kline, Senior

Do you think illegal immigrants should be deported?

“I think that it’s not fair if they stay. They aren’t a part of our country, and they are taking people’s jobs.”Anna Hartwick, Sophomore

“If they can speak english, then I don’t think deportation is necessary, but if they can’t then yes, I think it’s O.K.” Kimbell Sigala,Sophomore

Facing The Furry Facts opinion

Each

day animals are needlessly killed. it’s time we started treating our furry friends with the respect that they deserve.

eet Gazelle. She’s a two-year-old, domestic long haired, feline. She goes about her day as any other normal cat does. She runs up and down her cat tree, and she eats her IAMS cat food. Nothing about her sounds unusual. But Gazelle is somewhat different than ordinary cats. She has only three legs. No birth-defect occurred; no random accident. Gazelle was abused. When she was a kitten, her owner broke her leg and refused to treat it. Because the injury was not cared for, it hemorrhaged and became severely infected. Her leg needed amputation, or she would die. Save Our Strays, now called Smiley Cat Rescue involved themselves and rescued this feline. It was a dangerous battle between life and death. The shelter had two options. Gazelle could be treated and have the leg amputated, but Save Our Strays would suffer many thousands of dollars in vet bills. The second option: euthanization. A simple procedure that, according to FamilyEducation. com is painless. Gazelle could have easily fallen into the clutches of the wrong animal shelter. However, she didn’t. Undergoing thousands upon thousands of dollars in treatments, Save our Strays gladly amputated the leg and found a loving home for Gazelle. Months ago, she was a cat on the brink of death. Today, Gazelle is happier and healthier than ever.

Cidney Fitzpatrick

Terminal illnesses in cats and dogs are common. There is no doubt that the death of a family pet is tragic. However, 8 percent of 512 East students surveyed have put their pet to sleep for reasons other than terminal illnesses. This means that these cats, dogs, horses or virtually any animal you can imagine have been stuck in the front paw and injected with “pentobarbital,” a toxic chemical used to stop your furry friend’s heart. A muscle relaxer is also injected into the vein and when injected, it relaxes the muscles and sometimes, if you’re really lucky your dog will be so relaxed, that the very last memory you have of Fido can be him urinating or defecating all over the table. In very rare occasions, the dog’s lungs will push out air to make it seem as if your beloved pet is gasping for air or twitching, trying to breathe and fighting to stay alive.

Contact Cidney At c1dneyf1tz@yahoo.com

It’s painless though; your dog is already dead. Don’t worry about Fido, though; according to FamilyEducation.com, this result only happens 30 percent of the time. However, there are always alternatives to euthanizing a pet, such as humane societies. According to humane society officials, in an article written by Melissa Tresner in Feb. of 2006, “It’s no secret that 70 percent of the animals that enter the front door are put down within a couple of weeks. Most are healthy and non-aggressive.” Remember, these animals in humane societies are not sick. These are healthy, happy animals being put to death because their owner is too lazy to find them an animal rescue. It makes more sense to put down animals in tremendous amounts of pain with no chance of surviving their illness. Instead, in just one day, so called humane societies euthanize an average of 25 to 30 healthy animals. Euthanizing animals for the sake of holding space is completely unethical. Smiley Cat Rescue and other shelters across the world have “foster homes” for cats and dogs. These save room in shelters and give special care to animals that really need it. Shelters such as Smiley Cat Rescue also charge a higher adoption fee to cover the vet bills they may encounter over a sick animal. These costs go towards the noneuthanization of animals, and cover the costs of spaying or neutering, routine shots and various vet check ups. The euthanization of sick animals has a purpose, which is to prevent the suffering of you and your pet. While this is understandable, mercy killing is not and will never be acceptable. n

65 l Spark l December 19, 2007

OPINION Columns

Censors Need To Play Nice opinion l Graylyn

Roose

And Then There Were None star Graylyn Roose asks, is racial tolerance always the most important issue for schools to consider?

hen it hit the press that East’s production of Ten Little Indians was no more, the cast started getting e-mails from all over the place. A man from Arizona swore he’d drive his family hours to see the show the cast planned to perform independently. A radio talk show host in Seattle, Washington wanted one of the cast members to go live on his afternoon program. A Broadway theatre producer from New York offered them the only thing he could give: his money. They never could have imagined that it would get so big. When censorship became the issue conveyed to the world, (yes, news of the controversy reached Pravda, Russia), help started pouring in. People hate any mention of control of literature. And as a journalist and an avid reader, any talk of censorship makes my blood run cold. I guess I didn’t realize the support that the First Amendment has worldwide, or the widespread desire to make a difference in the fate of a play put on by some teenagers who wanted their voices heard. We are living in a world that doesn’t trust the media much anymore. The audience no longer blindly accepts the news as truth. Nowadays, 24-hour news stations are putting forth political slants and news commentary. The story that one person heard may be different from the one that another person read. Technological progress allows information to travel around instantly, spreading our story farther than it ever would have reached. With our society’s “information overload,” the world is quicker than ever to diffuse censorship in any form. This isn’t a new subject. Ten Little Indians was halted in its original form by the play company, Samuel French in 2004. Samuel French discarded Agatha Christie’s orginal manuscript in favor of the slightly modified edition, entitled

‘‘

Contact Graylyn At Graylyn.spark@yahoo.com

This is a disturbing beginning for what will prove to be an ongoing

‘‘

discussion of what

truly is ‘offensive.’

And Then There Were None, which attempted to downplay a long history of a racially contested title. It joined the ranks as a taboo piece of literature along with The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Catcher In the Rye and Of Mice and Men. In 1995, Lakota itself contested the school reading of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. However, these instances had one thing in common: the challenging parties questioned the novel, not the play. East administration argued that in a classroom setting, the controversial aspects of a piece of literature can be fully explained by an instructor, while during a play, such conversations are not possible. However, I see the controversy that has ensued in the past month as a side effect of the school district’s willingness to yield to the complaints of an individual. Not only did the sup-

Talk Back

port of Gary Hines’ complaint throw the school into a three week situation of pandemonium, but it set a precedent for future naysayers to bring to the table their individual agendas, affecting a large number of East students and parents. When Hines’ opinion swayed the actions of the administration, it opened the door for similar instances to occur in the future. Although this currently has unclear results, it could create a much more open gate for complaints in the future. The trouble with censorship is that it is a slippery slope; it doesn’t stop with one instance. The conflict over racial and thematic themes in the title of a play that was written in a different time period and culture is not an issue that outdoes the importance of the original literature. This is a disturbing beginning for what will prove to be an ongoing discussion of of what truly is “offensive.” With the precedent set by the administration, those who lead a piece of drama or literature down the road to censorship will be able to make their case based on almost anything. When Lakota makes an exception to one, it will have to make allowances for all. Those who feel that a theatrical production or any other kind of media is offensive are certainly entitled to complain. That right falls within the First Amendment. However, the cast is also entitled to those benefits. By nearly backing down and accepting the angry party’s claims that East was making a racial statement with this play, the district was sending a more scarring message. What spiraled into an issue of race and censorship is now resolved. East presented And Then There Were None, a slightly modified version in place of the older, controversial version. However, this situation leaves me wondering what will happen the next time a community chapter of an organization or one particular individual decides to complain to the school district. Will Lakota stand its ground or concede to the opinion of one? Something tells me that we haven’t heard the last of this issue. n

East Students Respond

“I

don’t think it was

censorship, because he was

just

trying

make

everyone

them

mad.”

hap-

py, but instead made

Mandee

Mergard,Sophomore

66 l Spark l December 19, 2007

“Yes,

cancelling

play

was

the

“I

think it was more

censorship

about the image of

and it is an abuse of

the school and the

power.”

Matthew Wendt, Junior

administration

than

about censorship.”

Jessie Wandersee, Senior

Race Relations Made Rational opinion l Simar

Khera

a country where racial issues seem to only concern African Americans, Simar asks is there any room for Indians?

lack and white. Yes and no. Day and night. Clear divisions rule the world we live in. Can there be no gray? No maybe for the indecisive? No dawn or dusk for the sun to rise and set? As an Indian living in America, I have come to realize that issues involving race or prejudice only has a place for those who are white or black. Race issues between African Americans and Caucasian Americans take center stage while issues regarding all other races are pushed back. This is also evident here at East. On Nov. 16, East announced the cancellation of the play Ten Little Indians after four months of practice. This came only two weeks before the play was to open. The play was canceled due to the original title, published in England, Ten Little N------. Parents and community members voiced their concerns to Gary Hines, head of the local branch of the NAACP, who felt that this title was offensive and inhibited diversity. Though the play was never released in the United States under Ten Little N------, the need of Americans to always be politically correct triumphed over common sense, even though the current play shows no evidence of its former racism. The fear of possibly offending someone was so great that the hard work of the students in the play, as well as that of the directors, was disregarded. The play was canceled after East administrators decided that it would be a safety issue for the students because of the threat of protesting. In one of the many articles regarding the play, The Cincinnati Enquirer wrote “Hines considers the play’s titles offensive to African-Americans and American Indians.” The title of the play, which originally contained a derogatory term that was used against South East Asian-Indians,

‘‘

Contact Simar at simar.khera@gmail.com

When one thinks about racism in this country,

it is usually referring relationships between African Americans and Caucasians.

‘‘

has been perceived by most as being about African Americans and Native Americans, when in fact it is directed at neither. This incorrect connection is ultimately because of the lack of knowledge of the original context of the play. The “n word” in England referred to Asian Indians and others with darker skin who lived in British colonies. This word did not have the same negative connotation that we had in America and still have today. Asian Indians, however, remained silent throughout the controversy surrounding East’s production of the play. Since 1757, when imperialistic England colonized India after the Battle of Plassey, there has been visible hatred and prejudice towards Asian Indians by the British. This conflict was even noticeable as late as the 1960s. My parents faced racism daily, during the

Talk Back

time they spent living in England. After marrying my mother, my father wanted to rent an apartment closer to his job. After researching the area, he found one to look at, but when the owner saw him at the building, he was told that the apartment was no longer for sale. This is not the only evidence of racism that my parents witnessed, nor is it the worst. However, the history between Asian Indians and the British was completely disregarded in the arguments surrouning Ten Little Indians. But is not an unusual situation. When people think about racism in America, they are usually referring to relations between African Americans and Caucasians. Rarely, with the exception of terrorism, does racism refer to Indians or any other race. After researching Ten Little Indians thoroughly and learning about the true background, I still was not offended. Though I realize it was once offensive to my race, the term, does not offend me today. However, I do not agree with the use of this term because I realize that the play was written during a time when it was acceptable to use such terms. By allowing myself to be offended, I would be opening up my race to being perceived the way it was in the 1930s. Taking offense to or censoring Ten Little Indians in anyway sets our society back to the days where racism was prevalent and much more frequent in society. By being offended by things that should not be offensive, America is turning into a country that is obsessed with being politically correct. The fact that Ten Little Indians, which now has no evidence of racism, black or white, caused such a dilemma in the community shows that Americans cannot move past the issue of racism. If Americans keep dredging up issues of the past, no one will be able to move forward toward a country that is less obsessed with being so politically correct that they automatically resort to censorship. n

East Students Respond

“The

play isn’t racist

“The

play isn’t racist

and they changed the

because

name because it would

thte

offend people, and it didn’t mean the same

thing in Europe.” Paige

McKee, Sophomore

don’t think

name

has

any-

thing to do with what the play is about.”

Michael Matthews, Junior

“In

the play, there is

no indication of racial discrimination in the script.”

Katie Gormas, Senior

67 l Spark l December 19, 2007

OPINION Cartoons and Commentary

Issues Illustrated

Editorial Art By Ian Bowman-Henderson

Colbert Speaks T he Truthiness S T opinion

With truthiness, and a lot of humor, does Comedy Central’s Stephen Colbert have what it takes to make a presidential candidate?

arah

homson

presidency? Why would Americans choose a witty media personality over candidates with experience in the American government? Colbert stands for something, while most people in the spotlight throw together a jumbled mess of “ums” and “wells.” Colbert seeks out the tough questions and openly gives his opinion without being pushed to do so. It’s refreshing in a world of if-ands-or-buts politicians to hear someone plainly state their opinion, especially as honestly as Colbert. But Americans don’t necessarily love Colbert, the man, but rather the concept of Colbert. Americans need an outspoken, concerned citizen; not a sit in the corner, talk when pressed politician. In a climate where Meet the Press has become more like Watch the Press Talk and Say Absolutely Nothing, honesty reigns. This problematic trend in politics is to provide the press no direct answer. Public relations

ll eyes are on the nerdy looking man behind the desk. His eyes gleam behind his glasses, and the only way to achieve such pristine hair is through the power of three bottles of $50 styling gel. Sitting in his tailored suit in front of the picture of a huge bald eagle, his manner practically begs you to push his buttons. He wants to be asked the serious questions, and he lives for the opportunity to speak his mind. He doesn’t play any games. And he wants you to laugh at him. People love Stephen Colbert. Not because he’s hilarious (although he is), not because he’s right (because that’s entirely too debatable), but rather because he says what needs to be said, and doesn’t slink around the questions he is asked by the press. So it comes as no surprise that when Colbert announced he would be running for the Democratic nomination of his home state South Carolina, Americans were tuned in to anything Colbert. People were more fired up about Colbert’s eminent announcement than they were about mostly anything during those weeks. And when Colbert announced it, Comedy Central was probably praising God for the ratings he was winning them. But the most ironic part about the announcement was the fact that people suddenly found their candidate. What makes a television pundit, who plays an ultra-conservative character Monday through Thursday night, a prime candidate for the U.S. Contact Sarah At Thomson.Sarah@Yahoo.com

68 l Spark l December 19, 2007

pull elaborate spins everyday, only to equip the masses with inaccurate and confusing information. Every 2008 candidate claims that they know what America wants. Every candidate is certain they can provide Americans with what it is that they need. But none of them are really dying to tell anyone what exactly that would be. Politicians find it in their infinite wisdom to disclose that type of information to no one, especially those who will vote. And then, in November 2008, millions will cast their ballots in conceivably one of the most pivotal elections in American history, equipped with barely any concrete knowledge of who they are trusting with the next four years. Mark Twain said, “If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.” Colbert stands for something, and whether or not they agree with him, some Americans would rather see a candidate that stands for something make it to the office than a candidate who plays hide and seek with the issues. Blatant honesty. That’s what America needs. Is Stephen Colbert the solution? Probably not. But he does show that Americans are yearning for a little less conversation and a little more pro-action. Maybe it’s time to stop falling for the politics and start standing for the issues. Colbert was denied the candidacy in South Carolina, but every night at 11:30 Americans can see Stephen Colbert, the pundit, make a mockery of American politics. Hopefully the remaining candidates have started listening to the seemingly absurd but often valid rantings of a perfectly groomed, bitingly sarcastic, real person with a real vision and stance. n

More Issues Illustrated

Editorial Art By Lisa Lui

Fear Of A M“Gay P lanet” R opinion

Mike Rawlins

explores the truths about discrimination against homosexuals, and religion’s impact on the growing cult of intolerance.

iscrimination. One word says it all; the utmost hate towards a minority group, which results in scornful behavior from society. In the 1930s, fascism in Europe caused the deaths of six million Jews. Held in concentration camps, these people were deemed “unworthy of life” due to their religious beliefs. Discrimination against African Americans started the slave trade throughout Europe and America. Men, women and children were taken from their homes and sold to a life of labor and misery; they were given a choice to work or die. In the 1800s, women were viewed as housewives whose only job should be to bear children and maintain the home. Women’s suffrage wasn’t even granted in the U.S. Constitution until 1920. Today, discrimination has taken its turn on homosexuals, under the guise of religion. In March of 2006, Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas protested against gay rights with signs such as “Thank God for AIDS” and “God Hates Fags.” Their tactic was rallying at the funerals of soldiers who served in Iraq. The group, led by Rev. Fred Phelps, believes the war in Iraq is God’s punishment for the tolerance of homosexuality in America. At Marine Lance Corporal Matthew Snyder’s funeral, this congregation of around 70 members cheered as they held pickets with “Thank God

ike

awlins

for Dead Soldiers.” The group has protested at around 300 funerals in the past two years. In regards to historic events, the treatment of sexual minorities is no different than the struggles of women, African Americans and Jews; this group faces harassment and even murder due to their sexuality. Matthew Shephard, 21, was beaten and left tied to a fence in a remote area because he was gay. Suffering from multiple brain damages, Matthew’s injuries were too severe to repair, and he was pronounced dead. Westboro Baptist Church rioted at Matthew’s funeral with the slogan “Matthew Shepard rots in hell.” Fred Phelps attempted to build a monument with Shepard’s picture and the words: “MATTHEW SHEPARD, Entered Hell October 12, 1998, in Defiance of God’s Warning: ‘Thou shalt not lie with mankind as with womankind; it is abomination.’ Leviticus 18:22.”

Contant Mike at MikeR5890@netscape.net

Hate crimes against homosexuals are viewed as less significant than those based on race. Actions taken against an African American automatically become racist. However, attacking and harassing a sexual minority is hardly termed a hate crime. Homosexuals are fighting for their rights the same as any other minority before them; the Jewish race stopped being oppressed, African Americans gained their freedom and women won their suffrage. The discrimination and treatment of these groups is now viewed as corrupt and unethical. Religion has created hate and intolerance for sexual minorities around the world--it has blinded people to the truths of homosexuals. The adults who killed Matthew Shepard only knew about his sexuality; they didn’t attempt to find out anything else about his life. They could have learned that he was a political science major or that he was the student representative for the Wyoming Environmental Council. Instead, solely his sexual orientation gave them the right to murder him. The purpose of religion is to create structure and stability in the lives of people through a moral code. Jesus said, “Love each other as I have loved you” (John 13:34.) Yet, their discrimination towards homosexuals shows their hypocrisy. Religion teaches love and acceptance, not hate and judgment. Denying homosexuals equal rights is against the beliefs this country was founded upon. The Declaration of Independence states: “…all men are created equal.” This includes homosexual men. n

69 l Spark l December 19, 2007

OPINION The Finishing Touch

What’s In A Name? Dede Pan recalls her younger, more insecure years, and sees that changing her name could never change who she is as a person.

editor opinion l Dede Pan

credit every English paper, every test, quiz and art project with it. It’s scribbled on my library card and printed on the byline above this column. Four letters. Two identical syllables. My “preferred” name so to speak on my college applications. To my friends, family and teachers, I have always been “Dede” regardless of what my birth certificate

says. When I was younger, Dede was much easier for the fiveyear-old-me to spell than the name “Deanna.” At the time, eliminating two extra letters from my name probably made life a heck of a lot easier for my mom too, who in her zealous endeavor to ensure that no other grubby six-year-old hands would touch my stuff, labeled each individual backto-school crayon about three seconds faster than she could label my sister, Lauren’s. When I was in second grade, I arbitrarily stopped capitalizing the second “D” and omitted the space between the two syllables, which, in pursuant of the laws of grammar, changed my name’s pronunciation to “Dēd.” So from that day on, I was permanently Dede with no unnecessarily capitalized letters and spaces. Soon thereafter, the name Deanna developed a cold, impersonal stigma, and I found myself accidentally writing “Dede” on standardized test forms and hesitating to respond whenever teachers addressed me by my proper name. In Romeo and Juliet Shakespeare wrote, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet?” Growing-up, I didn’t understand what Juliet meant—that Romeo would always be a stud whether he was a Montague or not—just as I didn’t understand that changing my name would not change that I snort when I laugh and have an uncontrollable urge to talk to myself. As a member of the elite sixth grade class who ruled Woodland Elementary’s playground, I was convinced I had grown-up. So in addition to my near-fatal experiments with liquid foundation, I changed my name yet again. For a hotshot sixth grader, the name Deanna seemed sophisticated, refined and mature. “Dede” on the other hand, was juvenile, clumsy and quirky. My Saturday morning cartoons proved to me that I was channeling the likes of Di Di, Dexter’s unicorn-obsessed sister from Dexter’s Laboratory or worse, Di Di Pickles from the Rugrats, with her humongous, orange hair. How could I have been popular with a name that connotes bizarre, unicorn fixations and bushy, cactus-looking hair? So on the first morning of band class, I proudly asserted that my name was Deanna and that it was my preferred name of choice, thank-you-very-much. Well, obviously that didn’t last long, because I am clumsy and quirky and have been for the last seventeen years of my life, just as I have always been Dede. I made my name awkward and inane because even if I called myself Deanna, it still wouldn’t change the fact that I can’t dance an eightcount to save my life and that I trip walking up the stairs at least three times a day. n

70 l Spark l December 19, 2007