February Issue

The

newsstreak

Cheating at HHS Pg. B1

where every person has a story

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

Volume XIC • Issue 7• February 24, 2012

Carmaggedon presents challenges for physics students Christy Stearn

S

editor-in-chief

tudents in both honors and general physics classes will go head-tohead, combatting their homemade, remote-controlled vehicles for a grade. Physics teachers Seth Berkeley and Andrew Jackson devised a double elimination tournament for their students to compete in. The classes will be evaluated on their ability to build motorized cars designed to knock their adversaries out of a ring within the 90-second time limit.

Honors Physics students seniors Corban Leach and Ben Marks decided to pair up for this project. Leach has enjoyed working on his car so far, but thinks the project has its drawbacks.

“I think it helps us apply what we’ve learned, but I definitely feel like we’re just trying to get it done, It’s a fun way to learn, but at the same time we [students] don’t really care about winning,” Leach said.

Each of the of the teams was given a bag filled with car parts. Students were required to construct their vehicles to meet a series of guidelines; no cars could launch any projectiles, utilize fire, explosives, or water, be designed to do damage to another vehicle or person, or employ pre-fabricated drive trains.

The teams will be graded based on their vehicle’s capacity to travel forward, backward, left, and right within a minute and a half. Every vehicle that can navigate successfully will be entered into the multi-class competition.

Leach and Marks have already gotten a jump start on their car, which has allowed Techie pro. Senior Louis Penrod begins construction on his physics ‘carmaggedon’ vehicle. Students must build a car that can turn right, and left, in addition to moving forward and backward. Photo by Paulina Rendon.

See CAR on Page A3

newsstreak.com

Academic team still optimistic after losing record

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

Vanessa Ehrenpreis editor-in-chief

S

eventeen losses and one win may not be the pristine record the academic team was hoping for this season, but in Coach Robert Edmunds’ opinion, it could be a lot worse.

“An 0-17 season and the kids [on the team] were still nice and a joy to be around. This year was personally rewarding as a coach,” Edmunds said.

The team’s unsuccessful season is a severe departure from last year’s third place state finish. The academic team has entered what is known as a “rebuilding year.” A mere one out of ten team members was retained from last year-the nine others graduated. Among them were four of the team’s sharpest minds: Xuyi Guo, Bobby Rotzin, Leo Arango, and Timothy Galicki.

Edmunds is, of course, sad to see last year’s victory team dissipate; however, he recognizes that

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

Coming Up: Spring season sports previews.

Taking a look at the emmigrants of Harrisonburg “No no we won’t go!”

Teachers protest possible state legislation Students take on scientific research The long awaited ‘Hunger Games’ premier Taking a look at the teacher power couples of HHS

Mark Duda

T

Tumbling! Senior Gentry Dove competes on floor during a home gymnastics meet against Turner Ashby High School. Photo courtesy of Gentry Dove

this issue

that the students will become more comfortable with their own ability in upcoming years.

“As they get older, they get more comfortable in answering questions and hitting the buzzer. It’s all information recall-- not being ‘smart,’” Edmunds said.

This season’s only victory came in the post-season against Broadway High School. Spotswood High School won the district title, while R.E. Lee secured the best overall season record. Edmunds was pleasantly surprised throughout the season by administrator appearances at meets, an additional positive.

“Every Assistant Principal and the Athletic Director, Mr. Wilson showed up to one of our meets. It meant a lot to see that support and encouragement for the students when the season wasn’t looking so good on paper,” Edmunds said.

Patel plans to recruit more students to join the team for the 2012-2013 season and is optimistic for next year. Freshman Micheal

Academic Team Fast Facts 1-17 record- The team won one round against Broadway High School in the post season tournament Team Captain- Junior Premal Patel (the only returning team member from 2010/11) Rising Stars- Freshman Michael Walton was described

by Coach Robert Edmunds as a “standout” competitor in his first season.

District title went to Spotswood High School this year.

Walton was a stand-out member of the team this season, in addition to juniors Gina Muan and Christina Sellers.. With sustained membership and some new faces the academic team looks forward to next year’s competition. As Edmunds put it: “How could we be worse? We can only improve from here.” n

Financial aid workshops help with FAFSA forms

Freeze Frame

Inside

there were drawbacks to having such apt athletes.

“The seniors were a little bit intimidating and self-assured. They were so strong it was hard for people to just walk in and join the team,” Edmunds said.

Junior Premal Patel is the only remaining member from last year.

Now a captain, Patel has been left to carry the team. In his opinion, the loss of the seniors was certainly a setback, but not a complete breakdown.

“Losing feels really bad, but not that bad,” Patel said. “Our losing record is mostly because of [other team members] inexperience.

There’s a lot of general knowledge that you learn through high school that is used during competition.

By the end of high school, you learn most of the material through classes.”

With a team composed completely of sophomores, juniors, and freshmen, much of this “general knowledge” has yet to be acquired. Edmunds also believes

managing editor

he cost of a college education has rapidly increased over the last decade, raising the full cost to a price out of reach for many students’ families. Financial aid programs, however, have also increased in extent, both from federal and institutional sources.

A number of financial aid workshops have taken place over the last few months, the most recent of which took place on Feb. 6 from 6-8 p.m. Guidance counselor Amy Powers estimates that 60-70 students attended the workshop, which took place in the HHS library. The guidance department coordinates the workshops with representatives from JMU, who assist financial aid applicants with organizing their financial data to fill out the FAFSA, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Powers believes that assistance needs to be given to applicants because of the application’s complication.

“It’s intimidating. It’s an intimidating process [for families] to come in and look at the financial aid application and understand what the questions are asking in terms of in-

A3

A look at technology through the ages

still submit and qualify based on previous years’ information,” Powers said.

Along with the February workshop, several others, including a Spanish language one, took place earlier in the year.

“We do several options; we have an earlier financial aid meeting in January. We run two separate types of sessions; we run one in January, where this year we had representatives from EMU come over,” Powers said. “We do an English version and then have one for Spanish-speaking families, where they get an overview of the types of financial aid that are out there and offered by individual public and private schools, so it’s just a general overview of what financial aid is. This February workshop is an actual hands on one, where [the families] actually complete and submit [the application].”

The workshops have been occurring for a number of years now, and, in Powers’ opinion, have been an overall success.

“Each year our attendance has increased.

It’s definitely something that’s needed,” Powers said. “I think more families are becoming aware that they can apply for financial aid, regardless of whether they feel that they’ll get financial aid. It makes families more aware of what’s out there.” n

SPORTS

STYLE

NEWS

Debate and Forensics compete at districts.

come, in terms of savings, and how that plays into the aid they may or may not get,” Powers said. “The financial aid reps can pretty much fill out the application for them online within 15 to 20 minutes. It’s a pretty quick process if you know what you’re doing and know how to answer the questions. That’s the purpose of the JMU reps being here, to help speed up the process and not have it be so intimidating to the families.”

The FAFSA requires information from the most recent year’s taxes, but most families have not yet filed taxes for this year, which makes the application process more complicated.

“Right now, I think [the families] struggle with not having their taxes completed. They haven’t filed yet, so their concern is that they have these March 1 or March 15 deadlines that they have to meet for the colleges and they’re still waiting to fill out their tax information and file. It’s really assuring them that they can still fill out the FAFSA even though they haven’t had their taxes completed yet for this past year. They can submit what they have based on previous years and they can update it once they do file. It helps assure them that they don’t have to have everything done and completed this early and they can

A7

Senior Connor Bell prepares for the mountain biking season.

THE

experience

Freshman reporter Hope Carr recalls the birth of her baby brother and copes with his passing.

B7

B10

February 24, 2012

The

newsstreak

NEWS- Molly Denman - A2

Scheduling for next year starts this month.

Journalism kids do better.

Sign up for Newsstreak.

February 24, 2012

The

newsstreak

NEWS -Kavya Beheraj - A3

AP government students hear Belafonte Conner Whitehouse staff reporter

O

n Jan 24, 52 AP government students travelled to Charlottesville High School to view the documentary Sing Your Song. The documentary detailed Harry Belafonte’s life and civil rights activism. After the showing, Belafonte came out onto the stage alongside University of Virginia professor Larry Sabato to answer questions generated by the public through a card system.

Each student had the chance to ask a question, and although he could only respond to about five of them because of the length of his answers, Belafonte said he would read them later.

Many high schools and middle schools from all over Virginia came for the presentation as a part of their class. However, a certain undisclosed county school’s administration did not allow their students to attend the viewing because of its focus on the Civil Rights movement. This is what AP Government teacher Kris Vass views as evidence that even today, there are remnant tensions about this issue.

“I thought it was crazy that, even today, a school is not allowed to come [watch the documentary.] I wish they would have told us which one. I was just happy that the field trip covered a lot of AP test material and topics heavily covered in classes. I could not have asked for better content,” Vass said.

The purpose of the trip was to show

Protest! Political scientist Larry Sabato (left) and ctivist Harry Belafonte (right) speak at a presentation of Belafonte’s documentary Sing Your Song. Photo by Kavya Beheraj.

students the wide-reaching effects of the civil rights movement, and how Belafonte and his partners worked alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He was among the first group to focus on the restoration of Africa.

“The trip was awesome; we usually just focus on Martin Luther King Junior [when learning about the civil rights movement], but Harry Belafonte worked with him a lot and continued his work after he died. He also had extensive experience in Africa, and lived with the Bloods and the Crips in Los Angeles. He’s done everything. As a whole the students seemed to enjoy the field trip,” said history teacher Jay Hook.

The presentation was different from the usual documentaries on civil rights. It showed that there was actually an international effect caused by the movement. Around the same time, a surge of sympathy to Africa began.

Belafonte explained that he brought about forty Kenyan men to the United States to educate them, one of them being Barack Obama Sr. “I enjoyed hearing about a activist other than Martin Luther [King, Jr.],” said senior Will Turner.

Students finally got to hear about another main player in the civil rights movement other than Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. Although the two participated heavily in the movement, students appreciated learning about the media’s side.

“I did not know anything about Belafonte going into the trip, and now I know how [a] huge [amount about the] role he actually played in the civil rights movement. It is a shame that he’s not more well known,” said senior Connor Boyle. n

Academic Academy replaces Project Graduation Anastasiya Kalyuk

T

staff reporter

he start of Academic Academy is the result of a grant HHS received a couple years ago.

The grant was to organize an after school activity which could provide tutoring and help students get better SOL scores. Project Graduation was made to strictly focus on SOLs, Power Hour was mostly tutoring, and the Academic Academy is the new Project Graduation.

“I’m not sure how much money the grant was for, but Academic Academy is the new Project graduation,” history teacher Kris Vass said.

The program is not getting a good turn out so far.

Their incentives will soon be to give out prizes. One idea is to give away movie tickets.

“We’re trying to encourage more kids to come. We need to figure out how to get kids to want to stay after,” Vass said.

Academic Academy is currently offering one-onone tutoring in English, Sciences, Social Studies and Math. Math has the best turn out this year by far. If a student were to stay after for help in one subject, they could switch subjects and ask a different teacher for help. This will give students a bigger advantage to do better if they focus on the one subject they need to improve.

“I stay after every Monday and Tuesday for math.

That’s my worst subject. It helps me do better and it helps me pass tests when I know how to do the homework,” junior Robert Smith said.

If students can not get a ride home, Academic Academy ensures a ride home on a certain day.

“I used to hate staying after, but when I go with friends it makes sitting and doing homework bearable. Math is a challenge and this helps me stay motivated to do good. The teachers are helpful and it’s really chill,” junior Trevor Jerrels said.

The goal of Academic Academy is to help students improve in their studies and to pass their SOLs. This program is open to anyone who needs help. n

Congress attempts to pass SOPA, PIPA but protests sway decision Kavya Beheraj

C

news editor

onsider this: last year, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry reported that if internet piracy did not exist, physical music sales would be up by 72 percent and digital music sales would be a whopping 131 percent higher. These numbers translate to big bucks drained from the pocket of an industry that is in a steady, definite decline.

But piracy is definitely not limited to music – movies, TV shows, and books are all subject to rampant copyright violations, and sometimes appear on the Internet mere hours after their public release. Often, the illegal material appears on peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing sites, like the recently shut

down Megaupload.com. In an effort to provide regulation and protection to copyright holders, Congress attempted to pass the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA). “[Congress is] trying to update old laws to apply to new technology. The old piracy laws dealt with people who would go into [the movie theater] with a camcorder, record a movie, and sell it on the street,” said government teacher Kris Vass. “But now technology’s advanced so much that people can download high quality movies or songs [from the Internet] and trade them or sell them.”

In essence, SOPA and PIPA would make website owners responsible for the content that their users post. For example, if a person posted a copyrighted music video on his or her friend’s Facebook

wall, then Facebook would be held liable for the infringement.

“It’s not like [SOPA and PIPA are] bad, because it’s good to stop piracy, but they’re too broad,” said junior Leighton Snyder. “And what [the bills] would end up doing is if you posted something on a website that had copyrighted [material, the government would] shut down the whole site. Knowing the nature of the Internet, that would shut everything down.”

Thousands of websites – from the English Wikipedia to Google to Reddit – feared the same result and on the days leading up to Jan 18, protested publicly. Prominent sites “blacked out” for a day. Petitions with millions of signatures floated around the Internet.

Groups that supported SOPA – like the Motion Picture Association of America, CBS, and even the FBI – had their websites shut

down by the “hacktivist” group Anonymous.

“The way that these [bills] went at [piracy] was very unfair in the minds of lots of people, especially Internet companies like Facebook, Wikipedia, and eBay. Places where business runs on user-created data,” Vass said.

However, following the protests, at least 13 senators backed away from the bill in one day. “[The protests] obviously worked, which is pretty cool,” Vass said. “A lot of times you see people protesting and it seems like nothing happens, but [this time] Congress listened and Congressmen changed their minds.”

Although both Vass and Snyder are against piracy, they believe that the bills Congress proposed are not the best methods of regulation. “[Congress is] doing the right

thing but doing it the wrong way,” Snyder said. “It’d be hard to [regulate piracy] the right way, but if [Congress] somehow found a way that was better, I would rather them do that than what they’re doing now.”

Vass agrees, and says that the lifestyle of today seems to contribute to the piracy mindset.

“The music industry and the movie industry have to adapt,” Vass said. “How do you stop a culture of people who think [piracy is] free and okay?”

The internet’s reaction to SOPA was catalytic. Massive protests killed the bill for now, but copyright infringement continues to pose a serious threat to the movie and music industry. Congress may have to revisit the bills in the future to find a more effective, and permanent, solution to the problem of piracy. n

Key Club fights famine in Africa Molly Denman

J

news editor

unior Thomas Abebe took the initiative to raise money for those suffering from famine in Africa. Abebe noticed that there were no clubs in the school who were trying to raise money for other countries. In an attempt to make a difference and help others, Abebe met with advisers and started his own club called United Community.

“I am from Ethiopia and there were not any clubs in the school that were raising money for other countries, so I decided to take action and make my own club,” Abebe said.

The members of United Community got together

and brainstormed ideas to raise money. They came up with the idea to start selling wristbands. The club gathered enough money to order wristbands online and began selling them to students around school. The club also stayed after school during an early release day to make posters. These posters were placed around school advertising the famine wristbands.

“He [Abebe] was in Key Club before. He did not know why we did not do anything for other countries so he started his own club, United Community,” said Tony Antonnicola, Key Club adviser.

Antonnicola agreed to help Abebe sell the wristbands as well. The group has sold out of the wristbands. Abebe’s goal to raise $500. n

Fight!

Junior Thomas Abebe began the wristband fundraiser to fight famine in Africa.

Photo by Kavya Beheraj.

Mathletes compete Forensics team wins district meet Ben Marks online reporter

M

any students remember Mathlete competitions from elementary and middle school. In these competitions, students have 30 minutes to complete a series of six problems, ordered in increasing difficulty. However, what many students fail to realize 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 sophomore Daniel Roth.

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,”

Roth said. “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 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,” Roth said.

“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

Austin Coffey

H

staff reporter

HS’s forensics team pulled off an unexpected win January 31 in the district competitions. They went up against seven other schools, six of which had full teams. HHS’s team won the district championship.

“It was a pleasant surprise,” said forensics coach Bradley Walton.

As districts is usually a larger competition with more participants, the forensics team competed against schools like Waynesboro, who placed second in the state last year. This made

From CAR on A1 them to make some preliminary changes to their overall design.

“The black wheel we got in the kit wasn’t working very well, so we restarted the entire thing,” Leach said.

Each of the two cars must begin behind a line drawn 45 centimeters into the circle, and no part of the vehicle is permitted to extend beyond it. An exten-

the win over all six teams a truly unexpected victory.

“I was surprised! It was only my second time competing and I felt like I knew what I was doing,” said freshman Ana Dick.

“I was stunned. I was unsure about winning because of the big competition difference from last year. So, when I did win, I was in awe, said Tyler Edwards a sophomore who won first place in Humorous Dramatic Interpretation.

Walton participated in HHS’s forensics team when he was in high school. Soon after he began his library position, he was asked to take over as coach of the team

by Sheila Fielding and Sheila Antonnicola. He then invited his

wife and history teacher Cara Walton to join him in leading the team, preparing with weekly practices after school, and training some of the best speakers in the state.

The debate team will also be facing district, regional and state competition in the upcoming weeks.

Peter Norment, who is an English teacher and current debate coach at HHS, expects nothing other than a victory from this upcoming meet. Sweeping the competition at district in the previous years, Norment has no doubt that districts will come easyily to his team members this year. n

sion cord supplies power to the motors as both cars battle, struggling to push each other out of the ring.

If neither car is eliminated within the time period, a contention to seize possession of a ping pong ball provides an alternative method of determining a winner. In the event of a stalemate, each team is assigned to another match. If the team is involved in a second tie, the vehicle will then be discharged from the tournament.

The initial contest will be held during each class’ regular period, and top finishers of each will compete in a final evening contest. Extra credit will be awarded depending on the team’s victories in the tournament.

Leach has his sights set on winning, even with out the aid of some more complicated construction features. “[My ideal carmaggedon car] would pretty much do away with the whole ‘no weapons allowed’ rule. n

February 24, 2012

The

newsstreak

ADS - A4

We offer Group & Individual Health, Life, Auto, Homeowner and Commercial Insurance.

Located at 116 Reservoir Street Harrisonburg VA Phone: (540) 437-9030

Visit us at: www.brisinc.com

February 24, 2012

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

Reproduction of any material from the newspaper is prohibited without the written permission from the editorial board.

Advertising rates are available upon request.

It is the policy of the Harrisonburg City Public School Board to comply with all applicable state and federal laws regarding non-discrimination in employment and educational programs and services.

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.

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, 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

Professional Affiliations

The Newsstreak participates as a member of several journalistic evaluation services including the Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA-2010 Gold Evaluation and 2005 & 2009 Silver Crown Winner), Quill&Scroll Journalism Honor Society (2010 First Place International Award), National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA), the Virginia High School League, Inc. Trophy Class Award, and the Southern Interscholastic Press Association All Southern Ranking and 2010 Scroggins Award winner.

newsstreak.com opt out notice:

If you do NOT want to allow your student’s full name or image to appear on the school newspaper site, please send an email to vkibler@harrisonburg. k12. va.us stating: I understand that the school newspaper, newsstreak.com, now has an online version of the publication. I DO NOT want my son/daughter (place student’s name here) to have his or her name or image published on this online venue.

The

newsstreak

OPINION- Shannon Richard- A5

We need to crack down on cheating in school The

newsstreak’s

I

n high school, cheating has always been endemic. From freshmen who look off another algebra test to seniors texting each other answers in class, students continuously cheat.

In theory, the principle makes sense. A student doesn’t know enough to pass whatever quiz or test they’re taking, so they get some assistance to help them along. Rationalization becomes the devil’s playground, as students convince themselves that not only is cheating necessary, but they are good people for taking advantage of the system.

Therein lies the problem. Our

school has set up a system where consequences for cheating are low, and where cheating is incredibly easy. In a dramatic effort to “encourage students to succeed,” school policy makes it nearly impossible to receive a zero for any assignment, regardless of whether a student is caught cheating.

A lack of serious consequences for cheating is one of the largest reasons students continue to cheat. Deep down, every student knows that cheating is worthless and only hurts the student in the long run. However, much stricter policies need to be enforced in order for students to stop cheating.

Of course, school policy is not the only culprit. Cheating is certainly not something confined to students who simply don’t under-

Love

stand the material.

Endemic copying of work, stealing of answers and glancing off papers is just as common (if not more so) in AP classes as in remedial ones. In a society where students believe one B can destroy one’s chances of going to college, many students are unable to keep up with the ridiculously high expectations admissions offices expect to see.

If you haven’t cured cancer by the time you’re 18, getting into college is difficult, and exponentially more so if there’s not all A’s on your transcript. Students already try to add on extracurriculars, push themselves harder in sports, and juggle social lives.

Adding a 35-hour workweek of difficult classes and hours of homework each night drives

is in the air!

Appreciate different kinds of love

T

he first time I was away from home for two weeks, I started missing the way my mom would eat apples while driving. This odd habit which had previously annoyed me now seemed extremely endearing. And I thought, that’s love. While Valentine’s Day usually focuses on the romantic, mushygushy, type of love, there are a lot of other types of love that I think deserve recognition. Like the love I have for my family, my friends, dancing, and cheesecake.

Actually, the world kind of deserves a big love letter. Yes, I know, there are a of bad things going on out there, but we tend to take the good things for granted.

Take eating- I love eating. It is something we all have to do to survive, so isn’t it great that we can enjoy it? Sleeping too- I love going to bed when I am tired and it is actually good for me.

The Mia Perspective

Mia Karr

There are a lot of people in my life who deserve to be appreciated, too. I love my crazy mom who is so concerned about my safety that she instructed me to “run in a zig zag pattern if anyone came after me with a gun” before a trip to the Green Valley Book Fair. (We all know what type of dangerous people hang out there.)

I love my dad who came to all my Girl Scout Meetings in elementary school because my mom

had to work.

I love my hilarious sister, and my grandparents who have pretty much oohed and aahhed over everything I’m done since birth, and my friends who make me smile even when I am having a terrible day. There are a lot of other people that deserve appreciation to- I am pretty much in love with whoever invented modern plumbing.

There are teachers I love, too.

Teachers who have really cared about me and tried to make school bearable, or even (gasp!) fun. I guess this exemplifies my point that although life is not easy, the things and people who you love make it okay. So, this Valentine’s Day, instead of buying chocolate for a significant other, I will be buying it for my computer, my ballet slippers, and my favorite sweater. Then I will be eating it myself, because I love, love, love chocolate. n art byNishat Jamil

more than a few kids to cheat.

Of course, this isn’t an article about justifying cheating. Though the system obviously needs improvement, change is not going to happen anytime soon, and a broken system doesn’t, and never will, justify taking work that’s not yours.

Ultimately, students are the ones to blame for cheating, and they’re the ones who suffer because of it. If high schoolers challenge themselves past their breaking point, then cheat just to pass a class, they only hurt themselves in the end.

One day, they’re going to have forgotten their phone at home, or their “shared information” partner will be sick, and they’ll have to try (and fail) that exam all on their own. n

this

we

BELIEVE There’s someone for everyone Jessica Nguyen staff reporter

I

believe that there is that one person for everyone out there in the world. The perfect soul mate, the one person whomakes you smile when you think of them.

True, you see that one boy or girl that has a different boyfriend or girlfriend every week, but hey, trial and error. It’s rare that your first boyfriend or girlfriend will be your true love, but it happens on occasions. You might think that your soul mate is wondering the hallways of HHS right now, but it really could be that they live in Spain or Italy or China and you will just find them when the time is right.

Yeah, I know that your thinking that there is about seven billion people in the world and there are more girls than boys so it doesn’t work. But it does. I swear. It just does.

For those of you who have been crushed by love, it sucks doesn’t it?

But lift your head up! That previous relationship was not a mistake, It was a lesson. And hopefully you learned something. Now it’s time to move on and find someone else and maybe you might get lucky!

n

What’s with that crazy little Valentine’s Day?

My Dumb Thought s

You are beautiful, no matter what they say

Y

ou are absolutely beautiful. Everything about you, beautiful. I love the way your hair is unruly and sometimes covers your eyes. I love your smile. I adore your skin, the color it bares, and every mole and freckle that accessorizes it.

Your laugh is contagious and despite how shy you think you are, it does not hold back how much you light up any room you walk into.

There will always be something about you that is memorable. You will never be invisible to me.

I just wanted to write to you and tell you I hope you are having a good evening. And if you are reading this from another part of the world, I hope you are having a good morning. I know some days can get rough, spirits can get smothered, and self esteem can dwindle away. I have those days, too. But I am here to tell you, through all of that, you are still beautiful. You are still talented, and you are still completely amazing.

You are probably reading this right now saying to yourself, “No I’m not.” I am here to tell you that

Jabbin’ with Jamieson

EmilyJamieson

you are. To me, you are. I can solidly say that I am not the only one who thinks so either. I respect everything that you are. Your mind, your worth, and your imagination. You are quality. If that takes me telling you every single day, then so be it.

Are you smiling yet? You should be. I like your smile. Grab yourself a tea, or a coffee, sit down some time tonight, today, or tomorrow and have “you” time. Immerse yourself inside a novel or a project, or even a bath. I want you to spoil yourself. You deserve to feel that way every day, and one day, maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, and maybe not next month.

But some day, someone will give you that every day. And even if it doesn’t come as quickly as you want it to, it does not mean you cannot feel that way on your own.

I want you to remember that.

You are a prize. You are worth having and you are worthy of every love imaginable. You are not unloved because you will always have me. We may not know each other, we may not have had a coffee, or went to the movies together, but I will be here for you. No matter how many times society hammers into your mind telling you what is beautiful, handsome, or adoring, and it makes you feel the complete opposite just know I think you are beautiful. Beautiful, handsome, adoring, brilliant, amazing, intelligent, witty, and talented.

Smile for me. Even if it is the hardest day of your life, I hope you remember these words in the back of your head and crack a tiny smile. Because you will realize, somebody, even if it is a complete stranger knows you have greatness inside of you. Be brave, be hopeful, and always be kind to others. n

B

Ama Ansah

ecause I am known for being snarky, I feel that I am expected to write a column bashing Valentine’s Day and all that it stands for.

That it is capitalist and forced and all that. But I won’t. That would be too easy.

Hating on Valentine’s Day is so mainstream now it’s not even cool. Everyone complains about how the holiday was invented by the greeting card industry in the early 1900’s to boost their post holiday sales. That the entire idea of the holiday is stupid because it’s an easy out for partners who are not as affectionate as they should be. “I love my boy/girlfriend every other day of the year, why should I have to do something on Valentines?” Yeah, we all lived through the 90’s.

Singles commonly hate the holiday. They act like the entire holiday was created just as a snub to single people. Yeah. Valentines Day was invented just to make you upset. Why does a holiday devoted to love make people so angry?

That being said, I really don’t care about Valentine’s Day. I get my family chocolates. Sometimes I give something to a friend, but I usually don’t because I’m too broke. What I really love about Valentine’s Day is how the candy all goes on 90 percent mark down the day after. n

February 24, 2012

Election

2012

The

OPINION -Mia Karr- A6

Obama deserves credit for accomplishments

Jack Burden online editor-in-chief

A

lazy Congress.

A screwed-up economy.

Two wars in the Middle East. These are just several of the things Barack Obama inherited when he came to office in January of 2008.

Although Obama has ended one of the wars in the Middle East, and the economy is steadily improving, many conservatives (and liberals) have complaints about Obama’s presidency. But in order to fairly judge Obama’s job performance over the past four years, one must do it while looking at the broader context, and the toxic partisan atmosphere that has engulfed Capitol Hill. Once one does, he or she will find he’s actually been a pretty good president By the end of 2008, the American economy was in the tank. After eight years of deregulation, two wars in the Middle East, and the Bush tax cuts, the economy simply couldn’t sustain itself anymore.

Unemployment shot up, peaking at 10%, while the stock market fell thousands of points.

So when Obama took office on January 20, 2009, he had quite a daunting task ahead of him: undo the economic damage that Ronald Reagan started 30 years earlier with his heavy defense spending and tax cuts for the wealthy.

So, as any follower of Keynesian economics would do, Obama began deficit spending, a tactic which Franklin Delano Roosevelt employed to get out of the Great Depression (side-note: it took America 12 years to get out of the Great Depression, yet most Americans regard FDR as one of the greatest presidents; it’s taken Obama four years to get the economy back on track, so many Americans think he’s a terrible

newsstreak

president - blatant hypocrisy).

Today, after such economic policies as the stimulus bills, the stock market is back to pre-recession levels, and unemployment is steadily decreasing (it’s currently at 8.5%). Although many Americans are still struggling, most are living more comfortably than they have in years.

However, many are still pessimistic about our economy, mainly thanks to the (in)action of Congress. Over the past year, our government nearly shut down, almost failed to raise the debt ceiling, and could not reach a compromise on how to reduce government spending, all because Congress was too stubborn to keep the interests of the American people, and not their own political careers, first. In essence, Obama has done his job regarding the economy, but Congress has utterly failed.

Obama’s foreign policy has probably been where he has had his greatest successes. On Dec. 15, 2011, after nearly a decade of fighting, Obama ended the War in Iraq. After it was discovered that Bush invaded Iraq on the false notion that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein was hiding weapons of mass destruction, the war lost most of its original support, with many Americans calling for full troop withdrawal. President Obama

promised in his campaign to end the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and thus far he has fulfilled one of those promises. In late January, 2012, Obama scheduled the complete troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2013. Perhaps Obama’s greatest foreign policy accomplishment, however, was the killing of Osama bin Laden, the al-Qaeda leader who planned the infamous 9/11 attacks. Shortly after 1 a.m. on May 2, 2011, a team of Navy SEALS invaded bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, killing bin Laden and several members of his family and terrorist cell. The news of bin Laden’s death was met with great joy in America, and the killing couldn’t have come at a better time: the tenth anniversary of 9/11 was just a few months away.

Certainly Obama’s most controversial act was his passage of a universal health care bill, which many conservatives have taken to calling “Obamacare.” Essentially, the bill makes it easier for underprivileged Americans to get proper health care coverage, which is a goal that most presidents since the 1960’s have tried to accomplish.

While the bill may not be perfect, it’s a great accomplishment considering the conservative Congressional backlash it received (probably driven by health care industry lobbyists offering Congressmen financial incentives to oppose the bill).

Americans have two complaints regarding the plan: it expands governmental power too much, and it costs too much for the government to do. As has been proven by history, sometimes it is necessary for the government to step in and assert its influence where an injustice or moral crime is being committed. When insurance companies can prevent anyone with pre-existing conditions, including

children, from getting insurance, or when a hospital simply leaves someone, who could have been saved, to die in a hospital bed because he or she didn’t have the proper health care coverage, I’d say a moral crime is being committed.

Therefore, Obama and the federal government had every right to step in and correct the gross injustices of the health care industry.

And while the bill does initially costs a lot, over time it will begin to pay for itself as more and more Americans will be able to pay for their health care coverage, instead of borrowing money for expensive operations and then not paying it back. Besides, a lot of the money invested in the health care bill went towards expensive earmarks, inserted by greedy Congressmen, that had nothing to do with health care.

It’s truly remarkable how much Obama has accomplished in the past four years, when given the context. The first two years of his presidency, Obama enjoyed a Democratic Congress, but Republican Congressmen filibustered so much that it was extremely difficult to pass Obama-endorsed legislation. In 2010, Congress became Republican-controlled, which has only made it harder (impossible, really) for Obama to pass legislation. The most frustrating thing about the stubbornness of Congress is that it will block a bill simply because it is endorsed

by Obama, or Democrats in general; it’s all about politics to them.

But despite the incredibly contentious atmosphere surrounding Congress, and despite its failure to enact beneficial policies for America, Obama has managed to accomplish multiple major legislative victories in his tenure as president, which I believe really speaks to his abilities as a leader and negotiator. n

Obama has not lived up to his promises of change William Imeson online editor-in-chief

A

merican law states that every four years the most important man in the world be in danger of losing his job. This peculiar practice, this check on tyranny, certainly is not a bad thing. However, every four years it leads to national election rolling around while the entire country foams and froths at the mouth over the upcoming presidential race.

The election in 2008 was a little different than 2012 because George W. Bush had already served his eight years and could not run for reelection. And as everyone knows, a former senator from Chicago named Barack Obama swept up the nation with a fervor of change and became the first black man elected as President of the United States.

But this year is different.

Obama is up for reelection and his opponent from the GOP is probably going to be Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, or Mitt Romney. When it comes down to who should be elected this fall, the answer is clear. The republican party has strong candidates and Obama’s time in office should not be extended.

Remember four years ago when Obama-fever was going around and everyone was saying how he would make a change and things would be different and the whole world would hold hands

and dance around singing Kumbaya? Where’s all the change?

Near as I can tell the grass is still green, our cars still pollute, gas prices are way above $3, America is still full of “infidels”, and Jersey Shore is still on TV. Sure GM is back on top of the world. That’s great. Bully for them.

Yes, Osama Bin Laden is dead, but that could have happened under any presidency. SEAL Team 6 did the work there, Obama didn’t put a bullet through anyone's brain.

As a matter of fact, it’s about time he put on his big boy pants and got his hands dirty. If he had not ordered the execution of Bin Laden and the public found out about it, Obama would have had to flee the country with shame.

But wait! Did Obama not just win the Nobel Peace Prize a couple years ago? For a man to share the ranks with Martin Luther King Jr, Mahatma Ghandi, and Nelson Mandela, it seems a little unfitting that he would start up killing in the Middle East.

Now, the nay-sayers and Obama fans might point out the fact that he signed for a stimulus plan to re-boost the faltering American economy. He has been saying this for years. In the last month of his 2008 campaign, Obama warned the nation that if he was not elected and his stimulus plan not implemented, then unemployment rates would rise to as high as eight percent. Well despite his efforts and the stimulus package, unemployment rose as high as 10 percent!

Mitt Romney Environment

Ron Paul

Newt Gingrich

Rick Santorum

Doesn’t like federal Strong advocate of funding of specific parts environmental of the energy industry regulations life ethanol research or oil. Wants a stronger nuclear energy base though.

Advocate for a stronger border patrol, and enforcement of current laws

Stronger regulations, introduced the possibility of “self-deportation” when the immigrants realized they couldn’t find jobs.

Does not like spending money on health care for illegal immigrants.

Favors domestic border spending

Wants an expanded border patrol and a deeper visa program

Advocate for a stronger border patrol, and enforcement of current laws

Abortion

Pro-life, but believes states should be able to choose.

Strongly opposes abortion

Very wishy washy pro-life stance

Gay Marriage

Doesn’t endorse gay Believes the Opposes same sex marriage or civil union, government should stay marriage, but wants to but is in favor of out of marriage uphold the Constitution anti-discrimination laws

Opposes same sex marriage, but believes it should be between the elected officials and their constituents

Military

Wants 100,000 troops added

Favors the blocking of Iran’s nuclear programs and supporters of it

Immigration

Strong proponent of public health. In favor of Arctic Wildlife Refuge Drilling

And don’t be fooled for a second about the travesty that is Obama Care. On paper, providing care and treatment for the entire country is a very good thing.

Anyone that openly declares they do not care about the poor or homeless immediately becomes a villain in the public eye. But let’s face facts. Providing free health care will mean a shortage of quality health care for everyone as well.

There is only a finite amount of “care” available to a single person, and as more and more people come asking for that care, demand will go up and supply will go down.

Hospitals will be more crowded.

Patient wait times will increase.

Service to consumers will go down.

And worst of all, an increase in the demand for their services without an equal compensation in pay will mean that less and less people will want to become doctors and nurses. It is simple laws of supply and demand.

Obama faces a great challenge in heading into this election. Very rarely is a president reelected when the economy is bad during their tenure, and our economy for

the last four years has been downright abysmal.

And as for his health care program, despite being initially heralded as revolutionary and life changing, it has received a largely negative response from the public.

Just look at the stats. Unemployment has been much high and Obama’s approval ratings have been low. And Congress may not be a part of the Executive Branch, but a 9% approval rating for the legislators has to mean a poor performance on all parts.

In the State of the Union Address, Obama spoke about how he was going to create more programs like a trade enforcement unit to ensure our trading does not give outsourcing advantages to other countries that would utilize inspections and verifications.

That sounds all fine and dandy at first; no one ever got booed for wanting to protect the American economy. But coming from a man who is trying to reduce governmental spending, new programs like these are a little hypocritical.

Obama’s time in office has run out. After four years of his tenure, the American citizen needs a change. Despite trying valiantly, it is time for someone from the Grand Ole Party to step in and take the reins.

We need a president who will do what is right for America. So when November rolls around and you stride in to that voting booth, don’t cast a vote for president. Cast a vote for America. n

Wants to cut foreign defense budget by 15%

Wants to strengthen our national security to cut down on terrorist threats

Pro-life

What’s

HOT

Musical Congratulations to the cast, crew and pit of Les Mis for a great performance!

Spring Sports Athletes are gearing up for the spring season.

The Oscars The awards show returned with all the usual glitz and glamour.

March Madness Basketball fans are excited for the biggest month of the year.

Post Season Many athletes advanced to regionals and states in their sports. Go Streaks!

The Super Bowl Giants fans rejoice!

Patriots fans- better luck next year.

What’s

NOT GOP race

It seems like the race has been going on forever with more of the same arguing and craziness.

Spring in Winter There’s no snow on the ground and temperatures are feeling more like April than February.

Whitney Houston’s death The iconic singer died suddenly at the age of 48, after years of struggling with drug abuse.

Egypt Riot 74 were killed in a brutal fight that erupted after a soccer match

Celebrity Divorces.

Heidi Klum and Seal, Russell Brand and Katy Perry- who’s next?

The newsstreak

February 24, 2012

STYLE- Chris Sokolyuk - A7

TECHNOLOGY THEN AND NOW Edmunds recollects years spinning records Austin Coffey staff reporter

S

ince the age of the Renaissance, it has become a necessity in everyday life, and is craved by individuals with a desire to hear more. Developing from the simple key strokes of a piano to the heart-stopping vibrations of Italian subwoofers, music has taken an extreme turn and is continuing to affect the lives of this world. However, with all of these recent changes in music, not everyone seems to be making the change to the “new ways of music”.

“I still listen to many records. Now, of course, I have toned down my collection, but I still enjoy them,” science teacher Robert Edmunds said.

Edmunds teaches at the Blue Streak Academy alongside his role as one of the head coaches of the academic team this year at HHS. Edmunds seems to be a quiet, behind the scenes teacher; however, he used to be what is now know today as a disk jockey (DJ). Owning many albums for bands like The Who, The Beatles, Bonnie Raitt and Steeleye Span. Getting a degree in music at Virginia Tech, Edmunds progressively worked his way up

into the professional field.

“The day before I graduated, they told me I could work full time at a station called WRIQ. They broad-casted country on the AM station and classical and talk on the FM,” Edmunds said.

Showing his love for clas-

“

I listen to many records...I have toned down my collection, but I still enjoy them.

-science teacher, Rob Edmunds

“

sical music he quickly moved up the line, working at several other stations in the New River County.

“My biggest stint was a station known as WPUV, and it was one of the top 40 stations in the country,” Edmunds said.

At this station, he was promoted to an engineer and upgraded the FM station so that it had a stronger signal.

“In this period of time, everything was run manually by hand, meaning that records had

to be “scratched” back to the beginning of the song before being played. Though scratching a record is now considered to be an art in music today, it was never broadcast,” Edmunds said.

Along with his $10,000 salary in the radio business, Edmunds worked a part time job at a community college. However after many years in this field, he found his passion while playing a video game in an old arcade room.

“When I was playing this video game known as Asteroids, I began to make Newton’s connection with physics and science. I figured that if I could make that connection with a video game I could surely make this connection with kids,” Edmunds said.

From here, Edmunds went out to attain a degree in science also at VT, and now teaches at HHS. He currently plays in a 20-piece jazz band called Just Jazzan’ and also plays in a small Jazz Combo known as Remember When.

In addition Edmunds has recently purchased an mp3 player and is slowly trying to adapt to the changing world of music.

“Technically a record doesn’t sound better, but I do prefer it over the sound of something like an mp3,” Edmunds said. n

THE CELL PHONE EVOLUTION 1973 - 2012

1973 1991

1999 2001

Computers have gotten smaller, cheaper “The main-frame computers might be as large as a classroom and cost $30,000 or more. staff reporterPersonal computers cost closer to $2,800$3,000 when they first came out,” Flick said. s the years pass by, computers are getting Flick got her first computer in 1988, when she more and more advanced. Every year started teaching computer science. new technology for computers arises and “ My first computer had as much memory as a replaces the old. They have evolved from graphing calculator,” Flick said. filling up an entire room, to being portable and only Now, main frame computers cost several hundred taking up a small portion of space on a desk/table. thousand dollars and personal computers range “I remember having to go to the library and from several hundred dollars to several thousand. looking at the card catalogues and hoping that the “I love how small computers have gotten. They library had books, magazines, newspapers, or en- allow us to access real-time information, create cyclopedias that contained enough information to projects, and help assist those with disabilities. They create a report or project,” Instructional Technology can even help us meet new people and connect with Resource Teacher Diana Flick said. people from our past. The only problem with comWhen Flick taught at schools, they started out us- puters is that some people get so dependent on ing main-frame computers and eventually got a few them that to function without them might seem alpersonal computers in the 80s. most impossible,” Flick said. n

Sydney Little

A

2007

2012

An App a Day The newsstreak

February 24, 2012

STYLE- Katrina Sokolyuk - A8

The guide for downloaders and Apple-Savvy aficionados

Apple announces iBooks Author application New technology opens door to interactive, multimedia textbooks Katrina Sokolyuk

T

style editor

he current generation of students spends more time staring at screens than they do at books. If most kids are drawn towards screens, isn’t it about time for textbooks to catch up?

That seems to be the main thrust of Apple’s new education initiative. Apple recently launched a new app that allows users to build interactive and multimedia books for the iPad. Armed with the new app, users will be able to choose from a template to create their books (much like the wizard in Microsoft Word) allowing them to drag and drop elements onto the page and position them with ease.

Apple claims that anyone using their free iBook Author app will be able to publish stellar electronic books for personal and educational use. Like all things Apple, content created through the program can only be sold at the Apple Store.

Textbooks created with iBooks Author require a new edition of the iPad and iP-

“

hone iBooks app, but once one has updated, the difference between an iBook and a Kindle title is magnificently clear.

The new-style iBook is more like interactive television than a read-only textbook. There are bits to read, bits to listen to, and bits to play with. With galleries, video, interactive diagrams, 3D diagrams, and more, these books bring content to life in ways a printed page never could.

The enhancements go beyond simple content projection.

Old-school features of textbooks have been expanded to allow students to highlight, bookmark, and make notes. When it comes time to review, students can review their notes section by section with a collection of virtual index cards.

“I think it’s a really cool idea,” junior Trevor Cockburn said. “I mean, there’s going to be that group of people who misuse the iPads, just because they’re not responsible, but I would still be all for it.”

Not all people share Cockburn’s enthusiasm for iBooks. Junior Gina Muan would prefer to have a paper textbook as opposed to a digital one.

“It’s not that I wouldn’t miss the [paper] textbooks- God knows I hate carrying them around- but I feel like it would strain my eyes if my textbook was on an iPad, because I’d be basically staring at a computer all day,” Muan said. “It’s also harder for me to concentrate when I read stuff on the com-

According to Apple, courseware textbooks from companies will cost $15 or less, a huge contrast to... $100.

“

puter. I’d much rather have my textbook next to me instead of online.”

Major textbook companies, such as Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and McGrawHill have already jumped on board. According to Apple, course-ware textbooks from these companies will cost $15 or less, a huge contrast to the rough estimate of $100 per book that the school pays now.

Paper textbooks are expensive to produce and expensive for schools to buy, which is why many schools don’t purchase new books ever year to make finances work. However, information changes so rapidly that most textbooks are already out of date before they are published. Ana Victoria Piedra Carro, a student at Colegio

Metodista in San Jose, Costa Rica, noticed that HHS’s Spanish textbooks are a bit out-of-

date.

“You guys learn a different Spanish than what we speak,” Piedra Carro said. “[You] learn, like, Mexican, but it’s a weird, old Mexican. People don’t really talk like that any more.”

It is worth noting, however, that nothing in this tool automatically makes one an expert on any educational topic. Luckily, this tool seems just as fitting for publishing a regular book, with fancy typography or interactivity as needed. We just hope Apple will have a close eye on its textbooks category, before somebody leads our country’s young minds astray. n

Paper Toss offers wide variety of levels for app lover Paulina Rendon feature editor

A

pps for phones are varied and plentiful. Different phones have different apps specifically for their type. Some companies make their apps available to several companies.

There are many different kinds of applications; the most commonly used by teenagers are games.

More specifically, arcade games are the most popular because of how patterns can be developed in order to make the game easier to beat.

Paper Toss, created by Backflip Studios is one of the more addicting apps that has been made. It is a perfect way to waste time whenever there is a boring moment.

The purpose of the game is use a

finger to flick the paper ball on the screen into the trash bin. The catch is that there is a fan, and getting the ball into the basket depends on accounting for the force of the wind.

Another difficulty from the game is that there are various levels. There are the classic easy, medium and hard as well as an airport, basement, restroom, pub, and street level.

The difference is that instead of the office simulation from the other three levels, the others offer a change in venue. The difficulty is also increased by the distance of the trash can.

The original Paper Toss has inspired a ‘sequel’ as well as some spin-offs of the same idea. Backflip Studios also has created Paper

iCrave Apps Tori Armentrout, 9 What Apple product do you own? iPhone How long have you had your iPhone?

Three weeks What was the first app you bought?

Words with friends What was the last app you bought? Nian Space game How did you get your iPhone? My parents bought it for me Antoine Timbers, 10 What Apple product do you own? iPhone How long have you had your iPhone?

8 months What is the first app you open when you get on your iPhone?

Facebook, or I check the time What was the last app you bought? Temple run How did you get your iPhone? I saved up enough money, and decided to buy one.

Sarah Kaylor, 11 What Apple product do you own? iPhone How long have you had your iPhone? A few months What is the first app you open when you get on your iPod? Facebook,texts What was the last app you bought?

Temple run and cheats for words with friends How did you get your iPhone?

It was my Christmas present from my parents.

John Lee, 12 What Apple product do you own?

I have five other iPods.

How long have you had your iPod? Since 2009 What is the first app you open when you get on your iPod? Facebook What was the last app you bought?

Temple run How did you get your iPod? I bought it myself.

Toss: World Tour where the basic idea is the same - getting a ball into the trash can. The game features different locations around the world, and the distance also varies with each location.

The price of Paper Toss is reasonable. Free versions are available for both the original version and the World Tour. Players could choose to pay .99 for the full version, and that unlocks bonus levels.

Overall, the game is a fun way to waste some time. Getting the ball into the trash can does not involve much skill. After testing how the air moves the ball around a couple of times, it is easy to remember how far to the left or right

the ball has to be flicked to make up for it. The addicting part comes in when trying to beat a high score, because the goal is to try and beat personal bests since players are only playing against themselves. n

Pro status. Paper toss is an app where one can throw wads of paper into a waste basket using a fan. There are different levels of how much air is coming out of the fan, which interferes with how much you have to “throw” the wad of paper into the waste basket.

Breaking down top ten most popular apps William Imeson

W

online editor-in-chief

can travel anywhere on the globe and use satellite imagery to see all over its surface. Google Earth requires an Internet connection as well.

hile the Apple App Store nears what seems like its 10 billionth app, there are some clear standouts in the race to be most popular. The number of people with smart phones is growing rapidly, and these users are obtaining more and more apps on their phones. Whether they come from the iPhone and utilize the App Store, or consumers get them from the Android Market, the new age in technology is booming.

As a rule, I almost never purchase an app with money. Even if the app is only 99 cents and looks quite intriguing, I know that I will only play with it for about a week and then that dollar will be wasted.

With that said, I always scour the available apps that are not only interesting, but will not cost me anything. I tip my hat to the apps that manage to maintain their usefulness and fun while not costing the consumer a cent. In order for an app to become one of the 10 most popular of all time, it must meet the following prerequisites. Here are the 10 most popular apps of all time -- they are actually the 10 most popular free apps, but I imagine that the free apps are more widely downloaded than the paid apps.

6. The Weather Channel - More than just an average weather app, this bad boy will give you local weather predictions, an animated future radar, video center, a severe weather center, and more. This app also requires an Internet connection.

10. Paper Toss - This neat little game is an excellent example of why simpler is better. The sole objective of this app is to swipe your finger across the screen and flick a balled-up piece of paper into a trash can. This tantalizing app will leave you addicted in no time.

3. Google Mobile App - This covers all of Google’s free apps, from Youtube to Gmail to Google Plus.

Each one of Google’s apps are both simple and useful. One can’t go wrong here, but they all do require Internet connections.

9. Skype - While Skype for desktop and laptop computers has been around for a while, the mobile version allows for instant communication on the go. The only drawback is that it requires some sort of Internet connection, and will drain your battery in a hurry.

2. Pandora - Free music with limited interrupting commercials? Win. Just enter an artist or genre that you enjoy, and you will have hours upon hours of similar music. This app provides a great way to discover new music and artists. Unfortunately, you cannot pick the song you listen to, and if you listen to more than 40 hours a month, you may be charged money. An Internet connection required.

8. Bump - Bump allows two smart phone users to share contacts and other information by merely touching their phones together. While pretty cool to start out, the app only allows certain things to be shared and requires an Internet connection to do so.

7. Google Earth - For anyone in need of directions or those that simply enjoy checking out places in our fabulous earth, this is the perfect app. One

5. Movies by Flixster - Flixster provides everything you could possibly need in a movies app.

Punch in your area code and you will find theaters near you, showtimes, ticket prices, upcoming movies, box office winners, and new DVD releases. The featured scroll bar also gives interesting video clips about upcoming movies and rising stars. An Internet connection is required.

4. Shazam - This app is perfect for when you come across a song on the radio that you really like, but do not know the name of. Just one touch, and the app will “listen” to the song for about 20 seconds, and give you an accurate identification complete with song title, artist, album, year produced, links to Youtube, Pandora, and more. The only drawbacks are that you can not sing in to it, and it requires an Internet connection.

1. Facebook - With 800 million users across the globe, it makes sense that this Internet titan would also be responsible for the most downloaded app.

The mobile version does not allow you to access all of the features of the web version, but it is perfectly satisfactory for writing on walls, scrolling through news feeds, and checking notifications. An Internet connection is required. n

February 24, 2012

The

newsstreak

ADS - A9

e l g CARPET a E

“Since 1966”

Proudly Serving the Shenandoah Valley For 43 Years LOCALLY OWNED & OPERATED

HARDWOOD * MARBLE * CERAMIC TILE * VINYL * LAMINATE FLOORING * QUICK STEP LAMINATE * ARMSTRONG * CONGOLEUM * MOHAWK * TARKETT

* BRUCE * HARTCO * BR-111 * SHAW * BEAULIEU * WILSONART

FREE ESTIMATES

SALES - INSTALLATIONS - BINDING - CASH & CARRY INSTOCK INVENTORY “WHERE THE CONTRACTORS $ BUILDERS BUY” Hours: M-F 8-5 * Sat 8-1 434-1818 www.eaglecarpetsinc.com

“Largest Floor Covering Store in the Valley” 1188 Port Republic Road Harrisonburg

February 24, 2012

The

newsstreak

STYLE- Rafael Snell-Feikema - A10

Journaling leads to artistic understanding

cal and modernist schools of art. munity and a debate is still go- 2 class, Tobin needed to show a following her Christian beliefs that Rafael Snell-Feikema Modern art frequently emphasizes ing as to how meaning should be prompt through a “journal entry”, she holds strongly. On one page, style editor individual interpretation of ab- displayed in “proper” art. In both that is, an art piece in her art jour- she drew a dark expanse, meant to

T

he value of expression and interpretation in art has always been a debate between the classi-

stract concepts, as contrasted with classical art in which meaning is inherent, and feeling is directed.

A rift still splits the artistic com-

schools, evoking feeling is the goal of art and this is thus what must be taught to students of art.

For senior Jessamyn Tobin’s Art

nal with the intention of communicating the prompt.

Art II teacher Jauan Brooks explained the intent of this assignment. To her, good art has meaning. This, she says, is the most important difference between beginner’s art and the art of a fully formed artist.

“Personal expression is really important and when you create something you need to put part of yourself in it to make it a quality work,” Brooks said.

Through this assignment, Brooks hoped to teach her students this valuable artistic skill of expression through art.

“Part of what we teach is “visual literacy”, being able to read an image. Style, color, subject matter, brush strokes, et cetera, are representations of the artist who made the art. [Meaning] isn’t the only component [of art] and early on it’s missing or lacking. Students learn it and it comes with maturity,” Brooks said.

Tobin wished to display the prompt of ‘boundaries’. She interpreted this in a religious sense,

represent what she considers one is like when separated from their religion and their deity. The page turns, separated from the next by a black line, which she says is the temptation of sin. On the next page Tobin has drawn a lighter expanse, which she feels is how one feels when close to their god. Text spread throughout the work works to expand upon its meaning.

“I’m very Christian, and to me a big ‘boundary’ in my life is separation from God and how you can feel when you’re no longer separate,” Tobin said.

The object of this assignment was to show the value of meaning in art and seamless composure of meaning into an artwork. Tobin said she sees why this is important.

“Making art with meaning is a lot easier. You get inspiration about what you’re trying to create, instead of just correcting as you go to try to make it look good. That’s fine too; sometimes it’s fun to just make something pretty, but I think I see why meaning is important,” Tobin said. n

Muan creates self-portrait Student art work Austin Coffey

J

staff reporter

auan Brook’s Art One class has been at busy work producing many different pieces of work including self-portraits which was originally based off of a exercise concerning values of the light and dark shadings of a piece of work.

Though many students completed the project, junior Gina Muan who is spending her first year in Art, completed a product that seemed to rise above the general level of expectation.

“I have been sketching pretty much my whole life and have always enjoyed drawing,” Muan said.

Starting from a simple photo of herself, Muan designed 60 different patterns which expressed the general values of the photo itself.

“I started out with a few basic lines, and put the patterns in around these,” Muan said.

“There really is not a lot of opportunity for self expression in Art I, but Gina certainly did a good job,” Brooks said. n

Art students prepare exhibits for upcoming Youth Art Month in March Sydney Knupp

T

staff reporter

he students in Jauan Brooks Art 1 class have been working on completing self-portraits to expand their knowledge on the concept of value. Most people would assume that a self-portrait is just the ability to draw yourself, but Brooks thinks otherwise.

“They are concentrating on the concept of value. The concept of value is the light or dark of the color,” Brooks said.

This technique is done in a grid pattern.

Each space is then filled in with a distinct pattern of their choice. Each space should have values to reflect that of the values in that space of the original image.

The students’ self-portraits that are being created under the watchful eye of Brooks are done with a graphite pencil. This creates a challenge for some artists, who normally use color and texture to bring their masterpieces to life.

The students develop their self-portrait skills over approximately one week. They must put on the finals touches on their artwork to prepare them for the display, in the art show and in the library during March because of the upcoming Youth Art month. n

showcased during musical intermission Ariel Vogel

E

staff reporter

very year, HHS puts on a musical. And every year, in the lobby, there’s an impressive display of artwork, originals from our very own art students.

“I like for people to see what our students are doing,” said art teacher Jauan Brooks. Brooks and the other art teacher, Kelley Shradley-Horst, are coordinating the art show together.

Junior Sam Heitsch has had artwork in the show all three years she’s been here. Last year, among other Sketching. Seniors Li Xie and Erik things, she had a pencil-drawn self Garcia, who are featured in the art show, work in the art room. portrait.

“There are lots of good artists.

The two art teachers are the only It’s nice to see their work!” Heitsch ones who will be setting up the said. display. They had to mount all the Every student taking art this year pieces of art by Feb 15 and set up the will have at least one piece up on displays that afternoon. display.

“Students may mount some of “There are some higher level stu- their artwork, but we will have to dents that will have more than one, do additional work to that,” Brooks and seniors have the opportunity said. to do their own show separately,” “The best part is getting comBrooks said. ments from other teachers who Heitsch adds that the art teachers didn’t know that their student could pull from all the categories they’ve do this. The kids may not be as been through this year. The teachers strong in other subjects as Art, so will make sure the artwork they se- they’re fascinated! Then they’ll go lect for the show will represent each back and talk to the students about section that they’ve worked on in the work,” Brooks said. the classes.

The show ran from opening night “We want to take the best of every of the musical through the final student,” Brooks said.

Sunday performance on Feb 19. n

Can you see the people sing? Scenes from the Musical are displayed in the cafeteria after each performance. Photos by Paulina Rendon.

February 24, 2012

The

newsstreak

FEATURE - Mark Duda - B1

Cheating at HHS What Students Think: By the Numbers

photo illustration

by Mark Duda

Moyers leads cheating policy reform Vanessa Ehrenpreis

editor-in-chief

I

n an effort to reduce cases of cheating at HHS, faculty members and administration have developed an honor code committee that could be implemented next year. Interim Principal Perry Pope suggested a change in the approach to the honor code at the end of last year and appointed social studies teacher Kirk Moyers and technology education teacher Seth Stratford the “de facto leaders” of the process. The pair looked at bringing back and updating many measures that used to be in place, but have since died off.

“We had meetings with all the departments to get their opinions on the idea. The entire thing had to be put on hold for a little while because of the new administration, but we reconvened at the beginning of the year and had five or six more meetings,” Moyers said. “At this time we’ve created guidelines for the committee and have the general organization down.

Now we need to present it to the faculty and hopefully get the ball rolling by the end of February.”

The new honor committee would focus on improving communication between academic departments, students, and administration. No new ‘rules’ would be implemented, rather better enforcement of existing standards would be the committee’s aim.

“Right now the major thing that is lacking is communication between departments and administration. We’d be compiling a database of all kids who are caught cheating or lying. Teachers would then be able to see previous offenses and take appropriate action,”

Moyers said.

Students who are caught cheating could appeal to the honor committee-- a panel of about five people, consisting of one administrator, three teachers (from different departments), and the head of the committee, guidance counselor Lauren Kershner. Teachers who have the student in class would not be able to serve on the panel. The committee would be focused on extreme cases of cheating, not just someone copying last night’s math homework.

“I think most people want [a committee]. They’re frustrated after past years of experience with students who never face consequences. Many times the same student would cheat in multiple classes and we [teachers] wouldn’t find out until the end of the year,” Moyers said.

Currently, the consequences for cheating are up to the teacher. Moyers and Stratford are also working to create a uniform approach of punishment for cases of cheating. The honor committee would then be able to appropriate disciplinary measures in a fair, consistent manner.

As a teacher, Moyers can attest to the lengths students will go to to receive an ‘A’. Falsifying lab data, plagiarism, and even cheating on final exams have all been issues in the past-- especially among AP and honors students.

Moyers hopes students will realize that the committee serves a preventative role, not a threatening one.

“I’m not out to get you. Teachers don’t go looking for ways to get their students. This is just a way to prevent more cases of cheating,” Moyers said. n

· 89% of students consider looking off another student’s test as cheating; 13% admitted to having done it. · 69% consider working with another student on a take home test as cheating; 68% admitted to having done it. · 36% consider using Sparknotes or a similar service in place of reading a book as cheating; 10% admitted to having done it. · 18% think that paraphrasing or copying sources found on the internet in a paper without citation is cheating, 56% admitted to having done it. · 11% think that receiving or giving help on an individual project or assignment is cheating; 45% admitted to having done it.. · 21% think that falisfying data on a science lab is cheating; 79% admitted to having done it. ·45% think that cheating is a major problem at HHS. · 40% of upperclassmen think that the pressure to cheat is greater as upperclassmen. · 21% have been caught cheating in any form. · Only 28% caught cheating were punished.

Check us out on the web www.newsstreak.com

For complete survey results and a grade by grade breakdown go to www.newsstreak.com

183 students of all grade levels and GPA ranges were polled by Mark Duda

Recent national scandals raise SAT cheating questions Rafael Snell-Feikema

A

style editor

recent scandal in a New York suburb has raised questions about the security of SAT testing, a nationwide test colleges use as a piece of their selection processes, against cheating. In the New York scandal, more than 20 students were charged with cheating, and 20 others were suspected of cheating but not pressed with charges. Many of the students admitted to paying others up to $3600 to take the test for them, passing through the SAT’s measures against this with fake identification. Alternative investigation speculates that a proctor, someone who administers the test and watches over those taking it, may have been paid as well.

Not only does this put the spotlight on the anti-cheating measures put in place by the SAT and its proctors, but also on the social pressure faced by students that would have them use such drastic measures and such large sums of money to increase their scores.

“There is a tremendous pressure for some people to get good scores, because even though [these students] couldn’t care

“

There is tremendous pressure for some people to get good scores... colleges they want are going to look at that [SAT] score.

-Guidance Counselor Tim Meyers

“

less about learning or about their classes, the colleges they want are going to look at that [SAT] score,” Tim Meyers, HHS guidance counselor, said. Meyers manages SAT tests at HHS. An additional pressure on the SAT test was introduced in 2005: the writing portion. Though requested by colleges to garner a feeling of students’ writing abilities and thinking processes, this section is controversial, as it must be graded by a subjective human being. Critics also note that in 90% of cases, an essay’s score can be predicted simply by the number of words in it, and that essays with large or complex

words were almost always given a score ranking 92nd percentile or higher.

“I think the pressure increased even more when they added the essay portion. [...] Part of that is that it can’t be graded like the others,” Lynda Blackwell, past proctor and secretary, said.

At HHS, proctors are typically teachers and staff, though particular ones who have had to go through a short training course.

Meyers emphasizes how careful SAT testing protocols are, and how effective they are when proctors aren’t being bribed. Less than half a percent of people taking the test are caught cheating each year.

To ensure against cheating, a variety of measures are taken. All proctors go through a course on watching the class and how to administer the test. Any abnormality in someone’s test taking is reported. Abnormalities could include taking the test at school other than one’s own, anything that could be interpreted as a glance, and less likely sinister things such as sneezing on one’s answer sheet or using the wrong half, as happened to a pair of students.

If a student was almost certainly cheating, or broke one of the defined rules, such as the prohibition against going on the further sections or going back to those previous, they are made to stop taking their test

Teachers share cheating experiences and theories Tracy Barr English Q: Do you catch a lot of students cheating?

A: I don’t catch a lot, but I do catch some cheating.

Q: How do you handle students caught cheating?

A: They get a zero on the assignment and I call their parents to talk to them about cheating.

Q: After you catch a student cheating, how does it make you question their credibility?

A: It definitely makes me think more about what they are writing.

Q: Why do you think students cheat?

A: I think there are many different reasons for why kids cheat.

Some do it because they are overwhelmed and that is their way of coping, some honestly don’t see anything wrong with it, and the rest just cheat because it is the easy way out.

Nancy Faulkner Spanish Q: Do you catch a lot of students cheating?

A: I don’t catch a lot of students cheating, but I know that some of them are. I just try to always watch them closely when they’re taking quizzes and tests.

Q: How do you handle students caught cheating?

A: I will usually talk to them about it after class, because I don’t want to embarrass them during class. If I am absolutely sure they cheated, then they will get a 0 on their assignment, but if it’s a really important assignment I will give them a chance to redo it.

Q: After you catch a student cheating, how does it make you question their credibility?

A: It definitely makes me change the way I think about them.

Q: Why do you think students cheat?

A: I think it’s usually because they are under a lot of stress and they just make a bad decision.

Mark Healy History Q: Do you catch a lot of students cheating?

A: I don’t catch them very often cheating, but I do catch a lot of plagiarism.

Q: How do you handle students caught cheating?

A: If it is the first time, then they have to redo the assignment. If it’s the second time, then they have to redo it, but there is a point deduction. I have never had to send someone to the front office.

Q: After you catch a student cheating, how does it make you question their credibility?

A: I try to trust them again, I just feel disappointed that it resulted in that.

Q: Why do you think students cheat?

A: They are not prepared, but they don’t want their grade to reflect it, so cheating is just the easy way out.

Infographic by Sydney Little

immediately, and typically it is thrown out, their scores cancelled.

“I’ve never had anyone cheat, but I did have one kid who was making faces at his friend. I had to tell him to stop, and when I did, he just put his head down immediately. [The punishment for breaking a rule] is pretty harsh. You don’t want your scores cancelled like that,” Blackwell said.

These reports go to the non-profit College Board organization, which uses them to help in figuring out whether a student cheated. Typically, the reports only matter if there is a conflict between their SAT scores and their grades or other statistics big enough to be beyond chance. Tests falling into this and only this category are investigated by the organization.

Meyers says this is one of the many reasons why cheating just doesn’t work. Even if a cheater slips past the College Board’s measures, many colleges won’t accept students with high SAT scores but low grades.

This is as low grades but high scores imply a lack of impetus on the part of the student.

“Somewhere along the line, you’ll get caught. It catches up to you. If you do get into that big school you wanted, are you going to be able to do the work?” Meyers said. n

Cheating habits continue into college Celia Ehrenpreis business manager

P

eeking at a neighbor’s test or quiz may not seem like a big deal to some students, but cheating is a problem from grade school through college. Over time, cheating habits from high school carry over to college, where the ramifications are much more severe.

Savanah Cary is a freshman at the University of Virginia and she says the consequences are much more serious if a student is caught cheating in college then they are in high school.

“If you are caught cheating at UVA, you are usually brought in front of the Honor Board. They decide the severity of your punishment. The worst thing that could happen is expulsion from the university, which does happen, but you could also be put on probation or suspended,” Cary said.

The Honor Board is a studentrun committee, who decides what a cheating student’s punishment should be. UVA students have pledged themselves not to lie,

cheat or steal. If they are caught doing any of the three, they could be brought before the committee.

“High school teachers are not as aware of cheating in the classroom, they might even turn the other way. In college, if a student is caught plagiarizing a paper, the professor will talk to them and find an acceptable punishment, or take it to the Honor Board,” Cary said.

High school mathematics teacher Geoffrey Estes believes that cheating has become easier with all the new technology, but it has not changed his punishments.

If one of his students is caught cheating, they get a one time warning before they are punished too severely.

“If students are caught cheating together, I remind them that colleges will not tolerate such behavior. I try to make them think about how their actions translate to teachers. I was once in a class with a kid who was caught cheating on a test. The student was expelled from the class right away, it was basically $900 down the drain,” Estes said. n

February 24, 2012

The

newsstreak

FEATURE - Sydney Little- B2

Not your normal 9-5

O’Hara makes career out of his life-long passion Celia Ehrenpreis Advertising Manager

S

hane O’Hara and Kate Trammell have danced their way across three continents, with stops in Krakow, Athens and New York, to name a few. Both are professors in the department of Theatre and Dance at James Madison University, and they’re parents to sophomore Larkin O’Hara.

“This is my 20th year at JMU, I teach all sorts of different classes from History of Dance to Modern Technique. Apart from teaching I am also a solo dancer and choreographer. It is quite difficult to keep all of my projects going, but I love working with the students,” O’Hara said.

The couple also co-created the JMU London Institute in Contemporary Theatre and Dance. A program that takes ten actors and ten dancers from JMU to London for a four week program. Students take classes in the city, as well as attend numerous dance and theatre performances.

“I usually spend all year working on the London program, to make sure it all goes smoothly while we are there. I also take dance classes while I am there,” O’Hara said.

This past summer the whole O’Hara fam-

ily traveled, not to London, but to China.

O’Hara and Trammell both taught dance classes for two weeks at the elite Guayang International School. There was also an outreach dance program to help the orphans from the 2008 earthquake that rocked China. A similar project is in the works at JMU for next May, this time with 16 students along for the ride.

“One of the more difficult parts of my job, is educating people about what a career in the dance field really is. Lots of people think that all you can do is teach, when actually there are many different options,” O’Hara said.

A unusual aspect of O’Hara’s job, is the fact that his body must be in top shape all year round.

“I go to the gym twice a week to keep my body fit. I am also very cautious about accidents. In my profession if I hurt myself, or break something it is a big deal, I can’t teach.” O’Hara said.

Larkin O’Hara has been attending her parents’ dance concerts since she was a young child.

“I am proud of my parents when I see them succeeding in dance, and when the audience likes their performances. It’s nice to have teachers as parents because they understand the stress of school,” O’Hara said. n

Jump! Shane O’Hara in the dance “Man of Action”. Photo courtesy of Shane O’Hara. Taken by R. Finkelstein.

Perrine owns ‘The Center’ downtown Shank works in Suzanne Perrine is a mother of two and yoga and pilates instructor of six years, she shares her experience with the Newsstreak.

Q: How did you take up the profession? Why? A: In May of 2006, I took part in a weekend workshop in Charlottesville, VA with a teacher I had never even heard of before, Desiree Rumbagh, after attending a Yoga class in Staunton, Va, where I noticed a flier advertising the weekend workshop. The description was intriguing and the teacher’s bio was so different from what I had experienced before. I felt compelled to attend. Although it ended up being a teacher training weekend, and I felt very much out of my element and comfort zone, the instructor and the other students were so captivating, enthusiastic, and intelligent, and I knew that if I did this I could improve not only my own health and well-being, but others as well. I immediately knew what I needed to do, and that was teach Yoga, specifically Anusara Yoga.

Q: Why did you want to start a yoga and Pilates studio? How did it happen?

A: I originally got certified to teach Pilates while teaching Ballet at James Madison University. The Pilates method wasn’t yet being offered anywhere in Harrisonburg, so I thought I would love to be able to offer it. It was fresh in the area, and had incredible benefits! After receiving my certification and teaching classes for two years in various locations, I decided to open The Center in December of 2005 as there were not yet any private Yoga or Pilates studios in Harrisonburg. We offered mostly Pilates at first, but had two other teachers there offing some Yoga classes, too. It wasn’t long before I began to teach Yoga. The opening of The Center was incredibly exciting, but I definitely had to settle a lot of fears and go where my heart was leading me. It just felt like the right thing to do.

Q: What is a typical day on the job like?

A: Because I run the studio, my job encompasses a lot of tasks.

So typically, I teach classes which require planning, and meet with private clients. I also take care of bills, accounting, scheduling, cleaning, and some marketing. Luckily, I was just able to delegate the job of registration to someone else! I also have

a web designer and help with photography. Several students are at The Center on a trade and help out with cleaning and hanging up fliers in exchange for classes.

Q: What’s the most enjoyable part of your day? The most difficult?

A: Well, I always joke about how awesome my job is because I get to be barefoot, but really, it’s being with the students! The beauty about teaching Yoga is that my students help to bring out the best in myself, and I learn so much from being with them. When leading a class, I can tell when I am not teaching from a place deep within my heart and it feels forced and unfamiliar. But when I step into the studio and quiet my mind and look around at all the enthusiastic and open faces, my teaching changes. Then, one of the best parts is how what you learn on your Yoga mat influences our life. How we react to challenging poses, for example, can ask us to reflect on how we respond to challenges during our daily lives. Are we able to settle our minds and be completely in the moment? The big challenge is making sure to find time to practice or meditate either at home or attending a class. I can always tell when I haven’t given myself enough time for my own practice, and it isn’t pretty!

Q: What are the benefits of yoga and Pilates?

A: Pilates focuses on balance, strength and flexibility. I have watched so many people come to the studio either in pain or with a desire to reclaim their health and bodies. I’ve watched them transform, move out of chronic pain and literally reshape their bodies through the intelligent work that Pilates requires.

Likewise, Yoga can physically heal, stretch, and strengthen us.

It also can be a tool to help understand, handle, and deal with mental or emotional challenges. I have had countless students confess to me that, during their Yoga practice and attending my classes and other at The Center, they have dealt with issues of grief, anger, and self-doubt. That Yoga has literally changed their lives.

Q&A by Kavya Beheraj n

Biller used to her parents’ unusual jobs Ben Marks

T

online editior

o many, funeral homes are creepy places of the night, a place for horror films and tears. For Lexi Biller, it’s nothing more than the place where her parents work. The Lindsey Funeral home downtown hosts many of Harrisonburg’s funerals.

Though the Lindsey funeral home is managed by a private company, Biller’s parents, Scott and Shelly Biller serve as the general managers. Scott Biller is the general director, embalming the bodies and organizing the funerals.

During embalming, the body is drained of blood, and embalming fluids replace the natural bodily fluids. Biller adjusts the face to allow it to take on a more natural, relaxed feel.

When the embalming process is finished, Shelby Biller does the hair and makeup, making sure the cadavers are presentable for the services.

Once everything is ready, the body is placed in a casket and made ready for the viewing services. The viewings are hosted inside the funeral home, where several rooms are set aside for separate groups of guests to pass through and pay their respects.

The Billers manage a large part of the city’s funerals, often having

to coordinate multiple viewings in a day.

“Preparing the bodies takes more work than people think,” Biller said. “Especially if they died in an car crash or something else that messed them up.”

Making bodies presentable for burial can often be a daunting task.

However, the Billers have been working for a long time, and are experienced at what they do. After years of working there, handling bodies is no different to them than any other job.

“Lots of people are grossed out by the thought of dead bodies.”

Biller said, “But for me, it’s just my parent’s job. It’s what they do, and you get used to it.” n

construction for summer job Mitch DePoy

O

sports page editior

ver the summer many kids have summer jobs. For senior Evan Shank, this job was not as laid back and relaxing as he would have liked.

“Over the summer, I was on the trim and carpenter crew,” Shank said.

One must know that working for a contractor is far from easy work. You are doing all manual labor, anything from lifting two by fours, pouring concrete, installing doors, pulling up baseboard and putting in hand rails. A contractor has to be willing to put in many hours a week to be able to stay on task with their deadlines. All of these things may appear to be tedious work but the one thing that is so nice about manual labor is the pay.

“I made ten dollars an hour,” Shank said.

Shank received a recommendation for the job from a man that goes to his church. He was approached by the local manager from Cornerstone Construction, asking him if we wanted a summer job. At first Shank wasn’t quite sure if he wanted the role but in the end he accepted.

“He asked me if I wanted to work for his company this summer and I said sure,” Shank said. His role on the team was more of an assistant than the an actual contractor.

“I helped install doors, caulk windows and doors, put down and tear up baseboard and dirty work like that,” Shank said.

Shank also worked with two other friends who had the same role as him.

“My brother, Trevor and Matt Sayre also worked on the team with me,” Shank said. Over the long summer, working with two of his friends eased the growing pains.

“They were funny at times and the day went by faster with them on the site with me,” Shank said.

Shank is not a stranger to work, because during the summer he worked 45-50 hours a week, only getting off for family vacations and when the job was finished up, it was the week before school started.

“Looking back on it, I wished that it would have been a little more laid back,” Shank said. There were many times that I wanted to try and take off early to go on a long weekend with my family to the lake or something, but I wasn’t allowed to.”

Nine times out of ten, money can be the great equalizer.

“It was hard work and I didn’t enjoy it, but the money was very good,” Shank said. Shank is considering the possibiliy of returning to the job site next summer. n

SPRING BREAK APRIL 2-6 PROM MAY 19 make plans now!

September February 24,23, 2012 2011

The

newsstreak

FEATURE FEATURE-- Paulina Rendon - B3

Les Misérables Hunter-Nickels adapts to playing lead in musical Paulina Rendon

T

feature editor

he musical cast had four months to produce a full performance for several audiences over five showings.

“For me, the hardest part of the musical is my part,” said junior Alex Hunter-Nickels.

“Really being Javert in a true sense, juicing the role, and making it powerful for me [are the most difficult aspects].”

Hunter-Nickels played the character ‘Javert‘ in the musical. The role is the second biggest of the cast; the main antagonist against the protagonist, Jean Valjean, played by junior Sam St. Ours.

The character of Javert, referred to as ‘Inspector Javert’ or simply by his name, is a prison guard who later becomes a policeman. Initially, he is the evil figure that adds tension to the plot and holds back Jean Valjean from completing his goals. Later on, Javert is revealed to be more than just evil for the sake of being evil. “[Javert] has this twisted mentality where’s he’s always about the law. Everything has to be correct. The twisted mindset develops and eventually gets out of hand.”

Hunter-Nickels said. “Even though it’s really tense and I’m driving towards this goal of achieving law and order, there’s lots of emotional chaos. I start off proud, and I eventually break down.”

One of Hunter-Nickels’ biggest difficulties in being Javert was adapting to the character’s mentality.

“Every once in a while I’ll have a moment and it’s awesome. I’m this awesome character and it gives me the shivers and blows my mind. But a lot of times it’s hard to get to

that point so I think that’s the hardest part for me,” Hunter-Nickels said.

Luckily, Hunter-Nickels’ fellow cast mates helped contribute to reaching his level of intensity. Sophomore Tyler Edwards and senior Dylan Norquest helped him prepare for his role. Edwards brought Hunter-Nickels notes on aspects he can improve on while acting, while Norquest had researched the role of Javert before the musical auditions.

“Before, when we were auditioning [Norquest] did tons of research on Javert.

He totally immersed himself in the book and everything,” Hunter-Nickels said. “Just a few weeks ago he started coming to me and talking to me about who Javert is and really bringing the character out.”

St. Ours also helped Hunter-Nickels stay in character. Although the two of them do not usually interact outside of musical, Hunter-Nickels enjoys working with St. Ours.

“When I first started, I’d never worked with him before, so I wasn’t sure what it was going to be like. [Early on during practice] we were singing through our parts and we were supposed to have our songs memorized. There was this one song where we looked up, and we were [angry] at each other. Not as people, but as characters. That was the first time I think that we were actually in our character, and it was awesome. We were just so mad at each other. Since then I think we work well on the stage. He’s a good person to work with,” Hunter-Nickels said.

Landing the role of Javert was not something Hunter-Nickels expected. During tryouts for the musical, the actors were supposed to memorize two songs. The actors auditioned and were evaluated by the

Q&A with Stanley Swartz Musical Director Why did you choose Les Mis? There’s always lots and lots of different reasons that factor into why I choose the musical that I do for that particular year. I always try to find something that I think that we can pull off well.

I also look for something that is going to be a challenge to my students and that they’re going to be able to grow from doing. And I knew that this was going to be a challenge and that they were going to have to grow. I’m also looking for what fits with what else I’ve done in the previous several year, because I want the students who have had four years with me to walk out with a variety of knowledge and styles.

How does this production compare to other productions you’ve done in the past?

It’s bigger in a lot of ways. It’s got a larger cast than almost any other show I’ve ever done. It might be the largest cast. I’m not sure I’ve had several casts close to this size, but I don’t remember exact numbers. This is also bigger in terms of reputation and what people come in expecting.

In the past rehearsals, what has been the best moment?

I love - it’s always really corny - but I love watching the kids develop and grow. It’s one of the reasons I keep teaching. By the time we get to the end, all the work that the kids have put in, all the work that the parent volunteers have put in it all comes together and we get the positive response from the audience and the kids all realize that all their hard work has paid off. It’s a huge thing to learn that if you don’t give up and you keep working at something, and you work together, know that the impossible dreams can come true. I think we’re doing a good job pulling off this show and to a large degree that has been the impossible dream that we have been working at and it’s going to happen.

How much has the cast improved since you started rehearsals?

Huge amount. The kids have been working hard and they’ve been very conscientious about doing what needs to be done. They’ve improved hugely and anybody that comes to the show will see how hard the kids have been working and they’ll see the results, they will speak for themselves.

Infographic by Paulina Rendon.

musical directors, and based on their performance, they either got a call back or didn’t.

“The auditions are layered so you have everybody come in,” Hunter-Nickels said. “And then you have a few people come in. Then on the day you only have a few people come in, throughout the day you ask people to leave.”

After the callback process, Hunter-Nickels, St. Ours and sophomore Abe Nouri (who played Marius) were the last three males the directors kept.

“It was kind of scary because [I was one of] the last three people and I didn’t have any of the music memorized,” Hunter-Nickels said. “But I had a couple songs [prepared] so I sang them. [For] all the other ones, I sang some words and kind of made up other words. I guess [the directors] thought it was funny and I was acting well, so they gave me the part,” Hunter-Nickels said.

Playing Javert in this production was Hunter-Nickels’ first major role in any musical the high school has had. In Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, he played a guard with no lines. He admits his role in the play was small, but said he had the most fun dancing backstage.

“Backstage I had a ton of fun because I was like, the dancing queen,” Hunter-Nickels said. “But on stage I had the tiniest part there was. It was kind of a big jump going from doing nothing to doing a lot [as Javert].”

Aside from his fellow cast mates, Hunter-Nickels enjoyed other aspects that have helped make the transition easier. He loved the music and the diversity of the songs, as well as their emotional aspect. His favorite thing about Les Mis is the complexity of the plot.

“I love the little things that repeat them-

Do you hear the people sing?

Junior Alex Hunter-Nickels performs during musical rehearsal. Photo by Paulina Rendon.

selves. For example when Jean Valjean is free from jail, an emotional part very near the beginning of the musical, there is this [certain] music,” Hunter-Nickels said. “The same music appears during the end [of the musical]. That’s just one tiny example. [The musical brings a lot of] ideas back and [ties them] together. That’s what I really love about this musical. They do that really well.”

n

Marks heads technical crew backstage Katrina Sokolyuk

W

style editor

hile actors and actresses play a large role in musical, there are- as in any dramatic productionpeople hidden behind the scenes and behind the lights to make the production the best it can be.

Senior Ben Marks heads this year’s technical crew for the musical Les Miserables. As tech director, Marks designs the lights and coordinates the sound for the production.

“I really enjoy doing what I do,” Marks said. “I get tired of it, like, three to four

days before the actual performance because there is so much to take into account and keep in mind, but the night of, everything manages to magically fall into place, and then I love it all over again.”

Marks and his crew of sophomore Michael Knapp and adult volunteers work to light up the stage and and manage various sound and other technical aspects of the musical production.

“It takes quite a bit of time, especially when we get closer to the performance,” Marks said. Many nights, Marks does not get home until past midnight.

“This show takes a lot more precision tech-wise. It’s much more ambitious and

complex than it has been in years past,” Marks said.

As a middle-schooler, Marks acted in different productions, but once he got to high school, his lack of singing ability prevented him from trying out for the musical. Marks’ cousin, Alum Andrew Kniss, convinced Marks to join the technical crew.

“He sort of grandfathered me into all of it,” Marks said.

While people tend to forget about the stage hands and technical people, Marks does not mind in the least.

“We’re expected to do our job. The actors get the standing ovation, but we’re there too.” n

Pit crew puts in hours to learn famous score Chris Sokolyuk

A

style editor

s the curtain comes up, audience members hear the random notes from the pit being played. The high notes come up and overtake the low notes. The auditorium soon becomes silent.

When a spectator comes to watch the musical at HHS, they usually focus their attention on the stage. But sometimes they forget about the students who are sitting in front of the stage and playing their horns. The musical would not be musical without the pit orchestra.

“The music is just as important as the people singing on stage,” junior Mark Chepelyuk said.

The pit crew began rehearsals on Jan 16. There are 31 individual numbers within this year’s musical.

‘Attack on Rue Plumet’ is the most difficult piece in the score according to drummer junior Ben DiNapoli because it is the fastest tempo piece in the entire show. He also thought it was the most fun piece to play.

Most years, the pit has always been filled with students from our own school.

This year it is a bit different. Usually the pit consists of 30 players, this year they have 16 players.

“We will have professionals come and and help fill up the missing spots,” student teacher and pit member Cory Shmitt said.

Nine students from James Madison University are volunteering their time to make the pit have a fuller sound.

“I think that it is great that the JMU players are coming over, we are going to sound awesome,” junior Trevor Cockburn said.

The pit is a serious environment, all of the players are sitting in front of the stands with focused and determined faces as they play the packet of music.

“We have a job to do. My schedule is simple. First I come to band and play the book, then I practice at home in my free time. The next day I do it again, practice makes perfect,” Cockburn said.

Band director J.R. Snow conducts the pit orchestra during performances.

“Snow is an incredible conductor. It is

easy to tell where you are and he makes everything very clear in the music, “ DiNapoli said.

The music in this score is a different type of style to play as compared to the past year’s musicals. Last year’s show was all jazz with swing music and actual drumset playing. This year’s music is more lyric or singer oriented.

The toughest part about being in the pit according to DiNapoli is not messing up. When they make mistakes, they try to just move on quickly and hope the audience can’t tell an error has been made. The players always know when they’ve messed up and so do the conductors.

“If we make a huge mistake, the conductors talk to us before the next show so we can try to make it the best possible. I don’t think we’ve made any huge mistakes. That’s what practice is for,” DiNapoli said.

The musical is a team effort, one person does not take all of the credit for the success of the show, everyone who takes part, including the crew members, make -up, and the pit. n

Hatfield leads multiple volunteers on costume committee Nahla Aboutabl

T

online editor

he room is hectic. Actors try on several costumes while volunteers make sure that the outfits fit correctly. A lot of work goes into directing a play as big as Les Misérables, and costuming is a big part of perfecting the production. Costumes have to be relevant to the time period and character appropriate. A whore will have to look like a whore and a bishop a bishop.

Stanley Swartz, the head of the drama department and the director of Les Misérables said a lot of research goes into making sure the costumes are historically correct.

“We research the time period to make sure that the costumes are accurate. We also look at other shows [productions done by other schools],” Swartz said.

A lot of the costumes come out of the costume closet and are adapted to the play while other pieces, like fancy hats, are bought.

“We adapt the costumes that we have in stock. It saves us money. Pieces that we don’t have will either be made, bought or rented,” Swartz said.

On the other side of the story are the volunteers who have given their time to help with the production. They see to it that every actor and actress is dressed and fitted into their costumes. They also create ensembles and run them by Swartz to get them approved.

Julie Hatfield, whose daughter is in the play, is a volunteer and head of the costume committee. “[My job is] to find costumes for seventy actors and actresses. Each group gets a different type of costume,” Hatfield said.

“I meet with the director and get his vision.

I also look at the costume closet and see what we can use. If we don’t have a certain costume, we might go to Goodwill and see what we could use from there.”

The costume committee also has to make the beggars’ costumes look distressed.

“Ama Ansah and Phoebe Copeland distressed the beggars costumes. They cut and pull and stain the costumes so that they reach a dirty look for the clothes,” Hatfield said.

The crew will be staining the costumes with dyes and rubbing paint on them. They make the pieces look tattered by using sand paper, scissors and wire brushes.

“It’s a good way to take out aggression and is also kind of fun,” senior stage manager Ama Ansah said.

Junior Lydia Hatfeild, who plays a whore and a nun says it’s a strange experience getting costumed and fitted by her mother.

“It’s an interesting process. They [cos-

tume crew] give you an initial costume and then they build on it. It’s also strange because my mom dresses me up as a whore when she’s usually telling me to dress appropriately,” Lydia said.

Lydia is happy about what she will look like, though, and can’t wait to see the finished product of the crew’s hard work.

“As a group, I think we’re going to look very cool. I don’t know how I feel with showing off my body [as a whore] but we’ll look colorful,” Lydia said.

Senior Angela Huynh, has never been in the musical, but she is volunteering her time to help out with costuming.

“It’s not like your normal experience,” Huynh said about her time distressing the costumes. “We weren’t making the clothes look nice and sewing, we were tearing the clothes up and sanding [the costumes]. It was fun.” n

February 24, 2012

The

Indian American Cafe

newsstreak

ADS - B4 Location #1 1507 E. Market Street Harrisonburg, VA 22801 (540)564-0386

Specializing in Non-Vegetarian/ Vegetarian Indian Cuisine

Location #2 2893 Dale Blvd.

Woodbridge, VA 22193 Location #3 1580 S. Main Street Harrisonburg, VA 22801 (540) 433-3189

Lunch: Monday-Saturday 11:00am-2:30 pm Dinner: Monday-Saturday 5:00pm-9:30pm

Location #4 4611 Southpoint Pkwy.

Frederickburg, VA 22407 (540) 710-9390

91 N. Main St. Harrisonburg, 22802 (540) 433-1177

Dan’s Body Service Inc. 2591 Harpine Hwy. Harrisonburg, VA 22802 Phone (540) 4348889

Sylvia’s Pets Monday-Saturday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Sunday 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Ray’s Fine Jewelry and Gifts

226 University Blvd Harrisonburg, VA 22801

If you’re looking for fine quality and unique jewelry, expert advice, a friendly and knowledgable staff and top-notch service and

repair work, you’ve found the right place. At Ray’s, we have a combined 47 years of experience in the jewelry business.

Call us at:(540) 433-2124

4090 Evelyn Byrd Ave

where everyone enjoys the

ultimate steaks, sushi, and seafood

Lunch hours: Mon-Sat 11a.m.- 4p.m.

Dinner hours: Mon-Thurs 4 p.m.-9:30 p.m.

Fri & Sat 4 p.m.-10 p.m.

Sunday 11a.m.-9 p.m.

233 Burgess Road Harrisonburg,Va 22801 540.438.8881

James H. S. Whitney, DDS Board Certified Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon

*Wisdom Teeth *Extractions *Dental Implants *Corrective Jaw Surgery

Call us at: (540) 437-1230 Or Toll Free (877) 449-4123

February 24, 2012

The

newsstreak

ADs - B5

Stacie I. Dietz, DDS

Creating Natural Smiles 1663 Virginia Avenue, Suite 210 Harrisonburg, Virginia 22802 Phone: (540) 442-9100 Fax: (540) 442-9096

One of Harrisonburg’s most delicious traditions 22 S. Main Street Harrisonburg, VA 22801 540-434-8282

Like what you see in this issue?

Visit our website!

Newsstreak.com!

We buy, sell, and trade fine antique and estate jewelry.

Monday - Friday 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Saturdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

(540) 433-1833

For more stories, pictures, videos and much, much more!

75 South Court Square Harrisonburg, Va 22801 www.mchonejewelry.com

newsstreak

Fancy Footwork

February 24, 2012

The

SPORTS- Jake Durden - B6

Freshman Jasmin Rose does vault which is a half-on, half-off. In that vault, she must sprint down the runway, plant two feet on the springboard, pretend she’s doing a round off onto the vault and then turn her body a half turn as she comes off the vault.

All the while, she must keep her legs firmly together and her toes pointed. The point of her landing is to absorb the shock of the momentum with her knees and if at all possible, she should avoid taking a step. When she lands, she must face the judges and salute them. Her best scores will come if she gets a lot of ‘air’ on her mount of the vault and a lot of height in the dismount.

Mendoza dominates defense Roberts attacks bar routine photo illustration by Ben DiNapoli

Cobb works hard to master performance on balance beam

Jake Durden

G

sports editor

ymnastics is a combination of coordination, flexibility, explosion, and static strength that culminates in a brilliant display of athleticism. Balance beam is one of the gymnastic events that displays all of these attributes, but its namesake is indubitably the most essential: balance itself. The beam is only four inches wide, and the heels and toes of gymnasts often hang over the brink while they tiptoe their way around, high in the air.

Gymnasts practice their routines on the low beam, which is raised only slightly above the ground. This helps keep the gymnasts safe while attempting to master their routine. It is vital for the athlete to overcome their fear of the beam’s height.When the time comes to perform for the judges, the stakes are raised, by approximately four feet. Psychologically, this can be a large gap. But for experienced gymnasts such as freshman Brooke Cobb, the feat has become mundane.

“I’ve been doing [gymnastics] for so long that it has become natural,” Cobb said. “For

me, remembering my routine is the difficult part.”

Cobb’s routine is a combination of tumbling and leaping elements that are required by the judges. ­After mounting the beam (which is not scored by the judges), Cobb begins her routine with a switchleg leap, followed by a full turn and then two consecutive back walkovers.

An immense amount of upper body strength is required for the few fleeting seconds when her hands are supporting her entire bodyweight against the beam.

Then comes another dance element, a turn, and a back handspring. Practice breeds the confidence necessary to take the leap of faith, and instinct kicks in to help balance Cobb as she gathers herself for the dismount.

After leaping off the beam, Cobb has to keep her feet shoulder-width apart and a perpendicular bend in the knees in order to absorb the impact.

Walking the line is what gymnasts have to do every day, if domination of the oppenent is their goal. Those who seem to have “mastered” their routine do so because of a vast amount of hard work and practice, which leads them to the promised land of success. n

What is the hardest move on the balance beam?

Ann Bauhan

B

staff reporter

alance beams are tricky, and involve a lot of finesse and balance. As one progresses in the sport, the moves increase in dif-

ficulty.

“A back-handspring is probably the hardest move in my beam routine, because I’m doing a flip and it’s backwards, so I can’t really see where I land,” freshman Brooke Cobb said. “It probably took me about a month or so to learn because I was scared of falling off the beam.”

Since you can not just go straight to the beam, other practice methods must be implemented first.

“I learned it by practicing on lines [on the ground] and making sure my hands

and feet landed in the right spots,” Cobb said. “You have to get it right first.”

Balance beams are tricky, and involve a lot of finesse and balance. As one progresses in the sport, the moves increase in difficulty.

“A back-handspring is probably the hardest move in my beam routine, because I’m doing a flip and it’s backwards, so I can’t really see where I land,” freshman Brooke Cobb said. “It probably took me about a month or so to learn because I was scared of falling off the beam.”

Since you can not just go straight to the beam, other practice methods must be implemented first.

“I learned it by practicing on lines [on the ground] and making sure my hands and feet landed in the right spots,” Cobb said. “You have to get it right first.” n

-Freshman, Jasmin Rose- “Full turn, because there are so many things that you have to think about to make it around.”

-Freshman, Krishna Goradia- “The hardest move for me on the beam is a cartwheel, because it is scary.” infographic by Kevin Franco

Sydney Knupp

F

staff reporter

reshman Megan Roberts wiggles her fingers into the cold, worn leather of her bar grips covering up her previous battle wounds. Roberts dips her hands into the featherweight chalk powder for the ninth time that night.

She glances at the judges, knowing full good and well that they determine her fate. She begins with a full ten points possible; each minor mishap can deduct precious tenths that can make or break her final score.

After a series of kicks, handstands, and spins, Roberts prepares for the quintessential conclusion to her routine: a superior dismount. She must begin the back tuck on the upswing, letting go at just the right moment. Roberts allows the momentum to carry her into the tuck as she slightly tucks her knees in, careful not to over-rotate, which would result in landing with a solid thump on her back. This single element can define the outcome of her performance.

“I get really nervous. When I start the routine, my body goes into flow and I focus on my routine,” Roberts said. “As soon as I stick the landing, I get nervous again.”

Unlike other high school sports, gymnasts are not allotted time before they compete to get hyped. Because of this, they must

be prepared beforehand. The seniors on the team give a motivational speech before the meet begins in order to rally their teammates. These speeches can be the difference between a dominating performance and a loss.

“Before the meet begins, our seniors give us a pep talk to get us excited and ready to compete,” Roberts said. Other than a quick discussion, competitors aren’t able to mentally prepare themselves with the aid of music or private focus time. This strict policy is in place to show respect to your fellow competitors.

“When a teammate is competing, you aren’t allowed to listen to music, or anything else. You have to pay attention and focus.”

Sticking the landing is a crucial aspect of the routine, contributing about one eighth of the gymnast’s total score.

“All I think about when landing is, squeeze your legs tight, absorb the impact with your knees; even if you fall on the landing, stand up, smile, and walk off,” Roberts said.

The landing is crucial. A vast majority of your overall rating is judged on sticking the landing, failure is not an option. No matter how many times you practice your routine making it perfect, if the landing is off, so is your routine.

“Your landing is the judges last impression of you, so you have to make it a great one,” Roberts said. n

Mendoza dominates defense Peter Byrd

N

staff reporter

“You have to play physical, but also smart at the same time. You can still afford to get into foul trouble, especially early in the game. But you also want to set the tone that you are not going to surrender easy buckets,” Mendoza said.

Mendoza has been a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing season for the Blue Streaks. Despite the abysmal record (4-16), the Streaks qualified for the Region 3 tournament, in large part due to a defensive resurrection during a 20-0 run in the fourth quarter of the Streaks’ 72-64 victory over Turner Ashby in a one-game playoff.

Mendoza will be called upon once more to slow down opposing teams’ star player, but he insists it’s not just him.

“The whole team has to defend. It’s not just one individual. As a unit, we have to collectively play hard defense, play help defense, and not have any mental lapses,” Mendoza said. n

athan Mendoza, a 5’11 170lb wing, is the heartbeat of the Streaks’ defensive unit. Every game he requests to guard the opposing teams best player.

“I feel obligated to shut down people like Mike [Richardson] of Broadway, Tucker [McCoy] of Spotswood, and Shai Shai [Matthews] of R.E. Lee,” Mendoza said.

Mendoza did not end up receiving the assignment on containing McCoy. As a result, the Blazer star torched the Streaks for 37 points in a Spotswood victory earlier this season. Contrarily, Mendoza shut down Richardson, arguably the district’s best player, in a one-point loss to the Broadway Gobblers a few weeks back. In addition, Mendoza held R.E. Lee’s Matthews to below his season average, giving the Streaks a one-point victory over perennial powerhouse R.E. Lee the first time the teams met.

Mendoza is an avid Boston sports fan, so his favorite professional team is the Boston Celtics.

Rajon Rondo is Mendoza’s favorite player. Rondo is known for his menacing defense and ability to force turnovers off opposing guards. Mendoza displays these same attributes. Furthermore, Mendoza’s idol is victimized by opposing defenses due to his limited shooting range. Mendoza also rarely shoots outside of fifteen feet and as a result he leads the district in field goal percentage, shooting over an astonishing 67%.

What makes Mendoza great is his versatility. He can play small forward or power forward and has Swish! Nathan Mendoza practices his free throws the skill set to defend all five posi-in preparation for the district tournament. Photo

by Paulina Rendon. tions.

February 24, 2012

The

newsstreak

SPORTS - Mitch DePoy - B7

Hard work pays off for Rodriguez Max Johnson

S

Peter’s Principles Peter Byrd

occer does not get the attention it deserves here in the United States. The only time the country pays attention is during the World Cup. This is wrong.

Television stations have the nerve to show PBA Bowling and Poker but not soccer? Are you kidding me? The most beautiful game in the world is for the most part ignored here in the states.

Real Madrid and Barcelona are the two biggest soccer superpowers in the world. Those with ESPN3 or ESPN Deportes were the only ones fortunate enough to witness the marvelous match-up between offensive juggernauts in the Copa del Rey quarterfinals.

Fox Soccer plays English Premier League games on Sunday afternoon, but they are mostly recorded, not actually live events. On some Saturday mornings, the top-notch games of the week can be found on ESPN or ESPN2, but the sports satellites only broadcast a handful of matches per season.

The knock on soccer is that it is boring to watch because there is less scoring than a nerdy geek at his freshman homecoming dance. But in reality, what is the difference between a 1-0 thriller between Manchester rivals and a Roy Halladay-Tim Lincecum pitcher’ duel? Nothing.

Not a compelling enough argument? The best college football game of the season was a low scoring affair in Tuscaloosa, Alabama between the nation’s two best teams. Games can be appreciated even if there is less scoring than the 2011 edition of the Alamo Bowl (Baylor 67 Washington 56). Americans cringe at the concept of a stout defense and would prefer an all-star game shootout every time teams take the field.

America lags behind other nations in terms of talent as well as success. For example, the United States has over 300 million people. The Americans would have been knocked out of the 2010 World Cup (if not for a Landon Donovan miracle goal in stoppage time) and had to witness a country whose population is smaller than the city of Houston advance. That is downright embarrassing.

Most countries’ best athletes grow up playing soccer while many Americans participate in basketball, football, or baseball. Who would think that the best soccer player in the world, Lionel Messi (sorry Cristiano Ronaldo fans), would stand 5’7’’?

Imagine a LeBron James or a Calvin Johnson outjumping defenders to head in corner kicks. Imagine a Sebastian Janikowski booting punts and goal kicks to the opposing teams box. Of course Janikowski might not have as much natural athletic ability as a soccer goalie, but the point is made.

It is time to accept soccer for what it is, the most popular game in the world, and give the sport the media coverage it deserves. This country would be more accepting of the most beautiful game if sports stations would show the biggest games in the world rather than the hockey snoozers such as the Edmonton Oilers versus the St. Louis Blues. In the words of Cris Carter, “C’mon man!”

The time has come to accept soccer as a marquee sport and get the youth interested and involved so that in the near future we can compete with the best countries in the world at the biggest sporting event in the universe, the World Cup, which is even bigger than the Super Bowl. n

sports writer

B

rian Rodriguez is probably the quietest player on the basketball team. He doesn't really say much and could probably be a little more vocal” said Kevin Tysinger.

After further discussion with the Blue Streaks head basketball coach, that was the only negative comment Tysinger had to say about the 5’11” junior guard.

“Rodriguez is a phenomenal jump shooter, he plays smart and he works hard. He wouldn’t come off as quick, but he is,” Tysinger said.

Rodriguez started off the season by impressing not only the Harrisonburg coaching staff, but coaches from around the area, who are starting to apply more pressure and assign their best defenders to him.

Surprisingly, if you would have seen Rodriguez in previous years, you would have never guessed that he would be in this situation as a dynamic scoring threat and highly-lauded shooting guard.

Rodriguez ended up his 2010-2011 JV season averaging 5.5 points per game along with two assists. He only

started 8 of the 18 games. Rodriguez has started 14 of 16 games this season and is averaging 8.5 points per game with three assists; a higher production rate than he had at a lower level of competition. His season peak on the junior varsity team was 13, but this year he exploded for 18 points against the stout defense of the Broadway Gobblers. Rodriguez is also shooting a little over 50 percent from the 3 point line, and Tysinger believes that Rodriguez doesn’t shoot enough.

“Before the season started, I knew if I worked hard enough I could get good playing time, so I made it my goal over the summer to work as hard as I possibly could,” Rodriguez said.

So where did this come from? Did Rodriguez just adjust to the varsity level faster than JV? No. Rodriguez’s improvement has come from one thing, hard work.

Over the summer, he woke up early and jogged nearly three miles every day to the Rec Center where he would play basketball from noon until about 4 or 5.

After jogging home, he would relax for a couple hours and then he and his uncle would go to Lucy Simms School and workout until around 11 o’clock, followed by some more basketball drills. Rodriguez practiced this ritual

Brian’s Stats Per Game Games Started- 15 Field Goal Percent- 36% Free Throw Percentage- 71% 3 Point Percentage- 35% Point Per Game- 9 Rebounds Per Game- 2 Assists Per Game- 3 Steals Per Game- 2

Connor Bell trains for upcoming mountain biking race season

Do you love sports?

Win! Senior Connor Bell comes in first at a local mountain bike race. Photo courtesy of Connor Bell.

Ben DiNapoli

T

page editor

raining is key in the offseason of any athlete is trying to perform well during their competitive months.

As a mountain biker or cyclist, training differs from that of a football player or a wrestler. Muscular strength is not stressed as much as cardiovascu-

This or That with

Conner Bell

Cannondale or Specialized Lazer or Catlike helmets Mavic or Sidi Shoes Normal or Lefty fork Carbon or Aluminum Oakley or Rudy Project Sunglasses Castelli or Giordana bib shorts SRAM or Shimano Tubeless or Tubular Shave or no shave Selle Italia or Fi’zi:ke

lar endurance or lactate threshold is.

Through a strict training regiment, senior Connor Bell prepares for his race season and world cup hopes.

“My typical training week includes around 16-22 hours of riding, a rest day, and some core work,” Bell said.

Some training bikers spend up to 35 hours a week riding, but sometimes more can be done with less. Short workouts of three to five are sometimes all a student in high school can manage.

The most important time for training for cyclists and mountain bikers is when most people choose to stay indoors: the winter.

“Training for months before races is the most important part of training. It gives you a base that you can use throughout the season. That way, instead of having to work on endurance during the season, you can work on your speed,” Bell said Long hours in the saddle in

the

We’re looking for a few good men and women who are passionate about sports to join the award-winning Newsstreak sports staff.

Stop by 444 for more info!

at minimum five times a week.

“I worked really hard because I don’t want to look back 20 years from now and think, ‘wow, I could have been that much better if I worked just a little harder,” Rodriguez said.

He said that he gets motivated by a quote from Doc River, the Boston Celtics head coach, “What hurts worse? the pain of working hard, or the pain of regretting not working hard enough.” n

x

sub-freezing temperatures can sometimes lead to a lack of motivation.

However, with races starting as early February, you are forced to keep your on the prize “It is definitely hard to stay focused in November when you don’t race until March. The riding isn’t hard but eating right, stretching and going to sleep early is hard,” Bell said.

Winter also means inclement weather conditions, like rain, sleet, snow and ice. As an athlete, though, skipping a day is not an option “Bad weather doesn’t really affect my training. If it is really bad outside, then I will just ride on the trainer instead,” Bell said Even though Bell is a mountain biker, he does the bulk of his training away from the mountain “I do most of my training on the road because I can keep a constant power output, which is how cyclists measure how hard you are going,” Bell said. “While mountain biking, you have to do what the terrain makes you do. If it gets steep, you have to go all out whether you want to or not.

Bell trains with a Powertap, an extremely useful tool that is built into the hub of your rear wheel. Even though it is very expensive ($1000+), Powertap gives you power readings in watts, allowing for easier and more accurate training With a Powertap, you can train scientifically and use a test called a VO2 max test (a test that tells you your maximum oxygen consumption) to train in the perfect power zones. Your VO2 max tells you training zones that can tell you where you burn fat or where you burn carbohydrates. Your Powertap tells you if you are within those zones,” Bell said.

Bell has a relatively extensive race season, spanning across the country “My season practically lasts all year long. I race for around 9 months and then I take about a month ‘off ’ to run, and then start up training for the next 2 months before racing starts again,” Bell said. “I race big national level races for about 2 months out of the year and use the other 7 months of racing for training.

Bell’s racing goals are much bigger than just being a competitive racer within Virginia. In the future, Bell looks to attain a professional status “My big goals include getting on the podium at the World Cup stops in South Africa, Canada, and the US. I also want to do well at Nationals and at the World Championship,” Bell said.

“World cups are international races that have elite men/women, U23 men/ women, and junior men/women fields.

Only 6 riders from each country can compete in each category, so only the fastest riders in the world will compete. If I can finish well at a World Cup, I might be able to get on a good team for next year.

Bell is not the only athlete who is working hard to achieve his goals. Riders from around the country and world are trying to win the exact same races.

The only way to beat them is to work harder and smarter, and ultimately, by training to win. n

x treme corner

February 24, 2012

The

newsstreak

SPORTS - Ben DiNapoli - B8

Wrestling demands more than just strength equal chance,” sophomore Ahmed Mustafa said.

At the beginning of a match, both wrestlers start in the neutral position. If the match is not ended before the second period, the referee calls both wrestlers to the middle of the mat and flips a token to decide who gets to choose what position.

If the match has not ended by the third round, the wrestler who didn’t choose the previous round gets to select their position.

To many, the down position is a favor-

ite.

“Getting out of the down is easy if it is an amateur wrestler. It’s basically free points. If sports reporter they are more experienced, then it can be tricky,” junior Ahmad Salehi said. restling is a sport that is While in the down position, a wrestler based on pure mental dehas another man’s weight nearly identical termination. As NFL hall of to himself on top of him, trying to get his fame coach Vince Lombardi opponent pinned.

If the competitor escapes once said, “Winning is not everything, but the captivity of his opponent, he is rewardthe will to win is everything”. In wrestling, ed with a point. you are put into situations that test this de“Nobody can keep me down,” Salehi sire. The person with the most desire will said. be the one with his hand There are many difraised at the end of the ferent moves to escape match. the down position, but In wrestling, there are they all have the same three basic positions that general idea: get up, the competitors start in: and fast! top, bottom and neutral.

Wrestling is, for the The top position is when most part, an individthe wrestler is on top of ual sport.

If a wrestler the other wrestler that loses a match, there is is in the down position. no one else to blame, The bottom position is and no excuses for when one wrestler is on failure.

When choostheir hands and knees. ing the down position, There is also neutral, you are essentially which is when both telling your opponent wrestlers are standing that he can not handle up. Each wrestler has his you. When escaping own favorite position for from down position, a variety of reasons. the opponent devel“I like the neutral poGrab! Junior Ahmad Salehi wrestlers during an HHS meet. Photo cour- ops doubt, and second sition because it gives guesses himself. n me and my opponent an tesy of Ahmad Salehi.

Kevin Franco

W

How to Score a Wrestling Match

Matches consist of three periods, each of which is one to two minutes in length. During the match, wrestlers can perform different moves in order to take down their opponent and score points.

Fall

Individual Scoring

Also called a pin. A fall occurs when any part of both shoulders of a wrestler is held in contact with the mat for at least two seconds. A fall is declared by the referee. Whenever a fall occurs, the bout is ended. The fall in wrestling is similar to the knockout in boxing.

Near Fall

A near fall happens when a fall is imminent. If both shoulders of the defensive wrestler have touched the mat for less than two seconds, if the wrestler is held on both elbows for less than two seconds, or one shoulder is touching the mat and the other is held at less than a 45 degree angle, then a near fall has occurred.

Takedown Each contestant is awarded two points for each takedown he secures. A takedown happens when a wrestler takes the other down to the mat with control. This maneuver is done from a standing or neutral position.

Technical Fall

Technical falls are like a ref intervening during a boxing match when one of the boxers is too injured to continue, or a “slaughter rule”. When a wrestler gains an advantage of 15 or more points than his opponent, the match is stopped and the loser is awarded a technical fall.

Takedown Reversal Escape Near Fall Rule Infraction

2 points 2 points 1 point 2 or 3 points 1 or 2 points

Team Scoring

Although wrestling is an individual sport, there is still a team aspect. Individual matches contribute cumulative points, which go towards a team’s overall ranking.

6 points

Wrestler wins by pin or any type of forfeit.

5 points

Wrestler wins by technical fall.

4 points

Wrestler wins by major decision (8-14 points).

3 points

Wrestler wins by regular decision (>7 points).

Infographic by Ben DiNapoli and Gypsy Torgerson

Run! The girls indoor track team shows off the district championship trophy. Back row (from left to right): Julie Raab, Akia Morris, Coach Dave Loughran, Jessica Jolicoeur, Ambar Gonzalez-Rodriguez, Lissandra Artilles. Middle row: Erin Goodstein, Miranda Wilson, Celia Ehrenpreis, Jenny Kniss, Tori Armentrout, Rebekah Good, Jennifer Jolicoeur.

Front row: Joanna Hernandez, Vanessa Ehrenpreis, Taelor Adams, Rosalyn Lake, Rosanni Lake. Photo courtesy of Coach Loughran.

The Deal with Durden Jake Durden

O

ne of the most scrutinized characteristics of a great ballplayer is performance under pressure; a calm, cool, collected poise in the highest of stakes. Those whose names are forever enshrined in the history books and whose bronze busts stand stoical in the hallowed halls of Canton, Cooperstown, and Springfield have all had magic moments when the game was on the line. Jordan and Byrd, Montana and Favre, Rivera and Jackson, all made a name for themselves in the postseason by propelling their teams to World Championships. Prospects are judged on whether or not they have the “x-factor”.

The so-called “clutch gene” is typically untested until at least the collegiate level. However, it is the critics of professional athletes who often question whether or not a player has what it takes to win the game with only a few ticks left. Some, such as Tim Tebow and Tiger Woods, have grown up under the microscope and delivered big win after big win. However, Tiger’s recent floundering on Sundays has left much of the sports community to question, does he still have IT? Did his scandal forever render undone the incredible clutch performances that were synonymous with his name?

Only time will tell.

Other players who didn’t get a first look, much less a second, from many professional clubs have garnered the attention of the world on the big stage.

The most recent success that comes to mind is the zero-to-hero story of point guard Jeremy Lin. In only his fifth start, Lin drained a game winning three-pointer with only half a second remaining in the game, bringing the New York Knicks their sixth consecutive win. Part of the reason for his newly found stardom is the fact that he plays in the Big Apple on a struggling team that had high expectations.

Part of it is because despite the massive media microscope, Lin has remained candid, unflappable, and downright clutch.

Another athlete who has been scrutinized since high school is the infamous LeBron James. After seven full NBA seasons and zero championships, James is being assailed as a great statistical player who backs down and passes the ball when the game is on the line. In last year’s NBA Finals, it was Dirk Nowitzki who hit the big shot that sealed the deal multiple times and hoisted the Larry O’Brien trophy.

Can this “clutch gene” be bred, or is it an inherent trait? Indeed, it can be forged deep within the recesses of the athlete itself, but only at the highest price of time and effort. Nowitzki brought his own coach over from his native Germany to work with him on his shooting technique daily. Over one thousand shots a day outside of his team’s practice is the kind of number it takes to drill game winners without batting an eye. Muscle memory is a very real thing, and after countless repetitions, the body can master a motion to the point that almost all the world’s weight cannot interfere with the ball going in the hoop.

Once an athlete has poured in the blood, sweat, and tears that are required to forge their clutch gene, the ability to win the game against all odds is locked in only one location: their mind. The “intestinal fortitude” to remain cool and collected is based in the athlete’s ability to focus, visualize his success, and then implement their technique. Those who have the ice in their veins narrow in on the target and don’t think at all; they just react and employ their fundamentals. In this way, the clutch gene can be developed, and an athlete can go down in history for the one shot they made, knowing that it was the first hundred thousand shots that allowed them to overcome the odds and perform at the highest level under immense pressure. n

Girls indoor track team claims district championship Anthony Duong

T

sports reporter

he girls indoor track team took home their second straight district championship at the meet held at Liberty University, besting rival Fort Defiance who came in a distant second.

Junior Hayden Rutherford is back and ready to perform after facing mononucleosis (an infection that produces flu-like symp-

toms) which sidelined him for a couple weeks.

“It feels good to be back, I’m ready to run my best and make it to regionals,” Rutherford said.

Rutherford knows it won’t be easy to get back at full speed after being sick for a couple weeks. Mononucleosis had restricted him from running and condition for the upcoming meet, but he knows he will be fine when it comes to competing for a spot in regionals.

“I’ll have to adjust my

mindset a little bit for this meet but other than that it should go well,” Rutherford said.

Entering his first track district meet is freshman Rozda Askari, who worked on his speed throughout the season. Prior to the season, Askari made it a goal to get faster to help with the upcoming football season and improve his overall speed.

“I’m going to work hard to reach my goal and hopefully it will turn out great,” Askari said.

The pressure is higher than ever for runners competing for the first time in district track. Askari is not too worried about how he will perform, but is wondering what the pressure will be like when he gets there.

“I’ve never been in this kind of situation before, it’s scary,” Askari said.

As the meet unfolded on Feb 11, the Streaks were a force to be reckoned with.

As for the girls’ events , in the 55 meter dash, junior Akia Morris and senior Vanessa Ehrenpreis went first

and second, with freshman Tori Armentrout finishing in a respectable fifth.

In the 300 meter dash, senior Vanessa Ehrenpreis finished second, as well as second in the 500 meter dash.

Senior Taelor Adams took third in the 55 meter hurdles. The girls also finished first in the 4x200 and 4x400 meter relays. Ehrenpreis and Adams took one and two respectively in the high jump and triple jump, and Ehrenpreis also received first in the long jump.

The girls secured the title of district champs.

The boys’ meet was not as successful, but they still put on a good showing.

Junior Weylin Holmes finished first in the 55 meter dash, while senior Nevin Heckman secured first in the 500 meter run by over a second. Senior William Imeson placed second in the 1600, and first in the 3200. Holmes also placed first in the triple jump and high jump, while senior Marshall Hyser placed first in the pole vault. n

December 2011 February 24,16, 2012

2011-12

HHS

NEWSSTREAK

PATRONS

The

newsstreak

ADS - B9

Patrons are members of the Harrisonburg community and others who support the pursuit of excellence in the journalistic publications of Harrisonburg High School. Money generated from the patron program is used to offset costs of attending journalism conferences, to print our paper, and to purchase up-to-date technological equipment for our journalism lab. To become a patron, see any member of the Newsstreak Staff or stop by room 444. You can also visit www.newsstreak.com to download a patron ad contract. Patron level is determined by the following scale: HHS Patrons, $5; Blue Patrons, $10; Bronze Patrons, $15; Silver Patrons, $25; Gold Patrons, $50; and Newsstreak Super Sponsor, $100+.

NEWSJohnson and STREAK Jackie Zito SUPER Jessica SPONSORS Adolino & Ann and John Tim Speer DiNapoli Denise Zito HHS ESL Dr. William Department O'Meara John and Eric and Erma Dawn Wine Coffey Ruple Lucie and Kathy and John Levy Larry Martha Ray Whitten Shifflett Kevin and Megan E. Karen Rose Shifflett Leo Eisert Michael K. Mark and Ann Eye Siciliano Sarah Sallie and DiNapoli Scott Strickler Scott Kizner Ted and The Shisler Stephanne Family Byrd Tom Little and Valerie and Carmen Bobby Kibler Moreno Judith Strickler SILVER SPONSORS GOLD Anne & JC SPONSORS DePoy A&T JT and Chicken Stacy Ann Held Turner Ansah Family Kara and Bob and Sally Bernie Karr Hostetter Mallory Diane and Cromer David Anne and Joe Ehrenpreis Riley Dick and Billy Martin Gerrie Brown Chris Arndt Dick Dan and Betsy

Kennedy Dawn and Daryl Cockerham Ed and Naomi Sensenig Elvin and Sharon Hostetter Eric Sents Jackie & George Durden Jane M. Brown Jay and Pat Supko John T. Siciliano Larry and Valerie Kaylor Larry Barber LeSonya Bullard Mary Lou and Challace McMillin Nanci Sharp Nancy Byrd Nancy Heisey Nicky Swayne Rebecca Burcher Jones Richard S. and Sally A. Morrell Seth Harper Steve and Lauree Purcell Tim and Kristy Peifer

Tim Meyers Marge Tom and Lori Johnson Mendez Mari Kyle Tracy Mark Healy Shaver Melody Wendy Wilson Siciliano Nelson and Wendy Marie Herring Torgerson Philip Yutzy Robert Hoskins BRONZE Sam Nickels SPONSORS Holly Haney/ Sheila Fielding Tim and Bob Kolvoord Debbie Richard Lacey Tysinger Tracey Barr Andrew Vicki Warg Jackson Vickie Curtis and McAlister Beth Cash David Loughran HHS Geoffray Estes SPONSORS Kilders M. Brendon Giron Derstine Shivakumar Cathy Grogg Beheraj Carl The Hooks Donakowski Yolanda Blake Chris Grefe Coach Chris Thurman BLUE Debbie SPONSORS Witman Beth Houff Edson Eduardo Arango Hernandez Kim Hook Elwood Linda Family Bradley Judy and Chris White Mr. and Mrs. Walton Kevin Patricia Tysinger Pineda Kris Vass Lynda Blackwell

Make a difference in your school.

Make a difference in your world.

Join the Newsstreak Staff, the team that makes a difference.

We need good writers, photographers, designers, webmasters, artists, business administrators, editors, sports enthusiasts, cartoonists and just plain good people.

You could have what it takes!

Talk to a journalist today.

The newsstreak

February 24, 2012

Saying hello & goodbye

The experience - A10

Staff reporter Hope Carr was elated when her baby brother was born. Ethan Ayden Carr was six weeks premature. Despite a successful birth, he did not live more than one day. Carr recounts her poignant experience here.

Hope Carr

W

staff reporter

hen I got the call after school one day that my mom was in Charlottesville and was going to be induced at UVA I was so excited and anxious I did not know what to think. Me and my mentor, Kim went to my house and got a few things to prepare to go to UVA. Then, we were on our way. The drive there felt like the longest yet.

I had been to Charlottesville with my mom at least eight or nine times because one of my baby brother’s kidneys was not going to work so they had to send my mom to a high risk OBGYN in Charlottesville that could control it. My mom still went to the OBGYN in Harrisonburg for normal checkups and also went to Charlottesville at least once a week to monitor the kidney. At first they thought that if they drained it, it would solve the problem. Sticking a needle in my mom and into the baby was very painful and dangerous to both my mom and the baby. I was there every time they drained it. The first time it hurt my mom so badly I could see the pain in her eyes as they stuck her with the needles. She was very strong and handled her pain well. The drained 6 oz. of fluid out of his kidney, which reduced it’s size so that it was not pushing up against his chest and messing up the other organs.

When we went back the next week the kidney was filled back up again to about the same size. They drained it again and the fluid came back a week later. They drain it at least two more times after that and see that it only comes back. So they stop and just leave it how it is figuring that it won‘t hurt him.

Eventually my mom switched doctors to high risk OBGYN at UVA. They said they would just monitor it until he was born and that was all they could do until he actually came out. I arrived at UVA and got a pass and went straight up to her room. I had never been so happy to see my mom before. We were all so excited. I knew this was going to be a long journey and I could not wait. They started my mom’s Pitocin to get the labor started. We waited for what seemed like forever. Kim left and it was just me, my mom, and a close family friend Debbie. Debbie had helped my mom and the rest of the family through this and she was very much like family. When she was dilated at four centimeters she got an epidural. After about 30 hours of being induced my mom was nine centimeters all she had to do was push and he would be out. This was one of her

Premature Births Premature Birth- when a child is born before 37 weeks of pregnancy.

About 12.8% of babies are born prematurely in the USA. The premature birth rate has increased by 36% since the1980s.

Premature babies have an increased risk of many serious health problems (mental retardation, lung and heart problems, etc.)

A premature baby’s body weight, and length of time in the womb directly affects their likelihood of survival.

All statistics from the March of Dimes

“

longest labors ever considering that she had to be induced. I treasure the He would be time I got to hold six weeks early and would need him. At that serious medi- moment I wished cal attention. As soon as the doc- time would tor came in Deb- never end. I wish bie and I went to her legs and she I could have just started to push. sat there with him I could see his head, it was full all day. of hair. She gave about two more pushes and out he came. He was so precious. They asked me if I wanted to cut his umbilical cord and of course I said yes. Cutting his umbilical cord was the best feeling in the world. I was not expecting to do it, I thought they would. After being born the immediately took him to the Newborn Intensive Care Unit. They told my mom that we could go in a hour and see him. He was born around 11:30 p.m. so we went around 12:30 p.m.

“

-Hope Carr

I. Going Into the NICU We had to wash our hands before we went in the NICU. We all went in to see him and he was just laying there, quiet and innocent. The doctors were still running test and told us to come back tomorrow morning.

When we returned in the morning, they told us his lungs were collapsing and that they would have to put tubes in his chest.

I was a little heart broken, considering he was just a newborn baby. I did not want to see him like this and neither did my mom.

The doctors said they were going to take some more x-rays to confirm his lungs were still collapsing, and told us to call in about an hour. My mom called and they said we could not come down. As she was talking on the phone, I was leaving to go with Kim to get out for a little bit; as we left I could hear my mom bust into tears. The doctors were concerned about his health. I meet Kim at the elevators and told her about his condition and how I hoped he was okay. Kim and I went to the mall in Charlottesville and I got some Chinese food and took it back to UVA. As soon as we returned already knew something was wrong.

II. Hearing the Bad News Debbie was waiting for us at the NICU to take us back to my mother. Debbie explained to me that my baby brother was not going to make it. I just felt my stomach drop.

I could not believe it. How could someone who fought for their life for nine months just give up now? I went into the NICU with Debbie where she led me to where my mom was sitting in a wheel chair. I felt tears rushing down my cheeks, I could not stop crying. I thought this was just a nightmare I could not seem to wake up from. My mom’s eyes were all red as if she had been crying.

They gave him to my mom so she could hold him. I started crying uncontrollably.

Earlier that morning, my mom and I were arguing about what to name him. I wanted his middle name to be Ayden. They finally told me his name was Ethan Ayden Carr. I could not believe my ears. My mom actually gave him the middle name I loved and longed for him to have.

My mom held him for a long time, it was at least for an hour. Debbie and my mom left and I got to hold him and Kim was there right beside me the whole time. I also held him for a long time. I treasure the time I got to hold him. At that moment I wished time would never end. I wish I could have just sat there with him all day. After about an

Top: Hope’s little brother Ethan Ayden Carr. Above: Hope and her mother, cherish the brief time spent with Ethan. Photos courtesy of Hope Carr. hour I gave him a kiss and went to go find my mom.

III. Getting Prepared They took him and put him back in the bed. They were going to wash him up a little bit and put an outfit on him and bring him into a room where they would disconnect his life support. My mom, Debbie, Kim and I all went back in there. The nurse asked my mom if she wanted to help wash him, but she said no. My mom just wanted to hold his little finger. The nurse showed my mom the outfit she was going to put on him and she approved. I liked it very much. It was a little white outfit with blue lining on the front. She was also going to wrap him in a blanket. After she washed him she cut a little piece of his hair and put it in a tiny bag and put it in a blue and white container. She cut off all his bracelets and also put them into the container. She took out his chest tubes before she dressed him and wrapped him up in the blanket. After they were finished we had to go into the waiting room so they could get a room ready. When they called us to come in we waited in sad silence for a little bit. Then my mom said, “ I don’t know if I want you in here or not, I can barely handle it.” I told her I could and she never said anything else about it. Eventually they brought him in. A photographer came in from the program “Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep,” they take pictures of newborn babies that are about to pass away and edit them then send them to the family. She set up as they placed Ethan in my moms arms. I was sitting directly across from my mom watch-

ing everything silently. I held back the tears that started to fill my eyes because I was being strong. They took him off life support and for a few seconds he tried so hard to breath on his own, but he just could not. His lungs were not strong enough. His face features were so amazingly precious. He was the most handsome baby I had ever seen.

The lady started taking pictures of mom and Ethan. The nurse kept checking him to see his pulse.

IV. Loosing Him For Good It was about 45 minutes to a hour before his heart stopped beating. His heart just kept going. After he was gone my mom let me hold him. She gave him one final kiss and went back up to the room. I held him for about 15 or 20 minutes. He was so lifeless, but he looked so much better with out the tubes in his mouth. I handed him off to one of the nurses kissed him good-bye and said, “Forever in my heart.” Kim and I went back up to my mom’s room. I told Kim I was going to ride home with my mom and Debbie, so she left. My mom talked to the nurses as I ate because she wanted to leave that night, she did not want to be in the hospital without a baby. We left about 30 minutes later.

I could barely eat my food despite the fact that I had hardly eaten that day. It was hard dealing with a loss of a somebody you love so much and you never want to let go of. I think watching him being born and cutting his umbilical cord was the best experience I have ever had in my whole entire life. n