January Issue

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Pg. B6

where every person has a story

Harrisonburg High School • 1001 Garbers Church Road • Harrisonburg, VA 22801 • 540.433.2651

Volume XIC • Issue 6• January 27, 2012

Robotics team gears up for competition

Costa Rican exchange students arrive

William Imeson online editor-in-chief

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Paulina Rendon feature editor

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magine designing and building a four-foot tall robot to compete against other robots in a game of basketball.

The HHS Big Blue Botics team has six weeks to complete this challenge.

On March 2-3, the robotics team will travel to Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond and compete in the ‘Rebound Rumble’, a FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Regional contest. As of Jan 7, the students will have six weeks to put together a robot that can move, pick up, and shoot a basketball into hoops.

“We have to program and design a robot to compete in a basketball game,” Big Blue Botics ad-

See BOT on Page A8

Big Blue Botics. Senior Connor Hegg works on the electrical wiring for the robot.

The Robotics club will compete in the “Rebound Rumble” at Virginia Commonwealth University on March 2-3. Photo by Vanessa Ehrenpreis.

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Forensics fares well at ShenVaFoL tournament

Updated sports scores Feature package stories Advertisement forms Breaking News Video footage Reviews and blogs Poll of the week Picture of the day

Kavya Behraj

Scan this with your mobile phone to be taken directly to www.newsstreak.com!

Coming Up: New exam schedule End of semester tips Winter sports updates Beating the winter blues What’s with fighting at HHS? iFlurtz are here!

District Band Auditions Taking a look at the teacher power couples of HHS Preparing for the superbowl Weekly Sports Picks

Freeze Frame

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news editor

he HHS Forensics team is gearing up for an upcoming Virginia High School League competition at the end of the month. Before that, the team participated in the Tor Johnson tournament as part of the Shenandoah Valley Forensics League, or ShenVaFL. After a good showing at ShenVaFL, co-captain and senior Lindsey Carpenter is hopeful about the team’s prospects at VHSL. “We’re all really excited. I’m pretty confident that we’ll all do well at districts and make it to regionals, and hopefully have a few go to states. We’ve never had no one go to states. We usually have at least one or two people there.”

Both Carpenter and Forensics coach Bradley Walton consider ShenVaFL to be a warm up of sorts for the more highly competitive VHSL. “The tournaments that they participate in in ShenVaFL gets [the students] used to doing their pieces in front of an audience and judges, and gets them ready for the

this issue

Inside

Tor Johnson Results Serious dramatic interpretation- Senior Lindsey Carpenter tied for first Impropmtu- Freshmen Mia Karr and Jon Marks tied for first Prose- Freshman Daelynn McCleve placed second Original oratorySenior Ama Ansah placed fourth Storytelling- Freshman Merrill Harmison placed fourth awarded a score between 70 and 100 (again, subjectively and without a rubric) for whatever category they are participating in. Unlike debate, Forensics has more of a focus on acting. But a good actor does not necessarily make a good Forensics speaker.

See SHEN on Page A8

Ecology club vamps up recycling program instead of the landfill or incinera-

Rafael Snell-Fakima tor they would otherwise meet.

A local church cooperates with style editor

E BCS, baby! Sophomore Mallory Mendez rehearses a lift before the BCS Bowl Championship halftime show. Photo courtesy of Gentry Dove

VHSL tournaments that we start at the end of this month,” Walton said. “ShenVFL is looser, and it’s more of a fly-by-the-seat-of-ourpants league than VHSL.” What can make or break a Forensics competition are the judges. As Walton explains, the judges may or may not know anything about Forensics at all.

“Your judge might be a former forensics competitor, it might be a forensics coach, or it might just be somebody’s parent who’s volunteering and has no idea what they’re doing,” Walton said.

Although the judges are given information about what to look for beforehand, the judging is highly subjective and based more on the personal opinions of the judges rather than a set standard.

This can cause some problems for the competitors.

“You hope that you don’t get a judge who’s a complete idiot. It does happen sometimes,” Walton said. “Forensics judging is ultimately subjective. [The judgement is basically] someone’s opinion of how well this student [spoke] relative to how well this other student spoke.”

At VHSL, the students will be

ach Wednesday afternoon after school this year, the HHS Ecology Club has been picking up each classroom’s recycling and making sure that it gets correctly processed. The club is lead by AP Environmental Science teacher Adam Goble. Goble heads their group in the hopes of bettering the environment and its outlook.

“The goal of our Ecology Club is for us to be good environmentalists, for us to motivate people into recycling, and to spread awareness about the planet,” Goble said.

The club gathers the recycling from each room’s bin and takes them out to the loading dock where a local recycling center takes them away by truck, certain to be on their way back into a cardboard box or a piece of paper,

NEWS

the Ecology Club’s recycling efforts. Alethia church has several unpaid volunteers who help with recycling efforts around the city.

“This is important. Every ton of paper we recycle is seventeen saved trees,” Goble said.

So far, the club has collected more than six thousand pounds of paper. Though precisely uncountable, they have also gathered the hundreds and hundreds of bottles and other recyclable materials our bins are filled with.

“And we haven’t really even started yet,” said senior Patricia Baltizar, a club member.

Senior Claire Glick is vice-president of the club. Though so far the club has not organized many events, Glick says the year is going well. Recycling is their most successful program, saving as Goble

said six thousand pounds of paper from having to be reproduced, and thus 51 trees. Glick joined out of her interest in helping the environment.

“I’m in ecology club because I’m interested in the environment and helping out in our local environment. Ecology club seemed like a good way to do that,” Glick said.

The clubs other activities include some hikes in the spring, Earth Day Week, and participating in Harrisonburg’s yearly cleaning of Black’s Run creek. Occasionally, the club will go up streams and collect data, hoping to make a stream profile, or a description of the health of the stream.

“We’re getting to the point where we should really start thinking about the environment and how to protect it or it will get to a point where we can’t reverse [the damage],” said junior Michelle Loveless, a member of the club. n

SPORTS

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very year, HHS and the Spanish program host a student exchange with students from other high schools in Costa Rica. HHS sends a group of students down to Costa Rica during the summer when school is out and everyone is on vacation. Unlike the United States, Costa Rica has its ‘summer’ vacation during our winter, so this is the time of year when many Costa Rican boys and girls come to Harrisonburg for a few weeks to stay with a host family and spend some time in American culture.

“There are eight boys and seven girls coming to HHS from Colegio Metodista, along with two teachers,” Spanish teacher Phillip Yutzy said. “They have to apply for the opportunity to come here and not all of them get it; they have to maintain good grades and disciplinary status.”

The exchange students and teachers from Costa Rica arrived in Harrisonburg on Saturday, Jan 14, after already spending some time in the country and New York City. While in Harrisonburg, the Costa Ricans and their host families did activities like going to the water park, the American Shakespeare Center, skiing, and ice skating.

“We try to get them to do as many outdoor winter activities as possible while they are here,” Yutzy said. “The weather does not get very cold in Costa Rica so coming up north is a good chance for them to experience an actual winter firsthand.”

Junior Jenny Kniss hosted a Costa Rican student for the second time, and truly enjoys the experience.

“The best part about having an exchange student live with you is getting to know a completely new person from a different culture,”

See COSTA on Page A8

Mathlete competition challenges students

Ben Marks website manager

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any students remember Mathlete competitions from elementary and middle school. In these competitions, students have thirty minutes to complete a series of six problems, ordered in increasing difficulty. However, what many students fail to realiz is that these competitions exist for high school students as well. “[The Mathlete Competitions] are fun and we get to represent the school and compete against other schools.” said Daniel Roth, a sophomore. Roth has been taking part in the Mathlete Competitions for two years, and historically has done fairly well.

The students taking a Mathlete exam usually get anywhere from two to four questions correct. The questions are ordered in increasing difficulty, so a student is far more likely to get the first question right than the last one.

“The first two or three problems are usually pretty easy.” said Roth. “You don’t have to do anything more than plug the problem into your calculator. The fourth and fifth problems require a little bit more thinking, and it takes a decent amount of time to solve them. The sixth question is usually extremely hard, and most people

See MATH on Page A8

THE

experience

Join the cheerleaders as they perform during halftime of the BCS game in New Orleans.

New Mac music class celebrates its first holiday concert

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It’s awards season!

Staff picks for the Oscars, and more

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Players juggle the game and family

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January 27, 2012

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Based on Victor Hugo’s famed novel, Les Misérables tells the story of ex-con Jean Valjean. After nineteen years in prison for stealing a loaf of bread, Valjean is set free and must make a better life for himself. His efforts are complicated by police inspector Javert, who wants Valjean back in prison for ditching his papers and living under a false name. Set in post-revolutionary, post-Napoleonic France this epic tale still speaks to viewers all over the world. Les Misérables has been translated into many languages and remains popular today. There’s just something about this show that deeply touches people’s hearts.

NEWS- Molly Denman - A2

Over 100 HHS students have come together to make this production a reality. The Performing Arts Department has been hard at work since before the auditions were held in mid-November. Not only are the faculty and students busy, but scores of parents and volunteer community members have joined the backstage efforts required for this large production.

General admission tickets are limited and are available at the door only on a first come first serve basis.

However, opening night Feb. 15th is a special preview event and ALL seats are general admission for that date only. We hope to see you there!

January 27, 2012

The

newsstreak

NEWS -Kavya Beheraj - A3

Smith’s class wins door decorating competition

Celia Ehrenpreis

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advertising manager

HHS has had a lack of holiday spirit in past years,” said SCA president senior William Imeson. This year Imeson embarked on a campaign to change that.

In previous years, students just did not seem to be willing to pick out a tacky Christmas sweater from their mothers’ closets to wear before winter break began. However, this year, there appeared to be a definite upswing in amount of holiday spirit, with a door decorating competition and two weeks of Christmas-related spirit days. Students gathered together during their second block classes to decorate doors to fit a holiday theme.

Doors were decorated to resemble anything from Santa’s workshop to stockings hanging over a fire. Over 40 classes participated in the event. Family and consumer sciences teacher Bridget Smith’s cooking class took first place with an intricate

model of a gingerbread house. The grand prize was a doughnut party provided by the SCA. The party was much needed after the weeks of cutting out construction paper M&M’s and gumdrops.

“I gave the kids the idea that our door should be food related, since it’s a cooking class. The students came up with a gingerbread house on their own. We added a little bit to the door each day. If a student finished their class assignments early, they could go work on it. It was great to see the kids get excited about it and really work hard,” Smith said.

Honorable mentions included Gini Greenlaw’s earth science class, as well as choral director Bethany Houff ’s treble choir class.

Imeson acted as judge for the door decorating competition, with input from other teachers.

“I went through and evaluated each door, awarding decor points as well as holiday spirit points. I hope the door decorating competition will be continued next year. It was a huge success,” Imeson said. n

Holiday Doors! Family and consumer sciences teacher Bridget Smith’s cooking class won the door decorating competition (above) sponsored by the SCA. Photos by William Imeson.

New Mac Music class performs at holiday concert Kavya Beheraj

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news editor

odern musicians, by definition, exist to break all the conventions carefully laid down hundreds of years ago by their predecessors. Today the field has advanced to the point that physical instruments are not even necessary to produce popular music anymore. One of the most widespread ways music is created is through a digital audio workstation, such as GarageBand

by Apple. A new class at HHS aims at teaching students to make songs of their very own using this technology.

Senior Gwen Elwood took Mac Music for a fun elective, but ended up really enjoying the class for what it taught her.

“I really wanted to learn how to use GarageBand and other ways to present music to the world that’s not just through an instrument,” Elwood said. “It’s been a really great experience.”

Essentially, the class consists of understanding the digital side

of making music. Students learn how digital audio workstations and speakers work, along with implementing GarageBand for several projects throughout the year.

“I’ve learned a lot about computers and a lot about sound,” Elwood said. “There are so many things that you just don’t think about that have to happen [for a song to be created]. [I learned about] how speakers work, how compressors work, and how workstations can take sound and do crazy things with it.”

Elwood has completed about six or seven projects so far, and anticipates many more in the future. She begins a new project by taking a look at the list of requirements.

“We have so much freedom, but I think it’s really nice to have a starting spot. I feel like I’d be so overwhelmed if I didn’t have that kind of list,” Elwood said. “So I just start with something, usually some kind of loop or something that I can play out on the MIDI [Musical Instrument Digital Interface] keyboard, and just go from there.”

One of the major projects the class had to tackle this year was the holiday concert before winter break began. A few students from the class performed with the band on stage in a collaborative rendition of some Christmas songs.

Although only a few performed, the entire class was involved with the process. “[The winter concert] was a really big project. Mr. Nesmith [the teacher] arranged ‘Carol of the Bells.’ It was pretty well prepared. We worked many class periods on just that concert,” Elwood said.

Elwood believes that anyone can take Mac Music and has really enjoyed her experience in the class.

“It’s so different and wonderful. Anybody can take that class. I think it’s really great, [both] for people who are musical and people who definitely aren’t musical.

It’s just another way to express yourself and create something,” Elwood said. n

iPads! Junior Gabe Hoak performed as part of the Mac Music class in the holiday concert prior to winter break. The class involves teaching students how to create music using technology. Photo by Kavya Beheraj.

Band members audition for all-district, all-state events

All District Band Audition Results

Out of the 27 students that auditioned, 21 got in.

“This was my first year trying out for district band, but I wasn’t really nervous because I felt like I was prepared enough for it,” King said.

District Band is split up into different sections, symphonic and concert.

Eleven of the 21 got into symphonic and the rest into the concert band. Three from the symphonic group received first chair for their section, senior Kari King for the flutes, senior Breton Nicholas for the french horns and junior Ben Dinapoli for percussion.

“I was pretty confident that I was going to get in

S= Symphonic Band, C= Concert Band, * = All State Eligible, Number= Chair

Sydney Little feature editor

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n Dec 10 members of the HHS symphonic and concert band traveled to Wilson Memorial High School for the district band auditions. However, the actual District Band won’t occur until Feb 3-4. During these two days, students will spend the first, and part of the second day practicing for the concert in the evening. They will not see the music for the concert until the first day of practice, so those two days are their only time to practice.

because I got first last year, too, and I’d practiced a lot before the audition,” Nicholas said.

Out of the 11 that got into the symphonic band, seven will have the chance to audition for All State band on Feb 25 at JMU. The seven are Kari King, Sophie Jeon, Ellie PruettFiederlien, Christina Sellers, Breton Nicholas, Ben Dinapoli, and Jon Ross.

“I’m going to audition for All-State Band. Last year I was first alternate which means I missed getting in by one spot, so I hope to get in with a good chair this year,” Nicholas said. n

Flute: Kari King, S1 *, Sophie Jeon, S2*, Lindsay Halling, S4, Ellen Upton, 30th Chair Oboe: Ellie Pruett Fiederlein, S2* Clarinet: Margaret King, S11, Christina Sellers, S13 Bass Clarinet: Christina Sellers, S1*, Garrett Thompson, C1 Alto Saxophone: Alex Hunter Nickels, 12th Chair Tenor Saxophone: Michael Knapp, S2 Trumpet: Eddie Hedrick, C3, Mariah Flick, C8 French Horn: Breton Nicholas, S1*, Michelle Hyunh C4, Kirsten Ferguson, 18th Chair Trombone: Abe Nouri, C2, Evan Dotas, C4 Euphonium: Jon Marks, S4 Tuba: Eduardo Munguia Godinez, C3, Alex Conis, 12th Chair Percussion: Ben Dinapoli, S1*, Jon Ross, S5, Matt Bosch, S6, Dryden LaBarge, C4, Gwen Elwood, C5, Ben Hill, 19th Chair

Interact Club fundraiser aims to build school in Cambodia Katrina Sokolyuk

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style editor

otary Interact Club is a world-wide public service organization that is growing in popularity more and more each year. Although HHS’ Interact Club has not reached total recognition within the school, it has taken upon itself the huge project of building a school in Cambodia. The Rural Schools Project is part of the nonprofit organization American Assistance for Cambodia (AAfC), which aims to improve opportunities for youth and rural poor in Cambodia. The Project has helped build over 470 enriched primary and lower secondary schools in rural Cambodia since 1999.

“We thought that since we are fortunate enough to have such a great school and education system, it would be a great project to help other countries establish an education

system to prepare their youth for the future ipate in society without being exploited. too,” senior and club president Taylor McAccomplishing a huge project like this Donnell said. has not been a an easy task for the club. The Junior Jenny Kniss had the idea of build- drive has not been going as well as the Intering a school after reading the book, Half the act Club would have liked to see.

Sky by Nicholas D. Kristof.

“This is definitely Interact’s biggest proj“This book is all ect yet! It’s taken a lot of time about turning oppresand energy to plan and exsion into opportunity I want people to ecute everything. I wish we for women,” Kniss said. understand what had more members and pub“[Building a school] is licity to spread the word and a good way to spread the Rural Schools raise money. I also want peoawareness about all of Project is, and ple to understand what the the trafficking that goes Rural Schools Project is, and on in other countries, how it can imhow it can impact the world,” and education keeps pact the world.

McDonnell said. these women out of “Another problem,” Kniss -Interact club adds, brothels.” “is that the administraKniss believes that President Taylor tion has limited club periods, education helps increase makes it a lot more McDonnell which the status of women, so difficult for club members to that they too can particmeet together and get things

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accomplished.”

So far, the club has sold raffle tickets for prizes like movie tickets, Smoothie King gift cards, and Sweet Bee gift certificates.

The club has also made and sold plenty of cookies.

“I think that the bake sale brought in the most money, so I want to continue it,” Kniss said.

Club members also want to expand their fundraising to other schools by holding Coin Wars at the middle and elementary schools. So far, the club has collected only a fraction of of the $13,000 needed to build the school. If anybody is interested in joining Interact or making a donation to the Rural Schools Project, they can find either McDonnell, Joanna Hernandez, or Mallory Cromer.

“Every little bit helps,” Kniss said. n

January 27, 2012

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January 27, 2012

The Harrisonburg High School Newsstreak The Policy The Newsstreak is published by the students of Harrisonburg High School every month.

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Advertising rates are available upon request.

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The Harrisonburg High School City Public Schools will not discriminate illegally on the basis of sex, race, religion, national origin, disability or age as to employment or educational programs and activities.

Editorials appearing without a byline represent the majority opinion of the staff, but not necessarily the opinion of the adviser, school administration, or the school system.

Signed editorials are accepted from people on the staff, but are subject to editing according to published guidelines and policies. Editorials may be edited for special reasons.

Letters to the editor are encouraged and must be signed and a telephone number must be given. Names may be withheld if the editorial staff feels there is a just cause.

The Newsstreak reserves the right to edit and may refuse to publish ads or letters deemed inappropriate, libelous, or obscene. Please drop your letter by room 444 or give them to any staff member.

Letters may also be sent to the high school.

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OPINION- Shannon Richard- A5

Violence, fighting have no place in school The

newsstreak’s

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wo fights happened the week before our first semester ended. Those weren’t the only fights that have happened this year though, and there was even an ad on the broadcast whose message was “don’t fight”.

Fighting creates an air of excitement to some, and there’s always a big crowd standing around the students fighting, glorifying the violence. It’s almost like how animals try to display their strength, only we’re not animals and we’re not in a jungle. We’re in a school.

Clearly, schools were made to educate young people so that they grow up to serve their community (not serve time in jail).

Accompanying the education, students should feel safe when socializing with their friends rather

than having to think about when and where the next fight will be.

Yes, a high school is like a mini society where fights happen, but students should work to try to minimize the violence.

Ever heard of a school shooting? Innocent people die, the police gets involved, and the shooter either commits suicide or is thrown in jail. Shootings are similar to fights. How? Well, students engaging in these acts start with the intention of harming and releasing anger.

Those of us who go to school to have a better future understand that school grounds are not the place for fights. Students standing in the crowds to watch the fight are not only standing to watch, but they are in a way learning that with fights come excitement and that violence is okay if it entertains them.

Students can either learn that from watching fights at school, watching violent movies, or play-

ing violent video games. Either way, they’re becoming part of the violent trend we see in our societies and schools.

The solution? Stop the violence where it begins. Parents should not be the quickest to buy their children violent games or let them watch violent movies because it builds in them the desire to act out what they see.

Schools should have classes where students are taught how to become good members of society or have a volunteering program where every student is expected to volunteer and help out their community for a grade.

Volunteering and learning how to contribute to society will teach students that there are many important things they can engage in, and fighting is definitely not one of them. We don’t want to live in the crime infested neighborhoods, so why should we bring the violence through the doors of our schools?

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Republicans need to get with the program Ben Marks

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staff writer

he Republican party needs to get one thing clear in their heads right now. The guy who the Democrats are voting for in the Republican primary is the person to shy away from. Especially if that person is for the legalization of heroin and the abolition of Social Security and Medicare, has made racist remarks on multiple occasions, and even alluded to Martin Luther King Jr. as a pedophile.

Ron Paul is clearly the Demo-

cratic favorite in the Republican primary. One might ask why Democrats would even bother voting in a Republican primary. The answer: to make the election easier for Obama. Another alternative is just to amuse themselves, but that one really isn’t much better.

Ron Paul is not a person who can win a general election. Even if one takes into account the fact that his views are particularly popular with young voters, Obama has always been the choice of the youth for president.

Ron Paul doesn’t stand a chance after the true Obama campaigning starts up again. His doing so

spells disaster for the Republican nomination process. Should Ron Paul win the primary the republican “goal” of making Obama a one term president will certainly not come true.

As such, even if it means the “Anti-Romney” sentiment continuing, voters must find a new love other than Ron Paul, to ensure his defeat in the primaries soon. If Ron Paul gains any momentum, it spells doom not only for the 2012 elections, but for the credibility of the Republican party as a whole, which is shaky enough now anyway. n

The editors and staff Editors-in-Chief: Print - Christy Stearn, Vanessa Ehrenpreis Online - Jack Burden, William Imeson Managing Editors: Mark Duda, Maggie Siciliano Section Editors: News - Kavya Beheraj Opinion - Mia Karr Style - Katrina Sokolyuk Feature - Paulina Rendon Sports - Jake Durden Fun Director & Advertising Manager : Celia Ehrenpreis and Austin Coffey Photographers: Paulina Rendon, Jasmine Rose, Ana Hunter Nickels, Gypsy Torgerson Page Designers: Christy Stearn, Shannon Richard, Vanessa Ehrenpreis, Paulina Rendon, Jake Durden, Mia Karr, Kavya Beheraj, Katrina Sokolyuk, Mark Duda, Celia Ehrenpreis, Chris Sokolyuk, Sydney Little, Sydney Knupp, Rafael Snell-Feikema, Kevin Franco Staff Reporters: Kavya Beheraj, Michael Johnson, Christy Stearn, Mark Duda, Maggie Siciliano, Ben DiNapoli, Anastasiya Kalyuk, Peter Byrd, William Imeson, Mia Karr, Mitch Depoy, Jake Durden, Andy Shisler, Paulina Rendon, Katrina Sokolyuk, Emily Jamieson, Chris Sokolyuk, Conner Whitehouse, Matt Bosch, Ben Marks, Shannon Kizner, Alexis Dickerson, Anthony Duong, John Earle, Emmett Copeland, Kevin Franco, Manny Gomez, Max Johnson, Rafael Snell-Feikema, Ann Bauhan, Isabelle Burden, Julexus Cappell, Nicholas Fernandez, Bryndal Fulginiti, Victoria Giron, Eduardo Hernandez, Ana Hunter-Nickels, Nicolas Lee, Jessica Nguyen, Shannon Richard, Jasmin Rose, Gypsy Torgerson, Irina Tsiberman, Ariel Vogel, Hope Carr

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this

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BELIEVE

Power of laughter gets us through life

Isabelle Burden staff reporter

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believe in the power of laughter.

Did you know that laughing can increase toneness in your abs? According to HelpGuide. org, laughter can strengthen your immune system, boost your energy, diminish pain, and protect you from harmful stress. Anyone who knows me knows that I laugh pretty much non-stop on a regular basis. I mean, laughing is sort of my gateway out of awkward situations, reliever of stress, and just a fun thing to do. Sometimes you can get into a little bit of trouble, though, if you aren’t an expert on controlling your laughter in class, or at, like, funerals.

My personal experiences with laughter include late night movie theater mishaps, class disruptions, and everyday life.

What late night movie theater mishap, you ask? Well, if you must know... It was a dark and windy night. My friends and I went to see the fourth movie of the Twilight Saga. We were happily sitting, enjoying our popcorn with the rest of the movie- goers. Then, out of no particular area of the room, we heard a “Blah.” Most people turned around to inspect the site, so we knew we weren’t the only ones hearing the strange sound.

It came again, that’s when we defined the culprit. A tall, slender collegiate looking man sitting in the back row. Victoria couldn’t control herself any longer. She burst into loud laughter, causing Jessica and I to burst into laughter as well, but I mean, who wouldn’t?

We tried to stop, but we couldn’t handle it anymore! Victoria ended up having to exit the theater... but don’t worry, no man- handling was involved. I tell you, that night would have been way less fun if we hadn’t laughed the way through.

That’s why I believe in the power of laughter! n

What belongs in your New Year’s resolutions?

Nahla Aboutabl online editor

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New years resolutions do not resolve anything

Jabbin’ with Jamieson

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EmilyJamieson ne of my biggest pet peeves always occurs at this time of year. It is new years resolutions.

Whenever I tell someone that it is my pet peeve or express how much I hate it new years resolutions, they look confused.

Let me explain. I just think it is stupid that people wait a whole year to see that they should change things about themselves. If

you see that you have a problem, you should probably change that problem as soon as possible. Like if someone decides that they are going to lose weight - they should not wait around until the end of the year when they are already overweight.

Plus, people hardly ever go through with their new years resolutions. So why waste two seconds of brain power to think up of a resolution that you are not going to a) remember and b) go through with.

You should not have a new years resolution, you should make daily resolutions to make yourself a better person. New years resolutions are there for self improvement, therefore you should not wait until the very end of the year to realize all the bad things about yourself that need to change. You

should recognize these problems throughout the year and change them as soon as they affect your life. That is how regular people make changes; they recongnize the problem and they solve it as soon as possible. You do not see people shrugging their shoulders in the real world and saying, “Eh, I’ll solve that problem at the end of the year,” I do not believe in making new years resolutions, and neither should you. These resolutions are stupid and useless. Half of the people who make them do not remember them and the other half pretend to follow through with them but end up throwing in the towel. So why even bother?

Be more productive and change yourself throughout the year to avoid stressing about change during a holiday season. n

Got an opinion?

Share it with us at

www.newsstreak. com

Or send a letter to the editor!

he new year has started yet I still don’t have a set of clear cut resolutions.

Everybody is always talking about their resolutions and how they will go on to achieve their goals, and I just sit there and listen.

The most common new year resolution is losing weight, but I hear people talk about losing weight all year round. Losing weight is not a “new year’s” resolution because for all I know, people could decide to lose weight any time of year and still succeed. Or fail, which is then their problem because they have become less determined from the moment they decide on a resolution. Which is why I never really make resolutions.

Rather, I think about all the things that I would like to happen in the new year. So in 2012, I would like to see a better world and a better me. That is a very vague resolution, but it works best for me because I can never set clear goals for myself. It also makes failure less likely. I mean a year from now I could argue that getting a nose ring (which I plan on doing) has made me a better person.

Anyway, 2012 is supposed to be an apocalyptic year, but I highly doubt that. I actually feel like 2012 could a be a peaceful year where many countries will be going through a lot of reforms (many countries will be having elections this year). For some reason, I feel that 2012 will be the year where people will feel like their future does look brighter.

After all the revolutions that happened in 2011, I see a world where people are free to follow their dreams. Of course many will not have that chance and will live through hard times, but maybe those who are better off will feel more inclined to help out the needy this year. Maybe.

2012 is also the year that I graduate from high school and go to college. Pretty exciting, I know.

I’ll be a freshman in college, taking classes that will not require waking up at six. I seriously can’t wait. But as I said before, I’m not making any resolutions. I mean what if they fail and I feel horrible about myself? Right? So I just have “feelings” towards each year, and like I said, I feel good about this year. No matter what the Mayan calender says. n

January 27, 2012

Bringing in

newsstreak

2012 The

with...

New Year’s Resolutions

Setting reasonable goals can never fail

I

did not make a New Year’s Resolution because my year is already full. Stage managing Les Misérables, going to college, taking four AP exams, continuing my internship, volunteering, and the list just keeps going. If I were to make a resolution-to add one more thing to this already insurmountable load-- my head would explode.

I do have a mid-year resolution: decrease stress. I will make that resolution on June 1, 2012. I will be super busy with end of year stuff. Super stressed. Then, on June 9, 2012 I will graduate, meaning I will have no more AP classes, no more journalism duties, no theater work, no volunteering in

the library, and cering ourselves a tainly no getting up little. at 6:30 a.m. every What the avmorning. As soon erage HHS seas I walk across that nior should do stage and receive right now is say my fake diploma to themselves (real ones arrive in “okay, I know August), my stress it’s a little late in My Dumb Thoughts levels will plumAma Ansah the game, but my met. Then I can say New Year’s reso“look, I made a resolution and in lution is to graduate.” Then come just a week and a half it came true! June, they will be able to say “see, I can do anything!” I will leave for I did it!” college super motivated and conA junior should say “My resolufident. tion is that in one year’s time, I will That is definitely not cheating. I have been to one school play or think turning events that will hap- sporting event.” Then they go to a pen into resolutions is a fine idea. basketball game or Les Misérables We could all benefit from deceiv- and have fulfilled their resolution.

Good job.

Sophomores should make their resolution “finishing gym class and never taking it again.” After all, we are not required to do phys ed after sophomore year at HHS. Their last report card of the year will be a manifestation of their resolution’s success.

Freshman have it a bit harder.

Nothing really exciting happens your freshman year. So, my dear freshmen, you should make your resolution “become a sophomore.”

Unless something really unexpected happens, you will be able to say your New Year’s resolution was a success. n

Burden aims to spend more time with family a little more just because I’m going isn’t going to be the same. Being Isabelle Burden to be gone in no time. around him for a couple months staff reporter I really want to spend more is going to be a huge change from

Exercising patience can be rewarding

S

ometimes all I seem to think about is myself. After a long day of school and dance and other places where I am generally nice or polite to people, I don’t have the energy left to be pleasant for my family.

Or at least that is my lame excuse.

If I stick to my New Year’s Resolution I will not need an excuse for why I can’t be nicer to my family. This year, I am resolving to be more patient.

I am a very impatient person.

If I am under stress, or just trying to get things done, I’m bound to snap at any unsuspecting family member who tries to interrupt my train of thought. This is pretty unfair, considering half the time my mom is kindly interrupting this train of thought to remind me to do something I should have done already. I may know full well that I need to take my clothes upstairs and am planning to do it later, but that does not give me an excuse to be rude.

More specifically, I am resolving to be more patient with my little sister. She can be annoying, as little sisters always are, but I am sure she has quite a few unflattering things to say about me as well.

If she was really mad, she might describe me as “mean.” I do not like to be described as “mean.”

Therefore, I really shouldn’t scream at her just because she’s trying to show me something while I’m doing my homework. I should also probably let her show me, because that’s what nice, patient people do.

Although she may not know it, I do feel bad when I blow my sister off because I’m doing something more “important.” Spending time with her should be what’s important.

After all, when I graduate from high school, my sister will have five whole years at home without me. I don’t want those to be the five best years of her childhood- I want her to be absolutely miserable because she misses me so much. Well, maybe not quite. Still, I am going to listen to her chatter about the complicated politics of fourth grade with my full attention this year. I do feel guilty when I ignore or snap at her. Being nice to your family does not just reap the normal feel-good benefits of being kind. It is also fairly logicalyou have to spend huge amounts of time with these people whether you like it or not, so you might as well try to enjoy it.

Honestly, I do not know how well this resolution is going to work out. Usually I pick something more tangible, but this year I figured if I picked something harder to measure it would be less obvious when I failed. However, I am vowing not to fail! There is really no reason why I shouldn’t strive to be more patient, other than that I am lazy and being kind takes effort. I know my wonderful family, that always reads what I write, will hold this over me for the rest of the year and probably beyond.

Maybe that will be all the push I need to become the extremely patient person I have always wished I was. Ultimately, this is still a selfish goal, because I am doing it to help myself. I’ve found that being nice always makes me feel a whole lot better. n

21 37 48 Males

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Mia Karr

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Limit procrastination for less stress Julexus Cappell staff reporter

on my work. I just lost all motivation. But procrastination seemed to fall into all areas in my life last year. Chores, homework assignments, etc. It was really starting to bother me, I felt like I needed to take things more seriously. So in 2012, I vowed I would try my best to STOP procrastination.

A lot of bad things happen when you procrastinate. For instance, in my world history honors class at the beginning of the year, we were told that we would have a first semester project. It would be due the first day we came back from winter break. Between September and January, there is a good four month time frame. I figured, I would get to it eventually.

Well October passed, November did, and so did December. By the

T

his year, I decided that I would actually think about things that I could resolve in my life. Every year before this, I would do resolutions, but I would never take them seriously like I could have. I would make them, follow them for the first few weeks, then just neglect them over time. This year, I made one main resolution, something I know I needed to stop and I would try to take seriously. Stop procrastination.

When I made the resolution to stop procrastinating, it was not just for school. Sure, this first semester in high school, especially towards the end, I really slacked

time we were released for winter break, I was scrambling to get this project done. My point? I waited four months. Serious procrastination. I ended up getting a C on the project. Not too bad, but I know I could have done better. But just because I waited, and did not take it as serious as i could have, I did not get an A. This year, I am going to try to stop procrastination. All it does is make a situation more complicated and more stressful when it does not need to be. New Year Resolutions are hard to hold on to, especially when you get further in the year. But this one for me is very important, so I have to follow this one. Who knows? I might actually do that this year. n

Resolutions: just complex retailing scheme ally a weakness, because we open ourselves up to be exploited by predatory retailers looking for an opening to get our money. Retail corporations search for and seize upon every possible opportunity to sell us stuff. Any kind of advertising is an attempt to manipulate us, exploit our fears and desires, and create new fears and desires that can be manipulated to sell us more stuff. New Year’s resolutions create a big, gaping hole in our psychological armor that stores can and will try to exploit in order to get us to keep spending after Christmas is over.

Another merchandising theme I saw shortly after Christmas was something along the lines of “getback-to-basics, get-your-spend-

ing-under-control, stock-up-onessentials.” Again, this preys on the New Year’s resolution mentality—you’ve resolved to discipline hen I walked into a yourself and not spend so darned particular retail estabmuch money. The store is there lishment shortly after to help you do it—by selling you Christmas, I saw that they were the basic items you’d normally buy pushing exercise equipment as a and encouraging you to buy more New Year’s merchandise theme. of them than you usually do.

Obviously, said retail establishWow. On the one hand, it’s ment was basing this theme on the kind of funny, but on the other, it’s fact that most people overeat durkind of sickening. ing the holidays and then feel the It would be reasonable to ask at need to shuck off the extra weight this point, “Mr. Walton, if it bothafterwards, which dovetails nicely ers you so much, why do you go with the start of the New Year. to such a store and support them Ah…the New Year. A new bewith your money?” ginning. An opportunity to start That is a very good and reasonover. And thus come…New Year’s able question. The answer is this: resolutions. Lose weight! Quit They sell Star Wars toys. smoking! Lose weight!

It’s worth noting that if Spend more time with everyone followed through YOUR OPINION your family! Get in with their New Year’s resoshape! Improve your Did you make lutions and got their diets outlook on life! Lose a resolution? under control, quit smokweight! Stop being such ing, and stopped generally a pathetic loser! Lose Maybe YES NO spending so much money, Weight!

Stop hating it would probably suck for yourself! But mostly… the economy. So from that lose weight! standpoint, the vulnerabilWhat a load of poo. ity these resolutions create To resolve to do somemay not be such a bad thing THE BREAKDOWN: thing would seem like an Freshmen Sophomores Juniors Faculty after all. I really don’t know.

Seniors act of strength, wouldn’t I’m not an economist. it? The word “resolve” 6 2 6 2 1 1 2 1 2 4 I just don’t like walking certainly has that coninto a store and being treat5 5 3 3 0 8 4 5 6 3 notation. But New Year’s ed like a fool. n resolutions are actu- 79 people polled in all grades by Ariel Vogel

Bradley Walton guest columnist

W

23 40 06 Males

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The Mia Perspective

eflecting back on 2011 time with my brother, because he seeing him every week. I know he made me realize that is graduating this year, and won’t really likes to play tennis, so I could I didn’t spend enough be around for very much longer. probably get in a couple lessons time with my family. I Even if he is going to be (hopeful- with him; that would be a good ly) coming back for breaks, it still bonding experience. Even though can’t even count how my brother and I fight a lot, many times I ditched we still pretty much love YOUR OPINION them to hang out with each other. I mean, I guess. friends. I really don’t Did you stick to last year’s We tolerate each other, for want to lose them as I New Year’s Resolution? the most part. I know it’s get closer and closer to I didn’t hard to leave your friends adulthood. So, this year YES NO make one for awhile, but I guess you I’ve decided to make it just have to do what you my resolution to hang have to do. out with my family a bit So, in 2012, I hope to more. Maybe I could go become closer to my famout to eat with my mom ily members, just so that I THE BREAKDOWN: a couple of times a week, Freshmen Sophomores Juniors Faculty Seniors will always have someone or go to the gym with to fall back on, because they my dad every once in 2 4 1 3 2 3 3 3 0 0 will always be there for you, awhile. I know that they 4 5 4 13 even when your friends are 0 7 3 5 16 0 would really appreciate n not.

100 people polled in all grades by Jasmin Rose it if I hung out with them

Got an opinion? Visit us online at newsstreak.com!

OPINION -Mia Karr- A6

What’s

HOT

Toms and Scarves The shoe line is making new styles and scarves are the easiest way to accessorize this winter.

Outdoor Winter Sports Students are hitting the slopes to ski and snowboard.

Forensics and Debate Teams The two teams combined took home a second place trophy for the ShenVaFl season.

Longboards The mix between a skateboard and surfboard is becoming popular.

Rupublican nominee elections We are closer to knowing who will go up against Obama in November. The elections are heating up, mainly between Mitt Romney and Ron Paul.

Tim Tebow and Peter Byrd Tim Tebow wins big and a video of PeterByrd’s priceless reaction is attracting lots of attention, as in close to 60,000 hits on YouTube.

What’s

NOT No breaks in sight

Thisperiod is the longest stret ch of school days. The next holiday is spring break.

Blue Ivy Carter Beyonce and Jay-Z’s new baby’s name has baffled many fans. It is even a rumored acronym for born living under evil (Blue) and Illuminati’s very youngest (Ivy).

Midterms Students suffered through eight exams just two weeks after holiday break- a stressful way to start the new semester.

No snow days Depite some dissapointing close calls, there hasn’t been enough snow to close schools. Fingers crossed that changes soon! After all, it is January.

Iranian nuclear scientists killed Authorities are unsure who commited the murders; suspects are U.S or Israeli spies.

New Facebook Facebook has changed yet again, resulting in mixed reviews and several unhappy users.

January 27, 2012

The

The

newsstreak

STYLE- Sydney Knupp and Rafael Snell-Feikema - A7

Oscars

A tribute to the Oscars Chris Sokyoluk style page editor

E

very year, Americans sit around the tube awaiting to see the Oscars. The Oscars are a televised award ceremony where Hollywood’s most outstanding actors and producers are acknowledged for their amazing work.

The Oscars always open up with a host. His job is to keep the viewers entertained for the duration of the ceremony. This includes cracking jokes and embarrassing themselves in front of millions of viewers. On May 16,1929

the first Academy Award Ceremony was held.

Seven hundred twenty spectators had come to watch those movie stars that had played in their favorite films.

The star of the ceremony is called the Oscar. The Oscar is a five hundred dollar, 8.5 pound golden statue that the celebrities would kill to have in their hands. Their are many different categories in which a celebrity could receive one of these golden statues.

The Oscars made their inception in May 16, 1929 at a private brunch in the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.

Fifteen of the awards were given out to members of the filmmaking indus-

try for their works. In this, the first ceremony, awards were announced three months previous to the ceremony. Later, and still, awards are announced at 11 o’clock on the night of the awards.

Notable winners in past Oscars have included such renowned classics as “Gone With the Wind”, “Casablanca”, “The Godfather”, and “Schindler’s List”, contributing to their renown. These movies are well known, they strike happiness into the viewers eyes. If someone is in need of a normal movie, the best place to look is on the past winners of the Oscars. n

Best VisualEffects

Best Screenplay

Best Score or Soundtrack

Best Actor

William Imeson

The Artist

Woody Allen, Midnight in

The Artist

George Clooney,

Ama Ansah

Hugo

Woody Allen,

Hugo

Jean Dujardin, The Artist

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Nahla Aboutabl

Hugo

Hugo

Leonardo DiCaprio,

Vanessa Ehrenpreis

Hugo

Online Editor-in-Chief

Paris

Midnight in Paris

The Descendants

Online Feature Editor

Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris

Online Feature Editor

N/A

Bradley Walton

N/A

Sophomore

Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris

The Artist

T

This year:

Midnight in Paris

Rooney Mara,

The Adventures of Tintin

The Artist

Viola Davis

The Adventures of Tintin

Hugo

Rooney Mara,

George Clooney,

Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

The Muppets

Woody Allen,

Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Midnight in Paris

The Adventures of The Descendants Tintin

N/A

N/A

Harry Potter: and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

Brad Pitt,

N/A

N/A

The Artist

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

Moneyball

Past Best Motion Picture Winners

Year

Spencer received the award for best performance in a supporting role for her performance as Minny Jackson.

“Minny was definitely my favorite character because she was so sassy. I think she portrayed her part really well because she had the same strength that the character from the book had. I am not sure if she could win an Academy Award for her role, but I absolutely think that she deserves to be nominated for best supporting actress,” Waligora said.

Another film with outstanding performances was Crazy, Stupid, Love with Ryan Gosling. Gosling has received two Golden Globe nominations, best performance in a comedy for Crazy, Stupid, Love and best performance in a drama for The Ides of March. Like Davis, in 2006 Gosling also was nominated for an Academy Award, for his part in Half Nelson. n

Host Billy Crystal

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Daniel Radcliffe,

The Help wins overall he Help, based off of Kathryn Stockett’s book has received three Golden Globe nominations for the roles played by Viola Davis, Jessica Chastain, and Octavia Spencer. Davis was nominated for best performance in a drama, and Chastain and Spencer were nominated for best supporting actress. This is not the first time that Davis has been nominated for her acting abilities. In 2006, she was nominated for an Academy Award for best supporting actress for her role in Doubt.

Davis has been acting ever since attending the Julliard School in New York City.

“I am really glad that she was picked to play Aibileen because she played her part really well and she was great as a narrator,” sophomore Michelle Waligora said.

At the Golden Globes,

Rango

The Help

The Descendants

Larkin O’Hara

Sydney Little feature editor

Rooney Mara,

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

J. Edgar

Editor-in-Chief

Librarian

Best Actress Best Animated Best Picture Picture

2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001

Location Kodak Theatre

Winner The King’s Speech The Hurt Locker Slumdog Millionaire No Country for Old Men The Departed Crash Million Dollar Baby The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Chicago A Beautiful Mind

Date/Time February 26th at 7 PM

January 27, 2012

The

newsstreak

STYLE- Chris Sokolyuk - A8

the DANGERS of winter driving

Slippery conditions can lead to dangerouse driving Christy Stearn editor-in chief

H

e tapped the brakes over and over, again and again. It was no use. The Nissan skidded across the slick powder and spiralled down a steep slope into an embankment paralleling the highway. The vehicle finally came to an abrupt halt after colliding into a light pole.

On his way to pick up recent HHS graduate Lovell Delves before a track meet, senior Wayson Lee lost control of his sedan due to inclement weather. Only hours before the accident, a sheet of snow blanketed the Friendly city, causing Lee to lose traction.

“In my mind, I was like, ‘Awww, shoot,’” Lee said. “My car was stuck in the ditch, so the first thing I did was try to get it out, but I couldn’t so I called the police.”

After calling the police, Lee phoned his father and then attempted to pull his car out of the gully, this time with success, but the damage was done. Lee’s front bumper was hanging off the car. Two officers arrived minutes later, and Lee gave them his information, including license and the vehicle’s registration.

“I was so mad and frustrated.

[The crash] wasn’t my fault at all; I pressed my brakes going down the hill, but because of the snow, it was impossible to stop,” Lee said.

“

“I was thinking about trying to

My car was stuck in the ditch, so the first thing I did was try to get it out, but I couldn’t so I called the police.

“

-senior John Lee

turn the steering wheel to avoid the light pole. After I figured it wouldn’t turn, I just sat [in the driver’s seat] with my mind blank not knowing what to do. n

Fishtailing can result in multiple driving conditions Matt Bosch

D

staff-reporter

riving in harsh road conditions can be very dangerous. There are many things that can go wrong. One of which, is fishtailing.

What is fishtailing? Fishtailing is when the back wheels of a car slide back and forth, resulting in swerving back and forth in a fish-like pattern. This occurs in bad road conditions like black ice, water, or snow. Most drivers

don’t intend to fishtail, but it can be very dangerous, especially on black ice. Not only is it dangerous for the person who is in the car, but it can also be dangerous for drivers who are around it.

So, what are you supposed to do when fishtailing? Well, according to many sources, the best thing to do is to stop accelerating and slowly steer the steering wheel in the direction of where you are swerving to try to regain control. Fishtailing can be a very dangerous and scary experience, but there are ways to

prevent fishtailing. These methods include checking your tires frequently before you get on the road, driving more casually in the snow, and backing off on the accelerator when it feels like you’re swerving.

Fishtailing can be very scary, but the best thing to do is to relax. When you freak out, you start jerking the wheel back and forth and that just makes things worse. Fishtailing can sound frightening but, it can be easily prevented if drivers use a little common sense. n

Driving in fog cited as most difficult Anastasiya Kalyuk staff-reporter

D

riving in fog is like driving with a blanket over your head. According to SmartMotorist.com, it is the single most dangerous condition to drive in.

When running into fog, the safest bet would be to pull over until the fog passes but if that isn’t ideal, using precautions is always the best way to go.

“I’m not the best driver, so anytime I’m driving at night and there’s fog, I stop at a gas station and wait it out. I don’t want to crash or anything,” junior Cinthia Cabrera said.

from BOT on A1 viser Geoffrey Estes said. “[There are] three parts to the competition. Part one is called a ‘hybrid’ part this year, where we program a robot to autonomously find the basket and shoot.”

The first part of the competition is called a hybrid because this is the first year the teams will use the Microsoft Kinect system on their robots.

Students will be able to create gestures that the Kinect will recognize to turn the robot and make the robot shoot for the first round, which lasts 15 seconds.

“Then for two minutes we do what we call a telly-op period where the students actually drive the robots and shoot based on the way we programmed the joystick and the software,” Estes said. “Then in the last 15 or 20 seconds, the

Reducing your speed and turning on your headlights is a good first step in eliminating the risk of a crash or accident. Keeping an eye on your speedometer helps keep your speed constant and safe, subconsciously drivers increase their speed over time in foggy conditions.

“I know that you shouldn’t put on your high beams, that’s why I always put on my fog lights. I remember driving on a windy road one night and I didn’t see the car in front of me, so I swerved off the road and into the bank. Make sure you can see anyone in front and back. It could make all the difference,” junior Sara Khosravi said. robots have to work together to balance on some balance beams-- teeter totters basically in the middle of the ring.

That earns an extra point and helps them get seeded higher towards the finals on Saturday on that week of competition.”

During the next six weeks, the robotics team will be staying after school three days a week to finish the robot. Students will be designing and working out the systems on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

“Saturdays, we have our big build days from 9:00 a.m. to whenever we get tired,” Estes said. “Last year, we had some students who didn’t leave until one in the morning.”

Once the robot is built and the time is up, the robot will be boxed away until the competition. After the six weeks, the robot is “hands-off ” to the team until March. n

Drivers need to remember, that when they are dealing with fog, it is beneficial to signal early and to never stomp on the brakes.

Being cautious ensures your safety in dangerous situations like foggy weather.

“When there’s fog involved, I drive carefully. I’m basically a turtle, I never go past 25, I don’t care where I am. My relative got in an accident speeding through fog, it was plain stupid,” junior Vera Shindyapin said.

Fog is unsafe for drivers of any age. To be safe, extra precautions need to be taken. It is not only you who is on the road, it is every other driver you are essentially worrying about. n

Hydroplaning dangerous, unavoidable factor while driving John Earle

staff-reporter

H

ydroplaning occurs when water accumulates on the rubber of your tires. This leads to loss of traction on your tires which can be really dangerous. This is caused by a simple rain storm.

Having proper tire pressure is the best way to avoid losing control.

As an additional precaution, drivers should regularly have tire treads checked. Slowing down when there is water on the road can reduce the probability of losing control of your vehicle on the road.

Many drivers do not know how to react when they experience hydro-

planing and do the opposite of what would help prevent them from spinning out of control.

You should not slam on your brakes when hydroplaning instead you should pump your brakes. When going sideways you should counter steer to correct your situation.

Hydroplaning can be dangerous for those who have never experienced the dangerous situation which can cause a major accident.

A tip for those who have never been in a slippery situation should ask parents or should drive slowly.

Driving slowly could save your life and others on the road. Hydroplaning can be prevented if you drive slower and with a lot more caution on those icy and slick spots that you might overlook. n

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Kniss said. “I made great friends with the girl who stayed with me last year and it is just a great opportunity to bring a change to your life for a little while.”

Senior Joanna Hernandez did something a little different with the Costa Ricans this year. Hernandez is a member of the advanced broadcasting class and when Yutzy came to her to see if she wanted to help out, she had an idea.

“One of the days they are here, we are going to make a morning broadcast for their high school in Costa Rica,” Hernandez said. “It is cool for them to do something new and it is fun for me because we’ll get to spend a day doing something I love. I hope their school will enjoy seeing a bit of what HHS is like.” n

“With forensics, you memorize a ten minute piece. You can have a dramatic piece, a humorous piece, you can write your own piece, you can do poetry or prose.... there’s a lot of different options in forensics. A lot of them require and ask for your acting skills and they better your public speaking skills as well,” Carpenter said.

Carpenter thinks that she will do well at Districts, because there are not that many people participating in her category. Her piece, written Walton, is in Dramatic Interpretation.

“My piece is about a girl who knew about a school shooting but didn’t tell anyone that she knew. [The shooting] happened and she could have prevented it,” Carpenter said.

Overall, the team hopes for a repeat of last year’s VHSL, in which Forensics took first place.

“Regional and states always have a lot of competition, a lot of good competition,” Carpenter said. “And as a team, we’ve gotten better and better throughout the Tor Johnson practice league. I know that we’re going to do well.” n

don’t get it.”

Of course, the Mathlete Competitions wouldn’t truly be competitive unless you had someone to compare yourself to. Local schools take the six best scores their students score on the competition, and compare them to one another.

“Historically, we tend to do very well in comparison to the other local schools.” said Roth.

“We did lose a couple of seniors last year who constantly scored very highly, so we’re not doing as well this year. However, we’re still very strong throughout both our local area and the state.”

Ultimately, the Mathlete Competitions are just another way for students to have fun. As Roth says, “Mathleague is a wonderful way for any student wishing to have fun and compete in the area.” n

January 27, 2012

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The newsstreak

January 27, 2012

STYLE- Katrina Sokolyuk - A10

Authentic Eats

Craving some delicious ethnic food? Take a look at what authentic, unusal culinary treats Harrisonburg has to offer. From Ethiopian to Italian, the ‘burg’s got the spice you want!

Blue Nile

Blue Nile appeals to all customers Mark Duda

T

managing editor

here are two sides to Blue Nile: the downstairs, which houses the bar and live music, and upstairs, which houses the restaurant. It is this weird mix of something undeniably American- live music and partying- and Ethiopian food that makes Blue Nile as popular as it is.

While the restaurant’s food might be Ethiopian in influence, I am not sure that the decor is. It is certainly clean and well laid out, but the atmosphere of the restaurant lacks the ethnic flair that defines the food. Admittedly, however, Ethiopian culture is not exactly as well-defined (or stereotyped, depending on how one looks at it) as other cultures, so a heavily Ethiopian flavor might not translate well to a small-city American audience.

“

I would strongly recommend it to anyone looking to get away from the usual places in town

“

-Mark Duda, 11

Obviously I cannot speak to the bar side of the restaurant, but the food, every time I’ve gone, has been very good.

The menu is a mix of purely Ethiopian dishes and American dishes given an Ethiopian spin-- like most of the lunch menu. Most of the food at Blue Nile is rice-based and stir fried, and a fan of Asian food would not find it far from their tastes.

On my last visit to Blue Nile, I ended up ordering a hummus platter, a staple

food of an Ethiopian diet, as a starter.

Most Americans are probably pretty familiar with supermarket hummus, but the stuff at Blue Nile is way, way better.

It was a little more oily than I was used to, but the injera chips worked well as a base for the hummus.

For a main dish, I had chicken tibs, a sort of stir fry dish, which was good if not unhealthy (something I think Blue Nile is not overly-concerned with). It was not as spicy as I had expected, but it was good nonetheless, and served with chips and rice (as I believe all entrees are).

Overall, the experience was good, and I would strongly recommend it to anyone looking to get away from the usual places in town. I suspect that an older crowd would enjoy the restaurant more because of the bar and music, but a younger and family group can enjoy the restaurant nonetheless.

n

Vietopia offers family-friendly food and service Anthony Duong

staff reporter

V

ietopia Vietnamese Cuisine offers Harrisonburg the very best in Asian-infused Vietnamese cuisine. They offer a very eclectic menu including the Banh Mi Jambon, which is a French Ham Sandwich, or the Bun Bo Nuron, which is grilled beef over vermicelli noodles and veggies. Vietopia Vietnamese Cuisine is located at 1015 Port Republic Road and is next to USA Nails nail salon and Food Lion. I have had many Vietnamese dishes in my lifetime. More people need give this restaurant a shot, because the food was delicious.

The atmosphere in the restaurant is calm and invites soft conversation among your table.The service was friendly and very fast-- we were probably only there for about 30 or 35 minutes.This establishment is family-owned, and it was quite evident fwhile I was eating. Many of the family members were preparing dinner for themselves out in the dining room. That’s the type of restaurant it is-- comforting and easy to enjoy.

As for their menu, there are so many options to choose from. They offer appetizers, sandwiches, beef noodle soup, vermicelli noodles, combination rice platters, and rice and egg noodles.Their menu choices and categories are in Vietnamese, but the descriptions and categories are both in English. The prices are great at Vietopia, as my entire meal was only $12. The portions were very generous and the food tasted great. I think it is definitely worth the price.

Overall, I had a very nice experience at Vietopia. The service is prompt and accommodating, the atmosphere is calm and relaxing. The food is superb and the prices are great. I would definitely recommend this restaurant to anyone who likes Vietnamese food, or to anyone who wants to try something new and foreign. n traditional Vietnamese dish of beef vermicelli. Photo by Vanessa Ehrenpreis

Downtown

Aroma B uffet Franco’sPizza I-81

Aroma Buffet comes off as mediocre for Cappell Julexus Cappell

I

F

ranco’s Pizza is an Italian pizza place that has a variety of food like pasta, salads, calazones and pepperoni rolls. They are best known for their different pizzas. I love to keep it simple with the cheese pizza. But their cheese pizza is not simple. It is to die for. With the first bite you take, it practically melts in your mouth. When you go to Franco’s, you never have to worry about their food not being fresh. They make sure all their food is cooked that day and is fresh when you order it.

“The pizza is started fresh by making the dough, then we have to get all the ingredients put together. Once we get all the ingredients put in the pizza, it’s

flattened and then the minute it’s put out you have yourself a fresh pizza,”said owner Frank Benincasa.

The Benincasa recipes are traced back to ancestors in their family. They have their own secret ingredients that they add to the food to make it just right. the Benincasas will experiment and try different things to see what the people like and don’t like.

When it comes to Franco’s food, there is so much to choose from. You never know what exactly to get.

“I would never suggest one par-

ticular food for people to buy, because it’s all good,” Benincasa said.

No matter if you like American food or true Italian food, Franco’s has a variety of both to please all of their customers. Franco’s is always wanting to make you happy, and they want to hear what you have to say about their food and service. Franco’s makes you feel welcomed every time you walk in.

“I would suggest Franco’s to anyone that is wanting good food and a warm environment to sit down and eat at.

You can never go wrong with the wonderful service they give you,” said customer Emma Lineberry.

So no matter what you are looking for Franco’s is the place to go make you feel like you are sitting in Italy with the warm smells of food drifting through the air. n

Tacos el Primo brings Mexico to Harrisonburg Paulina Rendon

H

’ feature editor flavor.

The truck offers a variety of differ-

arrisonburg offers a wide variety of ethnic foods, from Venezuelan, to Ethiopian to Mexican. Restaurants specializing in different cuisines come and go over time as customers decide which ones are good enough to keep.

Tacos el Primo, a business selling various types of tacos is run out of a truck, and is one of the four ‘taco trucks’ found around the city. The turquoise truck is located on 1110 Reservoir Street next to the Harrisonburg Health & Rehab clinic. The truck is open seven days a week, from 11:00 am to 9:00 pm. According to the restaurant’s web site, the couple that owns the business moved from California and established their taco truck to spread the taste of ‘real Mexican

ent types of tacos. Burritos and subs are also available on the menu. The customer has the ability to choose the meat they want, how they want it cooked and seasoned, and choose whether they want red, green, or no salsa. Different flavors of the Mexican soda, Jarritos, or other soft drinks are also available.

True to their word, the couple manages to incorporate an authentic Mexican taste in their food. Eating one of their tacos here in Harrisonburg is reminiscent of eating one back on the streets of Mexico. The beef is grilled and seasoned to have the same flavor like any taco stand in Mexico. The recipes are authentic, and the food is fresh and reasonably priced.

The only negative aspect of this little taco stand is the amount of waiting

time for food once the college students arrive. Because of its close proximity to several JMU facilities, college students flock to the stand.

Coming up to the window, the customer places the order and sits down at one of the two tables placed in front of the truck to wait. The time depends on how busy the truck is, but usually ends up being ten or fifteen minutes for one of the employees to complete the order. From there, the food could either be taken home or eaten at the picnic table.

For anyone who enjoys truly authentic Mexican tacos, Tacos el Primo definitely provides a great experience. n

staff reporter

recently went to Aroma buffet at Harrisonburg Crossing for dinner. It is an Oriental buffet in Harrisonburg Crossing. My honest opinion of the restaurant was that it was mediocre. I did not like the Oriental and American mix, and it lacked luster.When I first walked in, I liked the feel. The color of the restaurant gave a very nice Asian atmosphere. My family and I were seated, and we waited to for our server to take our drinks. We waited, and waited, and waited. It must have been at least ten minutes before a server came and asked us what we wanted. We got got our drinks, and went to the buffet.

Well there were some things a little strange about how things were arranged at the buffet-- the sushi bar and the steak were right beside each other. For me, I felt like red meat and sea food shouldn’t be near each other at all. It bothered me because one is clearly raw, and one is fully cooked.My first thought was, could the red meat possibly get fish on it? Since its a American and Oriental restaurant, I did not think much of it. Honestly, I felt like Aroma was just an Americanized version of Asian food. When I went there, I was expecting a lot of traditional Asian food. Instead, I was shown cheeseburgers and french fries on one side, and the other some rice and wontons. It was not a good mix when it all came down to it.

The service was OK. I understand that waitors have plenty to do. Like I said, my family and i waited for around ten minutes for a waitor to ask what we wanted to drink. Really?

It should not take that long. Other than that, the service was fine. After you tell them what you want to drink, it is own your own in the buffet.

My over all, opinion on Aroma is that it was not the best, but it surely was not the worst. The Oriental and American mix was definitely a flaw, it just did not flow well. I give it a 3 out of 5 stars. n

Taste of India a new experience for Giron

Franco’s Pizza serves authentic Italian cuisine Bryndal Fulginiti staff re-

Taste of India

Vietopia

Victoria Giron

E

staff reporter

ating at Taste of India, located across from Costco, is a warm and interesting experience. The atmosphere is inviting and mellow, and there are tons of Indian decorations on the wall. It is as authentic as you can get.

When one first walks through the door, the are immediately hit by the exotic smells of the Indian spices used in the food. Taste Of India says that they only use fresh spices, like ginger, garlic, and ground cumin. The servers are really friendly and serve free water, which is always good for the money-conscious eater.

The restaurant is a buffet-style restaurant, so one could just eat some rice if they are not brave enough to try all the food. However, the buffet was kind of small with nine things to choose from plus some fruit for dessert. Granted it isn’t Golden Corral or Wood Grill Buffet, but more options would be better.

The food was a little hard to approach, as I had never had Indian food, and it is also strange-looking. It has a kind of texture that might be hard for picky eaters to try, but there are some milder-looking foods like chicken and rice. I liked the food because it was not spicy as I had anticipated. I could taste the spices, especially the curry. My favorite foods were the basmati rice and the chicken tikka masala.

The sauce from the chicken tasted really good mixed with the rice, because the sauce gave both the chicken and rice a sweet yet tangy flavor.

Overall, the food was tasty and satisfying, but hard to ap- proach if you are someone who likes visually appealing things. It was a good experience and I recommend going there if you have not tried Indian food yet. n

January 27, 2012

newsstreak

OUT of HAND The

FEATURE - Mark Duda - B1

HHS’s fighting problem has drastically increased. Administration, teachers, and students takes steps towards contributing to the solution.

Fighting becomes more prominent during first semester solution Shaver met with Harri- did not lead to good deVanessa Ehrenpreis sonburg City School Superinten- cisions,” Burke said. editor-in-chief dent, Scott Kizner. As a result, a After the dis-

Y

“stricter line of punishment” has been enacted. Any form of physical conflict will result in an immediate 10-day suspension, with the possibility of an alternative education procedure, expulsion, and criminal charges. Administration must see significant change and improvement in a student’s behavior for he or she to be permitted to return to HHS. A letter explaining the dire situation, and new standards was sent to every student’s home in November.

“There has been a dramatic drop-off in the number of fights after the letter was sent home, and changes were announced. Hopefully we’ll have fewer in the second semester, but this type of thing is cyclical. The number is very sporadic,” Shaver said.

School Psychologist, Peggy Layman considers fighting to be an innate urge in adolescents, especially males. Normal physiological reactions, peer influences, and cultural influences all contribute to a person’s impulse for violence.

“Simply, the desire for power leads to fighting.

It’s a fight-or-flight kind of thing. There’s peer influence—the idea that I have to look good in front of my friends. There’s also that need for attention, even if it’s bad,” Layman said.

A ‘fight or flight’ response, as it is known in psychology, is a response by the nervous system to some form of stressful stimulus that either primes the person to flee, or act out in aggression. Often, students will become violent primarily because of the way they are “wired.” Layman also points to media and cultural influences as causes for adolescent violence.

“I absolutely think that video games and movies have an effect on kids’ behavior. We’ve desensitized our society against violence—we idolize the tough guys,” Layman said.

Junior Shane Burke experienced the fight or flight phenomena first hand. A brief verbal disagreement with a friend quickly escalated into a full-fledged physical confrontation. “[During the fight] I wasn’t really thinking. I was just letting my body do what it wanted to, which

ou know the scene: a flurry of movement, raucous cheering, and necks craning to catch a glimpse of each punch thrown.

As Principal Tracy Shaver puts it, fights are “inevitable,” but Harrisonburg High School has seen a sharp spike in the numbers of fights (physical altercations of any kind) this year. Administration estimates that the amount almost doubled within the first nineweeks, which greatly concerned Shaver. “[The number of fights] concerned me, Officer Sinclair, and the other Administration members. This is certainly an anomaly, there shouldn’t and haven’t been this many fights before,” Shaver said. The increased amount of violence was quite a transition for Shaver from his previous high school, Manassas Park High. “It was a bit of a shock… I wasn’t used to an environment with so many fights.”

Shaver estimates that Manassas Park had approximately 10 fights per year—less than the number that occurred in HHS’s first quarter. Although the cause of the tremendous increase is unknown, Resource Officer Antoine Sinclair attributes it to the Internet age. “[I think it’s due to] Facebook.

It’s the whole ‘he said’ ‘she said’ thing,” Sinclair stated.

In Shaver’s opinion “hearsay” is the most common cause for disagreements of any kind, but the inability to defuse angry situations is what leads to violence.

“These bouts are often because of something posted on Facebook, or one student talking about another. If a student doesn’t know how to resolve a situation with communication, that’s when it gets dangerous.”

In an attempt to diminish the amount of violence and find a

“

We’ve desensitized our society against violence-- we idolize the tough guys

-School Psychologist Peggy Layman

“

Burke no longer looks to violence as a main form of conflict resolution, although acknowledges that there are cert a i n situ-

agreement, Burke was suspended for ten days.

Looking back, He does regret his decision to resort to violence due to

clair has a simpler solution to the problem.

“Just don’t do it. Grow up, mature, [fighting] won’t be worth it,” Sinclair said.

Burke’s words of advice to any future fighter: “Take a breath and realize the consequences before you react. You never know the effects it could have on your life.” n

Check us out on the web www.newsstreak.com Senior Emmett Copeland tries to answer the question “Why do we Fight?” For the video go to: www.newsstreak.com the affect is had on his standing in school, in addition to his relationships with friends.

“It affected my grades in a big way. I wasn’t able to visually learn with a teacher there, I taught myself, and my grades dropped,” Burke said. “It also affected my relationships with people—friends shouldn’t do stuff like that, it’s immature.”

Q&A with Resource Officer Sinclair

ations where it may be necessary.

“There are appropriate situaQ:[for What was difference tions violence] like the protection fights from lastonyear andin stuff.

I’m not planning get- to this tingyear, into a fight anytime soon, with the newbutpolicy?

I mean, if it comes down to it…”

A: “Im not at liberty to say Burke said. in the exact In comingnumbers. months ShaverThough hopes to foster a stable environthere were a lot more fights ment through an open and recepthis year than last.” tive adult base. Manassas Park’s

Q: How do you decide whether a fight is severe enough to charge a person with assault?

A: “That’s on a case by case basis. Usually it’s up to me.”

Q: Have you ever been nervous attempting to break up a fight?

A: “No, Never.”

Q: What is your main goal when trying to break up a fight?

A: “I’m usually trying to get the kids separated and calm the situation down. After that we take them to the principal and we find an appropriate punishment.”

Q: How many fights have you broken up?

“I’m not at liberty to say.”

Q: What’s the most interesting fight you’ve seen?

“An unusual fight that I’ve seen would had to have been more immature than anything. It was between two girls, and one girl thought she looked ‘cute’ in her new outfit, and another girl didn’t like it.

So she approached her, and they got into Interview

by Kevin Franco it.”

Interview

by Kevin Franco

Teachers assist in breaking up fights Ben DiNapoli

feature editor

F

ights are scary things...or are they? Most fights involve a crowd of cheering students who are egging on the fight. More, more! At least until a teacher shows up. Then, an important question comes up. Should a teacher put themselves in harm’s way in order to stop the violence? Should they push through a large crowd of rowdy students become involved to protect two students who are causing the violence themselves?

Teaching assistant Ben Frederick has not actually been involved in breaking up a fight but he has thought of the possibility.

“Although I haven’t had the privilege of doing so, I think it’s something that every teacher, without admitting it, really wants to do. It’s something that you think about occasionally and I think would like to do,” Frederick said.

Even though the thought of jumping into the middle a fight is easier said than done, some are all for it.

“Absolutely. Personally, I would definitely get in there,” Frederick said.

For some teachers, their attitude towards fights does not necessarily match up with their ability to do

anything about them.

“I’m going to get in there, and I’m going to break bad on those kids,” math teacher Tricia Cummings said.

However, this statement contrasts with one thing: Cummings’ size.

“Should I put myself in harm’s way in order to protect the kids? No. Have you seen me stand up?” Cummings said, referring to her 5’ 1” height. “If I got in the middle of a fight, I would get hurt pretty badly. They probably wouldn’t even see me get between them.”

Kim Hook uses her common sense when it comes to fighting.

“A teacher should do what he or she can to stop a fight, but I don’t think that a teacher should put himself or herself into harm’s way,” Hook said. “I think the teacher has to assess the situation and determine whether he or she is actually able to stop it or whether they need help.”

Hook says that there already is a predetermined “job description” regarding fights, supporting that jumping into the middle of a fight may be a little too much.

“I think the idea is that we hopefully prevent the fight from occurring by being a physical presence in areas of the school to begin with, and that is something we are required to do,” Hook said. n

The Background on Fighting

3 4 95%

On average or fights a month at HHS.

than

all

of last year.

30%

as told by Officer Sinclair

facebook

least

due to ‘he said’ Seniors fight the ‘she said’ gossip on Facebook. of the four grades.

There have been more fights in this first semester

An estimated of fights are between gangs.

Facebook can be used as a handy tool to find the

cause

smaller, more intimate student body allowed students to seek adult help or counseling to resolve conflicts, before they escalated to violence. Since two of three administrators are relatively new to HHS (Shaver and assistant principal Eric Sents), these interpersonal relations have not yet been established. Shaver plans to become acquainted with HHS’s student body to encourage the Manassas Park approach of communication.

“We’re going to take the time to get to know the students, and build an environment where students feel comfortable talking to an adult before it gets to the point of violence,” Shaver said. “It’s easier to put out a fire as quickly as possible as opposed to the fire getting out of hand.”

Officer S i n -

of a fight.

{

Sophomores & Juniors fight the

most

Students who engage in physical fighting could be charged with

criminal

Sinclair’s outlook on HHS: “We have a lot of fights here at HHS, but, even then, it’s still

not a bad school ” .

{

charges (like assault).

Information from Officer Sinclair, interview by Alexis Dickerson. Infographic

by Vanessa Ehrenpreis.

GOTTA CATCHYOUR

January 27, 2012

The

newsstreak

FEATURE - Sydney Little- B2

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ’S!

Barch describes increase in sleep apnea patients Rafael Snell-Faikema

S

page editor

leep disorders are becoming increasingly common in Americans, and this has lead to a rise in medicine’s newest field: sleep. Its origins are popularly considered to be in the 1950’s with the discovery of REM sleep and the consequent discovery of the location of dreams and their activity in the human mind. Originally, the field was populated by psychiatrists hoping to find embedded psychological reasons for disorders in their patients’ dreams.

These disorders affect millions of Americans, with one in every four men suffering from sleep apnea. One in three men snore.

One in ten women also suffer from sleep apnea, though in lower frequency to men due to the promotion of strong breathing by the hormone progesterone.

Nowadays, sleep medicine is most populated by lung doctors, like pulmonary medicine specialist and sleep doctor Frank Barch.

“I started out as a lung doctor. My interest in sleep medicine sprouted from when I had to put a patient on a CPAP [a device that keeps a patient breathing while asleep] to help them with their breathing. I first studied sleep medicine for its relation to the lungs,” Barch said.

Most commonly, the sleep center sees sleep apnea patients. These can be most effectively treated through the tenants of sleep medicine. Their second most common disorder and the most common nationally is insomnia, but fewer patients come to the sleep center for this as their non-specialist doctor will commonly prescribe sleeping pills. Though this may not be the most effective treatment of insomnia, pills are easier for the sufferer than the more extensive treatments of the sleep center.

Two additional common disorders are Restless Legs Syndrome, or RLS, and random sleepiness, whether the latter is narcolepsy or another disorder.

Apnea, insomnia, and narcolepsy, though the most common afflictions, are not all the center sees. They also treat cases

Fast Facts about common sleep disorders

1

Snoring

2

Sleep Apnea

3

Restless Legs Syndrome

While snoring may seem unimportant, it can mean that ones throat is not staying open enough during sleep. Remedies for snoring include weight loss, exercise, quitting smoking, and regular sleep patterns.

A chronic condition which causes one to repeatedly stop breathing during sleep. Symptoms include loud snoring, choking or gasping during sleep, daytime sleepiness, morning headaches, memory or learning problems, irritability, mood swings, and dry throat upon awakening.

A sleeping disorder that makes it almost impossible not to move ones legs or arms. This urge occurs when lying down, and it feels as though ones legs are uncomfortable or tingly.

Symptoms include discomfort deep within the legs, a strong urge to move the legs, and cramping or jerking of the legs during sleep.

Massaging or stretching may temporarily alleviate pain and discomfort.

4

Narcolepsy

5

Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder

6

Insomnia

A sleeping disorder which causes chronic daytime sleepiness. Caused by a dysfunction in the brain, Narcolepsy can cause one to fall asleep during the day, during important tasks such as driving. Intense dreams are also a common symptom of narcolepsy.

A disorder of ones biological clock, this causes one to have a delayed sleeping pattern. People with DSPD usually cannot fall asleep before 2:00 am on any given day. Given a completely open schedule, these people may fall into a regular sleeping pattern. Mainly teens are affected by DSPD, and they usually grow out of it.

Caused by stress, insomnia it prohibits normal sleep patterns. Patients usually have trouble falling asleep along with waking up in the early hours of the morning. Symptoms include; sleepiness during the day general tiredness, irritability, and problems with concentration or memory.

of sleepwalking and sleep talking, as well as the somewhat related REM Behavior Disorder. In this disorder, the paralysis usually enacted on all parts of the body aside from the eyes and inner ear in the Rapid Eye Movement (REM) stage of sleep does not function and thus sufferers will act out their dreams, complete with walking, punching, talking, eating, and other activities in their sleep.

“There have been cases where people would beat up their partner while they were sleeping. They didn’t even know,” Barch said.

Sleep is a major variable and a concern in people’s health even if they don’t have a sleep disorder. These six to seven hours-for adults-- each night are invaluable to the mind and body as it restores itself from the day. Parts of the body will simply cease to function without a proper amount of sleep, and the entire body will function worse.

“People who sleep less than six to seven hours a night live shorter lives and are much more likely to gain weight because the chemicals to tell you whether you’re full or

Kraimeche struggles with lack of sleep Mia Karr

I

page editor

t is late at night, and for some reason, sleep refuses to come. Tomorrow morning is creeping closer and closer, but still nothing. There is no hint of fatigue- tossing and turning do nothing. Soon the alarm rings and its time to face the day.

For senior Zak Kraimeche, sleep deprivation is not uncommon. Although he suffers from lack of sleep, Kraimeche’s insomnia traps him in a vicious sleep cycle that barely allows a nightly slumber.

“I will sleep very late. At school I am tired, so I go home and take a nap. Then I have insomnia and the cycle restarts. I end up feeling tired all the time,” Kraimeche said. He has attempted to break the cycle by opting out of his habitual napping, but finds the temptation to sleep when tired too great.

“Most kids need eight to ten hours of sleep and a steady bedtime,” school

nurse Angela Knupp said. That can be easier said than done, especially for students busy with school work and extracurricular activities.

Kraimeche recalls that his problems started when he began taking harder classes, including calculus, AP English 11, AP chemistry and AP literature. In addition to school work, he’s on the robotics team (which involves working from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. through January and February and three meetings a week), does policy debate and tennis, and volunteered eight to nine hours a week during the first semester.

“It’s a matter of scheduling your time well. I might end up staying awake for hours doing homework,” Kraimeche said. The same classes that contribute to his insomnia, end up suffering as a result. “[The sleep cycle] definitely affects my performance in school. It’s difficult to pay attention and do large amounts of work during the day when I’m tired,” Kraimeche said.

Kraimeche has never seen a doctor because his sleep problem is more of a habit than a clinical disorder. He believes his insomnia will stop next year when he goes to college and will not be forced to get up at an early hour every school day.

Even though HHS’s early starting time contributes to his sleeping disorder, Kraimeche believes it is necessary for school to start as early as it does.

“I think [the school] has to start this early for after school activities,” Kraimeche said.

Knupp recommends finding a balance between these activities and getting a good night of sleep. For those with insomnia, Knupp suggests talking with a general practitioner. Insomnia could have many causes, including not going to bed or getting up at a regular time, like Kraimeche.

“Sleep and good nutrition should be the last thing you give up. Sleep is the most important thing- everything cycles back to that,” Knupp said. n

Boyle battles sleep condition Conner Whitehouse

T

staff reporter

hree doses of Melatonin, Benadryl, anti-depressants, and Nyquil are all medicines that senior Connor Boyle had to use all through middle school and early high school to even think about getting sleep.

Boyle has spent the majority of his life tossing and turning for hours trying to sleep. Reading, television, counting sheep, you name it. Boyle suffers from Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome, a issue found in 3 out of every 2,000 adolescents to adults. The syndrome makes sleeping, a simple task for the average person, nearly impossible for Boyle. No matter how hard he tries, Boyle can not get to sleep much before four a.m., regardless of when he went to bed.

“I’ve been experiencing problems getting to sleep since I was in elementary school, but no one ever believed me,” Boyle said. “At first, all the doctors just told me to take the Melatonin and Benadryl. It never really helped though.”

Boyle was forced to get up early and go to school every day on virtually no sleep.

These conditions severely affected his school work and lifestyle.

“The whole not sleeping thing really hindered my school work, I was just always tired,” Boyle said.

The sleeping disorder even affected others around Boyle. His algebra II teacher

Tricia Cummings recalls him missing school often, “I remember him spending a lot of time out of school at the hospital, and when he was in class, he seemed groggy,” Cummings said.

Boyle went from a straight A student to struggling to keep C’s and D’s. He had to miss a lot of school for hospital visits, and took several trips to Charlottesville in an attempt to receive a diagnosis at the University of Virginia medical center.

Boyle had a comprehensive sleep study done at UVA. This test is comprised of hours of brainwave monitoring as the subject attempts to sleep. Doctors then make the patient try to fall asleep every two hours to test for narcolepsy.

“The tests proved that I actually had a serious disorder, and that I apparently had the lowest iron count that they had ever seen. They gave me these iron pills that average people with low iron have to take one per day of, but I had to take four every six hours due to my levels,” Boyle said.

Waking up problems are also a terrible side affect of sleeping problems. Since Boyle still only gets four hours of sleep a night, he has been drawn to energy drinks and coffee to revive him in the mornings. Boyle’s condition has been improving as the doctors are figuring out new treatments for people suffering with these sleep problems. n

Are You Sleep Deprived?

TRUE

just not hungry don’t work without enough sleep. And now the U.S. is in an obesity epidemic. Sleep affects memory, concentration, and learning. Lack of sleep can lead to depression and irritability. I’ve had patients who were going to divorce and I told them to wait until they solved their sleep problems-- it saved a few marriages. You’re not yourself when you’re short on sleep, ” Barch said.

For teenagers, Barch says that it is not only important to get the recommended amount of sleep-- for us, at least nine hours-- but also he emphasizes the importance of having a regular wake up time, referred to as “sleep hygiene”; not switching back and forth from noon to six in the morning depending on whether or not one has class that morning. This is important to redefine the presets of teens’ biological clocks, which, Barch says, actually prefer a bedtime closer to eleven, twelve, or one in the morning. “Sleep hygiene”, Barch says, is the most important practice to get a good night’s sleep. n

This or That with

Connor Boyle 1. Hot Chocolate or Hot tea 2. Sleeping on your side or back 3. One pillow or Two 4. Oreo or Chocolate Chip cookies 5. Cell Phone or Radio Alarm 6. Popcorn or Poptarts 7. Cold Pillow or Hot Pillow 8. Caffeine Coffee or Soda 9.Video games or T.V. 10. Books or Magazines 11. Twitter or Facebook 12. Mario or Call Of Duty 13. Pj’s or Shorts 14. Socks or Slippers 15. Pancakes or Waffles

If you answer ‘true’ to three or more of these questions, you are probably sleep deprived!

FALSE

1. You need an alarm clock in order to wake up at the appropriate time.

2. You struggle to get out of bed in the morning.

3. On weekdays you hit the snooze bar several time to get more sleep.

4. You feel irritable, tired, and stressed during the week.

5. You have trouble concentrating and remembering.

6. You feel slow with critical thinking, problem solving, and being creative.

7. You often fall asleep watching TV. 8. You often fall asleep in boring classes or warm classrooms.

9. You usually fall asleep within five minutes of getting into bed 10. You feel drowsy while driving 11. You usually sleep extra hours on weekend mornings 12. You need a nap to get through the day 13. You have dark circles around your eyes

September January 27, 23, 2012 2011

The

newsstreak

FEATURE FEATURE-- Paulina Rendon - B3

WORKING OUT Mendoza recounts experiences in rehab for injury Sydney Knupp sports editor

T

here are many reasons that student athletes see the athletic trainer, one reason in particular is to complete rehabilitative physical therapy (rehab) after an orthopedic injury. Senior Nathan Mendoza completed this type of therapy after injuring his knee during a basketball game over a year ago. This injury resulted in the need for surgery.

Approximately one year ago, during basketball practice, Mendoza was going up for a shot, came down and his right knee went out. After an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), the diagnosis was a torn Medial Collateral Ligament and ruptured cartilage, Mendoza reported.

Dr. Smith completed a laparoscopic surgical repair of his right knee to correct the injury and after one week, he started rehabilitative physical therapy in the training center with the HHS Athletic Trainer. HHS has a new trainer this year, Ms. Jen Glazer, CAT. She works closely with all athletes involved in VHSL sports at HHS. The target goal of knee rehab is a dual process. The first

“

is to prevent loss of muscle ing exercises, hamstring strengthening exercises, and strength of the muscles surcalf strengthening exercises as well as strengthening of rounding the knee and the Do rehab every the hip stabilizing muscles per the American Academy other is to decrease the of Orthopedic Surgeons. amount of stress on the knee day. You will think Mendoza completed about 18 - 20 weeks of rehab joint itself. Athletes who you are ready to before being able to play baseball late in the season last have stronger muscles suryear. He has had an uneventful basketball season this rounding their knee joint come back, but year. often have fewer problems wait until you’re “I really think it has to do with me doing my stretchthan those who do not. Weak released by the es, lunges, figure eights and quad stretches before pracmuscles produce a heavier tice,” Mendoza said. workload for the knee joint physician.

When asked what advice he would give to all student by supplying less support. athletes, Mendoza recommends, “Do your rehab every -senior Nathan On the other hand, strong day, you will think you are ready to come back and you Mendoza are not. Wait till you are released by the physician” Also muscles provide better support and control the knee to “Continue stretching before practice or sports in genjoint, resulting in fewer injuries. eral,” Mendoza said.

Exercising the muscles in that surround the knee is the Even if an injured muscle appears to have healed fully, key to a successful post-operative recovery. The quadriceps, it is never a good idea to exercise as soon as it seems to be hamstring, and calf muscles are the muscles surrounding the back to normal. Getting the opinion of a professional helps knee and most knee rehabilitation focus on these muscles. prevent further injury that may have been caused by workExercises for these muscles include quadriceps strengthen- ing out an injured muscle too soon. n

“

Butler betters fitness at Wellness Center Mitch DePoy

A Photo courtesy of RWC

Q&A with Kimberly Durden

RMH Personal Trainer

Q: How did you get interested in Personal Training?

A: It was actually an accident, as a kid I was always athletic and personal training just sort of grew to be my passion Q: What’s a normal day like at the RMH wellness center?

A: It really depends on who I’m working with that day, if my client has something in the morning we may work out before hand. Some days I’ll get there at around 5 am or 5:30, and sometimes I will come in later but have to stay until 7 at night.

Q: How can teens stay fit?

A: By just being active in general, you do not have to go to the gym to be in shape. Playing a sport is a great way to stay fit. Another important thing that helps contribute to being heathy is your diet. You should be able to pronounce everything that you read on the label of the object. Eating natural unprocessed foods like nuts and berries are key to staying fit.

Q: What are alternative ways for teens to stay fit?

A: If you own an Xbox or a Kinect, there are plenty of games that will help you to get in shape.

Q: What are some activities students can do at home to stay fit?

A: As long as you’re raising your heart rate any exercise is good. Squat thrusts against a wall are good as well as push-ups and jumping jacks. If you want to tighten up your core, planks are great. Pull-ups help work your arm muscles as well.

Interview by Celia Ehrenpreis.

sports editor

s you walk into the gym office it’s hard to miss T.J Butler.

Wearing shorts with his calves bulging out, new crisp pair of sneakers and most likely a New England Patriots shirt on, Butler becomes hard to miss. His sense of humor is also something that describes Butler, upon being informed that he is being interviewed for a story about weight lifting a smile comes across his face and the joke becomes that your now talking to “Mr. One Percent Body Fat.” Butler can be described as the true definition of a gym rat. Known as one of the biggest and strongest teachers at the school Butler has had to work for the results. “I’ve been lifting since I got out of high school and joined the Army for three years,” Butler said.

In high school Butler wasn’t the kind of person who would lift and was a big guy like he is now. “The army kind of forced the idea of lifting on me,” Butler said.

Butler is a regular at the Wellness Center. “I try to go lift every single day after school,” Butler said.

At the Wellness Center you can also do about anything. With a track, swimming pool, sauna, basketball hoops, yoga center and over 65 cardiovascular

machines Butler has all that he needs to maintain his figure. As for the amount of time that Butler spends in the gym would not be as much as you would think.

“I lift anywhere from and hour and a half to two hours top,” Butler said.

Each day that he goes to the gym he focuses on only one body group unlike most people who like to super-set muscles like chest and back one day, legs and triceps the other and so on. “I only like to focus on one group a day,” Butler said.

When looking at Butler you would think that with his mass, he would be the type of lifter that does few reps and who would only concentrate on his maxes. Standing at around 6’5 Butler would fit the stereotype of someone who could bench 400 plus.

“I don’t max anymore, as I get older the heavy weight puts more stress on your body and can prevent more injuries,” Butler said.

So Butler likes to take it easy and when he lifts prefers to crank out more reps at a lighter weight. On occasion, an urge comes about and you want too see what you can do.

“A few weeks ago I put 300 on the bench and cranked that out,” Butler said.

Working out has been a major part of Butlers life. Lifting and any kind of working out is something that is very

Lift! Weight training instructor T.J Butler works out with his class.

Photo by Paulina Rendon.

important to him.

“I enjoy the feeling, I am tired and night and I just feel healthy,” Butler said.

This motto or feeling will explain while he is now being called, Mr. One Percent Body Fat. n

McDonnell baby-sits for gym membership Jessica Nguyen

G

staff reporter

yms offer a safe haven for all the fitness junkies out there, but lately memberships are getting a little out of reach for high school students. One student has found an easy way to get a ticket to fitness land.

“When I was in tenth grade, my mom and I were looking for a gym membership--but without the cost. My mom suggested that we ask around at the local gyms to see if they had a day care where the baby-sitters got free memberships. When we called, Gold's Gym said that they did have a day care and that they were currently looking for baby-sitters. My mom and I were so excited because it was exactly what we had been looking for!” Senior Taylor McDonnell said.

McDonnell baby-sits every Friday evening with her mom for about an hour and a half in exchange for a free member-

ship.

“It is definitely worth baby-sitting a couple hours a week for a gym membership. Memberships are extremely expensive!”

McDonnell says,” Although baby-sitting can get hard sometimes, I still love it.”

Memberships average around $30-$50 a month and of course there is the one time set up fee that could be between $50-$200, so in a year you could be spending about $400$800!

“My favorite memory was a time when we had twin baby girls, and one fell asleep in my mom's arms and the other fell asleep in my arms. They were so cute! It's not easy, so I don't think that it's cut out for everyone, but if you are kind, have a lot of patience, and can handle watching a lot of babies/kids at one time then I'd recommend it,” McDonnell adds.

So really, there are many ways to get a plan that works instead of paying and arm and a leg for it. The solution just isn’t always conventional. n

Harrisonburg Area Gym Comparison A. RMH Wellness Center Location: 2500 Wellness Dr., Harrisonburg, VA Open 7 days a week Amenities: Gym, pool, fitness classes, day care, all amenities included.

B. Total Body Place

C. Gold’s Gym

Location: 1101 W Market St. , Harrisonburg, VA

Location: 381 Lucy Dr., Harrisonburg, VA

Location: 171 Neff Avenue, Ste. D Harrisonburg, VA

Open 24/7

Open 7 days a week

Open Mon.Sat.

Amenities: Child care, tanning beds, gym, fitness classes, personal trainers,

Amenities: Child care, tanning, group excersize classes, swimming pool

Amenities: Women only, Zumba classes, fitness and diet consulting, specialized workout plans

Infographic by Mark Duda.

D. Curves

January 27 2012

The

newsstreak

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January 27 2012

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SPORTS- Jake Durden - B6

LEARNING SLOPES THE Durden becomes ski instructor at resort

Ben Dinapoli sports editor

J

obs can be hard to come by, especially with college students taking up most of the more traditional jobs such as hosting or serving in restaurants or working in stores. However, one of the most unheard of and most reliable jobs (weathering permitting) is close to home: ski instructing at Massanutten Ski Resort.

Freshman Hannah Durden is currently participating in her first year job as a junior ski instructor, a task which involves shadowing a full time instructor and providing direly necessary help.

Durden has been skiing for four years, starting originally at Massanutten. Looking for a winter job, Durden turned to the slopes where her mom was already instructing.

As far as what a full day involves, there is plenty to do. Instructors are in charge of making sure everything runs smoothly on the mountain.

The average Slope Slider lesson, the premier introductory program at Massanutten is directed at kids who or skiing for their first or second time ever. Instructors warm them up with no skis on and do some boot drills such as getting the kids to turn their feet inwards to make a wedge, or as they introduce it to the little kids, a “pizza slice”, because that concept identifies with them more easily.

After that, the instructors show them the parts and components of a ski. They also put them into one ski and let them slide around one ski for a while, switch the feet, and then after about 30 minutes, they are ready to put both skis on the kids. The instructors do drills

called gliding runs down a short patch of snow to get them used to actually sliding, catching the kids at the bottom. The next goal is to teach the first and second day skiers the ability to stop. It can take an hour with some kids, a matter of days with others, but typically by the end of the 5 hour Slope Slider day, most kids have been able to successfully stop themselves without any help. With that, the instructors can then decide to move the kids up to the next level where the work on other fundamentals such as turning.

After the instructors have gotten the kids to stop on a smaller scale, they take them onto a longer part of the “bunny” or beginner slope. Here, the instructors can ski backwards to watch the kids and have them stop when they want them to stop. Once a run is complete, the kids can take a “magic carpet”, a moving ramp, that takes them back to the top of the run.

The goal is to, by 12 o’clock when the instructors and kids go into the lodge for lunch, have everyone ready to go up the ski lift for the first time. After lunch, the instructors have about an hour which is enough time to get a class of four or five kids down Southern Comfort, a bunny slope which is Massanutten’s easiest slope accessible by lift. This is the most arduous part of the process because kids are most often flustered because they are actually on a big hill with hundred of other skiers and a lot of open space, so the instructors really have to keep our eyes on the kids and keep them as organized as possible.

Being only a junior instructor as to a full-time instructor, Hannah Durden’s day is much simpler. It mostly involves following

Let it blow, let it blow, let it blow A snow blower pumps out artificial flakes in order to finally blanket the mountain in mid-January. Temperatures have just recently dipped enough to allow for consistent blowing to occur. Photo by Jake Durden.

Press! Sophomore Josh Messerly puts all his weight on his front foot during a crooked slide to prevent him from slipping off. Photo by Jake Durden. an older instructor when already knows the ropes.

“My main jobs mainly involve helping out a senior instructor, keeping kids focused and helping them up if they happen to fall down,” said Durden.

Junior instructors do not necessarily have as many responsibilities as the senior instructors because they are expected to take their first year in the back seat so

they can learn what do for when they graduate to become a senior instructor.

So far however, this season has been pretty slow.

“The weather and conditions have made business horrible. Not many people have signed up for the program,” Hannah Durden said.

With temperatures rarely dropping below freezing throughout

Slip! Sophomore Shane Burke performs a delicate balancing act while he attempts a frontside grind on the down box. Photo by Jake Durden.

December, even at night, and plenty of rain have all contributed to making the snow seem unappealing.

Business is sure to pick up once the temperature starts dropping, though, and then one important lesson will really come to light.

“Teaching is a lot harder than it looks,” Durden said. Still fun, however. “I recently had to pull a kid out of the mud.” n

Slide! Sophomore Paul Kim speeds down the box during a 50-50, attempting to maintain speed before hitting the next jump. Photo

by Jake Durden.

After almost four decades of skiing, winter Students utilize local resort Sydney Knupp pasttime still treat for Healy and family Peter Byrd

M

staff reporter

ark Healy, an AP European History teacher and assistant football coach, started his skiing career thirty-seven years ago in the mountain ranges of

Europe.

“I didn’t want to pay for a ski instructor so I kept my distance, but stayed within earshot of the instructor who was guiding the group. I copied the moves he taught them and practiced them on my own time,” Healy said. Healy recounts his favorite and most lasting memories of European skiing.

“I loved skiing at the Zugspitze, a glacier in Germany. But I will admit my most lasting memory, a disturbing one at that, is when I had to take my passport to a mountain that bordered Austria, Italy, and Switzerland...

Unfortunately, a girl was impaled by a ski, that went through her head,” Healy said.

Snow-topped mountains claim many lives per year, either from fatal injuries or sheer coldness.

Healy recounts a time when the mountain got the best of him and as a result, he was sidelined for a few months.

“I was twelve and thought I was hot stuff. I tried to do a “helicopter” and ended up breaking my right tibia and my left fibia in the same accident,” Healy said.

Compared to the slopes in the eastern parts of the U.S. Healy acknowledges that for most parts of the year the weather in Eu-

“

rope is fairly warm.

“The only reason a jacket is needed is if you fall.

You do not need many layers to stay warm,” Healy said.

Healy says that because you can only ski in the winter on the east coast of the U.S. the coldest temperatures are actually here in the Appalachians, and not in the Alps.

“The coldest excursion I’ve been on was probably last year to Snowshoe. It was -3° before windchill,” Healy said.

Healy, who enjoys giant slaloming, also cherishes spending his past time at Massanutten mountain with his family.

“My wife did not know how to ski when I met her and within a year she was a ski instructor,” Healy said. His two kids are also quickly picking up this favorite winter pastime.

“My son can open parallel and my daughter can do all of the slopes at Massanutten, except the one with moguls,” Healy said. When his family is unavailable, Healy and fellow history teacher Jay Blair conquer the treacherous mountain slopes together.

“It is common for the two of us to go up to Massanuteen on weeknights or take weekend trips to Canaan Valley or Snowshoe,” Healy said. Despite an eventful thirty-seven years, Healy insists his skiing career is nowhere near over.

“I am anxious to go out west and ride mountains that take twenty minutes to descend because one minute and fifteen second rides get old pretty quick at Massanutten,” Healy said. n

I was twelve and thought I was hot stuff. I tried to do a “helicopter” and ended up breaking my right tibia and my left fibia in the same accident.

“

-Mark Healy

A

feature editor

fter a delayed and soggy start to the snowsport season, HHS students are finally heading up to Massanutten in order to enjoy the icy slopes. With the aritificial snow finally accumulating, one of the students’ favorite parts of the ski resort is finally open for business: the CMB terrain park.

The park features an assortment of obstacles: rails, tables, and ramps, for snowboarders. Some skiers also opt to attempt the park, but specially designed twin tip skis are a safety requirement that few skiers are able to comply with.

HHS students Paul Kim, Josh Messerly and Aaron Vanbenschoten all list the Terrain Park as their favorite boarding option at Massanutten. This trio of young men are in attendance at Massanutten at least three times a week during the winter, and are perennial season-pass purchasers.

“We were all friends before we started snowboarding, but it brought us closer together,” Kim said.

At the forefront of trick development among the Blue Streak snowboarders is sophomore Shane Burke. After mastering the 360 degree spin, Burke began working on a 540: a stunt that involves one and a half revolutions, before sticking the landing upright and continuing down the course. Despite the fact that some jumps exceed over

a dozen feet of sheer drop, the young boarders are not daunted by their aerial ambitions. Rather, they enjoy the freedom provided by a few moments of hangtime.

“Sailing through the air is definitely the best part of doing stunts,” said Burke.

The diversity of the CMB terrain park allows for a variety of skills to be developed. Most of the group’s favorite obstacles are the rails and tables.

“Board-slides and tail-presses are my favorite things to do on rails,” Kim said.

Identified as the best and most experienced in the group, Vanbenschoten began boarding in the seventh grade. After a couple of years hitting the alpine slopes, Vanbenschoten took his talents to the terrain park becoming a more well-roundeder,expanding his ability in both the air and the rail.

Vanbenschoten has accomplished a backside 360, naming this trick his specialty.

Annually the posse of boarders spend a week at Massanuttin in a condo. They constantly traverse the slopes for the duration of the holiday despite the minimal snow fall that occured throughout the current snowboarding season. ”Spending the week at the condo brought us closer together not only as snowboarders,but as friends,” Kim said. “I wouldn’t want to be holed up for a week with anyone else.” n

January 27 2012

The

newsstreak

SPORTS - Mitch DePoy - B7

Williams goes to show size doesn’t matter Williams is officially listed at exactly five feet zero inches. His size puts him at a major disadvantage to most point guards in the area who are around 5’9”-6’’. Almost any average athlete at that height would have trouble scoring against any team or maintaining a decent amount of playing time.

Williams is out to prove that he is beyond the average basketball player by averaging almost 15 points, 7 assists and 3 steals a game. Those numbers would even be praised by the average sized point guard. Some might say it is luck, but Williams said it’s a mix between hard work, and genes.

“It comes naturally sometimes. I have a good feel for the game and just know what to do at the right time,” Williams said.

Williams’ older brother was also a

basketball stand out. Nigel Williams was one of the best middle school point guards to play the game. He staff reporter had great floor vision and, just like n the HHS JV boys basketball Jalen, didn’t see a disadvantage in his opener, people in the parking height. Though Nigel never played lot could hear the crowd roarbasketball in high school, Williams ing as if their favorite NBA credits his older brother for helping team had just won game seven of him develop as a player. the finals.

“My brother and I used to play Five foot 100 pound point guard a lot of one on one. He got me betJalen Williams hit a deep threeter and I get a lot of my moves from pointer in the early minutes of the him,” Williams said. second quarter, and followed the Williams also works hard in the made bucket with a steal and fast off-season. break lay-up.

“I want to be the best basketball The Eastern Mennonite High player I can possibly be,” Williams School gymnasium started rocking said. when he rose up , intercepted a pass, Williams’ accomplishments this and drained yet another deep three. season demonstrate the fact that At that moment, every spectator in hard work pays off. He continues the gym realized that this little man to show spectators that his height can play ball disadvantage means nothing to him and the game that he plays.

“I actually kind of like that height disadvantage. People underestimate me a lot,” Williams said. “But if I can do more than the average size point guard at my height, it really does show who the better ball player is.”

Williams gets his moves and state of mind from arguably the best point guard in the NBA today: Chris Paul.

Paul is one of the strongest leaders around and knows how to create scoring opportunities for every one of his teammates. He shoots well, plays solid defense, brings a fiery intensity and he can pass the basketball like there is no tomorrow.

Williams values these skills highly and seeks to add them to his repertoire.

Another similarity is their shared height disadvantage.

The average NBA point guard sits at around 6’2” to 6’4”, but Paul is a measly 6’ which means he is in the shortest tenth of the NBA, just as Williams is in the area.

Call him what you want, but just know that the “little Dribblin! Sophomore Jalen Williams leads a break down court man” can play ball. n against Page County. Even though Williams only stands five feet tall, he is becoming a giant force on the junior varsity basketball team. Photo by Cathy Phillips.

Max Johnson

I

Whitelow juggles fatherhood, basketball Jake Durden

B

sports editor

lue Streak running back and point guard Corbin Whitelow has spent the last several seasons trying to achieve a balance between school, sports, and family, much like many student-athletes his age. But at the same time, his home life has been far from average, with the addition of two young children to his life. Camden, age two, and Cirrah, eleven months old, have profoundly impacted Whitelow’s life for the better. At first, however, Whitelow wasn’t sure what to think when he learned he was going to be a father at only fifteen.

“I was still going to play [football and basketball],” Whitelow said.

“Becoming a father excited me, but it just didn’t hit me until [Camden] got here.”

Whitelow has, like any other father, endured the ups and downs and day-to-day struggles of parenthood and the delicate balance between family, school, sports, and a job. His two kids are from different mothers, and this complicates the

logistic of taking care of his kids.

Whitelow spends the most time with his children on the weekends, but the arrangements vary based on the parents’ schedules. He may have both his son and daughter one day, and then only one or none the next.

Sometimes he will only be able to hold his kids for a few minutes after his games before letting them go once more.

“On weekends and during the school week. I have to stay up late in order to get everything done,” Whitelow said. Parenting has become natural, and it’s getting easier for me because the kids start to pay attention.”

Whitelow enjoys playing ball with his son and daughter, but his most cherished time he spends with them is when he gently puts them to sleep each night.

“Night-night is definitely my favorite because I can finally relax,” Whitelow said.

The most unsavory task according to Whitelow is changing diapers.

“The pee doesn’t bother me, but the poop is awful when my kids are squirming and it’s going everywhere,” Whitelow said.

Entertaining his daughter is alos difficult compared to his son.

“I can take Camden to the arcade now because he can walk, which makes things easier,” Whitelow said. “Cirrah can’t walk yet, and so she needs more toys to keep her occupied.”

More toys means more cash, and though Whitelow and company are getting along financially, he has had worked various jobs in retail over the past few years.

In the long run, Whitelow is pleased with the way things worked out and that he is a father while still in high school.

“I am glad I had my kids when I was young. When I’m 25, my son will be 10 and my daughter will be 9, They will already be grown and the rest of life will be easier to handle.”

There can be no doubt that life is tough to handle right now for Whitelow, only seventeen and graduating in less than five months. He is currently unsure about post-secondary education, but would like to attend college. Working his way through with two kids will be no easy task, but Whitelow will have to step up to the plate in order to give his kids the future that they deserve. n

Peek-a-boo! Senior Corbin Whitelow spends time with his daughter after a recent basketball game while other players are interviewed by the press. While Whitelow enjoys spending time with his children, he notes it is difficult to handle school, sports a job and a family. Photo by Jake Durden.

The Deal with Durden Jake Durden

My sports wish list for 2012

I

t’s a new year, and I have a new optimism towards sports, from here in Virginia to the tips of the Alps. Here is my grown up Christmas list for each month of 2012.

January: The wheels fall off the BCS wagon in favor of an FBS playoff system. Though there’s not much time left in January, the college football season has finally concluded, with no legitimate dispute over who the champion was.

However, several other teams were deserving of a title shot, or at least not getting shafted out of the entire BCS because of a missed field goal. The ACC is 2-13 in BCS games, yet was given two bids this year. The tycoons need to accept less revenue and allow the nation’s best to duke it out for an undisputed champion. The only way to resolve arguments over the national champion for once and for all is to revert to a playoff system, like every other level of football.

February: The Super Bowl doesn’t dissapoint. Despite the defending champion Packers making an early exit from the NFL playoffs, this year’s grand finale promises to be as great as ever, with explosive offenses, high caliber quarterbacks, and stingy defenses all looking for a chance to steal the show.

The Super Bowl is the single most watched sporting event in the world for a reason. Let’s hope for another shootout in Indianapolis, and for football to continue to gain global popularity.

March: Cinderella shows up in the Final Four. The NCAA Men’s tournament is one of the greatest championships in sports. Every team has a shot, and you never know when a team regarded as mediocre will rise to the challenge and dethrone a top seed. Last year’s tournament resulted in an elite eight upset of number one Kansas by Virginia’s own VCU Rams. An eight seed, Butler, went all the way to the championship game. This year’s tournament shows promise as well, as several mid-major teams pose an upset threat to the big dogs: watch out for dark horse Murray State, as well as VCU and George Mason to go on a postseason run and be the next Cinderella.

April: Tiger gets back on track by winning the Masters. After the scandal that permanently defaced the best golf player on the planet, golf hasn’t garnered the same attraction as it did when a youthful Tiger Woods ruled the world golf stage. In order to revive his sport, Tiger needs to find a way to piece a full 72 holes of golf together and win his first major since before the scandal, so that the PGA Tour can return to its former glory. The time has come for Tiger to roar once more, and I look for him to this spring at Augusta National.

May: Federer defeats Nadal in the French Open. Despite Djokovich owning the Grand Slams of 2011, the big two of tennis will hopefully square off again in Roland Garrows, where Rafa has dominated Federer. The Swiss is eldery in terms of the world tennis stage, and this may be his last shot to take down Nadal on Nadal’s homecourt. Federer can regain the number one ranking one last time before his nearing retirement, and go down as one of the best to ever play.

June: LeBron gets the monkey off his back. By the time this year’s NBA finals come around, the league will have endured a full year of turmoil resulting from the lockout, and Lebron James will have survived two years of unprecedented scrutiny and criticism. It’s his time to win a championship and silence his millions of naysayers. Once Lebron gets his title, the NBA can move on finally after years of fixation on the man who was once said to be the next Jordan. Look for the Heat not to be denied the Larry O’Brien trophy.

July: The Tour de France goes dope-free and gains American viewers. Professional cycling has taken more blows due to the doping scandals of the past decade than perhaps any other sport. Lance Armstrong’s return to the Tour last year sparked intrigue but only one American cracked the final tope ten.

The Tour is one of the most grueling events in sports, and yet cycling goes entirely unwatched for most Americans except for a few clips of frenzied finishes and yellow jerseys in the Alps. Perhaps if American cycling can find a new, dope-free hero, the Tour will gain its proper glory on American television screens.

August: Usain Bolt puts on another insane performance.

After blowing away the competition in the 100 and 200m dashes in Beijing, Usain will take the spotlight once more and attempt to reset his world record and once again be crowned the fastest man on the planet. Also in Olympic action, the American basketball Redeem Team has won their title and restored the US to the pinnacle of basketball. This year they look to repeat, and I hope for an impressive gold medal performance to lead the charge of American success in the 2012 games.

September: The 2012 London Paralympics get the attention they deserve. The Paralympics are an undervalued and under-publicized athletic event that deserves the support of the entire sports world. These athletes have endured more hardship than most of us have ever faced, and risen above to train and compete in these games. I hope that all eyes remain turned toward London this September following the Summer Olympics, and that we can all take the time to appreciate the hard work that these athletes put in.

October: Major League Baseball finds a star without steroids.

It’s playoff time, and the MLB needs to establish a new young star that hasn’t tested positive for outrageous testosterone levels, in order to move past the Ryan Braun scandal. In our own backyard, Steven Strasburg makes his return from elbow surgery and has a chance to really be something extraordinary for the Nationals on the mound. Other young stars that I expect to step up to the plate include Mike Stanton, Justin Upton, and the highly anticipated Bryce Harper, also in the Nationals’ system.

November: The Chase for the Cup is half as good as it was this year. Lets face it, 2011 created unreasonable expectations for the quality of NASCAR, bringing even naysayers like myself to pay attention to the final races of the Chase. Not only was Jimmy Johnson finally dethroned, but Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards went all the way to the last laps of the NASCAR finale to determine who won the crown. I hope that this year brings a similar result, with another sprint to the finish on the racetrack.

December: JMU football makes a playoff run. North Dakota State won the FCS football championship last year, and the Dukes narrowly lost in the second round of the playoffs. No other team ame within a few points, and JMU heads into the off season with a decent amount of momentum. Next fall the Dukes return nine offensive starters, as well as key components of the linebacking corps and secondary. With the opportunity for home playoff games in the newly enhanced Bridgeforth Stadium, the Dukes look to build upon last year’s second round exit and make a deep run in the FCS playoffs.

newsstreak

S P E E D ENDURANCE

January 27 2012

The

SPORTS - Ben DiNapoli - B8

VERSUS

Distance swimming challenging Max Johnson sports reporter

O Peter’s Principles Peter Byrd

W

ho is the most polarizing sports figure? There is no correct answer, but cases can be made for multiple athletes from many different sports. Here, I breakdown some of the most famous sports stars and examine what causes them to galvanize audiences across the globe.

Where to begin? Let’s start with an athlete who fell off the face of the planet, Eldrick Woods, better known as “Tiger”. Tiger’s marital infidelities were brought to the forefront the night he crashed his Escalade into a tree.

Twenty or so mistresses came forward and Tiger’s marriage ended in vain.

His personal life affected his golf game on the course. He hasn’t won a major championship since the 2008 U.S. Open and remains stuck at 14, four behind Jack Nicklaus’ all-time record.

Most everyone rooted for Tiger in his prime years. Now, because of his past transgressions, golf galleries are split on giving their support to an adulterer.

“I’m gonna take my talents to South Beach and join the Miami Heat.” These famous, (or infamous) words, spoken

by LeBron James, altered the landscape of professional basketball. Many bandwagon fans flocked to Miami to throw their support behind a team with three superstars. But a lot of other basketball fans, particularly in Cleveland, were disgusted with James’ handling of his announcement. LeBron had an hour-long television special, which raised millions of dollars for the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. Millions of Americans were rubbed the wrong way and and now despise the world’s best player for being unprofessional and arrogant.

Tim Tebow is the hottest commodity right now. Barber shops, schools, churches, and knitting circles are all discussing Tebow’s heroics. Some people look up to Tebow as a role model because of his hardcore religious beliefs and how he wears his emotions on his sleeve. A large majority of fans want Tebow to fail because they are tired of hearing about his Christian values.

Others despise Tebow because they feel that he receives preferential treatment for his “limited” passing abilities (Tebow has a NFL worst 47.3% completion percentage). Whatever the case may be, no athlete garners more media attention than number 15 in Denver.

Tom Brady. Four Super Bowl appearances. Three Super Bowl wins.

Cover boy of GQ and Sports Illustrated. Brady is a proven winner and celebrity. He is a household name. The Patriots are a franchise with an abundance of fans across the country because of their success. On the contrary, Brady’s success with the Patriots has made him into one of the most loathed football players of all-time.

Kobe Bryant is vilified for the same reasons as Brady; he just wins. With enough championship rings for a whole hand and enough All-Star appearances for a small village, Bryant is the player most often compared to the great Michael Jordan. However, Bryant lost a contingent of followers after sexual assault allegations surfaced. In his defense, the case was dropped, but not before he lost multiple endorsements and multiple fans due to his adulterous behavior.

Michael Phelps is labeled an American hero after his success at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Phelps dominated the competition en route to a record eight gold medals, giving him a grand total of 14 gold medals. Phelps is a role model for young swimmers and an international celebrity. But did you know Phelps has a DUI arrest as well as photos of him hitting the bong? Some people have lost respect for him, respect he will never get back.

The biggest stars merit the most media attention and are often the most scrutinized. The same concept could be applied for soccer’s two biggest stars: Messi and C. Ronaldo. Athletes are expected to live the perfect life, yet they are humans as well, and are prone to making mistakes. I am willing to look past one or two mistakes athletes make but it seems as if millions of Americans hold these athletes to astronomical standards, which is frankly unrealistic. Star athletes, on their pedestals, are judged by a different rubric; a rubric in which their personal lives are brought to the forefront, not solely based on their athletic achievements. n

Swim! Senior Claire Glick goes for the win during a recent swim meet. Photo courtesy of

Glick, Crites favor sprinting events Conner Whitehouse sports reporter

A

s a whole, the HHS varsity swim team has been outperformed by nearly all other valley district schools. .

The team numbers in the low twenties, where as district rivals Turner Ashby and Spotswood have double the manpower.

Their numbers allow for domination in the point-based system the VHSL operates under, and has the numbers to put fresh swimmers in every event.

A small team like Harrisonburg doesn’t have this luxury, but what is lacking in numbers is made up for in individual talent.

HHS really excels in the area of sprinting. Senior Claire Glick on the girl’s team, and sophomore Derrick Crites for the guy’s team are the competitive sprinters in the district for the Streaks. Glick has dropped over a second on her 50 freestyle in her years on the team, a second can make all the difference in an event that lasts for 27 seconds . Glick also holds the school record for the women’s 100 free at 59.94 seconds. Glick has been swimming for over thirteen years and has swam for the Westover Waves, Spotswood Dolphins, and VAST. Through her extensive experience, Glick has become proficient in virtually ever distance and stroke but enjoys shorter distances and relays. Relays give Glick the team aspect that she favors in her favorite sport soccer. Even though

Glick has been swimming for so long, she still calls soccer as her main sport.

“Swimming has always been a big part of my life, but I really enjoy the team aspect of soccer more,” Glick said.

Crites, unlike Glick, has only been swimming for two seasons.

Crites also swims the 50 and 100 freestyle but favors the 50.

“During the 50, you are in and out of the water, and technique is not as important as it is in the longer endurance events,” Crites said.

At the beginning of his freshman year, Crites’ parents talked him into swimming as something else to do, and since then Crites has become one of the best male swimmers on the team. Crites says that Coach Richard Morrell had a huge part in this.

“Morrell is a really good coach, he’s always pushed me hard and makes us do some difficult drills,” Crites said.

Crites has a background in football, so obviously swimming comes second fiddle to his true passion.

“Football doesn’t really help with swimming, but it is something to do during the winter and keeps me in shape,” Crites said.

Even with good swimmers like this, Harrisonburg struggles to compete with bigger schools.

Swimming is most of the team member’s secondary sport, and not enough swimmers participate year round in outside leagues. n

Holmes looks to break additional records Sprint!

Junior Weylin Holmes finishes strongly during the Spotswood EMU indoor track meet.

Holmes seeks to break another school record at least one time during the season, especially in the high jump.

Photo courtesy of the Raab family.

Anthony Duong

S

sports reporter

weat drops on the track as sprinters get into their positions. When the gun goes off, the only goal on their mind is to beat the timer and the sprinter next to them. The runners pour their heart and souls into the sport the whole season to do this one event: competing and ultimately reaching the state track meet.

Although other sprinters aim for only that goal, Junior Weylin Holmes aims for something higher.

“I want to be better than anyone out there. I want to break records and make a name for myself,” Holmes said.

During the fall, Holmes is a standout football player. Outrunning other defenders in football has helped him a lot in sprinting. Other than doing sprinting in indoor track, he also enjoys to high jump. Early in the season, Holmes broke the high school record for high jump at 6’3”.

Fast or slow?

Different types of muscles can cause you to be either really fast in the sprints or have great endurance throughout a longer event.

Find out what type of muscle you have!

Infographic by Jessica Nguyen

“Breaking a record is exciting for me. It gives me motivation to keep getting better,” Holmes said.

Holmes wants to end the season striving to be the best and get better over the years. Being a three-sport athlete like Holmes helps him stay fit throughout the season. Holmes helps newcomers entering indoor track lift weights and get faster.

Freshman Timothy Zepp is also creating a goal for himself and trying to preform his best this season.

“Going into the season, you don’t expect these guys to be this fast. Competing against others is hard,” Zepp said.

Zepp has played freshmen football prior to the season and looks to keep doing track for the rest of high school. Zepp also did track in his middle school years. By the end of the season, Zepp wants to be a faster sprinter and a better competitor.

“I’m going to continue to work hard to get faster. This is my main goal for the season,” Zepp said. n

Type 1 Slow Twitch

Slow-contracting fibers. They are very efficient at using oxygen without lactic build-up. They have a ton of endurance, and can go on forever.

ne of the less-publicized sports of the Valley is high school swimming. Some athletes use swimming to stay in shape for their other sports, and some stay in shape for swimming in order to pursue district and regional titles. There is a immense gap between distance swimmers and sprinters. Completely different physiques, attributes, and mentalities are required to succeed in short or long races.

Distance swimming varies for other long distance sports, such as marathon running or cross-country skiing. There is a different aspect to the sport.

Rather than one muscle group being worked (biking works the legs, rowing works the arms, etc.), swimming is a full body sport. This means that your legs, your heart, your arms, back and shoulders are all in motion at the same time, making endurance swimming a tough sport that only some have the tenacity to be successful at.

Camille Cummings is a one of a kind swimmer. She swims both disciplines of distance and sprinting. Each requires numerous different physical attributes, but at the same time has many similarities. According to Cum-

mings, distance swimming is more of a mental process. You have to pace yourself and then always try to finish as hard as you can with an all-out sprint.

However, in the sprints of 50, 100 or 200 meters, there is almost no mental process besides jumping into the water and swimming as hard as you can to try to win.

“At first, I was just going to sprint, but when nobody wanted to do long distance. I did long distance for fun but then I ended up liking it, so I just stuck with it,” Cummings said.

As it turns out, Cummings is a very good distance swimmer.

She loves the fact that she gets to be a little more relaxed instead of just going as hard as you can in an anaerobic haze Cummings just loves to be around the water. As a freshman, this is a good sign as it means she will back in the coming years for more. With such a commitment, we can expect more from the young star in the future.

Although distance swimming may not be her first choice, she loves the fact the she gets the opportunity to participate in both disciplines.

“I am so glad to be doing both,” Cummings said. “I like being in the water, and doing both allows me to swim more.”

n

Gasp! Senior Connor Bell, an endurance specialistcomes up for air during a freestyle event.

Distance running demands dedication Kevin Franco sports reporter

L

ong distance runners have a pride about them like no other. They are the only people willing to run for up to 50 minutes straight just to win. Let us be honest: finding someone that enjoys running is uncommon. These people are a breed of there own.

There are varying degrees of long distance running, from “shorter” long distances of the 1600 in track to the “longer” long distances of the marathon to the ultra-distance runners of double marathons. This category even includes the “crazies” who run thousands of miles, like Pat Farm, a 49-year old ultra-distance runner who is covering over ten thousand miles for charity, running 50 miles a day. Although not as extreme, indoor long distance runners Senior Abe Alvarado and Junior Caitlin Kelley describe there love for the sport.

“You have to push yourself for longer. Long distance runners feel constant pain, while sprinters feel only one short se-

vere pain,” Alvarado said.

Dedication leads to success, not only in sports but also in life.

Athletics help develop this essential life skill, some more than others. While training for long distance running, ait is not only the two hours you run during practice, but it is the decision to run to the store instead of driving that shows commitment.

“Long distance runners take more dedication. You have to really push yourself to keep running for your benefit,” Kelley said.

Winning a long distance race doesn’t just give you bragging rights. It gives a victory for your team. Long distance runners go as hard as they can for as long as they can because their team needs it. Long distance runners possess internal motivation that keeps them running, such as the feeling of quitting but knowing you can’t. Athletes who push themselves constantly for long periods of time have an incredibly strong internal motivational drive. It’s an incredible feeling once your done, and for Alvarado, it is unmatchable.

“You feel an incredible rush of relief after [you finish the race],” Alvarado said. n

How to block start

1.

2.

3.

Infographic by Gypsy Torgerson

Line up the blocks about 6 inches away from the starting line.

4.

Lean your arms slightly forward over the starting line.

Count one and a half feet in from the starting line for your right foot, and two feet in for your left foot. Move blocks.

5.

Raise your butt as high as you can when the starter says “Set!”

Get down into position when the starter says “Runners, on your mark!”

6.

Push off the blocks as hard as you can when the starting gun goes off.

Type 2a

Type 2b

Half slow and half fast, these fibers have a very high contraction rate yet are energy efficient. These muscles are an all-around muscle.

The sprinter’s muscle.

These have an extremely high contraction rate.

Olympic sprinters’ muscles usually contain about 80% of Type 2b fibers.

Fast Twitch

Fast Twitch

December 2011 January 27,16, 2012

2011-12

HHS

NEWSSTREAK

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January 27 2011

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THE OPPORTUNITY OF A LIFETIME Ariel Vogel and Christy Stearn staff reporter and editor-in-chief

O

n January 6, the HHS cheerleaders flew to New Orleans, LA and began preparations for their performance during halftime at the National Championship BCS Bowl.

The BCS Bowl is a collegiate football series in which ten teams compete in a five-game showcase, and the top two competitors go helmet -tohelmet in a playoff game. This year, Alabama and Louisiana State competed at the Super Dome in New Orleans on January 9.

HHS’s varsity cheerleading team was invited to perform during the BCS Bowl in the middle of the competitive season prior to the district tournament. In order to raise the $1500 necessary for plane fare and costumes, the cheerleaders brainstormed fundraiser ideas, and head coach Bridget Smith selected the best idea. The team decided to sell cookies and fudge, and purses out of a ThirtyOne catalogue. Each teammate was accountable for selling at least 30 boxes of cookies, but if any of the athletes sold 40 or more, they were rewarded with an Under Armour sweatshirt.

“It was hard to raise that much money because not everyone liked what we were selling, and the people we sold one thing to we wouldn’t want to go back and sell something else to,” senior captain Gentry Dove said. “Me and three other girls spent about five hours going door-to-door selling cookies one day. We all worked really hard.”

A little over a month prior to the BCS Bowl, Smith and assistant coach Devon Skelly received a video of the routine they would be performing during halftime.

“We gave each of the girls a copy of the DVD,” Smith said. “David Scott choreographed it. He choreographed the Step Up movies and was also on So You Think You Can Dance.”

The cheerleaders worked on learning the dance at each other’s houses over break, and rehearsed the routine several times during scheduled team practices at HHS. As opposed to being taught by an instructor step-by-step, the cheerleaders repeatedly watched select parts of the video and mimicked the dancers’ moves.

“The girls in the video danced the whole way through the routine without stopping and giving any advice or instruction,” senior captain Evan Wetsel said. “That made it really hard to learn.”

The dance was comprised mostly of body rolling and hip-hop based moves; however, the Scott also incorporated cheerleading stunts and tumbling into the routine. Each cheerleader was required to pack black tennis shoes, black spandex, and their performance dresses for the trip. In addition, the entire team had to match for rehearsals.

The entire trip stemmed over five days. The team left Harrisonburg, VA at 2:00 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 6 and carpooled to the Dulles Airport.

From there, the cheerleaders took two flights - from Dulles to Atlanta, GA, and from Atlanta to New Orleans; they arrived in the Big Easy at 12:00 p.m.

“The plane ride was crazy! Some of the girls were freaking out because they’d never been on a plane before, but we were all really excited to go,” junior Sarah Bell said.

Once they arrived, the team checked in at the hotel and left to take a tour of the swamp. After the tour, the team returned to the hotel, changed, and headed to their first dance rehearsal, which lasted three hours. On Day 2 of the trip, the cheerleaders had practice from 8 a.m. until 12:00 p.m., and then went on a trolley ride to a cafe and took a steamboat tour to eat dinner. The following day, the team had an eight hour rehearsal from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Afterwards, the athletes were surprised with tickets to a Cee-Lo Green concert, succeed by a traditional Cajun dinner and dancing.

“The Cajun dinner was really cool because it was a completely different culture and the music sounded like something I’d never heard before,” Dove said.

Above: HHS’s cheerleading team and coaches take a group photo before going on a tour of New Orleans’ famous swamp.

Check us out on the web www.newsstreak.com This is a condensed version of Ariel and Christy’s story. For in-depth coverage go to www.newsstreak.com Left: The cheerleaders perfect their stunts during one of their three practices prior to their performance during halftime of the BCS Bowl.

Right: HHS cheerleaders practice their entrance onto the field during dress rehearsals. Photos courtesy of Gentry Dove.

Left: The HHS varsity cheerleading team poses for a picture during dress rehearsal, only hours before their BCS Bowl performance.

Above: Cheerleading teams, dance squads, and bands from all over the country put the final touches on their halftime performance. Photos courtesy of Gentry Dove.