November 2013 Leaflet by Sycamore High School

leaflet the

NOVEMBER

volume I issue I 12.01.2013

november

THIS MONTH:

WELCOME TO

the leaflet s next to any click these icon to share it! ue iss story in the

e could not be any adding embedded videos and hyperlinking more excited about directly from a page and inserting social the changes going on media tags. The project slowly grew and in Room 115 this year! grew until The Leaflet had a life of its own. Throughout the sweltering course of We hope that it will keep up with you -- the this past summer, we worked with our reader -- and the similarly evolving world of divine webmaster, Ruochen Tang, to journalism even after we leave. completely renovate our former webpage There are a few things we want you all as into www.SHSLeaf.com. If you have a readers to know so that you can get the most minute, go check it out! out of this wonderful online publication: When school began, the print folks - Many objects and parts of the magazine debuted their first news magazine format. are clickable: we’ve put in links to other Meanwhile, we at the web team were webpages on nearly all of our spreads. hard at work brainstorming new ideas for - We’ve added a few sections exclusive to our side of Convergence Journalism. The Leaflet, like our “Throwback” section So finally, we have something concrete and our “Dialogue” section. to show all of you, the final product of And finally, we wanted to give a all our work. Facing you is a culmination tremendously loud shoutout to Krittika of everything that is ‘web’ -- interactive Chatterjee, our web managing editor, graphics, hyperlinks, a digital platform and Anna Zhou, our web associate editor, for open and extensive interaction. for latching onto this project when we first You are currently looking at the proposed it to the class and completely inaugural issue of The Leaflet. It is running with it. Without their trust, support, designed to be everything that the print and dedication, none of this would have Leaf cannot be simply because of the happened. l cost restraints of a paper publication. It is designed to be an open forum that reaches beyond page limitations, beyond the black and white boundaries of print. Originally, we came up with this idea because we just had too many good articles to publish all of them in the Leaf, and we needed a place to showcase our most timely and lengthy articles at the end of each month. We wanted a place to archive them, so to speak. But before we knew it, formatting these Alexis Corcoran Rachael Sun pieces became creating covers for them, and creating covers for them became

love,

WEB EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

november

“

in short

WE DON’T PUT IN HOURS OF WORK FOR NOTHING. THESE SHOWS ARE OUR LIVES. jackie rudich, 12, on twelfth night

briefing

138 only

students surveyed indicated that they planned on attending winter formal

teams that compete outside of school, but are not recognized by the athletic department as a sport FENCING AND FLYERETTES ARE CONSIDERED “ACTIVITIES”

UPCOMING EVENTS

11/30 First Basketball Game 12/5 Choral Concert 12/13 Battle of the Bands 12/17 Winter Band Concert

“

THEY CAN STOP IT BUT THEY CAN’T CALL IT HAZING. IT’S OPTIONAL.

- brian cleary, 12, on senior nights

SHARE THIS BRIEFING ON SOCIAL MEDIA

sports reality check In the locker room of the Miami Dolphins, there is a “code” when it comes to pranks and jokes. The rules are not written down, but the players know them and are expected to follow them. According to the “code” players can do almost anything to a rookie in training camp, but once the season starts, all of the antics must stop. This type of activity is called hazing. However, Richie Incognito, notorious prankster, took hazing too far. He failed to stop targeting one player in particular: Jonathan Martin. In fact, Incognito allegedly continued his treatment of Martin into the offseason training following Martin’s rookie year and even into Martin’s second year.

Hazing is just a part of sports, and we need to learn to accept that. While Incognito took it way too far, hazing (on a smaller scale of course) has proven to be beneficial in certain circumstances, as it has the ability to foster team spirit and unity. I am in no way condoning the actions of Incognito - he was too far out of line, and managed to create the ultimate distraction off the field. In other situations however, we tend to label every small tradition as “hazing” without considering the benefits fostered by it. While Incognito went too far, there are some places in which hazing can - and has proven to be - good.

Hazing in an NFL locker room is absolutely not acceptable. Football players are teammates and have a family bond within each other. When I heard about the Richie Incognito and Jonathan Martin bully case, it sickened me. I honestly did not think that grown men would say such cruel things to one another. Hazing is a form of bullying and intimidation and should not be tolerated at any level elementary school through professional sports. Football locker rooms should be a place of camaraderie. Hazing causes a stressful environment and should be banned. Teams should be more responsible and be held fully accountable for this event.

Not only is hazing a tradition on the football field, but also in many other organizations as well. The military, for example, uses hazing to bring members of a unit close together. They form brotherly bonds after being put through the same embarrassing, uncomfortable, or even painful situations. The benefits it provides, such as the previously mentioned forming of bonds, far outweigh the possible but improbable detriments to the unity of a team. Richie Incognito’s use of racial slurs may have gone too far, but using this one example of hazing gone wrong is no reason to write off the time honored practice all together.

zachary fritzhand staff writer

michael saxon executive editor-in-chief

eli zawatsky staff writer

Is hazing in NFL locker rooms acceptable?

Name: Griffin Ramsey, 11 Age: 16 Eye Color: Brown Hair Color: Brown Height: 6’3” Sports: Ultimate Frisbee (fall/spring), Cross Country (fall) Favorite pre-game food: Pasta Pre-game advice: Get a good night’s sleep Goals for the future: Play better and make state championships for frisbee

Best Moments in

November

athlete profile

spor

AMERICA’S MOST WANTED: DAN SNYDER

Team names that preserve tradition l

david wertheim staff writer

1 years, five championships, 22 pro football Hall of Famers, 23 playoff appearances. These are the numbers of the NFL’s Washington Redskins, a team under a lot of scrutiny lately for its “offensive” name. There are a number of reasons why I put the word offensive in quotes. The first reason is the amount of offensiveness in the word itself. If the word is so offensive to Native Americans, then why are the Cleveland Indians, Kansas City Chiefs, and Chicago Blackhawks not getting any trouble from Natives? I have to agree with owner Dan Snyder when he said that he will “NEVER change the name of the team.” Alex Hinkle, 12, agrees. “ I do not think they should change the name because of

president in 2000 to try and the history involved,” he said. get the Redskins to change its Snyder has owned the team for name. Does the name Redskins 14 years. He is definitely not a have anything to do with Reform fan-favorite, but I think that he Jews? No, it does not. is representing the team well in People are also saying that the this situation. name can stay the same, but the If I was a player, I would not logo needs to be changed. This want to be called the Renegades, makes absolutely no sense at Soldiers, Red Tails, or Federals. all. Let’s say the NFL decides to If I am wide receiver Santana put a new team in Dayton. Let Moss, the longest tenured us say their name is the Dayton player on the team (eight years), Jews. Let us say they keep the I suddenly do not want my name, but instead of a rabbi or team’s name to be changed. On someone praying for their logo, the other hand, some students think that the name should be they put some artistic form of changed. Jacob Marischen, 9 had a different opinion. “I do think the Redskins should change their name because it is very offensive to Native Americans,” he said. People who do not need to get involved get all wrapped up in this issue. The Religious Action THE REDSKINS LOGO HAS been marked Center of Reform Judaism wrote said about the Cleveland Indians logo, he a letter to the Redskins team likened to the logos like the Redskins.

rts Dan Snyder

Roger Goodell

OWNER

COMMISSIONER

Birthday: Nov. 24, 1964 Net Worth: $1 billion

Birthday: Feb. 19, 1959 Net Worth: $450 million

Snyder has owned the Redskins since 1999 and banned all signs in 2009 because they tended to criticize him.

Goodell became commissioner on Sep. 1, 2006. He announced a new “player personal conduct policy” in 2007.

Clashes With Authority Met with Roger Goodell on Nov. 22 to discuss the name change and threatened to sue a Washington sports writer in 2011.

Clashes With The League: Suspended Gregg Williams and Sean Payton for one year (the 2012 season) because of their part of the bounty program.

the letter J. Now it is not racist? How does this make any sense? Over the last couple of years, we have seen more drastic cases of racism such as Trayvon Martin and Riley Cooper. Cooper’s incident was hot news for a couple of days and then nobody cared anymore. So a pro athlete uses what most people think is the worst word ever made in the history of the universe. He goes to counseling (probably once or twice) and catches a touchdown in last week’s game.

d racist, but because nothing has been ere are some logos that should be

The Redskins have not done anything wrong, and they are getting ripped by half of America! They were founded in 1931, 81 years ago. That is 15 years before Bill Willis stepped onto the field as the first AfricanAmerican in the game of football. Times were very different. The Kansas City Chiefs were established in 1950, the Cleveland Indians were established in 1915. These names are old, yet those two teams have not been changed, so why should the Redskins? Washington has done some great things about race in the NFL, including drafting the first African-American Heisman Trophy winner (Ernie Davis). After Sept. 11, 2001, the Redskins set up a fund called the Redskins Relief Fund and donated over $700,000 to help the victims of the terrorist attacks. And they are getting

ripped for being racist. According to washington. cbslocal.com, 90 percent of Native Americans who responded to their survey have no problem with the Redskins name. 90 percent! There is a Native American high school football team in the Red Mesa school district on the Navajo reservation called the Red Mesa Redskins. Showing the other side’s opinion enhances the fact that there is no logical reason for the name change of the Washington Redskins. The Oneida Nation has requested a meeting with all 32 NFL franchise owners. Because if I am Mike Brown of the Bengals, or Robert Kraft of the Patriots, I definitely care about what is happening in Washington DC. It has nothing to do with their franchises, so why should they care? The final answer: they should not. l

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aperture Roses are red

131 juniors and seniors were inducted into National Honor Society on Nov. 22. Pictured, Clara Chuey, 11 embraces her sponsor and cheerleading coach, Rana Edgington

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encils scribbling. Papers ruffling. Coughs, sneezes, eli zawatsky sports chief chairs moving, and desks scraping the ground. As many students know, these are some of the sounds that accompany a student taking a college entrance exam. ben ruskin staff writer

Stressful experience

The process of testing itself can be uncomfortable. “It’s rough waking up at 7:30 am and giving up half your Saturday to take a test that affects the direction of your future,” said Shyam Parikh, 12. While the test may be an uncomfortable experience, a dedicated student understands that the results are what really matters. “Although GPAs and test scores can’t accurately represent your academic achievement throughout high school, I feel that they correlate pretty strongly with how well someone is prepared for college,” said Nick Hershey, 12. They can determine anything from academic achievement to college admission. But are these tests really an accurate picture of a student’s intellectual ability?

Implications

According to a graph released on www.collegeapps. com on college admission to Stanford University, a high concentration of students who were denied admission to the college had a GPA between 3.5 and 4.0, but did not have adequate ACT scores or SAT scores. The graph showed that college admission tests have an equal or greater effect on admission rates than GPA. “It is important to note that even students with ideal test scores and GPAs are often denied entrance into high profile schools. They may be important, but colleges take an elusive ‘holistic

approach’ when considering applicants and will very rarely accept any but the most well rounded students,” said Hershey.

PSAT

The PSAT is a test that determines whether or not a student is admitted into the National Merit Scholar Program. But unlike the ACT and SAT, it cannot be retaken if a student receives an undesirable score. Some students decide to take the PSAT as freshmen and sophomores. Although their scores do not count, the experience can be a valuable tool when they take the test as a junior. “I think it gave me a good idea of the layout of the test but not much additional preparation in terms of content,” said Bryan Waterhouse, 12. No matter a student’s feelings toward college entrance exams, it does not change the fact that they are a vital part of entrance into a university. l

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;

...[IT]

AFFECTS THE DIRECTION OF YOUR FUTURE. - shyam parikh, 12

SAT/ACT by the numbers A

1,666,017

Number of people who took the ACT last year

36/2400

Perfect scores on the ACT/SAT

21.1

The national average for composite ACT score

1926

The year that the SAT was created

SOURCES: WWW.ACT.ORG, WWW.PRINCETONREVIEW.COM

1,664,479

Number of people who took the SAT last year

1500

The national average for SAT scores DESIGNED BY ELI ZAWATSKY

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DOWN WITH WHEAT: Students adjust to a gluten free diet l

madeline marsh staff writer

hat would it be like if it seemed every time someone ate something they did not feel well? They finally go to the doctor, where they send them for a blood test. The signs show that they are intolerant to gluten. What does this mean? Scientifically, Celiac disease is an autoimmune digestive disease that damages villi, which serve in absorbing nutrients in the small intestine. Therefore, the body is attacking itself when you consume gluten. In short, it means this: he or she must change their diet to avoid

gluten, which is found in wheat, barley, and rye.

What’s the difference?

The main difference between the two is this: with Celiac, the food is not processed. With gluten intolerance, or a gluten allergy, the food may be absorbed, but the body reacts badly to the food digested. If they are only gluten intolerant, they change your diet. If he or she stays on a gluten free diet long enough, and their body heals itself, they can go back to their normal diet. If, however, he or she has Celiac, their condition may get better on a gluten free diet, but one would

have to stay on it the rest of their lives. Celiac, if caught early, may not have any lasting effects. However, if someone waits longer for a diagnosis, or does not religiously follow the diet, there are consequences. Since the body is attacking itself, the immune system is weakened, making people more susceptible to other bacteria. People with celiac could experience weight gain, delayed growth, headaches, infertility, and tingling numbness, to name a few symptoms.

Going gluten free

“When I changed to a gluten free diet, I had a lot more energy, and was in a better mood,” said Emma Kelly, 10. Kelly was diagnosed with gluten intolerance in March of 2011. Celiac disease is usually genetic, so if one of your family members has it, you are at a higher risk and should get tested for Celiac, even if you show no symptoms at all; because you do not need to show any symptoms to have the disease. “My dad and my sister are also gluten IMAGE BY MADELINE MARSH. free, and my mom THERE ARE MANY COOKBOOKS that are solely gluten free. Some even include avoids wheat, but not wheat free, soy free, dairy free, and nut free recipes. Gluten free foods can be all gluten,” said Kelly. found in more and more places lately, and in a wider selection.

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Gluten free brownies!

Ingredients: Dry: •1 ¾ cups of almond flour •½ cup sifted cocoa or carob powder •1 teaspoon sea salt •½ teaspoon baking soda •2 tablespoons flax meal (mix with 6 tablespoons boiling water) Wet: •½ cup honey •½ cup coconut oil or melted butter •1 cup coconut milk •2 teaspoons vanilla •1 teaspoon lemon juice

Directions: 1.Preheat the oven to 350F. 2.Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl. 3.Mix the wet ingredients together in another bowl. 4.Mix the dry into the wet and mix until it is thick cake batter consistency. Add a little flour if too runny or add a little milk if too thick. 5.Grease an 8.5 inch square cake pan with coconut oil or butter. 6.Pour batter into pan and bake for 45-50 minutes. 7.Brownies will be soft and bubbling but should be done after 50 minutes. Let cool for at least an hour or overnight before serving. They will be very soft and moist. There are many gluten free foods out nowadays, more commonly than even a couple years ago. They can be found at Kroger, but there are more options at Whole Foods and Jungle Jim’s. “All of my uncles have Celiac, so my grandmother has learned to make many wonderful gluten free recipes,” said Maggie Pustinger, 10.

Gluten free guides

Jungle Jim’s has a gluten free sample day, where many types of gluten free foods can be sampled. Since gluten free foods are typically more expensive than normal foods, this is a

wonderful way to try the foods before people buy them. Several restaurants even have gluten free menus. Chickfil-a has gluten free fries and grilled chicken. P.F. Chang’s has a gluten free menu, and many claim they cannot tell the difference between the gluten free and the regular. “My favorite gluten free food is the Betty Crocker gluten free cake mix,” said Kelly. There are also several apps floating around that help with staying gluten free. Find Me Gluten Free is a very reliable source, which determines your location and gives you gluten

free restaurants fairly close to you, and provides you with their gluten free menus.

Who goes gluten free

More and more people are turning toward a gluten free lifestyle. It is very important that the food is not cross contaminated, as some people are supremely sensitive to gluten. Being gluten free is not only for the gluten intolerants and Celiacs of the world. Doctors are recommending a gluten free diet for everyone; especially people with any digestive issues, people diagnosed with autism, or anyone just looking for a healthier lifestyle. l

HAND IN HAND l

jenny ham staff writer

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he origins of palm reading are as arcane as the act itself. Some believe the earliest record of palm reading date 3600 BC in India, others claim it was the ancient Greeks who first instrumented this craft. Regardless of who coined this practice, it was widely accepted in the empires of China, Persia, Egypt, Tibet and Babylonia. Even the great Aristotle acknowledged it in his Historia Animalium. Palm readers or Palmists will analyze the hand overall before honing in on the specifics. Firstly, the size, shape, color/consistency, thickness, movement and even hairiness are studied to grasp a general feel for the individual’s character. This is followed by the lines, markings, mounts (fleshy part of hand), fingers, knuckles, and rings (lines at base of the finger). l

read your own palm: Mount of Mercury

Mount of Jupiter

Mount of Saturn

Mount of Apollo

Located at the base of the pinky finger. Shows love of communication, expressiveness and travel, have abilities for teaching, business and practical matters. Medium sized: good communicator and confident. Too big: talk too much, sometimes untruthfully Small: shy and don’t understand what’s going on. Located at the base of the pointer finger. Shows one’s self-esteem, authority, control, idealism, sense of honor, courage and nerve. Medium: strong sense of justice, optimism, charisma, outgoing, manage others, and ambition. Too big: dominates others, prideful, and self centered. Located at the base of the middle finger. Shows one’s duty, responsibility, logic and acquisition of knowledge. Medium: common sense, brings leadership qualities Too big: conservative, distrustful, rigid and proud, also very thoughtful. Located at the base of the ring finger. Shows affinities for light, truth, poetry, art, and beauty. Medium: outgoing, enthusiastic, talented, creative, lively and positive. Too big: show off and superficial sometimes. Small: insensitive to finer things, may lack energy and cling to familiar things.

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AMAZING ANIMAL ASSISTANCE l l

beverly liu staff writer

anna zhou associate editor

rs. Elaine Anello, EMIS Secretary, waited 10 years until her son Robert was contacted by Canine Assistance. His name was at the top of the list to acquire a service dog. The founder of Canine Assistance, Jennifer Arnold, came to Cincinnati and presented Robert with a welcome into the Canine Assistance family. “I can’t explain the excitement that went through our household, but it was stupendous,” said Anello. Anello and Robert went to Atlanta, Georgia to partake in a two-week training session where they were introduced to service dogs and escorted into a large room where tables were set up in a horseshoe fashion and along the perimeters of the walls were cages upon cages of dogs. Within the next two weeks, each recipient was introduced to the dogs. The staff observed how each person responded to their perspective

CLIFFORD THE LABRADOODLE, IS A SERVICE DOG FOR MRS. ELAINE ANELLO, EMIS SECRETARY’S SON, ROBERT.

companions. This is where Robert met Clifford, a loving and trusting companion for years to come. Their personalities matched perfectly. After two weeks of training, Clifford graduated and became a therapy dog. “They are inseparable, Clifford guards over Robert and stays with him. Not only is Clifford his companion, but it has afforded both Robert and I peace of mind knowing that Robert will never be alone in times of need,” says Anello. Clifford also allows Robert to be independent and safe at home on his own. Qualities of therapy dog Therapy dogs are trained to provide comfort and affection. Therapy teams visit hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living centers, and children’s homes to help lift spirits and facilitate recovery. These dogs can be any breed, size or age but not all dogs may qualify. To become a therapy dog, the dog must have certain traits. The therapy dog candidate

must get along very well with children, men, women, and other animals. Before even entering the training program, the dog must be friendly and non-aggressive. Lastly, the dog has to be confident, patient, calm, gentle, and receptive to training. All puppies should be social, but for therapy dogs socialization is especially important. Many therapy dogs have their own disabilities or limitations that help to inspire humans with disabilities. Tail as old as time The history of therapy dogs began during World War II. On the island of New Guinea, Corporal William Wynne came into possession of a Yorkshire Terrier that was abandoned on the battlefield. Wynne named her Smoky. Smoky’s role did not begin as one of a therapy dog. Instead, she accompanied Wynne on combat missions, entertained the other troops, and even ran a telegraph cable through an underground pipe to assist the Signal Corps. It was not until Wynne was hospitalized for a jungle disease that Smoky’s service as a therapy dog began. Wynne’s comrades brought Smoky to the hospital for a visit to cheer him up. Not only did Smoky comfort Wynne, but she was also a hit amongst the other wounded soldiers as well. Dr. Charles Mayo, a

ure commanding officer, allowed Smoky to go on rounds, visiting the soldiers staying in the hospital and sleep with Wynne for five nights. Smoky’s efforts did not stop there. She continued to work as a therapy dog for the next 12 years, even after the war was over. Smoky was the first dog that worked as a therapy dog. However, a systematic approach to using therapy dogs was not established until 1976. Elaine Smith was an American nurse who worked in England for period of time. Through her work, she noticed how well patients responded to a Golden Retriever that would often visit the hospital. When Smith returned to the United States, she started a program for training dogs to visit various institutions. As time progressed, more and more health care professionals began noticing the therapeutic effect of animals on humans.

Today, therapy dogs of all sizes and breeds are widely used across the United States. They are enlisted for many tasks that range from comforting people in

hospitals to helping people with emotional or physical disorders. l

Therapy Dog

-visit places including hospitals, nursing homes, or assisted living facilities -meant for people to pet and socialize with the public at events -the vest the dog is wearing will often say ‘therapy dog’ -the vest will often say ‘please pet me’

Service Dog

-provides a specific -service for an individual such as guiding someone with impaired vision not meant to be pet because they need to stay focused -the vest the dog is wearing often says ‘service dog’ -the vest will say “do not pet’

Q&A Abigail Wise,12, on training service dogs How did you first get started with raising service dogs?

been more relaxed. You get used to having a tiny puppy around all the time.

Leader Dogs for the Blind is located close to our grandparents’ house, and there was a sign outside that said “puppy raisers wanted” when we visited one day. My brother [Brian, 12] and I convinced our mom and then later our dad to let us raise one.

It’s incredibly hard; you miss them at first especially. You go into it knowing that they leave, so it’s a little easier and it’s not a surprise, but even though you think it won’t be that hard it always is. Knowing you always get another puppy makes it easier though.

How has your experience changed from your first dog to the one you have now?

What is it like saying goodbye?

You often take your dogs to school with you, as part of their training. Could you tell us about a response?

The funniest question that I get is: Are you We’ve gotten so much more relaxed with how blind? I have gotten that so many times with we raise the puppies. We used to ask to bring people coming up to me and just asking. I went through the principal first to ask our dogs everywhere, but we found a law permission, and then he sent out an email to that said every dog being raised as a service animal is allowed to enter all places, so we’ve all the teachers.

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elping hands, elping hearts

Volunteering brings joy to the receiver and volunteer

lauren kurtzer staff writer

is when someone is in a good mood and they have the good feeling to olunteering helps people spread the wealth around their in need while changing community. the volunteer personally Effect of Volunteering along the way. Altruism Many studies have shown that is doing something good for others altruism and volunteer connect. for unselfish reasons. Volunteering After leaving a volunteer event is under the umbrella of altruism. the volunteer leaves with a smile on their face knowing they did Altruism something good for another person “Altruism could be as simple as by just giving up their time. picking up someone’s pencil of a “I love volunteering my favorite classmate or helping a student who is that smile you get from the dropped their books of someone person you helped and the warm you may or may not know,” said Mrs. Laura Miniard, Psychology feeling you get when you know you helped someone improve someone teacher. else’s life just by donating some of Altruism ranges from a simple your time,” said Megan Crone, 12. action to a hard earned effort. The volunteer makes an impact on Altruism puts the volunteer in a the person in need; the volunteer good mood and uses their bliss to sees that others are in need and how make someone else’s day. lucky the volunteer is. A volunteer “It stimulates many parts of the gets that by just donating their brain with the reward pathway,” time while they are making a big said Miniard. “It is the Feel Good, difference. Do Good feeling.” Many who volunteer see a positive The Feel Good, Do Good feeling

change after volunteering; they have a positive outlook on life and themselves. They did a good deed while helping another. What more is there in life? For a few seconds that person forgets the trouble of life. They can be themselves again. “It is a great way for them to be a kid again,” said Mrs. Emily Conatser. Conatser was the advisor of Stepping Out Club for several years and saw the direct effect of all members of the club. Volunteers are the life and blood of any organization; it is a little sweeter when the volunteer can find joy too. Changing the world while changing the giver is the meaning of volunteering. l

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WHERE SHOULD YOU VOLUNTEER?

With so many possibilities to volunteer,choosing the right one may be hard to find. Start I am already busy with school, homework activities, etc.

Yes

Seeing under privileged people makes me sad.

No I love working with kids! Yes

I rather volunteer with someone I know.

I am open to trying new things! Yes

Yes

I am very shy around and I do not know, I rather work being the scenes.

Yes

No I hear about all the activities at school but donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know about the out side of school activities. Yes

Yes

I prefer animals. No

Yes

Stepping Out Club Meeting new kids with different abilities, who knows what will happen.

InterAct Club sends their members emails on any upcoming events and the member chose where they would want

Animal Shelter Feeding and playing with the animals which would be perfect for an animal lover or a shy person. Local Soup Kitchen Cooking and serving food to the needy if talking with others a scare just be in the back to cook all you need is a smile to serve

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leaflet

LISTENS

click any song to listen.

“i knew this would be love” imaginary friend feat. kina grannis

“this is gospel” panic! at the disco

“tennis court” lorde

“hard out here” lily allen

“Hunger Games” - 2012 Rachael Sun

throwback

The first Hunger Games movie grossed over $400 million when it came out in 2012. With the sequel, “Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” recently released, we’d like to dedicate our first Throwback to the original “Hunger Games.” Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson. Katniss and Peeta. Audiences fell in love with their heroine, and fought over her romantic interests, Peeta - played by Hutcherson - and Gail, played by Australian actor Liam Hemsworth. That’s a lot of names. Let’s go back. The film starts just like the novel: in District 12 in a post-

apocalyptic world. The North American continent, divided into 13 districts bya dominating capital city, runs on central rule and on the presence of a fearinsiring wealth gap. After being thrown together as the District 12 tributes for a televised fight to the death run by the Capital City, Katniss and Peeta develop a staged romance so as to garner support from those watching. In the end, Katniss uses this romance to force the Capital City to let both her and Peeta become winners of their year’s Hunger Games, allowing them to emerge as the only surviving tributes.

Catching Fire surpassed the opening of its predecessor by a handy $10 million. If nothing else, the first Hunger Games movie did a fantastic job of setting the stage for its sequel.

JACKSON HUGHES, 12

On five years of Bright Eyed Youth, his bandmates, and what’s next l

alexis corcoran web editor-in-chief

semester, just bust it out. L: Tell me about the process of producing The Leaflet: Talk me through the you new EP. evolution of the band since its inception. Jackson Hughes: In 2009, we all came H: It was a crazy, complicated process. We originally had this concept of together with varying tastes and recording two songs, “Beige Part stylistic preferences. I think 1” and “Beige Part 2.” Last we have been able to keep year, we started working that eclectic approach with Michael DeMaio since then. It may have [‘12] who is an electronic hindered us at times, music producer. Each because it took a while of the songs are about to find a niche. six and a half minutes L: What do the long, and they flow members of Bright together really well. Eyed Youth (Hughes, The EP is a really cool Benjamin Hammer, representation of our Justin VanWagenen, new face. We have been Michael Masset, Gil correcting the tracks in my Kaplan, all 12) see for the basement, which is basically a music future in terms of music? studio now; we are really close to having it H: This is definitely a grey area for us. finished. Our first EP was well produced, Over the summer, we planned to play but it lacked a vitality, that live element. I as many shows as possible. We kind of am really excited to work hard promoting underestimated the intensity of first and this, plastering promotions in downtown second quarter of senior year. We have been really focused on getting into college Cincinnati for free music from a local band. l and finishing high school, so music has taken a back seat. It has sucked. We are Hear Bright Eyed Youth here. still planning to take a lot of gigs second

Q&A

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THEY DON’T KNOW ABOUT US.

S TO RY A N D I M A G E S B Y K R I T T I K A C H AT T E R J E E

“THE FANS WERE THE ONES WHO MADE UP THEIR MINDS THAT THIS BAND WERE GOING TO BE HUGE.” - music mogul Simon Cowell on the success of One Direction, signed to his record label, Syco Records

hey came in just like the cheesy moniker suggests. “Direction infection” in the form of five boys ripped through America faster than even Simon Cowell, manager of One Direction, ever expected. Their ascent to stardom is almost classic. Five boys audition for “The X-Factor” (the original British version, of course). Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, and Liam Payne are eliminated in the boot camp round, then brought back on stage by Cowell. It all seemed uphill from there. United as a group, they advance through the rounds. The fandom is growing at alarming rates, and the future is golden -until they lose, taking third place. What no one expected, however, is what came next: two (soon to be three) number one albums, a 3D movie, a fragrance, and countless shattered world records, all in just under three years. It’s a story that the global fandom of Directioners know all too well. The name, akin to Beliebers, is worn proudly by these “fangirls.” I should know. I am one. And just like Beliebers, the criticism is found in abundance - often harsher than outsiders might expect. Through arguably the largest fandom in the world currently, I’ve made connections that go far beyond the reaches of One Direction. Still, the negative connotation of the label “fangirl” is ever-present. It’s no surprise. After all, it’s hard to forget the Bieber-mania that literally left dozens of girls passed out at sold-out concerts. A documentary produced by Channel 4 earlier this year, “1D Mania,” followed girls that wrote pornographic “fanfiction” and actively stalked the popstars as far as their hotel rooms. Knowing this, I wanted to highlight the rarity of this exaggerated situation; moreover, I wanted to find out the truth behind why these girls (as well as some boys) allow themselves to be driven to such a state.

“

>>>The support was

a&e I WAS LOOKING FOR A REASON TO SMILE, AND I FOUND THEM. - claudia sanchez, 16, florida

tremendous. Emails, tweets, and interviews poured in from girls from Wisconsin to London to Singapore, eager to share their viewpoint on how society sees them today. Emily Ammerman, a 14 year old girl that I had the chance to interview, gave me some new insight as to how fangirls define themselves. “If you’re there for the music, then you’re a fan. I’m a fangirl. I’m in it whether they stop or break up. I’m in it for the long run,” said Ammerman. Obviously, the many fans I talked to waxed eloquent on just how much One Direction meant to them as people. The responses were repetitive, but made up for it in passion. Labeled as a fangirl, the most dedicated are faced with questions that can be hard. After all, even if you’re a number one fan, $500+ VIP tickets are tough to justify. For these girls, questions like “Why do you think the boys really care about you if they don’t even know who you are?” “How do you know they aren’t just in it for the money?” “Can you really love someone that you’ve never met?” are like making a cult member question their faith. Accordingly, these were the questions I pressed upon the girls willing to answer. Some stuttered

through shaky justifications, but the grand majority were shockingly resolute. There’s no way for me to publish all the emails and interview transcripts, but these girls had been through more than I could have imagined. As the old adage goes, “Everyone you know is fighting a great battle you know nothing about.” I read more than a few cases of eating disorders, depression, deaths, and sexual assaults. For all these great battles, these girls were sure that they had survived them through one thingOne Direction. For this, their love for the band was undeniable. I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Sarah Bethe Anderson, an 18 year old girl from Minnesota. Like many, Anderson has a heartwrenching story that sees a brighter end through the boyband.

the five boys of one direction collectively gain approximately

THOUSAND twitter followers per day

“After my grandfather died, I basically shut down, and One Direction made me...feel things. There’s no other way to explain it,” said Anderson. The gratitude was clear, and the vindication of her words was enough to give anyone pause. For those who still doubt the nature of her “obsession,” she had more to say. “People think we’re legitimately crazy obsessed over nothing and we only like them for their looks. If you love someone, it’s unconditional. We feel the pain that they feel. I appreciate everything they do for me, even if I can’t show it physically,” said Anderson. I was starting to see patterns. Everyone I interviewed was confident in the importance of the boyband in their lives. Faced with the question of how they knew that the boys cared about them, they used just that as explanation. “You support them and love what they do, and in return, they love your support and love knowing that someone out there loves their work,” said Zoe Tran, a 17 year old from Los Angeles. Apart from the band itself, many of these girls found personal connections with others through a loving community. Sure, these girls struggle with how people view them as a group, but the relationships made within seem to be enough to overcome that.

“People can say that we’re “obsessed” and “annoying,” but it doesn’t matter at all. Until you’ve been in the position where you dedicate your life and energy and heart into a band, you really don’t get it,” said Mariah McDonald, 19, from Minnesota. “You don’t get what those late, late nights waiting for album releases or music videos actually meant to us. You’ll never see the bonds that can come from five complete strangers. You’ll never see the changes in our minds and the way we see ourselves.” These girls, regardless of the subject of their affections, had truly and honestly found happiness in (and through) One Direction; more often than some would openly care to admit, the band had saved their lives. Mandy Kay, 15, from London, put it best: “Because I feel I can connect with their music, because the sound of their voice can make me smile in an instant, because I

have a sense of belonging in this fandom - I don’t know where I would be without them.” Overwhelmed by the emotional revelations being passed my way, I found myself led to questions of my own. What exactly compels people to criticize a world they know nothing about? How is this different than any other form of discrimination? Why is it that if people say “Soccer saved my life,” or “Playing drums saved my life,” it’s noble, but a passionate love for a popular band saving someone’s life is laughable? At the end of a long but rewarding saga of interviews, I’ve come to the conclusion that these questions shouldn’t even need to be asked. Although it’s hard to understand, the true “fangirl” identity is not only valid, it’s admirable. Although outsiders are quick to dismiss it, these girls are victims of adversity. Thankfully, their passion, dedication, and (as

crazy as it sounds) unconditional love get them through it. Sports, art, music - the subject really doesn’t matter. The beauty of healing and the strength of human will is truly undeniable. The fact that it’s “bubblegum teen pop” shouldn’t be able to negate that. Those same cheesy, cardboard lyrics are the same ones that tell some teenage girl that she’s amazing. Some girls never get to hear that - for some girl, it might mean that world. And even if it’s just that one girl, that’s enough for that “fangirl” status to mean so much more than the worth it has received from society. To those still unconvinced, I leave you with a last bit of Anderson’s wisdom. “A lot of people think the only way you can save someone’s life is being physically there, but music can speak so much louder than words. It doesn’t have to be deep. It just has to make you happy.” l

opinion Who am I? Mckella Varley

I’m a girl who knows what she wants, Good grades, college, teaching and success, And I will go after it. I’m a girl who supports the things she believes in, Animals, charities, gays and human rights, Everything deserves someone. I’m a girl who doesn’t give up, Sports, school, theatre and friends, And I will succeed. I’m a girl who loves music, Rock, pop, rap and country, And it all inspires me. I’m a girl who has a broken family, Father, mother, brother and the steps, And I love them all.

See more poetry by the SHS Creative Writing Club and The Ink contributors at sycamoreink.wordpress.com

Meet our SHSLeaf blogs: CORCurrent Events: My brief take, interpretation, or opinion on national and international news Take a Breath: I’m Jenny, an active yogi. These are my thoughts and recommendations on the food we eat, activities we do, and attitudes we all have, and how they relate to our physical and mental health.

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How Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s immigrant youth is slowly losing itself

to Brian Collins, Assistant SHS’ English as a Second Professor of Bilingual Education Language (ESL) teachers iulia Mezzabotta, at Hunter College, who recognize this need for 12, stopped telling TO ME, AS A SIXTH published multiple immigrants to speak GRADER WHO theater directors that papers on the subject. English. DIDN’T KNOW WHO she was Italian a long This shift, which Mrs. Jenna HovisSHE WAS, IT WAS time ago. occurs in all immigrant LIKE, ‘OKAY, I HAVE Choi, ESL teacher, “I realized years ago that if the ethnic groups, is most TO BE AS AMERICAN believes in its value, people who I’m auditioning for AS POSSIBLE’ common in children especially in terms Giulia Mezzabotta, knew I was Italian, they would and teenagers and 12 of opening up career think of me differently,” she said. often comes as a result and educational “I needed them to understand of the pressure to assimilate into opportunities. that I was not just Italian – I American culture. However, her students also could be as American as they In fact, many teachers feel the negative effects of wanted.” mistakenly recommend parents this need to speak English as Giulia and her family moved to fade out languages other than they gradually transition into to Cincinnati from Italy when English in order to help children speaking mainly English, and she was in sixth grade. Her communicate and fit in with sometimes exclusively. parents are from Italy, as are peers at school. Bilingual schooling her grandparents and great “A large portion of the Children that are able to go grandparents. She swears that educational system believes to schools where they receive her grandmother’s fettuccini that bilingualism is both bad instruction in their home is the best there ever was, can for children and unpatriotic, language and are able to talk name wine with one sip, and and that the only way to be to other children in their home owns a Vespa. a true American is to leave language are more likely to If there ever were a dictionary behind any other language remain bilingual. However, the definition for ‘Italian,’ it would and allegiance that might be number of bilingual schools be Giulia Mezzabotta. in your background,” said has “decreased significantly” When she arrived in the U.S., Leanne Hinton, Professor at in the past decade, according however, her teachers “made it the University of Californiato Collins, and is virtually nonseem like if I wanted to fit into Berkeley, who studied language existent in Cincinnati. this new place, I would have loss among Asian-Americans. Ms. Hovis-Choi attributed the to speak perfect English,” said “Children also buy into this lack of bilingual programs in the Giulia. “To me, as a sixth grader belief system – both long-term Sycamore district to the variety who didn’t know who she was, Americans and immigrant of languages that stem from it was like, ‘okay, I have to be as children.” the city’s diverse immigrant American as possible.’” The growth of a more global population. In the past, immigrants began society, as well as the spreading Collins also attributes this losing their native language in of predominantly Englishto the No Child Left Behind the third generation. speaking websites, TV shows (NCLB) Act, which made ESL However, research as recent as and movies, also contributes to programs mandatory in schools, 2011 shows that this “language this language loss, as it makes and to the pressure put on shift” is occurring “much earlier speaking English crucial for students that is increased yearly and much faster, in the first and anyone’s social and financial by statewide and nationwide second generations,” according stability. standardized tests. “The high-stakes standardized tests So what is it about the United States that it remains have created an the only developed country to consistently graduate environment of students with the knowledge of only one language? having to perform ANA BARROS

G PRINT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

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well on these tests,” Collins said. “And they’re in English. The decreased number of bilingual schools can be traced back to these high stakes in English testing.”

14%

of children ages 5-17 live in homes where languages other than English are spoken.

and considers herself to be more fluent in English than in Italian. ‘Us versus them’ “I haven’t written in Italian In his paper, “Dual language since I moved here,” said Giulia, profiles of Latino children who regrets that the language of immigrants,” Collins also is not offered at school. “I’m attributed the trend to the fact kind of losing my writing, or that the American public has I’m getting it confused with my transitioned into a mindset English. But I haven’t forgotten of “us versus them” and an Italian.” anti-immigrant climate that The Mezzabottas have been accompanies the instability of able to remain somewhat fluent the economy. in Italian. They put a rule in “The previous election was a place that doesn’t allow them big wake-up call,” he said. “In to speak English in the house times when the economy is bad, and make an effort to keep the immigrants become scapegoats. Italian culture alive through The domestic policy debates and cooking and music. the recent immigration reforms “When I’m not home, it’s easy have put a spotlight on that.” to slip into my American ways, In a speech at Duke University, so I’m glad that I still have former Secretary of State the ability to go back to ‘being Condoleeza Rice said, “I don’t Italian,’ [at home],” she said. know when immigrants became “But I feel like if my parents the enemy.” hadn’t forced us to speak in This increasingly negative Italian, I probably wouldn’t mentality pushes be speaking Italian A LARGE immigrants to anymore. There’s no PORTION OF THE consciously or way.” EDUCATIONAL unconsciously opt for Despite having been SYSTEM BELIEVES a more American way able to maintain the THAT BILINGUALISM of life, leading to the IS BOTH BAD FOR roots of their culture at CHILDREN AND language and culture home, the Mezzabotta loss that comes with it. UNPATRIOTIC family is not alone Leanne Hinton, “When you come Professor at UC-Berkeley in their “conflict here, there are between assimilation parts of your culture that you and heritage maintenance,” as have to remove,” said Ephrath Hinton describes. Bramy, 10, ESL student from More and more first and Israel. “You don’t want to look second generation immigrants different. It’s hard.” are adapting to American life at the expense of their home Struggling identity country’s identity, and that Giulia Mezzabotta, who went comes with a cost. through SJHS’ ESL program, “Each language plays an is currently taking AP English

integral part in children’s social, emotional, and psychological well-being,” said Collins. “There is a misperception that children need to be immersed in English and studying only in English. But children that have lower proficiency in both or either language are more likely to struggle emotionally or socially.” However, Collins remains hopeful. Despite the growing trend that has become more apparent in the last five to ten years, he believes that there will be a regression soon. “Attitudes and demographics are changing,” he said. “One in four children in the U.S. is a child of immigrants. Hopefully, as a whole, we will begin to embrace this increasingly multicultural and bilingual population that we have and begin to support it instead of suppressing it.”

When you come here, there are parts of your culture that you have to remove. You don’t want to look different. It’s hard.

“

Ephrath Bramy, 12

opin

RADICAL RETHINKING l

benjamin hammer staff writer

At its core, modern education is an assembly line modeled after factories. It is assumed that the mind of every individual functions the same everywhere, at every age, and can pass through the same machine and produce the same, expected, calculated results. The result is not real learning but a system that rewards conformity. Enter “essentialism” where education serves “to prepare students to be efficient and knowledgeable workers and citizens.” At the same time, modern education champions centuries-old ideas of what is intelligence. Enter “perennialism” in which education serves to “teach all current and future generations the eternal and unchanging truths of the world.” Under this model, academic ability is what determines a child’s “intelligence.” All over the world, education has the same hierarchy of subjects. At the top are mathematics and languages, then the humanities and at the bottom are the arts. The consequence is that many highly talented, brilliant, or creative people think they are not. Because what they were good at growing up wasn’t valued at school or actually discouraged. In past decades, it has become increasingly about conformity with standardization. Kids learn to the test. On multiple choice exams and quizzes, they don’t want to know the context behind questions: the who, the why, the background. They

just want to know which answer is correct. High-stakes Testing Standardized tests reinforce and embody the essentialist philosophy. They verify and measure students’ progress towards predetermined core standards. Their scope of assessment is oftentimes limited to basic skills in literacy and mathematics and complex topics are simplified into five fill-in circles. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2002 required states to administer yearly tests and report the results—but allowed each state to use its own standard. Since then, the government has increasingly been relying on test scores to make critical educational decisions about students and schools. The Common Core standards initiative builds upon the NCLB program by aligning the states to one national standard. The problem is that the entirety of the program is based on the faulty assumption that high-stakes tests can measure a child’s college readiness. This is, in essence, an absurd assumption to make as one’s ability to demonstrate literacy in math and language does not equate the experience and maturity required to succeed at a university. Simply look at SAT and ACT scores. By no means do they tell us anything meaningful about a student’s future, either academically or in the work world. Lots of things can affect how well a student does on a high-stakes test,

however the strongest correlation to any single factor is family income. Divergent Thinking “Tests are good as long as you recognize their limits and you use them cautiously,” said Judi Hughes, educational psychologist. At SHS, Judi works with mostly adolescents who struggle academically. “I will have some very gifted people who think very divergently and come up with very logical answers and they can justify why they came up with that answer but it’s incorrect and nowhere in the test manual does it say there is some variability.” “Kids are naturally curious, energetic, unfiltered, and innocent,” said Paul Splitt. He works at the K-4 level at Montgomery Elementary. “The unscathed mindset just puts kids in a natural spot to explore, inquire, and manipulate things in their life. There is no fear in them yet to explore.” In today’s system, mistakes are punished and kids become afraid of being wrong. These means that kids aren’t taking risks and aren’t prepared to be wrong. We need to radically rethink our view of intelligence. Schools should nurture a desire to learn, and encourages the natural inclinations of each individual – be it science, art, math, language, social studies, history or none of the above– so that each child can become an adult who knows who they are, what they’re good at, and what contribution they can make to the world. l

nion

[

I conducted a survey asking 58 students to view the chart below and denote which educational philosophy [Perennialism, Essentialism, Progressivism, Existenialism, or Social Reconstructionism] they agreed with the most. The results demonstrate that a majority of students prefer progressive education to the status quo.

[

What’s your stance on education?

PERENNIALISM

Define ‘knowledge’

Purpose of education

Define ‘learning’

Number of students who chose certain philosophy

Knowledge is the truth of the world. (natural laws and the laws of human nature). These are eternal and unchanging.

ESSENTIALISM

SOCIAL

PROGRESSIVISM EXISTENTIALISM

RECONSTRUCTIONISM

The basic facts Completely and skills to be a There is no eternal individual and productive working knowledge. It is on the person in society. constantly changing dependent each These are known and dependent on construction person creates. and currently the needs and views Based on their defined by natural of the knower. experiences. laws and facts.

There is no pre-set or eternal knowledge. Individuals within social construction create the reality they live in.

To teach children To prepare students to rationally Education should to be efficient and andthink act in society. teach all current and knowledgeable Education is to future generations workers and prepare student to these important citizens. There are be successful in a truths of the world. agreed upon moral future we cannot standards. predict/know.

To create a more To help students just society for all accept and achieve people. To avoid the their own personal destructive forces meaning for their currently at play in existence. society.

Learning is an The creation of Helping students The transmission active process personal meaning develop the ability Receiving and memorization that is unique to of their existence. to analyze the understanding the ofand facts and practical each individual Being able to make current construction knowledge of the use of skills needed depending on their decisions based of society and seek ages. for work. own needs and upon your personal ways to reduce values. understanding. inequality.

20 15 10 5 0

dialo

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Oh, it’s totally bonded us. I’m very proud of you.

[

ogue

THIS TIME FOR AFRICA

Sisters united in cause bare their bonds

]

l l

krittika chatterjee managing editor

rachael sun editor in chief

he Marth sisters have a legacy inside these hallowed halls. Meghan Marth, ‘11, founded the ever popular SHS chapter of the school’s largest club, Unified for Uganda. Her two younger sisters, (from left to right in lower photo) Allison Marth, 10, and Kara Marth, 12, have perpetuated that spirit of giving in their support of U4U and in their own relationship. The two interviewed each other to give us a closer look.

Ally: I was wondering why you decided to be involved in u4u. Kara: I decided to join u4u because I don’t really remember life without u4u, honestly. I’ve had it since I was in third grade basically, since Meghan started it. and I’ve always loved it, and I got to meet Abitimo, the founder of Unifat, and I’ve always felt kind of connected to it. how was your experience of going to Uganda last summer? K: Going to Uganda was the most memorable experience I’ve had thus far. Being able to meet the children...was incredible, and I’m so lucky to be able to keep in contact with

them. I’ve already written most of the children who I bonded with especially close three times this fall. I miss them a lot and hope to go back some day. Do you ever hope to go to Uganda? A: Yes! I hope to go after my junior year like you did, and then maybe I’ll be a president? Maybe? I don’t know, we’ll see. K: We never know how the officers play out, but Ally would love to run for president, so we’ll see how it goes. How do you like being in u4u with me, or together? Do you feel it’s bonded us? A: Oh it’s totally bonded us. I enjoy watching you up there, I’m very proud of you speaking in front of everyone. You do a great job. It’s very fun! K: Thanks! l

shsleaf Varsity hockey sharpens skates Although team practices are already underway, the first order of business was to decide who would be named the team captains. The hockey team continued with the tradition of direct democracy, and the vote count showed Zachary Samuelson, 12, as captain.

best of SHSLeaf.com Q&A with Taylor Gardner, 11, on the Log Yearbook progress

“We are at a good point in our progress. Most of our fall sports pages and the weeks from the beginning of the year are finished. We always make sure to keep ahead so we do not feel stressed towards the end,” said Gardner, Sports Editor for the Log.

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Sarah Horne Rujula Kapoor Lauren Kurtzer Brooke Landrum Beverly Liu Jack Loon Shea Lothrop Madeline Marsh Ellen Martinson Ethan May Hannah May Joshua Patterson Elizabeth Rickert Benjamin Ruskin Lauren Saxon Michael Saxon Orion Schlosser Zoe Schlosser Matthew Schneider Lauren Shassere

Brenda Shen Joseph Slovin Victoria Swart Kathryn Tenbarge Emily Tyler Sanika Vaidya Jennifer Weber David Wertherim Alex Wittenbaum Jessica Wocks Benjamin Young Eli Zawatsky Photographer McDaniel’s Photography Adviser Cheralyn Jardine Sycamore High School 7400 Cornell Road Cincinnati, OH 45242