October 2013 Volume 64, No. 2
Heifer Ranch Teaches Cooperation
While at Heifer, participants are given a lesson on different cultures. Photo courtesy Nicole Notorangelo.
Story by Kiera Bolden
microCHIP Reporter
One of the most successful non-profit organizations in the world, Heifer International, began with a proverb; “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.” Founder Dan West was inspired to help people in developing
countries learn essential skills to relieve poverty and hunger. In 1944, he established Heifers for Relief, which alleviated starvation by giving livestock and agricultural training to refugee families in Puerto Rico. What was initially a small organization has since expanded into an international asset, with a separate branch in China and ties to countries around the world. However, Heifer International has not forgotten its roots in America. To educate students about life in poor areas, willing participants are given the opportunity to experience first-hand the life of the impoverished. Upon arriving, students were divided into groups, with each group representing a different developing country. The amount and quality of the supplies given each day depended on the affluence of the country. This simulation forced students to cooperate to ration and barter supplies. “Itʼs been a struggle to keep peace between all of us because weʼve had to deal with exchanging,” said sophomore Ben Speed. “Some people have a lot less material than others, so itʼs hard to ration. It letʼs me understand the situation that Iʼm in and the state of mind that
ʻI need to help [impoverished people] and put myself into their shoesʼ. Thatʼs why this is such a great experience.” Another important component of the simulation was in-depth lessons about different cultures and ethnicities. Guest speakers taught students about the daily lives of impoverished people around the world.
Practice doesn’t always make perfect for the boys’ soccer team this year. But that doesn’t slow them down in between games. Despite the Blue Devil Boys’ Soccer team’s 5-17 record this year, the students put a lot of overtime and effort into their practices. Team members agree that practice is vital. With practice, our players are able to not only improve on components that [need work] but are able to enhance components they are already strong in,” said junior John Ahn. “Practice gives the team opportunities to step up and improve as better athletes.” The team practices every weekday for two hours at a time. They do multiple drills to improve skills like first touch, recovery, and striking. “First touch…helps you keep the ball close to you and makes it harder for you to give up the ball in the game,” sophomore Chris Tronicek explained. “You practice it by juggling the ball. Recovery is used in the game when you lose the ball you need your teammate to delay for you while you have to make sure to get back behind
the ball. We run drills for this in practice. Striking is how you score in soccer, so we just run drills to work on power and finesse.” The boy’s soccer team also plays smaller versions of a real soccer game during practice. “During practice we work on a variety of skills that will help us in the game. One drill that we do on a regular basis is called a 5v3. It is where you have 5 people attack the goal that is being defended by 3 defenders and a goalie. This drill works on many things at the same time. The defenders learn not to jump in on the attackers and the attackers learn how to split a defense open so that they have a better opportunity to score. We run different variations of recovery drills that relate directly to a real game situation,” said Tronicek. Practice is also useful for more than just improving soccer skills, according to Tronicek. “It works as team bonding,” he said, “which brings the guys together.”
See “Heifer” continued on page 6 Students prepared their own meals with the rationed supplies. Photo courtesy Patrice Bryan.
Boys Soccer Puts in the Hours Story by Holly Clemons
microCHIP Reporter
Matt Green (9) strikes the ball at boys soccer practice
Taking Learning Mobile
Story by Isaiah Gray microCHIP Reporter
Students across the nation are beginning to realize that smart phones can be used more than just gaming and texting. With app stores providing more Educational programs students are finding more helpful resources than ever before. Students are using their mobile devices for
quicker access to information and resources. Sometimes its just easier to check email and Drive on your phone than your computer. As the price of cell phones drop, students across the nation are utilize their phone to organize and enhance their learning. Apps like Google Drive, Quizlet, Duolingo, safari put powerful programs right in their hands. Sophomore, Zach Russell takes advantage of how he can use his own phone in and out of
class for school. “Two of my favorite apps that I use are the powerschool app which allows me to check my grades during school, and the Google Drive that lets me access school work from my phone,” said Zach Russell. According to Apple, there are over 40,000 educational apps in the App Store, that can help students learn. Sophomore, Emma Bright feels that cell phones can be used a lot more to help learning. “I think students should be allowed to use their cell phones in the classroom because there are a lot of educational apps that people don’t know about,” said Emma Bright, “and they can be very helpful.” Technology Coordinator, Dave Grossman likes the fact students can use their phone outside of class when they are out of town for sport games. “I feel like mobile devices are good substitutes for laptops. Especially if you are going to a game, and you don’t have internet connectivity… I feel like it’s a valuable resource for that. ”Students can send a quick email within seconds to get help from teachers, ask questions, and more.” Now cell phones can be used more than for just texting, calling, and entertainment. Once looked upon as a distraction cell phones are now seen as an asset both outside and inside the classroom.
Modern Holocaust in Syria Editorial by Noah Snyder microCHIP Reporter
I do not condone war, I don’t think it’s necessary, and it dramatically affects lives in a negative manner. However, my feelings of opposition are abolished by the tragedies in Syria. Without outside intervention, the civil war that’s raging has and will continue to kill hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians. This puts our nation at an impasse; should the United States enter into open conflict with Syria? It seems as though it’d be immoral not to intervene, and yet, it is faced with so much opposition here in America. A recent poll conducted by YouGov states that only 39% of Americans approve of the way Obama’s handling the situation in Syria, and that 45% saw him as the least effective world leader during the crisis. Honestly, I find this stunning. This doesn’t necessarily speak to the morals of our nation or what we stand for, and I’m sure nobody wants to see innocent people die. However, the thought that people would rather keep their hands clean and stay out of it baffles me. I feel that as an American citizen it is our job not only to protect our liberties, but to protect the liberties of free peoples around the world. I’m not saying we should wage a full scale war, or even put troops on the ground. However, some kind of intervention is necessary. I mean, even a stronger push at a
diplomatic resolution would be something, but to stand idly by? Blasphemous. I began to believe in an intervention when the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government became evident. According to a report from a UN inspection team, led by Ake Sellstrom, there is evidence of use of chemical weapons on over 14 occasions in the 30 month conflict, with casualties totaling over 110,000 citizens and soldiers. Sellstrom notes that there was, “clear evidence of the use of sarin gas in the Eastern Ghouta neighborhood Emergency workers come to the scene as bombs outside the Iranian embassy near Damascus on August 21st.” in Beirut killed dozens and wounded scores more today, Tuesday, Nov. 19, In order to understand the 2013, in what was widely seen as a retaliation for Iran and Hezbollah’s support of Syrian President Bashar Assad. (Koka/Xinhua/Zuma Press/MCT) gravity of this, you’d have to know the significance of sarin gas. Basically, it’s a colorless, odorless killer, than 100 grams a year). War is brutal enough in it’s nature, but with the that can be lethal with inhalation of as little as 30 micrograms. It’s a nerve agent, therefore it use of illegal weapons on civilians, it’s taken to usually causes death through asphyxia. The UN another level. Resolution 687 declared it a weapon of mass destruction, and it was outlawed at the Chemical Weapons Convention of 1993 (Here, it was also classified as a schedule one substance, meaning that it’s illegal for a country to produce more
MRH Fall Play Teaches Meaning of Family Right: Ed (Nelson Ricks, 12), Essie (Devin Revie, 9) and Martin Vanderhof (Brandon Moseley, 11) try to follow as Henderson (Maxx Diebold, 9) explains why taxes should be paid to the government. In the background, Penelope Sycamore (Brittany Moseley, 9) tries to ignore the commotion. Below: Mr. DePinna (David O’Keefe, 10), Paul Sycamore (Zaphron Richardson, 11) Penelope and Essie look on happily as Tony Kirby (Bryant Rohlfing, 11) declares his love for Alice (Ashleigh Owens, 9).
Story by Noah Snyder
microCHIP Reporter
You Can’t Take it With You is a comedy that stars two New York families, the Sycamores and the Kirbys, and their wildly funny interactions. Tony Kirby falls in love with Alice Sycamore, but Alice soon realizes that their families might be the deciding factor in their relationship. She can’t handle the embarrassment that her family doles out regularly. This, however, is one of the reasons Tony falls in love with her.
What Alice perceives to be “eccentric,” Tony sees as a family actually caring for each other. With some groveling, he convinces her to stay with him, and eventually they agree to get married. Naturally, the families have to meet in order for them to get married. The madness ensues when Tony “accidentally” brings his family for dinner on Thursday, instead of the previously agreed upon Friday. The Sycamores are in disarray, and Alice is thoroughly embarrassed. Tony has a point, though. He brings his family on the wrong night knowing
the Sycamores would be partaking in their usual odd activities, simply to prove a point. However odd and eccentric this family full of firework makers and wanna-be ballerinas is, they love one another, something Tony Kirby feels his parents have never reciprocated. The play opens in the Sycamores’ living room. Penelope Sycamore, the motherly character played by Brittany Moseley delivers the opening lines with conviction and precision to Essie, an overly enthusiastic ballerina played by Devin Revie. These two made for a hilarious duo throughout, only aided by the quips of Ed, played by Nelson Ricks. The Maid Rheba and her husband Donald, played by Gabbie Kirkland and Quinton Wells,
added even more laughs when he brings home “pickled hogs feet” for the Kirby-Sycamore dinner. Perhaps the funniest character of all though, was Martin Vanderhof, played by Brandon Moseley. The gist is that Vanderhof refuses to pay his income tax, because he “doesn’t believe in it”. Upon being investigated by the IRS, the investigator becomes infuriated and storms out, forgetting his hat. Naturally, Vanderhof starts wearing it. When complimented on his new hat, he thanks them and says that, “(I) got it from the government!” Some audience members couldn’t make out the next few lines because of the laughter. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this play. I thought the humor was subtle enough to not overshadow the major themes. You Can’t Take it With You engaged the audience and made for a convivial experience. Students who haven’t seen a play performed live by the MRH theatre group are missing out!
Faces Behind MRH Story by Matt Green
microCHIP Reporter
Teaching has expanded from just being in the classroom. High School Teachers Nicole Notorangelo and Ben Nims like to bring their own personal experiences into everyday learning. Notorangelo shares experiences from when she was in the Peace Corps to her students so they can can get a better understanding of the world. “I share pictures and videos from when I was a Peace Corps volunteer in Honduras and when I traveled to Nicaragua,” said Notorangelo. Notorangelo has recently traveled to Poland, made a connection with a teacher there, and has started a Pen Pal program for her Spanish students with the students in Poland. “It’s really cool because you can talk to them and see what it’s like in Poland compared to the United States,” said sophomore Dylan Boyer. Students enjoy Notorangelo’s personal experiences in the
classroom. “When you live in the United States you get a generic look of the world but she widens our horizons and shows us what the world really is,” added Boyer. Nims brings artifacts from places he has traveled to back to the students so they can learn about the environment. “It is always good as a teacher if you can share a story about places you have been and relate it to the topics you are teaching and I think that students respond to that,” said Nims. “Nims brought up a trip of when he went to the Galapagos Islands, and that provided a lot of interesting context about what we were studying in ecology,” said junior Paul Mueser. Nims includes the students in the classroom as much as he can. “I’m not the sage on the stage where I know everything and I’m giving you all this wisdom; I like it to be back and forth with the students,” added Nims.
Above: Teacher Ben Nims explains how his visits to faraway places help him form curriculum in his class.
Seniors Pass the Torch Story by Katelyn Stevenson
microCHIP Journalism Student
his year the young MRH soccer team has been led by a handful of seniors, who work together to generate a great season for the whole team with an astounding sense of camaraderie. And, as senior Devon Grien says, it all begins with teamwork. “It (soccer) brings people together. It unites them kind of like one love and we all move and groove together on the field. This then helps us create the final goal and meld together well,” said Grien. The background of the players that helps the team adjust quickly on the field also spills to their time off the field. Senior Logan Hamilton said he enjoys time with the players. “We all pretty much grew up around each other, we are all the same age. This makes it easy to get in the groove to play and even hang out with them,” said Hamilton. In addition to teamwork, the seniors focus on translating practice time to opportunities on the field. “Practice is extremely important especially for us because the majority of the team hasn’t played before,” said senior Thomas Barron. Senior Logan Hamilton agrees.
“Our team is working defensively and is building up to the act very well,” said Hamilton. The seniors also know they have to step up and show the younger players how it’s done, and step back when younger players show leadership potential. “Chris Tronicek’s guidance leads the team through thick and thin,” said Grien. With such a young team, guidance plays a key role in their teamwork with many seniors taking the step up and leading along with other younger players. “A lot of us have been on the team since freshman year, we know the ins and outs of the game and how it works because of this a lot of the younger players look up to us. But, it is not only the older players helping out those who need it some of the younger players also have,” said Hamilton. Above, right: Riley Sporleder (9) and Logan Hamilton (12) fight for the ball in in a practice game of underclassmen vs upperclassmen. (Photo Credit: Holly Clemons) Right: Kendall Nelson (10) dribbles the ball downfield against the Brentwood Eagles. Below: Chris Tronicek (10) heads the ball during a game at home against Valley Park. Below, right: The Devils work as a team to set up a pass play.
There’s Something “Brew”ing in Cross Country Story by Seddrick McShan
microCHIP Journalism Student
At MRH, siblings Karmel Brewer and Essence Daniels-Brewer have been training hard to get the new Cross Country team off to a great start. “Sometimes we go to Deer Creek park, we might do a couple suicide hills or we’ll do interval workouts or ladder workouts,” said freshmen Karmel Brewer. With a very hot summer and the start of a hot season, Karmel said “I try to hydrate my body everyday and just try to push myself to the limit to run as many miles as I can each day.” Both athletes did some extra preparations during the summer by participating in track. “Track helped me because it was harder than this so I already had some speed work. So it was some tough workouts and I was still in shape from doing track in the summer. If i wouldn’t have done track in the summer I wouldn’t be in shape,” said Karmel. Although track didn’t help the older sibling, she expects it to help
for track. “I personally feel like track didn’t help me prepare for Cross Country but it will help me prepare for track. I say that because Cross Country is long distance. I’m a sprinter and in track I come out there with a ‘go hard or go home’ attitude and I come out to just do my best,” said senior Essence DanielsBrewer. Cross Country has been off to a great start. “The last event was ok, it was an hour and thirty minutes away so we all went to sleep on the bus. When we woke up we were all tired. We had to hurry to warm up and we got there and it was very hilly. It turned out it was very easy; it was cool, but hard,” said Karmel, who ran a 19:09 time. Things were different for Essence. “The last event was terrible, it was at Jefferson Barracks Park and it was just so many hills and dips, it just felt so long,” said Essence, who posted a personal best of 25:30. It’s also been a fun season for the two siblings “My favorite moment was last week when we went to Warrenton and everybody ran and we all did ok, it was an hour and
Above: Karmel Brewer (9) starts the race off strong on October 12. Right, inset: Big sister Essence Brewer (12) stays the course during her run on October 12.
thirty minutes away. We all went to Bread Co. for team building and it was fun,” said Karmel. Essence said she enjoys meets where she can show off her sudden speed. “My favorite meet of the season would have to be my second meet of the year would have to be at Northwest, and Northwest was when I ran my fastest time which was a 25. I came in sprinting really fast towards the end, it was like I had this big burst of energy,” said Essence. Although they’re started off to a great start, it remains to be seen what the season will look like next year. “Next year it’ll be the same but a
couple of our seniors will be gone, we’ll still have a couple more good people that will be there. We’ll just have to rebuild,” said Karmel. They’ll finish the season out with some tough meets. “We have to run a Borgia and we already heard its going to be a tough course, that’s why we’re training these two weeks to get ready for it,” said Karmel. Essence agrees that preparation is the key. “Some upcoming tough races for me would probably be in districts because I never ran in a district meet and its going to be so many girls. I just hope to get out there in front of the crowd and be top 15,” said Essence.
Government Shutdown Threatens Freedom Editorial by Kiera Bolden
microCHIP Reporter
hough temporary, the current government shutdown is a lasting reflection on the instability of the American bureaucracy and the divisions between the majority and the few in power. Be prepared for a very extensive explanation of a very complicated situation. Because of the disagreement between the Republican-controlled House of Representatives and Democrat-influenced Senate, the government has been shut down until a compromise has been reached. Arguably the origin of the shutdown lies in two questions: should healthcare be a government entitlement, and a fundamental disagreement over taxing and spending. Obamacare, an initially negative term for The Affordable Care Act, addressed this question. It would
insure that every citizen have health coverage as well as eliminate the ability for insurance companies to revoke coverage and charge extra for pre-existing conditions. While these assertions seem positive and beneficial enough, there has been much opposition from Republican leaders. Some claim that it contradicts the Constitution,
others claim that Obamacare will blow the budget out of proportion over the course of the next two decades, causing a spiral into economic turmoil. If that doesn’t seem horrifying enough, imagine the effects that have already disrupted our daily lives. Zoos have closed, industrial waste cleanups have been disrupted, etc. Another factor in the government shut-down is debt. As of October 14, 2013, the total debt of the United States of America is $16,754,449,286,060. It seems impossible to fathom just how much money this is. According to the U.S. National Debt Clock, our
debt is increasing by an average of 1.82 billion dollars each day. Congress borrows money from other countries to fund programs otherwise paid for by taxpayer contributions. The problem is that we are borrowing more than we can pay back. It was announced on October 16 that Congress would pass the much buzzed-about healthcare plan and raise the debt ceiling, marking the end to the government shutdown. According to the Washington Post, our debt ceiling has been raised 40 times since 1980. The sobering truth is that the economic instability of our nation will not be solved within months, years, or centuries. I believe that the most proactive choice that every individual can make is to vote for responsible government representatives and voice their opinions about the political world. Every voice matters when our freedoms are at stake.
The Privacy Problem Editorial by Noah Snyder
microCHIP Reporter
“The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized…” -4th Amendment, United States Constitution I feel that as Americans, we take our privacy for granted. We assume that in the comfort of our homes, in our minuscule moments of peace, nothing monitors our words and actions. There isn’t a testament large enough to the inaccuracy of this. Oh wait… there is! With new knowledge of our governments actions through “whistleblowers” such as Snowden, Assange, and Manning, we now know the extent to which we’re actually being overseen. It doesn’t stop at just the government though. Unless the average American lives in seclusion, they’ve been monitored most of their life. Be it through social media, our cell phones, or just on surveillance cameras, our
actions aren’t known only to our private selves. When Congress passed the ECP (Electronic Communications Privacy Act), the intention was to be another tool in the war on terrorism. However, the NSA (organization charged with monitoring the application of the ECP) has taken it drastically too far. But, wouldn’t an organization like this want to keep their abuse of the ECP secret? They did for over 11 years. However, Edward Snowden compromised their secrecy. Snowden was a former CIA and NSA operative, who leaked secrets about the mass surveillance operations in the US, as well as Britain. When he leaked NSA documents to The Guardian in may of 2013, it was deemed “the most significant leak in U.S history,” according to the Pentagon. Even more shocking than the leak, though, were its contents. He exposed the NSA call database, PRISM, and Boundless Informant. PRISM is a internet and data monitoring system, which is said to account for 91% of the NSA internet traffic analysis. Snowden went in depth by saying that it provided “extensive, in-depth surveillance on live communications and stored information,” with examples including email, video and voice
chat, videos, photos, voice-overIP chats (such as Skype), file transfers, and social networking details. Snowden summarized that “in general, the reality is this; if an NSA, FBI, CIA, DIA, etc analyst has access to query raw signals intelligence databases, they can enter and get results for anything they want.” Essentially, this is saying that the any intelligence agency with roots in the U.S can listen to a phone call I’ve made 3 months ago, or watch every second of any Skype call I’ve ever made. Crazy, right? It doesn’t stop at just the government, however. Even the cell phone in my pocket is a wealth of information waiting to be tapped into. Apple recently released the iPhone 5s, with thumbprint scanner capability. Initially, it seems pretty awesome. But do a little digging, and I’ve come to find that the company that makes the scanners for Apple, AuthenTec, is a subsidiary of Harris Corporation. Theres nothing interesting about this until the hacktivist group, Anonymous, dug even deeper. They acquired information that reveals how Harris Corp makes its $6 billion a year. Through Government contracts! That’s right, over $5.8 billion of their income is directly from U.S
Heifer Ranch has impact
government contracts, including a billion dollar contract with the NRO (National Reconnaissance Office). Through information sharing contracts, the Government could be in possession of every single iPhone 5s user’s fingerprints. Although Apple denies any direct involvement with the Government, I can’t help but be incredulous. Now don’t get me wrong, I believe that if there’s any suspicion of terrorism, immediate and swift action is the best approach. I think that to an extent, Americans learn to live with being watched over, and that in some situations, it can save lives. However, when my 4th Amendment rights are violated, I think it crosses the line. It reads “The right of the people to be secure…. against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated,” but there’s nothing reasonable about subjecting millions of Americans to unjust and unwarranted “spying,” for lack of a better term.
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“Weʼve learned how to view other cultures [that are] different from America. Weʼre such a wealthy country that itʼs hard to relate to other cultures,” said senior James Owens. Although some conflict existed between groups, with incidents such as stolen milk, students participated in bonding activities and learned cooperation. The Heifer experience aims to teach students openmindedness, perseverance and teamwork. The hope is that participants will use the experience at Heifer to better themselves and their community. “After this experience I plan to spread the word but also lead an example by doing small things. Iʼm really going to let people know that we do help and we do need to change,” junior Janai Robinson said. “I do feel that reading about [poverty] isnʼt enough. Experiencing it is really where you learn.” Students experience new simulations and first-hand experience with worldwide issues for each trip to the Heifer Ranch. Whether it’s poverty, hunger or diversity, participants are offered a valuable lesson with each coming year.
Above, left: Webster U students trim hedges as part of their work. Far left: Timmy Truss (11) and Dr. Deann McCann learn teamwork at a workshop. Left: Juniors Jazmen Bell and James Owens work with other students to learn how much “space” they use. Above: Students trudge to camp with gear in tow.