March 25th Issue

Page 1

the

Newsstreak

where every person has a story

Boys Dance

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

Renaissance tradition provides entertainment

News Briefs Harrisonburg High School band received superior ratings at our District Band competition on Saturday March 12th. Sherry Burcham Anderson memorial 5k run and walk is scheduled for May 14th 2011. Guidance department announces that early release/late arrival will not be offered to students next year. The original play Terrible Skunk Breath will open on April 22nd and show again on April 23rd.

Sports Briefs Stay updated on newsstreak.com to see how your March Madness basketball bracket is doing.

Outdoor track has their first meet on March 26th, at HHS. Come see boys and girls compete against each other in the Co-Ed Classic.

newsstreak.com Updated sports scores Feature package stories Advertisement forms Breaking news Media footage Reviews and columns Poll of the week Picture of the Day

Coming Up:

Inside this issue

Sherry Anderson 5k Coverage. Spring television show breakdowns. New clothes store “Mint” opens in location downtown. Who is going where for college. Spring play coverage Spring sports coverage and profiles. Apple apps, which app are you? Journalism trip to Anaheim California. AP Study tips.

Gettin’ Money! Sophomore Robby Ross preforms as a member of the Renaissance boys dance team. A tradition holding on since 2006. Photo by Emily Jamieson.

Harrisonburg out grows Charlottesville in population Kizner Xuyi Guo

staff reporter

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arrisonburg, often thought of as a small city, has overtaken its neighbor over the mountain, Charlottesville, in size. Based on Census Bureau estimates, Harrisonburg had a population of 45,137 as of 2009, an 11 percent increase from 40,468 residents in 2000, while Charlottesville had a population of 42,218 in 2009, a 6 percent decrease from 45,049 residents in 2000. Although the two cities are now similar in population, they still have stark differences, particularly economically. “[Charlottesville] is more upscale,” said Mark Tueting, a history teacher at Harrisonburg High School who commutes to work from his farm near Charlottesville. “Harrisonburg has a very educated elite within the JMU community but there’s a larger portion of the society that is working class,” Tueting said. “Charlottesville is more upper-middle class.” Based on Census Bureau estimates from 2009, Tueting’s assessment of the socioeconomic environment is on point. Charlottesville generally has a more prosperous population than Harrisonburg. The unemployment rate in Charlottesville is a mere 4.9 percent, while the unemployment rate in Harrisonburg is 6.7 percent. Also, of those employed, Charlottesville residents generally make more money. The median household income in Charlottesville, at $38,369, is $4,782 higher than the median household

income in Harrisonburg, which is $33,587. The difference between average household incomes is even greater. Family income data tells a similar story, and 9.4 percent of families, accounting for 27.6 percent of people, in Charlottesville were under the poverty level, while 12.2 percent of families, accounting for 31.3 percent of people, in Harrisonburg were under the poverty level. The economic difference between Charlottesville and Harrisonburg may be accounted for by the educational and vocational differences that Tueting highlighted. Charlottesville’s population has more education than Harrisonburg’s. The proportion of residents who have graduated from high school in Charlottesville is 84.2 percent, whereas in Harrisonburg it is only 76.8 percent. Similarly, the proportion of residents that hold a bachelor’s degree or higher in Charlottesville is 43.3 percent, while it is just 31.8 percent in Harrisonburg. Additionally, the types of jobs that people have in Charlottesville are more likely to be white-collar. The proportion of workers in Charlottesville who are in management, professional, or related occupations is 43.6 percent, while in Harrisonburg that proportion is only 27.7 percent. Furthermore, Charlottesville has nearly double the proportion of government workers at 30.3 percent versus Harrisonburg’s 15.2 percent. However, all of that affluence comes with a price. When asked about why he thought the population of Charlottesville was actually in decline, Tueting responded, “The cost of living.”

See Population on Page A2

Sherry Anderson 5K on its third run Maria Rose

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editor-in-chief

t was on the morning of Jan 6, 2009, that devoted wife, mother, and educator Sherry Anderson was killed while running by a drunk driver. It was a Tuesday. The following spring of that year, the Harrisonburg Education Foundation (HEF), held the first annual Sherry Anderson 5K RunWalk, to commemorate the life of a woman who was so actively involved within the community. “We thought it would be a good idea to do a memorial in her name,” Craig Mackail, HEF executive coordinator explained. “She was such a good person and educator in our system.” This is the third year the 5K is being hosted in Anderson’s honor. The HEF was originally planning to host a 5K, which Anderson had planned to serve on the committee for before she passed away. After Strategies for packing quick lunches and nutrition info

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her death, it made Sign up for the Sherry Anderson 5K sense to the board to name the race on May 14th on newsstreak.com! for her. “Kerri Wilson tary schools can compete, and it came up with the race,” Mackail is purely based on participation. said. “It was all in the planning Students can run or walk a lap, stage as she died.” half a lap, two laps—pretty much The proceeds from the 5K sup- whatever distance and speed suits port an educator grant and a schol- them. The elementary with the arship, both of which are in her most student participants wins the name. Applicants who apply for trophy. the grant or scholarship must re“It’s not timed and everyone flect the same qualities Anderson wins,” Mackail said. “We wanted held: dedication, faithfulness, and to get the kids involved. There are energy, as described by the HEF. a lot of families in the 5K, but not In addition, the scholarship com- many kids can run that long. We mittee is looking for a student who wanted to have a tribute to them.” is interested in pursuing a career in But in the end, after the fun and education, similar to Anderson. games, the race’s true intent is to “I think that would please her,” commemorate Sherry Anderson. Mackail said, of the scholarship. “I While the general public may not think she’d be happy that we were know Sherry, Mackail contends spending the money on something that people are still moved when like this.” the family and friends speak. A tradition continued from last “It’s a nice family event,” Mackyear is the Kids’ Fun-Run, held ail said. “And we use this venue to right after the 5K on the HHS continue to remember her.” track. Only children from elemenSenior art students display art during musical

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Competition with sports teams at HHS

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addresses student issues at HHS Christy Stearn

News Editor

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uperintendent Scott Kizner has developed a new method to make necessary changes and to resolve impending problems in HCPS. Every couple of weeks, Kizner meets with a select group of students from each grade to discuss current issues at HHS. The student advisory board is comprised of two or three students from each grade. The students were chosen by their core teachers and retired principal Irene Reynolds as good representatives for their peers. The group was designed to relay information from students to administrators. Both Kizner and the students believe that the student advisory board is an excellent way for students to provide feedback on regulations, rules, and classes. “I think it’s important because it is a unique opportunity as a student. Dr. Kizner asks all of us if there’s anything we think is important or needs to be fixed and we give him ideas,” junior Amy

See Student on Page A2

Freeze Frame

Hang on! Senior Brandon Brewer demonstrates bike tricks at westover park. Photo by Heather Hunter-Nickels.

IN PRINT ON THE WEB

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n 2006, a group of Renaissance students created the tradition which catch the eyes of all students each year during the Renaissance Rally. Then senior Yassee Pirooz help come up with the idea in 2006, with Jason Krech as one of the original members of the Boys dance team. “It was originally Mrs. Kibler and Yassee’s idea. I was mostly responsible for recruiting people out of our Renaissance class and getting them to buy into the whole embarassing idea,” Krech said. “When the guys were first informed of it, everyone including me was more than a little skeptical. It wasn’t the most popular idea with the dancers, since we were the ones that were going to look like fools in front of everyone. But, after we got going with it and everyone loosened up, it was pretty fun. It was probably one of the most popular pep rally “acts” we had during my high school years, as evidenced by the fact that they keep doing it every year.” Seniors Lauren Martin and Emily Blatt personally choreographed the dance this year

getting ideas from youtube and from the dancers. and got a local DJ to create the music mix. “We got the choreography ideas from various videos we had seen and just what we thought went well with the songs we chose,” Blatt said. The boys practiced during their Renaissance class block, in two separate groups. As performance day drew closer, the groups began joint practices, combining formations and dance techniques. “The hardest part was getting our formations figured out and getting there on time,” senior Leo Arango said. Many of these boys were skeptical at first about the idea of performing a dance in front of the whole school. “It was a lot of fun and I loved it,” senior Patrick Turner said about the experience. Compared to last year’s extravagant combination of makeup, feathers, and glitter, this year’s boys dance team personalized shirts and uniformed with grey sweat pants. After days and weeks of practicing and hard work, the boys’ dance team has produced a unique routine, continuing a tradition that will never be forgotten

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Christine Choi entertainment editor

Volume XIC • Issue 8• March 25, 2011


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