The April Issue of The Sycamore Leaf

the

Preventing sudden death of high school athletes

Why you should - or should not - visit the creation museum

page 8

page 7 THURSDAY APRIL 21, 2011 | VOLUME LVIII ISSUE 9 | 7400 CORNELL RD. CINCINNATI, OHIO 45242, 513.686.1770 EXT. 3089 | GOAVES.COM

TSUNAMI GROUNDS RISING SUN smDIPALI

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editor-in-chief

& moriahKRAWEC associate editor

eople are suffering. The 8.9 magnitude earthquake that battered the coast of Japan and triggered a tsunami has currently left 12,600 dead and 14,700 missing – and the statistics keep rising.

When considering the 7.1 Mar. 11 earthquake that ravaged the archipelago and the aftershocks that struck Apr. 7 and Apr. 11, the tragedy seems to be one that even Japan, a nation with significant safeguards against natural disasters, could not have anticipated.

Japan is located at the intersection of four different tectonic plates. As a result, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are relatively common. The majority of recorded seismic activities in Japan are quite minor.

Even so, Japan has a history of major earthquakes. In fact, it was a 6.8 magnitude tremor in 1996 that largely spurred Japan’s earthquake and tsunami preparedness.

That seismic event, unlike the Mar. 11 earthquake, hit close to the southern city of Kobe.

Notably, the Kobe earthquake was much different than its 2011 cousin. In terms of the earthquakes themselves, the Kobe event’s losses were mainly economic, compared to the much greater havoc wreaked by the Mar. 11 earthquake.

Chernobyl

In addition to leaving an estimated 12,600 people dead, the earthquake also damaged several nuclear reactors in the affected area.

Cooling systems in the Fukushima Daiichi plant were the first to be destroyed. Later, nuclear waste leaked out of the facility.

While there was initially some optimism about Japan’s ability to suppress

the meltdown, on Apr. 12, the Japanese government ranked the contamination level outside of the Fukushima plants to be the same as the infamous Chernobyl accident of the 1980s.

The Japanese disaster is all-encompassing. It proves that even a ‘developed’ nation can be immersed in tragedy, and that catastrophe is not exclusive to nations such as Haiti.

Considerable attention has been paid to the implications that the disaster may have on the United States.

The safety of American nuclear reactors has been called into question as Japanese engineers at Fukushima Daiichi scramble to avert yet another disaster. Like Japan, America houses many of its nuclear reactors on the coast. These 104 reactors are designed to withstand earthquakes and tremors, but anxiety has been difficult to quell.

In response, Rep. Ed Markey (MA-D) recommended a comprehensive safety plan for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Congress will vote on this plan in the coming months.

Social Media

Dubbed the Great Tohoku Kanto, the Japanese earthquake sent thousands of civilians into a search for family and friends. Mass confusion and a fervent desire to reach loved ones led many Japanese people to use social media devises – like Twitter.

Through social networks, those within the quake’s impact zone connected with others continents away. Panicked relatives and friends received imperative and largely accurate information from those in Japan using social media.

On March 16, Japanese Emperor Akihito took the unprecedented step of addressing his people via television broadcast. While relaying his concern about the nuclear crisis, he urged Japanese citizens “to act with compassion to overcome these difficult times.” Americans must do no less.

image by jimmy chau

CALENDAR 2

NEWS 3-4

SNAPSHOTS 5

FORUM 6-8

FEATURE 9-12

FUN & GAMES 13

A&E 14-16

SPORTS 17-19

SPOTLIGHT 20

Calendar

2 sunday

Thursday, April 21, 2011

monday tuesday wednesday thursday friday

saturday

kelcieGREGA

associate editor

1

2 Girls Softball vs.

Lakota East 4:30 p.m.

Boys JV Tennis vs. Archbishop Moeller 4:00 p.m.

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4

Holiday: National Teachers Day

Boys Varsity Gold Tennis vs.

Springboro 4:00 p.m.

Boys Volleyball vs. Lakota East 5:45-7:00 p.m.

Boys Varsity Baseball vs.

Middletown 4:30 p.m.

Holiday: May Day

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6

Holiday: Cinco de Mayo

Girls JV Softball vs. Talawanda 5:00 p.m.

Boys JV B Lacrosse vs. St. Xavier 4:00 p.m.

SAT

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13

14

Boys Volleyball vs. Fairmont 5:45-7:00 p.m.

SHS Event: Orchestra Concert 7:30 p.m.

SHS Event: PTO Meeting 9:00 a.m.

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Famous Birthday: Malcom X SHS Event: Choir Concert 7:30 p.m.

SHS Event: Senior Athletic Awards 9:00 a.m.

Famous Birthday: Mr. T

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SHS Event: Senior Recognition Night 6:00 p.m.

SHS Event: Senior Picnic 7:30 p.m.

AP Exams

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Boys Varsity Green Tennis vs. Centerville 4:00 p.m.

SHS Event: Jazz Band Concert 7:30 p.m.

10

SHS Event: Senior Capstone Expo 5:30 p.m.

Girls JV Lacrosse vs. Anderson 6:00 p.m.

Holiday: Mothers Day

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11

Boys JV Tennis vs. Wyoming 4:00 p.m.

SHS Event: Band Concert 7:30 p.m.

Interim Reports Distributed

AP Exams

16

17

18 History: Israel’s Independence Day

Weird Holiday: Dinosaur Day

SHS Event: Band Awards Ceremony 6:00 p.m.

SHS Event: Spring Sports Awards 7:00 p.m.

SHS Event: Underclassmen Awards Ceremony 8:00 a.m.

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23

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25

Sophomore Debate Senior Exams

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30

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SHS Event: Graduation @ Cintas Center 7:30 p.m.

Holiday: Memorial Day No School

Exams

7

Boys Varsity Baseball vs.

Northwest Cincinnati 12:00 p.m.

Boys Varsity Lacrosse vs.

Summit Country 7:30 p.m.

May

news

thursday, april 21, 2011

3

‘Cancer never sleeps’

Racing toward Relay for Life

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denaeBELILLTI

staff writer

he American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life is an annual event that allows local high school students to get involved in the fight against a disease that never sleeps: cancer.

Students from Indian Hill, Madeira, Mount Notre Dame, Moeller, Sycamore, and Ursuline will be participating in this year’s Relay for Life of the Montgomery Area, which will be held at SHS. This is an overnight event that will take place on May 13-14 from 4 p.m. to 10 a.m. Teams are composed of eight to ten people from participating schools.

Each team is asked to have one person on the track at all times throughout the event – symbolizing Relay for Life’s motto that “cancer never sleeps.”

The teams will camp out

on the fields in their school’s designated areas. Various activities will take place throughout the course of the night, such as music, dancing, games, and contests.

Relay creates a sense of a community of people fighting for a common cause. Teams have fundraising goals to meet by the week of the event. Informational meetings are coordinated through the Relay committee designated for each school.

To ensure the safety of students, each team must have a chaperone at all times. Meetings for team chaperones are scheduled and listed on www. relayforlife.org/ montgomeryoh.

Half of all men and one-third of all women in the US will develop cancer in their lifetimes. The American Cancer Society hopes that events such as Relay for Life will reduce these numbers in the future.

i an ipal d m by s image

Disaster Relief Helping Japanese victims janeFINOCHARO associate editor

Around 200,000 people have been displaced by the tsunami. Thousands are still unaccounted for, and the number of fatalities is only expected to rise. Relief efforts are expected to last for months, with many international organizations offering assistance.

Even as volunteers pour in, many feel that little can be done to have a significant impact on these humanitarian efforts. From the other side of the world, many feel helpless.

“I do wish I could do something. It’s one of those things where you don’t want to just sit and watch, but you don’t really know what to do to help,” said Dor’thea Lumpkin, 9.

Text these numbers to help save lives by making an automatic donation to the Japan effort: -Save the Children- text Japan to 20222 -American Red Cross- text REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10 -Salvation Army – text QUAKE to 80888 to donate $10 -International Medical Corps – text MED to 80888 to donate $10 -Global Giving – text JAPAN to 50555 to donate $10 -World Vision – text 4JAPAN to 20222 to donate $10 -Doctors Without Borders- Visit www.doctorswithoutborders.org for information

images by sarah may

Circle Tail

Circle Tail provides service dogs and hearing dogs to people with disabilities. We also provide dogs for adoption, as well as offer dog obedience training, behavior management and boarding services. Circle Tail is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization located near Cincinnati, Ohio.

Phone: 513-877-3325 www.CircleTail.org

8834 Carey Lane Pleasant Plain, OH 45162

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ALICE

Reaction training administered to SHS smDIPALI

editor-in-chief

& emmaOH editor-in-chief

As the 12th anniversary of the Columbine shooting passed, SHS implemented ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate) training: a new approach to self-defense that promotes active reaction.

“In the last 15 years times have changed – now we have to talk about school safety,” said Mr. Chris Davis, principal.

Prior to ALICE, the standard procedure in the event of an intruder was to enter into a lockdown. During lockdown mode, students would lock the door, turn off the lights and hide in the classroom. Unfortunately, past school shootings like the one at Virginia Tech ha that the lockdown procedure was ineffective.

“No one ever told the students to evacuate the building, so the shooter was able to return to the same classroom three or four times,” said Davis.

ALICE was designed to improve the procedure followed when an intruder enters the building. Using ALICE, Davis encouraged students to be more proactive when threatened by a violent individual.

Instead of sitting underneath tables, ALICE advocates looking for a way to evacuate the building. Instead of remaining under the intruder’s control, Davis urges students to counterattack and distract. Instead of blindly following a school procedure, the program encourages students to effectively react to the situation at hand.

While the program recommended that students always be aware of their surroundings, it was not intended to cause panic.

“I don’t share this with you today to have you walk around in fear; we just have to be prepared,” said Davis.

Furthermore, the methods taught within ALICE extend far beyond the classroom. Davis stressed that these were “lifelong lessons that can be effective any time or any place.”

Do you think ALICE training was beneficial for the student body?

Poll on Alice training at:

www.goaves.com/multimedia

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news

ollipops, mustache, smiles

thursday, april 21, 2011

egacies left behind by retiring teachers will last forever Mr. Villari

Mrs. Klefas

all images by ana barros

THERE ARE THOSE who work for the money. There are those who work for the fame. And there are those who work for the sheer joy of doing what they love. Mrs. Judy Klefas, English teacher, is one such person. She has taught 25 of her 40 years teaching at SHS, and since the beginning she has loved every minute of it. Klefas leaves a mark in all the lives she touches, and those lucky enough to have been her students agree that it is hard to find someone who enjoys her job as much as she does.

At the end of this school year she will be retiring, but her place in the hearts of students will not.

anaBARROS

business manager

THIRTY YEARS AGO, the Oakland Raiders won the Super Bowl, Justin Timberlake was born, MTV hit cable television, and Mr. Joseph Villari, social studies teacher, began his three-decade reign in the SHS social studies department. When it comes to Villari, with his almost perfect attendance, his disgust of modern technology, his perfectly groomed mustache, and the love of his life, ‘Libby the Wonder Dog,’ he will forever be remembered. The years to come at SHS will not be the same as Villari’s sanctuary will no longer be Room 127, but wherever his dignity leads him.

alecBOCHNER

Mrs. Calland

THOUGH NOT ALL could identify her by name, the students of SHS recognize Mrs. Jo Anne Calland in a few ways. They may know her as the friendly woman in the front office in the mornings, where she tries to “add levity to the lobby” by generally “being pleasant”. All students are familiar with her voice, as she delivers the daily announcement bulletin.

Always an approachable character, Calland has been working behind the scenes of the school day for years. Though she is retiring, Calland plans to stay busy doing things that she enjoys.

ellieGOLDMAN

staff writer

business manager

Mrs. Judy Klefas, English teacher, on retiring Mr. Joseph Villari, history teacher, on retiring Mrs. Jo Anne Calland, administrative How many years have you been teaching at assistant, on retiring How many years have you worked in SHS?

I started working here in the 1986-1987 school year, when the high school still had no walls between classrooms. So about 25 years.

What are you going to miss the most about SHS? My students. There is no doubt that my students are my favorite part of working here. I also enjoy the people I work with, and love the ‘people-part’ of my job – the relationships I built with the teachers and students.

What are you going to miss the least about SHS? There is very little in SHS that I didn’t find something good in.

There is, however, one thing – I spend more time dragging stuff back and forth from the high school to my basement than anything else. The one thing that I would change in this school is to put cupboards in the classrooms. The only thing that saved me in the past years was the ‘bowling alley’ in my room. But this is my own fault, seeing as I am a packrat supreme.

What is your favorite memory from your years teaching?

On the first day that I started teaching in Deerpark High School, I met the woman who would be my best friend. I was very talkative, and no one really wanted to sit next to me at lunch. Leslie Knots, former drama teacher, was looking for a place to sit so I offered her a seat next to me. I could tell that she was fighting her way to my table, and it was obvious that she didn’t want to be there with me. After the end of the day, however, we were best friends. We were so close that when she transferred to SHS, so did I. This memory has definitely had the best ripple effect of my years of teaching.

What do you plan on doing with the newlyacquired free time you will have?

Playing with my grandchildren and volunteering, mostly at SHS. I know that there will always be something for me to do here, whether it is answering the phone or carrying books back and forth, that teachers do not have time to do. This will also give me a chance to visit my students, and will make the change a lot easier.

Any last words?

I just wish for everyone a vocation that is also an avocation; I spent 40 years doing what I love to do, and having so much fun with it. If everyone could do that, the world would be a happy place.

SHS? 30 years.

What was your most memorable experience at SHS? Something I will never forget was 9/11. When it happened, I was teaching, and the teachers were instructed to not show their students what was happening on the TV throughout the school day. Everyone was confused and worried about the situation.

What are you excited to do during your retirement?

I am excited to do absolutely nothing and to be left alone. I have a lot to do around the house, including watch movies, read books, and of course, take nice, long walks with ‘Libby The Wonder Dog.’ What would you say is your favorite part of your job?

I have always been interested in history and geography. I majored in history and it has been a joy to teach and have a job that involves one of my interests. It is nice to have a job where I can teach what I love every day.

What advice would you give to students at SHS? Read and write. If you can read and write, you can teach yourself anything. Few people read for pleasure anymore.

Everyone seems to think that the internet and the television are the best sources of information. The best writers and readers are those who are successful in their careers and later in life.

What advice would you give to young teachers?

Treat the kids like they are your children. You should want them to succeed. If you are nice and fair with them, they will treat you the same way. You also must punish them when necessary.

It seems like discipline is becoming a lost art. And last, but not least, you must always adjust to your students. Never solely rely on your lesson plan and curriculum. Your students are the utmost priority.

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How long have you been here at SHS? I joined the district in 1988 as Associate to the Director of Information Services at our Central Office, working with him for five years. Eventually I assumed the position when he retired, writing and editing the district publications until 1996, when I was reassigned to the high school. Since then I have worked year round in the front office, the print room in the summer, and as administrative assistant in the district music office.

What are your thoughts on retirement?

I think a lot like Ernest Hemingway, who said, ‘retirement is the ugliest word in the language’. I don’t think of this change in my life as ‘retirement’, but moving on to a different kind of work situation. I don’t want to leave, there are many ambiguous feelings. But there is a time to move forward.

What work will you be doing?

I will have a new, ‘full time’ job freelance editing for the Southwestern Publishing Co. When not doing that, I will be volunteer dog grooming for the Clermont County Animal Shelter (I’m a certified dog groomer), in the hopes of finding animals homes. This shelter is a no-kill facility and many of the pets have been there as much as five years.

What kind of editing will you do?

Well, I would love to write the synopsis that goes in the cover.

It has to be unique and as intriguing as the book.

What are some things you will miss?

I’ve really enjoyed working with many different personalities over the 25 years here at Sycamore. I will especially miss interacting with our wonderful students and hearing all about their families and post graduate plans.

What are you hoping for in retirement?

I need a lot of challenge in my day, I hope to find that in retirement. I don’t want to be bored, I don’t think I’ve been bored any day in my whole life.

Frey Electric, Inc. Frey Electric is a full service electrical contractor providing the design build and service needs of residential, commercial & industrial customers in the Tri-State. Complete Home& Business structured wiring.

Snapshots

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Thursday, April 21, 2011

‘Taking the stage’

Students participate in Fashion for the Cure to fight cancer

janeFINOCHARO

associative editor

FASHION FOR THE CURE, which occurred on March 23, raised over $20,000 for Cancer Family Care.

This organization provides care for cancer patients and their families.

LEFT: Artur Meller, 11, surprises Sally Evans, 11, with rose on the runway. ABOVE: Students present the winning student-designed dresses. BELOW LEFT: Ryan Stoneberger, 9, speaks about his experience with his father, Rob Stoneberger, whose experience with cancer was the inspiration for this event. BELOW: Juniors Carla Ibarra and Ryan Reid pose at the end of the runway. RIGHT: shoppers peruse the raffle baskets. Raffles were a major contribution to the funds raised at this event thanks to donations from businesses.

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all photos courtesy of mcdaniels photography

Forum

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Thursday, April 21, 2011

gabeENGLANDER

senior staff writer

staffeditorial

Although it occured about two months ago, Japan’s massive earthquake and nuclear crisis are quickly becoming old news. The death toll of 13,498 has been declared, and the search for 14,734 missing citizens has been aborted.

Japan has been left with a battered eastern coast and the devastated Fukushima nuclear plant. A decade of aftershocks of equal intensity await.

Thankfully, the global community was quick to offer their monetary support in many forms; some similar to the texted donation that was popular during Haiti’s 2010 earthquake, others through blogging communities like Tumblr.

However, these monetary donations have yet to be distributed (as of April 14).

Regardless, the Japanese government has decided that villages reduced to rubble will not be rebuilt.

April 13 was the first time an airplane was allowed to land and offer relief in Japan – over a month since the disaster.

Japan cannot afford to lose this kind of help from outside countries over the coming months. America has a moral

the Sycamore

obligation to aid this vulnerable nation.

The Fukushima blast has released a barrage of radioactive agents into the atmosphere.

While the definite effects of the radioactivity are, as of yet unknown, these isotopes could potentially wreak havoc on land and marine ecosystems, as well as human health and food supplies.

Taking into account the growing nuclear power usage in America, lessons must be learned from the problem that is doomed to plague Japan, and possibly surrounding countries, for an indefinite period. America must be prepared, if Japan was not.

Six plants reside in California alone, a prime location for tsunamis and other catastrophes similar to those that have struck Japan in the past couple months.

If our country cannot adapt its current plants to conditions that would be optimal in the event of a disaster, we are destined to suffer the same fate.

America does not have the luxury to ignore these tragedies. We can only hope that our country will not wait to take action to preserve our safety until we are the nation in a wreck.

leaf

Mission Statement: The Leaf, the official newspaper of Sycamore High School, serves as an educational tool in the training of student journalists to provide information and editorial leadership concerning school, national, and world issues, to provide a public forum for the exchange of ideas and viewpoints, and to give coverage to newsworthy events directly related to the diverse school population.

Editorial Policy: Although students work under the guidance of a professional faculty member, the content is ultimately determined by the student staff and should reflect all areas of student interest, including topics about which there may be dissent and controversy.

Students cannot publish material that is obscene, libelous, or will cause “a substantial disruption of the educational process.” Content that may stimulate heated debate or discussion is not included in this definition.

Sycamore High School 7400 Cornell Road Cincinnati, OH 45242

leafing through the masses

Q:

What do you think people will remember most about the earthquake?

The Japanese government made a wise choice by reaching out to the world and asking for help - allowing other nations to do what they can to assuage the inconceivable horrors.

-Mrs. Christine Allen, English teacher The help that was provided. They needed it. I have relatives there and we’re lucky that nobody was injured.

-Jon Ota, 11

People will remember the destruction and lives lost.

-Jake Ciricillo, 10 Editors-in-chief: S.M. Dipali, Emma Oh Associate Editors: Jane Finocharo, Kelcie Grega, Moriah Krawec

The Leaf operates as an open forum for the healthy, robust exchange of ideas. Opinions expressed in the editorials are those of The Leaf staff. Letters to the editor are encouraged.

All letters must be signed. The letters, not to exceed 300 words, may be edited for clarity, spelling, and grammar. Letters may be placed in Mrs. Cheralyn Jardine’s mailbox, dropped off in room 115, or e-mailed to jardinec@sycamoreschools.org.

The Leaf reserves the right to decide not to cover a death based on relevance, timeliness, and circumstances decided on by the editorial board. In cases that the editorial board decides not to cover a death, letters to the editor in regard to that death will be printed.

The Leaf’s complete editorial policies can be found at www.goaves.com.

For comments about columns, please write to writetotheleaf@gmail.com

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

News Sarah May Forum Kelcie Grega Feature Lina Cardenas A&E Aditi Sharma Sports Daniel Bayliss Bennett Kaplan Calendar Kelcie Grega Spotlight Madi Ashley

Alexx Lazar Snapshots Casey Rayburn Fun & Games Clayton Hamre Cartoonist Lilly Lefton Amaji Finnell Web Masters Jacob Deitloff Ross Johnstal

In my final column for The Leaf in March, I explained that if a student wanted something changed at SHS, the administration would listen. That part is still true.

I went on to say that if that student could prove to the administration that the proposed change would be beneficial, it had a chance of being adopted. That is what I would like to retract.

Let us back up. In September of this year, three seniors and I created a one hour discussion-based exercise for students to perform during Diversity Month because we felt that diversity was an issue was not being addressed at SHS. The result of ignoring the unpleasant aspects of diversity is that students segregate themselves by race, economic class, and academic level. This fact is evident to anyone who has ever set foot in our cafeteria at lunch.

Our plan was intentionally modest, including only an ice-breaker and a chart where students would label themselves and explain how each label made them feel.

In November, the four of us presented our plan to Ms. Renee Hevia, the administrator in charge of organizing Diversity Month. She was very enthusiastic about our plan, calling us back numerous times to discuss the details.

After these meetings, Hevia decided that if a diversity trainer spent ten minutes in the April 12 staff meeting explaining to teachers how to conduct the two exercises with students, the one hour discussion would take place on April 18.

Everything was settled, with a diversity trainer available and ten minutes set aside in the April 12 staff meeting.

But on April 7, Hevia definitively informed me that the ten minutes in the April 12 staff meeting were no longer available, because the administration now needed the time to talk about ALICE, a state-mandated program designed to reduce violence in schools.

I am sure this is an important program, but if this administration had really wanted to add the hour long discussion, that had already been planned for months, they could have found the time.

With the death of any honest conversation on diversity, it seems that Diversity Month is doomed to revive the meaningless superficiality of past Diversity Days.

It is important to celebrate diversity, but if we ignore the problems diversity causes, like intolerance and discrimination, we dishonor it. And though students may enjoy the ethnic food and performances, it is certain that the real issues of diversity will continue to be danced around by this administration.

While some administrators claim they want to end the divisions between students based on race, economic class, and academic level, their desires are as superficial and meaningless as this year’s Diversity Month will surely be.

For comments on this column, please write to WritetoTheLeaf@gmail.com

Managing Editor: Jimmy Chau, Aditi Sharma Business Managers: Ana Barros, Ellie Goldman Staff Writers Dilnoza Abdusamatova Irfanuddin Aijaz Emily Begley Denae Bellilti Alec Bochner John Carroll Krittika Chatterjee Rishi Choubey Brian Cleary Gariauna Daniels Michael DeMaio Gabriela Godinez-Feregrino Devon Grubba Aaron Ishida Alexandria Lazar Shea Lothrop Orion Radtke Cailin Rogers Michael Saxon Shayna Siegel Ilana Vinnik Sanika Vaidya

Photographer Jeremy McDaniel Adviser Cheralyn Jardine About us Professional memberships: • Columbia Scholastic Press Association • Journalism Education Association • National Scholastic High School Press Association • Ohio Scholastic Media Association • Ohio Professional Writers (National Federation of Women Writers) • Quill & Scroll International Journalism Honorary

forum

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thursday, april 21, 2011

Heart ailment hammers high school athletes

Athletes’ sudden deaths can be prevented michaelSAXON

W

staff writer

ithin two weeks, three high school athletes died. Not because of a car accident, the leading cause of death in children under eighteen years old, but because of heart ailment.

Heart ailment is a general name for heart disease, but in this specific case, it is called heart enlargement. Heart enlargement is usually something that cannot be detected.

It is also the disease that killed high school athletes Wes Leonard, Matthew Hammerdorfer, and Robert Garza.

“It’s different from the person who has chest pains or the elderly. These are young, healthy people who, unfortunately, have heart failure,” said Mr. Perry Denehy, athletic trainer at SHS. On Mar. 3, 2011, Fenville High School was playing its last regular season basketball game. An undefeated season was on the line. In overtime, Fenville player Wes Leonard made the game winning lay-up to complete a 20-0 season.

It would be the last shot Leonard would ever take.

Shortly after, Leonard collapsed in front of the entire gym. On his way to the hospital, he was pronounced dead.

There were no warnings. Leonard’s previous physical did not raise any red flags. He was in near perfect shape at six feet, two inches, and 220 pounds. It is as if the invincible, crumbled to nothing.

Two days later, on Mar. 5, high school rugby player Matthew Hammerdorfer passed away in the middle of a match. Like Leonard, it happened all of the sudden without warning. But, Hammerdorfer was aware of his unique heart condition and had taken multiple steps to try and defeat it.

When many people thought this tragedy was over, another high school athlete fell. Again, it was a basketball player. His name was Robert Garza.

After high fiving his teammate, Garza suddenly collapsed. Paramedics tried CPR but without any luck. He was pronounced dead shortly after. Garza appeared perfectly healthy before the game. In fact, he was even dunking in warm-ups.

The question is, are there more athletes out there with this disease that are not aware of it? If Leonard or Garza knew about their unusual condition, would they still be alive today?

photo courtesy of mcdaniel’s photography

ON OCT. 26, senior Jose Cerda was at swim practice with the Cincinnati Marlins when he suddenly clutched the wall and began shaking. His teammates pulled him out of the water, where he was unconscious. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Doctors are unsure of exactly why he died - his heart suddenly stopped, but the cause is unknown.

The required physical is not enough to detect an irregular heartbeat. According to Mr. Denehy, some states do not even require physicals for high school athletes.

A normal physical usually costs about $25. An EKG or ultrasound that can detect an irregular heartbeat can cost up to $200.

If this EKG or ultrasound can save the lives of high school athletes by making them aware of their condition, why isn’t it included in a routine physical? One would think it would be worth the $200.

Will a family pay $200 to get their son or daughter tested for this? Unfortunately, probably not, but they should. Everyone deserves to get tested but more importantly, not pay an expensive amount to do so.

Imagine playing your favorite high school sport. Imagine scoring the game winning shot.

Now, imagine passing out and falling to the ground. This is exactly what happened to Hammerdorfer, Leonard, and Garza. Do not let this happen to you. Get tested.

“The debate right now in sports medicine is whether physicals should include an EKG to detect an irregular

It’s different from the person who has chest pains or the elderly. These are young, healthy people who, unfortunately, have heart failure.

Mr. Perry Denehy, athletic trainer

heartbeat,” said Denehy.

Because there is no way to prevent heart enlargement, organizations have switched from prevention to reaction.

“Maybe we’re not going to be able to detect those that it’s going to occur with, but we want to quickly be able to recognize the seriousness and respond to an event….which is why we require coaches to be trained in CPR, which some states don’t,” said Denehy.

If an athlete does collapse while playing, one thing that can save his or her life is an AED. An AED is a computerized machine (about the size of a laptop) that quickly checks a person’s heart rate. It can recognize an irregular rhythm and “shock it” to put the heart back on track.

Most AEDs cost around $2,500. Also, there is no guarantee that the AED will work. There is a small window of time that an AED can be used in and if it is not located quickly enough, it will be too late. SHS has five AEDs located throughout the school but not everyone is certified to use them.

“No special training is required of AEDs although taking a CPR/AED is highly recommended,” said Denehy.

In all fairness, the odds of collapsing because a heart issue is slim. However, that does not mean that high school athletes should not be screened regularly. The bottom line is, the cost to get screened is worth it if a life is saved.

OGT tests students’ patience Sophomores say state test is ‘surprisingly easy’ alexxLAZAR staff writer

In the week of Mar. 14-18, while seniors and juniors enjoyed sleeping in an extra two hours, sophomores took the state wide Ohio Graduation Test (OGT) and freshmen took the practice OGT. The OGTs are something all teachers have talked about or briefly mentioned throughout the year. They have been giving test taking tips, study help, and practice worksheets to help the students prepare for the big test.

SHS has received an “Excellent with Distinction” rating for 11 years, which shows the high quality of preparation for the OGT. While some teachers have proclaimed that the tests would be difficult and that students needed to study, students actually thought otherwise.

“I was surprised. I thought they would be hard but the tests were actually pretty simple and the time amount was enough, almost too much,” said Kelsie Larkin, 10.

Was the time too much? Sophomores were allotted two and a half hours to complete a one subject test each day.

Most students did not take all the time given and spent their time catching up on much needed rest.

“I loved the sleeping. It was so nice to just sleep for an hour after taking a test. There was plenty of time to just relax. I didn’t like the fact we couldn’t have iPods or phones after we were done though,” said Jenna Lema, 10.

Overall, students were pleased with the tests. They were given plenty of time to take the test (perhaps too much) and thought it was pretty easy.

“For a test that teachers urged us to prepare for, it was surprisingly easy,” said Trey Phipps, 10.

photo courtesy of flickr.com

Suffield Orthodontics

forum Creationism evolved: Creation Museum gives ancient dogma modern makeover 8

thursday, april 21, 2011

claytonHAMRE

fun&games chief

D

o you want to know more about the origins of the universe? Where we all came from? Humankind’s early history?

If so, I would suggest visting the Creation Museum...to find out what not to believe.

Located northeast of Petersburg, KY, the Creation Museum is a site of pilgrimage for believers in Young Earth creationism, having attracted over a million visitors since its May 2007 opening.

The Creation Museum was established by the Christian apologetics organization Answers in Genesis and its president, Ken Ham. Answers in Genesis supports a literal reading of the Bible, with a focus on its first book, Genesis.

I visited the Creation Museum on Mar. 28, with my friends Vibhor Kumar, 11, and Victor Hu, 11. My mission was to investigate and disprove its claims.

“I thought it would be, well, an interesting experience,” said Kumar.

“The only reason I went was to ride a camel,” said Hu. “And I did.” The museum featured a petting zoo with a camel guests could ride.

Museum promotes political agenda

When we arrived at the museum, we immediately noticed we were on unfamilliar territory, as we had expected.

The cars around us had Christian bumper stickers, and it seemed there were virtually no people of minority backgrounds present. It was quite a change from the diverse environment we were used to.

After purchasing our tickets and having our pictures taken with a green screen, we decided to head to the first attraction.

This attraction was a multimedia presentation entitled “Men in White.”

“Men in White” introduced us to the museum’s unabashedly fundamentalist Christian view on science, society, and history.

The presentation - mainly video - featured a young woman named Wendy, sitting at a campfire and pondering the meaning of life, the universe, and everything.

She is apparently shackled to a false dichotomy of creationism, and a world full of meaning, versus evolution, and a meaningless, Godless world.

Suddenly, two wisecracking angels show up. They begin explaining to Wendy and the audience that “if you use the Bible as your starting point, everything makes sense.”

Hu, Kumar, and I were then treated to a supremely hostile assault on modern science.

Science teachers were mocked with grotesque carcicatures, portrayed as bumbling, nerdy toadies of the evil scientific establishment, using circular logic and appeals to authority to prove evolution - we seemed to be the only ones to notice the irony.

“But what if I don’t believe the Earth is billions and billions of years old?” asked a schoolgirl in the video.

“Then you’re in violation of the constitutional separation of church and state!” her science teacher frantically screeched back.

Besides showing a poor understanding of constitutional law, “Men in White” gave us our first look at the worldview of Young Earth creationists.

Bad science, vague ideas predominate The primary section of the museum’s main exhibit focuses on presenting evidence for a young Earth and reinterpreting the geological and evolutionary history of the Earth through the lense of a literal Biblical worldview.

Several concepts introduced were especially important to the museum’s view of creation.

Firstly, the exhibit repeatedly insisted that “natural selection is not evolution” – it was claimed that while organisms had the ability to change to a degree over the generations, they could not develop drastically – no lungfish developing limbs, for example.

This was essential to their understanding of the animals on Noah’s Ark. After creation, each animal type could have branched off into different varieties, with only one type being taken onto the Ark, subsequently developing into modern varieties after the Flood.

This evolution – sorry, natural selection – of separately created species (called the “orchard of life”) could happen over mere centuries, it was explained, because God is kind and granted organisms the ability to adapt to their environments.

That idea leads to a contradiction – if a bird can develop into many types of birds over only centuries, then why, as it was vehemently proclaimed, is it impossible for

entirely new species to descend from others, even over billions of years?

Additionally, the quicklynaturally-selecting “orchard of life” posits one of the only testable hypotheses provided at the museum – that we should see very different types of elephants, or sharks, or oaks appearing within the next century or two.

However, I have a feeling that the folks at Answers in Genesis will not be betting on that idea anytime soon.

Deep hostility

Another notable area of the museum focused on percieved problems in American society arising from a non-Biblically based worldview.

The panels in the exhibit mourned the prevalence of gossip, abortions, pornography, evolution-accepting churches, and “human reason.” Yes, they disapprove of humans examining the world with their own ideas.

A large sign charted the decline of western civilization over the past five centuries. With Martin Luther’s idea of “Sola Scriptura” as a starting point, successive philosophers such as Francis Bacon, Pierre-Simon Laplace, and Charles Darwin degraded the state of scholarship with un-Biblical ideas such as an old Earth.

This culminated with the moral and rhetorical victory of the ACLU - vilified as aggressive atheists - at the Scopes Trial in 1925.

Law should not promote faith

Lastly, I would like to make it clear that I am not attacking Christianity, or religion in general.

I am only criticizing a particular belief, shared by a variety of fundamentalist faiths, that I see as especially absurd.

I have no problems with religion as long as it is not used to justify violence or oppression. I have no problem with people believing in and building museums about creationism, either, regardless of how irrational I find it.

I do, however, have a problem with the ultimate agenda of the Creation Museum: to introduce a image by clayton hamre religion into a place it does EXAMINING A PLAQUE explaining the creationist view of the fossilized skeleton of a mastodon, not belong - the classroom - and to impose that religion Hu, left, and Kumar, left, begin to explore the Creation Museum. In addition to the main exhibits, upon society through the US the Creation Museum features a bookstore, planetarium, petting zoo, café, and gardens. The bookstore includes gems of literature and cinema such as “Erosion of Christian America,” which government. claims that that President Obama is complicit in a plot to destroy American Christianity.

Creationist claims - true or false?

Scientific claims: When I arrived at the Creation Museum, I was expecting to be pummeled with a barrage of half-truths and misleading suggestions, all easily disprovable. What I found instead were huge amounts of speculatory statements with no supporting statements to refute, relying simply on an assumption that a literal reading of the Bible is true.Many ideas were contradictory - for example, the Museum claims that the Grand

Biblical claims:

Canyon was carved out of preexistingrock by the Great Flood, yet also claims that the sedimentary walls of the canyon were laid down during the Flood. Fantastically, after presenting these arguments about the Grand Canton’s origin, the museum jumps to the conclusion that because radioactive decay rates put the age of the Grand Canyons’s rocks at millions of years old, “radioactive decay must have been much faster in the past.”

Creationists appeal to their belief in the inerrancy of the Bible to support their claims.

“Archaeology has confirmed the historical accuracy of the Bible.”

“No Biblical prophecy has ever been disproven.”

False. Many passages of the Bible are historically inaccurate. For example, Hosea 5:13 states that the Assyrian king at that time was named Jareb. There was never any Assyrian king named Jareb, and the actual king who reigned at the time was TiglathPileser III.

False. There are many failed prophecies in the Bible. For example, Ezekiel 29:10-11 states that Egypt will be uninhabited for forty years. This has never happened in all of history.

Feature

Pura Vida!

9

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Students engage in local motto, embrace new culture

photo courtesy of michael vega

WHILE ON THE Spanish trip to Costa Rica students were exposed to new cultural experiences. Monkeys are one of the most exhibited animals in the country, seen very often by tourists.

The students and falculty encountered crocodiles, extraordinary zip lines, and saddled up to horseback ride while navigating through Costa Rica.

dannyBAYLISS

sports chief

Stuck: ellieGOLDMAN

business manager

The 52 students were prepared to visit the Louvre, eat gelato, and recite their Julius Caesar monologues in the streets of Rome. They were not prepared to miss the flight back to Cincinnati, a fate that befell four AP Euro pupils.

To conclude their adventure across England, France, and Italy, the group flew from Rome to the JFK airport in New York. It was at this location that the trouble began.

“There was only a 1 hour 5 minute connection between our two flights, which was not enough time to get 52 students on the next plane,” said Aditi Jain, 10.

Jain and three fellow sophomores hold citizenship in a country other than the United States. They are permanent residents with green cards, but this required them to go through a different line at Customs/ Immigration station at the airport.

“We were not moving

where some of the students and teachers played until the lights went out.

While at the hotels, the group enjoyed gallo pinto, a rice and bean dish, and other traditional Costa Rican delicacies. Although some meals were repeated multiple times, the students were given the chance to try new foods and venture to restaurants for some meals of choice, as well.

When the students were not driving, eating or sightseeing, activities were at the center of the trip. The trip featured a zip line adventure through the forests of Costa Rica, and included a surprise ending.

A bungee swing over 100 feet above the ground provided scares, screams, and memories for many.

The trip, like most fun events, had to come to a close.

Students brought home good memories, souvenirs, and even some bad sunburns.

Still, despite the pain, the trip was dubbed an overall success, and had all of the students and teachers shouting “Pura Vida!”

AP Euro students miss connection, ‘Merry Odde England’ Students and parents enjoy unique dance spend night in New York City teacher Mr. Paul Alexander as well emilyBEGLEY

quickly enough. By the time the rest of the students got through, we were still in line,” Jain said. “When we finally got through our line, our flight had already taken off.”

Luckily, teacher Ms. Marilyn Ray was still in the airport and they were able to reunite after a series of confusing logistics. All remaining flights home were booked, so the group had no choice but to stay the night.

“We went to Times Square, since [a classmate] had never been before, and had dinner at TGI Friday's, which was really nice. Unfortunately, we were all so jet lagged that we fell asleep at dinner,” said Jain.

The group stayed at the JFK International Hotel.

After three hours of sleep, the group travelled to LaGuardia Airport, this time with ample time to catch a flight back to Cincinnati. Though they arrived home a full 13 hours after the rest of the class, the experience was not too traumatizing.

“Overall, it wasn’t that terrible, and we ended up getting a lot of fame for it,” said Jain.

image by shea lothrop

senior staff writer

“Please! This is supposed to be a happy occasion. Let’s not bicker about who killed who,” said the King of Swamp Castle in the movie “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.”

On Mar. 12, students and their parents who attended this year’s annual Odd Couple dance were welcomed into a completely transformed SHS. Decorations depicting the popular movies “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” “Robin Hood Men in Tights,” and “The Princess Bride” made the Commons nearly unrecognizable for the dance, dubbed “Merry Odde England.”

“I thought the decorations, as always, were very nicely done,” said Bailey Dowlin, 12.

The dance created many memories for those who decided to attend – after enjoying a buffet dinner in the gym, students and their parents danced to live music provided by The Re-Bops.

Among various members, the band featured the musical talent of SJHS

as band director Mr. David Swift.

Students and parents also took advantage of a number of photo opportunities made available by the many creative decorations displayed at the dance.

These decorations would have been an impossibility without the unwavering dedication of the many volunteers who devoted their time and effort to creating them.

The Odd Couples Committee held their first meeting in Dec. and began working on creating the various decorations that served to bring “Merry Odde England” to life in January.

The enthusiasm of these volunteers gave the many parents and students who attended the dance an opportunity to enjoy a unique event. The memories made at “Merry Odde England” will prove to be unforgettable.

Additional articles on Odd Couples

http://www.goaves.com/

HIGHLIGHTS: Barbie doll sparks global controversy

page 10 - 11

Students travel through Europe

page 12

this month in feature

L

ike many students going into spring break, Nick Schraffenberger, 11 was not sure how his week off from school would go.

“I knew there was a lot of excitement about it, but there was also some debate regarding some of the events,” said Schraffenberger.

The trip he is referring to was the Costa Rica trip.

26 high school students and four teachers were graced with a week in the beautiful South American country.

The students were greeted with “Pura Vida”, meaning many things including “pure life”, in every corner of the country.

For the entire week the students traveled via tour bus through windy roads. Despite the long treks between stops, the views were worth it.

On the second day of the trip the tour group hiked up to check out the crater of a volcano. They enjoyed the Kodak moment, but some were deterred by the sulfuric smell of the volcano.

Bursting with green rolling hills and sparkling blue bodies of water, Costa Rica’s wildlife was also a source of entertainment.

On many occurrences, whether it was hiking or roadside trips, howler monkeys and two and three-toed sloths were easily spotted hanging in the trees. The students also received a tour of one of the country’s rivers, which contained mammoth crocodiles.

Aside from the scenic views, the students were pampered by their luxurious accommodations. Of the four hotels the group stayed at, some of the amenities in the rooms included personal hot tubs, queen and king-sized beds, rainfall and waterfall showers, etc.

One of the hotels contained a miniature soccer field,

10

-cue

a&e

thursday, april 21, 2011

TM

Dolls get grilled for controversy sarahMAY

M news chief

&

aditiSHARMA

managing editor

ost girls started with one or two. She came as a second birthday present from a great aunt or as a spur of the moment buy at local toy store. She became a favorite toy, a companion, a role model.

She was Barbie®.

As the girls grew taller, their collections grew as well.

What started out as one or two ended as a monstrous pile of seemingly limitless plastic dolls, complete with matching houses, purses, and everything in between.

“I probably have about 50 [Barbie] dolls. We also have like seven Barbie cars and one limo, two big houses, a lot of furniture, a lot of clothes, and a lot of shoes,” said Katherine Demarest, 10.

Mattel Corporation® estimates that over one billion Barbies have been sold since her release in 1959.

Every two seconds, another Barbie doll is added to this market. And the average American girl, ages three to 11, owns ten – making Barbie the most popular fashion doll worldwide.

Barbie Begins

It all started when an ordinary mother saw her daughter playing with infant sized dolls one day. She noticed that her daughter gave the baby dolls adult roles and it struck her: there was a huge gap in the market.

During a trip to Germany, the mother, Ruth Handler, noticed an adult-bodied doll.

She brought the idea back to the Mattel toy company, which her husband cofounded. At first her husband, along with the entire Mattel company, opposed the idea. Nevertheless, Handler persisted, and Barbara ‘Barbie’ Millicent Rogers, named after Handler’s daughter, made her debut in 1959.

The doll featured a full chest, along with heavy makeup and curly blonde hair. She came in a zebra- striped swimsuit revealing her long legs. Such an adult- figured doll was a relatively new invention in the United States, but Handler was well aware of the impact she was making.

“When I conceived Barbie, I believed it was important to a little girl’s selfesteem to play with a doll that has breasts,” said Handler to a reporter in the early 1980s.

Anti- Barbie

One of the most common criticisms of Barbie is that she promotes an unrealistic body image for young girls.

A standard Barbie stands 11.5 inches tall, giving her a human height of 5’9” at a 1/6 scale. Estimations vary, yet it is accepted that if Barbie were a real person, she would have a chest

all images by aditi sharma

of around 36”, hips of 33”, yet an impossibly small waist of only 18”. The average woman, by comparison, stands at 5’4”, weighs 145 lbs, and measures 36”/ 30”/41”.

Statistics show that Barbie’s body type is likely to occur in one out of every 100,000 women. Additionally, according to the University Central Hospital in Helsinki, Finland, a life size Barbie would lack at least 17% of the body fat required to menstruate. In other words, she would be nearly fatally underweight.

“When you’re a little girl, I don’t think it affects you because you’re just little and having fun, but I think when you get older and realize they all have the same body type, it can become engrained in your mind and start to affect you,” said Demarest.

In 2000, Mattel finally responded to the numerous complaints. Barbie’s figure was changed, and her breasts were reduced to more naturally match her small hips.

Her figure, however, was not the only subject of protest.

In 1965 Mattel released a Slumber Party Barbie®. With the Barbie came a miniature bathroom scale permanently set to 110 lbs, as well as a doll-sized book entitled “How to Lose Weight,” which granted the advice “Don’t eat.”

A corresponding Slumber Party Ken® was also sold, but his night time accessories were milk and cookies, sending quite a different message.

Protestors again spoke out in 1992 against the newly released Teen Talk Barbie®. While most of the recordings on this ‘talking’ doll included harmless chatter about shopping or friends, the line “Math Class is Tough!” caused an uproar.

The American Association of University Women bashed Barbie and Mattel for implying girls could not do math. As a result, only two months after her release, Mattel recalled the Barbie and offered a replacement to any offended by the phrase.

Only five years after the famous Teen Talk scandal, Mattel teamed up with Nabisco to create an Oreo Fun Barbie®, in honor of the illustrious cookie. The doll was produced in two versions, and buyers could choose between a white, Caucasian Barbie, and a black, African American Barbie.

Mattel did not keep in mind, however, that the word “oreo” is, by some, applied as a derogatory term to people who are considered “black on the outside, but white on the inside,” like the chocolate cookie itself.

Critics accused Mattel of racism, and the doll was heavily reviled. All unsold stock was eventually recalled.

Barbie Today

Through her ups and downs, Barbie has overcome many controversies. Now with her 50th anniversary underway, she remains the most popular fashion doll in the world.

Available in more than 45 nationalities and sold in more than 150 nations around the world, Barbie has come a long way since her debut in 1959. For better or for worse, she has become known as the international symbol of beauty.

“Today, Barbie is important because she helps spread cultural awareness and diversity to little kids through the play of dolls,” said Avni Bapat, 11.

Though criticism of the doll will likely never cease, she will undoubtably remain an icon of American culture for years to come.

Controversy: History’s most problematic Barbies

BARBARA ‘BARBIE’ MILLICENT Rogers made her debut in 1959.

Her appearance, characterized by her demure glance and full- busted figure, sparked an immediate scandal among mothers and feminists across the country.

THE 1992 TEEN Talk Barbie® caused an uproar. While most of the recordings on this “talking” doll were harmless chatter about boys or shopping, the phrase “Math Class is Tough!” was strongly condemned by the American Association of University Women for implying girls could not do math.

IN 1997, THE Oreo Fun Barbie® was released. It came in two versions: both Caucasian and African American. Mattel was accused of racism after her release as the term “oreo” is, by some, used to berate those who appear “black on the outside, but white on the inside.” The doll was unpopular, and Mattel recalled all unsold stock.

THE HAPPY FAMILY® set, which featured Barbie’s oldest friend, Midge, as pregnant was first sold in 2002. Children could open up the doll’s belly, which then popped out a curled up baby.

Parents objected, and the entire series was removed from WalMart shelves.

SAUDI ARABIA BANNED Barbies in 2003. The Committee for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice had this to say: “Jewish Barbie dolls, with their revealing clothes and shameful postures, accessories and tools are a symbol of decadence to the perverted West. Let us beware of her dangers and be careful.” The Fulla doll was developed as a replacement, sold complete with her own abaya.

a&e

11

thursday, april 21, 2011

Barbie girl in human world Woman shocks all with more than 100 cosmetic procedures

after

SARAH BURGE HOLDS the record for the most plastic surgeries, and has spent over $850,000 on cosmetic procedures to date. Her obsession with physical perfection has earned her the title, ‘The Human Barbie.’ Top: Burge before any operations. Bottom: Burge after over 100 cosmetic procedures.

One only has to search the name “Sarah Burge” on Google to see just how much Barbie has impacted the lives of women around the world.

Sarah Burge has had more than 100 cosmetic and plastic surgery procedures to date because of which she won the Guinness World Record for the most cosmetic procedures. She is now known by her worldfamous nickname: The Human Barbie.

She had her nose made smaller, her cheekbones bigger, her chin made more prominent, and her breasts lifted. She has even had fat taken from her thighs and injected into her hands.

“The hands are another giveaway [of age]. Before, they were looking a bit scrawny. Now, the skin is nice and plump again,” said Burge to a British reporter

for MailOnline.

The expense of these operations reportedly totals over $850,000, but, according to Burge, it was worth it.

“This operation lifts everything up a bit,” she said to the same reporter. “It’s sore, God yes, but worth it - don’t you think?”

In March of 2010, Burge’s daughter, Hannah, became Britain’s youngest Botox user at just 15 years old. She was then injected with half the usual dose given to adults, with the belief that this will prevent her from developing wrinkles in the future.

Burge, who is a trained aesthetic practitioner, administered the Botox to her daughter at home.

“I was thrilled Hannah was open and honest with me about having Botox. I’d much rather know about it than have her do it behind my back,” said Burge to a reporter.

What do you think?

Does Barbie affect the way girls view themselves, or is she just a harmless doll? Let us know your opinions at http://www.goaves.com

Barbie’s anatomy The first Barbie had a demure side glance, made famous by feminist critism. In 1971, Mattel adjusted Barbie’s eyes so she viewed the world head on.

Who cares what she does? It’s her body and she can do what she wants with it.

Jordan Schneider, 9 I’ve only had three plastic surgeries to look like Barbie, so 100 seems a little bit overboard.

Nick Setser, 10 The aesthics of beauty are best defined

by Mattel.

Sam Dhiman, 10

That lady needs to go to a mental facility.

Drew Hugenburg, 11 That is probably the creepiest thing I’ve ever heard.

Sara Hammer, 12

How well do you know Barbie?

1. What toy company produces the Barbie doll?

A. Hasbro

The best selling Barbie doll ever was Totally Hair Barbie®, with hair from the top of her head to her toes.

If Barbie were a real person, she would have a chest of around 36”, hips of 33”, yet an impossibly small waist of only 18”. The average women measures 36”/30”/41”.

After her first career as a teenage fashion model, Barbie has had more than 80 careers -- everything from a rock star to a paleontologist to a presidential candidate.

Barbie has owned 43 pets throughout her lifetime, including 21 dogs, 12 horses, 6 cats, 3 ponies, a parrot, a chimpanzee, a panda, a lion cub, a giraffe, and a zebra.

all images by aditi sharma

Barbie has had more than a billion pair of shoes and over one hundred new additions to her wardrobe annually.

B. Parker Brothers

C. Mattel

D. Tyco

2. Who created the Barbie doll?

A. Ruth Handler B. Hedy Lamarr C. Betty Nesmith D. Walt Disney

3. Who was the first Barbie celebrity doll?

A. Cher B. Jean Shrimpton C. Blossom D. Twiggy

4. What is Barbie doll’s last name?

A. Dahl B. Handler C. Roberts

D. Klaus

5. What year was Barbie introduced?

A. 1955 B. 1959 C. 1961

D. 1963

6. How much did the first Barbie doll sell for?

A. 3 cents B. 33 cents C. 3 dollars D. 33 dollars

7. What is Barbie’s favorite color?

A. Magenta B. Rose C. Pink

D. Purple

8. Barbie has appeared in how many different nationalities?

A. 5 B. 25 C. 30 D. 40+ Answers: 1. C 2. A 3. D 4. C 5. B 6. C 7. C 8. D

before

feature

12

Euro trip:

thursday, april 21, 2011

takes teens touring, teaches history

michaelDEMAIO

T

staff writer

all images by michael demaio

HESE ARE JUST a few of the many highlights from the AP European history class’ ten day trek through three countries. Clockwise (all students sophomores): TOP ROW: A rally in Florence. Rallies were a trend for the Euro students, who seemed to be following a trail of rallies from.

TOP MIDDLE: Students Chris Coffel, Amelia Wells, and Amy Ham posing for a photo outside of a chateau in France. TOP RIGHT: Koffel and Jay Burgin having some fun with Ms. Marilyn Ray inside the Duomo in Florence. MIDDLE LEFT: The view of the Italian Countryside from an alleyway in Assisi.

BOTTOM RIGHT: Koffel, Jessica Rabin, Burgin, Keely Buckley and Aditi Jain taking some time off from learning to have fun in London. BOTTOM LEFT: A bench that sits in London very close to the Deatheaters bridge (for Harry Potter fans). MIDDLE LEFT: A street performer showing off his skills at the Picadilly circus in London. This trip is a chance for students to bring their European history lessons to life. They had the opportunity to widen their perspectives of the world from the small dot on the map that is Cinncinati to encompass some of the culture, traditions, and languages of Europe.

Fun & Games Thursday, April 21, 2011

Wordles I

B

R

A M R A W

N

LY

AL USIC

MILL1ON

DDwestDD

choice choice choice

deef

xqqqqqqme

M

secret

get get get get

o_er_t_o_

Answers: 1. Scatterbrained 2. Musically inclined 3. One in a million 4.Warm up 5. West Indies 6. Multiple choice 7. Top secret 8. Feedback 9. Excuse me 10. Forgive and forget 11. Painless operation

give give give give

13

Crossword Puzzle

Across 1. Moon of Saturn, has gained fame because of its resemblance to the Death Star from Star Wars 4. Dwarf planet named after Geek goddess of strife discord, only known moon is named Dysnomia, meaning “lawlessness” 5. Largest moon of Neptune, has retrograde orbit, has geysers believed to erupt nitrogen 6. Dwarf planet in the asteroid belt, formerly considered an asteroid 8. A type of stellar explosion resulting from a variety of causes, extremely luminous, gives off more energy than the total output of the sun during its existence 9. A type of stellar explosion resulting from a variety of causes, extremely luminous, gives off more energy than the total output of the sun during its existence 12. Distance from a star where a terrestrial planet can maintain liquid water, allowing for the possibility of life 13. Largest moon of dwarf planet Pluto 15. Moon of Jupiter, named after cupbearer of Zeus, lighter areas of surface covered with grooves and ridges 16. Nebula resulting from the supernova of 1054, which occurred relatively close to Earth and appeared brighter than the sun, illuminating the night 17. Red dwarf star or large sub-stellar object hypothesized to exist beyond the solar system’s Oort cloud by some paleontologists and astronomers, used to explain mass extinctions and other eccentricities in solar system

18. Largest moon of Saturn, only moon with dense atmosphere, has Earth-like weather and hydrocarbon lakes Down 1. A type of neutron star with an exceptionally powerful magnetic field, causing atoms to deform into cylinders and the vacuum of space to take on a crystal-like structure within its range.

2. Smallest of the four Galilean satellites of Jupiter, surface composed of ice, it is thought likely an ocean of liquid water lies beneath its surface, a possible location for extraterrestrial life 3. Name of the star usually referred to as “the sun” 4. Term applied to planets orbiting around stars other than the sun 7. Most geologically active object in the solar system, moon of Jupiter, has hundreds of volcanoes, producing huge lava flows 10. Hypothetical type of planet that has been ejected from its solar system, not gravitationally bound to any star, would orbit galaxy directly 11. Objects between the size of large gas giants and small stars, cannot sustain hydrogen fusion reactions, give off some heat and light 13. Nebula resulting from the supernova of 1054, which occurred relatively close to Earth and appeared brighter than the sun, illuminating the night 14. Third-largest moon of Saturn, has an equatorial ridge, known for “two-tone” coloration

Chapter 10: Trying Again claytonHAMRE

fun&games chief he officers of the UNSS Starship were pleased with the plan the Diandians had drawn up to defeat the United Allied Earldoms and retake Mount Everest.

“I think very highly of the Diandians,” Roger said to Carlotta. “They’re very efficient and very kind – aside from the fact that they’re going to destroy dozens of planets.”

“We’ll have to confront that issue,” she responded.

So, later that day, they did.

“I understand your concerns,” said Jonguaguor, Supreme Commander of the Diandian Armed Forces. “However, I’m not sure you fully appreciate our situation. The UAE desecrated our star system and forced us into hiding for centuries. They conquered hundreds of planets, gobbling up their resources and enslaving their peoples for profit. All citizens of the UAE are accomplices in these crimes, and they will not be spared.”

Roger blinked, and looked silently at the alien general.

“But what about all the beings who are enslaved? Don’t you want to free them and give them back their independence?”

“They’re gone now,” Jonguaguor stated flatly.

“How are all the citizens of the UAE responsible for the crimes of their leaders – some of those events took place hundreds of years ago!” Carlotta exclaimed.

“Maybe humans have a different view of morality than us.

Maybe you don’t understand how exactly the political system of the UAE works,” the commander replied.

“A plutocratic confederal monarchy?”

“I don’t have to explain all this to you. If you want your mountain back, then stick to the plan.”

Roger and Carlotta returned to the building where they were staying, dejected.

“Seti,” Roger asked his medical attendant, “Are you familiar with your government’s intentions to destroy every UAE planet after the Tetrahedron is taken out?”

“Of course,” Seti explained. “As a citizen of Diand, I helped formulate our overall military and foreign policies.”

“You approve of that?”

“Well…,” Seti hesitated for a moment. “I can’t say I have absolutely no misgivings, but it seems fair.”

That evening, the humans met again.

“So are we going to go through with this?” asked Luke. “The attack will begin in two days.”

“I…really don’t like it,” said Roger, “but we have to remember what we’re here for. The UAE stole Mount Everest, the highest mountain on Earth, and we were sent on a mission by the United Nations to retake it. If we can get it back by doing what the Diandians tell us, I don’t think we should have to bear any responsibility for the actions the Diandians take on their own.”

“So you’d rather bear the guilt of hundreds of millions – billions, probably – of innocent deaths?” Ralia responded indignantly.

“If we don’t cooperate with this, we might be stranded on Diand for a long time,” Carlotta said worriedly. “They’re very welcoming and generous people – but now we know what they do to people who get on their bad side. I think we’re just going to have to make the best out of what we have to deal with.”

After a few more minutes of discussion, the others gave in. They had to get Everest back.

Two days later, the humans carried out the first stages of the plan. Things were going fine.

“What in space is going on?!” exclaimed John Gompers, a highranking crew member of the Starship, as the officers entered the Tetrahedron’s prison area to free them. “First you leave the ship and don’t come back, then we’re thrown in prison, then we’re force-fed sugar, and now we’ve got this idea that money isn’t actually worth anything!”

“Sorry, sorry,” Roger muttered nervously. “There’s kind of a lot to explain, but you’re being affected by the Gigantic Destructive Protractor – the GDP. But get back on the Starship and get out of here. We’ve got to do some other things before we leave the Tetrahedron.”

Roger, using the cardkey he had bartered for with a frantic security guard, came around and unlocked the cells, their occupants flooding out into the corridors.

As Roger, Carlotta, Luke, James, and Ralia made their way to the artificial gravity control center, the Tetrahedron’s financiallyworried residents swarmed around them, running to nearby stores, futilely attempting to foist their credit cards on each other.

The gravity fields were easily turned off, and the officers made their way to the upper landing bay of the Tetrahedron to be picked up by a Diandian spacecraft.

“What are you doing?” asked Roger annoyedly, looking at the various crew members gathered in the Starship’s bridge the next day. “You were sent instructions to go to Diand. Why are you making me come here?”

“Roger,” one woman said, “don’t you remember?”

“Remember what?”

“You’re the only one who knows how to drive it.”

T

ComicsbyLillyLefton

14

A&E

Thursday, April 21, 2011

You say goodbye, I say hello ginaROMEO

senior staff writer

It all started with the Beatles, as most great things do.

“You heard the song and you just couldn’t help yourself. Next thing we knew you were up on the table at Maury’s Family Restaurant belting out the song ‘Ticket to Ride.’ You didn’t miss one word.”

I was two years old. My mom likes to tell this story whenever the chance arises, and honestly, I’ve always enjoyed hearing it. Nothing makes me happier than knowing that I could identify good music from such a young age.

Throughout my lifetime, I have been exposed to such a wide variety of music in my house alone that it image by emma oh only makes sense that my music taste THE ‘MASQUERADE’ SEQUENCE featured a large portion of the ‘Phantom’ cast. However, the production required many more people than the ones is so eclectic. pictured here. Others involved in ‘Phantom’ helped build the set and create the colorful costumes.

While my dad, an ex-rock n’ roll musician, liked to play Prince, Todd Rundgren, and of course, The Beatles, my mom was a fan of a young Mariah Carey. My five siblings have provided me with plenty of listening material: from Japanese rock to garage punk to show tunes.

“I feel like the whole atmohelped Emily Kissela, 10, style johnCARROLL When I first began writing this staff writer sphere is very kind and welcomher hair for the part of Christine. column last school year, it was with ing. As an incoming freshman “I’m kind of excited to see it the hope that I could serve the same s the rehearsal and in the theatre department it was from the audience. I’ve never purpose for SHS students that my performance aspects nice to know that I was working really been able to watch the family served for me. I wanted to be of “Phantom of the with a group of great people,” whole show from the audian endless source of great music of Opera” draw to a close, said Gil Kaplan, 9. ence before,” said a goodall kinds. the cast reminisces A spectacular set, combined natured Bresnahan before I am still so incredibly humbled by about the experience. with the epic scale of the show the show on Apr. 14. the fact that people actually read my “A lot of the fun of being in a only added to the excitement.

Another nugget deep work. To be recognized as SHS’s resishow is in the rehearsals,” said “The chandelier was amazing, in the pages of the Aves dent “music expert” is the best title I Caroline Bresnahan, 11. no doubt about it,” said Griffin Theatre storybook is could ever ask for.

There was plenty of time to Levy, 10. the remounting of the Writing Gina’s Jams has not always have fun for the ‘Phantom’ But the chandelier wasn’t the chandelier during a been all sunshine and daisies though. cast this year. They have been only great set piece. small principle rehearsal While seeing my words printed for rehearsing since October. That’s a “I thoroughly enjoyed the boat in late March. the whole school to read has surely solid seven months of rehearsal. scene when the Phantom and “It was pretty hilarious been rewarding, I have had to overAlso, the bonds established Christine are going down to the actually. Carroll had to come many obstacles to get where I between the cast members were lair,” said Gabe Schenker, 9. climb inside the chandeam today. (Please excuse my cliché.) apparent in the performances.

Of course, there was the grand lier and reach up to fasten My frequent procrastination has “Ever since John Carroll, proscenium and the theatre it to a cable since he’s prevented my column from being 9, and I were cast as business boxes mounted upon it. However, the tallest. But he was so printed not once, but twice, and has partners in the show, we’ve pretty Kirkendall soon found that it cramped inside the chanmanaged to turn me into the black much been bros,” said Bradley can be a dangerous chore to exit delier that he looked like sheep of The Leaf staff.

Kirkendall, 10. those boxes. a fetus in the womb,” said So in the spirit of every Gina’s Jams These bonds seem to be a “I fell out of the box when I James Reece, 10.

I have ever written, I’m writing this common theme with most of the was getting out during a dress In all, a combination on deadline day, just hours before the shows this year rehearsal and fell six feet to a of love, danger, and the newspaper goes to the printer. Some “I felt like the ‘All I Really Need horrible fate. I suffered several stress of performance things never change. to Know I Learned in Kindergarscrapes,” said Kirkendall. has forged meaningful Although I would love to be able ten’ and ‘A Midsummer Night’s Kirkendall was not the only connections amongst to say that this column has been my Dream’ casts were tons of fun,” one to suffer an injury on the set. the members of Aves brainchild in its entirety, there are a said Bresnahan.

Bresnahan fell down the stairs at Theatre. few people who need to be recognized Although most of the cast the end of “Masquerade” durimage by emma oh for helping to make this possible. members are veterans of the Aves ing a dress rehearsal before the Photo gallery of JEFF SILVERSTEIN, 12 performs Shivani Parikh, 12, Sam HamTheatre Department, there are third show and broke her fibula.

Phantom of the during the ‘Masquerade’ sequence. mer, 12, Shayna Siegel, 11, and many new freshman and a few She was unable to perform in the Opera Silverstein starred as the infamous Michael Saxon, 9, you have made upperclassmen who are giving it next three shows, but she still the stress that is journalism class so their first try this year. www.goaves.com/multimedia phantom of the opera. ‘Phantom’ observed from the audience and was his last Aves Theatre show. much more bearable. Without you four there is no way that I ever would have been able to make it through three years of deadlines, weekly beats, and staying after school way too late.

Thanks to John Kazior, 12, for being a truly Joycean friend.

And thank you to James Chrisman, 12, who has been my biggest fan, as well as my biggest critic.

Someday, I will be writing about you for Rolling Stone Magazine, my friend.

Finally, thank you to everyone who has read my column for the past two years; I write for you.

‘It was nice to know that I was working with a group of great people,’

Cast reminisces after curtain falls on ‘Phantom’

A

Art students recieve national Silver Medals page 15

Prom, After Prom sure to impress

page 16

this month in a&e

HIGHLIGHTS:

a&e 15 Silver halides shine bright thursday, april 21, 2011

Hayden, Hess achieve national Silver Medals Photo gallery of Hayden’s and Hess’ National Scholastic artwork

www.goaves.com/multimedia shaynaSIEGEL

I

staff writer

n the 2011 Scholastics Competition 180,000 pieces were submitted. 50,000 were selected at a regional level, but only 2,700 won a medal at the national level.

Two were SHS students.

The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers Scholastics Competition has been held for the past 88 years. It is a prestigious nationwide contest which includes grades 7-12, involving different types of arts and writing medias.

Although Scholastics has been going on for many years, there are three things that remain consistent. Since 1923 criteria, blind judging, and freedom of expression have been constant.

Meaning that work is based on originality, technical skill, and personal interpretation of the artist. The submitters’ work is kept anonymous from the judges and can only be disqualified based on content alone.

Rachel Hayden, 12, had two pieces selected at the national level, and each received a Silver Medal.

“I was ecstatic when Mrs. Copfer told me I made it. Having my work selected regionally was a huge deal for me, but being a national winner was incredible. I called my dad from school just to tell him,” said Hayden.

Both of her pieces focused on her concentration: the loss of childhood. One is a scratch board piece titled “Father Figure”, the other an oil painting titled “Mother, Before”. “‘Mother, Before’ is a collection of objects that remind me of how I viewed my mother when I was a child. It was an exploration of the mother I remember before her cancer and the mother she became afterward,” said Hayden.

Hailey Hess, 12, also received a national Silver Medal for her photography portfolio which included eight images.

“I wasn’t even expecting to advance past the regional level because there are a lot of prestigious works in this competition,” said Hess.

These winnings are not based on luck; hard work and creativity were put into each piece submitted. Both these artists have been practicing their skills from a very young age.

“I can’t remember not drawing and painting. My mom always says that when I was little, she’d buy a ream of paper and I’d have crayon drawings on every sheet by the end of the week,” said Hayden.

These young artists dedicate much of their time to their work. They spend numerous hours in and out of school perfecting their

photo courtesy of rachel hayden

ONE OF THE pieces selected from Rachel Hayden, 12 for the Young Artists & Writers Scholastics Competition is called “Father Figure.” “‘Father Figure’ is a scratchboard, so I wanted to depict something that scratched the visible surface and exposed something just slightly below the visible. The image is of the pressure I see my father under despite his determination,” said Hayden. pieces.

“I spend most of my time working on my photos, I spend a lot of time in the photo room working on my prints. I also take pictures a couple of days a week,” said Hess.

To these students, art is not just a hobby. It is much more, something they work hard at everyday, just as athletes spend numerous hours perfecting their sport.

Art means everything to them - it is an enormous part of their lives.

“I remember coming to Pancake Day when I was in kindergarten and seeing the AP students’ portfolios and thinking I would never be good enough to have a display like that. Setting up my portfolio for the show this year was a dream come true. For me, it was bigger than graduation,” said Hayden.

All of the hard work that has been put in over the years has proved to be advantageous. After months of judging and anticipation these two girls each won national recognition.

After a prestigious celebration at Carnegie Hall on May 31, Hayden and Hess’s work will be put on display in NYC at the World Financial Center Courtyard Gallery in Lower Manhattan from June 1 to the 19.

photos courtesy of hailey hess

THE PHOTO TO to the left and above were submitted by Hess to the prestigious Scholastic Competition. They are two of the eight included in her photography portfolio which were selected for a Silver Medal at the national level. These art pieces explore the theme of cycles of life and death. All of the items in the portfolio exhibit a unique and personal printing style. “Lately I’ve been burning the edges of some of my photographs or putting clay on top of them,” said Hess.

a&e

16

thursday, april 21, 2011

Prom committee goes all in

‘Vegas Nights’ promises entertainment for SHS markEILERS

T

senior staff writer

hroughout the year, SHS dances have continually provided students with memories that will remain with them far beyond their high school careers – whether experiencing a night with friends, a date, or a parent, the events often prove to be unforgettable.

With Prom rapidly approaching, students have the option of attending only one more dance this year. For graduating seniors, Prom will be a final opportunity to

experience a high school dance.

The dance will be held at the Oasis on April 30 from 9 pm to 12 am. Afterwards, students are encouraged to return to the high school for After Prom, which will take place from 12:30 am to 5 am.

After Prom is supported by the PTO, booster groups and athletic teams, parent groups, community organizations, local businesses, SHS staff and administration, and numerous parents.

These volunteers strive to create a fun and safe environment for students to enjoy after the dance.

After Prom is open to all juniors and seniors who wish to be a part of it regardless of whether or not they attended the dance. Although underclassmen are also welcome, they must be accompanied by an upperclassman.

The theme of this year’s event will be “Vegas Nights,” in which students will have the opportunity to enjoy a casino area, inflatable games, prizes, food, and live entertainment - among many other options.

As the final dance of the school year draws near, students are looking forward to enjoying a memorable night. For seniors, Prom will make a lasting impression.

image by aditi sharma

Sports

17

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Uneasiness settles as Cole takes control Team on board with new coach; philosophy sports chief

For the SHS lacrosse team, one thing will always be constant: success. The team has been one of the most successful lacrosse teams in the state of Ohio, and coming into the 2011 season, seniors could not have been more prepared to take the field.

One thing however, would be different.

Longtime head coach Tom Nugent took a job coaching at Elder high school, leaving not only a vacancy, but also uneasiness in the stomachs of every player in the program.

For several months, the team went without a coach, until it was announced that longtime assistant coach Greg Cole would take reign of the team. Players were not completely comfortable with the change at first, but have since embraced it.

“I know that the players, especially the seniors, were surprised by the coaching change,” Cole said. “The seniors have responded very well by working hard to adapt to the new coaches. I think the players in general are on board—and it helped that I was a coach in the system that they have played for before. The other coaches we brought on have coached at great programs, so having new ideas mixed with the comfort of a similar system has been a great formula for success.”

With the change in coaching, came a change in philosophy. Cole has chosen to take a new approach towards the team, holding each player responsible for their actions on and off the field.

“This year we adapted the Air Force Core Values: Integrity First, Service before Self and Excellence in all we do,” Cole said.

“I believe, as most coaches do, that if you give your best effort and listen to coaching you will have the best chance to reach your potential. As we have seen in the news, this is only possible if you get it done in the classroom and are a respectful young person in the community. This year our motto is ‘Take Charge,’ which means that each individual is responsible for making sure things get done, whether that is homework, chasing a ground ball, or taking care of teammates.”

& chaseSPICER senior staff writer

best players,” said Cole.

“They are vocal leaders and leaders by example. Our other seniors Steve Froh, 12, Trevor Kress, 12, and Sam Stewart, 12, are providing great examples of how hard work and dedication can create great strides on and off the field.

These 7 seniors are going to have a huge impact on the direction of this program for years to come.”

Although there is an abundance of senior leadership on the team, one player stands out from the rest. Junior Derrick Kihembo, 12, has been offered a scholarship to play at Johns Hopkins University, and has consistently been one of the better players on the team over the past few years.

“It goes without saying that Derrick is a great athlete,” Cole said. “His speed and agility would make him a threat on most sports fields. He has been playing lacrosse for a number of years and his lacrosse IQ and FROM LEFT: DERRICK KIHEMBO, 11, JOSH Toney, 12, and stick handling skills have really Jack Busch, 11, along with their teammates, have attained a surpassed much of the local 3-3 record for SHS through six games. In thier fifth game, the competition.” team faced off against Elder High school. It was the teams first With senior leadership and game against former head coach Tom Nugent since he left aid from Kihembo, the SHS SHS to coach the panthers. SHS came out victorious, winning men's lacrosse team has all the 13-4. This, however, was not the biggest highlight of the night. ingredients for a successful Former SHS lacrosse player, Tommy Rivera, 11, who suffered season. If the players are able a brain injury in the offseason, filmed an inspirational speech to buy into Cole’s philosophy, a discussing his injury and helmet safety. The game was a fundregional championship may be raiser for Rivera’s fund, and over $800 was raised. in the making for the Aviators.

“Our goal from the off season was a Regional Championship,” of this historic, never-before-played match.

Cole said. “We knew coming in that we would This match-up was not disappointing from have a young team both in age and varsity exSHS’s side of the field. perience and expected Sycamore scored three unanswered goals in to have some struggles the first period and a single one in the second early in the season as to make the score 4-0. we got over some jitElder soon found their way through the fog ters. I think that as we of that Friday night and put two goals of their become more comfort- own past the outstanding goalie, Wolkoff, to able playing as a team, make the score 4-2. you will see great “It was great to play Elder. I think this game things happen.” will be a new rivalry each year for now on. I’m

We knew coming in that we would have a young team both in age and versity experience and expected to have some struggle. I think as we become more comfortable playing as a team, you will see great things happen.

Long time no see

The Sycamore Junior High stadium was packed just under capacity onFriday night for the men’s varsity lacrosse game against SHS’s new rival, Elder - who is led by the team’s old coach Nugent.

The event was more than just a lacrosse game; it was to help support Tommy Rivera, 11, with his recent head injury. The two teams both raised an impressive amount of $850 dollars to contribute to Rivera’s fund.

“The whole event and game was great, I’m so happy for Tommy and glad he pushed through everything and is doing okay now,” said Peter Gianetti, 11.

Each side, both Sycamore and Elder, had to bring as many people to the game as possible for donations to the Traumatic Head Injury Organization (THI), an organization that Rivera chose.

Both teams stormed the field in excitement

Coach Greg Cole

Leading the way

The SHS lacrosse team does not fall short in terms of experience. With seven returning seniors, there is no lack of leadership on the team. With the coaching change, it has been important for seniors to aid in the transition.

“Our Seniors are great. Aaron Grzegorzewski, 12, Josh Toney, 12, Chase Spicer, 12, and Jeff Wolkoff,12, are our captains and not only because they are four of our

Justin Murray, 12, has record breaking performance

page 19

glad I was a part of it,” said Wolkoff.

Despite making another uncontested goal, Elder was still behind by 3 after SHS threw in three of their own; leaving a score of 7-4, going into the locker room at the half.

SHS came out riled up with the fans on their feet; scoring off of the first faceoff after halftime and then another two, leaving the Panthers in an even bigger hole with a score of 10-4.

The fourth quarter rolled around and the Panthers could not get any offense going.

The Aviators poured on more shots and more goals, leaving the final score 13-4 and giving Wolkoff a shutout for the second, third and fourth quarter.

“It was a hard fought game. We need to bring that same energy for the rest of the season,” Jack Bernard, 11.

Soundslides of men’s lacrosse team

www.goaves.com/multimedia

HIGHLIGHTS:

Seniors take talents to college

page 18

Tennis team plays for postseason

page 19

this month in sports

bennettKAPLAN

True Reds carpet treatment dannyBAYLISS

sports chief

Oh, to be a Reds fan in 1990.

I wish I had the opportunity to appreciate a wire-to-wire run. The feeling of constant jubilation, anxiety, and pride all wrapped into one 162-game season must be exhilarating. To watch the Nasty Boys accel game after game must have been music to a kid’s ears.

I can only imagine some of the shenanigans Sweet Lou conjured up during one of his infamous rants against the man behind the plate.

Aside from the Big Red Machine, that is as good as is got for Cincinnati and baseball.

Success of any aspect is exciting, but when it comes to baseball, America’s pastime, there’s just something oh-so-special that turns the occasional observers into the obsessed. As fans, we are proud to live vicariously through any positive stretch. When the stretch is for a whole season, we can hardly contain ourselves.

I know I’d be that iconic child, sitting cross-legged not even a foot away from the television screen; I’d hope that being that “close” to the action would pay dividends towards the outcome. To fans, a wire-to-wire season is both a distraction and a delight.

To the players it is the sign of ultimate division dominance in baseball. Even before the season started, every nook and cranny of Cincinnati was bursting with Reds hype. Whether it be the past season’s success, the divisional injuries, or the trash talking, people were talking something up about the 2011 Reds.

Of course, I was one of those people, and I still am. I love to drink the Reds Kool-Aid, no pun intended.

We’re crowning them kings before they earn the spot on the throne.

And for this instance that’s OK. For a city desperately needing some sort of sports success, the Reds are the outlet to the struggles of Cincinnati.

Hard days at work and school suddenly drift to the back of one’s mind by the time the first pitch rolls around. Just like any other major event, I found myself to be an honorary insomniac the night prior to Opening Day. The fact that I was in a beautiful hotel in Costa Rica didn’t help either. But despite the many miles separating me and Great American Ball Park, my heart yearned to catch the action. As the Battlin Redlegs stormed out of the gate 5-0, they gained a bit more publicity on SportsCenter. And they definitely deserve even more.

This proved to be a great break amidst all the Barry Bonds news (We all know he lied. No one’s neck grows that much from just drinking a lot of milk and occasionally hitting the gym). But that’s the special thing about this team. Aside from Brandon Phillips doing his best Chad OchoCinco imitations, this is a humble team.

They know they’re part of bringing success back to the organization.

So after wire-to-wire aspirations returned from a twenty-one year hiatus, don’t expect too much out of the players. Especially the superstitious ones. Nonetheless, it’s good to see that quality baseball has returned to Cincinnati.

18

Spirited seniors swing into season: Varsity baseball veterans Coach Chris Shrimpton, on varsity baseball How do you feel about the team this year? What does this lead by example year’s team bring you that last years may not have, or vice

versa?

I feel very good about the team. I have a strong core of veteran players that are very competitive, want to win, know how to play the game, and are very talented baseball players.

What can you say about Kyle Hart, and what he brings to the team?

Kyle is one of the best left-handed pitchers in the city. He knows how to pitch and we have a chance to win every time he takes the mound.

AFTER FINISHING FIFTH in the GMC (Greater Miami Conference) with a record of 12-14, the SHS men’s baseball team has been preparing for this season since November. With several returning seniors, Coach Chris Shrimpton will be leading one of the best teams to take the field for SHS in several years.

Signing celebrates seniors success

Besides Kyle, what other players on the team would you consider leaders and why?

Jake Michalak, 12, is the captain of the team. He is our shortstop and number two hitter in the batting order. He’s determined to win and will do whatever it takes to get the job done. Thomas Meier, 12 is our senior second baseman. He is very competitive and loves the game. Jason DeFevers, 11 is our junior catcher, who was all-GMC last year. His leadership skills are invaluable behind the plate. Kevin Clark,12 is a senior pitcher and third baseman, and a winner on the mound. Alec Diersing, 12 is a senior outfielder, our closer, and another Sycamore all-GMC player. If we can get to him in the seventh inning we have an excellent chance to win the game.

What do you expect from your team this year, what are your goals?

I expect them to play hard every game. Team goals are to win the GMC and advance in the state tournament What is your strategy as a coach to get players motivated, and what is your message to the players Baseball is a game, I want my players to have fun when they play, but at the same time, I want them to win. I keep my players motivated by being positive and focusing on the good things they accomplish rather than the “dumb” things they do in a game. My message is to have fun, play hard, and never give up.

Girls lacrosse off to slow start Team still hopes to regain title

two teams in the Midwest: Loyola Academy, New Trier.

Although they were turned home May 27, 2010. That Thursday night with two disappointing losses, the stays embedded in the memories of girls were reminded of the intensity the girls lacrosse team. It was the day and skill level needed to play topthey hoped to avenge their 11-10 loss notch lacrosse. against New Albany. The girls were “It was a learning experience. Chihungry, many had been there for the cago was a challenge for us. It was 2009 state championship, but none disappointing to lose some games, had been out on the field playing for but it helped in exposing what our the title. team needed to improve on for the However, luck was not on their season,” said Katie MacLachlan, side, as once again, they lost to New 11.

Albany by one, also losing their bid However, the girls did not let the into the final four.

Chicago losses mar their performance From every misfortune, there is a in Cincinnati. Upon returning home, lesson to be learned. The girls return to the girls demolished Loveland in a the field once again, hungrier than ever lopsided 20-1 victory. as their chances at that coveted state Followed by a ruthless week of tournament were cut short last year.

For eleven of them, it will be the last practice, the girls perfected their various plays and sets, and played time that they will play together as a Upper Arlington in what was one team, and they all have the same goal of the biggest games of the season. set in sight.

Unfortunately, SHS “We have been working so hard We have been working so hard this year. Some was unable to clinch of us were on the team in 2009 but it really the win, losing 13-6. this year. Some “It was frustratwas not our title.

We all want to actually play of us were on the ing how we played. a part this time.

Its our year to win. team in 2009 We have so much but it really was potential but we just Emily Bell, 12 not our title. We couldn’t play our all want to actubest,” said Marisa Merk, 12. ally play a part this time. It’s our year On April 12, the girls took on Lato win,” said Emily Bell, 12. kota West. Despite their rocky start It is not easy to be great. It takes to the season, the SHS squad soared serious dedication, self-sacrifice, and drive. It requires players to skip out on past the Firebirds, winning 9-4.

Coach Eddie Clark commended the staying out late, sleeping in, and even girls after a game well played. enjoying a full seven days of warm “Everything came together. The deweather on their spring breaks. fense was unbelievable and it started But in the end, once that medal is with the attackers all the way to the hanging around their necks, it will all goal. Our midfield was absolutely seem to be worth it. dominant,” said Clark.

“This season we have tough games At press time, the girls were 3-3, and high expectations, but the eleven and ranked first in their division. seniors are all determined and de-

linaCARDENAS

feature chief

all images by bennett kaplan

ON APR. 8 SHS held signings for three senior football players.

On top from left, Cody Sadler signed to play at the College of Mount St. Joseph, Michael Streicher signed to play at Case Western Reserve University, and Robert Stein signed to play at The University of Akron. During the signing, SHS athletic director Jim Stoll, as well as varsity football head coach Scott Datillo, spoke to the audience about the signees success at SHS. Datillo, a Mount St. Joseph graduate, made a point to the audience that he was extremely proud of Sadler, being one of the first players he had coached to attend his alma mater.

Following the coahces speeches, the parents of the players each spoke. During the speeches, several of the parents broke into tears, as they recounted their childrens journey through high school.

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voted to doing whatever we can to achieve our goal and win state in our last season together. I am so glad to be a part of this group of seniors and this team,” said Grace Hulett, 12.

The girls began their season in Chicago, where they played the top

page 9

What we learned from Tuscon

the

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sports thursday, april 21, 2011 BK

sports KAPITOL Lockout leaves league employees in dust

bennettKAPLAN

sports chief

It is 2012, and a full year into the NFL lockout. On a cold December Sunday in Cincinnati, Paul Brown Stadium is a dark, empty structure.

What once was a bustling metropolis of sports fans stands dead.

If you dare stroll down Second Street, you may come across Mike Brown begging for change. See, ever since the NFL locked out for the season, Brown has gone from billionaire to broke. How, you ask, does a rich man lose everything in the matter of a year? I couldn’t tell you, for this story isn’t written by me. It is written by the NFL owners of 2011, depicting the horrors of what would happen to them if they didn’t get their “deal.”

The truth however paints quite a different picture. The average net worth of an NFL team owner hovers somewhere around $1 billion. The average salary for an NFL player usually ranges from $700,000 to $800,000.

The average salary of a cameraman? No more than $40,000 a year.

Stadium janitors? No more than $20 an hour. Stadium concession stands workers? Minimum wage.

If the NFL were to shut down for the 2011-2012 season, the Brown family would be able to survive.

Jerry Jones wouldn’t go on food stamps, and Arthur Blank wouldn’t lose his home. Let’s be honest. In the case of a lockout, the owners, players, and coaches would barely be affected.

The ones who would truly be harmed by a lockout would be the ones who make their living working for the league.

Aside from league and team employees, many local businesses would lose significant business. Bars, restaurants, and all businesses that profit from the NFL would lose their source of income. TV stations would lose advertising revenue generated by games, and announcers, producers, promoters, and all people who make a living creating NFL broadcasts would be out of work.

In their constant debates over revenue, the NFL owners fail to realize that their paychecks are not the only thing at stake. If the owners choose to not come to an agreement, thousands of people all over the country will be out of work. Players, coaches, and owners would be able to survive without pay for a year, but low income employees would be in trouble.

Not only would people lose their jobs, but their way of life. Business owners would be forced to find a new source of income, and fans would never be the same. People who have spent decades attending football games would suddenly be without their pastime.

If we were a year into a lockout, Paul Brown Stadium would still be dark and empty, the streets once filled with sports fans would be dead, and the sounds of game day would be but a memory.

Brown, however, would not be begging for money on the street, but watching the chaos unfold as he always does: with a grin on his face.

Because as we all know, when everything seems to be at its worst, is when Mike Brown is happiest of all.

For comments on this column, please write to WritetoTheLeaf@gmail.com

sports

19

thursday, april 21, 2011

Track star breaks 21 year record mariaMARBALLI

class of 1989.

Adam Kapuscinski, 12, is attempting to do the same in the 400 meter dash with a few more seconds to shave t is not every day that a student breaks a school record. Justin Murray, 12, did it. off as he came in fifth at Winton Woods with 5o.5 seconds.

Placing in the top five at finals were Angela Harris, 10, After the first meet of the season, the coming second in long jump, Samantha Siler, 10, comtrack team brought home their first batch ing in third on the two mile, Murray, and Kapuscinski. of rankings from the Coach’s Classic, On Apr. 12, SHS hosted a meet inviting all varsity and JV including awards for athletes who placed in the finals runners as a way to allow runners to compete for Varsity at Winton Woods. spots.

Other local schools competing were: Mt. Healthy, While athletes compete and records break, the team is Finneytown, Indian Hill, Walnut Hills, McNicholas, St. Xavier, MND, Alken, Winton Woods and Coving- pushing each other onto victory in the coming weeks. ton Catholic.

The men’s team placed eleventh out of 27 teams and the girls placed tenth out of 31.

From there, qualifying events from each school advanced to the finals held on Apr. 8.

Murray broke the school’s shot put record at the finals while coming in first place with http://www.goaves.com/group/mens-track 55-06.50. He broke the record of John Rowan, senior staff writer

image by michael saxon

I

Additional articles on track

IN HIS FINAL year at SHS, Justin Murray, 12, has accomplished many things, including a football scholarship to the University of Cincinnati. His most recent accomplishment is breaking a shot put record in track. The record was previously held by John Rowan, class of 1989.

Gold tennis team bounces into postseason frankPAN

After a grueling spring break, the team had a few practice days and a chance to Entering a year filled with high expec- regroup. Starting on Apr. 6, varsity gold tations, the varsity gold tennis team’s began a stretch of three matches against campaign is in full stride. the top teams in the Greater Miami ConWith a spring break that included five ference (GMC): Lakota East, Princeton, matches across the state against teams and Mason. from Toledo and Columbus, the gold At the end of the week, the team went team has been tested early and often. three for three, taking down their rivals The team is currently (6-2) and lost in dominant fashion. two close matches: against the defend“Those were our biggest obstacles ing state champions, Upper Arlington, in trying to win the GMC title and we and the state finalists, Toledo St. John’s. came through victoriously,” said Nikhil “We had many chances to win both Grandhi, 10. of these dual matches but we came just With a third of the season complete, short,” said Mike Teets, coach. “I am the team now shifts its focus toward proud of the way these guys fought winning the rest of its league matches, though and these hardships will only the annual GCTCA tournament in which bring rewards later in the season.” the top eight teams in the city compete senior staff writer

against each other, and the team state tournament for a chance to advance to the State Final Four in Columbus.

The draw for varsity gold is favorable and if they take it one match at a time, the team has a chance to make a deep run in the postseason.

“We have big goals for the future, but we’re taking it one step at a time,” said Jeffrey Kaplan, 12.

Key matches that remain for varsity gold include: Centerville on Apr. 21, and back-to-back home matches against St. Xavier and Springboro on May 3 and 4 respectively.

Home matches usually begin at 4:00 p.m. at the tennis courts. Be sure to come out and support a team with high expectations.

SHS PLAYER ADAM Reinhart, 12, volleys a ball. Reinhart plays a key role on the gold team this year and is one of the few seniors on the team. The gold team has hopes of making a deep run in the post season tournament. photo courtesy of mcdaniels photography

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Spotlight

20

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Kara knuckles down:

Junior speaks on hobbies, opinions about school, family dynamic

ellieGOLDMAN business manager

image by shivani parikh

shivaniPARIKH & senior staff writer

Kara Cornist, 11 Q. Where do you work?

A. I am now working at the Children’s Mu-

seum as a volunteer. It is very loud and full of children, but also very hands-on. It is like going to school but always having fun while learning.

Q. What is your job there?

A. I do lots of things there, like watching the

slides and doing demos for the kids. That can be really messy, depending on the kids. I’ll have been there a year this June.

Q. What are your most and least favorite

parts of the job?

A. Sometimes it can be frustrating because kids don’t like to be patient. You get asked to do a lot of things at once, and I try, but I like to do things one at a time. Also, I would like to work full time at a real job. But I make a lot of new friends, so I’ll keep working there.

Q. What do you do in your free time?

A. I’ll get on the computer and play video

games a lot. I also like to crochet and crossstitch. I just finished a multi-colored scarf, but I’ll have to wait for winter to wear it. Cross stitching is where you follow a pattern, and when you’re done, if you don’t mess up, you get a picture. It calms my nerves.

Q. What else do you do after school?

A. I like to do afterschool activities- I do Step [Team]. It’s something different, and I like rhythm.

Q. Why does it appeal to you?

A. I learn to do what I never thought I would.

It was my first time performing, so I had to get over being nervous. I’ll do it again next year.

Q. What would you change about school?

A. I think you should get paid to go because

you can’t work when you’re here. Also I would change the food at lunch.

Q. What is your family like?

A. My family is wild and sometimes really

loud, like when it comes to talking about the past. I just like to listen to them. They are basically half ghetto, half organized and neat, but all very, very nice.

Q. Do you have plans for after high school?

A. I am going to go to Raymond Walters to become a dental hygienist, and then I’m transferring to UC to get more hands-on experience. I decided that because two of my cousins are doing this and I want to follow in their footsteps.

KARA DESCRIBES HERSELF as kind, caring, funny, quiet, shy, and smart. Middle leftCornist performs a demo in her work uniform for the Cincinnati Children’s Museum. Far right- Showing off an art piece selected for display.

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