October 2010

Focus

3 – Bored of Education’s old rules 4 – Dress code doesn’t add up 6 – Your techno rights

News

9 – Strict new start 10 – Principal comes Out of Africa 12 – Run, Mike, Run. 14 – Your options, made clear

Opinion

15 – Staff editorial 16 – Taking on the army 18 – Rude welcome back 19 – What about these new kids on the block?

Lakewood Life

Photo from 1970 LHS yearbook shows girls in the ‘70s liked their skirts short. It’s hard to tell of they’d pass today’s finger tip test.

Mike Ehredt counts his flags as he makes his many stops across the country, honoring veterans.

Photo by Sam Cross

20 – Going out in style 21 – Volunteers pay it forward

Sports

22 – A new attitude 23 –Trainer program flatlines 25 – All for the love of a horse 26 – New division to conquer 27 – Conditioned to win

Cover

Photo by Lisa Kowalski Photo illustration by Tessa Newbacher Right to left: freshman, Riley Candow, Sophomore, Rae Hengsteler and Sophomore, Noor Sarkis.

Students anticipate the kick-off against North Olmsted.

Photo by Sabrina Suleiman

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staff

The 2010-11 Editorial Board

Fiza Shah Co-Editor in Chief Deven Middleton Co-Editor in Chief Lisa Kowalski Sports Editor, Design Editor Sam Cross News Editor Al Rodriguez Opinion Editor Julia Houska Lakewood Life Editor Andrew O’Connor Web Manager Peter Quigley Co-Lakewood Life Editor Grant Graves Assistant Online Sports Manager Toby Tobin Online Sports Manager Lindsey McEntee Distribution Sabrina Suleiman Co-Online Sports Editor Meredith Richards Public Relations Lily Pollack Assistant Public Relations Matt Majewski Story Idea Archivist Paige Smigelski Assistant Sports Editor fMelissa Gajewski Copy Editor Gwen Stephen Copy Editor Katy Eberl Advertising & Business Manager Tori Chesmar Assitant Business Manager Naseem Shean Assistant Publication Manager Haley McGinty Multimedia Editor Wilson Sackett Assistant Design Editor Grace Coy Photo and Art Coordinator Juan Amador Editorial Board Member Wilson Sackett Editorial Board Member Karen Ballash Adviser

The Lakewood Times

Board of Education supports

UNIFORMITY

By Meredith Richards

There have been a multitude of rumors a possible uniform policy is in the near future.

These rumors do in fact have a basis. At the Lakewood Board of Education meeting on September 7, 2010, one of the topics discussed was uniforms.

Many students and staff have expressed their dissatisfaction with the current dress code. Compliance checks seem to dominant the students’ every day lives. Though from here on out, enforcement may progress to become even more strict.

At the Board of Education meeting, a timeline for uniform implementation was put forth. The timeline stated by August 24, 2011 -- the first day of the 2011 school year --uniforms will be in place. This would mean next August, grades 6-12 in the Lakewood City Schools system would be required to comply with a specific uniform policy.

Though not definite, the discussion pointed toward, at the very least, a more strict dress code. “Uniforms are not for sure, but at least some modification in the dress code will be made for next year,” Dr. Wagner said. “We are still fact-finding.”

This proposed change is sure to upset students, parents, the community and quite possibly the staff. If the Board does decide to implement uniforms, they must give the community six months’ notice.

Many wonder why any change is occurring.

Does the Board think students’ education will benefit because of a stricter dress code

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or uniform policy? Or is it simply to tighten up the image of Lakewood High School?

Previously,“leniency was given,” Wagner said. “But now things have progressed.”

At the meeting, the topic of finances arose.

Would disadvantaged students have to pay for uniforms with their own money? At this same meeting, Dr. Madak- Lakewood City Schools’ superintendent- stated the Lakewood Schools are currently not breaking

cordance with the constitution, financial assistance for the disadvantaged is required.

Depending on the way the Board words the policy they create, they may not be required to pay for the uniforms of disadvantaged students. There are ways for the Board to execute a uniform policy without calling it a “specific uniform policy,” that would not require use of the district’s capital.

Whether it is right for the district to enforce a uniform policy without having to pay for the uniforms of students who cannot afford them, is simply a matter of opinion.

Whether it is even ethical for a public school to enforce a uniform policy in the first place is a question many people throughout the district have been discussing, “I am hoping that whatever the Board decides to do makes students’ lives easier and makes it cheaper for families,” Wagner said.

Whatever the Board Of Education’s intentions are, it seems Lakewood City Schools will inevitably undergo a change, however unwelcome this change may be.

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“I am hoping that whatever the Board decides to do makes students lives easier and makes it cheaper” - Dr. Wagner

even on their budget, and we are “spending more than we have.”

It was estimated that paying for uniforms of families who cannot pay themselves would cost the district $87,000. This is an expense the district would rather not pay and simply cannot afford.

It was suggested in the meeting that the Board desired to implement a uniform policy without being required to pay for the uniforms of economically disadvantaged students.

“The Law does not identify who is in need,” Wagner said.

A PowerPoint was presented showing the statutory requirements regarding uniform policy under the Ohio and United States Constitutional law. If a uniform policy is in ac-

To view this meeting, visit http://lakewoodcityschools.org/content_page2.aspx?cid=51

October 2010

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Uniforms get the grade, Just not the one they wanted

By Melissa Gajewski

Next August, the educational facilities of Lakewood may see their most severe clothing policy increase in history with the implementation of “campus wear.”

Simply put, campus wear is just a slightly less constricting term for school uniforms.

Uniforms or campus wear aren’t exactly rare, though it’s a hard concept to grasp in Lakewood. About 16% of public schools across the nation now educate uniformwearing students. In Cleveland City Schools, 85% now wear uniforms as well -- making it the second largest percentage in an urban district across the United States after New Orleans according to a school-comparison statistics website.

One of main reasons cited for schools to convert to uniforms or to campus wear is simple: better test scores. The theory is if students don’t have to focus on what they’re wearing, or be distracted by what they’re peers are donning, they will pay more attention to the teacher and, in turn, learn more.

In theory, all this supposedly adds up to top scores for the school.

However, clothing uniformity didn’t seem to have the desired, A+ effect on the students of a Columbus-area suburb, Galion, Ohio.

In 2007, the last year before Galion began its campus wear policy, 62.9% of the 151 Galion sophomores scored proficient or higher on the Ohio Graduation Test (OGT) in all five test subjects.

In 2008, the first year of campus wear, only 53.8% of the 143 Galion sophomores scored proficient or higher on the OGT, a 9.1% drop in one year.

Galion is the only city in Crawford County with campus wear, and in 2008, its OGT average percentages were the lowest of all 6 cities making up the county.

The appointment of full campus wear in Galion is partly due to the then-newly-instated Superintendent Kathleen S. Jenney. Hired in 2007, her first major order-of-business for Galion City Schools was campus wear.

Jenney, along with the school board, opted to follow the national statistics, which showed that public school productivity and test scores increased with the implementation of uniforms.

The idea for campus wear in Galion’s was not a split-second decision, nor was it only of Jenney’s making. Like Lakewood, Galion was plagued by dress code stringency for

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Only 53% of Galion’s sophomores scored proficient, or higher, on the OGT -- a 9.1% drop in their first year of campus wear. many years leading up to uniforms, the wearable list of clothing was getting smaller and smaller with each passing September start.

No hoodies, no sweatpants, no athletic shorts. Regimented lengths of skirts and shorts. Proper amounts of exposed cleavage. Frowned-upon sagging pants and disallowed baggy, extra-long t-shirts and polos.

No crazily dyed hair, no piercings anywhere but in the ears.

Was that Galion’s dress code, or Lakewood’s?

Teachers, administrators, students and parents alike in Galion felt the frustrations of Lakewood-esque clothing compliance. This discontentment with the guidelines of apparel led the Galion Board of Education to officially announce their adoption of the campus wear stratagem for all schools in the city, grades 3-12.

A large portion of the 16% of public schools with uniforms are schools from populous, urban areas like New York, Los Angeles, Houston and Philadelphia.

Galion doesn’t exactly match the norm, with a citywide population of only 11,341 people. This shows that uniforms aren’t being exempted from suburbia. When the Lakewood Board of Education says that they may be instituting campus wear next year, it isn’t an empty threat.

The need for uniforms could be questioned

by Lakewood High’s scores on the OGT and other standardized tests. Lakewood’s usual percent of proficiency for the OGT is well above the state average.

But for some, uniforms have benefits besides the supposed increase they inspire in testing.Though it remains to be seen if dress code compliance will be any easier to enforce.

The second ideal of campus wear is it puts all students on an even playing field. This, in theory, is supposed to decrease crimes, suspensions, vandalism and sexual offenses.

Galion’s old dress code: -No hoodies -No sweats -No cleavage over-exposture -No oversized T-shirts -No skirts above the knee -No baggy, sinking pants

Sound familar?

Galion High School

Galion’s new campus wear: -White polos, long or short sleeve, no more than four buttons -Khaki or dark blue pants, must not drag on the ground.

-No piercings anywhere other than in the ear. Studs only, no dangling earings.

-No letter or images on attire larger than 2 and 1/2”.

Galion is the only city in Crawford County with campus wear and in 2008 its OGT average percentages were the lowest of all six cities in the county.

The Lakewood Times

And the numbers are there to come to the defense of uniforms.

In Long Beach, California, crime rates dropped by 91%, suspensions by 90%, vandalism by 69% and sexual offenses by 96% in high schools that switched to uniforms in 1995. Assaults in kindergarten through eighth grade also decreased by 85% from 1994 to 1998.

Public school uniforms rose in popularity during the nineties greatly in part to President Bill Clinton’s inaugural address, in which he gave a clarion call-to-action to all public schools: “If it means that teenagers will stop killing each other over designer jackets, then our public schools should be able to require their students to wear school uniforms.”

This, on top of uniforms’ success in large city districts, is key in the public schools’ uniformity movement.

In 1999, approximately $900 million was spent nationally on uniforms in both public and private schools.

One year later in 2000, that amount rose by 22% to $1.1 billion spent solely on K-12 school uniforms.

The number of schools going along with student-choice wear is growing. Lakewood could very possibly, even probably, become part of that number.

Board members are obviously looking to decrease defiance and crime rates at the high school and the other schools in the city and, in doing so, hopefully increase the learning potential in each classroom. It cannot be denied that uniforms do in fact reduce crime rates system-wide.

What remains to be seen is how the Lakewood public will react to the implementation of campus wear. If the Lakewood population is to mirror the city of Galion in their response, the board can expect a good amount of negative backlash.

The Galion public reception of campus wear was, for the most part, critical and resistant. On GalionLive.com, the city’s website, there were many online forums in which parents openly complained and argued against the new policies. While some liberally complained against the stunting of their children’s social growth and the blocks against visual expression, the most popular outcry was against the pricing of the uniforms.

In the Galion High School handbook, it expressly indicates that the purchase of campus wear is the student’s family’s responsibility, not the school’s. There are some fee exemptions, which include parents or students receiving social security disability benefits or families in the Ohio Works First program (a cash-assistance program for temporarily unemployed Ohioans with fami-

October 2010

lies), but few students in Galion qualified for such dispensations.

The Lakewood City Schools system is looking to avoid most forms of fee exemptions for struggling families as implied by discussion at the September 7, 2010 board meeting.

The campus wear policy in Galion is still only just beginning it’s third year as systemwide policy, so whether or not it will be a success story for the city has yet to be established.

So far, though, Galion statistics are questionable.

Whether or not Lakewood will give in to the campus wear saga is already open to lively public debate.

By Casey Miller

“If it means that teenagers will stop killing each other over designer jackets, then our public schools should be able to require their students to wear school uniforms.”

-- President Bill Clinton

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Local Dress codes, are they uniform?

A comparison of LHS dress code to surrounding schools

By Lindsey McEntee

One item unanimous throughout all the local school dress codes is that no piece of clothing or accessory can be distracting to the learning process or threatening in any way. Also, all garments are subject to further review by the administration. However, most other schools seem to have a more definitive skirts/shorts rule. This is opposite of our subjective “slightly above” wording which seems to cause many students problems depending on their size. In our handbook, the dress code takes up a full page of relatively small text, while all the other schools it took up half of a page at most, showing where Lakewood’s priorities lie. Bay High School re-

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cently implemented a rule banning yoga pants and leggings and the students are outraged.

Bay senior Audrey Shiets recounts when the assistant principal visited different classes

pal heard this, his response was, “If you think you have it bad, then go to Lakewood!”

In the past, our school has been an example of First Amendment freedom where

River said, “We have a fairly minimal dress code so we get very few dress code referrals.

We usually give the student an opportunity to correct the violation instead of a punishment.”

The proportion of dress code referrals our office handles compared to that of Rocky River and Fairview Park is huge.

This means the obvious loss of time that could be spent on many more important things, like taking a calculus test instead of going home to change pants that have a patched hole. If these other schools manage to still be standing with a less intense dress code, why couldn’t ours?

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“If you think you have it bad, then go to Lakewood!” giving the students a chance to ask questions about this new rule and their exact freedom of expression rights, they took the chance to speak up against dress code -- much like Lakewood students have done this year.

When the assistant princi-

students could express their individuality. Now LHS is an example of what no one freedomloving teen wants to become.

When asked how many dress code referrals the office deals with monthly, Assistant Principal Alan Wilhelms of Rocky

Lakewood High School

- Shorts and skorts must be mid-thigh or longer. Skirts must be slightly above the knee or longer.

- Hats, bandanas, sweatbands, or other headwear may not be worn.

- Clothing that is in disrepair, worn out, ripped, or contains holes is not permitted.

- IDs are to be worn upon entering building and throughout the entire school day - Hooded tops may not be worn during the school day.

- Visible body piercing, other than in the ears, may not be worn.

- Unnaturally colored hair, including but not limited to blue, green, purple, etc., is not permitted.

- LHS averaged 92 dress code infractions per month for the 2009-2010 school year.

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The Lakewood Times

Westlake High School - Shorts and skirts must be closer to the knees than to the hips.

- No hats or any head gear, such as bandanas.

- Jeans must not have holes above knees that expose skin.

- Students hair will be clean and well groomed.

Westlake has no ID or hoodie rule stated in the handbook.

Rocky River High School - All pants and shorts are to be worn at one’s true waist.

Shorts must be at mid-thigh or longer. All shorts must be hemmed. Excessively short or cut-off shorts are not permitted.

- Hats and/or any type of head covering or bandanas may not be worn during normal school hours.

- Clothes with holes or shreds are not permitted. * Chains or spiked jewelry of any type are not permitted.

“Realistically we really only deal with maybe 1-2 dress code referrals a week.”

- Alan Wilhelms, Associate Principal

North Olmsted High School - Skirts and shorts of appropriate size, length (fingertip length), fit and propriety are permissible -Head coverings, bandanas and hats are not to be worn in the building during school hours and are to be in lockers Exceptions may be made for approved medical or religious reasons.

- Holes in clothing are not permissible during school hours or at school sponsored activites (sweatpants worn cannot have any writing on the seat). * No excessive or distracting use of make-up permitted.

October 2010

Bay Village High School - Students are permitted to wear shorts and skirts of appropriate length.

- Coats, sunglasses, gloves, scarves, “rags”, hats or other head coverings, or head gear, may not be worn at school from the time a student enters the building until 3:11 p.m.

- Ripped jeans are permitted.

- Hoodies are permitted. *Shoes must be worn at all times. Shoes with wheels are prohibited at Bay High School.

Fairview Park High School - Fingertip Guideline: Shorts and skirts must reach below the thumb tips while student is standing tall and straight.

- Hats, sweatbands, and any head-coverings are not to be worn during the school day.

- No rips in jeans are permitted.

- Students are not required to wear/carry ID. - Hoodies are permitted. * Full-length sweatpants are permissible Fairview has not considered uniforms in the past nor has plans for the future. They report 2-4 dress code referrals a month.

John Marshall High School

(Cleveland Metropolitan School District)

- No hoods, all shirts must be tucked in.

- Females: blouses with collars, polos with collars, turtle necks or oxford tops (blue, white, approved colors, no logos). Skirts, jumpers, slacks, shorts, capris, all must be knee length or longer (dark blue, navy, black, khaki, tan).

- Males: dress shorts, polo shirts, oxford button-down, shirts with collars or turtlenecks (same colors). Pants, or knee-length shorts (same colors).

- A sweater, cardigan, pull-over or vest is permitted.

- A belt is required for everything with belt loops.

- No headgear, including but not limited to, scarves, hats, rags or wraps.

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Response to contest shows Lakewood’s got humor & talent Last spring, the Times received an offer we couldn’t refuse. A group of local art-lovers, known as The Gallery Group, offered us a one-time stipend.

When they asked Lakewood alumni and former editorial cartoonist, Ed Fresca to speak, he very graciously refused the $200 stipend offered to him.

In his honor, The Gallery Group donated his speaking fee to The Times to fulfill a need we had for high quality political cartoons.

We held an informational meeting that more than 20 artists attended. The same general assignment was given to all with the added invective to show wit, irony, attitude --and their own views on the subject of uniforms as LHS. Twelve artists responded and you can see throughout this issue and in our online gallery (www.lakewoodtimes.net) that LHS has talent.

While we can only pay two artists, all were asked to continue contributing their work.Meanwhile, you will be seeing a lot more work from Danielle Curran and Tessa Newbacher, our two first place finishers.

By Tessa Newbacher

By Matt Majewski

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By Liam O’Brien

The Lakewood Times

By Danielle Curran

By Audrey Bates

By Elizabeth Taucher

October 2010

focus 9

Faces in the

Hallway: Student opinion on dress code Information collected by Fiza Shah

Tori Himes Sophomore “[Getting our privilege of being able to wear what we want] depends on what the student body does. If we show that we can follow dresscode now, we might earn it back.”

Bree Ortiz Senior “To an extent, [they had a right to be so strict] because of what happened last year, but that doesn’t mean they can send kids home for small holes in their jeans.”

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Sophia Kilgallou freshmen “It’s ridiculous that you can’t wear jeggings. It’s only distracting if peole are wearing really inappropriate clothing. But, not if they’re just small holes. I would rather have uniforms.”

Christie Bribourg Senior “The only reason they want dress codes because they want us to look good.”

Maureen MacGregor senior

Sarah Hoefke senior

“I think it’s ridiculous. Hoods especially when it’s cold.

I wouldn’t mind uniforms, but I like my own clothes. It wouldn’t be fair to have to pay for the uniforms though,”

“It’s gone too far. We can’t even express ourselves. I don’t think what other people wear affects anyone but the people wearing the clothes.”

Christine Bruno senior

Janelle Luster junior

“[The strict dress code] is wasting kids’ time and is distracting from school work. We can’t even wear spirit wear because it’s against the dress code.”

“Yeah, we should have uniforms because then kids won’t be pulled out of class and will have better attendance.”

Pat Hoffert junior “Uniforms would be very limiting as well. We shouldn’t have to wear uniforms in public schools.”

Sarah Eash sophomore “Some of us came to public school for a reason. We want freedom of expression. [Wearing sweatpants is] just more comfortable, not distracting.”

The Lakewood Times

What are your rights when your cell phone is taken?

By Fiza Shah

Most students site the First Amendment when asked why they feel the dress code is inappropriate.

They site the Fourth Amendment to explain why administrators should not be able to look through a student’s bookbag.

But do they really have these rights?

Many of the rights students claim as their own, are really not protected under the constitution.

The Fourth Amendment states, “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”

The key words are “search and seizure” and “probable cause.”

This means, for example, a police officer is not allowed to search a car without suspicion of criminal activity.

However, do these rights apply to the student body at LHS? This question is often invoked when it comes to student technology use.

“What we try to do is provide technology -- as much as possible -- to the student for application in research, obviously word processing skills and things like that,” said Dr. Bill Wagner.

“So whenever we provide technology access, we are restricted or required by federal law to provide certain levels of protection.”

Wagner refers to the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) that went into effect on April 20, 2001.

This law requires that schools filter student internet use.

There have been many cases throughout the course of United States Justice System that call into question the rights of minors, especially those of students.

What many schools use to defend their action is the idea of “in loco parentis.’ This means that the school acts in place of the parent or guardian

October 2010

for the student as long as he or she remains within the ‘custody’ of the school. Therefore, certain rights of students can be suppressed by the school in order to maintain a productive and safe learning environment.

At Piscataway Township High School, on March 7, 1980,

t w o students were caught smoking in the bathroom, an area not predetermined as a smoking area. The girls were taken to the principal’s office by a teacher. Both were asked if they had been smoking; while one girl admitted to smoking, the other denied all accusations, saying she had never smoked in her life.

Theodore Choplick, assistant vice principal, searched through the second girl’s purse, and found marijuana pipe, rolling papers, a lot of one dollar bills, and a list of students that seemingly owed her money. She was taken to the police office.

The case was taken to the Supreme Court, which decided that schools didn’t need warrants to search student property, but they do need prior suspicion.

In a letter addressed to the Ohio School Board Association, the Ameri-

can Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) legal director Jeffrey M. Gamso stated that schools are allowed to confiscate phones, returning them to the student at the end of the day.

“But the schools cannot, without unreasonable and particularized suspicion at the inception, conduct searches of student phones,” said Gamso in the same letter.

“They cannot simply go on fishing expeditions through the phones content on the chance (or in the hope) of discovering things that will be troubling to the officials.”

However, according to John Crane, District Security Supervisor, the school doesn’t normally go through phones.

“If we take a phone, it gets returned at the end of the day, or, if it’s more than one offense, the parents have to come and get it,” said Crane.

He said that, unless the administration has prior suspicion of a student violation of law or student code of conduct, the school will not search through the phone.

Dr. Wagner agrees. “It depends on whether or not it was precipitated in school or has a direct impact on school. If it was something that was done off school time, but was precipitated in school,” said Wagner, “it is under the jurisdiction of the school authority and student code of conduct and discipline could be asserted.”

Crane says the school would report legally-incriminating evidence to the police department.

Dave Acklin, a police officer with the Lakewood City Police Department and a school resource officer at LHS explains that the police department “is held to a different standard than the school. If we want to look through a phone, as a police department, we have to get a search warrant. We can’t just look through anyone’s phone randomly.”

To obtain said warrant, evidence must be submitted, explaining the reason for suspicion. The officer must also explain what is being searched for. All of this information must be presented to a judge, who will determine whether the request for a warrant is reasonable or not.

Nonetheless, teachers are not allowed to look through cell phones. “Any time a teacher comes in contact with something like this, we recommend they refer it to the administrators.”

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Authority gets strict for new school year

By Al Rodriguez It started on the first day of school. Students file into the civic seats to hear welcome back, goals for the year, review old rules, and learn some new ones. Standard procedure, but the end of this first day brings outrage.

By the end of the week, the discontent has only grown. For students, the new policies and strict enforcement is too much, too soon. For administration, the song remains the same. With the exception of a few new rules, their job hasn’t changed: they’re enforcing the same rules they’ve had from day one.

For LHS students, the atmosphere of the new school year is different.

“It’s too much,” junior Athena Ermidis said.

“I know we have modifications [to school policy] each year, but every year it seems to get more strict.”

Conner McCready, junior, feels authority is going too far as well. “There has been a definite increase [in strictness] since last year, “McCready said. “Teachers, principals, and security are all a lot more strict with the rules.”

Dr. Bill Wagner, LHS principal, doesn’t see an increase in enforcement from the administration’s side. Wagner views enforcement of school rules like a scale.

“Sometimes students think that we weigh heavily on the enforcement side,” Wagner said, “And sometimes we do. It lets us balance out the good and bad and send the message home.”

The biggest reasons for student anger are two new policies introduced this school year: no hoodies on campus, and no iPods whatsoever. Wagner says these policies were necessary because students didn’t heed the warnings they received last year, hoodies in particular.

“Students had a year long lead time on this,” Wagner said. “We asked, “take off the hoodies when you get in the building.” That wasn’t happening on a regular basis. We had several incidents where kids weren’t willing to comply with the leniency that was given.”

Wagner adds that for hoodies and dress code, the majority of students aren’t the problem.

“I feel bad for that 95 percent [of students who follow the rules]. They have to hear all of the flak.” Wagner said. “I think they’re tired of the drama.”

McCready disagrees with the majorityrules philosophy.

“I think it’s ridiculous that the least-behaved

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kids decide what we can and can’t do,” McCready said.

Brian Brink, senior, disagrees with the idea that most students are law-abiding.

“Ninety-five percent don’t follow the rules,” Brink said. “When good people break a rule, it’s a bad rule. When the bad [people] break a rule, they’re just the [same] rules that have [always] been there.”

Did the LHS student body really ruin it for themselves?

Some think there’s little blame to be shared.

“I’d say that the only thing that was really [the student body’s] fault was the hoodie issue,” Ermidis said. “We walked all over that.

But I can’t really blame us too much. Hoodies are too convenient.” iPods are a different story. A privilege used by many, being able to listen to iPods between class changes, in study halls, and during self-direct is now banned. iPods, MP3 players, and other technology is now prohibited from all outside-of-class situations.

“I don’t agree with the new rules at all,” McCready said, “Music is the biggest part of my life, and I think that music is something that helps kids focus [when they can listen to it]. I don’t understand what problems they’re causing, and why because of a few bad instances it’s assumed that everyone misuses their iPod.” What’s the harm with an iPod? It’s all about safety, according to Wagner.

“You need to be able to hear what’s around you,” Wagner said. “It creates an unsafe situation. You need to be able to hear people talking to you in the hall, people behind you, around you.”

Some LHS students agree with the administration’s view, to an extent. Senior Ian Schulz is one of them.

“I know they are trying to make it a safer and a more productive environment,” Schulz

By Sarah Neff

said, “but being disciplined for listening to a song between a class change puts me a little over the edge.”

What about self directs and study halls?

Senior Brian Brink sees this as an infringement of student rights.

“We have every right to listen to an iPod in [self direct/study hall].” Brink said. “It’s not a class. And if Dr. Wagner says it is, then I want a credit for it. People with iPods in self direct are the least disruptive people. They’re focused on themselves, maybe trying to sleep or do homework. I know that’s what I did.”

For now, the policies are here to stay. The age of leniency has passed, and students are left to deal with the consequences of their actions. Wagner knows students may not be happy, but will continue to do his job as principal.

“It’s a tricky line to walk,” Wagner said.

“We’ve been given different levels of administrative enforcement from the board, and those are up to our interpretation. The expectation is that the student code of conduct will be followed. I can’t change board policy or code of conduct.”

Will the day come where iPods and hoodies can be found in the halls of LHS? Maybe.

“Actions speak louder than words,” Wagner said. “Whatever privileges you want, channel that through your student council.”

The Lakewood Times

Post-secondary gives a second option

By Taylor Graham

Ever wonder how you’re going to afford college? Wonder why you’re wasting your time sitting in high school with nothing to do?

Well, for underclassmen, there’s something you should know!

Many students meet the high school graduation requirements early, and end up taking extra classes, placing them ahead of the game.

However, many haven’t heard of the Post Secondary Enrollment Option Program (PSEOP).

It is a program for high school students to get a jump-start on college. College classes can be taken at either Cleveland State University or Cuyahoga Community College, and are all paid for by the high school. Many students use this program to save money.

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PESOP saves time as well.

Instead of spending all year with period fillers, you can take classes that will actually help you prepare for your future.

In order to sign up for PESOP, students must talk to your guidance counselor in the beginning of your junior year. Students then fill out college applications, send in their transcript and pay any application fees that the school may have.

Once the applications are submitted and paper work filled, students would find out which colleges accepted them.

After that, students can go to the college campus to sign up for classes and orientations.

In order to take PSEOP you must have taken the OGT, and the ACT or SAT. There is also a

Compass test you can take at the college that will tell you if you are eligible. Of course, getting good grades is also important if you wish to be on PSEOP. Those enrolled in the program must keep their GPA up in order to enroll. Colleges expect applicants to have at least a 2.5 GPA. Some students choose to take half a day of college classes and the and other half at high school in order to stay connected with the school. Even if a student chooses to enroll full time at a college they can still take part in all the LHS clubs, dances and all sporting events.

It’s time to start thinking about your future. Jumping to the senior to sophomore program may or may not be the best path for you. That’s why the high school

provides you with more options for getting ahead. Lakewood High provides a program for students to earn college credit while attending high school full time.

The West Shore Career Tech Program has a variety of classes that are aimed toward a possible career choice. The classes range from three to more class periods a day. Not only are participants getting high school credit but also college credit.

news 13

Flagging down Mike Ehredt A man honoring America’s veterans

By Sam Cross

“One life. One flag. One mile.”

This is a motto a man has been living by for the past five months, and will continue to live by until October, and surely long after.

On May first, Mike Ehredt of Idaho set out in Astoria, Oregon with a jogging stroller, a GPS and the clothes on his back with one sight set in mind.

The Lakewood girls’ cross country team met Ehredt in Brunswick to support him on his 4,514 mile journey across the United States, in honor of those who have fallen in the War, in Iraq. For every mile Ehredt runs, he places one flag and continues his personal tribute, running nearly 30 miles a day.

“I run 99% of the time,” Ehredt said. “You get used to it. After a while, it’s like a job. You just get up and go.”

Ehredt uses his iphone to follow the route he has to take to get from one state to another.

“I just follow where the yellow line tells me to go,” Ehredt said.

Ten minutes before meeting with the team, Ehredt dropped his iphone and shattered the front screen. Thankfully, Lakewood girl’s cross-country coach,

14 news

Stepha n i e Toole, w a s able t o take Ehredt to the nearest Apple store.

“They fixed his phone for free,” Toole said. “The phone tech was an ex-marine. They fixed it so fast, it was amazing.”

Toole has been waiting over a year for Ehredt to stay at her home with her family. Because of Toole’s son, Jay, and his idea to bike across the United States, Toole was encouraged to look up information online.

“As I was looking, I found a link to Mike’s website,” Toole said.

While reading about the journey Ehredt was soon to tackle, it made Toole think about a boy she used to coach, Danny Sherry.

Sherry ran on Toole’s middle school track team at St. Mark, and to this day continues to hold the 4 by 100 meter race record.

Sherry was also a soldier, and at 20 years old, his life was taken from him.

“It was a freak accident. he was electrocuted [while] in Iraq,” Toole said.

“He wasn’t even in combat [when he died].”

After looking through Ehredt’s route and seeing that he himself is an army veteran, Toole decided to offer her home as a place to stay while passing through Ohio. “I emailed him, he called me back, I offered, and he agreed to stay with us,” Toole said.

On Ehredt’s website (www. projectamericarun.com), there’s a location for every flag he has placed. Sherry was the name on one of Ehredt’s flags.

“I followed [Ehredt] and kept

checking his website,” Toole said. Danny’s flag was placed about 16 miles outside of Ehredt’s hometown, in Idaho.

On the day Ehredt placed Sherry’s flag, it was a downpour from sun up to sun down. Ehredt wished he could have placed the flag on a better day, where the sun was shining. According to Sherry’s mother however, Sherry loved the rain, and ever since April 17, 2009, his mother has called every rainy day a Danny Sherry day. “Danny lived for a rainy day. It was his favorite time to run and play football,” Toole said. “The day Mike placed his flag, that was a Danny Sherry day.”

Ehredt is a biker, a personal trainer and has pretty much run all of his life. “He’s an endurance athlete,” Toole said. Before beginning his journey, Ehredt admitted to not doing any specific training beforehand. “[Ehredt] always stayed connected as the war progressed,” Toole said. “He wondered what he could do to help this. He always wanted to run across the U.S, and he thought, why not for the soldiers?”

Ehredt didn’t want massive media or a lot of attention, it was his personal tribute. “ It wasn’t about him,” Toole said. “It was about the soldiers.”

Along with Ehredt’s belongings, his stroller contains bundles of sharpened American flags with a yellow tag attached to each. Every tag holds the name, rank, service, age and hometown of individuals who lost their life fighting and defending. It took Ehredt three years of planning before leaving his home, and over a year to make the flags.

Ehredt put together a team of friends to help him with things

The Lakewood Times

Lakewood girls cross country team gathers around Ehredt in a local Brunswick parking lot.

he was unable to do himself. He had someone make his website, someone to help set up his navigation system, and someone to help figure out where he needed things to be mailed to him.

The flags Ehredt carried came in bundles of 50 and are mailed ahead of time. Ehredt also gets his shoes mailed to him.

During his journey, Ehredt has formed a row of tied shoelaces on the handle of his stroller for every pair he has worn. “These are my fifteenth pair of shoes,” Ehredt said, looking down at his feet.

Ohio was Ehredt’s ninth state crossing through. He made it only having to deal with a flat tire twice. “It took me about four states to realize drinking Gatorade was giving me a cramp in my right calf...I drink lots of water.” Along with water, Ehredt admitted to drinking more than 25 gallons of chocolate milk through out his run thus far.

In the hot summer months, Ehredt ate salt pills because of excessive sweating. He also eats a lot of energy gels while staying away from heavy foods. “I burn about 200 calories per hour,” Ehredt said.

Besides the heat,

October 2010

the weather hasn’t been a problem for Ehredt. “I haven’t used my rain coat since July second.”

While running ten to eleven minute miles, Ehredt comes across many people who stop to watch him pass, take pictures, or even talk about people they know who he has placed a flag

Ehredt shows his shoe strings resembling every pair of shoes worn so far through-out his journey.

for. Ehredt stayed with the Tooles for one night and was back on the road again by 7:30 the next morning. “We loved it,” Toole said. “My husband enjoyed it, the kids [enjoyed it], and he told a lot of great stories.”

“I’ve stayed on a reservation... that was kind of cool,”

Ehredt holds out his hand to show three charms he found on the ground near his running stroller.

All photos by Sam Cross

Ehredt said. Ehredt also stayed at a house who’s family lived by a Lake in Washington, where a scene from one of the Twilight movies was filmed.

The Tooles still keep in contact with Ehredt. “I got a thank you note in the mail. He wants us to come out to the Grand Canyon,” Toole said. “ He offered for us to stay at his house, right by the lake.”

Since Ehredt has started his venture, more soldiers have fallen. Ehredt will continue to run for them and place their flags, too.

One day while stopping for a bathroom break, Ehredt left his gear unaccompanied before entering the woods. When he came back, he found three silver charms shaped like hearts next to one of the back tires of his stroller, forming a perfect triangle. When Ehredt picked them up, he recognized each one was engraved with something different: life, luck, and love.

Whether the charms were placed there by the hand of a Samaritan, or had already been there coincidentally, Ehredt put them safe in a pocket with his 14 dollars in found change, looked up, and kept on running.

news

15

LAST CHANCE

uniform uniform uniform for self-expression uniform INDIVIDUALITY uniform uniform uniform uniform uniform uniform uniform uniform uniform uniform uniform uniform uniform uniform

By Haley McGinty

Over our 4 years in high school, things change. It’s inevitable. You change, friends change, classes change, and the rules change.

And sometimes, they change so rapidly, it’s almost like you have changed schools.

This year, many students have come to realize the administration is not joking around about dress code compliance. It has come to their attention that we, the student body, have done nothing but find each loophole we possibly can to get away with our very own styles. Can they blame us? From “jeggings,” to hoodies folded underneath our jackets, it’s no wonder the administration is finally cracking down. But to the students, this is no fair game.

“I don’t see why my nose ring is an issue,” senior, Emmalee Rineheart said. “I had to go out and buy a clear nose stud in order to [avoid] getting suspended.”

This is the case many students are facing. Buying new clothes, jackets and jewelry just to avoid the new and improved consequences. And after this year, it’s only going to get worse.

Through the past four years, the administration has seen nothing but students ignoring the dress code. Because of the latest fashions and wardrobe choices, the board has decided instead of suspending those who have broken dress code, they are going to take the action they have been threatening since day one. Uniforms.

While few kids may approve of uniforms, to others, the thought

16 opinion

makes them cringe. “I came to Lakewood from a Catholic middle school, so I know what it is like to get up everyday, and wear the same thing,” senior, Emily Buelow said. “It is actually really easy, I never had to pick out an outfit.”

At the September seventh board meeting, a timeline was proposed for the introduction of uniforms to Lakewood City Schools. This timeline was shown to begin on the first day of school, August 2011. Why so drastic, why so fast? Many students are wondering the same thing, especially the underclassmen.

Teachers are always telling students to get creative, and show their true personality. Now with the new dress code about to be put in order, our school will look just like any other school, all the same, all uniform. No inspiring new styles, no more “first day of school” or “picture day” outfits.

Boring khakis, white polos, and a pair of slip on shoes are soon to be the only colors sighted in the hallways of LHS. For the most part, students at Lakewood work hard to get things done, and keep their grades up.

I don’t have any that the clothes they wear, or the “look” they uphold have an effect on how hard the students work.

Once uniforms come into place, all self-expression will be eliminated. Kids will have lost the last thing that helped them stand out.

It is up to us, the students, to get up and attend school everyday. It is our choice to succeed in school, therefore it should be our choice, as students, if we want to wear “jeggings” or have

a funky colored streak in our hair.

If our parents are okay with it, then why should the administration care? It isn’t hurting anyone that I have a nose ring, and no one’s nose ring has an affect on me. The students don’t see a problem with most, or any of the clothes that are being excluded from the dress code. We as students believe we are having our wardrobes taken away because of what the board and administration thinks “could happen” or “looks unpresentable.” This is what makes the students so sad, and most likely the same reason why they are acting out when it comes to the clothes they wear.

Students who are cold are still going to wear, or at least try to wear, hoodies in the winter. Students with nose rings and crazy colored hair are still going to go as drastic as they can before they are submitted to ISA. It won’t be long before the administration is more concerned about what I am wearing and sending me home, rather than how much class time I am actually missing, or whether or not I’m learning anything.

This uniform issue does not entirely affect the class of 2011.

The seniors will be continuing on with their lives, before they have to worry about a dress code. But we will forever be known as the last class of LHS to show their self-expression, at least through their closet. If the board does follow in the suggested timeline, uniforms will be in full affect come next school year. And no matter how hard the students try, this will not change.

The Lakewood Times

Times Staff Editorial: Sometimes, silence is golden There are a lot of angry people out there. People who refuse to take “no” for an answer, but still do. People who want change. Chances are, you’re one of those people.

Now, you have choices. You can channel your anger positively, or take it out in the wrong way, on the wrong people.

The dress code is getting ridiculous. The idea that students can’t listen to their iPods in study halls and self directs is just as bad. As students of LHS, children of our parent/guardian’s households, and citizens of the United States, we deal with rules we don’t like on a daily basis.

That doesn’t mean it’s right to be rude and turn our anger into disrespect.

In the halls, classes, and now on the web, students are banding together for what they see as their rights. New policies and the feeling that enforcement has gone too far are fueling it. This has driven students to stand up and speak out. Websites and Facebook groups have popped up calling for students to fight for their interests. These pages call for students to take back what’s theirs. This is slanderous, disrespectful, misinformed, and misguided. It’s also unnecessary.

Student unification is important. It gives us a sense of community. However, these attempts of unification are nearing insanity. Disgruntled students are eager for change through whatever means necessary. To these young revolutionaries, changing a standing school policy is as satisfying overthrowing a corrupt and oppressive government.

But, there’s more than one way to change the world.

There is a proper time, place, and method for everything.

Our time for student forum is coming. Administration is already setting up the means. We can solve these issues. We have the First Amendment right to free speech. We have the ability to speak our minds in a positive way. What some of us are missing, however, is the judgment to realize what is appropriate, and what isn’t. We’re allowed to be angry, and have a rational argument.

If students want a change, respect is a must. Calling for a rebellion against the administration, board, and their policies is ignorant. Trashing rules that “oppress” us will only set us farther away from our goal of change.

To think that the protests of students go unheard by the administration and Dr. Wagner is silly. They’re aware of our anger. The students who have formally presented their gripes to Dr. Wagner have been met with warm reception.

Our chance to speak up is coming soon. This chance may be lost if the board and administration see nothing but contempt and rudeness towards them.

Stand together to change the rules through diplomacy.

Take your argument to Dr. Wagner, your student council, and your peers. If you feel that strongly, write the Times. We’re more than happy to present your side.

Turn your anger into something useful. These policies weren’t our fault. Only five percent of the student body caused these changes. Now, a different five percent may just doom the chance of any change for the rest of us.

Times Editorial Policy As preservers of democracy, our schools shall protect, encourage, and enhance free speech and the exchange of ideas as a means of protecting our American way of life. The Times and its staff are protected by, and bound to, the principles of the First Amendment and other protections and limitations afforded by the Constitution and the various court decisions implementing those principles.

It is the mission of The Lakewood Times, the official newsmagazine of Lakewood High School, to serve as a public forum that promotes the gathering and exchange of ideas, and uphold high journalistic standards for the purpose of enriching the lives of our readers.

The Times is established as an open forum for student expression and as a voice in the uninhibited, free and open discussion of issues. The Times will not be reviewed or restrained prior to publication. Content of the Times, therefore, reflections only the views of the student staff or individual students and not school officials. Students may use online media to educate, inform, and entertain their readers. Both the school and the cyber community are entitled to the same protections and subject to the same freedoms and responsibilities, as all other student media outlined in this policy. Online media are forums for self-expression and are similar to traditional media, in their freedoms, responsibilities, and professional obligations. As such they will not be subject to prior review or restraint. Student journalists may use online media to report news and information, to communicate with other students and individuals, to question and consult with experts, and to locate material, to meet their newsgathering and research needs.

The Times, and staff, will strive to avoid publishing any material determined by student editors or the student editorial board to be unprotected, that is, material that is libelous, obscene, materially disruptive of the school process, an unwarranted invasion of privacy, a violation of copyright laws or electronic manipulations changing the essential truth of the photo or illustrations. Other obligations can be found in the handbook available to each student. The Times adviser will not act as a censor.

If questions arise over specific copy as defined within this policy, student journalists will seek the advice of the communications attorney from the Student Press Law Center. The Times editorial board as a whole will be responsible for determining editorial opinions, which represent the opinions of a majority of the editorial board. No single member of the Times can be held responsible for editorial content decisions. The Times is a tool in the learning process of journalism and operates as a learning laboratory. Any student may be a member of the staff, with or without prior journalism experience or enrollment on the staff for credit. As a forum for student expression, the Times will publish all letters to the editor, provided they are 300 words or less and contain the author’s name, house, and address. On occasion, we will publish letters using the “name withheld” providing the Times editor, or a team editor, knows the author’s identity.

We reserve the right to withhold a letter or column and return it for more information if we determine it contains items of unprotected speech as defined by this policy. Letters will be edited for spelling and grammar. Should a letter contain errors in fact, excessive grammatical errors or be too long, it will be returned to the author for re submission. Deadlines for letters and columns will be no later than ten days before the next publication date. The Times may choose to report student, staff, faculty, and alumnus deaths as he editorial board is made aware of them. We reserve the right to decide not to cover a death based on relevance, timeliness and circumstances. In cases where the editorial board decided not to cover death, letters to the editor in regard to that death could be printed.

October 2010

opinion 17

As Tori tells it:

Students encounter a rather rude welcome

By Tori Chesmar

The first day at Lakewood High School is interesting, but usually with a twisted guide.

You’re either really excited about or dreading the first day of school.

It’s about ninety-five degrees outside and you’re already sweating. (Luckily, you put on that manly or girly deodorant.) Its seven forty five A.M and you’re half asleep because you barely slept the night before.

As you walk through the door, a security guard is already yelling at you for wearing a hoodie or not wearing an I.D. “Dude, chill out, it’s the first day” Your eyes start bulging out because the security guard woke you up for the second time.

You notice the giant collection of hoodies in the recycle bin by the main door. It looks like Mount. Everest.

You want to get a locker, so you got to school a little earlier. Suddenly, boom! The line is out the door!

You, look at the clock and realize, “Ugh, I won’t have time!” Problems and first period even started. The new rule enforcement at Lakewood High School is really difficult and unfair.

On the first day, students were already getting sent home for violating dress code.

Shouldn’t the school really lay off on the first day? Shouldn’t the staff relax instead of flipping out on us? Or at least approach us politely? An aggressive approach is only going to make student behavior worse and create a bad attitude.

A friendly welcome back could have started off our new school year with enthusiasm.

Now, most students at LHS are sick of the rules and are simply unhappy. The student body has dropped dead and is done arguing about the dress code and rules.

Your first few days at school with your new schedule can be confusing because you have to figure out which hallways to go down and what stairways to go up. Many LHS students know the aggravation of walking to class, the

18 opinion

new kids don’t.

As you walk to class, there are new freshmen who are lost, the kids who like to chat with their friends in the middle of the hall way, tons of groups that walk slow, then there’s students who have their swag going.

I’m sorry to tell the new students who are lost, move faster! If, you’re going to chat with your friends then move to the side of the wall.

I rather not be late. To the students with their swag going, please move faster, it’s really annoying and I know you’re trying to be cool and all but still, come on.

I don’t think Dr. Wagner or any of the staff know that six minutes isn’t enough. With all the probelms I just listed, sometimes you will not be to your class on time, or maybe I should kick their ankles so they walk faster.

Seems, like a good idea to me.

Then sometimes there’s always a wonderful surprise from Mr. Siftar. “This is a hall freeze, please direct all tardy students to the nearest house office” Wow, I just simply love hearing that for the millionth time. Maybe, I should smile when I receive a referral for my tardiness. I really wish that the teachers or the principles could test walking to class from every area, while carrying a five hundred pound book bag.

We’ll have our good days and our bad days, we just have to deal with them. As the school days pass on, you begin to learn which teachers are “cool”, and which teachers are strict. You know you’re going to start taking notes eventually, but the first day?

Seriously? We just spent our summer having fun. Unless, you have a blast when you take notes. Some of my friends had a test on the following Monday. You are still on disconnect.That is just insane. Teachers need to consider our side.

I believe that the new enforcement at LHS is really stupid. It’s getting out of control. It seems that every week there’s a new rumor going around about a new rule. Like with North Face jackets, homecoming dresses, Jeggings, and jackets with a hood. Most teachers are sick of it. They are tired of telling kids about the dress code. They want to teach already. It’s not only the students, it’s the teachers too, and also parents.

Lakewood High School students felt that the staff was acting completely rude and unwelcoming. I really wonder what it was like for a first day for a totally new student. I hope you enjoyed your rude welcoming back Lakewood High School Students!

Art by Casey Miller

The Lakewood Times

Don’t call me rude, boy

By Paige Smigelski

“Good morning. How are you?”

Saying these words is not difficult and it could make someone’s day. But these friendly greetings seem to be forgotten in the busy hallways of Lakewood High.

English teacher Mr. Overholt said, “Good

morning,” to every student who walked by.

Most everyone ignored him except for Junior Kelly McKee, who replied back. He gave her a mint and said, “Thank you for responding.”

Overholt conducted this “experiment” to see if there was a change in students’ attitudes when they noticed you received a prize for your actions. “It’s almost like they needed something tangible to hold on to.” It seems when students are rewarded for being polite, they are more likely to be polite. Shouldn’t the pleasure of another person’s smile be reward enough for being courteous?

It seems everyone should have responded and said “hello” to him. Our teachers deserve respect for all they do for us and they should have some recognition in the hallways.

The lack of good manners is not only be-

tween student and teacher. Many students are disrespectful to their peers as well. “Some students seem to mock others for being different,” said math teacher Mrs. Harreld.

How much nicer would the halls be if everyone took a second of their time to be kind to another person? Overholt believes that the atmosphere would be “Lighter and better.

Students would want to come to school.”

So next time someone says “Hello” remember your manners and give a little smile in return. It might make their day, or yours.

The new kid on the block

By Sarah Ghose

Everyone knows what it’s like to be the new kid. Everyone knows how hard it is to find friends in a group of people you don’t know. Everyone knows the joy in having someone approach you when no one else has even taken the time to even give you eye contact. Everyone knows the relief you feel when you finally find the place where you feel you belong. We’ve all been there, so why aren’t we helping out the ones who are in that position now?

Lakewood High School certainly has a reputation for being diverse and accepting of pretty much everything. It also has a great educational program to offer all those who attend. However, it can be hard for someone coming into the school to see all of this opportunity when they’re faced with the problem of adjusting to a new school. This obstacle can get in the way of any desire to belong to something when newcomers aren’t really all that sure what exactly it is they can belong

October 2010

to.

From any newcomer’s perspective, there is no “orientation” for newcomers in grades 10-12, only one for those who are incoming freshmen. A welcoming committee of sorts could potentially be a great way to help people new to LHS in these grades adapt to their new school environment. The question is, “Why doesn’t such a thing exist?”

In an interview with guidance staff facilitator, Emmy Young, it was discovered that there has in fact been a newcomer’s club here at LHS in the past which was headed by guidance counselor, Mrs. Hoopes. When asked her opinion on this club, Young said that it was a good idea if the members of the club would actually stick around for more than a few meetings. She said that when the club did exist, it lasted a time span of six weeks and was unsuccessful due to the members’ lack of commitment. Young concluded with saying that this club is an excellent idea that will make the adjustment to a new school much easier and that the success of this club could be reached by a program of a couple of weeks (rather than the previous six weeks) at a couple days a week.

The goal behind the pre-existing newcomer’s club was to introduce new students to one another and help them to adapt and become familiar with their new environment.

The downfall of it did indeed fall onto the shoulders of the very members themselves.

Though this may have happened in the past, why should it affect the newcomers to LHS today? Why should they be punished for oth-

ers’ lack of commitment and have to miss out on such a wonderful opportunity?

In a second interview with Hoopes, it was found that she thought a club such as this one would help people connect with one another and would add to a positive school environment for those new to the building. When asked if she would reinstate this club, Hoopes said that she and her intern, Ms. Storcoiu from Cleveland State University, were already looking into the possibility of creating another such club in the following 2011-2012 school year.

The plan for motivation in the reinstated club is for it to have fun, social activities such as newcomers picnics and whatever else it is that the students wish to put together, making it an enjoyable experience for those who decide to stick around through all of the club’s meetings.

It was concluded that the benefits of this proposal are seen by both counselors yet the doubt of its success due to the tendency of students to quit showing up to meetings discourages the idea from being followed through with.

Perhaps the fault is not all within the faculty but in the student body as well. It will definitely take an effort from both the student body and the faculty to make this idea come to life.

However, it can be done and will undoubtedly make a difference to those who take advantage of the opportunity and gain a smooth transition along with a few new friends who make the transition with them.

opinion 19

FACE

It’s just advertising

By Andrew O’Connor

Visit our website lakewoodtmes.net to view video of the Navy Band concert.

20 opinion

Twice in a matter of three school days, we had the honor of being presented with a free concert by one of the Navy bands and a presentation by the Army. Some view this as a waste of time. This should be seen as an honor.

Many feel it is wrong that the Navy and Army came in to do these presentations that were for recruiting purposes.

What’s wrong with this?

Having these presentations is no different that having career connections as a required class, like it once was.

How can anyone in this school be against our armed forces coming in to talk to students? Would you be angry if firefighters came in to talk about their job? What about police? My guess is no one would have an issue with it. Why is this so different?

Recruitment is advertising.

You show off what you have, and try to get people to buy.

Everyone does this. Every company has benefits and opportunities to offer their employees.

The military is willing to help pay for college education if you enlist. Who is supposed to receive this message, 30-year-old parents? No. The message is for high school students that may not have other options. It’s not a matter of the military coming to the school. In the 1985 movie “Top Gun”, based on Navy aviators, there are Navy posters displayed throughout

the movie that say things like “Its not a job. It’s a journey”. The Navy set up recruiting offices near movie theaters. It’s effective advertising. That’s what they are supposed to do.

Some people say it’s a waste of class time.

To students who say it’s a waste of class time, what are you thinking?

You’re sending the message that you would rather be inside of a classroom, sitting taking notes, rather then be outside with the possibility of seei n g t h e A r m y ’s elite parachute team? I guess you’d rather attempt to text in class, ignoring the teacher than in the civic listening to some amazing covers of popular songs. Students always find something to complain about.

Teachers who say it is a waste of class time, I’m sorry. I can understand your frustration, but was losing that period of 40 minutes a week and half way into the 1st quarter really going to hurt your class? It’s frustrat-

ing, but lets face it, the concert could have easily been enjoyed by anyone. The drop left something to be desired but it’s not worth getting angry over. I would say a bigger waste of class time is the assembly we have at the end of every quarter saying “we can do better”. At least this was something different.

Others think its wrong because we are in a time of war. I can say with good conscious that war is right. If we could solve world disputes and problems without war, I would be all for it. Unfortunately that is a fiction that’s only seen in books and on TV. This is reality. And reality is that war has always been a part of mankind.

The reality of that is to fight, and in a war you need soldiers. The best soldiers are young, strong people. High school students fit the criteria. While many can sit back and say, “Old men declare war but the young must fight it,“ remember that we don’t have a draft here. People enlist. They choose to fight. I highly doubt that anyone with other opportunities after high school saw the two assemblies and said, “Sign me up.” I am sure some students that don’t have many options after high school are now considering joining the military because it can give them a better future.

It’s a touchy issue. Many of us have friends and family over seas fighting, but no one was forced to sign up when the military was here. They just talked about what the military could do. If that wasn’t enough of a learning experience, then at least we heard an awesome cover of “Empire State of Mind.”

The Lakewood Times

OFF!

The problem with recruitment

By Peter Quigley

It’s been said 60% of an advertisement is an appeal to the senses. Whenever you turn on your television, you are immediately bombarded with splashes of bright light and whirs of sound.

If you see an ad for a bubblegum commercial, little is said about the actual quality of the chewing gum. Instead the twenty seconds of the commercial is usually a jingle, some bright animation or a funny little skit.

In short, the average bubblegum commercial’s focus is to take advantage of the dwindling attention span of the average American in order to make money. However, it’s not a big deal, because the decision to buy gum isn’t very life changing.

The Navy and Army performed a fairly similar method of advertisement this past month at our school. The Navy decided to showcase their Navy Band, who played a variety of American Top-40 hits. The mood in the packed Civic Auditorium was a joyous one. Students danced as a bunch of smiling Navy musicians played their set of fun, catchy, pop songs. Little was said about the Navy, only the occasional, ‘Oh, the Navy is such a good experience!’ in between songs.

The Army followed the Navy on Tuesday, and attempted to parachute our principal from a helicopter and land him on the soft turf of our football field. Although the Army talked much more than the Navy, the obvious focus was on the ‘gnarly’ stunts that they were about to do. Nearly their entire pitch was based on the idea that they would look cool.

If you think differently, just ask the average LHS student if they

October 2010

were disappointed that the Army didn’t drop in.

So in many ways, the two military branches followed the same formulas the average bubblegum commercial uses.

Although it is perfectly okay for a bubblegum commercial to use this approach, it is not at all okay for the military to do the same thing. If you accidently pick a gross brand of gum, you’ll just have to live with the bad taste for the next week or so. When you join the military, you’re risking your life. The consequences can

be very grim indeed when your boat blows up in the middle of the ocean.

What the Navy and Army did was not simply recruitment; it was a backstabbing publicity stunt that coldly attempted to take advantage of our videogame-inclined generation. At the same time, they carelessly burned the hardearned tax dollars of every hardworking American by pulling us out of class for their nonsense.

Although I deeply respect our troops, this was nothing more than wretched propaganda. It is an insult to the intelligence of our student body, and it is sickening that people as noble as soldiers would be behind all of this.

You may consider me a maniacal hippie by this point. A common argument in support of the military is it’s not a big deal and that no one was fooled by their recruiting techniques.

Let me tell you there were people walking out of the Civic Auditorium w h o were seri-

ousl y d i s cussing joining the navy.

Another common argument there is might be a draft if the military doesn’t go around to high schools and do this.

Couldn’t the military have just held an assembly after school?

Colleges are forced to do the same thing. Students had to get permission to simply watch the President’s speech on TV for twenty minutes during school, and all he said was for us to work hard and do well in school.

Why host the Navy and Army for two full days when we haven’t seen any peaceful, non-profit

organizations? Have we ever seen groups like the Red Cross, Greenpeace or the Peace Corps come by and do this? I find it very puzzling. Perhaps there was an ulterior motive to these assemblies.

All in all, I’ve been pretty upset with how our school has balanced its morals lately, and this is another fine example. For starters, our school’s frantic hall sweeps seem to be a major contradiction to these two assemblies. Students have been sent to detention for being a couple of seconds late to class, yet we had two full school assemblies that took up multiple class periods each. Also, our school’s college fair was cancelled this year.

Why would our school rather recruit us into the military than a college?

Although I’ve been pretty critical on them, I do think the military should be going out and recruiting at high schools. I really do think it’s a fine idea. Our troops are having rough times, and there’s always the looming danger of the dreaded draft. I also understand it can be a very good opportunity for kids who are short on money and can’t go to college. But I think the way they recruited was the problem.

They shouldn’t have made this a publicity stunt; they should have appealed to our morals and reasons rather than our senses and thrills. If you’re trying to get high-school students to make a very serious and important commitment, you should at least give them the full story instead of cruelly tricking them. No gimmicks, no tricks. A nice slideshow would’ve been great.

opinion 21

Hallowed ground needs positive light

By Wilson Sackett

The idea of freedom is thrust upon us every single day in this country. It is stressed every day in school, through the media, and by the government. The ideal of freedom, as close to absolute as it can be, while still staying lawful and retaining order.

But could it be that this “freedom” can be warped and twisted to fit the situation at hand? Could it be that when an event occurs (September 11, 2001) that frightens people to their very core, the citizens look immediately for a scapegoat? They become scared of something they do not know, or something that forces them out of their comfort zone. It forces them to hate someone or something, regardless of whether they are guilty or not.

Ground zero is the hallowed ground, where one of the most horrific events in our nations history took place. Approximately two blocks from ground zero, an Islamic center is underway. In the past weeks the center has been sparking not only citywide protests, but also confusion on modern Islam’s place in an American culture.

The center will be complete with exercise room, basketball court, meeting rooms, restaurant and culinary school, September 11th memorial room, and of course a mosque that can accommodate to 2,000.

The center offers an extremely positive, and developmental outlook on modern Islam.

Shining a new light to those people who are still relating the Islamic religion to September 11. Islam is being blamed for the war in the Middle East, threats of atomic warfare, and atrociously violent dictators.

This center is something that, in a scarred

22 opinion

city, will give progressive views on not only Islam, but also the people who practice it.

Showing what it can provide for this country as a religion. The center should be looked upon as something that can teach us to understand and accept a new religion and lifestyle. At the moment it is being seen as nothing but a sore on the blemished face of America.

The leader of the center, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, heads the program, and is involved primarily in creating a more understandable, explainable, and renewed view of modern Islam in our Western society.

Rauf, upon funding from the United States, will also be making a trip to the Middle East.

Focusing mainly on extinguishing the differential fire between, fundamentalist groups in the Middle East, and the United States.

This current trip is Raufs’s fourth towards the principle of better international connections. He has been traveling to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and several other countries addressing not only ways in which to suppress misunderstandings, but also to premote a new out look towards the future.

The Middle East is at the moment, one of the most vulnerable areas to full-scale disaster in the world. Our country’s involvement in the war has done much more than obliterate the lives and landscapes of civilians. It has been blatantly obvious that our attempts to establish democracy have been ineffective.

We have consistently ignored the fact that our idea of a workable government may be different from country to country. In the United States, Islam is not nearly as domi-

nant and conservative as in the Middle East where Islam plays such a dominant role in the every day life of so many. The type of Democratic government we are trying to set up could never work along side the permanent influence of Islam.

There are 1.5 billion Muslim’s in our world today. In the Middle East and Northern African area, there are approximately 395 million Muslims, making up 20% of the total Muslim world population. The areas in which Rauf is traveling are 95% Muslim, and are also in a teeter-totter economic and social situation. This government-funded trip is essential not only to improve relations between the U.S. and the Middle East, but to teach the world to better understand itself.

Al Qaeda and the Taliban, who are as tied to Islam as the KKK is to Christianity, have been blanketing that more progressive voice of Modern Islam for too long. And as the religion in America grows, that voice must become more prominent.

The center may be seen as unnecessary fuel to the already large fire between Islam and America. But instead it should be seen as an open door to the world’s largest and most influential religion. An open door that can teach us to relate to those who follow Islam, instead of pushing them away.

Through blind eyes come blind fear and assumptions. If we continue to see modern Islam through the eyes of the media, larger walls will be built between us. The center is one step closer to a better understanding of Islam and those who practice it.

The Lakewood Times

Top tier volunteers shine

A discussion during an H20 meeting. Photo by Juan Amador.

By Lily Pollack

Do you have the grades? The extracurricular activities? How about those volunteer hours?

Hallah Amawi, an LHS senior, is an active member of Lakewood High School’s H20.

This youth service group gives a hand to others, volunteering to better the community.

They travel to various service sites, getting the chance to meet new people and make friends. These sites include the Barton center, the Cleveland Foodbank, The Ronald McDonald House, and really anywhere help is needed.

“Since freshmen year in H20, I’ve always wanted to get 500 hours by the end of my senior year” Amawi said smiling. “I was motivated to volunteer in 6th grade from the summer camp. The camp counselors and Mrs. Dorsch and Mrs. Steele have inspired me.”

Amawi has contributed a very significant amount of volunteer hours in the past three years, and was recognized last spring at LHS’s annual Honors Day for all of her hard work.

Along with Amawi, LHS junior, Annalisa Perez has also spent many hours volunteering with H20, and was recognized at LHS’s Honor Day last year as well.

“I volunteer here and there, just a little bit at a time. I like to keep busy.” Perez said. Her

[

time is spent in R.A.D, Model UN, “oh, and Eaters of Lakewood.” She said with a laugh.

Amawi on the other hand takes on H20, Key Club, AYF, Student Council, The Lakewood Project, the Lakewood Times, and Donut club.

“Time management is hard, but I’m working on it.” Amawi said. “I use my phone calendar to keep track of what I do.”

Apparently phone calendars are very handy, because Perez uses hers too.

All of that planning and time management pays off when colleges notice the hard work.

“It’s one more piece that adds to a well rounded, high achieving student. It’s not a make it or break it thing, but it completes the picture for a student who wants to go to a competitive college.” said LHS Guidance Counselor, Jeanne Hoopes. “It shows the college that the student sees a bigger picture of the world and that it’s not just about them.

They can balance their life and manage their time.”

H20 Coordinator, Celia Dorsch, has been involved with H20 for 17 years now.

“It shows the college that the student sees a bigger picture of the world.”

October 2010

]

- senior Hallah Amawi

“Having service hours on your school record is a huge plus. Once a student accumulates 30 hours, they receive a special emblem on their diploma and their hours are posted on their academic transcript.” said Dorsch.

“The sooner a student starts earning volunteer hours during their high school career, the better.” She said.

But it’s not just about logging those hours down to look good on college applications.

“I’ve met a lot of new people [from volunteering]. When I go to the Ronald McDonald house, I meet people and families from all over the world.” Perez explained.

“Anytime you know you’ve done something positive to make life easier for someone, or make a difference in your community, it makes you feel better, more hopeful.” says Dorsch. “Martin Luther King, Jr. said everyone could be great because everyone can serve. I believe that’s true. It doesn’t matter how you look, how popular you are, whether you’re athletic or in AP classes. All you need

to join H2O is a caring heart and a desire to make things better.”

There are plenty other volunteering opportunities held through H20, from pancake breakfasts to nursing homes. Meetings are held Friday mornings in the L room at 7:30 A.M. “Anyone interested in volunteering should come to an H2O meeting. We can hook them up with one of our projects, or give them info about volunteering around greater Cleveland.” said Dorsch.

“A lot of people are overwhelmed. You don’t have to come to all of the meetings.

You can come and go, and sign up for what you want and what works.” Perez said.

Dorsch explained attendance is totally flexible. “Kids filter in and out during the year, depending on their extracurricular activities.”

“One of my favorite things is working with kids who have never volunteered before.

Sometimes you can feel the moment they get hooked.” said Dorsch. “It’s like a light switch gets turned on and they realize that they’re helping and having fun at the same time.”

The annual H20 Pumpkin Palooza is taking place on October 30th. “We need all the help we can get. With new game ideas, decorating… we just need as many students as possible.” Amawi said. About 150 to be exact.

“I just like volunteering more than anything else. That and music.” Amawi said seriously.

“It feels good to know that I’m helping.”

H20 kids sign up for events.

Photo by Juan Amador

lkwd life

23

New school year, new fashion

By Grace Coy

New school year means new fall fashion. September is the biggest month in the fashion industry and brings the best looks of the year. When you look at all the collections of the season you see a common thread in all of them. You may think it’s difficult to pull off the hottest runway looks, but you’re wrong!

Fashion is easily translated in everyday looks.

Slouchy sweater Most often when you think of fall, layering pops into your head. To revamp this common fall look, try layering unexpected pieces together.

For example, try colorful, long sleeved T-shirts under your favorite summer sundresses. Not only is it a new way to wear an old dress but it also follows dress code. Also think of heavy knits for fall. Pull out those baggy, grandpa sweaters and pair them with your skinny jeans or jeggings.

Another fun way to layer is with tights. Don’t stick to the common black tight, experiment with all different colors. Rich browns and greens add color to a boring outfit. Scarves are always cozy for fall and winter. Look for think scarves in heavy knits and bold patterns. Scarves are easy to find and add individuality to any outfit.

Out on the town The weekends are the time to be more experimental with your clothing.

You don’t have a dress code to worry about so you can pull out the short shorts from your closet. A classy way to wear shorts for fall is to pair them with black opaque tights. It’s a great way to keep warm and bring a new element to your overall look.

24 lkwd life

The Lakewood Times

Minimalism Who says you can’t wear white after Labor Day? White is the new black for fall.

The Chanel show this season showed many looks in this pristine color. All white outfits are everywhere for fall and winter collections. If you don’t want to look like an icicle opt for using a few key white pieces, such as a coat or shoes.

Other colors that were vivid this fall were neutrals. Many designers felt minimalism was key. They used soft color palettes of browns, nudes, blush, and camel. Working these colors into any look will instantly look fresh for fall.

50’s silhoutte Luckily, this season 1950s silhouettes are in, so bring on the longer skirts! Most skirts shown at Marc Jacobs and Louis Vuittion are grazing the calf. This retro style is flirty and appropriate for all ages. Take risks with prints and matching sweater sets to complete the look. These longer skirts are going to be popping up at stores everywhere and will make following the dress code a lot easier.

Photos of Jamie Kocinski by Grace Coy and Deven Middleton.

The key to follow any trend for a season is confidence. Whatever you wear, feel good about yourself in it and follow your own sense of style. Don’t let trends define your and mix in your own flair to new pieces.

Fashion is simply about having fun and expressing yourself.

October 2010

lkwd life 25

Exchange Students:

Rotary Internatioal Youth Exchange Program 2010-2011. Photo courtesy of Abel Venerdini

By Naseem Shean

Imagine getting on a plane with only a few of your things, flying to a country far away from everything you’ve ever known and everyone you were ever close to. The culture, the language, the people, the rules, the atmosphere, everything was just of aberration to you. Now imagine living there for one year under those circumstances. Sound scary?

Almost every year, with the help of the Rotary International Youth Exchange Program, Lakewood High School is given the great opportunity to host exchange students from countries all around the world. This year Lakewood High has the honor of meeting three new exchange students and learning about the countries they’re from.

A few years ago it would have been impossible for exchange students Ana Veschi, Viktoria Bryk, and Abel Venerdini to fulfill their dreams of coming to America.

America wasn’t the first country of choice for Abel and Ana, but when the paper work was finally completed, the thrill rushed

26 lkwd life

through them. “My sister was an exchange student before and she convinced me to go to the United States,” Abel explained.

“It took a lot of paper work and stressful moments before I was able to come here,” said Abel from Argentina. Rotary International helped the three students with everything from beginning to end.

“Without Rotary it was impossible” said Ana Veschi from Brazil. As for Viktoria from Ukraine, things came fairly easy. “Everything was so fast, even the visas were fast,” Viktoria explained.

Getting on the plane and saying goodbye to friends and family was challenging, but once they took off, excitement and fear jolted through their bodies. They were finally going to America. “Back in Ukraine people told me that Americans are welcoming, but very competitive,” said Viktoria. When her plane landed in the United States, Ana, with a wide-eyed look, of excitement said, “I was happy, I thought wow I am in America!” To

Ana “it was a start of new way of life.”

Abel said that he was a little scared because he didn’t know what to expect of the people, other than what he was told back at home. “I felt good with my host family because they were very good to me. They have two kids that have been in the exchange program and know how I’m feeling. But with the people at school, not so good because I thought people would approach me but they didn’t, so I spoke with them and now they are very nice.” said Abel with a serious expression on his face.

Ana, Viktoria, and Abel have made many friends at LHS, but hope to make more. “I would like it if more students came up to me and got to know me,” said Viktoria. “I’m normal and a good friend,” she said.

Only being in America for a month, they have learned numerous things about the culture. “Americans eat a lot of junk food even in the morning.” said Viktoria with fairly surprised expression. In Ukraine people eat

The Lakewood Times

A Taste of America

Lydia Rhoads, Ana Veschi and Debbie DeWitt Photo courtesy of Ana Veschi

Viktoria Bryk smiles during class. Photo by Naseem Shean.

mostly salads and soups; rarely do they ever eat unhealthy foods. Her favorite food back home is mashed potatoes and salad. The three of them like the 50 piece nuggets from Mcdonalds. “I like anything from McDonalds.” said Ana. “I think it’s a lot of food for one person,” said Abel. “People in America don’t shower as much as we do in Brazil,” said Ana, “in Brazil I take four or five showers a day,” she said.

Abel is already involved in Cross Country, and has considered joining the LHS swim team. He mostly misses his friends, and frequently Skypes with his family, “the most difficult thing to adjust to is being so far from my friends and family.” he said. Ana and Viktoria miss their families and friends as well. Ana plays volleyball for LHS and both her and, Viktoria are considering other sports and clubs to join. “I miss my dog the most.” Viktoria said sadly.

The style of clothing here is very different than it is in Ukraine and Brazil, “I like the style

October 2010

here because you don’t have just one style, you can just wear whatever you like without worrying about what others think,” explained Ana. “The strangest thing here for me is the time that people eat dinner.” said Abel. People in Argentina usual have dinner around 10 p.m.

For Ana, the strangest thing is that “teens are not allowed to go to clubs here, in Brazil you go to clubs at fifteen,” she said.

The three hope to learn the language and culture better during their stay. They plan on making more friends and trying new food.

Traveling to more places in the U.S. is also something they hope to do while they’re here. They will be here for a year, so they ask the students at Lakewood High to introduce themselves to them, and get to know a little more about them.

Peter Sackett, Abel Venerdini, Jessica Sackett and Wilson Sackett Photo courtesy of Abel Venerdini

Ana Veschi’s first Indians game Photo courtesy of Ana Veschi

Abel Venerdini, Viktoria Bryk and Ana Veschi Photo courtesy of Ana Veschi

lkwd life 27

Condition,

By Lisa Kowalski and Deven Middleton

Every fall, hundreds of LHS students hit the turf, trails, and courts to pursue greatness in their respective sports. While results of tennis matches, cross country meets, football, volleyball, and soccer games, are often reported, there is barely any mention of the hard work that these athletes put in during the summer to prepare for the season ahead. This year the fall sports teams practiced a combined total of roughly 806 hours, and for some of them, their investments in their teams have paid off tremendously.

Boys’ Soccer

Time: 12-14 hours in a regular week, 20 hours in a two-a-day week Toughest workout: “18 to 18s” It consists of running from one 18yard box to the other in less than 15 seconds, 18 times.

How will it give you an edge? “No one works as hard as us.”

Fun workout: “A fun workout would consist of either A. not having practice or B. only running for half the practice.” - junior Jacob Shelt Left: Senior Charlie Kemp slide tackles the ball away from an Ed’s player.

Photo by Deven Middelton Right: Junior Katie Montgomery prepares for a kick.

Photo by Lisa Kowalski Bottom Left: Members of the Varsity Football team take the field.

Photo by Devin Werner

Girls’ Soccer

Time: Four hours a day (6-10 am), four days a week (Mon-Thurs) totaling 16 hours per week for the month of July. In August there is one week of two-a-days, and then 2 hours of practice on non-gamedays Toughest workout: “Monster Two-Mile,” which is eight full laps of running up and down the stadium stairs. Technically it adds up to about six miles of stairs.

How will it give you an edge?: “Our current workout will help us succeed because we have put in more time than most teams, so we’ve bonded, and it’s given us determination to be better than we were last year.”

Fun workout: “Just scrimmaging with the girls or playing ScoreOut, a shooting drill because when we scrimmage we can have fun but still go hard against our teammates, so it’s a really good way for us to bond.” - junior Abby Boland

Football

Time: Two-a-days are 7 hours a day (Mon – Fri) with an hour and a half break in between, for a total of 35 hours per week Toughest workout: The end of summer conditioning, which has the players sprint from sideline to sideline and run plays throughout the football field. “Practicing on the field, in our pads, and in the hot weather, makes every play harder” How will it give you an edge? “We work our hardest, no matter what.”

Most fun workout: “The other players are what makes football fun.

Plus, Coach Lewis is a funny guy, which helps the team stay in a good mood during practice.” - senior Maksym Kostryk

28 sports

The Lakewood Times

Rinse, Repeat Girls’ Cross Country

Time: 1-2 hours a day (Mon-Sat) and about 6-8 miles per workout, for a total of up to 12 hours and 30-40 miles in a regular practice week.

Toughest workout: Sand and Hills, completed three times each summer. The workout begins at Edgewater Beach, where runners push through the sand, up a hill, then sprint to complete the workout, which is repeated anywhere from 2-6 times in one day.

How will it give you an edge: “It’s not the easiest thing on your legs, but in turn helps the team stay healthy and helps us to compete to our fullest potential for the meets we look forward to.”

Most fun workout: The Wild Man run, a scavenger hunt around Edgewater beach that includes running through the sand, hills, and swimming in the lake. - senior Sam Cross Right: Members of the Girls’ Cross Country team go for a run.

Photo by Sam Cross Bottom: Senior Danielle Curran taking a swing during tennis practice.

Photo by Heather DeJesus

Girls’ Volleyball

Time: 7 hours a day (Mon-Fri), 3 hours a day (Sat), for a total of up to 30 hours in a regular practice week.

Toughest workout: a P90X oriented routine, which includes a variety of different types of workouts, such as strength trainging, yoge, plyometrics, cardio, and stretching.

How will it give you an edge: “We want to always be able to outhustle any team that we play. We focus on giving 100% at every practice.”

Most fun workout: “Whenever we are joking around we let go of all the stress that has been piling up on us. Everyone on the team is very close and we all share a strong bond because we always have a good time when we’re together.” - senior Olivia Hiles

Boys’ Cross Country

Time: 1-3 hours a day (Mon-Sat) and about 6-11 miles per workout, for a total of up to 18 hours and 66 miles per week.

Toughest workout: The Sand and Hills workout. Why is it so hard?

“It’s sand and hills, there’s no explanation needed.”

How will it give you an edge? “We put in a lot of miles when other teams aren’t. When our competition is reaching a plateau at the end of the season, we’re hitting our peak.”

Most fun workout: The Wild Man run, a scavenger hunt around Edgewater beach that includes running through the sand, hills, and swimming in the lake. - senior Clay Verga

Girls’ Tennis

Time: Six hours of optional practices per week, two hours every other day.

Toughest workout: Suicides, which consist of sprinting back and forth from increasing distances (10 yards, 20 yards, etc.) with little break in between. “Lunges are also killer, but you don’t feel them ‘til the next day.”

How will it give you an edge? “”The point of our workout is to increase stamina to outlast our opponent so we don’t become tired during the third set. Getting tired in tennis is pretty bad because then all the strategy and technique go out the window and you start to miss-hit” Fun workout: “Any actual playing of tennis is our fun, and also shuffling drills. We’re really good at shuffling.” - senior Danielle Curran

October 2010

sports

29

Manifest Destiny LHS athletics switch conferences

By Toby Tobin

Just like the pioneers of olden days looking to get rich, the Lakewood Rangers are heading west in search for success. In the 2012-13 school year, Lakewood High will begin play in the West Shore Athletic Conference.

Lakewood High will be leaving the Northeast Ohio Conference (NOC,) since the conference’s formation four years ago. Lakewood has underperformed in the NOC, which is a reason for making the change.

The NOC will undergo a good amount of change, namely with the addition of Mentor, and the departures of Lakewood and Nordonia to different conferences.

The West Shore Conference is going through changes of its own. In the 2011-12 school year,

From top: Number 5 Monica Adams runs on the field in a girls soccer game. Always running, the cross country girls come together for a better cause. Photo by Sam Cross. While facing rivals St. Eds, Nathan Nader heads the soccer ball. Photo by Deven Middleton. The football team walks away from a winning Valley Forge game. Photo by Devin Warner. Facing page: two football players wait on the sidelines during halftime. Photo by Devin Warner.

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]

“I think its good for the school and community.”

Elyria Catholic will join the conference. Departing the conference after 2011-12 are the schools Fairview Park and Firelands.

When Lakewood officially joins the conference, the members will be Lakewood, North Ridgeville, Rocky River, Bay, Midview, Avon, Elyria Catholic and Vermillion.

Upon joining, Lakewood will have the largest student body in the conference. The West Shore Conference is home to smaller schools than the NOC, in which Lakewood was average-sized.

Reasons for Lakewood’s conference migration include geographical fit and competitive balance.

Lakewood will now be closer to all of its

October 2010

- junior Al Hannum opponents, reducing travel time and allowing for more fans and parents to attend the games.

Competition in athletics is another reason for the change. Viewed as a weaker conference than the NOC, the West Shore Conference should allow the Rangers to achieve more success.

In the 2009-10 school year, the varsity football team won only one game, which was to their non-conference opponent, Berea.

The boys’ varsity basketball team didn’t win any of its 23 games, and the varsity baseball team won only five of its 26 games.

In the West Shore Conference, Lakewood believes it can be competitive and spark new

rivalries. Social Studies teacher and Lakewood football coach Joe Zombek said that he “think[s] it’s great for us in terms of creating rivalries and excitement.”

Zombek added, “We’ll be playing some people next door to us, and it will be good for our kids to experience that.”

Student reaction seems to be positive towards the move.

Junior football player Alex Hannum says, “I think its good for the school and community. I think more fans will come out to away games, and I think we will win more games.”

sports

31

Equestrian skills win Graham golds

By Juan Amador

Since the age of two, horses have intrigued senior Taylor Graham. “I have loved horses since before I can even remember,” she says.

Taylor’s grandma worked on a farm and took her to visit on a regular basis.

“Most little girls love ponies, but I guess it [horses] just stuck around, and I just love being around them.” When she was two years old, Taylor rode her first horse.

Taylor owns just one, female horse. Her name is Chloe but when competing she is Miss Independent. “Chloe used to be a stubborn, crazy horse. She would only do what she wanted, when she wanted, and was mean to most people and other horses.”

The beginning lyrics of “Miss Independent”

by Kelly Clarkson described her attitude at the time, which led to her competing name.

When Taylor bought Chloe, she was nameless, and everyone began to call her ‘Miss Princess No Name’ because Taylor and her mom couldn’t pick one out.

When the vet came to perform a check up on Chloe, the vet asked Ta y l o r ’s m o m what her name was and the first name that came to mind was Chloe.

When Taylor was 13 she bought Chloe, but had been leasing horses since she was 11.

When you lease the horse, you share the horse with someone else.

You’re not the owner but you share the same responsibilities with them. Taylor describes her horse as Graham and Chole prepare for a ride. Photo by Juan Amador.

32 sports

“A color called palomino, which means she has a gold body with a blonde mane and tale. She is almost ten years old now. I got her when she was six.”

In addition to owning a horse, Taylor also participates in competitions. She participated in her first competition when she was 13 years old. She competes four to 15 times a year. The number of competitions she competes in depends on money and how much she can afford to spend.

Taylor ‘s competing has paid off, in more than just awards. “I have way too many ribbons to count! They consist of places all the way from 1st to 8th,” she said. Taylor has two grand champions under her belt and placed 6th last year for the whole year long division. At each show each competitor win a certain amount of points depending on how well you place. If you place first you will receive more points than everyone else. The number of points is based off of the number of people you compete against.

At the end of the show season (from March to October) all of the points are added up. Who ever has the most points wins the shows for the entire year.

The amount of participants varies. Taylor may compete against 6 riders or 30 riders. The type of sport she competes in is known an equestrian sport, which refers t o t h e skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with a horse.

“With equestrian sports,

you must depend on your house and yourself to win” says Taylor. “My sport also isn’t common for a high school sport so a lot of people don’t know about it.”

Practice is every day to help prepare for competitions. She practices two hours a day, minimum. A normal ride is an hour long. A disadvantage of horseback riding is practicing in the winter. She says that, “The barns get so cold and sometime you just want to stay home, but I’m forced to drive out to the stables every day and still ride.” An advantage is that she loves having a bond with her horse.

Taylor says people don’t understand owning a horse is a huge responsibility when it comes to taking care of it. If she would like to hang out with her friends or do anything, she always has to remember to go ride, every day.

After High School, Taylor wants to go to college. She definitely wants to get her degree in Equine Management and Training. She also wants to become a Veterinarian Technician., but hasn’t fully decided if she wants that to be her profession.

With those under her belt, she plans on owning her own facilities to train horses and help train riders.

Taylor plans competing later on down the road once she graduates from high school. She’s going to try-out for college level teams, and hopefully continues after.

At the moment, Taylor is teaching an eight year old girl how to ride right now.

She doesn’t charge her. The only thing she encourages the girl is to not give up.

Taylor says, “It takes YEARS of practice!

I know if I would have quit when I was younger when I got frustrated, I wouldn’t be where I am now.”

From horseback riding, Taylor has learned about responsibility. It came to her at a really young age. She shares her knowledge with her newly made friends from the competitions and listens to what they have to say also. “It’s impossible to know everything about the sport, so you learn something new all the time” she says.

Taylor proudly states, “I have created a bond with my horse and we have worked so hard to become a team together. Going to a show lets us prove to others and ourselves how much we can do. I don’t know where I would be without her. She has pulled me all through high school and hopefully many more years to come.”

The Lakewood Times

New athletic policies and fresh faces

By Margaret Zimmerman

A new school year h a s rolled around once again, complete with the usual homework, new teachers, and of course, LHS athletics.

Fall sports are already in full swing, as well as the changes made to the athletic program this year.

The main change for this year is in the school’s eligibility policy. In past years, an athlete’s grades were shown to their coach once every week.

If the student’s teachers deemed grades in two or more classes unsatisfactory, that student wouldn’t be allowed to play his or her sport. With this new policy, there is a second chance.

Now, if a student has unsatisfactory grades, he or she will not be immediately taken off the team. Teachers and coaches will schedule some time in the tutoring lab in order to bring up their grade.

As long as the student attends tutoring, he or she won’t be instantaneous benched of students athletes.

This new policy is explained by Athletic Director, Bob Thayer. He discussed changes for 2010, and even went into changes that will take place in 2012, dealing with the conference change.

“Everyone is very excited [about the conference changes],” Thayer said.

This fall, LHS also welcomes a new coach to the staff. Bruce Schaedlich, of the girl’s tennis team, is also an Algebra 1.

He originally taught at LHS, but left for about a decade and ended up teaching at Harding Middle School, Emerson Elementary, and Garfield Middle School. Now, he loves being back, teaching and coaching at LHS. Despite the changes, some things have remained the same. The Pay to Play fee 75.00 dollars. Lakewood’s pay to play is less compared to other surrounding cities it is nothing.

Participating in high school sports costs $450 in Brecksville and Broadview Heights. The fee at Medina High is $660, and even that price can’t match up to Parma’s $900 to play football, For swimming, the cost is $500 and $600 for basketball.

Mr. Thayer credits and thanks the community here in Lakewood for supporting their schools in such an incredible fashion and the booster club for providing such incredible financial support to this department.

“Between the communities support in passing the levy [last spring],” Thayer said, “and the continued financial support from our booster club, we have been able to keep our Pay-to-Play at $75. We see that as a real positive.”

Art by Al Rodriguez.

By Gwen Stephen

Athletic training student

A twisted ankle, a strained hamstring, shin-splints, staph infection, open wounds.

These were just a few things former members of the Athletic Training Student Aides (ATSA) dealt with on a daily basis alongside former athletic trainer, Travis Gallagher.

With over 20 members ending the spring sports season of 2010, the hands-on program proved to be a strong and blossoming addition to the LHS athletic department.

“ATSA [was] a program that taught us how to prevent and take care of sports-related injuries,” said two-year veteran and junior, Amy Mahnke. “We experienced what it was like to actually deal with injuries in real-life situations.”

While ATSA provided students with occupational exposure, learning opportunities and class credit, many members felt the program taught much more than just how to properly tape an injury. For Mahnke, being involved in ATSA was a step towards her future.

“I want to major in sports medicine, because of ATSA I basically know what I want to do when I graduate high school,” said Mahnke. “ATSA was my life, it was something I did everyday on routine. I loved it.”

With a program as successful and as beneficial to the members involved, it is hard to understand why it has been dropped as one of the school’s extracurricular activities.

For the past several years, ATSA has not only given students the chance to explore

34 sports

Former athletic trainer, Travis Gallagher and former ATSA members pose at their annual ATSA Olympics.

Photo by Tyler Wick.

and experience an exciting profession, but it has also allowed them to learn how to work well with others in an operational, social setting and assist athletes on their road to recovery.

Although the program had gained popularity and col-

lected numerous members over the past few years, it ended unexpectedly over this past summer when Gallagher, who founded and supervised ATSA, accepted a sports medicine athletic training offer at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus.

“Travis told us he was leaving, but the school would try to have the new trainer keep the program going,” said former ATSA member and senior, Alyssia Ocejo.

“The new trainer, [Jen Dix], came and told us that [Lakewood Hospital] and the school didn’t really like how big the program was getting, and that from the 30 of us, give or take, it would be cut down to four,” she said. “We were all devastated at that point.”

When it came to specifics about the options for the future of former members, students seemed to be under different impressions. “[Jen] had the choice of picking two, just two, ATSA’s instead of having 20 kids helping her,” said former, two-year ATSA member and junior, Madeline O’Donnell.

Another implication and misunderstanding about the departure of ATSA’s hard working members is ATSA’s final senior class to leave the program, pictured here at their ATSA Olymcertain coaches had been the pics last spring. Photo by Tyler Wick

The Lakewood Times

aides go M.I.A

ones with the authority to decide the number of helpers they’d want to keep for the fall sports season.

“Coach Lewis [of Varsity football] picked the four [ATSA members] and we were then called “managers” and would be helping the team,” said Ocejo. “None of us really followed through with that. We weren’t allowed to have the class, so we [were given] the option to be a [football] team manager, and take care of all the football equipment and pretty much do their dirty work--which is what we didn’t want to do, that’s not why we were there,” said O’Donnell.

“When we learned that there would be no more classes and we wouldn’t be learning, it [turned out to be] more of a water-girl kind of thing,” Ocejo stated.

Although many former members of ATSA were correctly under the impression that they would be openly welcomed to become football team managers the following season, it is evident that most still do not know details about why the number of helpers were limited, who had the authority to choose the amount necessary and why they could no longer fulfill the individual jobs assigned to them each day as a student-athletic-trainer. Overall, former members never felt as though they were given a full explanation as to why the program was ending and who chose to end it.

Though Gallagher nor Dix had a comment on the dissipation of the program, Bob Thayer, Lakewood High School’s athletic director explained.

“There was some talk that one of our coaches had [something] to do with [limiting the number of former members,]” Thayer said, shaking his head. “It had absolutely nothing to do with it.

It was a decision that was made

by Lakewood Hospital, our new trainer and myself. It was not part of the job description, they did not want to force this on [Jen]

October 2010

ATSA members L to R: Giselle Belkin, Lisa Kunze, Megan Saunders, Maria Shofield, Melissa Gajewski. Photo courtesy of Elvis Sako

and they didn’t think it was fair to ask her to step into something someone else had created.”

“What Travis did, and Travis was outstanding in many ways, but what he did with the athletic trainers program was really outside of the realm and responsibilities of that job. He took it upon himself to try to create an educational environment for a lot of kids, and it grew. It almost grew to the point where it became cumbersome, so many kids being around. It was a good thing.

Kids were enjoying it and I think the kids were having a good experience, but that was never part of the job.” Thayer said.

As the former trainer left, it was necessary to hire a new one.

Lakewood High School’s athletic trainer works for Lakewood Hospital, which pays his or her salary. With Lakewood Hospital behind the new athletic trainer, it is obvious that following procedures correctly and efficiently under various circumstances was their primary concern and goal for Dix. “[The people at Lakewood Hospital] made it clear to me that

they didn’t feel real comfortable with having a new person step in and have to take on this added responsibility of 20-some-odd trainers. What they recommended is no more than three and that’s right in the job description. And I said, well, that’s fine, there’s going to be some disappointed kids. But if that’s the way it needs to be, that’s fine,” said Thayer.

“For [Jen] to get off on the right foot and concentrate on what was required of the job--which is the care of our student-athletes-we felt it was necessary to alleviate this other responsibility that Travis had created,” Thayer stated.

“Maybe in time [Jen] will go beyond that and feel more comfortable doing something extra, but not just starting out her first year,” Thayer said. “I know there were some kids who had hurt feelings over it, and that was never intended, certainly never intended, but that’s the truth of the matter.”

“The whole situation just makes me mad and upset. I would like to see [ATSA] continue because

it can benefit kids who like that profession. We have graphic design, we have culinary, why can’t we have athletic training?” said Ocejo.

“Travis influenced us. He inspired us to reach our goals and I personally think that no one will ever be able to bring that program back to the way Travis had it running,” Mahnke said.

Although members were known to be very passionate and serious about their role in ATSA, they must understand that “what Travis had going was a good thing, but that was Travis thing,” as Thayer said.

No matter the circumstances or reasoning, former ATSA members will always feel strongly about the hard work and many hours they spent each week learning from Gallagher and experiencing real situations with student-athletes. Many learned valuable lessons, not only about the different joints in a hand or where on your body the scapula is, but lessons about friendship, leadership, responsibility and life.

sports

35

Final Word

By Fiza Shah

The administration is so keen on justifying the new strictness of rules by what’s good for the students. And, that’s fine. Schools need some discipline to maintain order.

The administration states, over and over in assemblies the strict rules promote an efficient and prudent system.

They claim that these new rules are proven to enhance our education. That is not fine. It is not fair. It is not the truth.

[

]

I, as a student at LHS, challenge this system, these rules, and the administration.

Tell us the truth.

Is being called out of class truly an enhancement of our education, or a hindrance? Is spending a period in the house office really doing us any good?

Don’t get me wrong. I do feel some form of a dress code is important.

Girls shouldn’t be wearing skirts that could be mistaken for handkerchiefs. Guys don’t need to show their SpongeBob boxers every time they walk down the hallway. It’s inappropriate.

But, it’s no less appropriate than a girl missing a period of chemistry because her skirt reaches slightly above her fingers. To miss class, walk home, and change clothes because a student’s jeans are slightly frayed is both inefficient and the antithesis of education.

The administration often says that most of the dress code rules are in place because one’s appearance could ultimately be distracting to other students. Let me get this straight. Seeing a student wearing frayed jeans is distracting, but stopping class to send someone to the office for dress code violation is completely fine. In fact, it

36 focus

ultimately helps us. We’re being trained for the “real world.”

In the “real world” you would get sent home for not following dress code. In the “read world” you could get fired for inappropriate dress. In the “real world” office setting, purple spiked hair would be inappropriate.

Is high school a relatively accurate simulation for the “real world?”

Yes. But, let’s be honest. We are here to learn. Not to assimilate into the “real world.”

Sure, learning about what comes after high school is important, but no one is going to hire if the student is educated. And, a student cannot learn while sitting in their house office because their parents can’t drop off a pair of jeans.

The main problem this year is that the board is trying to be too strict, because they saw some students taking advantage of the slight leniency last year. While most students handled the leniency on rules responsibly, there were some who did take advantage of the system, as there always are. That should not have come as a surprise to anyone.

Instead of trying to fight kids on these rules, why don’t we make fewer, more manageable rules?

Isn’t our goal to make students more educated, not more cynical?

The Lakewood Times