January 2011 Issue of the Sycamore Leaf

the

Photo students gain insight into life of homeless

Alumnus explains SHS’ role in recent success

page 11

page 15

THURSDAY JANUARY 28, 2011 | VOLUME LVIII ISSUE 6 | 7400 CORNELL RD. CINCINNATI, OHIO 45242, 513.686.1770 EXT. 3089

COMMENCEMENT CAUTION: Seniors encourage underclassmen to begin process early

C

editor-in-chief, sports chief

ollege: the ultimate freedom with little responsibility.

For freshmen it is a dream; for sophomores it is distant; for juniors it pressing; for seniors it is stress.

But for nearly all, it is an inevitable reality.

And all ought to be prepared.

Most regard college with ideas of glamour, glitz, and glory; few recognize the difficulty of getting there and even fewer the challenging academics.

In order to make it to the party, one has to know how to dance.

And now, more than ever, college dream bubbles are busting with greater regularity.

The nation’s best, most prestigious universities are nearly impossible to get into to as it is.

Despite that, the acceptance rates at these institutions continue to fall. Applications to the finest schools in the country have been on the rise, with record early decision applications recorded this winter.

Even the most accepting schools are now beginning to become more selective. With the economy still spiraling, more and more high school seniors are forced to apply in state. Due to this phenomenon, acceptance rates are falling.

Between 2007 and 2009, acceptance rates at Ohio State University have dropped six percent. Many current applicants who have been deferred or rejected would previously have been more than qualified for the popular Columbus destination, but not anymore.

Other local options such as Miami University, Ohio University, the University of Cincinnati, and Indiana University have experienced decreases in accep-

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tance rates of around 10 percent between 2007 and 2009.

It is evident that a certain grade point average or a particular score on an ACT or SAT is no longer enough.

Now, at the peak of the peak of the baby boom, college admissions offices are looking more at the student than the scores.

“The applicant pool is so strong, we have lots of students who have really great grades, they’ve taken the core courses, they done well in them, and they’ve challenged themselves in those courses. And we have so many of those students in our pool, the holistic part of our application really becomes that more important,” said Dr. Zina Evans, admissions director at the University of Florida, in an interview with a local Tampa Bay news network.

Dr. Evans says that the essay can truly define an applicant.

“We want that to be your voice. We can find out from your transcript what your grades, what your test scores are. We want to see how well you express yourself and your ideas. Instead of the laundry list of all these activities you’ve been involved in what are those things you are particularly passionate about.”

As all begin to realize how “crazy competitive” it has become, as former Harvard admissions officer Chuck Hughes told Newsweek, students are applying to more colleges and require a more complete

résumé.

According to Newsweek, in 2006 nearly one in five high school seniors applied to seven or more colleges.

To counter this increase, universities are spending more money on recruiting and marketing. Ultimately, they have begun to look at capping admissions.

Florida is looking to reduce enrollment by 4,000 students by next year, per a report in the USA Today.

The report also states that the California State University system, the nation’s largest at 450,000 stu-

dents occupying its 23 campuses, is hoping to reduce enrollment by an astonishing 40,000 students.

The state college system of Nevada has also revealed plans to cap enrollment.

So what does a student have to do to get into his dream school?

It is hard to say when the competition is so heavy. Not only is acceptance more of a challenge, but so too is receiving a scholarship.

Consider a SHS student applying for the Hunt Leadership Scholarship at Southern Methodist University.

The credentials of the applicants are overly impressive. One male applicant was senior class vice president, a three year varsity wrestler, ac-

SHIPS R A L O H SC ISION PT C E D EARLY RANSCRI T T NAT ION SA AC AL ME GPA T RIT VO CO RÉ LUN LLE SUM É TEE GE A R H PPS OU RS

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NHS

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FUN & GAMES 13

A&E 14-15

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tive in a youth community outreach program, and organized a massive event to assemble bicycles for children of soldiers in Iraq.

A female applicant was valedictorian of her class, senior class president, choir president, and senior planning board president.

She was homecoming queen, garnered several awards for her theatrical performances, a national honor society member, a freshman mentor, and outside of school, she was part of a preprofessional dance team.

Get the picture? Many students do.

“You almost have to be perceived as ‘perfect’ to get in to some schools. Everything counts when it comes to applying and getting accepted. What might have been considered decent before is below average now,” said Allie Engelhart, 12, student body president.

It all starts freshman year. The myth that “freshman year does not matter” is simply that: a myth. One bad year can spoil a GPA and that can spell disaster on an application.

One poor essay, a bad interview, or any bouts with the law can be the final straw. With so many applicants to choose from, colleges need not accept any students with any imperfections.

Not being involved with school activities and extracurriculars can severely damage the perception of an applicant.

Even the 2400 SAT score is no longer a guarantee.

Because with the college admissions process, there are none.

SPORTS 16-19

SPOTLIGHT 20

Calendar

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Friday, January 28, 2011

sunday

monday tuesday wednesday thursday friday

kelcieGREGA

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calendar chief

Boys Basketball vs. Hamilton 6:00 p.m.

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Weird Holiday: Lame Duck Day

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Quiz Team vs.

Hamilton 4:00 p.m.

Varsity Hockey vs. Moeller @ Sports Plus 7:00 p.m.

2nd Quarter Report Cards Distributed

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Famous Birthday: Chris Rock

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Ethnic Holiday: Chinese New Year

History: Rosa Parks Birth Anniversary Boys Basketball vs. Mason 6:00 p.m.

Sophomore Boys Basketball vs. Beavercreek 1:00 p.m.

Girls Basketball vs. Mason 6:00 p.m.

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Boys and Girls Bowling vs.

Loveland @ Crossgate Lanes 4:00 p.m.

SHS Event: PTO Meeting 9:30 a.m.

Boys Basketball vs. Mason 4:30 p.m.

History: NAACP Founded SHS Event: Winter Formal 9 p.m.

ACT

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Holiday: Valentines Day AP Exam Registration

AP Exam Registration

AP Exam Registration

AP Exam Registration

SHS Event: Mr. Sycamore Pageant SHS Event: NHS “Sticking Together” 6 p.m.

AP Exam Registration

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AP Exam Registration

SHS Event: See1 Concert 7:30 p.m.

Boys Cooper Invitational 4:00 p.m.

AP Exam Registration

Girls Swimming Cooper Invitational 4:00 p.m.

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Holiday: Presidents Day

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AP Exam Registration

AP Exam Registration

saturday

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February

news

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friday, january 28, 2011

‘Her life was her students’

Remembering Kathy Barrow, special education teacher moriahKRAWEC

S

associate editor

he was a teacher, but definitely not an average one.

As a special education teacher, Ms. Kathy Barrow went above and beyond by helping her students outside of school. She even kept in touch with many of her former pupils.

According to long-time colleague Ms. Gretchen Washington, Barrow’s passing on Dec. 15 was “such a shock.”

Barrow had few students. Her pupils were the students in Project Launch Base, a special education program that teaches life skills to about six students any given year.

“Ms. Barrow certainly served a small population of our students, but she took her work very seriously,” said Mr. Chris Davis, principal.

To anyone who knew Barrow, Davis’ sentiment rings true.

Washington met Barrow over 20 years ago through the Hamilton County Special Olympics, where Barrow was actively assisting her students.

Washington also marveled at Barrow’s strides to include her pupils with typical SHS students. Although Project Launch Base is located in an isolated classroom near the Music Department, Washington noted that Barrow took her students to the SHS Prom in past years.

“Her life was her students,” said Washington.

Memorials, scholarship

With the exception of her aging mother, none of Barrow’s family lives in the Cincinnati area. The SHS administration contacted Barrow’s mother, who wished for a memorial for her daughter. The memorial was held at 6:30 pm on Jan. 19. ”Her mother asked to use one of our facilities for a memorial,” said Davis.

There are plans for a scholarship to be held in Barrow’s honor. If the fund is counselor-approved, college bound-students on Individualized Educational Plans (IEPs) and students looking to become special educators would be the beneficiaries.

Barrow will be missed by all who knew her. Senior Nikki Feld knew Barrow through her help at Project Launch Base.

Feld, who was Barrow’s only student helper in recent years, knows that Barrow’s loss is impactful.

“I have learned so much from her over the course of my four years at SHS, and everything she has done for that program is beyond amazing. She was a great person and will be missed and remembered forever,” said Feld.

photos courtesy of staff

PRIOR TO WORKING at SHS, Barrow was involved with a similar program, Preparing for Adult Living Styles (PALS). PALS preceded SHS’ Project Launch Base; the program, which was organized by the Hamilton County Office of Education was founded in 1980. In addition to serving students ages 16 to 21, PALS teachers such as Barrow instructed their pupils on life skills.

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Snapshots Friday, January 28, 2011

photo courtesy of shira spiegel

photo courtesy of jeremy mcdaniel

Kick it, spike it, tackle it Students give back in creative ways janeFINOCHARO

snapshots editor

JUNIOR GIKA OKONJI sells t-shirts and jewelry made in Africa to support the UNIFAT school in Uganda. The soccer team plays Hamilton on Oct. 7 in the Kick it for the Cure game to support the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Madison Keyes, 12, serves a volleyball at Volley for the Cure, which took place on Sept. 30 against Lakota East to support Breast cancer research. National Honor Society ran a Canned Food drive from Dec. 6-10. The food they collected was brought to Operation Give Back and the Food Bank to support local families in need. Mrs. Beth Leblanc’s class collected 705 cans.

Sophomores Matthew Benson, Adam Darwiche, Jennifer Khosla, Emily Proudfoot, Will Gawin, Jonathan Seger, and Randy Buka give a thumbs up next to their cans. Juniors Alex Graves and Denae Bellilti sell t-shirts for the Tackle Leukemia football game against Mason, which raised money for leukemia research.

photo courtesy of beth leblanc

photo courtesy of jeremy mcdaniel

photo courtesy of shira spiegel

Forum

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Friday, January 28, 2011

gabeENGLANDER

associate editor

staffeditorial

C

ollege. Whether this word makes you think of the movie “Animal House,” your crazy brother at the Ohio State University, or the Bowl Championship Series rankings, your first thought should be how to get into college.

To freshmen and sophomores, the college application process may seem like it is a million years away.

But, before you know it, you are a senior, stressed out about where you will spend the next four years of your life.

This process is inevitably stressful (ask any senior); however, there are ways to put yourself ahead in the strenuous application process.

The number one way to do this is to start making yourself desirable to college admissions officers throughout the four years you have in high school.

The process that everyone goes through is now more competitive then it has ever been. Students with perfect GPAs, numerous extracurricular activities, and leadership activities are competing with one another for a limited number of spots on college campuses across America.

Once you are admitted, do not relax yet: you are still running the college admissions maze. It is time to search for scholarships. If getting into your college of choice is difficult, applying for competitive scholarships is anything but easy.

It seems that in order to win a competitive scholarship, we must have everything: athletic

the Sycamore

prominence, academic excellence, clear leadership experience and something “unique” to offer to the school.

The accolades awarded to multiple scholarship candidates make us wonder: on top of being first in their class had they discovered the 25th hour in the day?

And so, it is not advisable to begin worrying about your GPA or the number of extracurricular activities on your résumé during your junior year-- by then it might be too late.

You do not want to just enroll in any college that accepts you, instead you want to be able to look at a stack of acceptance letters and choose the college you want.

To increase the chances of that happening, it is important to find an activity you enjoy your freshman or sophomore year and stick with it. Colleges want to see your passion and commitment throughout high school.

The only way students can develop competitive resumes is through hard work freshman year all the way through senior year.

That is what today’s college application process requires. That, and the initiative to take applications seriously.

Unfortunately, these days, it is not enough to get good grades if you want to beat out the thousands of others who want to attend your dream school.

There are no shortcuts. You must reach your fullest potential in high school in order to start ahead of the pack after graduation.

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.

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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 advice do you have for underclassmen facing the college process?

Start your applications as early as possible.Get them out of the way so that you’re not scrambling to finish multiple applications for a deadline.

- Sonali Jain, 12

Think about what you want-- size, programs, and location are important-- and look for schools that offer what you want.

- Josh Toney, 12 Don’t let the college stress interfere with your grades, colleges still look at senior year.

-Nia Campinha-Bacote, 12 Editors-in-chief: Brandon Sosna, Maria Marballi Associate Editors: Kelsey Drapkin,

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 S.M. Dipali Forum Shivani Parikh Feature Jimmy Chau Emma Oh Lina Cardenas A&E Emma Oh Gina Romeo Sports Brandon Sosna Daniel Bayliss Bennett Kaplan

Calendar Kelcie Grega Spotlight Drew Gelwicks Snapshots Jane Finocharo Fun & Games Clayton Hamre Cartoonist Lilly Lefton Amaji Finnell Web Masters Jacob Deitloff Ross Johnstal

Applying to college is a little bit like an end-of-high-school exam. Reaching back over the last four years to write about activities I’ve participated in or an “experience that spurred my imagination” makes me grateful for the opportunities I took advantage of and regret the ones I missed.

As a whole, I think I accomplished a lot these past four years and made it to a place where I can do my best work. I hope colleges see that.

But what I think colleges want even more from applicants than a list of activities and test scores is a picture of an individual, that person’s evolution from freshman to senior.

If you do this, make an essay personal and sincere as well as well-written, you won’t just get into college: you’ll learn who you are and who you hope to become, potentially for the first time.

So yes, it is an arduous process and now that I’m finished it is a relief. But in hindsight, writing these twenty or so essays has been incalculably valuable for my development as a person and for my future.

The general expectation for senior year is a time for fun and relaxation. But the real senior year, the one you don’t hear about, is filled with pressure.

By this point in my life I expected to have it all figured out, to know what I wanted to do in college and with the rest of my life.

This process has forced me to form a foggy image, but I’m nowhere near the clear -cut one I expected. This sounds like bad news to underclassmen, but it shouldn’t be.

I’ve also learned that very few people have an exact plan, and that if they do, life usually gets in the way and messes it up.

Instead, they use that foggy image to make decisions that take them to the next decision and the next one. Life is a constant cycle of winging it and hoping you made the right choice.

The good news about college applications is that they forced me to think about this life-long struggle of what to do with my life, albeit unwillingly, and now I’m happy to say that I have that foggy image.

My challenge to underclassmen and juniors is to get involved in something you enjoy, so that when you are a senior you’ll not only have something to write about, but have a head start on making your selfportrait to present to colleges.

It’s impossible to predict the future, but if we know who we are and what we want out of life, it makes the journey easier and a whole lot less scary.

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

Gabe Englander, Moriah Krawec Managing Editor: Jimmy Chau, Ellie Goldman Business Managers: Emma Oh, Emma Rosen Staff Writers Dilnoza Abdusamatova Irfanuddin Aijaz Madison Ashley Ana Barros Emily Begley Denae Bellilti Alec Bochner John Carroll Krittika Chatterjee Rishi Choubey Brian Cleary Rohan Dalal Gariauna Daniels Mark Eilers Gabriela Godinez-Feregrino Devon Grubba Samantha Hammer Aaron Ishida Alexandria Lazar Shea Lothrop Sarah May Frank Pan Orion Radtke Casey Rayburn Daniel Rickert Cailin Rogers

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forum

6

friday, january 28, 2011

Dipal-Oh-tics smDIPALI

news chief

& emmaOH business manager

Tucson shooting The political rhetoric in America has recently risen to the status of a national debate following the Tuscon, AZ shootings. 22-year old Jared Lee Loughner opened fire in a shopping center killing six people and leaving Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) fighting for her life after being shot through the head.

Battle Broyale

Event falls short of expectations gabeENGLANDER

T

associate editor

hough students in attendance reported that Battle of the Siblings was funny and entertaining at some points, it suffered from an array of complaints regarding poor sound quality and unenthusiastic emcees.

Also, only about 150 students attended Battle, probably because it took place on the same night as a basketball game and the iDance.

Battle of the Sibs started well enough, as the introduction videos for each of the 10 teams were funny, but hard to hear owing to sound difficulties. In hindsight, this was the highlight of the night.

The competition lasted ten rounds in all, which were based on the TV show “Minute to Win It.” In each round, each team had to complete some kind of physical challenge.

For example, in “Junk in the Trunk,” one sibling had a tissue box filled with ping pong balls strapped to their butt, and had one minute to get them to fall out by jumping, while the other sibling held a bag catching the ping pong balls.

“There were points that I laughed at my friends making fools of themselves on stage, but that’s not enough for me to say that I enjoyed this

event,” said Rose Mervis, 12.

Despite the mixed student reaction, Student Council Executive President Alexandra Engelhart was quick to defend the event, stating that although there were a few issues, it was largely successful.

Since Engelhart previously said that the goals for the event were to foster sibling bonding, raise money for a charity, and entertain students, she should be satisfied with how Battle turned out.

Michele McDonald, 12, who won Battle with her sister, Kelly, 10, certainly agrees.

“Kelly went to Mount Notre Dame last year and I felt like we drifted apart a little. Now that she is back at Sycamore, I thought this was the perfect opportunity to show the school how great our sisterly bond is,” said Michele.

All proceeds from the event, $1,145, went to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the McDonald sisters charity of choice.

Given the inevitable challenges that come with organizing a new event, Battle of the Siblings probably turned out as well as it could have.

If this competition returns next year, as I expect it will, I hope Student Council fixes the problems from this year, most importantly by increasing attendance and getting better emcees.

all photos courtesy of jeremy mcdaniels

TOP TO BOTTOM: Michael ‘Preach’ Striecher, 12, and Max ‘Frost’ Reihemann, 12, dance to open Battle of the Siblings.

Mallory, 12, and Anna, 9, Condron attempt to move an oreo into their mouths without using their hands, and the McDonald sisters celebrate their victory.

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E: As I listen to attempts to blame Loughner’s actions on the tenor of America’s political debate, I’m constantly reminded of the people who wanted to blame the 9/11 terrorist attacks on American foreign policy.

According to these Americans, the resentment that resulted in the attacks on our country was spawned by United States support for Israel, along with the suffering of the Palestinian people.

But can you really blame the murder of innocent people on grievances? Of course not. The only organizations responsible for September 11 are al-Qaeda and the other terrorist groups who supported the murderous mission -- just like the only person responsible for the shooting in Tucson was a twisted young man with little to no coherent political views.

But that doesn’t mean our rhetoric couldn’t use some fixing. Obviously, it’s no stretch to say that Sarah Palin’s use of crosshairs on her “Don’t Retreat, instead RELOAD” map was distasteful.

However, “vitriolic” rhetoric cannot be pinned on the conservatives, alone. Was it not Barack Obama who said in July 2008 “If they bring a knife to the fight, we bring a gun”?

I am a conservative, but that doesn’t mean I can’t listen to another point of view and form my own opinions without the help of the conservative party.

Obama reminded us in his speech that times of tragedy can become times of national examination.

The tragedy in Tucson seems to only have deepened the division among our country. Instead of coming together to support the victims and condemn Loughner as a disgrace to humanity, our national conversation has turned into accusations about whom, other than the murderer himself, might be responsible.

Looks like America is in need of some soul-searching.

D: Now, let’s be clear on one thing. It is readily apparent where this supposed “vitriolic” rhetoric is coming from – just take a look at the media’s two political extremes: MSNBC and Fox. Tune into the Rachel Maddow Show or Countdown with Keith Olberman and you’ll hear some definite caustic criticisms of the Republican Party. Sarcastic remarks and various accusations are thrown around daily. But, turn to right-wing talk shows or Fox News and you’ll hear something eerily different. Forget sarcasm: Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck jokingly speak of shooting government officials. Even more, Beck has what Louis Black calls “Nazi Tourette’s” – blatantly likening numerous Democrats to Nazis.

That being said, I think this discussion regarding our political climate, while very interesting, is largely irrelevant.

Instead of looking at the real issue - gun control and the ability of a mentally disturbed individual to buy bullets at a Wal-Mart - our nation is focusing on a scapegoat. After the umpteenth mass shooting in our country’s history, I sincerely doubt any real change is going to come out of it. It seems that history is doomed to repeat itself.

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

forum

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friday, january 28, 2011

S

now day limit reached HS anticipates make up days

anaBARROS

photo by gabe englander

O

staff writer

n any other day, a phone call early in the morning is not something to get excited about.

But when snow is falling and students buzz that school might be cancelled, it is a different story. They find themselves happily shoving their homework aside and hoping for that call.

Now, however, a snow day would be more of a curse than a blessing for the student body and staff, who may have to make up days at the end of the school year because SHS has used all three of its allotted calamity days.

In the past, Ohio Public Schools were allowed five calamity days.

However, two of these were taken away this year under former Gov. Ted Strickland’s education bill.

If more days are missed, measures must be taken to make up those days: either days of school are added to the end of the school year or school days are extended by half-hour increments.

But in recent years the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) developed a broad solution to this problem. It created a program in which teachers post podcasts, slide shows, and PDF files for their students.

This way, though they are not in school, students can still go over the material that would have been covered that day and ensure that students learn even on a snow day.

Unfortunately, however, not all students have access to a computer

BAKE SALES AT SHS are threatened by the new Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, which mandates that public schools may hold bake sales only “infrequently.” This law also provides more meals to needy children and forces cafeterias to serve healthier food with more fruits and vegetables.

New law limits bake sales gabeENGLANDER

associate editor

image by kelsey drapkin

WHEN THE ROADS become icy, they become extremely difficult to navigate. Having teen drivers and buses out on the roads can prove to be hazardous. With limited snow days, administrators are forced to make tough decisions when it comes to deciding upon whether school will be in session. at home or, more importantly, the internet.

This is a major stumbling block in this process and, for now, only parochial and private schools that require their students to have laptops are able to follow through with the program.

Considering the variety of economic conditions at SHS, it would be difficult to ensure that every student had internet access at home.

Like most Ohio schools, calamity days remain a problem for SHS. While

it does not seem that SHS will adopt the ODE’s program requiring teachers to post assignments on snow days, some SHS teachers already do this via blackboard.

In recent weeks, Governor John Kasich has said that he aims to increase the number of snowdays allowed in Ohio Public Schools.

In the meantime, if there are more calamity days, SHS will most likely take days away from summer break to make up for them.

At SHS, bake sales are a centerpiece fundraiser for most student groups, from Unified 4 Unifat to Student Council.

But a bill signed by President Barack Obama on Dec. 13 gives the government power to limit these fundraisers and others that may replace a healthy meal.

The actual language in the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act says bake sales may occur only “infrequently,” giving the government wide enough latitude to go as far as banning bake sales, or on the other end of the spectrum, ignore this piece of the bill.

Based on the negative response the bake sale clause has received from critics such as Sarah Palin and PTO moms, it seems likely that bake sales will be allowed to go on in some format.

Additionally, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack made it clear that bake sales will not be banned outright. This part of the law now goes to the USDA, who has a year to decide how frequently bake sales will be allowed to occur.

But bake sales were just one part of this law. Among other things, it provides more meals to needy children, including dinner, and forces school cafeterias to make their meals healthier and include more fruits and vegetables.

The succesful passage of this law is most due to the efforts of First Lady Michelle Obama, who has made combating childhood obesity and promoting healthy eating among children her main priority. In Congress, the bill passed easily with bipartisan support.

Judging from the food SHS is serves on a daily basis, it wouldn’t kill the cafeteria to provide healthier food. And although it is too early to know the fate of bake sales, in the future, I expect to see less puppy chow and more granola bars.

Feature

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Friday, January 28, 2011

‘DREAM Act’

all photos courtesy of altavista.com

Controversial bill sparks heated debate shaynaSIEGEL

I

staff writer

magine receiving the title ‘illegal immigrant’ from the place that you have called home for your entire life the place where you have grown up, the place where all of your memories were created.

It is almost impossible to fathom, but nearly 65,000 youth face the unfortunate reality of this inherited label.

Although these individuals have lived in the United States for numerous years and call it their home, they are not recognized as citizens.

They were brought over at a young age and, because they were not born here, they were left undocumented. They spent most of their lives here and lived under U.S. laws, but

because of a document they are not considered American.

Many are fighting for the citizenship of these immigrants with the Development, Relief and Education of Alien Minors Act (DREAM Act). This act would help individuals who meet certain requirements to have an opportunity in college or enlistment in the military and have a path to citizenship which would otherwise not be possible.

The DREAM Act would allow these young illegal immigrants to have a chance to give back to a country that has given them a home. One of the renown supporters for this Act is 18-year-old Bernard Pastor, a Reading High School graduate and an illegal immigrant.

After a minor traffic accident, police officers discovered that Pastor was an undocumented immigrant and sent

him to immigration detention. The Guatemalan boy has lived in the United States since the age of three, graduated high school with honors, excels in soccer and has never considered himself to be anything other than American.

“All I can hope is that I serve as an example for others to understand the great injustices carved into the fabric of our broken immigration system,” said Pastor in a letter.

After his release, Pastor flew straight to Washington D.C. to promote the passage of the DREAM Act with other young immigrants like himself. Unfortunately, the act fell short 5 votes and was not passed. It was a devastating turn out for the young immigrants.

Although the act did not pass, many are still fighting for their citizenship. The dream lives on.

Interested in joining ‘The Leaf’?

Would you rather chill on a beach than sit in school?

Find out how to get there

the

Do your clothes make the cut?

The dress code saga page 9 continues

writing & design page 8

web broadcasting

Your guide to Valentine’s Day If you have a date...

Do Wear something nice Make reservations at a nice restaurant Take your date out on the town Take your date dancing Give your date flowers and candy Wear sweatpants Make reservations at White Castle Stay in with your date and watch Jersey Shore Take your date clubbing Give your date a bad time

If you don’t have a date...

Do

Go out with friends Watch “The Hangover” and laugh Spend time with family Send your friends Valentines Volunteer for a good cause

Don’t

Stay home alone and eat a pint of ice cream Watch “The Notebook” and cry Spend time stalking your ex on Facebook Send yourself flowers Be a third wheel on your best friend’s date

Learn more about the Step Team’s new routine

page 10

HIGHLIGHTS: Year in Review,

by Lilly Lefton

page 12

this month in feature

Don’t

feature

9

friday, january 28, 2011

Colleges see spike in Early Decision applicants brandonSOSNA

image b

y emily b

egley

editor-in-chief, sports chief

photo courtesy of mcdaniels photography photos by allmcdaniels images byphotography emily begley

‘SHS Ground Shakers’ stomp into action all images by sm dipali

Step team impresses audiences as it takes the floor

ellieGOLDMAN managing editor

I

f clubs were ranked solely by decibel level, there is no question that Step Team would take the trophy. This team currently meets at least twice-weekly to create, learn, and practice different steps in preparation for the upcoming pep rally.

“We make beats to have fun, like drumming without the drums,” said Britannee Bell, 11, returning stepper who helps organize practices.

Stepping is a form of rhyth-

mic, dance-like motion in which the body is used as a percussive instrument.

Right now the practices are being used to solidify their performance for the Feb. 11 pep rally. It will be the group’s first pep rally performance of the year, though they performed in the Dec. 3 Variety Show.

Never fear, students who saw this act- the team creates new step sequences for each of their performances, which means the Variety Show routine is history.

For the upcoming pep rally, the team is branching out.

“We’re coming back this year and adding some new things, for instance we’re stepping to some music,” Bell said.

The group is constantly looking for ways to spice up their performances and make them fresh and memorable.

SHS’s step team, this year dubbed the SHS Ground Shakers, was formed four years ago.

It presents a different kind of performance opportunity to students.

“We’re not Flyerettes, we’re not cheerleaders, it’s not dancing exactly- this is step,” Bell said.

Other returning team members include seniors Team Captain, Alix Davis, Austin Hoard, Alexandra Engelhart, and Martina “Tina” Welch, 10.

New this year, the team is looking to organize a ‘Step Show’ that would involve participation of many step teams from local high schools and colleges. This dynamic event would be held at the end of the school year.

So when you’re all crowded into the gym for the rally, do not worry. That is not a thunder storm you hear, it is the Ground Shakers entering the room.

College applicants are trending toward applying early decision, as many believe sending in their paperwork ahead of time increases the likelihood of defeating the competition.

This may or may not be the case, but the truth remains that the number of early decision applicants spiked for the class of ‘15.

The National Association for College Counseling released a report that 65 percent of colleges lending the early decision option saw increases in the number of applications.

This statistic is up from 43 percent in 2008 and 36 percent in 2007.

School such as Duke University and Syracuse University entertained increases greater than 30 percent. Meanwhile, many other prestigious schools, including Dartmouth, Penn, Stanford, Johns Hopkins, MIT, Georgetown, Chicago, and Northwestern all reported increases.

Few schools, like Brown and Yale, recorded slight decreases in early decision applicants. However, the two stand mostly alone in that regard.

Why is early decision so popular?

First and foremost is the higher acceptance rate, with most schools accepting at least 10 percent more students in the early decision process.

Secondly, a mid-December, legally binding acceptance into an institution relieves high school seniors of enormous amounts of stress. Most students balk at the idea that a school will revoke their admission if their grades falter, although, it is true.

Finally, for the ambitious student applying to a “reach” school they may feel would reject them in the regular decision pool, it is an opportunity for the said student to prove how greatly they desire that school.

There are some drawbacks, particularly that a senior must very strongly believe they wanted to attend a certain institution. Most kids have trouble deciding what to eat at lunch, so this can prove to be awfully challenging.

Not to mention, many early decision slots are reserved for athletes who are specially recommended by head coaches as part of their recruitment.

Sycamore High School was not immune to the increase in early decision applicants. Mid-December was an anxious time for many, as results rolled in and the fate of lives were determined (sarcasm.)

2011 Committee members begin preparations for ‘Relay for Life’ janeFINOCHARO

snapshots editor

In preparation for the Relay for Life event this May, committee members have been busy planning and are beginning to recruit teams.

“Putting on an event like this takes a lot of effort, but it’s so rewarding,” said Sara Lindsay, 12, student chair on the committee.

The committee have met monthly since October. Members have been split into several different committees.

Beginning this month, committee members will begin to focus on recruiting teams.

“Last year we had 120 teams and raised $126,000. Our goal this year is to raise our number of teams to 130 and raise $130,000. Considering how well we did last year, this seems like a pretty doable goal,” said Deborah Wu, 11.

This year, committee members hope to publicize the event better so that more people will be aware early enough to form teams.

“Last year, one of our obstacles was that it didn’t seem like there was much communication with the student body. We need to make more announcements so that people are more aware of what’s going on,” said Erik Bao, 11.

Any student can become a part of a Relay team. Students

must form groups of 10, and each team member must raise $100 to donate to the American Cancer Society by the day of the event in May. At Relay, each team sets up a tent on the football field.

From the start of the event at 4 p.m. to the next morning at 10 a.m., teams are asked to have at least one member on the track at all times.

Throughout the night, different activities and events occur, including a survivor lap for cancer survivors and a Luminaria hour to honor those who have been affected by cancer.

Feature

10

Friday, January 28, 2011

for the Cure Student stands out in nationwide cooking contest Fashion promises to impress

Pizza recipe earns spot in semi-finals markEILERS

staff writer

Throughout the course of their high school careers, many students choose to participate in Gourmet Foods, a class that offers individuals a chance to explore their own unique creative cooking skills.

Mary Kate Taulbee, 12, was recently rewarded for her original pizza recipe that she concocted as an assignment for the class. The project was given at the beginning of the school year.

Taulbee was one of the 16 total individuals chosen to enter the semifinal round of a cooking contest that examines individuals of all ages from across the nation.

“I found out that I advanced to the semi-final round shortly after Christmas,” said Taulbee.

The contest required participants to create their own recipe for pizza utilizing Mama Mary’s Pizza Crust.

Taulbee put the finishing touches on her creation after only one week of testing out different ideas.

After being told on multiple occasions by a fellow coworker to develop a pizza, and after his approval, Taulbee’s recipe was complete.

Her achievement thus far has earned her a cappuccino machine and a year’s supply of Mama

Mary’s Pizza Crust.

If Taulbee is picked by the judges to further progress to the next round, then the Mamma Mary’s company will fly her and her family to a preset location in which she will personally prepare her award winning pizza for the judges.

If it is determined that she is the overall winner of the contest, Taulbee will earn $2,500 for herself while another $2,500 will be donated to the charity of her choice. Her recipe will also be printed on the back of Mama Mary’s Pizza Crust packaging.

In addition to these rewards, Taulbee will also win a trip to Disney World, to which she has never been.

“If I am chosen to win, I am really excited to travel to Disney World because I have never been, and heard that it is an incredible experience,” said Taulbee.

In the future, Taulbee hopes to continue with the culinary arts and eventually end up with a possible job as a chef.

“I was accepted to Johnson and Wales, one of the top three culinary art schools within the country,” said Taulbee.

Taulbee’s pizza not only has captured the taste buds of a fellow coworker and teacher, but has also captured the taste buds of nationwide judges and could very well be enjoyed by others across the country.

photo courtesy of altavista.com

photo courtesy of shayna siegel THROUGHOUT HIGH SCHOOL, students can partake in the many classes provided including Gourmet Foods. Mary Kate Taulbee, 12, was picked to enter the semi-final round in a competition taken across the country for a pizza that she created for an assignment in her cooking class. If Taulbee wins the grand prize, she takes home $2,500, have $2,500 donated in her name to a charity of her choice, and an all expense paid trip to Disney World.

krittikaCHATTERJEE

staff writer

Fashion for the Cure has proved a tremendous triumph at SHS year after year. On March 23, the esteemed event will be back and promises to be better than ever.

Jenlain Coyle, 12, and Lily Schwartz, 12, will be co-chairing Fashion for the Cure this year. The student-run tradition of Fashion for the Cure is unique, and has been a key aspect over the years.

Students also got a chance for involvement when modeling fashions from local retailers, and designs by other students. Sarah Birckhead, 9, will be modeling in the show.

“It’s really cool to be able to model in Fashion for the Cure because students are such a huge part of it, and every part of SHS gets to impact it in a different way,” said Birckhead.

The proceeds of this year’s event will benefit Cancer Family Care Cincinnati. The charity caters to those suffering with cancer and their loved ones, and offers counseling and education services to anyone affected by the illness.

This year, Fashion for the Cure will be held in honor of Rob Stoneberger. Stoneberger, former Blue Ash Elementary School gym teacher, passed in 2009 due to esophageal cancer.

“The goal is always to be the most successful Fashion for the Cure ever. We hope to make it bigger and better than ever before,” said Coyle.

Students should look out for bake sales starting in January to aid Cancer Family Care.

www.daretodancecincinnati.com Dare to Dance

•

11256 Cornell Park Drive Suite #500

•

Cincinnati, OH 45242

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513.407.8633

Taught and Choreographed by

Shannon Dobkins with Chrissy Goehr and Kelly Ryder

Shannon began dancing at the age of three. Since then she has studied ballet, jazz, tap, musical theater, ballroom-- and of course—hip hop.

Shannon studied hip hop at the hottest dance studio in Hollywood, California, Millennium Dance Complex—home to many celebrities and their choreographers. She has been successful in the professional world of dance due to her strong passion, dedication and talent for the art. Shannon is very excited to introduce Dare to Dance to the hip hop genre.

Just mention the Leaf or bring Student ID Classes Saturdays at 12:00pm and Monday Nights at 7:30 pm

$10 for Sycamore Students Workshop February 20th from 1-4 pm

$25 for Sycamore Students $50 for Non Students

Call Now! Limited Space Available!

feature

11 Alumnus recounts high school days Avichal Garg: Stanford grad, former Google employee, co-founder of test-prep company friday, january 28, 2011

rishiCHOUBEY

A

staff writer

vichal Garg, class of 2001, was the class genius. He was the first double accelerated student at SHS, captain of the Science Bowl Team that placed nationally twice, a state champion math contest winner, first board of the Chess Team, and a GMC academic quiz team champion three years in a row.

Currently, he has been working for PrepMe, a company he co-founded, that provides test preparation for the SAT and ACT. He has won numerous awards, and was on BusinessWeek’s list of Top 25 Entrepreneurs under the age of 25.

“I have recently started a new company around some technology I developed to consume video technology on mobile phones. Our investors include the same investors that backed Google and Facebook, the founder of Youtube, and several other successful entrepreneurs,” said Garg.

Looking back on his days at SHS, he claims to have known what he would be doing in his future.

“I saw myself doing exactly what I’m doing now: building innovative products and having a great time doing it. I plan on doing the same thing in 10 years. I knew I was going to start companies and build cool products. I figured out how to program a graphing calculator when I was 10 and have been building stuff on the Internet since the late 90s,” said Garg.

High School

During his time at SHS, Garg took a wide variety of classes, making sure not just to take the most rigorous courses, but also the ones he enjoyed. His favorite ones involved the few technology courses that were being offered at the time.

“Back then a lot of them were just getting started so we did a lot of projectbased work where we’d get to pick what we wanted to build and then just go build it. The classes were a lot of fun and we learned a lot too,” said Garg.

When asked about what he remembers most, the people he knew during his high school days came to mind.

“I remember the people more than anything -- both the students and the teachers. I made many close friends during high school and I consider myself very fortunate to have had so many teachers who worked so hard to make sure I received a high quality education,” said Garg.

Mrs. Cynthia Parrot, a science teacher and Garg’s former physics teacher, remembers Garg as well.

“I’m not that surprised by what he is doing now. I knew he would be successful whatever he would go on to do. He is a student I never forgot. In my years of teaching, the really smart students don’t tend to be as outgoing as he was. In class he had a great sense of humor. I coached the Science Bowl team that he was the captain of. After the team that I helped coach placed at nationals we won a trip to the state of Washington and $2,000 for the school,” said Parrot.

Mr. Chad Husting, a science teacher and Garg’s former chemistry teacher, remembers his former student, too.

“I always thought it was funny when the counselors were asking him more questions than he asked them. The guy was simply brilliant,” said Husting.

Garg is still in touch with many of his high school friends. According to Garg, there are quite a few former SHS students that have had success after

graduating.

“Facebook makes this a lot easier, obviously, but I think it’s also a function of the caliber of people I graduated with. I still see a few of my closest friends from high school at least once a year, and of course keep in touch with them on Facebook.

I’ve also ended up working with a lot of friends from Sycamore. I ended up working on Google’s search engine with a friend from Sycamore. I was an intern on a team at Amazon that was run by a friend from Sycamore. I’m an advisor for a company started by two friends from Sycamore who are now at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business. I got a friend of mine from Sycamore a job at a company I invested in, and a friend of mine who now runs a hedge fund is an investor in my new company.

I was very fortunate to have gone to school with so many talented people,” said Garg.

Education

all images by rishi choubey

Education seems to have played a large part in Garg’s life. In his opinion, SHS played an important role in his progression toward a successful career.

“The quality of education across the board at Sycamore is exceptionally high. The quality of the teachers and the high expectations serve as a training ground for the most competitive colleges and industries. More specifically, I think the math and science programs are as high as any school in the country.

One under-appreciated aspect of SHS’s education is the quality of the English department. The ability to communicate effectively in both oral and written form is a critical skill, and I’m very thankful to have gone through the English program at Sycamore,” said Garg.

After high school, he went on to attend Stanford University, where he received a B.S. in Computer Science and an M.S. in Management Science.

He finished both degrees in four years before going on to work for Google.

ABOVE: THIS PICTURE was taken by and featured in the “New York Times” in in a 2008 piece detailing what former Google employees do. Right: in 2001 SHS had 31 National Merit Finalists, more than any other school in OH. Finalists, from top left, are Peter Joukov, Garg, Carrie McKinnon, Elliot Kim, Daniel Shertok, Alok Narayana, Robert Olmon, Ian Han, Martine Luntz, Radha Sathe, Samuel Hill, Nick Staubach, Michael Jaques, Lauren King, Vivian Wang, Joni Ullman, Jane Andrews, Amber Jensen, Itamar Rosenn, Mitra Ghamsari, Kim Lacker, Silpa Patel, Laura Samuelsson, Brad Coppel, Hillary Harward and Caroline Lee.

Google, PrepMe

Avichal Garg, class of 2001, on PrepMe and life after high school

“At Google, I was the product manager on Google Websearch; I worked on the core ranking algorithms and earned internal awards for my work. I was then the product manager for Google’s advertising engine,” said Garg, “My team’s work has generated hundreds of millions of dollars of incremental revenue for Google and I have several patents pending for my work there.”

Garg left Google to help create the new test prep company PrepMe, an SAT and ACT prep course available online that has been used by almost 100,000 students around the world. It has been mentioned in the New York Times, CNN, and even in Stephen Colbert’s segment on how to ace the SAT’s.

“PrepMe was started in 2001 while I was still in high school. It grew organically while I was at Stanford and Google, and I left in 2007 to pursue it full time. We’d built the product over a number of years, but it was too early for the market.

We let it grow on its own and over time word spread, the press started to take notice, and schools started to buy the product. In 2008 we raised outside funding from a private equity group and the company has grown quickly since. It’s now used by the entire state of Maine, school districts around the country, and our personalization technology is now being used by 2 of the 4 largest textbook publishers in the world,” said Garg.

What is PrepMe? PrepMe is a technology platform that takes any body of content and then allows students to progress through that content in a personalized way. Our technology continuously adapts to each student’s needs, provides content tailored to that individual’s needs, tests the student with an adaptive testing engine, and produces data and reports for teachers that let them know exactly where their students are doing well and where each student is struggling.

This also lets teachers understand where there may be larger issues at a class level, and provides them with the information they need to make quick, data-driven decisions. We started by putting our own content for SAT, ACT, and PSAT preparation into the system to prove that our approach and our model work. It worked tremendously well, generating a 300 point average improvement on the SAT. Since then, we’ve developed partnerships with textbook publishers to move their books into our system and deliver them entirely online as personalized courses.

For example, we are going to be moving Barron’s AP prep books online in 2011 and 2012. In addition, we’ve recently struck deals with two of the largest textbook publishers in the world and will start moving some of their textbooks online in 2011 as well.

What were some of the challenges you faced to start this company?

There were numerous challenges from figuring out how to get our first sale to understanding how to hire employees. Our biggest challenge was early on, before consumers were comfortable buying online products. It’s hard to imagine now, but in 2001 Google was just starting out, Amazon wasn’t profitable yet, and there was no Facebook or YouTube.

In our early years we spent a lot of time educating consumers on why the Internet made for such a great education experience.

Have you visited SHS after graduating?

I’ve visited a few times. I visited more often immediately after I graduated because I still had friends at SHS. I haven’t really visited in the last few years.

Is your story like “The Social Network”?

Haven’t seen it, sorry.

What are your goals for your software company?

My goal for PrepMe is to have it keep growing and keep working with more textbook publishers. We can have a tremendous impact on the quality of education by improving the quality of the user experience for students. I think it has the potential to impact millions of students around the world.

I’m still on the board of directors for the company and helping them close deals with more textbook publishers. For my new company, my goal is to build something that everyone who has a mobile phone wants to use.

12

feature friday, january 28, 2011

‘Uh-oh...it looks like it’s that time of year again. Time for another...’

Year in review lillyLEFTON

cartoonist

Fun&Games

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Friday, January 28, 2011

Wordles

desk

PpOpD

Chapter 7: An Unfortunate Encounter

soft

claytonHAMRE

copy

r i v e

fun&games editor

revo dneb

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out leg

sense sense sense sense sense sense

bridge water

Crossword Puzzle

ACROSS 4. Officially called a pitaya, grown on a cactus, has bright red color with green extensions 6. Fruit first cultivated in southern China with a rough, inedible red rind, sometimes with greenish spines, and sweet, translucent flesh 8. Comes in both spiny and plain varieties, native to Central America, eaten raw in salsas and salads 10. Large, spiny fruit with a unique odor, revered in Southeast Asia as the “king of fruits.”

11. Comparable to orange tomatoes, with a sweet, tangy taste and a soft to fibrous texture 13. A fruit in the muskmelon family that ideally has a nearly spherical shape and a creamy yellow skin 14. Contains large amounts of Omega 3 and 6 polyunsaturated fatty acids and dietary fiber, known as a “superfruit.”

DOWN 1. Grapefruits are a hybrid of this fruit and an orange, has pink flesh 2. Yellow fruit originating in the region of Iran, with hard, stronglyscented flesh 3. Large, red berry with seeds embedded in a spongy, white pulp, known for its role it Greek mythology 5. A vegetable-like fruit that looks like a green tomato when the husk is removed, main ingredient in green salsas 7. Also known as a carombola, has waxy yellow skin and five concave angles 9. Small, orange citrus fruit, with a sweet rind and sour, salty flesh 12. Name for a horned melon, a type of cucumber that has yellow orange skin and green jelly-like flesh when ripe

colony Answers: 1. Two peas in a pod 2. Desktop 3. Mircosoft 4. Copyright 5. Bend over backwards 6. Driven up the wall 7. Flash in the pan 8. Out on a limb 9. Crown colony 10. Sixth sense 11. Water under the bridge

paflashn

W

ithin the confines of a second, UAE fighters fired on the stolen cargo ship, breaching its hull and causing the two hundred and forty million tons of limestone called Mount Everest contained within to slide out and impact with the Advanced Luxury Tetrahedron 2.0, killing 20,000 people instantly.

“Oops,” said Roger.

“I think we might die now,” stated Carlotta.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have based my plan on a response to a question I found in Yahoo! Answers,” added Roger.

“There’s an escape capsule in the back of the ship,” Ralia informed them.

“Then what are we waiting for?!” exclaimed James.

They went to it. The rest of the cargo ship exploded immediately after the capsule was launched.

“Oh, I just remembered something,” Roger said.

“What?” asked Carlotta.

“What are we going to do about everyone we left behind in the Starship?”

Everyone was silent. “…Let’s try not to think about that,” said Ralia.

“This is great. Not even two weeks after making contact against extraterrestrial life, we’ve provoked an attack and endangered the safety of our own crew,” remarked Luke.

“Where is this escape capsule going, anyways?” asked Carlotta.

“There’s a control panel here,” Roger pointed out, gesturing at a small screen mounted in a corner. “It says that we will arrive at the planet Diand in three days.”

Luke tapped the word “Diand” on the screen, and an info page was brought up. A voice read: “Diand. Orbits around X-E22-25, a hypergiant. Size and composition unknown. Age unknown. Sighted and named by Ecklezorg Diand of Terron two hundred years ago. No reported sightings since.”

“Very ominous,” Carlotta commented.

“But I’m sure someone there will be able to help us,” Roger added. “I mean, you’d think the UAE would have made some enemies over the past few centuries….”

Nine hours later, the escape capsule approached Diand.

“I really hope this planet has bathrooms,” said Ralia.

“What I find most fascinating,” said James, “is that even though we’re in orbit around it, we can’t see it.”

“That is an issue,” agreed Roger.

The point around which the craft was orbiting, was, indeed, apparently devoid of any substance.

“But clearly there’s some gravity present here,” said Carlotta.

“Although we’re not getting any sort of signal from it, visual or otherwise, we should try contacting whatever might be there.”

They sent a message asking for help.

No response.

But, several minutes later, they noticed a barely perceptible, cloud-like formation approaching them, and before they knew it, it had enveloped them.

“I’m pretty sure we could have at least tried to get away from that thing,” Roger said.

“Hey! That’s your job, you’re the captain of this mission!” Ralia responded.

“Okay, then, that’s what I’ll do. I’m not letting this blob of whatever-it-is take us away to some other perverse alien resort.”

Roger typed in some commands into the console. “We’re getting out of here!”

“To where?!” Carlotta cried, as the escape pod attempted to escape the cloud, tossing its passengers about and creating a horrid screeching noise.

“To Diand!” Roger cried back, the noise increasing.

“But – we’re already there! We just need to find it!” interjected James, before being thrown against the floor.

“I know!” Roger replied, fiddling with the controls. “Look, I’ll turn the engines down, so –” His words were cut off by the explosion that destroyed the escape capsule, launching the travelers’ battered bodies into the vacuum.

As Carlotta asphyxiated and bled to death at the same time, she thought her last thought would be “What an idiot,” but she was pleasantly surprised when she was revived about a week later.

Surprised about what, she couldn’t say, because she wasn’t able to remember anything that happened in the six hours before her temporary death.

In fact, she became quite worried when she realized that she had no idea where this pleasantly surprising place was, or what was going on, or where the rest of her fellow crew members were.

Just the arrival at Diand – yes, she must be on Diand somewhere – and then, well, she couldn’t say.

art by saif aijaz

A&E

14

S

Friday, January 28, 2011

hakespearean script calls for spectacular set HS theater revamps ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’

Year in review:

Top ‘10 tunes ginaROMEO a&e chief

images by jimmy chau

johnCARROLL

R

staff writer

emember the little theatre? The one where the One Act Play Festival was? Well, come Feb. 3, it won’t look much like that anymore.

“We are turning the entire Little Theatre into a magical forest,” said Laura Birckhead, 12.

Seems like a pretty strange thing to do. But Mr. John Whapham’s Acting Ensemble has a very good reason.

When Feb. 3 rolls around, SHS will be putting on its very own production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” by William Shakespeare.

Now, putting on a play that was written several hundred years ago in a form of English that has been dead for an equally long time with a cast of high schoolers is a large feat

within itself. But our budding actors seem more than up to the challenge.

For those of us not familiar with this particular play, it is basically a very, very old school romantic comedy that includes heavy themes of magic, personified in the “fairies”.

So far, there seems to be a very strong emphasis on the set and costume aspects of this performance.

“The costumes are modern looking and very artsy, with lots of color and leaves,” said Griffin Levy, 10.

“We pulled back the tree from ‘Parade’ to use as our central tree,” said Caroline Bresnahan, 11.

“The set we built contains three large trees because a good 70% of the play takes place in a forest,” said Levy.

To take the concept of a magical forest to the max, they will be utilizing both the stage

denaeBELILLTI

staff writer

SHS’s Vinnie Liberatore, 11, steps into the local rap game.

Having a deep interest in music and self-expression, he made his first appearance headlining on the Mad Hatter stage on Dec. 30. Performing songs with his own lyrics, Liberatore strives to succeed.

The show opened with local drummer, DJ Clockwork, who played his own beats to well-known songs. Following Clockwork, a rapper by the stage name Quinn, performed, giving out his mix tape to the audience afterward.

ways to improve and enhance his music.

“I’m always looking for new beats for my songs. I have to make my music stand out,” said Liberatore.

Amongst the many respected rappers in the game, Liberatore deems Eminem as his inspiration.

With similar passions to express themselves through music, both feel a release when creating new songs and performing.

I’m always looking for new beats for my songs. I have to make my music stand out.

soon to

image by gina romeo

Avenged Sevenfold US Bank Arena Jan. 29

Linkin Park

Vinnie Liberatore, 11 Many who attended the concert described Quinn’s sound as one similar to well-known artists Asher Roth and “3OH!3.” Liberatore took the stage following Quinn’s performance, opening with his song, ‘Withdrawal.’

With the support of his friends and family, Liberatore rapped with confidence, catching the attention of new fans. Many would agree that Liberatore had a very successful first concert.

Without any down time, Liberatore went straight back to work following his concert. He continues to write his own lyrics and is constantly looking for

Coming

Cincinnati

Vinnie Liberatore,11, makes musical debut

stages

Student rapper performs at local venue

and the house, using the scrim to separate the “real” and “fairy” worlds, turning the entire theatre into a psychedelic amplification chamber of enchantment.

“I think we are even going to add Christmas lights to the set to make it more whimsical,” said Bresnahan.

Not only that, but they also plan on doing a ‘60s theme, taking the genius of Shakespeare and translating it into a semi-modern arena.

The details of how this will be accomplished are, as of yet, unclear, but it is sure to be quite interesting.

The relatively small size of the little theatre is sure to enhance the intimacy of the play, presenting every vivid detail to the audience with startling clarity.

In all, it seems as though we have much to look forward to, and we will be in for a real treat on Feb. 3, 4, and 5 when the play is performed.

Recently, Liberatore has taken the stage name, ‘1up.’ In addition to writing his lyrics, he looks forward to spending time in the studio, recording his new music. He also is working to book more performance dates in the future.

Like any young rapper, Liberatore hopes to make it big, and is content with his current success.

However, he always strives to improve. image by gina romeo

US Bank Arena Feb. 13

Jimmy Eat World Bogart’s Feb. 17

George Strait

US Bank Arena March 11

All Time Low Bogart’s April 30

From Kanye West’s “My Dark Twisted Fantasy” to Arcade Fire’s “The Suburbs,” 2010 has been a year of groundbreaking music.

Usher’s new “club” sound got us falling in love again, Bruno Mars assured us that we are amazing just the way we are, and Willow Smith made us whip our hair back and forth.

And in the spirit of any classic Gina’s Jams column, what better way to celebrate this past year’s musical achievements then by making a list.

As 2011 dawns upon us, it is time to reflect on the hits that made 2010 a great year for music. Here are the top ten songs of the year, according to yours truly.

10. “Dynamite” by Taio Cruz Best line: “I throw my hands up in the air sometimes/ Sayin’ a-yo gotta let go” 9. “Teenage Dream” by Katy Perry Best line: “We can dance until we die/ You and I, we’ll be young forever” 8. “Over” by Drake Best line: “Man they treat me like a legend, am I really this cold?/ I’m really too young to be feelin’ this old” 7. “We Used to Wait” by Arcade Fire Best line: “Now our lives are changing fast/ Hope that something pure can last” 6. “Little Lion Man” by Mumford and Sons Best line: “Your grace is wasted in your face/ Your boldness stands alone among the wreck” 5. “Opposite of Adults” by Chiddy Bang Best line: “Can I please get a little bit of knowledge?/ Somebody tell Roth that I don’t love college” 4. “Dog Days Are Over” by Florence + the Machine Best line: “Leave all your love and your loving behind you/ Can’t carry it with you if you want to survive” 3. “Tighten Up” by The Black Keys Best line: “Living just to keep going, going just to be sane/ All the while I know it’s such a shame” 2. “F**k You” by Cee Lo Green Best line: “I guess he’s an Xbox, and I’m more an Atari/ But the way you play your game ain’t fair” 1. “Runaway” by Kanye West ft. Pusha T Best line: “Let’s have a toast for the jerk offs, that’ll never take work off/ Baby, I got a plan, run away fast as you can” For comments on this column, please write to WritetoTheLeaf@ gmail.com

a&e

15

friday, january 28, 2011

image by ann seiple

SHS hears homeless’ ‘New Voice’

image by shayna siegel

shaynaSIEGEL

W

staff writer

hat people do not see or do not want to see is that homelessness is not a myth.

It exists and it is an unfortunate reality for individuals in the very place we call home. The Cincinnati Drop Inn’s web site confirmed that 8, 392 citizens of Cincinnati live without a stable environment they can depend on.

Most do not recognize the magnitude of this issue. Those that do are either misinformed or simply do not care because it does not affect them. With the program “New Voices,” junior and senior photography students from SHS have been educated against the misconceptions held by the general public.

The students in this program had the incredible opportunity to witness the reality of Over-the-Rhine (OTR).

They directly collaborated with the homeless through creative writing and photography, proving that art can surpass immense barriers.

Art allowed the invisible wall between the two communities of Sycamore and OTR to come down. It became easier for students to connect with these strangers on an understanding and emotional level.

“I came to realize that homelessness isn’t just a statistic.

Some people look at it from a distance as just a number, but people who are homeless have thoughts, opinions, and experiences that are real, valid, and important to recognize,” said Ann Seiple, 12.

The homeless are often generalized into one stereotype and their individuality is taken away from them. Each one of these individuals is different and deserves to be acknowledged, not just placed into one category.

“Downtown Cincinnati is not black and white. There are people of all different backgrounds scattered all over the city,” said Megan Wells, 12.

One thing people do not understand is that every homeless person’s story is not the same. Most believe these people did something immoral and deserve to be on the streets. It is not that simple. Not all of them made poor decisions to land them on the outside of their community.

Sadly enough, sickness, injury, physical abuse, and even having a mental disorder can leave a person without a home. Most of these people did not make a choice that led them to this lifestyle, it just happened.

“One man showed me how there are numerous people in Over-the-Rhine that are lost and what they have is hope, as long as they can hang on,” said Sarah Janning, 12.

Because of these sad realities, many view OTR as an area with no hope, a place where people just accept their fate.

However, this is not true; it is a place where hope unifies this community towards change.

“I really enjoyed working with these people to produce works of art. I learned that in a place you would think hope to be the most scarce, it is in fact quite the opposite,” said John Kazior, 12.

The SHS “New Voices” participants learned more than they imagined they would. Each conversation between these strangers led to new understandings and quick judgments quickly disappeared.

The work created by the students and the residents of the Drop Inn Center were displayed on Dec. 11 at the Emmanuel Community Center. After two weeks the work was transported to the Cincinnati Art Museum where it will be put on display starting Feb. 5, 2011 and will remain there until April.

breaking stereotypes

myth reality

All homeless people are mentally ill and are substance abusers who do not seek help and do not want it.

Only around 25% of the homeless suffer from a mental illness, 40% are dependent on alcohol or illegal substances, and around 15% suffer from both disabilities.

The homeless do not work and receive their money from public assistant services.

These people do work and only a small percentage of them receive government assistance.

Most of the home- Families make up a large less population con- portion of the homeless population. sists of single men.

Homeless people are a fixed population and they stay homeless for a long period of time; once homeless, always homeless.

There is diversity in terms of the length a person will be homeless. Studies show that 40% of the homeless have been homeless less than two months and 70% of the homeless have been homeless for less than two years.

LEFT: AT FIRST request the woman on the right refused to have her picture taken; however, her friend convinced her with simple words. It became obvious how they lean on each other for support. Above: this man greatly impacted one of the students in the progam. Although he is not living in “ideal” conditions he spoke much of his faith. He proved that hope is never far for these people.

“I vividly remember listening to a guy who was crying while telling us about his abusive childhood. He wouldn’t let us take pictures of his face because he was frustrated that he looked so much like his father. My heart just went out to him.

We had only just met him, but he immediately became so real to us.”

Ann Seiple, 12

“One such individual I met was a man in his twenties.

I was able to talk with him in The Lord’s Gym downtown. He was so eager to have people to talk with that he just shared a lot about his life. He had been a reckless teenager that constantly broke the law and never got caught. The one time he did get caught, he actually did not even do it, but as he said, ‘karma.’ He was tried and had to go to jail, and it was life changing for him.”

Sarah Janning, 12

“I had a conversation with a man who had no problem telling me his whole life story. He talked about his service in the Vietnam War, about his children, about his drug problems and how he got over them. He also talked about how he thought very positively about his future, there was no fear in what he said, he was not worried either, he was only hopeful.”

John Kazior, 12

“We got paired up with a resident from the Drop Inn Center, two students to one resident, and we were given the simple assignment of getting to know each other as well as photographing one another. We ended up joining up with another group and pretty much just joking around for an hour. At the end of our time together our resident, Bobby, told us that we had truly made his day. Knowing that we had had an impact on Bobby, even if it was small, made my day too.”

Jennifer Merz, 12

image by megan wells

WHILE PARTICIPATING IN “New Voices” students discovered that just as individuals stereotype the homeless, the homeless stereotype other people. This gentleman photographed assumed that the only thing the students wanted to see was the “pathetic” side of OTR. He would not allow them to take his picture until he looked pathetic enough for the photographers.

“I was with my partner John from the Drop Inn Center and he was talking to this gentleman who he knew and asked him if we could take his picture. His friend immediately agreed, but refused to let us actually take the picture until he looked ‘pathetic’ enough, thinking that’s what we wanted.

The pictures I got were really good, but it’s sad how he felt we only wanted to get the pathetic, depressing side of OTR and nothing positive.”

Megan Wells, 12

Sports

16

Friday, January 28, 2011

Steel dynasty brandonsosna

editor-in-chief/sports chief

photo by brandon sosna

‘Striving for success this year in memory of Jose Cerda’

Inspired swimming sarahMAY

kids really stepping it up. I, along with most of the guys, definitely see a GMC title in our near future,” said Charles Fry, 10. t the beginning of the varsity swim Fry’s teammate, Mitchell Camfield, 10, season, Coach Dan Carl told his agrees. “We will men that the season would be hell definitely be taking and that he would train them harder the GMC trophy.” than he had ever trained the team A week after before.

GMC’s, the team But he also told them that this team could ex- will again compete cel beyond anything they had done in the past. at the Mason nata“What separates this team from previous torium, this time for years is that we have both upper level talent Sectionals. capable of scoring at the state meet and depth The top Sectional throughout. All 20 of our varsity male swimswimmers will commers would have a legitimate chance at makpete in the more ing a district cut. We have not had that much competitive districts, and the top swimmers depth in my eight years [at SHS],” said Carl. from districts will finally make it to the state Now, halfway through the season, Carl has meet. 16 swimmers will compete in each event been true to his word. at state.

With more depth and more experience than “I anticipate that we will be very successful. in previous years, the men’s team appears We are favored to win GMC’s and sectionals unstoppable, and looks to beat out rival Mason and should be top 4 in the district with an outfor the Greater Miami Conference (GMC) title. side shot at being top 5 in the state,” said Carl.

Last year, the team crushed Mason at the The success of the team is due to both the GMC meet, winning by 116 points. depth and the talent it contains. There are It was their first win over the Comets in two many swimmers who will likely make it to years.

Canton for the state meet this year.

This year, when the two teams competed in a This depth is best represented in their 400 dual meet, SHS pulled out the win, 170- 116. freestyle relay, consisting of Manuel Gutier“Our relays are strong and we’ve got some rez, 12, Steven Winkler, 12, Thomas Norris, 11, and Fry. The packed relay has never lost at a dual meet, and narrowly won at the competitive Larry Lyons Invitational.

Team leader Gutierrez out touched Centerville by .01 seconds on the finish, for an exciting win for SHS. The team as a whole placed second at the Invitational, and Gutierrez was named Swimmer of the Meet.

Gutierrez is an obvious leader on the team, with both his times and his seniority. However, photo by jeremy mcdaniel there are several other swimmers stepping up, IN HONOR OF the late Jose Cerda, swim and dive pushing the team to reach its potential.

“We have leaders throughout the program at team members wear green tattoos to every event. all levels which is significantly contributing to “The tattoos are a way to kep his memory alive our overall success. It would be easy for me to during our swims,” said Aaron Abraham, 10. forum chief

A

say Manuel [Gutierrez] and Thomas [Norris] as returning state scorers but it goes much deeper. We are getting tremendous effort out of seniors Daniel Brook and Ravi Sheth.

Their consistent efforts both in the pool and out have been a big boost and exemplify what our guys program has been all about this year,” said Carl.

Many members of the team will credit their inspiration and success to the late Jose Cerda. The team has dedicated the season to their former teammate, and he continues to drive them as the team makes their way throughout the season.

One only has to glance at the green tattoos each swimmer wears during competition to see this.

“The team is striving for success this year in memory of the former swimmer and waterpolo player, Jose Cerda. The tattoos are a way to keep his memory alive during our swims,” said Aaron Abraham, 10.

With only about a month left until the team tapers for championships, the team is pushing through the last of extremely strenuous training. This is apparent from the Classic Meet, which the team competed in on Jan. 15 and 16.

“For the team as a whole, I think it was an off meet. People are working really hard in practice and they are not tapered yet, so it was a little hard,” said Fry. The swimmers will begin tapering, or cutting back on training to prepare for championship season, soon. To the team, success at the end of the season is their only option.

Senior and team leader Matthew Schramm, 12, says it best: “We are getting it done like champs this season.”

All 20 of our varsity male swimmers would have a legitimate chance at making a district cut. We have not had that much depth in my eight years.

Wrestling team takes down Sycamore Quiz Invitational team

page 17

HIGHLIGHTS:

employs new coach

page 18

Varsity girls basketball team aces chemistry test

page 19

this month in sports

Dr. Dan Carl, coach

I haven’t heard anyone say it yet. But from the most unlikely of sources, I’m going as far as to say the Pittsburgh Steelers are a dynasty.

It’s sort of a mythical word in sports. Reserved only for the best of the best. Tom Brady’s Patriots were considered a dynasty. Now Big Ben’s boys are, too.

And it’s not just because they’ve been in five of the last ten AFC Championship games. Or the two Super Bowl championships since 2005 and a third potentially on the way.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are a dynasty from the top. Owner Dan Rooney is one of the best the industry has to offer. He’s a winner. He demands respect and he’s given it.

I’m jealous, a staff writer tells me.

He’s right. I am.

The Steelers operate in the way I wish my favorite team did. Not only do they win, but they do it the right way. The Rooney way. The winning way.

There’s a reason the Steelers have only had three coaches, Mike Tomlin being the third, since 1968.

Their owner isn’t afraid to fire coaches. Probably because he doesn’t have to.

Coincidentally, the Cincinnati Bengals were founded in 1968.

They have enlisted three times as many coaches, having seven in a stretch of 26 years between 1976 and 2002.

But proving the Steelers are a better franchise than the Bengals is an easy argument. Just look at the win totals.

The difference, however, extends far beyond the box score. Consider some simple personnel decisions made by the Bengals versus the Steelers.

Both teams endured several years of problem children in wide receivers Chris Henry and Santonio Holmes. The Bengals cut Henry, Marvin Lewis said they were done with him, and he found himself back on the team shortly after.

The Steelers traded Holmes for a fifth round draft pick, a trade that appears now to be a huge victory for the New York Jets.

But the Steelers don’t care. They identified a problem and rid themselves of it. They did not let it drag them down any further.

What about the Pittsburgh fan base? Is there a tough environment to play in than that of Heinz Field?

The Steelers organization inspires fan support by employing a winning formula. The Bengals have somehow managed to gather the support, too, but through a venture focused on selling tickets not winning games.

Is that sellout streak fulfilling, Mike Brown?

The Bengals are a model of inconsistency.

Maybe the guy who sold his allegiance to the Steelers wasn’t so crazy after all.

Maybe all of us blind supporters are the crazy ones. That guy is just ahead of the curve.

Oh, did I mention the alienation of the franchise quarterback...?

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

sports

17

friday, january 28, 2011

Pinned down:

Wrestling team places high in Sycamore Invitational

danRICKERT

Meet Quarterback Combat: the New Staff!

Players probed amongst playoff pressure Harpers Station dannyBAYLISS 11375 Montgomery Rd. • Cincinnati, OH sports chief Under New Management!

513-489-4448

Wyoming High School. A few teams, Aaron Rodgers said it has been a however, dropped out. dream since he was9am-9pm a kid to play in the Monday thru Friday “I was really excited to get out there Super Bowl-quite normal for an NFL Saturday 9am-6pm • Sunday 11am-4pm and show what I was made of, we had player. They want it, and when you’re Adult - $12 • Kids- $10 some great fans there,” said Seante over six feet tall or 200 pounds, nothing 3145-1 Lackey, 12. will stop your desire.

Meet Under The last time the team won the inMeet So who are we to claim the extent of Under the New New the New New vitational was in 2004, the same year Management! Jay Cutler ‘s injury is akin to a booStaff!

Management!

Staff! they won the GMC. The team is curboo? “Go put on your ‘footsy’ pajamas!” rently being coached by two graduReally? ates from the team; Brad Bliden I bet the same Bears’ fans that burned 11375 Montgomery Rd. • Cincinnati, OH 11375 Montgomery Rd. • Cincinnati, OH and Zack Tawney.

Cutler’s jersey toed the line of obsessing “Having coaches who won the inviabout every instance of success he had tational adds extra motivation,” said during the Monday thruseason.

Friday 9am-9pm Monday thru Friday 9am-9pm Frankel.

Who are we to question Cutler’s pasSaturday 9am-6pm • Sunday 11am-4pm The team manged to place 3rd overSaturday 9am-6pm • Sunday 11am-4pm sion; his drive. He is not just a good image by sycamorewrestling.com Adult - $12 • Kids- $10 all behind Ryle and Colerain High Adult - $12 • Kids- $10 little foot soldier, he is a great one. He is IN THE SYCAMORE Invitational, the SHS boys’ wrestling3145-1 squad School better than Todd Collins and Caleb 3145-1 had all three team captains finish top three Meet in the tournament.

All three of the teams captains, Under Hanie by leaps and bounds, yet playing This less Newteams than in New year, however, there were significantlythe Daniel Rickert, 12, Caleb Whitan injured signal-caller is not the way to Management!

Staff! previous years due to several teams dropping out. comb-Dixon, 11, and Ben Mather, win a playoff game.

11, placed in the top three with Hanie’s two picks doomed the Bears.

Rickert and Whitcomb-Dixon being When you can’t see B.J. Raji’s footMontgomery Rd. • Cincinnati, OH runner-ups. Tanner Strickland, 10,11375 bennettKAPLAN prints drop back in coverage, it’s time was also a runner-up. sports chief for a new prescription for those contacts For the third straight season, the SHS chess team has gone undeOnly two GMC teams (besides SHS) which supposedly work.

Monday thru Friday feated, finishing two wins ahead9am-9pm of second place Mason. were in the tournament, but many And what about Rodgers? The dude “Seniors Andrew Wick, 12. and Steven Miraglia, 12 were Saturday 9am-6pm • Sunday 11am-4pm of the SHS wrestlers had already is playing out of his mind right now, crucial to our success. It was Steven’s fourth year as a starter, and it wrestled some of the teams. The tourAdult - $12 • Kids- $10 always thinking on his feet, erasing any was Andrew’s third year as a starter. Those two both made first-team nament had a 16-man bracket and 3145-1 playoff memories of that Favre guy, the all-GMC, said Coach Keith Brackenridge. took two days to complete.

Ghost of Green Bay’s past.

Brackenridge attributed most of the teams’ success to all of the work Unlike years past, the tournament that players put in outside of school.

But imagine the Packers lose. Rodgers’ started with 4 pools and the cham“Many of the SHS players participate in U. S. Chess Federation two interceptions then seem a lot worse, sanctioned tournaments outside of school. Not very many other pions of those pools advanced as and his seat gets hotter than Rex Ryans’ teams have players participating in such tournaments. It’s this extra opposed to a typical bracket style. foot stool. tournament experience that often separates us from other teams,” We love ‘em, we hate ‘em, and when said Brackenridge. they succeed, we’d give anything to be in their shoes.

W staff writer

hile the wrestling team still had practice, the varsity squad was given a break from competition.

The team’s last match was on Dec. 21 when they wrestled Western Brown High School.

The team managed to rout the Western Brown Broncos 72-6 in front of the entire Western Brown student body that had assembled for the match.

“It was a ton of fun to beat a team that bad in front of their whole school, I almost felt bad,” said Aaron Frankel, 10.

SHS only lost one match which accounted for all of Western Browns points. The win was a great way to go into the winter break for SHS. The team’s next competition, The Sycamore Invitational, was on January 14.

“I think the time off from competition is really helpful, we need the break in order to finish the season strong,” said Kenny Hester, 11.

The Sycamore Invitational was supposed to include teams from three states: Amelia, Cleveland (TN), Colerain, Cooper (KY), Edgewood, Kings, Little Miami, Mt. Healthy, Northwest, Ryle (KY), Oak Hills, Stebbins, Sycamore, Trotwood-Madison, Turpin, Western Hills, Wilmington, and

Harpers Station

Harpers Station

513-489-4448

513-489-4448

Harpers Chess team Station goes undefeated

513-489-4448

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sports

18

friday, january 28, 2011

image by clayton hamre

MEMBERS OF QUIZ Team meet in room 214 for their first practice of the year. Team practices are on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and usually consist of practice category, alphabet, and lightining rounds; the varsity team practices separately from the junior varsity team in room 212. Most Quiz Team matches are on Wednesdays and home matches are open to spectators.

‘We’re one of the few sports where almost all of our students are going to turn pro.’

Quiz Team welcomes new season, coach claytonHAMRE

staff writer

W

hile some may dispute whether Academic Quiz Team is a “real” sport, one cannot deny that the team has lost only two out of 54 matches in the past three years.

In addition, team members have not lost to one of the five teams they have played this season.

While Quiz Team is certainly a more successful sport, it is not necessarily the best-known.

Matches test knowledge, quick thinking

A Quiz Team match consists of three rounds: category, alphabet, and lightning.

Before the match begins, the teams’ designations – A or B – is chosen by a coin toss. Out of tradition, when given the choice, team members always choose B. Each team fields five players at once.

In category round, questions are, as the name suggests, divided into ten categories, such as American Government and Math, that always come in the same order.

In each category, each team is offered a question, worth three points, and if they are unable to answer it within ten seconds, it is given to the opposing team, for one point. Afterwards, a tossup question is asked.

At this point, players are often able to anticipate the answer to the tossup question, due to the interrelated nature of the questions in each category.

Next, team members are given four minutes in alphabet round to answer twenty written questions for one point each. All answers begin with the same letter.

“There is really nothing about the concept that makes it difficult, but the questions are hard because you have no context to base them on,” said Shawn Krishnan, 11, team member.

Five bonus points are awarded if a team gives twenty correct responses, though this is usually a rare occurrence.

Last is the lightning round, which is made up of twenty tossup questions, for which players are allotted three seconds to respond.

At this time, a team can either solidify the lead it gained in the first two rounds or try to catch up to the opposing team.

The varsity team (the juniors and seniors) plays one match between junior varsity’s two matches, which do not count towards a victory or loss.

For some students, this is the area they are going to excel in.

Mr. Ken Clark, coach Team prepares for

Mr. Ken Clark, Quiz Team Coach

How will the loss of last year’s seniors affect the team?

I think we’re going to have to reestablish our strengths in certain areas, but I don’t have any doubt that we’ll still be able to field a strong team.

How well do you expect Quiz Team to perform this year compared to past years?

I don’t know who the key players will be, but we will be similarly strong to the past few years. We’ve got so many strong academic kids.

How will Mr. Hoffert leaving Quiz Team impact its performance?

Mr. Hoffert puts a lot of hard work into Quiz Team, but, the last I checked, he didn’t aswer any questions last year. The coaches get students to the right places at the right times. It’s all about what classes the students take.

new season

In order to practice for the season’s matches, Quiz Team members have begun meeting on Tuesdays and Thursdays, sometimes pitting the varsity and junior varsity teams against each other, or having members within each team compete.

“The best way for Academic Quiz Team members to prepare is by memorizing specific facts related to literature and fine arts,” said Aaron Kaufman, 12, Quiz Team member. “In general, these tend to be SHS’s

weakest question categories, so this covers our deficiencies.”

Many members of Quiz Team perform best in one or a few categories, allowing combinations of players to cover for their weak areas.

This year, long-time coach Mr. Marvin Hoffert will be leaving, with Mrs. Rosemary Ennis taking his place alongside Mr. Ken Clark as Quiz Team coach.

“With Mrs. Ennis as coach, we’ll actually get something done,” said Joonsue Lee, 12, team member.

Ennis will likely be able to assist the team, usually very strong in science and math in becoming more familiar with questions in the social studies categories.

Players, coach reflect on Quiz Team

Although Quiz Team often gets less attention and certainly less attendance at matches than other sports, its members still know that they are making an important contribution to SHS. “I think we make a great contribution to the school because we’re one of the few sports teams that does very well,” said Pinar Inanli, 10, team member.

The sport provides its players with enjoyment and shared memories, ranging from getting an obscure question correct to enduring the long bus rides to away matches.

“What I enjoy most about Quiz Team is the thrill of competition,” said Kaufman. “During especially close rounds, it’s really satisfying to pull ahead at the last second and win.”

“I like to see the students step up and compete,” said Clark. “Academic students want to win just as much as any other sport.”

Mr. Marvin Hoffert, formerQuizTeamCoach Mrs. Rosemary Ennis, Quiz Team Coach Why did you decide to stop coaching Quiz Team?

I have extra commitments. I’m developing two new courses online (robotics and animation) and something had to go.

Will you miss being a Quiz Team coach?

I think I will. I’ll see how my other commitments go, and I may not be away for too long.

What did you enjoy most about coaching Quiz Team?

I liked being around the students. We always have had a good, focused group. I also enjoyed exploring topics that I didn’t know about or had forgotten. It’s a good learning environment.

Why did you decide to coach Quiz Team?

I enjoy learning new new things,and I enjoy the competitive aspect of Quiz Team. My husband used to read questions for Mason, so I have some background in this. I also have a lot of students on the team.

What do you look forward to about coaching Quiz Team?

I’m going to enjoy watching the students play, as well as seeing what we’re strong at,a nd what we need to work on.

What will you have to learn about the most for Quiz Team?

The thing that will be hardest for me is learning how to use the computer systems the team uses.

sports

19

friday, january 28, 2011

‘We have bonded in ways I never imagined’

Three new players introduced, team’s chemistry exceeds expectations mariaMARBALLI

N

editor-in-chief

ot long ago, Courtney Tucker, 12 was attending Mount Notre Dame high school as well as starting on their varsity basketball team. Now, one basketball season later, she is playing on our court.

Due to a series of unfortunate events, parental involvement and open-ended racial assumptions, MND’s varsity head coach gracefully stepped off the court on a forced resignation.

It was not long after that day that the entire starting line-up decided it was their turn. Within a month’s time, each player threw in the towel and left their blue and white jerseys in the locker room.

“All of our starters left. Some went to Princeton, Fairfield and then Sycamore. It was a crazy situation, really,” said Tucker.

MND’s varsity coach was the backbone of the team.

“Everyone was really close with him, especially most of the people that transferred. He would buy us food and anything else we needed. He did so much for the program and we loved him for it,” said Tucker.

He was a father figure, a leader and a friend. The girls hang their heads.

“He was the type that was laid back and you could talk to him about anything. We were all like a family over there.

We were together twenty-four seven. Of course we had our ups and downs but I loved him. He was a great coach and person period. It was hard to watch him go and then go myself.”

Despite the growing tension among parents, students and faculty, MND’s winning streak proved stronger as the team advanced to win the state championship four years in a row, excluding last year’s season.

“Last year was kind of a rough year for us, but it was still pretty good. So this year I can’t really say if it’ll be better or worse, but I always hope for the best. Hopefully we make it far in the tournament. I’m just excited to see what this year has in store,” said Tucker.

New additions

According to Ms. Paula Hayden, varsity girls basketball coach, Tucker proves to be a strong asset to SHS basketball.

“Courtney is now our senior guard and she is a tremendous person and very team-oriented,” said Hayden. “She is an intense defender with very much pride in how hard she plays: a pleasure to coach.”

For an 18 year-old, crazier things have happened, things like switching schools senior year. It did not phase her.

“I love it here so much more. I get a lot more freedom.

You would think that moving to a public school would cause distractions with boys and everything, but I’m not distracted in the least bit. I love the options for classes that they have. I thought it’d be hard transferring senior year, but I adjusted pretty well so it wasn’t that bad, definitely worth it.”

Along with Tucker, former Mason starter Keri Kleist, 11, had intentions of playing basketball for MND until things fell apart. Thus, here she is, from green and white to green and gold.

“I wasn’t really happy at Mason and it was the only school I have ever been to; it is so big. I wanted to go some place smaller,” said Kleist.

At 6’ 2”, Kleist brings the team to new heights as she is a key component to the starting line-up as a junior forward.

“She just had her first career double-double vs. Lakota East and shows tremendous athleticism and potential.

Keri is learning to focus and work at a high level throughout practice,” said Hayden. “She is a Division-I prospect and has had many schools show interest.”

The feeling is mutual.

“I like my new coach a lot. She is always trying to help me improve and has a lot of faith in me. She expects a lot out of me this year,” said Kleist.

all images by maria marballi

COUNTER-CLOCKWISE: COURTNEY TUCKER, 12, is a newly transferred student and basketball player from Mount Notre Dame High School. After their head varsity coach was fired, the entire starting lineup left the team. Keri Kleist, 11, a player of 6’2”, transferred from Mason looking for a smaller school and a new basketball team. Kelly McDonald, 10, another transfer from MND, is currently leading the JV team as Coach Paula Hayden is grooming her for when the current senior guards graduate.

Kelly McDonald, 10, a new student and player also from MND, is running the Junior Varsity team as the third new addition to SHS basketball.

She is their starting point guard and according to Hayden, demonstrates “outstanding ball skills.”

“We are grooming her for when we graduate our senior guards. We are very deep at the guard position and look for Kelly to get physically strong and confident over the next few weeks,” said Hayden.

Team chemistry

Three new players: those are stats that SHS basketball has not seen in years. With two new starters, concerns of chemistry comes into play.

According to the girls, here is the starting line-up: La’Chlo-Chloe, Chloe Pavlech, 11 La’Rae, Ashley Schaefer, 12, La’KeKe, Kleist, La’Brea, Alexis Newbolt, 11, and Tuckquita, Tucker.

“That’s how we like to introduce ourselves,” said Tucker.

Who said new players would interrupt the continuity of games?

“I have no better friends than these girls. They are all just so funny. Coming to basketball and hearing what everyone has to say is the highlight of my day. I don’t ever laugh as much as I do at practice,” said Kleist.

A smooth transition would be an understatement. Over the last several months, a group of girls with independent strengths, interests and positions have beaten the odds in practice, in the halls and on the scoreboard.

“We have extremely hard workers day in and day out.

We have a blend of players with a main focus on basketball in all of their lives and others that have excelled and focused more on other sports,” said Hayden.

After months of conditioning, their efforts and aggressive personalities earned them a nine-game winning streak before losing a string of heart-breaking games to Princeton, Lakota West, Alter and Colerain: some of the best teams in the state.

The girls play Middletown on Wednesday Jan. 26 and Hamilton on Saturday Jan. 29. They stand at 11-4.

What happened?

For three weeks straight, all the starters met with the trainer before every game and practice. Yes, all of them.

Schaefer has been playing with a potentially broken left wrist, yet is waiting until the end of the season to get x-rays.

“It’s my senior year, I’m going to finish the season,” said Schaefer.

She is planning on getting a cast at the end of her high school basketball career, although currently getting it taped for games and practices has been sufficient.

After getting injured at the Lakota West game, Pavlech has been suffering through problems with her hip. She had to sit out for Mercy, but has been off the bench since.

Kleist has also been undergoing minor back problems, as well as Tucker’s shoulder, and don’t forget about Newbolt’s injured thumb.

“After losing four games now, we have had to bounce back as a team,” said Schaefer.

While Tucker, Kleist and McDonald come from different teams, they have a common thread: they love basketball and they want to win.

Tucker is an athlete. She has played field hockey, ran track and since the age of eight, has lived with a ball at her side and the net at her forefront.

“I love it and it’s one thing I have spent over half of my life doing.”

Kleist is a basketball player. Due to her height, her teammates consider her unstoppable.

McDonald is a sophomore leading the JV team through a 12-3 season thus far.

With the addition of two new starters and the priming of a third, the girls varsity basketball team has all but lost its chemistry. As it has been said, one man’s loss is another man’s gain.

Spotlight

20

Friday, January 28, 2011

‘Everything, literally, makes me laugh; I’m just always laughing’

Chillin’ with Kelsey Bird, 12 ellieGOLDMAN

managing editor

Kelsey Bird, 12

Do you have favorite classes this year?

I do, I love government, that’s really fun. I have Team Sports, that’s a fun one, and volleyball. Math pretty much. I have capstone next semester, that should be fun.

What are your ideas for your [capstone] project?

Well my parents are divorced so I might do divorce, but I was thinking about maybe obesity. I really love kids, to work with kids. I want to be a speech therapist- to work with mentally disabled kids and help them speak. The actual project I’ll probably do on kids.

Do you babysit?

I do, I do, very much. I have a brother that is a freshman, and two younger sisters.

How would you describe your style?

I love vintage things. I just redid my room, so my room is very vintage. I love jeans and sweatpants, I’m a very laid back person. I go with the flow.

What are people surprised that you tell them about yourself?

I just jumpstarted my first car the other today, they were surprised about that. I put it on facebook and everything. I felt very accomplished.

Is your current job your first job?

It is. I’ve been working [at Kroger] since I was 15. Yup, the day after I turned fifteen actually so three years. I like it and don’t like it, it’s okay I guess, it’s a job.

OVING G HER FUN-L ILLUSTRATIN epsister lsey and her st personality, Ke s. tie ncing abili display their da

KELSEY BIRD, 12, SHARES a silly moment with her younger sister. Bird expressed that spending time with her family is very important. “I’m very family oriented, we’ll go shopping together, or we’ll just hang out together, all that kind of stuff, Bird said. “I love winter. We always go to downtown to skate at Fountain Square. “

favor ites Office supplyPost-it Notes and different colored pens Favorite profession you would never doLawyer or criminal investigator

Quote“ Never giv e up on something you go a day wit can’t hout thinking ab out.”

PlaceGatlinbu rg Tenness , ee

Food“I love country food”

what makes Kelsey happy?

FAMILY PLAYS A key role in Kelse y’s life. She is pict ured here with her mothe r.

smiley faces

shoes

flowers

rings

looking up at the sky

und goof aro s friends nd R ie E fr H AND . church ird said KELSEY ging out. “My B ” , s d n ie n fr a t h s while y close ly are m probab

photos courtesy of ellie goldman

driving and watching cars

What would you say you’re passionate about? What lights your fire?

Helping people, definitely. I’ve always wanted to be in the medical field.

Helping kids, people. Other people’s passions help me, and light my fire. I’m very people-oriented. I always put people first, before myself, or I try. I help my family a lot, so probably family.

playing football

snowflakes

polka Coach

dots purses