November 6th print issue by valerie Kibler

The

Newsstreak

where every person has a story

Volume XC • Issue 4 • November 6, 2009

harrisonburg high school • 1001 garbers church road • harrisonburg, va 22801 • 540.433.2651 • Newsstreak.com •

Freeze Frame

SCA hosts Mr. Blue Streak pageant ECMC Scholars program awards thousands Claire Sudol Managing Editor

T Class of 2010! The senior class cheers during the Renaissance Rally. Photo by Rafiqa Haji.

News Briefs Renaissance and the SCA will be hosting Longaberger basket bingo in the HHS commons on November 21. Tickets are being sold in advance $25 for 4 cards and $10 for 1. Tickets at the door will be $25 for 3 cards and $10 for 1. Homemade food will be available. Doors open at 4:00 p.m. first game will be called at 5:30 p.m. Door prizes will be offered along with raffle tickets for additional baskets. There will be 26 Longaberger baskets filled with cool items available. National Education Week is November 16-20 to honor all teachers, administrators and support staff in America’s public schools. The second six weeks end on November 18, that is an early release day for students. Report cards will be distributed on November 25. 

portion. The men were clothed head-totoe looking like women and walked down the runway sporting their new looks. The modeling of evening gown dresses was by far the most stand out part of the rally.

he Mr. Blue Streak pageant is back see mr. blue streak, page a8 and better than ever. The SCA set up a spin off to the famous Miss America pageant, and created its very own pageant for HHS. The Mr. Blue Streak pageant is unlike anything anyone besides HHS students and faculty has seen before. Two boys from each grade and two teachers representing all faculty were chosen to participate in the annual event. The pageant consisted of selected competitions; singing, dancing, interview, and the new addition, modeling an evening gown. In each event, every man stood in front of the entire school in the gymnasium in an effort to impress the judges and win the crown. Among the competitors was freshman Ben DiNapoli, who was ready to show off his skills for the event. “I like to entertain people and so [the Mr. Blue Streak pageant] sounded fun,” DiNapoli said. “But, the dancing portion was definitely the most embarrassing because I’m not very good at it.” DiNapoli’s history teacher, Kirk Moyers had only positive things to say about him. “I was moved to tears by his singing voice, and I think Ben rocked the dress, he wore the dress, and didn’t let the dress wear him,” Moyers said. “He could very well be America’s Next Top Model.” Mr. Blue Streak 2009, Jay Blair, celebrates his victory To add new flavor to the pageant, with senior contestants Preston Grogg and Drake the SCA decided to include a modeling Cary. Photo by Phillip Bannister.

Breakfast program suffering from new schedule

The football team will take on the Turner Ashby Knights tonight at TA. Kick off is at 7:30. The girls cross country team won the Massanutten District Championship on Oct 27, while the boys team placed second. The competition cheerleading squad placed third behind Spotswood and Broadway and will advance to the regional competition. All athletes must make sure they have a VHSL physical on file with the athletic department prior to trying out for winter sports. See your respective coaches or stop by the athletic office to get a form.

the south doors encouraging students to go get their breakfast. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Students who eat a healthy breakfast are less tired during the day. They are less hungry t 7:30 a.m., the cafeteria staff has been during the course of the day and will not overeat at school for over an hour preparing at lunch or dinner. The breakfast program at breakfast for students. The tardy bell HHS benefits students, such as sophomore Katy is ringing, but buses full of students Towers who does not have time to eat before are still arriving. Assistant principals stand at hurrying off to school. “I get up so early and then the bus is always there,” Towers said. She often buys her breakfast at school. HHS has been serving students breakfast for well over a decade but this year not as many students are getting that all important first meal in the mornings. According to Cafeteria Director Andrea Early, at the end of the 2008-2009 school year, approximately 500 students got breakfast each morning. Now, roughly 400 students have time to buy breakfast. “We’re thinking it’s because of the change in our schedule. And due to the change in our schedule, we’re having trouble getting our buses here quickly enough or early enough so that students would have time to get their breakfast,” To-Go. Cafeteria staff member Vickie Hunt prepares the assistant Principal Jay Supko said. breakfast to-go bags for students. Photo by Emily JaSEE BREAKFAST, PAGE A10 mieson.

newsstreak.com

Power Hour provides individual student-teacher help

Sports Briefs 

Updated class wars scores Daily lunch menu Advertisement forms Breaking news Athletic calender and updated scores Polls and more

Coming Up:  Winter sports scores, results and schedules HHS’ favorite new songs and artists Movies in the theater vs. movies at home Creative holiday gift ideas that don’t require spending a lot of money Free H1N1 vaccine being oﬀered to students and teachers The Newsstreak staﬀ travels to D.C. for the National Journalism Convention.

Ama Ansah News Editor

Jack Burden Sports Editor

lgebra teacher Kevin Nafziger is entering his fourth year as the head of Power Hour. Power Hour is a program organized by HHS for teachers to give students help with everything from homework and projects to SOL review. Nafziger was originally planning to do after school tutoring, and when he heard Power Hour was in need of leadership, he jumped at the opportunity. “I enjoy interacting with students outside of the classroom, and I think the students beneﬁt from getting help from someone who is not their teacher. They get an extra viewpoint on their school work,” Nafziger said. Sophomores Lashay

Henderson and Charlotte Sharpe each attend Power Hour, and both enjoy the extra help. “It’s [Power Hour] helpful, and it’s [the atmosphere] not too distracting,” Henderson said. Henderson said the best part of Power Hour is getting help with geometry homework, which then helps her do better on her grades. Sharpe, who began attending Power Hour last year, says she too likes the extra help. “I was in BSA, but when Power Hour started again this year, I started going to it,” Sharpe said. Like Henderson, Sharpe takes advantage of the opportunity to get help with her geometry homework. She says her homework grades are going up, but Power Hour has not helped bring up her test grades. “I’ve failed every [geometry]

test this year,” Sharpe said. Geometry and Algebra teacher David Rush helps Nafziger run Power Hour, along with a multitude of other teachers, including Rob Edmonds, Joey Beppler, Patricia Rojas, Deanna Shoemaker, and Patrick Jarrett. Rush joined last year, and enjoys the work. “I like getting to help the kids who really need it,” Rush said. Rush believes Power Hour works only if the students take it seriously. Nafziger, too, believes Power Hour is most eﬀective for kids who take advantage of the opportunity. “I like seeing kids that are struggling begin to get it, and their grades then improving,” Rush said. Power Hour is held every Monday and Wednesday after school for one hour in the cafeteria. It begins the second six weeks of school, and runs until the end of the year. 

Sports

News

Style

Feature

The world languages department A3 hosts international festival

Author Chris Crutcher shares his writing with students. A10

What Governor’s school is right for you? B3

Vanessa Ehrenpreis Sports Editor

arrisonburg High school is one of ten schools in Virginia selected to participate in the Educational Credit Management Corporation (ECMC). The program was created in 2003 to provide financially needy students with the chance to continue with a post secondary education by giving each a $6,000 scholarship. “My guidance counselor talked to me about it [ECMC],” senior Aurora Jimenez-Puente said, “then I got a call saying that I was now an ECMC scholar.” Twenty prospective college bound students are selected from the junior and senior classes, and are paired with a mentor who prepares them for college life. Jimenez-Puente selected history teacher Mark Healy as her mentor. This is their second year collaborating with the ECMC program. “Aurora is a good example of what the program is all about. She’s a girl who otherwise couldn’t afford to go to college, but has all the characteristics to succeed there. Her work ethic and responsibility are amazing. She’ll be the first one to go to college in her family because she’s making a great effort,” Healy said.

SEE ECMC, PAGE a2

“

I have to keep up my good grades. If I get bad grades, I lose the scholarship, and I don’t want to lose it. It’s all about the future.”  Senior Aurora Jimenez-Puente

Dinner theater to feature one act David Proctor News Editor

or the ﬁrst time, on Nov 5, the drama departments of Thomas Harrison Middle School, Skyline Middle School and Harrisonburg High School will converge in the Harrisonburg auditorium. They will be putting on a triple header featuring THMS’ “Sir Nose, the Burger Rat”, Skyline’s “Cousin Amy’s Diner” and HHS’ “Hollow”. “Sir Nose, the Burger Rat” is a “fast food farce based on the classic play ‘Cyrano de Bergerac’”. “Cousin Amy’s Dinner” is a comedy about “a small dinner guest getting a celebrity. Hollow is a much more serious play which “explores the ironies surrounding an abused teen”. The idea was brought up during a meeting between the heads of each school’s drama department. According to HHS Drama director Stanley Swartz, the idea “just came up”. Yearbook adviser Mary Strickler and the yearbook staﬀ will be providing food such as spaghetti, tossed salad, and garlic bread. They will also provide a sundae bar and SEE DRAMA, PAGE A8

Photo Essay fall seasons wind up

Winter sports previews

B10

The Newsstreak

November 6, 2009

NEWS BRIEFS HHS’s debate team traveled to Fort Defiance on October 1, 2009 for a tournament. Ryan Waligora took home 5th place in Junior varsity LincolnDouglass and junior Jo Donahue won 3rd in the same category. Junior David Proctor won 6th place in varsity Lincoln-Douglass.The next debate tournament is November 5th. Auditions for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat will be held November 16th through 18th. Students interested should contact Mr. Swartz. Seniors can pick up packets for senior service projects from Sarah Grefe in the upstairs main office. These are a great opportunity for seniors to get involved in a community service project and earn recognition at graduation. The winter semi-formal dance will be held at the end of the first semester. Plan now to attend. Seniors need to stop by guidance and speak to their counselors to make sure they are on pace to get their college applications in. Juniors should be figuring out when they first want to take the SATs this year and should also make an appointment with their counselor to discuss a plan for post-high school.

News A2

Band successful at Parade of Champions

into their respective sections on the bright green grass of the worn down football field lue Streaks Marching Band placed to begin warm2nd in the AA division by .45 ing up. The Color points to Oswego High School, a Guards members nationally ranked NY band in the twirled their colorbiggest competition of the year, Parade of ful flags as percusChampions (POC). “When you lose by .45 sion synchronized you have got to feel good about it,” said their mallets and band director J. R. Snow. pounded on their Out of a total of 41 bands in all divisions, xylophones. On HHS ranked sixth. Their score, 81.75, was the hill, Drum Manot far from the first ranked band, AAA jor Sarah DiNapoli division, Fairfax High School, who scored sat with a metro84.75 out of 100. “We kicked Butt!” said nome and joked senior band member, Adam Imeson. about counting The band has marched away from their beats. The sound first three competitions with hard earned of horns and wood first place trophies. Music flow, color instruments flutguard, marching, precision, drum major, tered through the March! Blue Streaks Band performing during the half-time show. and general effect are all factored into the air completing the Photo taken by Paulina Rendon. judging criteria. mesh of music. In the 2009 POC competition, HHS This year, Snow full circle back to Auld Lang Syne, they placed fourth. “We took lots of risks with arranged a piece themed with the four end on a note that leaves the audience the piano soloists,”Snow said. In that perseasons. It is the piece they performed at wanting more. formance they had a piano on the field POC. Standing straight, heads held high, After watching the 10 minute practice and played their music around it. It was a the piece begins with New Year’s Auld performance, it was clear that a lot of less traditional piece. Lang Syne. In the back- thought was put into it. The ball dropping “This year we’re doing ground, a ball drops resembles New Years, the baseball game a more traditional marchresembling the Times scenario entailing the whack of the bat, the ing piece and that has reWhen you lose by Square countdown. way they move to show the wind, the way ally helped us (improve), Summer, fall, and winter the music, even though it’s from different .45 you have got to so has the Color Guard,” pass. The Color Guard pieces, flows together, and how the feet Snow said. feel good about it,” flaunts the seasons in and bodies move with the rhythm. “We In Tuesday’s after school  band director their flags and as sum- try to make things interesting for them, practice, before the big mer hits, they play a sce- it’s something I really take pride in,” said J.R. Snow competition, Snow gave nario of a baseball game. Snow. his family of marching Through fall the whole They have one more competition on musicians an inspirational band sways as the wind October 31, and will be in the Christmas speech. He complementblows, and they swoop parade November 4. “If they play their ed them on how well they had done, acas the red and orange-yellow leaves catch best and give everything they have good knowledged their ability to succeed, and a gust of wind. Winter kicks in and even things will go their way. That has been expressed that they were a special group though most of it sounds like Carol of the our motto all year,” Snow said. that should now focus on improving Bells, there are lots of other bits and pieces themselves individually. of songs such as Jingle Bells. Coming in After the pep talk, the group dispersed Heather Hunter-Nickels News Reporter

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Anderson, Kibler prepare Longaberger baskets Aidan Newcity Sports Editor

B-I-N-G-O! HHS alumni Dan Nafziger calls out the numbers of a winning participant for 2008 Longaberger Bingo.

very year just in time for the holidays, HHS holds an annual Longaberger basket bingo. Teacher David Loughran echoes through the gym commons calling out the numbers. The prize for every ‘Bingo’ called out is a new Longaberger basket ﬁlled with special items put together by the Renaissance class. A Longaberger basket is a hand woven basket. They are highly loved by all types of people. The Longaberger basket head-

Walton has high hopes for forensics squad Emmett Copeland Sports Reporter

HS forensics is, as defined by Coach Bradley Walton, "A group of students who compete in public speaking, and hopefully don't suck at it." Although the latter is always a possibility, Walton says he's not too worried. In all of his nine years coaching, Walton has always sent at least one person to the state competition. Forensics competitors can choose from ten categories of presentation style. Whatever the piece is, the students then present for the judges who rank them against the others in their category by number, in order of best to worst overall. The lowest points win. In looking at upcoming tournaments, Walton foresees good things, and in particular has high hopes for senior Edwin Bonilla and junior Cathy Rodriguez, both state finalists from the 2008 season. Bonilla is currently occupied with Debate but once that season is over he plans to devote himself to forensics. Last year he was a state competition finalist with his storytelling piece “The Troll with No Heart”. The storytelling competition consists of memorizing a story and reciting it

for the judges. Bonilla says he’s on the forensics team because he really enjoys it, “Competitions are fun and it’s a great experience,” Bonilla said. He is considering political life as a career and wants all the practice he can get. Rodriguez definitely doesn’t want to be a politician, she would much rather use her skills in the field of psychology. Her piece this year is “Amazing Grace” by Bradley Walton; it tells the story of a teenage girl who goes into a permanent coma after a car crash and the trials of her caretaker. “Last tournament went really well,” Rodriguez said. “The judges loved my piece, actually one lady was crying, but I went two minutes over the time limit so I placed third.” She and Walton have been working on the piece since the last tournament and they have shortened it to the correct length in preparation for the next tournament on Nov 5 and eventually the state competition. “I’ve made it to states the last two years and I placed last year. I don’t know about first place,” Rodriguez said. “But I definitely will get a place.” HHS is hosting the state competition for the third year in a row and Walton, Bonilla, and Rodriguez hope that the home team will once again feature prominently. 

quarters, in Newark, Ohio, is a building shaped as an example of one of their own baskets. Junior class sponsor Bonnie Anderson puts together the event along with the help of Renaissance teacher Valerie Kibler. Anderson worries about getting the baskets to HHS. She picks the baskets for the event and orders it. She purchases 26 baskets for the Bingo night, to be held this year on Nov 21. “I try to pick the newest baskets available for bingo,” Anderson said. Kibler is responsible for ﬁlling the baskets and produces the volunteers for working the event. Her

Renaissance class goes around to businesses trying to ﬁnd sponsors for each basket, and as well as items going inside. There are various types of themed baskets that can be put together. The most common of which is coﬀee. Other types are a pet basket, a pampered person basket, a movie basket, candy baskets, and a scrapbooking basket. All age groups attend the bingo. From toddlers to elderly, everyone wants to come and have fun. The bingo will begin at 6PM. A presale option is available, where players will get 4 cards for $25. Cards at the door will cost $25 for 3 or one for $10. 

Students, teachers participate in blood drive annually Madison Wilson News Reporter

very year more than 4.5 million people need blood for surgeries, emergencies, and medical illnesses in the United States and Canada. To have this blood available in the United States, many states including Virginia have their own blood service. Virginia Blood Services holds over 2700 drives a year. They have two hundred and eighty employees and more than seven thousand volunteers help with this process. The ﬁrst time that math teacher Kevin Nafziger gave blood was in 1996. With blood type O+, Nafziger has the most demanded blood. O+ is known as a universal blood type and is needed in emergencies when hospitals don’t have time to do a blood test. Nafziger ﬁrst decided to donate because he wanted to help people out. “I usually do a whole blood donation, but last time I gave a double red blood cell donation,” Nafziger said. The SCA sponsors two blood drives at HHS each year. Those eligible to donate must be sixteen years or older. Students must have written parental permission even if they are of age. Donors must also weigh more than 110 pounds and be in good health. At the blood drive itself, nurses will take the donors’ blood pressure, temperature, and pulse. If anything is wrong with the blood or the level of red cells, white cells or iron is not correct,

prospective donors will not be able to give blood. People with allergies or diabetes are still able to give blood. “This is my ﬁrst time giving blood. I am nervous because my cousin fainted the ﬁrst time she gave blood. I decided to give because my dad donates a lot and now that I’m sixteen I’m able to give blood as well,” sophomore Raymond Hyser said. “When I was little I had a lot of blood transfusions and giving blood is always good,” junior Austin Burgess said. He decided to give blood last year because he wanted to try something new. When making a platelet donation, a donor must wait at least fourteen days before giving again. A platelet donation is when blood is taken out of the body in the normal process and then processed through a machine. Once the platelets are removed, the blood is put back into the blood stream with another needle. If giving a whole blood donation, a donor must wait 56 days before another donation. A whole blood donation is when the blood is put directly into the donation bag and nothing is returned to your body. People are unable to give a donation if they have gotten a tattoo within a year of wanting to donate. People who have received a blood transfusion or lived in a malaria zone must wait at least one year before donating. Those who have emigrated from a malaria zone cannot donate for three years after arriving in the United States. The next HHS blood drive will be in the spring. 

Jimenez-Puente recommends ECMC mentoring program ECMC, from a1 Jimenez-Puente’s guidance counselors and mentor try to keep her on track, and give her as many academic opportunities as possible. “I help her stay on track, if there are SATs or PSATs that she should be taking I make sure she’s signed up. Anything that can help her succeed is what I ensure she can do,” Healy said,“I have to go to meetings and talk to my counselors about how school is going and my college interests. We pretty much just talk about college,” Jimenez-Puente said. Once students are selected for the program they don’t just receive a $6,000 check. School committees monitor students’ progress throughout their junior and senior years. They must keep up their grades and

meet other academic standards. “I have to keep up my good grades. If I get bad grades I lose the scholarship, and I don’t want to lose it, it’s all about the future,” Jimenez-Puente said. If the participating student completes their ﬁrst year of college successfully they receive a payment of $4,000. Should they reenroll for a second year, they get another $2,000. After six years, ECMC has given over one million dollars in scholarships to Virginia students. Jimenez-Puente hopes younger high school students take advantage of this opportunity, and encourage them to continue on to a post secondary education. “I really recommend ECMC to other people, it’s

pretty helpful. It inspires you to continue with your education. I want to help other younger students get into the program and see them go to college,” Jimenez-Puente said. Jimenez-Puente is not sure what she wants to major in in college, but does have a plan for where she wants to go. “I want to go to college of course. I’ll probably go to Blue Ridge [community college] and then transfer to VCU. VCU is a big dream of mine. I really want to go there,” Jimenez-Puente said. Healy thinks she can accomplish anything if she tries, “If she continues on the path she’s on now she’ll deﬁnitely go far.”

The Newsstreak

November 6, 2009

News A3

JROTC preparing students for military Andrew Morrell Sports Writer

unior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) is a class students take to prepare themselves for a military career. “I take it for the leadership and discipline,” Staff Sergeant Shane Doyle said. Doyle, who is in his second year of JROTC and is planning on going into the Marines after high school, also participates in the raider team. “Raider works on our physical, medical and navigational training” Doyle said. “We compete against all types of different schools”.

There is physical training involved in all JROTC programs. “We do sit-ups, pull-ups, core exercises and the mile every week to keep are bodies in competition shape” Doyle says his strongest events are the rope course and navigation. Navigation is one of the toughest events in the competition. Teams are given a compass and a rough map of the area and must ﬁnd the objective point within a certain amount of time. While the rope bridge looks easy, it takes extreme upper body strength, determination and team work to successfully make it across. Teams are given a certain distance which they must cross

with the rope. While part of the team secures the rope, another prepares to cross, when attempting to cross; one’s feet cannot touch the ground. “It’s really hard at ﬁrst,” Doyle said. “But it’s not hard for me anymore.” Students, who participate in the JROTC program in high school and participate in JROTC in college automatically are ranked higher when they enlist. “I do understand that, but the marines will give me the training that I need to succeed and perform my job.” Doyle said he wants to go into mechanics. “I like putting things back together and getting them to work.” 

Hang On! Junior Ishmael Valdez scales the rope during JROTC Raider practice. Photo by Emily Jamieson.

A day at JROTC Raider Practice

Raider Challenge! Members of JROTC’s Raider Squad secure a rope around the lightpost, left, while junior James Giordano scales the rope, center. The rest of the squad help support the rope, right. Photos by Emily Jamieson

King, Kniss travel to Costa Rica as part of exchange Alex Rendon Sports Writer

earning Spanish in a typical high school classroom is not enough for some students. Instead, they would prefer to immerse themselves in a Spanish-speaking culture altogether. Traveling abroad to a foreign country with scant knowledge of its customs is a sizable risk. The students and parents who disregarded these risks and participated in the

Costa Rican exchange a year ago recall their experience in an unknown world. “The people there were really friendly. There was even a guy there who asked me to be his girlfriend,” senior Marion King said. King went on the trip with her father, John King, and recalls the experience fondly. “I had such a fun time. The zip-line tour was the scariest part but it was a lot easier to do after a few tries,” King said. Students from HHS who participated in the Costa Rican exchange needed to be

proﬁcient enough in Spanish to communicate and willing to live with a host family that would teach them and guide them throughout the trip. Sergio Blanco, who hosted senior Andrew Kniss, already knew Kniss and wanted to introduce him to Costa Rican traditions. “I decided to host Andrew because I already knew him and I wanted to have fun and do things with him here in Costa Rica that you can’t do in the U.S.,” Blanco said. Blanco believes that Kniss enjoyed himself and Kniss concurs.

“Going to Costa Rica was a lot of fun. It was great to learn about their culture and experience ﬁrst hand a Spanishspeaking environment,” Kniss said. Certain hosts had already visited America and were excited about the opportunity to assume a new role. Luana Ubeda hosted senior Greta Klosinski. “I decided to host a student from the United States because I thought it would be an interesting experience. It would be a chance to share my culture with someone else’s. Besides, I

got a change to return the favor since I was a guest ﬁrst,” Ubeda said. The Costa Rican exchange this year will take place in January and HHS students are hopeful that they will be able to provide a good time for the exchange students that are coming to America. Going to Costa Rica was one of the best experiences of my life and I am grateful that I got to meet such cool people. I mean, I was asked to be someone’s girlfriend with a balloon heart. That doesn’t happen every day,” King said. 

International Festival brings cultures together Conner Whitehouse Sports Writer

n Oct 23 the World Languages Department hosted an international festival. The festival is an annual aﬀair that’s organized by Spanish teachers Philip Yutzy and Nancy Faulkner. The food is brought in by students from all the languages classes for a grade. Each one of the 23 classes has their students bring in either a poster or a foreign dish. “There will be roughly 400 students bringing stuﬀ in, although

some of them are making posters to advertise for the event,” Spanish teacher Kim Hook said. This event isn’t just for the students; it’s open to the community as well. “This event has a lot of history. The people in the community even get excited about it,” Spanish teacher Philip Yutzy said. The festival was around even when Hook was still a student here. “My sophomore year of high school [1989] I made a dish for the festival and won a ribbon in the dessert category,” Hook said. The festival has stood the test of time.

“The International festival has been going on for at least 30 years by now,” Yutzy said. “We have the most diverse student body in the state of Virginia and it’s important that we let the students represent their respective cultures.” In past years, the festival has included student provided food dishes, entertainment, and displays of diﬀerent cultures. “We are trying to cut back on the other things and focus mainly on food for this particular event, later in the year we plan on having another event that focuses more on displays and presentations,” Hook said. 

Yes Ma’am! Sophomores Ryan Waligora and Emmett Copeland receive instuctions for clean up from Spanish teacher Kim Hook. Photo by Paulina Rendon.

Vichnar, Ishikawa adapt to life in Harrisonburg intimidating,” Vichnar said. They have both already made fond memories of America. Ishikawa’s favorite memory is of going to the U2 concert in October. HS is hosting two new ex“U2 was great and a lot of fun,” change students. Martin Ishikawa said. Vichnar, 17, is a senior this Despite the differences between the year, while Daiki Ishikawa, two countries, they are adapting very 16, is a junior. They arrived in well. “The people here are the United States on Septemvery nice and friendly,” WHAT YOU THINK ber 9, 2009. Martin is from Ishikawa said. Would you ever be an Prague in the Czech Republic. Both Vichnar and exchange student? Daiki is from Aichi, Japan. Ishikawa love their host While both of these stufamily. Maxfield is a prodents are getting to know the fessor at James Madison Valley and the school better, University. Both Vichnar they are also getting to know and Ishikawa claim he is a a lot about each other. Both great cook. 113 people in all grades and Martin and Daiki are living faculty polled on Oct. 26 by They also claim it is with the Maxield family, in Alexandra Hickman nice to live with another the Wyndham Woods subdiexchange student. Since vision of Harrisonburg they are both coming to a new country “It’s fun living with Martin, we have where they don’t know the language a lot of fun and help each other out with and with the culture being so different, a lot of stuff,” Ishikawa said. they can help each other out. When Vichnar first arrived in the School in Harrisonburg is also very United States, he was intimidated by different from the way it is outside of the scale of things. the country. There are a lot of class “When I first arrived at the Atlanta opportunities and different types of airport, the airport was huge and very classes that HHS offers. Ishikawa and Mitch DePoy Sports Writer

Vichnar are taking advantage of all the electives oﬀered. “I love art class, and I love to paint,” Ishikawa said. Vichnar also likes the class choices. “I’m taking Newsstreak, Nutrition and Wellness and AP Government, and those are my favorite classes,” Vichnar said.

But as with everything, there are pros and cons. When coming to a new country you are going to have to leave things at home that you like. “I really miss my family and my friends,” Ishikawa said. Vichnar feels the same way. “I miss my friends along with my girlfriend,” Vichnar said. 

TEL. (540) 434-2211 FAX (540) 434-3366

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The Newsstreak

November 6, 2009

this

bel i e v e

Custodians, bus drivers, cafeteria workers deserve appreciation and thanks Jessica Strickler Opinion Editor

n a recent college visit, I was touring the campus with my mom and as we entered the atrium of a building, there was a woman vacuuming. She looked tired. She turned off the vacuum and waited for the tour guide to finish speaking. In our group of 25, not one person spoke to her. Except for me. My friend, the custodian cleaning the rugs on that rainy, cold morning was one of the hardest worker’s I’d ever met. Did we sit and discuss her life over tea? No. But the lines on her face told a story. Her face spoke of hard work and long days. Of impatient people and dirty windows. Of overtime and weekends. Of barely making ends meet. In life, we often take jobs we don’t really want to have simply because some money is better than none. Being a custodian is not one of the most glamorous of jobs. But the men and women vacuuming and emptying trash cans are doing their best to make their jobs worthwhile. A few weeks ago, I was at school so late at night working on a project that I got to meet the night custodians. They are a husband and wife team who turn on radios in the halls while they work. They are upbeat and personable and seem to like their jobs. While you might think these individuals don’t understand anything that you are going through, you would be surprised to find they are empathetic. Bus drivers are up long before we are so that we can be at school on time. Most bus drivers arrive at the bus depot before you even roll out of bed. The cafeteria ladies get to school before the first bus arrives, so students can have a hot meal before going to class. The saddest part is that we don’t remember to acknowledge these dedicated workers. When was the last time you said, “thanks for the ride” to your bus driver? Every day we have the opportunity and option to smile and say “thanks”. Instead, many of us choose to avert our eyes and look preoccupied. Starting today, I challenge you to smile and speak to a custodian. You never know when your smile or simple words will turn a person’s day around. I believe that even the smallest smile can make a difference in someon'es life. 

OP/ED A4

Free t-shirts increase school spirit

handy later in the year for the class wars. If students wear their t-shirts on a certain day, they will earn a point for he Harrisonburg City their class. Not only will we School system seems feel unity with in our school, to have a penchant students will feel unity with for t-shirts. In middle their class. school, kids were given the It is a shame that SCA opportunity to buy “team” oﬃcers have had to hear a t-shirt. Streaks merchandise-few disparaging remarks from lanyards, sweatshirts, t-shirts students and some teachers are sold at every complaining football game. about these gifts. Almost everyone It’s our hope that in school here has the entire school a “Red Sea” t-shirt. population, We wear our school from freshmen pride on our sleeves. to faculty, Literally. On Oct. 22, custodians to the SCA gave out cafeteria workers blue streak t-shirts will wear their to encourage school shirts proudly. spirit. We should all HHS is already be grateful to a very spirited the SCA for school. We swarm putting so much our sporting energy events. We go crazy Let’s Go Blue Streaks! Bethany Houff, Brandon Sycham- time, on spirit week. The panakhone , John Lee, Phillip Bannister and Tony Nyugen and money into getting us these SCA’s t-shirt gift to show off their free t-shirts. t-shirts. 

Staﬀ Editorial

us is to help us become even more spirited because school spirit is important. We can take pride in the fact that our t-shirts are unique. No other school that we are aware of has done this for their students. When we wear our t-shirts out in public, people will look and be curious. What a great conversation starter! These shirts will come in

Rose tries hand as street musician

Maria Rose Feature Editor

was really glad I brought hand warmers. But despite being bundled up in a thick jacket, gloves, hat, scarf, blankets and the aforementioned hand warmers, I was still freezing. And the fact that I was willingly subjecting myself to the elements hardly made me feel better. For this column, I wanted to write about experiments where I force myself out of my comfort zone to see how I handle strange challenges. In this case, I took a keyboard piano downtown on a dreary Sunday afternoon and played for a few hours in front of the library. Call me crazy. To tell the truth, I was pretty nervous for this ordeal. As much as I love piano and music and performing, going downtown and playing in such a public place made me want to wear a mask. I searched for an available keyboard (thanks to the Hunter-Nickels family), made some calls to the library and police department (to make sure that I was not going to be arrested on the street corner for my music), and practiced my pieces a lot. On Sunday afternoon, I headed downtown and with the help of my dad, who kept asking me if I was warm, and little sister, who kept asking me if I was sane, set up my little performing area. As they drove away, I suddenly felt embarrassed and awkward. Why on earth did I decide to do this? Then, my friend visiting from college came

and sat with me. He did not say much at first— just pulled up a chair and watched me play. It is difficult to play piano when you cannot move your fingers because of freezing temperatures, seeing as they are a vital part of making music, but I managed. But what I was looking for most were people’s reactions. Not many people were out (because of the Alaskan-like cold) but the ones I did see reacted either enthusiastically or apathetically. Some people smiled. Some people waved. Some people straight up avoided looking at me. And that was fine. Some people stood out to me. A little girl with a too-big hat on walked back and forth several times, eventually hiding behind a corner to watch me. An old man with his family returned twice and stood for a few moments, listening. As I played the Beatle’s song, “All You Need is Love”, I swear I saw someone smile at me in their car and start singing along. That night I realized; this experiment was not about me, but rather, the effect it had on people. It is similar to journalism; you write the story and you get the credit, but if nobody reads the story, or is changed by it, you have not done anything. Journalists just tell the stories. I should not have been worrying about how badly I sounded because I could not play well in the weather. We should not do things for the sake of doing them, but because it helps or affects or causes change in other people’s lives. That afternoon, my piano and I were just a means of brightening everyone’s day a little bit. And all I had to do was give them some music to listen to. 

Letterman, other celebs, make headlines with sex scandals ociety is an entity that thrives on scandal. There is not one day you can turn on your television, computer or radio and not hear or read about celebrity gossip. Some headlining celebrities that come to mind are Michael Jackson, Britney Spears, and David Letterman. Yes, I mean David Letterman, the late night talkshow host who, if you did not know, has been in the news recently after coming out to the public about a blackmail that turned into a sex scandal. He admitted and apologized to his fans, staﬀ and wife, Regina Lasko, about his past sexual endeavors with numerous of his female colleagues. While there was more to the story, such as a blackmail attempt that ultimately caused the multiple “sexcapades”, there is no doubt the sex is what will continue to stick in the minds of the public. Another situation that comes to mind is Bill Clinton’s aﬀair with Monica Lewinsky.

Or what about Mark Sanford, governor of South Carolina, and his affair was with an Argentinean woman. The media had no problem pouncing on that situation. This may seem unfair but, well, life is not fair. There will always be someone waiting to prove you wrong, to ruin your name and/or reputation. For people, especially celebs, to think that they can get away with things such as lying, cheating, stealing and not have it catch up with them is simply irresponsible. My step dad is famous for letting me know that “what is done in the dark will come out in the light”, and he is one hundred percent correct. I cannot tell you how many friends have told me stories of finding out awful secrets about people who they thought loved them or thought were their friends. I have encountered many a crying teenager wishing so much to take back a mistake that was made. People get caught with their fingers in a cookie jar every day. It is an unfortunate part of life. I live by the motto “do what makes you happy.” This motto has often been hard for

me to stand by; especially when what is making someone else happy is doing the opposite for me. But I still firmly believe that no matter who you are or how rich you come to be, you have the right to do what truly brings you joy. If you get caught doing so, well that, as we often see, is a different scandalous tale altogether. The only difference between a scandal lurking in our hallways and the scandal you see on CNN is we are not famous. Yet.

villains. However Bella, the narrator of the story falls head over heels for Edward, a vampire attempting to be a normal seventeen-year-old. The idea of romantic vampires may be new, but the characteristics of the story are not. In an age where Disney is criticized for giving kids unrealistic expectations, and true love is looked at with scorn, it is surprising how thousands of people have fallen in love with a vampire. Edward will do anything for Bella, even if it means hurting her to save her. He may not be a fairytale prince, but he is an inhumanly beautiful, incredibly powerful, amazingly perfect vampire. It goes to show people cannot help but like the idea of a prince charming- even if he

does have fangs. In a series where the characters are constantly put in life threatening situations, and love triangles run amuck, happily-ever-after could not seem more far away. But if you look closely enough at Twilight, you will definitely find a happy ending. Each book is similar in that it has an intense climax where the odds are heavily stacked against the heroes, and death is imminent for one, or all, of the characters. Yet every time, the heroes triumph. The final book, Breaking Dawn, ends with Bella as an immortal vampire free to spend all eternity with her one and only love Edward. If that is not happily ever after, I do not know what is. The idea of true love is often scoffed at, but the love Bella

and Edward have for each other can be described in no other way. They simply cannot live without each other. In New Moon, Edward leaves Bella in order to protect her, and Bella suffers months of crushing depression. By the end, Edward’s heartbreak drives him to commit vampire suicide. Against all odds, Bella thwarts his plan and true love prevails. While we still may laugh at stories where the princess rides off into the sunset with her prince to happily ever after, our favorite stories today may not be so different. In Twilight the road to happiness may be much messier, but happiness there is. This influential series proves that we still can enjoy, and maybe believe in, true love and happiness after all. 

Lauren Martin Ad Manager

Letterman wrong to have affair?

42%

Okay for Letterman to have affair?

Should the public leave him alone?

90%

Survey of students from all grades on Oct. 27 by Madison Wilson. Infographic by Jessica Strickler.

Twilight proves true love not just fairytale Mia Karr Staﬀ Reporter

he Twilight series, by Stephenie Meyer, has captivated millions of readers across the U.S. A hugely successfully movie adaptation of the ﬁrst book premiered last year, and a movie based on the second book, New Moon, will be released in less than a month. The series has started a nationwide craze among teenagers, preteens, and adults alike. You would be hard-pressed to come up with anything else that represents teen interests today better than Twilight. Vampires have always been portrayed as evil, bloodsucking

The Harrisonburg High School Newsstreak The Policy The Newsstreak is published by the students of Harrisonburg High School every three weeks. Reproduction of any material from the newspaper is prohibited without the written permission from the editors. 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: Emma DiNapoli, Tricia Comfort Managing Editors: Kim Antonio, Claire Sudol Section Editors: News - David Proctor Opinion - Jessica Strickler Style - Emily Knapp Feature - Alison Domonoske Sports - Claire Sudol Fun Director: Meagan Kelley Business/Advertising Managers: Lauren Martin, Molly Denman Photographers: Emily Jamieson, Rafiqa Haji, Maria Rose, Paulina Rendon, Olivia McCarty Cartoonist: Vivian Tejeda Page Designers: Ama Ansah, Jorge Colin-Estrella, Phillip Bannister, Christine Choi, Diana Gutierrez, Olivia McCarty, Maria Rose, Savanah Cary, Vanessa Ehrenpreis, Jack Burden, Aidan Newcity Staff Reporters: Kavya Beheraj, Ethan Blackwell, Emmett Copeland, Mitchell Depoy, Heather Hunter-Nickels, Michael Johnson, Ryan Maphis, Emily Payne, Alex Rendon, Christy Stearn, Will Turner, Conner Whitehouse, Madison Wilson Freshmen Reporters: Emilee Burke, Mark Duda, Alex Hickman, Gabe Hoak, Vera Shindyapin, Chris Sokolyuk, Katrina Sokolyuk, Michael Tower, Julia Trotsyuk Professional Affiliations: The Newsstreak participates as a member of several journalistic evaluation services including the Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA-2009 Gold Evaluation and 2005 Silver Crown Winner), Quill&Scroll Journalism Honor Society (2009 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. 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

November 6, 2009

Op/Ed A5

Is Obama getting the job done? Hot, Not He said: Obama proves to be American, international leader

YES

Tackling an issue as complex as the American economy is a full-time job. Yet Obama has managed to advance on ust a year ago, America elected a other fronts as well. He charismatic young Senator from expanded SCHIP, the Illinois on a platform of hope and State Children’s Health change. His rhetoric wowed some Insurance Program, to tears and his ability to garner a crowd which extended insurance to 4 million was unprecedented. For his children. It is deplorable to inauguration nearly 2 million think that a child incapable of WHAT YOU THINK people gathered outside the providing for himself should Has Obama followed Capitol. be forced to stay sick if struck through on his promises? Never before has a by illness. president undertaken so many And despite no major controversial issues. Never foreign policy goals to speak of, before have expectations been progress is being made. After as high. Despite all this, he is intense negotiations, Russia succeeding. agreed to support sanctions 100 people in all grades and Upon taking oﬃce, Obama against Iran if they did not faculty polled on Oct. 27 by worked swiftly to stabilize Kavya Beherji halt building a nuclear bomb. an economy that seemed to Russia, a permanent member be on the verge of ruins. The of the United Nations Security number of new unemployed people was Council, holds veto power and has long in the vicinity of 600,000 per month while stood in the way of sanctions. In just the it is now less than half that. As much as last few weeks, numerous terrorist attacks the stimulus package was criticized for were prevented. In New York, authorities being too costly, it has many economists arrested Najibullah Zazi in what was proclaiming the economy resuscitated. thought to be the biggest terror plot since Sales in the retail market are on the 9/11. In Dallas, authorities fooled a man rise; economists like Paul Krugman are into attempting to detonate a bomb— expecting larger than anticipated fortunately it was a dud. Christmas sales as a result. Wal-Mart has Despite all of these policy achievements, vowed to create 22,000 new jobs because of Obama has set a new mood in both this, with few being seasonal jobs because America and the world. Obama’s Nobel of new store openings. Other retailers such Peace Prize proves that, if nothing else, as Staples and Target are following suit. the world recognizes that America is David Proctor News Editor

YES NO 63 37

once again ready to lead. It shows that America’s image is on the rebound at last. It shows that international leaders have conﬁdence in an American president. Obama has also been able to turn a day of mourning into a day of productivity. By designating 9/11 a National Day of Service, he tapped into America’s inner soul, something that no plane can ever bring down. While policy takes priority over all else, something must be said for everything else that a President does. John F. Kennedy, whom many historians have called a failure, is one of the most highly spoken of presidents in recent history. While Kennedy failed on issues such as the Bay of Pigs, he is still regarded by many people of that generation as an amazing president— perhaps one of the best. This is because of the new mood he inspired in America. America came together around him because of his message. His words have inspired generations of Americans. “Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country,” Kennedy said. Leading is more than just forming policy. Obama has shown that policy and inspiration are not two mutually exclusive concepts. By advancing on numerous policy fronts and creating a new mood, Obama has proven one thing: he is a leader. 

She said: Obama contributes nothing more than increasing debt Jessica Strickler Opinion Editor

fter a wild ride of making political history, it has become an indoctrinating year for President Obama. The state of the economy is in the dumps, Obama hasn’t fulfilled his healthcare promise and Chicago lost the Olympic bid. Already, Obama has traveled to more countries than any other president during their first year in office. His trip to Denmark for Chicago’s Olympic bid moved him to first place, having now visited sixteen countries since January 20. And these travels aren’t cheap. It costs $100,219 an hour to fly Air Force One. A recent trip sent him to Copenhagen, Denmark to help bring the 2016 Summer Olympics to Chicago. Obama flew 4,054 miles from Washington, D.C. and spent a total of 4 hours on the ground before wheels up. During his stay he spoke about what the U.S. would do to make it possible for all to attend the summer games. In an embarrassing final round defeat, Chicago, was the first city to be eliminated. Rio de Janeiro was announced the host of the 2016 Olympic Games later that day.

In February, Obama Analysts estimate that the said to a joint session of proposed health care plan will Congress, “…Let there be cost citizens $50 trillion dollars. no doubt: the health care This figure will cause the reform cannot wait, must inherited debt for minors will not wait, and will not wait grow exponentially- reaching another year.” $848,350.03. The scary part is Nine months later, the that this number, $848,350.03, health care reform applies to a baby who was remains to be seen. born today, tomorrow, every Opposition to this plan day for the next five years. is strong on both sides 2007 US Census: With just over ten months • 304 million people in of the party lines. under his belt, Obama still America The wealthy know has three long years to they would be footing • 74 million teenagers keep citizens of the world a majority of the bill Estimated debt in 2009: fascinated and satisfied with through federal taxes. • $13 trillion his political style. To keep his But they a) already • Growth of $1.75 trillion people interested in politics since 2008 have a great health care and active in local and state plan through a private governments, Obama needs 74 million teens ÷ $13 trillion company, which they to put more emphasis on = $ 175,056.35 amount owed don’t want to lose or, service to one another, and by every teen to the b) are rich enough to our country. He must also government today pay for everything make certain that American out-of-pocket. Under citizens are represented by the reform, the poor would be able to have the health care reform, so that the next regular doctor’s visits and dental care. The generation doesn’t have such a heavy debt middle class is again, left out of the loop. to eliminate. By actively working to turn Their taxes will increase, but their medical America into a community, together we coverage will not. The middle class is the can work towards solutions for the world’s largest group in America, and will be the problems.  hardest hit by this reform.

National Debt

YouTube leprechaun video, hilarious Phillip Bannister Feature Editor

t really seems like people will believe anything these days-as if reading a bogus article online or seeing a video on YouTube means something is credible. I have the perfect example of this; recently I watched a really funny video on YouTube about a news story covered in Alabama. People in the town of Mobile claimed to have a leprechaun living in a tree. Oh man. This video was so ridiculous; for starters it was about a leprechaun. Really people? Groups of people would gather around this tree expecting to see a leprechaun. Some witnesses claimed that they did actually see it. This is how I think the whole situation started. Some idiot got the bright idea to stand outside for hours and make up some idiotic story about how a leprechaun lives in the tree and that he winks and tips his hat at you when you walk by.

The news team even had an interview with a man who had a “leprechaun whistle” that was “passed down for thousands of years.” I do not know who this man thought he was fooling, but he had to get that whistle at the bottom of a Cracker Jack box. Oh, but the insanity is not over yet, this news package would not be complete without a witness sketch of the leprechaun…wow. The drawing had a striking resemblance to the leprechaun that we can all ﬁnd on the front of a box of Lucky Charms. The only thing I can say is that the witness’ rendition of the leprechaun was not magically delicious. The anchors who introduced this story actually made fun of the “amateur sketch” saying, “I wish we could meet the guy who did that sketch, it looks like he got a really good look at him.” I advise anyone who is fan of YouTube videos to go watch it. Search “Leprechaun in Alabama” and it will be there. People never cease to amaze me. It’s hilarious what people believe in these days. 

like Hannah Montana. I like Miley Cyrus. Combine them, and you get a combination that I just cannot get enough of. I can proudly claim to have seen every episode, and I have each of her three soundtracks on my iPod. When the Hannah Montana movie came out in theaters, I was in pre-teen heaven. I’m not ashamed of my love aﬀair with a teenage TV star almost exactly the same age as me.

My love for Hannah/Miley, in fact, is exactly why I am here to tell everyone that the widespread mockery of her has got to stop. What is it about Miley that makes the world transform into a pack of gossip-mongering busybodies? The fact that she has proven herself as one of the most shrewd businesswomen and marketers around? Admit it. The girl has a movie, three seasons of a show (soon to be four seasons), an Emmy Award nomination, three cds and full line of Hannah-Montana inspired clothing. We should all admit that the reason we hate

Girls’ cross country team winning districts H1N1 vaccine given during school No school on election day Pack the Gym night New restaurants in Harrisonburg Marching Band places second at Parade of Champions Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” Health care debate continuing Baseball season over Balloon boy hoax Bombs in Iraq Rain instead of snow Bad SAT scores

Cartoon by Eric King.

Correction

Correction from Oct 16 issue: on page B3 in the “Tickle Torture” photo, Jessica Carranza is playing with Yasmine Martinez-Mendez.

Leave Miley Cyrus alone, please? Emma DiNapoli Editor-in-Chief

Mr. Blair crowned Mr. Blue Streak

on Cyrus is because she’s just so successful when the rest of us just aren’t! It could also be that people hate on Cyrus because she’s just too darn good. Cyrus caught endless ﬂak about her photoshoot for Vanity Fair which depicted her in--*gasp*-- a bedsheet. You won’t ever convince me that a shot of Miley’s back qualiﬁes as scandalous. The media should be happy with the teenage superstars-turnedbad that they have. Lindsey and Britney have enough drama to satisy the public’s need for gossip. We should leave Miley Cyrus to her happy

business singing her little teenage heart out. Other than her photoshoot, smiley Miley has done very little to deserve all her critics. When it comes right down to it, we all have a little green monster on our backs when it comes to Hannah Montana. It says something about our society when we can’t ﬁnd anything better to do than try and bring down a little girl. Hannah/Miley... you keep partying (drug free, of course) in the USA. I still think you’re the best of both worlds. Like you said, nobody’s perfect. 

Pilots falling asleep while flying College applications Overheating in classrooms Losing to Spotswood at Chick-fil-a

The Newsstreak

November 6, 2009

food A6

Gathering Around The Table Dinner traditions vary

but there’s something to be said for the old-fashioned tradition of every member of a family being at home for dinner. Many children have been raised without this as a part of their daily routine. How have they fared compared to their teachers? Phillip Bannister Style Editor

he classic TV image of a family gathered around a table and passing dishes and sharing stories about each other’s days still exists in some households. In other homes the images on TV are far from the reality. HHS student teacher Jennifer Payne grew up in a home where they sat down for dinner as a family. “I couldn’t leave until I was done. I would try to watch TV in the reﬂection of the ﬁsh tank,” Payne said. Despite the fact she was required to stay seated until she was done eating, Payne did have a good time at the dinner table. “We usually had fun. On my favorite nights I would challenge my dad to a staring contest and after ten seconds I would laugh. We fought, we laughed,” Payne said. “My brother Jimmy would usually get a tap on the back of the head for saying the food was bad.”

In the Payne home, each person had a seat that they sat in every night at dinner. “We all had our seat at the table, it’s a big center point in my family, the table,” Payne said. “Even our dogs had a spot at the dinner table. They usually would sit under me because I’d feed them,” Payne said. When it came time for her brother to go to college, Payne felt a diﬀerence at the dinner table. “It was weird when my brother went to college. It felt empty. When I left, I don’t think that we had a dinner together since,” Payne said. For sophomore Brady Cockerham the idea of eating dinner together as a family is a familiar one.

“

I couldn’t leave until I was done. I would try to watch TV in the reflection of the fish tank.”  HHS faculty member Jennifer Payne

“We eat together probably four to ﬁve times a week, when sports don’t interfere,” Cockerham said. Cockerham enjoys family dinners, it gives him the chance [to sit at the table with his family and] talk about each other’s days. His family calls him and tells him to come home on occasion for dinner. “I’ll be at a friend’s house and they will call me home to have dinner,” Cockerham said. The Cockerham family does have rules to follow at the dinner table. “No talking on the phone. If you have to go the bathroom you need to excuse yourself, and whoever doesn’t cook washes dishes,” Cockerham said. Even when Cockerham has dinner at a friend’s house whose parents may not be strict on dinner time, he still maintains the mentalities he uses at home. “I still use manners when I eat at a friend’s house, yes and no ma’am,” Cockerham said. Contrary to the Cockerham and Payne households, sophomore Evan Wetsel eats

Family dinner. Rutledge family joins hands in prayer at dinner table. Photo by Rafiqa Haji wherever she wants. “Sometimes I’ll eat in my room and the other times with my family,” Wetsel said. Wetsel feels like eating with your parents is something that parents choose to do, not something she would elect to do. “Families that eat together seem really close, but sometimes I think they eat together just because the

parents make them,” Wetsel said. Occasionally when Westel goes to friend’s houses, her friends dinner style is the same as her family but on other occasions the family’s all eat together. “A few of my friend’s families want their kids to always be at dinner. It is a little odd to me,” Wetsel said. 

Is family dinner thing of past? Whats on your dinner plate HHS?

just eat whatever my family had when I get home.” Math teacher Geoﬀrey Estes has the same problem. “My schedule usually keeps me inner time in the United from being home to eat as a family,” States has changed from a family get together to a Estes said. “I’d like to do that more simple rushed meal. While often though.” Estes says that he and his some students at HHS still wife both cook, depending eat with their families every WHAT YOU THINK on who happens to be home night, many say that their that night. Does your family eat busy schedules make it One big thing about dinner together? almost impossible to even dinner in the United States sit down for dinner. is eating out and ordering Senior Andrew Kniss take-out. Estes says that his says that his family still eats family eats out or orders out a traditional family dinner. about three times a week. “We eat together every 134 students and faculty polled night that we can,” Kniss on September 26 Junior Ryan Stees said. “We usually eat by or by Emilee Burke. usually eats at home with around six o’clock in the his family. evening.” “We eat out about once every other Senior Lauren Biller says that while her family eats together every night, week,” Stees said. Senior Dylan St. Ours says that his she is often not a part of the meal. family almost never eats out. “I miss dinner a lot because I’m “If I get straight A’s, then I get to pick usually at work,” Biller said. “I usually where we go,” St. Ours said.

Meagan Kelly Fun Director

YES NO 90 44

Students name their favorite home cooked meals to come home to “Baked mac n cheese cuz its the BEST!” senior Eric King “Mac and cheese..cause its easy to make!” sophomore Lexi Biller “Spaghetti is my favorite thing to eat for dinner as it is fairly healthy and has lots of carbs, which provide lots of energy,” junior Jessica May “My favorite dinner is steak and gravy with mashed potatos and peas because it’s the one complete meal I know how to cook from memory and its so goood!” junior Brianna Shears “My favorite thing to eat for dinner is definitely steak because it’s got juicy goodness,” freshman Sam Martin “My favorite thing to have for dinner is chicken parmesan pasta because it is delicious!” junior Judy Souriyarath “My favorite dinner food is tacos because they’re delicious,” sophomore Dylan Norquest “Steak, because its delicious, yet prestigious,” Sophomore Grace Clough

“Mashed potatoes because it’s the most delicious thing God decided to put on this green earth,” freshman Paul Harriston “I’m gonna have to say Rodney Dovel’s sausage gravy,” sophomore Ben Harris “My mom makes this really good chicken and rice casserole with corn flakes on the top,” senior Sally Kardos “Broccoli and cheese casserole because it’s specially made by my mom,” sophomore Tara Moore ”Dolmay because it is so good. It is vegetables stuffed with meat and rice,” senior Maryam Salehi ”Fried chicken because my mom seasons it real nice,” junior Kia Whitley ” Mexican subs called Torta. It has steak, beans, avocado, and tomato. It is really good,” sophomore Jose Perez ”Chili because my mom makes it really good,” sophomore Brooke Clem

Teachers grew up when dinner had required attendance

Diana Gutierrez Style Editor

s there ever the curiosity of what teachers are really like at home? How was their family life when they were younger? Physics teacher Beth Barrett was raised by her parents with her two younger brothers and sister. One of the most important times for her was dinner time. “By the time we got done with practice, any sport that we played, my mother thought it was important for all of us

to come together, we were all expected to be at dinner,” Barrett said.“Mom was the cook, we would fetch, but she cooked. We always had a spaghetti night—a ﬁller, it gets a lot of young people full, and there was also chili night,” Barrett said. Dinner for Barrett, was a time to communicate and ﬁnd out what happened with everyone throughout the day. “I think [dinner] is a tradition, it’s a time to assimilate and now if you don’t have those 30 to 45 minutes, you don’t have communication,” Barrett said.

Her mom was a stay-at-home mom; she was there to make arrangements for who uses the car, when and where. For HHS faculty member Cheryl Logan, dinner time was also seen as a time to enjoy comfort and harvest in relationships with family members. “I would prepare, my mother would cook and I would always set the table,” Logan said. It was mandatory that Logan and her brother ate at the dinner table only and not in diﬀerent places in their home. Logan enjoyed being

able to speak freely with her brother and parents while processing the day. “English is my second language, so I would come home and liked being free of that and just being at home,” Logan said. “If no one was talking during dinner you knew there was tension in the family; we could see where everyone was in terms with each other.” Logan, her mother and other girls from her community worked together to create the food they ate. “We had recipes that were common in Amish and

Mennonite areas. We also canned our own food. It was very healthy eating,” Logan said. “People are going to too many diﬀerent places at diﬀerent times. I think a lot of adolescents work now and that wasn’t the case then,” Barrett said. Most teachers want to make dinner with their families as it was when they were younger. After every busy day, dinner can always be a time to talk and enjoy the company of family members.

Eating with a full place setting: Do you know how? Multi-Course Place Setting Sugar Spoon

Dessert Fork

Bread Plate Crowded Table. When eating a multi-course dinner, silverware is used from the outside in. Dishes such as fruit and soup will be served with the appropriate tableware.

Knife

Dinner Fork Salad Fork

Tea Spoon

Four forks. L-R: Pickle fork, cocktail fork, salad fork, dinner fork. Which spoon to use?!? L-R: Nut spoon, demitasse spoon, grapefruit spoon, sugar spoon, soup spoon, tea spoon, slotted serving spoon, serving spoon.

Salad Plate

Dinner Plate

The Newsstreak

November 6, 2009

pop culture A7

Ecology Club raising the bar

Emily Knapp Style Editor

hey have already implemented recycling bins in every classroom and made a point of educating the school in previous years, but the Ecology Club is taking it up a notch for the 2009-2010 school year. “The biggest thing we need to do is reduce. In terms of waste, 22,000 pounds of stuﬀ was recycled last year. But more isn’t always better, I’d love to recycle nothing,” Bair said. He believes that the project is “going somewhat swimmingly,” but encourages the group to raise awareness. Despite the eﬀorts they put forth, many students and teachers are not taking the program seriously. “If you see someone putting something in the bins that they shouldn’t, say something. Overhead projections are not recyclable,” Bair said. Other than recycling, the club

is involved in cleaning ahead to future up Black’s Run, selling projects. Every spring, WHAT YOU THINK environmentally safe water the group competes Do you actively do bottles, and collecting in the Environthon, a something to go green? acorns. The group plans to competition in which meet at Hillandale Park to you “take tests at various gather these nuts in order to stations on various donate them to the Potomac topics.” The group that River Conservancy, a wins goes on to the next group that is involved in level. reforestation and stream “If you do well, 110 students were asked on restoration. Junior Lindsey there are scholarships October 26th by Julia Trotsyuk. Cockburn, a member of the associated with it,” Ecology Club’s executive Bair said. This year, the board, is looking forward Ecology Club is hoping to the year’s activities. to take home the gold. “This year we are doing most of the “I was on one of the two teams, same stuﬀ that we did last year. Sunday, and my team won third and the other Nov 1, we are going to collect acorns team won second. Environthon at Hillandale for stream restoration. involves studying for the competition We will also participate in Blacks which is just one big test. Also, you Run Clean-up in the spring. I’m most have to make a ﬁnal presentation at the excited about Blacks Run Clean-up end,” Cockburn said. because it has always been fun in the Earth Week is something the club past and it’s a big turn out. It’s always supports annually as well. Generally, they good to see that many people willing to host a movie showing, and a clean up of help the environment,” Cockburn said. Black’s Run. They also have encouraged Club members are also looking students and teachers to participate in

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Recycling Awareness Day and Carpool or Bike to School Day. However, biking has been difficult in the past due to the location of the school. “When we were at the old school, the event was much easier for everyone. Now that we’re here, we’re more isolated which makes biking difficult. Of course, we always encourage carpooling,” Bair said. At the moment, the club is mostly about advocacy, but it is working towards implementing more ideas, especially in the way of conservation. In the past, the Ecology Club has offered to come up with money in order to purchase light switch sensors for the school, however, they were unable to gather enough support. Club members are also looking at changing the mowing policy in order to “keep the grass a bit longer,” as the hill behind the school is eroding and is “aesthetically and environmentally unpleasant.” 

JMU forging path to environmental awareness

Emma DiNapoli Editor-in-Chief

ames Madison University president Linwood Rose announced the formation of the Institute for Stewardship of the Natural World in early September of 2008. The ISNW was created in response to increasing demands by students and faculty for an environmentally friendly campus, in keeping with the international green movement. According to ISNW leaders, the program works to create an “environmentally literate community whose members think critically and act, individually and collectively as model stewards of the natural world.” The Institute works primarily to minimize the impact of resource usage, encourage conservation, and to advance environmental engagement and literacy. “Most importantly, ISNW helps carry out the larger

mission of the University becoming a community that makes a priority of our taking care of the natural world,” Dr. Carole Nash said. JMU has applied for, and received, state aid in transforming the purple and gold of the campus into green. A grant of over $362,000 was used to fund programs for renewable energy and climate research, which were largely comprised of undergraduate research. Research results were then used to inform JMU’s student body about responsible consumption and environmentally friendly practices. Since the Institute’s inception, JMU has succeeded in recycling over 50 percent of all waste. Forty-nine percent of all waste not recycled is bio-degradable food waste from the dining halls. Additionally, over 47 percent of JMU students report using alternative transportation, such as buses or bikes, rather than drive individual cars. Collaboration between

student organizations and faculty members has proved a key part of the Institute’s early successes. “I think our collaboration is noteworthy. The students, faculty, staff, and community members are working very effectively as a team,” Institute director Christie-Joy Brodrick said. “Our senior administration’s leadership coupled with commitment at all levels [is why going green has been so successful.]” The Institute cites education as one of the most effective tools for environmentalists. Students and faculty alike have been targeted by the Institute in an effort to increase environmental awareness. “We [faculty] have gone to workshops on how to make JMU a more environmentally friendly campus,” Associate Dean Jessica Adolino said. “Our speaker suggested that offices share printers, rather than have each individual professor using their own printer. By making resource consumption less convenient,

HHS continues to recycle, reuse the amount of paper used at HHS. “We aren’t saving paper,” Bair said. “There is a difference between recycling and reducing our use of paper. The three steps are reduce, s a school, HHS goes through lots reuse, and recycle, but we tend to put those in of paper each day. Using so much our own order. Recycling is good but it is better destroys many trees that create a to just not use the paper in the first place.” According to Bair, recycling is still costly to home for many animals. Preventing the environment because at some point, a tree this destruction can be done by reducing our use of non-renewable resources. HHS recycles was cut down to make the product that is being but biology teacher Ross Bair does not think that recycled. Also, recycling has a shelf life. Things recycling is accomplishing the goal of reducing can only be recycled so many times before they are no longer able to be used. Senior Ian Frazier and Junior Sam Obenshain agree with Bair. “We are saving more paper than we used to but there is still more we can do,” Frazier said. “We do a lot to recycle and promote recycling but it’s kind of embarrassing when our school has to borrow paper from another school because we ran out,” Obenshain said. As for what teachers and students can do at HHS to reduce our use of paper, Bair has lots of ideas. “Students can simply use both sides of their paper,” Bair said. “Also, students should just not lose assignments. It’s amazing how many assignments teachers have to hand out twice because so many students lose them.” As for the teachers, Bair thinks that reusing assignments would be a great idea. “If we just reused worksheets and tests for multiple semesters and classes, it would greatly reduce the use of paper. For English classes, I think it would be a great idea for students to e-mail papers to their teachers and the teachers to grade them in Word. This would also present a learning curve because teachers would need to learn how to edit in Word so that students would see their corrections and students would need to learn to use e-mail.” Frazier also thinks that computers could help reduce the amount of paper we use. “More electronic assignments could definitely help,” Frazier said. Bair is hopeful that HHS can move away from relying on recycling Recycle, HHS! Ecology Club Sponsor Ross Bair helps members in as our way of saving paper, and instead simply using less.  their weekly recycling collection. Photo by Emily Jamieson.

Meagan Kelley Fun Director

we are more likely to not waste as much paper.” Despite successes in recycling and alternative transportation eﬀorts, Brodrick says JMU still has a long way to go. “We need to work as individuals to change our behaviors,” Brodrick said. “Among other elements, that might include taking public transit, eating local fruits and vegetables, and composting.” The Institute is hoping to pick up additional funding to begin work on an ambitious

campus make-over plan. “We are seeing a transformation of campus. [There is] a LEED certiﬁed dining hall and the Arboretum Collaborative, which will facilitate incorporation of environmental stewardship throughout the curriculum,” Brodrick said. “I anticipate our waste minimization, renewable energy, and applied research programs will expand in the near future and will continue to support community eﬀorts.” 

Students fight for green changes Jessica Strickler Opinion Editor

mericans across the country are striving to make their time on Earth a little bit greener. What started out as a grassroots campaign to save the planet has grown into a nation wide effort which started in the White House. This effort has now spread to schools, businesses and factories across the country. The Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lisa Jackson has been focusing her efforts on creating educational programs for schools and universities, working with organizations that promote environmental health and finding economical opportunities for creating green jobs. These efforts are helping to better educate citizens on what they can do in their daily lives to conserve energy and recycle effectively. When it comes to educating students in schools, the job can be challenging. Many students are oblivious to the conservation efforts going on around them. Some of them are pessimistic about global warming, saying, “It won’t happen in my lifetime”. But the biggest opportunity for students to ‘go green’ arises during lunch. The majority of trash inside schools is produced during lunchtime at HHS; students use styrofoam trays and tableware to eat their meals. “If they would take away the styrofoam trays, then students would have to use the blue ones,” said senior, Laysa Santamaria. “And they should have more tray returns.” The only tray return is built into the wall on the Auditorium Commons side of the cafeteria, and is all the way at the end-

past the serving lines and trashcans. Many students forego the blue trays because it is too much work to go put away trays. “If they put in tray returns at the front of the cafeteria next to the trash cans I might use the blue trays, “junior Amy Alexander said. By eliminating the option of styrofoam trays, our school could prevent harmful toxins from entering the landfills. Styrofoam takes about 2,000 years to completely decompose. If 1,000 students- ¾ of the student population at HHSeat school lunch every day and each student uses a styrofoam tray, 180,000 trays from our school would go to the dump each school year. And if the trays take 2,000 years to decay, by the time the first trays used had disintegrated, there would still be 360 million trays left to finish breaking down. Students agree that lunch is not the only problem in the school. Many think electricity is wasted. “Teachers shouldn’t turn on all the lights when they have their blinds closed. We have so many windows, but they turn on the lights instead,” said junior Tara Hinkle. In a survey of HHS teachers last year, 52% of them reported that they left their lights on and closed the blinds. 38% of teachers said they left their lights on for the entire block. In the evenings and on the weekends, if you drive by the school, the building is lit up like the fourth of July. Even though some may claim these lights are “for emergency purposes”, surely we do not need to have the bathroom lights and hall lights on all night long. “There are too many lights. We have lots of skylights, but all the lights in the hall are turned on too,” senior Sonia Luna said. 

The Newsstreak

November 6, 2009

fashion a8

Shopping styles vary

Where do students go to find the hottest outfits, accessories? Christine Choi Style Editor

ophomore Kiah Silver sees shopping as a hobby. Silver is one with a card that allows access to her parents’ account and a credit card to all her favorite stores like Victoria’s Secret, and Express. She has access to shop as much as she wants. and does not have a set limit ,but her monthly expenses are two to three hundred dollars. “I own about seventy shoes,” Silver says. All the shoes she owns do not ﬁt in her room, so she owns racks outside of her room to hold her collection. Silver’s favorite styles and clothes are from Victoria’s Secret, the majority

of which she purchases online. A lot of the styles and new trends that interest her are seen through Victoria’s Secret fashion shows, and through celebrities. Few of her favorite celebrity fashion idols are Paris Hilton, Gislle Bundchen, Vanessa Hudgens, Taylor Swift, Angelina Jolie, Megan Fox and Reese Witherspoon. Since hot trends in fashion seem to change so often, sophomore Ahmed Salehi shops with his older brother or sister several times a month. All the styles and new trends he follows are based on his older brother’s wardrobe. “My mom or dad give me their card,” Salehi said. Although he is not given a budget, he sets a reasonable limit for himself and usually

spends about $150 in a month. Some of Salehi’s favorite places to shop are Hollister, Express, American Eagle Outﬁtters, Ralph Lauren Polo, and Belk. Washington D.C. and Richmond are out-oftown places he shops at in the summer. Senior Sally Kardos’ style has changed from being a tomboy in elementary school who wore sleeveless Nike shirts and Reebok shorts to a heel wearing, color loving fashionista. “My style comes from my lifestyle. I like to feel comfy but look good at the same time, so most of my clothes ﬁt that criteria,” Kardos said. A lot of her clothing ideas come from magazines and celebrities. Those ideas are mixed and

matched to fit her needs and changed to ways that appeal to her. Some of Kardos’ favorite places to shop are Forever 21, Urban Outfitters, Express and H&M with clothes prices ranging from $20-$90. Shopping for Forever 21 and Urban Outfitters are done online because those stores are not available in Harrisonburg. Kardos has a closet of around 35 pairs of shoes ranging from sandals, heels, flats, boots, and boating styled shoes and accessories from Express and American Eagle to tie her outfits together. “My friends and I are always sharing clothes. We all have our own unique styles but we all gain new dimensions to those styles by incorporating

a piece that someone else has into our own wardrobe. To this day there are clothes and accessories of mine at different friends’ houses that I know I may or may not get back,” Kardos said. Kardos also uses her fashion sense to advise family members on what to wear and what not to wear. Although her brothers have very different styles, Kardos still helps both of them if they need advice on what outfits to mix and put together. She enjoys picking out outfits for her little sister because she will put on whatever she puts her in. Kardos’ mom also takes her advice and guidance in fashion seriously. “She usually won’t buy a shirt that I don’t like,” Kardos said. 

Hats, hoodies, backpacks mass the controversy of school dress code Kim Antonio Style Editor

ccording to the school dress code, students are not allowed to wear clothing that advertises illegal substances, shows the midriﬀ or stomach exposing blouses, halter tops or tanks tops, ripped jeans above the knee that exposes undergarments, chains or gang insignia, scarves, hoods, bandanas, hats or other cloth headbands. With all of these rules in mind, are students being kept from their freedom of expression or are they being protected from looking suggestive? Junior Kaitlyn Ressin believes that the rules are ﬁne. “I’m not the kind of person who would wear halter tops and short skirts.

It doesn’t pertain to me,” Ressin said. Ressin thinks school dress code rules apply the same way they would at work. Wearing ﬁshnet stocking with short skirts or t-shirts with illegal drugs plastered across them aren’t the key garments to choose when applying for a job and so it shouldn’t be the type worn at school. However a rule that Ressin does not approve of is the hat rule. “The hat rule is weird because it doesn’t make sense. The backpack rule is also pointless because it doesn’t matter how big your bag is, students will always ﬁnd a way to bring something threatening to school,” Ressin said. Senior, Bryant Porter also disagrees with the hat rule because he believes that hats don’t pose a threat. He enjoys wearing hats because it prevents him from having bad hair days.

“Yeah, the hat rule is stupid because I have cowlicks,” Porter said. Porter does not enjoy the school dress code rules because it prevents him from his freedom of expression and he believes other students feel this way, too. “I hate it because it doesn’t give everyone the ability to express themselves,” Porter said. Senior Nelson Bude has experienced disappointment with the dress code. Nelson is unable to wear his grandmother’s Christmas sweater because of the possible promotion of gang related violence. Also, Bude does not feel he can fully express himself because of not being able to wear a hooded sweatshirt or hat during school. “I mean, I can understand wearing

do-rags and bandanas to show gang membership but hoodies aren’t that serious, neither are hats,” Bude said. Like Ressin, junior Bano Kirmani thinks the rules of girls wearing revealing clothing should stay the same but she would like the hood rule to become less serious. “I don’t have a huge problem with it but they should put a stop to hoods because the consequence is way too drastic,” Kirmani said. The freedom of expression is a privilege that many students enjoy. From wearing fashionable dresses to the latest jeans, teen fashion is evolving. However, the line between fashion and violating the rules is rapidly changing because of the great enforcement from the school. 

Sweat pants emerge as popular fashion statement among teenagers

Lauren Martin Style Editor

ooking around the hallways of HHS, you are likely to see a multitude of diﬀerent clothing styles and outﬁts. Ensembles range from perfectly matched cardigans, headbands and shoes to varying shades of black and grey, to shiny colored spandex equipped with matching stilettos. Through all of these styles, however, there is one that remains constant through each grade, gender and genre of person: sweats. Students such as junior Brandon Baxter look to the convenience of sweat pants when deciding what to wear to

sweatpants at least once school. WHAT YOU THINK every week. “They’re just more Do you wear Sweat pants It is also agreed that one’s comfortable,” said Baxter to school mood upon waking up in who was wearing navy blue the morning determines sweatpants at the time of the exactly what one puts on. interview. “I wear sweats at least three out of five days If one wakes up happy, a week.” one may be more willing to For Baxter, although wear something dressier to 116 people in all grades polled on Oct. 26 by Gabe Hoak sweatpants are simply the school. However, waking up in a negative humor may more comfortable choice, have the opposite effect. he also admits getting more “I am not a morning person and I sleep is more important than the clothes never want to get up,” Alshefski said. he wears to school. “I wake up late, I like to sleep in. I “Sometimes it’s just easier to throw usually just end up putting whatever sweats on than to find actual clothes.” on because I don’t want to be late for Alshefski also stated that she does not believe getting dressed up to come school,” Baxter said. Junior Ally Alshefski agrees with to school is feasible because it is just Baxter’s reasoning. Alshefski wears that, school.

YES NO 55 56

“I really have no desire to dress up to come to somewhere I honestly don’t want to be,” Alshefski said. Not everyone wears sweatpants to school as often as Baxter and Alshefski. Both students believe this is for more than one reason. “Some people are just more interested in what they look like when they come to school,” Alshefski said. “People that choose to dress up, I guess they just feel like they need to,” Baxter said. No matter a student’s reason for dressing down, or pulling on a pair of sweats in the morning, there is one thing that can be said for the future of sweats: sweats are here to stay.

Ten males compete for Mr. Blue Streak title at Renaissance Rally mr. blue streak, from a1

In this section of the competition, the boys wore dresses in addition to accessories like wigs, high heels, and even make-up. Some students had mistaken senior contestant, Doodie Grogg for a female when he walked out to the middle of the gymnasium in a leopard dress, high heels, a blonde wig and sunglasses. “I did this pageant to impress all the men out there,” Grogg said. “In particular, I liked the modeling part best because I got to show oﬀ my sexy body.” Representing the freshman class, DiNapoli rocked the runway in a pink sequin dress, a blonde wig and high heels. “Walking in heels really hurt because it was hard

on my feet,” DiNapoli said. “I thought I was going to fall and sprain my ankles.” This year the SCA decided to switch up the judging panel. In an effort to get the entire school involved, the cafeteria staff was asked to judge the pageant. “When Parth asked us to be the judges at the rally I was like ‘sure why not’,” food service assistant Diane Allen said. “I was honored they wanted us to judge.” As judges, they were required to score the contestants on a scale of one to ten for each category and decide on a winner. “I was looking for enthusiasm, talent, and real effort in each contestant,” Allen said. “Overall I thought it [the pageant] was really funny and it was cool to see the students in another environment other than during lunch.”

History teacher Jay Blair was crowned Mr. Blue Streak 2009 after he impressed the crowd and the judges with his singing and dancing abilities. “I wasn’t expecting to win,” Blair said. “I thought it was funny that I did, but I really thought a student was going to win instead of me.” When Blair sang Down by Jay Sean, it was clear that he was made for this competition. “I’m a pretty silly person in general so I was not uncomfortable doing the pageant,” Blair said. “It was right up my alley.” Also, as a special treat to the entire student body and faculty, the SCA gave out free T-shirts for everyone to wear at the rally to support HHS. This year’s SCA is trying to raise the bar high to challenge successive executive boards. 

Dinner theater to benefit yearbook staff   Middle schools slated to perform along with HHS One-Act play DRAMA, from a1 drinks such as coffee and tea. The total cost for the play and dinner combo will be $9.00 for children 12 and under and $13 for adults. Anyone who wishes to just see the play can pay $3.00 at the door. All proceeds will go to the yearbook. Swartz says that every drama department benefits from the joint production. “It is hard for the middle school kids to get used to the bigger stage and auditorium at HHS. There are different sound systems and sound carries differently. One benefit of putting this on is that the middle school kids get experience with the larger stage. Their competitions, which are coming up soon, have a stage like ours,” Swartz said. HHS’s drama department is not without benefit either. Swartz said that while their first competition was Monday, Oct 26, the joint production will be the first formal presentation of Hollow to the community. The drama

department put on a free showing for the community so that the cast members could get public input. While Swartz estimates 50 to 60 people showed up for the free preview, he expects at least 150 for the triple header. 150 is about normal for a typical drama production, although the musical usually draws more. Still, there are challenges involved with putting on a production that brings members of three schools together. “There are a lot of transportation issues presented with something like this. It’s just a matter of getting everyone coordinated,” Swartz said. Swartz says he is currently working on a deal with Strickler to provide all the cast members food beforehand at a reduced price because “they can’t perform hungry”. Despite this being the ﬁrst time the three schools have gotten together for a joint performance, Swartz says he is open to the idea again in the future. “It’s a win-win all around. It beneﬁts the drama departments, the yearbook and the community,” Swartz said. 

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The Newsstreak

SWIM TEAM

November 6, 2009

Ads a9

Claire Glick

The best part of the season was the final relay at the dual meet against Orange County and Broadway. The girls kicked butt and won the meet!

Connor Hegg

Drake Cary performs a dive during a regular season meet.

It was awesome when we had to make an emergency exit from the hotel at States. The fire alarm went off at 11:30 p.m. and we all had to evacuate.

Madison Wilson, Taylor McDonnell, Joanna Hernandez and Sam Swayne hang out after a team dinner.

Cilla Harrison

We had a team hangout and ended up having a water balloon fight. I’m pretty certain I got more hits than anyone else.

Connor Bell

Claire Glick and Cilla Harrison smile on the trip to UVA for the state swim meet.

At one of the meets, we were all watching diving and Drake goes to do a really difficult dive and ends up doing a body flop. It was horrible. He had welts all over his body from hitting the water so hard.

Joanna Hernandez, Katie Simmons and Aidan Newcity smile during a team hangout.

Joanna Hernandez My favorite part was getting to know amazing people and becoming a family. The whole team had so much fun together.

Madison Wilson I really like how we all get along so well. We always have fun together no matter what.

Nicki Strickler, Katie Simmons, Claire Glick, Aidan Newcity and Sarah Medley go out to eat over the summer.

Breton Nicholas Connor Hegg and Drake Cary during Regional’s at JMU.

I love the team dinners. We always play Wii and video games and eat tons of good food cooked by the parents.

Drake Cary My favorite part is the start of the meets when we try to out-cheer the other teams.

Nicki Strickler

Cilla Harrison executes a dive during a regular season swim meet.

The best part was the bus-ride coming back from Waynesboro. We played Little Sally Walker and big booty. During the middle of the ride the bus driver turned on the lights, but we kept dancing anyway.

Girls swim team during a sleepover.

Edwin Bonilla

Breton Nicholas swims freestyle during a meet.

I really liked the practices. I remember when Nicki hurt her hand during our team photo.

Jessica Strickler My favorite part was doing stuff as a team. We cheered together, ate together and partied together! I hope this season will be even better than last. Connor Bell and Breton Nicholas fix themselves dinner at the Swayne’s house.

For anyone interested in swimming or diving, there will be a pre-season meeting on Monday, Nov. 9 in the Gym Commons during study hall.

Aidan Newcity Making friendships and our Wal-Mart and Martin’s runs were pretty awesome. Once Cilla was chasing after a bunny and she wiped out. It was really funny.

Swimmers enjoy breakfast for dinner at the Strickler’s house the night before a meet.

Sam Swayne I liked goof-off times in practice. Kick-board surfing and pool-bouy skating is tons of fun. We are all sliding around and falling over, but we just laugh at the silly stuff people do.

Team plays a cooperation game at one of the many team hangouts.

J O I N T O D AY !

The Newsstreak

books A10

Books

November 6, 2009

Author Chris Crutcher comes to Harrisonburg Olivia McCarty Style Editor

hris Crutcher has been a published writer since 1982 when his first book Running Loose was published. But he has been a writer for much longer. “When I was younger, I played around with writing comedy,” Crutcher said, although he didn’t continued to write comedy, focusing more on social issues. He now has written over twenty books. To inspiring writers, Crutcher offers this advice. “Read a lot and write a lot,” Crutcher said. Crutcher also believes that you should “Write something that you have an emotional response to, and never let anyone tell you you can’t do it,” Crutcher has taken his own advice to heart. All his main characters are teenagers because “It (the teenage period) is an important time,” Crutcher said. “It is a time when you can start making decisions that will affect the rest of your life.” His characters are teenagers because it was a very important time in his life that he recalls vividly. “The last two years of high school I can remember as if they were yesterday,” Crutcher said. Being a high school therapist also brought him back to high school. Crutcher who was friends with fellow writer Terry Davis, credits Davis with helping him to become the writer he is today. “Terry is a really good craftsman,” Crutcher said. Crutcher believes that Davis helped him become a better writer by learning how to build a strong

structural frame for his writing because he never picked up how important the structure of a story is as a student. Crutcher does not write his thoughts down in a journal, having never been comfortable writing down his thoughts in a tone of voice that is so different from what his character’s voice is. Crutcher does get almost all his ideas from the people he knows and what he sees in the world. Crutcher people watches in the airport, since he is there a lot, and at the schools where he speaks. Airports are great places to people watch because Crutcher sees lots of families in a stressful environment, and sees how they deal with the situations that play out. “When you watch an interaction it is as if they are letting you become apart of their lives for that moment,” Crutcher said. Crutcher also is interested to see teenagers in a different environment “If you really want to see the real aspects of teenage life it is after school,” Crutcher said. Though he does get a lot of information from going to schools it is when the teenagers aren’t in a school environment where he says he really sees the true nature of teenagers. Crutcher’s stories have always been closely related to his own life. “Ever story that I ever write comes from a real event,” Crutcher said. Some of the people in his life even resemble some of his characters. In his second book, the main guy character is taken from a similar guy on Crutcher’s college swim team. Another book that has touched closely to Crutcher’s real life is his book called Chinese Handcuffs. The book

You can’t judge a book by its cover Ryan Maphis Staﬀ Reporter

am a particular girl. I am picky eater, (I only eat the middle out of my food), a fussy dresser, (blue and grey are my colors of choice), I am also a picky reader. I have a process for finding a book that I want to finish. The search for a good book gets old and I often envy those that can just pick up one and plow through it, I cannot seem to do that. I choose books based on covers that look interesting to me. Even though it’s been drilled into my head to ‘never judge a book by its cover’, I just can’t seem to help myself. As I inspected the cover of Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher, my eyes glazed over. Not to say that the cover of the book is boring, the picture just seemed to scream ‘guy book’ to me. And although I definitely wouldn’t call myself a girlygirl, I do appreciate a good book about a teen girl falling in love. I do, however, have a standard as far as good writing. I expect an author to pull me into their story headfirst, enough so that I don’t want to get my nose away from the pages-this seldom happens. So I opened the book cautiously, having to reread the first chapter several times before I could convince myself that I wasn’t dreaming, this book really was written well. My fussy way of looking at books was proven unjustified. Whale Talk is not a guy book, it is a book written for anyone who could use a magnified

look at social issues and injustices that teens, or even adults, face today. This book will probably be one with a message that will ring true until the end of high school for everyone that reads it. The Tao Jones (TJ) is an easy character to relate to for anyone who has ever been through something tough, as well someone who likes to question things that they see as immoral or wrong. Racism is a big theme explored in Whale Talk, although many more issues were addressed as the book progressed. The hurdles each character bounds during the course of the book include social barriers as well as abuse and learning that the world isn’t as black and white as you thought it was. Narrated by the main character, The Tao Jones, (TJ), Whale Talk follows TJ as he pulls together a band of misﬁt high school guys to form a swim team. As well as dealing with the troubles of forming his own team, TJ is dealing with issues at home, which seem to be involving the whole town. I found myself relating to characters that TJ picks up along the way to join his eclectic swim team, and found their struggles to be not unlike ones seen every day at HHS. That reality made me love this book, as much as I hated the truth, Whale Talk faces stereotypes of all kinds, as well as the resistance by our culture to just accept others. This is not the light love story that I prefer, nor is it the heavy sports book I was expecting. Heavy is a good word to describe Whale Talk however, because its contents will sit heavily on your brain or your heart. 

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is about a girl who has been molested by her dad and her step-dad. Crutcher, who is a therapist, was at the time working with girls who had been in similar situations as one of the characters in his book, and he would give them chapters to read and they would critique his character. This allowed him to help the girls work through their problems and get ﬁrst hand information on the emotions that they went through. “It (being molested) is such a secret existence that is was almost like pulling teeth to write the novel,” Crutcher said about writing this book. To date this was the hardest book for Crutcher to write. When Crutcher does get stuck in writers block, he takes a break. “Writer’s block usually comes from thinking too much, so I just get away from it,” Crutcher said. Crutcher likes to do physical activity to help clear his head. “I play a really ugly slow game of basketball,” Crutcher said, “I also run and swim.” Having twenty plus books out gives you a wide selection on book choices. Crutcher may not have a favorite book of his own, but he does have favorite passages. 

Cafeteria provides students with healthy breakfast bREAKFAST, FROM A1 “That coupled with our pretty aggressive tardy policy… leaves students with the conflict of ‘I want to get up there to class, but I haven’t got time for breakfast.’” The administration is working to find a solution for students who do not have time to buy breakfast. “We are asking the bus company to pick up the students just a few minutes earlier. We’re asking them so we get the students here by twenty after [7:20 a.m.] so that they would be able to get a breakfast to-go bag,” Supko said. According to both Supko and Early, the items in the to-go bags will not spoil for four hours. If a teacher does not approve of students eating in class, it is possible for the student to take their breakfast to their second block. “Four hours is always a good window for any food that you have out,” Early said. “Whether it’s here or at a picnic, four hours is a good safety window.” Breakfast to go bags contain three or four breakfast items, such as muffins or cinnamon rolls. The cafeteria staff has some control on what is served. “Part of it’s based on what the kids like, part of it’s based on the program

and what we’re allowed to serve,” Early said. HHS makes a point of trying to provide students with nutritious meals. In addition to improving the breakfast system, HHS observed National School Lunch Week. During the week of October 12th, cafeteria staﬀ wore their National School Lunch Week t-shirts. National School Lunch Week helps emphasize the importance of a good healthy lunch. The governmentprovided lunches try to be healthy and give students all the nurturance they need. Not all schools take part in NSLW because not all schools are part of the government program. “I’ve been in schools where their lunch areas are nothing but fast food places. They’ve contracted with the school to bring in these fast food chains and the student has to pay money for Pizza Hut or Burger King,” Supko said. “We think ours is a lot more nutritional and better for the students.” “[NSLW is] geared more toward the younger elementary school children,” Early said. “They can invite their parents in to eat with them. We don’t really do that here.”

The Newsstreak

November 6, 2009

feature B1

Mooligan adjusts to life in wheelchair Maria Rose Feature Editor

t was roughly 9:30 p.m. on the cold evening of February 8, 2009, and Michael Moogalian, son of math teacher Patricia Kelley, was waiting. The circumstances of his ‘waiting’, however, were rather unusual. As he described it, the wait seemed much longer than it was, but, “my sense of time probably wasn’t very accurate at all,” 25-year-old Moogalian said lightly. Moogalian had been driving on “dark back roads” that evening, with his car lights not calibrated properly. As he took a sharp turn, perhaps a little faster than he should have gone, he drove off the shoulder of the road, jerked the wheel and overcorrected, causing the car to roll over and crash. While his blue mini cooper was completely totaled, the damages done to Moogalian himself were far more detrimental. Moogalian’s first reaction after the accident was to utter a few expletives, quickly followed by the concern that he would not be able to get a tow truck out at this hour. He never imagined what the real repercussions were going to be. “I was thinking ‘this isn’t good’, but I felt no pain then,” Moogalian explained carefully. “It didn’t hurt at all.” Meanwhile, he tried to reach into his pocket to pull out his cell phone and make an attempt to get out of the car, but realized he was not able to move. “That was when I realized that it was worse than I thought,” Moogalian said. He then proceeded to honk the horn loudly, until help came. As he was told, help came much more quickly than he perceived, and he was airlifted to the trauma center at VCU. Moogalian’s memory of the incident occurs in bits and pieces; much of the information came from his mother, describing the recovery process.

Moogalian stayed about two weeks in VCU’s trauma center, spending several days in a medically induced coma because he needed to receive surgery upside down—a fact that Moogalian himself was not even aware of until his mother informed us. Moogalian’s injuries included a cracked vertebra in his cervical spine, a broken vertebra in his thoracic spine, a broken collar bone, and cracked ribs; one was so broken it needed to be taken out. His final diagnosis was paraplegia: the inability to move one’s lower half of the body at all. For the rest of his life, unless medicine develops to help Moogalian and other paraplegics, he will have to use a wheelchair to move around. After staying in VCU, he spent two weeks in Health South, a transitional stop on his way to Sheppard Center, a rehab facility in Atlanta, Georgia that specializes in spinal cord injuries, where he stayed until his release on June 14. Moogalian had spent a little over a month confined to his bed and the other two or so months practicing in a wheelchair; when he was allowed to go home in his wheelchair, he was more relaxed than he had been in months, relatively speaking. “It was a relief,” Moogalian said, visibly remembering his release with a smile on his face. “It was nice to be able to essentially start the process of getting my life back on track.” Learning to use a wheelchair was no easy task, however; it took until September before Moogalian felt comfortable in it. Kelley even had to adjust the size of the doorways in their house to accommodate Moogalian’s wheelchair. Activity without the muscles in the lower half of the body— including the abdomen and all legs muscles, which are crucial to exercise—makes movement difficult and awkward. “It’s frustrating. You’re using an entirely different set of muscle groups,” Moogalian said, demonstrating a couple of wheelies to prove his point. “It

just makes your arms tired and sore. But I don’t think about it now; I’m set in the things I have to do to maintain myself.” Even tasks such as taking a shower or getting onto a couch are difficult. Moogalian needs special equipment, one of the more important ones being a long board that he uses to slide on from his chair to wherever he is moving to. His arms are the only source he has to move himself. “It is a hindrance, there’s no other way to describe it,” Moogaliansaid, looking down at the table, seemingly frustrated. “I see this as a sum of the consequences of my actions.” Moogalian’s friends have played an essential role in helping him recover from this accident. When he was in the hospital, people from New York to back home in Harrisonburg travelled to Richmond to check up on their friend. “Unfortunately, I was out cold at the time and slept through it,” laughed Moogalian. But nonetheless, the amount of love and support he has received is overwhelming. “They’re there for me to talk to or lean on or cry with sometimes,” Moogalian said gratefully. “Without them, I would not have handled the experience nearly as well as I have.” This dramatically transforming incident has made Moogalian more aware of life’s fleetingness. “It puts my life into perspective; makes me rethink some of the choices I’ve made and the reasons I made those choices,” Moogalian said with a shaking voice. “It’s a humbling experience.” Through this experience, he has also seen a surprising amount of altruism, or kindness in people, which has slightly broken down his cynical view of the human spirit. “I had for the longest time, and in many ways still do, believed that people are innately

evil and self serving. One thing that surprises me as I ’m go-

ing through all this is the good nature and tendencies that a lot of people have,” Moogalian said. “Seeing a lot of good people helped me as a person.” Other people find Moogalian to be a good person as well. Robert Mead with the Harrisonburg Kiwanis Club found Mooligan to be an inspiring character. “Michael is the best possible spokesperson [for paraplegia]. He’s a marvelous speaker, has all the facts we need to know, and since he’s a direct victim, he’s also that much more powerful,” Mead said at the presentation Moogalian gave to the Key Club on Oct 19 during activity period. Moogalian, however, does not enjoy being the center of attention. He appreciates the service the Key Club is working so hard to provide him with, but finds that so much concentration focused on him is a bit unnerving. “It’s not who I am,” Moogalian said, shrugging. “[Being paraplegic] doesn’t make me more special than anyone else and I don’t like the attention. I

get self conscious.” Unable to live his life as he had before, Moogalian misses many of the activities he used to participate in. These days, he spends time on his computer (“too much,” Moogalian joked) and with his family, friends, and pet snake, Ed. At times though, he just wants to do something else. “I miss going out for a jog,” Moogalian said. “I miss being able to feel,” he added, in a slower, sadder tone. Despite these setbacks, Moogalian still has dreams he wants to achieve, like learning how to drive again, and maybe, someday, walking again. Moogalian wakes up in the mornings, looking forward to the things he can accomplish that day. “I know that if I spend every day in bed, the quality of life diminishes,” Moogaliansaid. “There are still things that I want to do, and in order to do them, I have to get up and do them. I can’t just lie in bed, hoping they’ll get done on their own.” tt

Teacher Patricia Kelley copes with son’s car accident Phillip Bannister Style Editor

atricia Kelley received a phone call instructing her to drive two hours to the Medical Center of Virginia trauma center. Her 24-yearold-son Michael Mooligan had been air lifted to this hospital and she didn’t know if he was dead or alive. She found him alive and paralyzed from the chest down. “He was awake and aware when I got to him behind the curtain. He was able to tell Hiss! Math teacher Patricia Kelley and me what happened,” Kelley her son Michael enjoy their pet snakes. said. Photo by Maria Rose. After arriving at the

hospital, Kelley was given a bag of clothes Michael was wearing in the wreck and anything he may have had in his pockets. “At one point he asked me to go through [the bag] to look for his license. The bag was clear, I knew there was blood in there. I sat down and opened the bag and took out his shirt, and when I looked at it, I was surprised by how everything was cut so neatly. His clothes were all soaked in blood, everything. When I was done unwrapping everything I was a mess. I remember thinking, ‘Is this the way my son is going to die?’ A parent should never have to see a child die,” Kelley said. For Kelley, her son’s comfort is her main priority.

“It changed my life over the summer because he wasn’t independent. He is now. Certainly it changed his life more than it ever could change mine. I just wish he didn’t have to go through hardship. I would take his place if I could. I prayed God would let him walk again and I would be in the chair, I’ve already lived my life. I know that someone somewhere one day will have a treatment for spinal cord injury,” Kelley said. The hardest part has been watching her son struggle. “When one of your children hurts you hurt with them,” Kelley said. Mooligan became allied with Key Club this year through Tony Antonnicola

the Key Club adviser. The Key Club is raising money this year to help offset Mooligan’s hospital bills. “I think Mr. A had a special compassion in his heart. When he heard about the accident he had a special place in his heart because he does have a son. I think that he made it happen,” Kelley said. Kelley hopes that teen drivers from HHS learn from her son’s accident. “Sometimes people get so comfortable driving. Driving a car is like driving a loaded gun. You have to be careful because at any moment you can accidentally hurt someone in the wink of an eye. Just be careful driving,” Kelley said. tt

Kelley deals with Muscular Dystrophy by maintaining positive outlook

Alison Domonoske Feature Editor

ichard Kelly is a regular face at HHS, volunteering his hours each week to run sport’s concessions stands. He began this job in 1976, when his daughter was an eighth grader and has been a regular volunteer since 2002 when he was diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy. Muscular Dystrophy is an untreatable genetic disease that gradually wears down muscles. Some forms are terminal, but Kelly has Limb-girdle MD which affects his legs, shoulders and abdominal muscles but is not deadly. Twice a year, however, Kelly has to go take tests at UVA medical center. “Mainly they just push and pull on my muscles which I think is a waste of time,” Kelly said, “But I have to go do it.” Before he was diagnosed and confined to a wheelchair, Kelly held a variety of jobs, from teacher at Fort Defiance to owning a construction business to building walk–in freezers and coolers. In these jobs, Kelly was accustomed to heavy lifting and when he began to feel weaker he knew he recognized symptoms of MD. “My brother was diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy a year before me so when I started having trouble lifting

things or carrying things up stairs I went to the doctor,”Kelly said. By witnessing his brother, Kelly knows how his condition will worsen in years ahead. Instead of dwelling on this, however, Kelly remains positive by staying busy. “During the summer it’s hard because I can’t come work here but I have a three year old grandson I can play with,” Kelly said. Kelly also runs a computer business out of his home, is treasurer of the Streaks Club and runs the Athletics booster website. For the most part, Kelly is independent. He drives his own car, is on disability benefits and tries not to rely heavily on his family. “I don’t want to rely too much of them, but I know if I need anything they are they to help me,” Kelly said. Kelly has a car that he drives with hand controls, which he drives slower than a regular car so that he has time to react. Kelly does not believe his wife has been affected too negatively by everything, as he continues to do most everything he used to, with the exception of lawn work. Kelly plans on redoing his bathroom to allow him access to the shower and has added a ramp to the house, but other than that has not had to do any major renovations. His activities have drastically changed, though. “I used to fish a lot, but I can’t go at all now,” Kelly said, “And I’d love

to be able to walk and run with my do each day. “You just do what you can do and I grandson.” MD destroys the muscle’s abilities to see people worse off than I am.” Kelly regenerate themselves so any exercise said, “I don’t dwell on being disabled adds to the degeneration. Throughout because it happened and continues to the years, Kelly has been able to feel happen. Any morning I can get out of his muscles getting weaker but there bed with a purpose is a good day.” tt is no pain involved and he takes no medication. There are no treatments currently available, but Kelly accepts that he will be wheelchair bound for the rest of his life. “Sometimes kids will come and say ‘Cool chair I’d like to have one of those’ and I tell them I’ll trade. They can have the chair and I’ll gladly take legs,” Kelly said, “And athletes will come from practice saying they’re sore or so tired and I’ll just tell them they’re lucky.” Kelly continues volunteering at HHS because he enjoys working with the kids, helping the community and just Serving up smiles. Richard Kelley runs the concession stands having something to at almost every HHS sporting event. Photo by Aidan Newcity

The Newsstreak

November 6, 2009

Feature B2

Wanna go clubbin’?

Check out the clubs at HHS!

With over 40 clubs at HHS, there is no excuse for not joining up!

French club Gabe Hoak Staﬀ Reporter

“

Bonjour, tu t’appelles comment?” Or to those who do not speak French, ‘Hello, what is your name?’ is the first thing one would hear when passing by room 411 on activity day one. When peering in one would hear muffled chatter in French and see other club members reading French magazines. Senior Elise Elwood, president of the French Club, stands at the front of the classroom with French teacher and club sponsor, Sally Young, discussing upcoming events for the club. Sometime in November the French club will host a movie night at one of the officers houses where they watch a movie that is, of course, in French. The club continues its purpose to help students explore French culture at HHS. “It’s to encourage people to have fun while learning the French language,” Elwood said. Their routine usually includes a few small games like Halloween

bingo, played in French, just to keep everyone on their toes. They also bring in a French snack of some sort that can range anywhere from crepes (a thin pancake-like pastry from France) to cupcakes. Around the holidays, the club makes small trinkets and baubles for that holiday. For example, when Poisson d’avril (The French version of April Fools day) arrives they usually make little pins. One can also expect to see French Christmas decorations that the club has made. In the springtime though, things get even more interesting. The club takes a trip down to Richmond for a French festival held there every year. “It’s like being immersed in French,” Young said. Senior Allison Monroe, vice president of the club, along with the other oﬃcers of the club, helps Young and Elwood decide the activites of the next meeting. So if you are up for watching movies, eating French cuisine, discussing French culture or just like France in general, stop by room 411 on activity day one and be prepared to have a blast. 

Men’s A capella Mark Duda Staﬀ Reporter

en’s A Capella Club is a brand new club to the activity day two line up this year. A Capella singing is group or solo singing without the aid of instruments. Last school year, the club’s founding members, seniors Justin Goldberger and Aakash Tandel, got the idea to create the group from JMU’s Madison Project, a student A Capella group. “Aakash and I saw the Madison Project and saw how much people liked them, so we started thinking about forming one for HHS,” Goldberger said. With the help of Band Director JR Snow and club sponsor Bethany Houff, the HHS Men’s A Capella club, which is currently in the naming process, was formed. The club met for the first time on the first activity day two of the school year, with a turn out that surpassed expectations. Almost twenty students were in attendance, as well as a few faculty members. The first meeting consisted of a few vocal warm-ups as well as a little group singing. While a significant number of Men’s Choir members were there, not everyone in

Vera Shindyapin Staﬀ Reporter

Alex Hickman Staﬀ Reporter

ixty marketing students at HHS are part of the DECA club, which stands for Distributive Education Clubs of America. This club participates in many helpful activities, such as selling Domino’s pizza to help an underprivileged family over the holiday season. DECA will help the family to ensure them a wonderful Christmas. They also help HHS by doing school cleanup throughout the year. Their most recent service was adopting the stairwells around the school and tidying them up. The club helps overseas as well by gathering up boxes of needed items and shipping them to well deserved people. Marketing students of DECA agree that the club helps them prepare for bright futures in business. “I feel that DECA positively prepares me for college DECA.” president, Samantha Simmons said. The club goes along with the marketing curriculum. Mallory Cromer, sponsor of the club, enjoys working with the kids because it reminds her of her past. “I was in DECA in high school,” Cromer said. Club member junior Connor Wolfe likes having Cromer as the sponsor. “Mrs. Cromer is cool,” Wolfe said. However, the club is not all business. They plan on going snow tubing at Massutten and cheering on the Wizard’s basketball team. Just recently the members of DECA took a trip to Blue Ridge to listen to the comedian Shannon Picker. They have various activities planned for the entire school year as well. In each class, paper diamonds have been randomly hidden. If found by a student, the diamond will win them a prize. 

“

This is a lung that has smoked for twenty years... And this is a lung that has not,” senior Tina Nguyen said to a child who was fascinated with the pig’s lung. Nguyen, president of the Key Club, was volunteering at the tobacco and alcohol prevention booth. “I joined key club because I have always been a fan of volunteering,” Nguyen said. Key Club members volunteer for different service activities in our community. In fact, it is the largest service club for students all over the world. The Key Club at HHS tries to make a difference locally. They meet once a month in the auditorium on the first activity day. They have at least two or three community service projects per month. Sometimes they raise money for certain causes. One time they raised over $7000 dollars for “Nothing but Nets”, a fund raising activity that was made to benefit people in Africa to prevent malaria. Their current project is pumpkin picking at

Mathletes

Hitting the notes. Seniors Justin Goldberger and Aakash Tandel work with the new singers to see the ranges of their voices. Photo by Maria Rose.

Key club

DECA

Chris Sokolyuk Staﬀ Reporter

the club is part of it, nor is it required to be a part of Men’s Choir to join. The group plans on performing publicly this year, although they have not scheduled any events yet. There are also no plans to include women in the club, although there is the possibility of a sister group sometime in the future. 

Virginia delegate Matt Lohr’s farm. It was chosen as a project because it seemed like a fun activity and they could help people by loading pumpkins and supervising children. Some future projects that they will be doing are helping with the children’s museum and helping out with the downtown children’s party. Key Club adviser Tony Antonnicola chose to lead the club because of the opportunities to interact with the students. “The classroom is stuck between four walls, whereas Key club is not,” Antonnicola said. Students feel that Key club is also beneficial. “[I joined] because it looks good for college and it is fun. People told me that it is a good time,” freshman Lydia Hatfield said. Senior vice-president Parth Goradia thought the same thing, but he soon found out that Key Club was not just another item on one’s resume. “[Key club helps you] because you learn that you are better off than most people, and that you should help out in their situation,” Goradia said. “You will want to help out.” 

563-A Neff Avenue al lado de Williamson-Hughes Farmácia (atrás de la Costco)

Michael Fornecker will take on the responsibility of coaching these mathletes for the ﬁrst year. Estes has moved on to the project of beginning Math Club, a diﬀerent academic club.

ost people are not overly  enthusiastic about math. However, the members of the HHS Math League are. These students compete against other math teams in the area in this internationally known program. The mathematicians compete for 30 minutes non-stop while solving six problems that range from simple questions up to Algebra II material. Junior Marcus Upton is one of the mathletes this year. His advice to aspiring mathletes is to practice. “As long as you know how to work with math you will do well,” Upton said. HHS hosts six math competitions every year. This year, the math league, coached by math teacher Geoﬀrey Estes, And the answer is... Junior Marcus Upton consists of 20 students. This will all soon change, analyzes a math problem as a warm up during because there is a new coach math club. They meet during activity period coming into the picture. two. Photo by Maria Rose

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The Newsstreak

November 6, 2009

Feature B3

Massanutten Regional Governor’s School provides hands on activities Savanah Cary Feature Editor

tudents from Rockingham, Page and Shenandoah counties can attend Massanutten Regional Governor’s School. As sophomores, students applied against their peers to the two year program. Then, as juniors and seniors they attend the school in Mt. Sydney. At MRGS they take AP Environmental Science, AP Statistics, AP English and AgroEcology all of which last for two years. Students attend for the first two blocks of the school day then return to their “home” schools. The learning environment is different at Governor’s School than it is at the other schools. “[MRGS] is a hands on problem based learning environment, it focuses on real world problems and less on book learning,” director of MRGS Susan Fream said. Fream finds that the learning experience of students at MRGS is different from the other schools where she has taught. “Students learn in a cooperative environment working with their peers a lot of the time and the teachers are more like mentors. They don’t stand at the front of the room throwing information at the students,” Fream said. For HHS students who attend MRGS the day starts at 6:55 a.m. when they get on the bus which also takes TA and Broadway students to school. The bus ride is about forty-five minutes long and school starts at 7:50. Each day, students take two classes, either the science classes or English and math classes. Students then get back on the bus at 10:20 and arrive at HHS at 11:15. “My least favorite part of governor’s school is waking up earlier,” senior Macie Frazier said. Students frequently take field trips to learn about water quality by doing water testing at the North Fork of the Shenandoah River, and

stream bank repair by collecting walnuts and acorns. This is only one difference between home schools and MRGS. “The teachers and expectations are a lot different from home school,” Frazier said. Agro-ecology teacher Kara Bates finds that her favorite part of teaching at MRGS is the students that attend the school. “I enjoy the caliber of students that come here,” Bates said. “I like the fact that we can do hands on projects and still learn.” Since students are gone for half the day, they miss some things that happen at home school. For example, students that attend MRGS miss the morning broadcast, report cards, and voting for homecoming court, SCA etc. Rather than having these things handed to them during second block, they have to read the written announcements and go and do the things they miss on their own time. Frazier finds that she misses out on other important things as well. “I miss seeing my other friends,” Frazier Pucker up! HHS alumni Weston Reynolds kisses one of the crabs they said. “I also miss out on some of the classes caught on the school field trip to Smith Island in the Chesapeake Bay that I wanted to take like anatomy mentorship and sports marketing.” Since students from nine different schools attend MRGS, it is a good opportunity to meet people and make new friends. “My favorite part of governor’s school is the people. You get to meet people from different schools and get to know the Walking the tight rope! Junior Alison people from your Fishing for answers. MRGS juniors test the waDomonoske shuffles across the ropes course ter quality of the North Fork of the Shenandoah school better,” Frazier at Central High School. River by catching Macroinvertebrates. said. tt

Cockburn, Glick enjoy marsh mucking building,” Cockburn said. This was the night all the students got to know each other and went grocery shopping at WalMart. The trip to Wal-Mart’s he Valley Ridge purpose was to purchase all Governor’s School is the necessary groceries for the a twelve day summer camping trips and the trip to science program the bay. through James Madison “We went on trips and University that took place learned about global warming in the Shenandoah National and the ecosystem,” Glick said. Park, Chesapeake Bay, and The group of approximately the Shenandoah River. twenty students from Turner Applications were available on Ashby, Spotswood, Wilson Memorial, and Stonewall high schools took trips to study different types of pollution and learn ways to improve the ecosystem. At the Smith Island of the Chesapeake Bay, the group set crab traps and took canoe trips around the island. The group of students spent two nights at the Shenandoah National Park. On the second day, Cockburn and Glick went canoeing on the Shenandoah River. “We helped to view shed research and took pictures. Getting Dirty. Students of the 2009 Valley Ridge Governor’s school after panoramic We captured moth marsh mucking at Smith Island, Chesapeake Bay. caterpillars that killed Christine Choi Style Editor

the governor’s school website and mailed by the guidance department of HHS. Some of the aspects that were looked at in an applicant were previous knowledge of the Chesapeake watershed and the amount of effort put into the application. Sophomore Claire Glick and junior Lindsey Cockburn attended this Governor’s School during June of 2009. “We spent the first night at JMU and did some team

trees in the forest and learned about a pulley system that saved people,” Glick said. Both Glick and Cockburn had expectations of a learning environment and a teacher/ student atmosphere only to experience trips to different resorts and to study the ecosystem through fun activities. “At the end of the trip, we had a final project to do,” Cockburn said. It consisted of six different groups and ways to present the information learned throughout the experience: broadcasting, newspaper, a research project, a play group, and a research project on the Chesapeake Bay. The research project was done on existing environmental issues and the effects Harrisonburg has on the Chesapeake Bay. Although overall Cockburn enjoyed the whole experience and found most of it really fun, her favorite activity she participated in was the marsh mucking at the Chesapeake Bay. Cockburn still keeps in contact with some of the friends she has made through the Valley Ridge Governor’s school through Facebook. tt

Cary attends Governor’s School for Life Sciences and Medicine Christy Stearn Staff Reporter

uring the middle of the summer, most students spend their vacation by traveling or hanging out with friends and family. Instead, senior Drake Cary spent all July studying the human body and observing operations while attending Summer Residential Governor’s School for Life Sciences and Medicine. Cary took courses for four weeks at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. The classes lasted from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Each student had a roommate that he or she shared a dormitory room with. For the first three weeks of the program, thirty students from all over the

state studied a different topic each week; the first week they studied a person, the second week they studied a scientist, and the third week they studied a community. During each of these three weeks, the class had a different case patient that went along with the subject they had been learning about. Teachers gave the students lectures about health and medicine and labs were assigned periodically. During the fourth week of governor’s school, the students were split up and sent to the hospital to observe surgeries in the operating room. “The best part of summer governor’s school was watching the operations. I saw at least ten surgeries and we even got to wear scrubs,” Cary said. Although classes filled up most of the students’ schedules during the day, Cary was still expected to stay on campus

for the entire four weeks, even on the weekends. Because the school days were so long, students did not have much spare time. The students had to be in their suites by 10:30 p.m., but until then, they usually hung out in their rooms with other classmates. Fun activities were planned for the students. Cary, along with the other classmates, did things such as going to King’s Dominion, fundraising for cancer victims, and visiting the James River. Cary became close to a few of his classmates, but the physical distance between them kept the students from talking after governor’s school ended. Even though governor’s school required a lot of work from Cary, he found the challenging curriculum rewarding. “The whole thing was a great experience,” Cary said. tt

Guo enjoys social, academic aspects of Math Science and Technology Governor’s School

Michael Johnson Staff Reporter

f there are smart kids out there who have nothing to do over the summer, there is a place for them. Governor’s school is that place. Last summer, junior Xuyi Guo, attended the governor’s school of math, science, and technology. This is a four week program run by the state which allows students to take classes and meet other people around the state for free. “I liked summer residential governor’s school because it is very fun and everybody is nice there. I also enjoy it because

everyone there has a similar academic focus as you,” Guo said. A typical day at governor’s school starts with waking up and eating breakfast. All of the meals were at the Lynchburg College dining hall. Class is after breakfast and goes until lunch. After lunch, there are activities to do. Activities include going to museums, attending extra lectures, or having free time and hanging out with the other students there. Dinner is after the activities followed by free time until curfew. Guo only took one class which was History of Life on Earth. The class was about how life started from algae. “The most fun about governor’s school

is that it is very relaxed and free. You are only one second away from somebody since you share dorms,” Guo said. Along with having fun, there were also penalties for being late, such as early curfew. The curfew already was to be in the building by 10 p.m., on the floor at 10:30, and in bed by 11 p.m. Early curfew at the most would be an hour earlier. “Governor’s school was very relaxing, but it still ran on a very strict schedule,” Guo said. “I would recommend governor’s school because it looks good on your resume and it is and over all great experience,” Guo said. tt

Which Governor’s School is right for you? Two main types for High School Students: Academic Year Governors School (AYGS) and Summer Residential Governors School (SRGS). Summer Residential school locations: For 4-5 weeks, students live on campus for the summer, almost imitating a college lifestyle while learning higher skills. Governor’s School for the Humanities: Christopher Newport University Governor’s School for the Visual and Performing Arts: Christopher Newport University Governor’s School for Mathematics, Science, and Technology: Lynchburg College Governor’s School Mentorship in Engineering and Marine Science: NASA’s Langley Research Center Governor’s School for Agriculture: Virginia Tech Governor’s School for Life Sciences and Medicine: Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Foreign Language Academies (includes Governor’s Spanish, French, German, Latin Japanese, and Russian Academies and STARTALK Chinese and Arabic Academies): Virginia Commonwealth University Different Classes: Agriculture: Agribusiness, agricultural economics, veterinary medicine, animal science, plant science, anatomy Humanities: Anthropology, economics, history, literature, media, philosophy, political science, psychology, and sociology. Life Science and Medicine: Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science applications, environmental science, forensics, medicine and physics. Mathematics, Science and Technology: Anatomy and Physiology, Astronomy, Computer Programming, Geology, Hydrology, Physics, and Upper Level Math. Engineering- Aeronautical Engineering, Computer Science Advanced Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, and Mechanical Engineering. Marine Science-Coastal Law, Fisheries Science, Martine Resources, Management, Oceanography, Wetlands Ecology. Visual and Performing Arts- Dance, Instrumental Music, Theatre, Visual Arts, Vocal Music.

The Newsstreak

November 6, 2009

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The Newsstreak

What is an Educator Grant? -The HEF awards thousands of dollars to teachers and staff members who design educationally innovative programs which increase student motivation while meeting our diverse students’ needs. Who selects the grant award winners? -All applications for HEF grants are evaluated by a committee made up of HEF Executive Board Members. How are the HEF grants funded? -Grants are funded through the annual HEF’s “Drive for Excellence Golf Tournament” as well as through monetary donations from local citizens and groups.

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2008-2009 Educator Grant Recipients from HHS “We bought eight video cameras for Enviornmental Science to shoot documentaries and it was a great project. We wouln’t have been able to do the project without the money.” -Ross Bair “[The grant] allowed our students to use a dark room with cameras made out of Altoid tins. Mrs. Horst and I learned a lot of new projects that we can teach for the following years.” -Jauan Brooks “We have been able to buy glass for fusing and were able to pay someone to come for a workshop to teach students how to fuse glass.” -Kelley Horst “[The grant] helped fund the Tiny Tots concert last year for Kindergarten to second grade students held at Harrisonburg High School.” -J.R. Snow

Recipients are chosen based on five categories: 1. -Innovation – inspires others to think creatively, learn concept(s) by “thinking outside the traditional box.” 2. -Instructional Focus – academic achievement of students 3. -Measurable Results 4. -Replication– the proposed strategy will be attractive and/or useful to others beyond the original pilot site 5. -Broad Appeal – other students, parents, teachers, administrators, and community citizens will be impacted by the program and want to learn more.

Other 2008-2009 HHS Recipients Include: Walt Williamson, Mary Monts, and Seth Stratford

The Newsstreak

November 6, 2009

Sports b6

Thomas recruited by colleges for cross country as a junior Paulina Rendon Staﬀ Reporter

unior Keith Thomas has been running since he was in ﬁfth grade. In middle school, he joined the Thomas Harrison Middle School cross country team. Once Thomas was in ninth grade, he joined the HHS varsity cross country team as a freshman. “In the last ﬁve years we’ve only had six freshmen on varsity consistently. Keith was one of those freshmen phenoms,” biology teacher and cross country team coach Ross Bair said. Now, in his third year of high school, Thomas is being recruited by colleges. EMU and Adrian College in Michigan have sent Thomas recruitment letters. “They send me letters, and I talk to a few coaches after races,” Thomas said. Thomas has two more years of high school to go through before he decides which college he wants to go to. “I haven’t really thought about it yet,” Thomas said. “I’m just having fun.” “For Keith to be recruited now means he ran well as a sophomore,” Bair said. Thomas’s times have stayed consistently in the seventeen-minute time bracket. His best time ever was 16:54, which he ran at Running With The Wolves meet on Oct 17. Last year, Thomas’s best time was 16:27 which

he ran at districts in 2008. Thomas placed third in the Old Valley Challenge, beating the time of HHS alumni, Bryant Clopper. “16:54 is a fantastic time on any course in any conditions, but I think he can still go faster and he does too,” Bair said. Thomas’s worst time for this year was 19:35. The race was at HHS against one other team. “They didn’t send their best runners,” Bair said. “So I told Keith just to go run with his teammates and bring them along.” A cross country course is generally 3.1 miles. The team has to go up and down hills or through streams as best as they can to try to stay ahead of the other teams. For a team to win, they would have to get the lowest number of points after adding the points from the top runners. Ideally, the runners would place first, second, third, fourth, and fifth for a perfect score. This rarely happens, based on the condition of the team, the opposing teams, and the course. Cross country is a sport where the ability of a runner is measured until the end of the season. Unlike other sports when the athletes play consistantly, cross country runners start the season badly and slowly work on getting better. “[I Think] it’s better than track because you never really weigh teams against each other until they really run against each other,” Bair said. Colleges are picky when it comes to recruiting. A senior cannot just join the cross country team and expect coaches to offer him scholarships after the season. Colleges start looking at

the runners while they are juniors and follow their records through their senior year. Because of how much less funding cross country has compared to other sports, academics plays a bigger part in choosing the right college. Running can’t be chosen as a profession. Thomas is still a junior. He hasn’t put much thought into where he wants to go once high school is over. He’s just focusing on this season, concentrating on getting the team to qualify in more races. “He’s not a prima donna. He’s a real team player. He’s not one of the captains, but the team sees him as a leader. They look up to him and respect him,” Bair said. With two more years ahead, Thomas has plenty of time to think about his future. Right now, he’s enjoying the season with his team. 

Run Keith run! Junior Keith T h o m a s sprints at the end of a cross country meet at HHS. Thomas has been recruited by EMU and Adrian College for cross country. Photo courtesy of Ross Bair

Kukolj prepares for recruitment from colleges for basketball Maria Rose Feature Editor

unior Irina Kukolj was just about to take another bite of her dinner when her parents gave her an athletic recruitment letter from UNC. At that point, she dropped her fork and, in her words, “freaked out”. “My parents dropped the letter on the table and I just ran around scream-

ing,” Kukolj said. “I was so excited.” The 5-foot-11-inch tall all around player has been receiving recruitment letters from colleges since the spring season of her freshman year. So far, 14 colleges have sent letters to her, ranging from scholarship oﬀers to universities declaring their interest in her ability. Some of the schools include UNC, University of Connecticut, University of Vermont, University of Florida, Lynchburg College, Newport News and Brown University.

“[Getting recruited] just makes me so happy and my parents proud,” Kukolj said. “It makes me want to work harder.” Kukolj switched sports from soccer to basketball in fifth grade. Ever since then, she has been in love with the game. “I love the crowd and being on the floor and the feeling you get when you win,” Kukolj described the different factors that appeal to her. All of these recruitments have made

Kukolj focus more on doing well in school, as well as on the court. “I have to keep my grades up and learn how to budget my time,” Kukolj said. “It’s stressful, but I’ll use study hall and things like that.” Even though Kukolj does not have to choose a college for a while, getting letters helps her to prepare for the inevitable decision of picking between them all. “I love basketball,” Kukolj said. “It’s what I want to do.” 

Pouncey considering attending University of Conneticut for football Jack Burden Sports Reporter

enior tight end and defensive end Shane Pouncey started playing football only because of his size. “[The coaches] said I was big enough, so why not,” Pouncey said. And he is big. At six feet five inches, and weighing over 300 pounds, he and junior Landon Turner are the largest players on this years varsity squad. “[Shane] is really funny [off the field], but on the field he is big, imposing, always ready, and very serious,” Turner said. These qualities help Pouncey to be a force on the field. So far this season he has totaled eight Tough Guy Senior Shane catches for 134 yards on the offensive side Pouncey is ready for college. of the ball, and about ten tackles for the dePhoto by Emily Jamieson

fense. Against Heritage High School, Pouncey returned a blocked field goal for a touchdown, covering 87 yards. College recruits have taken notice of Pouncey. So far Virginia Tech, Marshall, West Virginia, and the University of Connecticut have all contacted Pouncey about coming to play for them next year. Pouncey is not sure which school he will be attending, but says that if he had to choose now, he would probably attend Connecticut. “I like the coaching staff, the facilities, and the campus is really nice,” Pouncey said. Moses Tinsley, a coach for HHS’ varsity football team, says that Pouncey definitely can play at the college level. Tinsley says that his size allows him to advance. He even believes that he could be a starter. “He couldn’t start his first year, but by his senior year he could,” Tinsley said. Senior Tanner Johnson says Pouncey

Winter sports preview Gymnastics

ith only three seniors and four juniors, the gymnastics team members love being together doing a sport that they enjoy. “I am excited because gymnastics is one of my favorite sports and the team is fun,” junior Haley Wenos said. Seniors Emily Gordon, Naomi Ornstein, and Abby Hassler and juniors Wenos, Simona Byler, Lexi Vondrak, and Rachel O’Connor return the team. A prospective freshman, Elena Gerome, practiced with the team as an eighth grader. She competed as an exhibition member. This means, competed in the individual events but the scores did not count toward the team’s score because she was an eighth grader. The biggest rival of the young team is Orange County. The team takes on Orange County for their ﬁrst meet on Dec 12. 

BoysBasketball

verconfidence isn’t necessarily a bad thing, the unrivaled Muhammad Ali once said “I am the greatest!” And then proceeded to knock out Sonny Liston, defending heavyweight champion. Senior Mel Strother seems to be trying to follow Ali’s footsteps, albeit on the basketball court. “We’re going to win,” Strother said with easy confidence. Exactly what they’re going to win doesn’t seem to matter, the general idea is there. Senior Ian Frazier is also getting pumped for the season. “Everyone needs to come to the games; we’re going to be good this year,” Frazier said. Strother is confident of success and so is Coach Kevin Tysinger, although the veteran coach is a little more reserved. Since tryouts haven't happened yet Tysinger doesn't even know who all of his players are. "A lot depends on returning players, who's going to show up or not," Tysinger said. Spotswood is, as usual, the biggest district rival. In Tysinger’s words, "We have to beat them every time whether they're any good or not."

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First look at the upcoming winter sports season

Indoor Track

he indoor track season kicks off next month and its starting to warm up. Though their first practice doesn’t start until after Thanksgiving, the indoor track team is preparing for another great season. A lot of runners are already in shape from their fall sports. Football standouts such as Michael Holmes and Troy Jones and XC runners Tricia Comfort and Emma DiNapoli are prepared for a smooth transition from one sport to another. The team lost key members and leaders last year such as Dan Nafziger, Michael Atkinson, Jake Shifflet, Maddie Duda and Lauren Martin, but gained talent and have a strong upper class of runners and jumpers. Comfort, who is coming off a great XC season and Jones an excellent high jumper and triple jumper will be returning for their final season. The district is not always the toughest competition around. Regions always prove challenging, with only a few runners advancing. Sometimes athletes get into states at their first meet.

brings a lot of energy to the team, and is a very good player. Johnson believes Pouncey should accept the oﬀer to go play at Virginia Tech because he might be attending college there. “It would be cool to see him [at VT],” Johnson said. Turner says Pouncey should either go to Tech or West Virginia. “UConn and Marshall aren’t as good as [West Virginia or Virginia Tech], and both WVU and VT are on my [recruitment] list,” Turner said. Tinsley is a bit more skeptical. “I think [Pouncey] should go anywhere that will take him,” Tinsley said. But Pouncey is just happy he is being recruited at all. “I feel I’m wanted at a college, like they’re really looking at me, and that feels good.”

Girls Basketball

t’s Tuesday and the girl’s varsity basketball team is in the gymnasium spread out on the baselines. While their season actually starts on Nov 15 with tryouts, the team has already begun their training with conditioning and playing twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The varsity team has high hopes for the 20092010 season. With every player returning from last year, the girls agree with each other that they have a better advantage against their opponents. “Since we didn’t lose anyone from last year, I think this can only be beneﬁcial to us because we know everyone,” senior position Sally Kardos said. Because the team will be comprised of the same players and potential new ones, they have high hopes to be district champions. “We have not won a district title in all my four years of playing,” Kardos said. “But I think this year is by far our best chance of winning.” “I think our team is going to be really fast and in shape this year,” junior Irina Kukolj said. 

Infographic by Aidan Newcity, Andrew Morell, Dailei Ishikawa, Emmett Copeland, Claire Sudol, and Conner Whitehouse. Designed by Vanessa Ehrenpreis

Swimming and Diving

ophomore Conner Hegg has been swimming for nine years, and loves it. Hegg, whose favorite stroke is the breaststroke, will be competing on the team this upcoming season. “This year will be the best,” Hegg said. Sophomore Claire Glick has also been a swimmer for the past nine years of her life, and decided to join the HHS swim team last year, after several years on local swim teams. Her favorite stroke is the butterﬂy. Glick will again join the team this year, with a memory of last season fresh in her mind, “We lost to Orange County and Broadway by one point,” Glick said. Sophomore Joanna Hernandez, started swimming when she was four. Her par-

Make a splash Senior Drake Cary dives at a local swim meet. Photo courtesy of Drake Cary ents are very active, and in Mexico City it is very hard to do outside sports, So they enrolled her in swimming lessons at Aqoatlan. She continued through 7th grade, then stopped for two years, then started swimming again for the HHS swim team last year. “I like swimming because it’s fun and works every muscle, and you get super ﬁt and quick,” Hernandez said. Brian Moore and Brian Harris coached the team last year, but this year’s coach is still unknown. The season starts on November 28th. 

Wrestling

ut of all the sports, wrestling is one of the hardest and weirdest of them, according to junior Jose Rojo. “Wrestling is kind of weird because you want to get stronger, but you also don’t want to gain a bunch of muscle weight either,” Rojo said. Wrestlers must get in shape and lose a lot of weight before the season starts. They even try to limit the amount of water they take in during the preseason to avoid unwanted weight, which could put them in a higher weight class. As far as working out, the only thing wrestlers can do is run. Weight lifting builds too

much muscle, weight you’re trying to lose. “Sometimes we go in a sauna with sweatshirts and sweatpants on and stay in for a long time doing sit ups or something,” Rojo said. “It’s a good way to sweat out water and lose weight.” When the season actually begins, the real work starts. “We go into the multi-purpose room and turn the heat up and do drills for practice,” Rojo said. “Basically the only way you make it through the season is to make good friends that push you, and you also have to push your friends to be their best.” 

The Newsstreak

November 6, 2009

The Rendon Report

Zorn, Redskins having bad season Alex Rendon Staff Reporter

ear Washington Redskins,

I want this to work. Really, I do. But certain changes have to be made in order for you guys to win my confidence back. Last year was full of promise until you stumbled down the stretch. This year, after I proceeded to burn all of my Nationals paraphernalia, I was looking to the season with a flimsy sense of hopefulness. Thank you for exterminating that feeling completely. You guys are too soft. It’s no secret that Jim Zorn had been under fire for his conservative style. But the team as a whole is just plain soft. A little aggressiveness is essential to any successful football team and unfortunately, you guys have zilch. By the way, having Tom Cruise as part owner is most certainly NOT the way to go. That’s just common sense. Speaking of common sense, what are you doing Robert Henson? Why would you diss the fan base and then proceed to make fun of their jobs? Not only are tickets for football games egregiously expensive, Redskins fans have gone unrewarded for their patronage. Please don’t insult us, it’s not our fault we grew up within the Washington “sports fan radius.” Don’t give us any more reason to feel ashamed. The Lions, guys? You know, the ones with no wins last season? Yeah, you guys lost to them. If for some unfathomable reason that wasn’t enough, you guys also lost to Jakey and the Pussycats, otherwise known as the Carolina Panthers. Don’t apologize to me, apologize to the millions of Americans who had heart attacks while secretly listening to the game that fateful day in church. Think of them. This is not a breakup. No self-respecting man would ever ditch their team over a few bad seasons. But if I’m ever going to wear my Redskins hat to Buffalo Wild Wings again, the team needs a makeover. Lately, I have not been very proud to be a Redskins fan but again, I wouldn’t ditch you guys. Not after all we’ve been through. For crying out loud, people even root for the Browns! Thank you Jim Zorn, for never going for it on 4th and micrometers in the red zone. Thank you Jason Campbell for overthrowing downfield and underthrowing every screen pass. And thank you Albert Haynesworth for angering father time and aging faster than Greg Oden. But in case you think I’m just complaining, I will point out a few things you guys have done well this year. You beat the Rams and they were in a Super Bowl like ten years ago or something. Oh, and a lot of people disagreed with John Riggins when he said that Jim Zorn wasn’t cut out for the NFL and would be better suited coaching a team of “ankle-biters.” Silver linings everywhere. Good luck with the rest of the season. Saving it is most definitely “Mission Impossible” but there’s always next year. At least for most of you. Sincerely, Alex Rendon tt

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Stevens loves his post-retirement job Vanessa Ehrenpreis Staff Reporter

ost of the HHS student body does not think about how the football field gets mowed and painted, or how the grass is kept nice and green throughout the year. The HHS groundskeepers are rarely seen, but their work place is all around us. Bobby Stevens has been a groundskeeper for three years, and enjoys his work greatly. “This is my third year as a groundskeeper. Before this I was an Athletic Director at Turner Ashby High School for thirty years, and had retired,” Stevens said. “[Athletic Director] Carico hired me after a JV football mud game. Since then, I’ve come out of retirement and started working here.” Steven’s usual day of work starts with arriving at HHS between 7:00 and 7:30 a.m., and depending on the weather, he will do certain tasks. His usual job list includes mowing, watering, aerating, and fertilizing all the athletic fields, as well as maintaining the grounds around the school. “The hardest thing about it [grounds keeping] is the unpredictability of the weather. If it is too wet we can’t paint the

fields, if it’s too dry the grass dies. You have to try to be positive. If you tear it up, we’ll fix it up,” Stevens said. Steven’s favorite thing about his job is seeing the results of his work. “My favorite thing about my job is making the fields nice looking and safe for athletes.” Stevens admits that there are a few problems with students littering, but overall they understand his work. “For the most part athletes are great. There is always one student who drops trash, but that is just a tiny minority. I think they understand and appreciate what we’re doing for them.” It’s not just students who live with Stevens’ work, coaches depend on the groundskeepers to uphold the fields and track for the best performance from their athletes “I think they realize what we’re doing everyday is for the benefit of their Mix it all together. Bobby Stevens mixes paint teams. Many high schools don’t have the for the football field. Photo by Maria Rose. facilities we do, even some small colleges don’t [have our facilities]. So I hope that get to you.” they appreciate and see what they have Despite the tedious schedule, Stevens here at Harrisonburg,” Stevens said. loves his job and can’t see himself doing The hardest thing Stevens says he faces anything else. with his job is the routine, “There is no real “I really enjoy what I’m doing. It’s a lot task that is way harder than anything else. of hard work, but pays off in the end. We I’d say the most difficult part is the regular make the fields and grounds looking nice routine. The monotony of doing the same because it’s a first impression. You have to thing over and over and over for days can come off as a clean school.” tt

Waligora achieves “mental and physical unity” through karate

Michael Johnson Staff Reporter

RACK, goes the two wooden boards and the three cinderblocks as sophomore Ryan Waligora smacks his head against the hardware. He has been taking karate for four years. “I like karate because it is very fun and interesting. You also get good exercise,” Waligora said. He got into karate because he was interested and decided to try it out and see how he liked it. Though he does not participate in any tournaments, he practices frequently. Waligora does a lot of activities while attending practice. He learns a lot of

different techniques. Also, part of the lesson requires sparring with another student. “My favorite part about the lesson is trying out new techniques.” Waligora said. Waligora is currently a fuchsia belt. Where he takes lessons, you can earn up to nine different colored belts. “It depends where you take your lessons. Some places have more belts,” Waligora said. The highest ranking one can earn is a black belt. To earn the next color belt, athletes must master more techniques. Students demonstrate the techniques for their teacher. The teachers then judge and grade the athlete. If the instructor decides the performance is up to par, the belt ranking moves up.

“The hardest part of karate is memorizing the techniques,” Waligora said. Along with practicing at his lessons, he also practices at his house to make sure he knows his techniques. “I once had to fight off a vicious rottweiler,” Waligora said. Along with playing sports there always comes an injury. “The biggest injury I have had has been a nose contusion,” Waligora said. He said that he does not remember it though because he got hit in the head. “I would recommend karate because it is a window into the soul and spirit of the person. The person will achieve mental and physical unity thus bettering one’s own psyche,” Waligora said. tt

Simmons in his 15th year as HHS groundskeeper come. “I love it,” Simmons said. “I do it for the kids and you know, it does help me stay in shape so I don’t see myself stopping soon.” roundskeeping is one of those Groundskeeping is done for two jobs. Somebody has to do it. If reasons: to maintain an area’s functionality, it weren’t done, people would and to keep it presentable. Either intended notice immediately. Few people, purpose requires countless hours of however, actually want to groundskeep. strenuous work. But the benefits of this However, Amos Simmons does it, and he demanding task sometimes go unnoticed loves it. He’s been keeping the grounds by the very people who utilize the terrain. at Harrisonburg High School for 14 years The people that acknowledge the work and barring health issues brought on by that Simmons does, however, are grateful age, he’s going to continue for years to for the work he puts in. “He gets the job done. That’s the bottom line. You have to respect that about him,” senior Kyle Saxton said. The athletes who use the field have also noticed the work Simmons does despite the fact that they rarely see him on the field. Simmons works during the day before practices and games when school is in session. Senior center Nick Fornadel is thankful of the behind the scenes work on the football field. Perfect cut. Groundskeeper Amos Simmons mows the “He keeps everything grass next to the football field. Photo by Jack Burden. pristine. The football field Alex Rendon Staff Reporter

looks so nice thanks to him,” Fornadel said. Senior Samantha Simmons, Amos’s granddaughter, appreciates the work her grandfather does and looks forward to seeing him around school grounds. “I like that he works at the school because we get to talk whenever I see him,” Simmons said. Samantha is not the only family Amos has had at HHS throughout the years. “There have been a lot of us that have gone to HHS and it’s really cool getting to see him there year after year,” Simmons said. Richard Kelley often works alongside Simmons as Kelley mans the concessions at numerous sporting events. Kelley, who has known Simmons for 12 years, speaks highly of his co-worker. “Amos is a really hard worker and he’ll volunteer to do just about anything. You don’t have to ask him to do things, he just does them,” Kelley said. In five years, Simmons will think about retirement if everything goes according to plan. For now, he is content with driving his golf cart, socializing with students and faculty, and doing the kind of job that somebody has to do. Most people are glad he’s that somebody. tt

Diving team welcomes new competitors Christy Stearn Staff Reporter

espite the small size of HHS’s diving team, its members are making a big splash. School practices for this winter sport have not begun yet, but Becky Benson, the diving coach at James Madison University, has already started diving sessions with the high school athletes. Practices are held with Benson on Tuesdays and

Thursdays from 7:30 - 8:30 p.m. The session begins with warmups on the trampoline and the dry board, then progresses to diving from one meter and three meters. “I just repeat dives over and over until I am comfortable with them,” junior Priscilla Harrison said. “Once I am good with the normal dives, I start practicing harder, newer ones.” The practices are recorded so the athletes can watch their dives in slow motion. Benson encourages the divers not to

just concentrate on learning new dives, but also to perfect his or her form. Several new recruits are eager to join the team this year. “I want to join [the team] because it looks really fun and the coach is really good,” sophomore Claire Glick said. The team is hoping that its increasing size will lead to more victories. Since points earned during the meets are determined on the number of people on the team, the more swimmers and divers there

are, the higher the score. “We were just too small to compete with other schools,” Cary said. “[This year,] more people will be competing in more events, which equals more points.” The members on the diving team are excited about the upcoming season. New divers are anxious to compete at their first meet and veterans are looking forward to meeting the goals they have set for both themselves and the team. tt

Fitzwater one of few cage fighters in Harrisonburg

Molly Denman Staff Reporter

ixed Martial Arts is a full contact sport that involves different types of fighting techniques. Organized fights take place in cages where the two fighters are placed. Rules have been set up for the safety of the fighters such as; no head butting, eye gouging, hair pulling, biting, fish-hooking, attacking the groin, striking the back of the head or spine, and striking the trachea. Junior John Fitzwater is a cage fighter and takes part in MMA. “Fighting is a stress reliever and it gives me an adrenaline rush,” Fitzwater said.

Fitzwater began cage fighting about a month ago when his algebra tutor Reggie, who was also a James Madison University football player, introduced it to him. Fitzwater cage fights to stay in shape, to relieve stress, to get an adrenaline rush and for fun. “I was scared the first time I fought. I sparred with a really big guy with tattoos and dreads,” Fitzwater said. Fitzwater won the fight. During the time Fitzwater has been cage fighting, he has fought four MMA fights and has never lost a fight or gotten seriously injured. The fights take place in different locations. The goal in fighting is to knock the other person out or make it

so the opponent is too beat up or knocked out and cannot fight anymore. To practice and train, Fitzwater goes to the MMA institute on South Main Street where he practices 4-5 days a week. His workouts consist of conditioning, sparring and lifting, which he does on different days of the week. Most of the kids involved in MMA are from TA and different high schools around Harrisonburg, but not Harrisonburg itself. For Fitzwater cage fighting is an activity he does in his spare time. He has a few friends who cage fight too. “What I like about cage fighting is that I can beat people up without getting in trouble for it,” Fitzwater said. tt

The Newsstreak

November 6, 2009

Sports B8

Boys attend basketball open gyms to prepare for season Ethan Blackwell Sports Reporter

asketball season is in the air, though not technically until November, the dribbling of basketballs and the sweet sounds of swooshes fill the gym as the HHS basketball team practices during open gym. For Coach Kevin Tysinger, this time is designed to prepare the team for the upcoming season. “Many of these guys aren’t playing basketball year-round,” Tysinger said. “This allows them to condition and get ready to play.” On average around fifteen basketball players will show daily to participate in open gym. Tysinger runs the team through the paces, doing everything from running the mile, sprints, and running bleachers. Then the basketballs come out and the team does passing drills, as well as practicing shooting. Open gym is a daily routine lasting from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Overall, the open gym practices last from the second week of school to the beginning of the season in mid-November. Though the open gym practices are beneficial to the athletes by strengthening and conditioning them for

the upcoming season, the process itself “Open gym benefits your conditioning, isn’t required to make the team. In some getting you ready to play,” Haregu said. cases, students are involved in other sports Like Haregu, senior Mel Strother, a guard like football, or simply have no time in as well for the varsity team, concurs saying their day to come out for open gym. that it is beneficial to the player to practice Tony Teate, a senior, playing both small during open gym. and power forward has been on the HHS varsity basketball team for three years and is planning to continue this year to complete his high school career. Yet something this year has changed. Unlike Teate’s previous three years he will be unable to attend open gym. “I have too many classes and too much work. I don’t have time to go to open gym,” Teate said. “Honestly I worry about the season, finding time for homework and classes while going to practices and games.” Tysinger says that open gym is optional and athletes are not criticized for not attending. Students attending, say that it is beneficial to come out, and a great way to improve their game. Senior Alazar Haregu, point guard for the varsity basketball team has been playing on the HHS team since he was in ninth grade. But, he has had history in playing basketball since he was a Dribble! Senior Mel Strother dribbles the ball against a defender at open gym on October 29. Both photos by young player on an AAU team. Aidan Newcity.

Swish! Senior Mel Strother shoots the ball during boys open gym basketball.

Zook completes 26.2 mile marathon in under 5 hours Mitch Depoy Sports Reporter

than Zook is the school Psychologist at HHS. However, there is a story behind him that not many people would know by looking at him. Zook loves to run. “Ever since a few years ago when some of the cross country girls got me hooked on running, I’ve been doing it ever since,” Zook said. “Some of the girls talked me into running 5Ks with them.” Zook’s first marathon was the Freedomsrun.org Marathon. This was a 26.2 mile marathon through four National Parks and up and over many mountains, with the finish line at the 50 Yard line of Sheppard University. “It was up in Harpers Ferry West Virginia,” Zook said. He came into the race with high expectations. “My goal was to finish the race first

WHAT YOU THINK Would you run a marathon?

YES NO 63 71 134 people in all grades and faculty polled on Oct 26 by Mark Duda

oﬀ and to run it in four hours,” Zook said. He ended up ﬁnishing the race, but in 4 hours and 25 minutes, just missing his mark. In order to qualify for the big marathons like the Boston Marathon, you need to make a cut. “In order for me to qualify for the Boston Marathon, I need to run a 3 hour and 35 minute marathon,” Zook said. For Zook to run in that marathon, he needs to run a 7-8 minute mile pace throughout the race. As for his training, he didn’t just walk

Makayed adjusts to new team

Martin Vichnar Staﬀ Reporter

unior Pavel Makayed doesn’t look like a wrestler. He is not big and strong like wrestlers on TV. But he has a lot of energy, his selfproclaimed greatest attribute. He is absolutely healthy now so he can’t wait for the beginning of wrestling season. The wrestling team now does workouts once a week. He feels he needs more, though. He is preparing with his “wrestler brothers” in the weight room. “We have a lot of freshmen and juniors this year. A lot of good seniors graduated last year, so we have a new team with many people, who never did wrestling before, so we don’t know if it

will be a good season or not,” Makayed said. His personal wrestling goals are to qualify for the state tournament again this year. He was third in the regional competition last year, but he wasn’t as successful at states. He was very disappointed, but believes that this year will be much better than last. “I think that I can do much better than last year. I don’t know what happened. I hope that I’ll have the second chance this year,” Makayed said. He thinks about a future in wrestling. His personal idol is Aleksei Medvedev, a famous Russian wrestler. “I watch wrestling a lot, but I don’t like American wrestlers like John Cena and Randy Orton so much,” Makayed said. 

Senior basketball players lead teams right direction,” Shifflett said. While excited for the season, Raines also explained that it is bittersweet, “I’m just really sad it’s coming to an fter a 14-8 finish, and end,” Raines said. advancing to the second The HHS boy’s basketball team is round of regional’s, the looking to do much of the same as the HHS girls basketball team ladies. Coming off an 11-13 season, is looking to do more this year. After and a trip to the regional tournament, returning the core from last year’s team, the seniors are looking to do more the goal looks to be in reach. damage. “My goal for this “My goal for the year is to make it to season is to get further states, or just further than what we did last Before I leave, I than last year,” year,” Mel Strother just want to lead our senior forward said. Teammate and Kolicia Shifflett team in the right fellow senior Cortez said. Fellow senior Mosley also expect a direction.” Tayler Raines shares good season.  Senior the same goal set as “I think that we Shifflett, amongst should win more Kolicia Shifflett other things. games this year,” “I’m expecting Mosley said. for us to have a winning record and Mosley also explained that the team to attract more people to our games, can’t just expect to win, “I’m hoping for because I believe that it would be worth a more focused team, because if we are their time and money,” Raines said. focused, we will win basketball games,” As seniors, Raines and Shifflet will Mosley said. be expected to fulfill the leadership Both guys are very content knowing duties necessary to any athletic team, that the team is theirs this year. but as Raines explained, it is nothing “Being a senior makes me want to new. go harder than before and challenge “I feel like I’ve always been a senior, the other guys to step it up even more,” because I have looked at myself as a Mosley said. leader since my freshman year,” Raines Strother also feels honored knowing said. that the team is his this year. Since it is her last year, Shifflett carries “It feels great knowing I’m going to another goal for the season, “Before I be the leader of one of the best teams in leave, I just want to lead our team in the the district,” Strother said. 

Shane McMahan Staﬀ Reporter

“

right into one of these types of races. “It’s a lot of training to run marathons,” Zook said. Zook has been running for three years to get ready for the marathon. “I try to get out and run a few miles almost every day,” Zook said. His biggest test was last January when he ran to Broadway. “It’s about 20 miles to and from Broadway,” Zook said. Going there was ﬁne, because it was mostly downhill. On the way back one of the bands in his leg that runs from his hip to his knee became very tight. “I was running and then my leg cramped up, and I couldn’t ﬁnish the run home,” Zook said. Zook then had to stop and call for a ride to come pick

him up and take him home. After that Zook took a two month break to rest and help out with the school musical. As for running in the other events, Zook is very highly ranked in his category. “I’m in the top 3-5 in my category or my age group in the area,” Zook said. His three year anniversary of his first event is coming up very soon. Zook’s first race was three years ago, the RMH Breast Cancer 5K race. His most highly touted finish in a race was in April of this year. “I finished second in the Domestic Violence race,” Zook said. He has shiny medals to show for all his achievements. 

Hill uses open fields to his advantage

Shane McMahan Staﬀ Reporter

or the past month and a half, baseball coach David Heatwole has opened up the batting cage and the field for baseball players trying to improve their skills for the upcoming season. Known as open field, players come out to hit in the batting cage, field ground balls, and overall hone their skills. “Open fields give all students the chance to showcase their skills in the off-season before tryouts in the spring,” Heatwole said. Senior second baseman Elisha Hill, one of the regular attendees, agreed with Heatwole that practicing in the off-season helps when tryouts come along. “I come out so I can improve my baseball skills, hitting in particular,”

Hill said. While open fields, which were held on Mondays and Wednesdays, are meant for athletes to get better, not everyone that comes out uses it that way. “They are really helpful and worth the time if you use them the way that they should be used and not just as a time to goof-off,” Hill said. And as Hill explained, even if others are messing around, he wants to get prepared for the upcoming season. “I’m trying to boost my batting average from last season.” Heatwole said that he expects a strong season from a couple of the regular open field attendees. “I expect Fransisco Lake and Elisha Hill to both have strong seasons,” Heatwole said, “Elisha should contend for the batting title, while Francisco looks like he is having more fun than what he did last year.” 

The Newsstreak

November 6, 2009

2009-10

HHS

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The Newsstreak

November 6, 2009

What’s going on this

Groove to the music! The dance team prepares to dance at the football game against Spotswood. Photo by Rafiqa Haji.

Photo Essay B10

Autumn?

Dress up! Senior Doodie Grogg dresses up like a girl to try to win Mr. Blue Streak. Photo by Rafiqa Haji.

Go Blue Streaks! The football team prepares to play against Spotswood. Photo by Rafiqa Haji. Belt it Out! Mr. Blair, the winner of the Mr. Blue Streak pageant, sings “Down” during the Renaissance Rally. Photo by Rafiqa Haji. Hitting the keys! Marion King plays the xylophone during the football game. Photo by Rafiqa Haji.

Tuning it up! HHS marching band warms up during practice at the Parade of Champions hosted by James Madison University. Photo by Phillip Bannister.

Baby are you down? Senior Doodie Grogg gets down as low as he can during the Mr. Blue Streak contest to impress the judges. Photo by Rafiqa Haji.

V-I-C-T-O-R-Y! The senior section yells as loudly as they can to represent themselves during the Renaissance Rally. Photo by Phillip Bannister.

EUROPEAN H A I R S T Y L E S A Word From Owner Mila Lagoda: “We are a salon/barbershop that is dedicated to helping you choose the individual look you want. We use the best European Hair Products to cure damaged hair.”

We’d like to invite you to take a look at the services offered by European Hairstyles. There’s a full range of services and products. Is there something you are interested in, which isn’t on the list? Call Mila for more information. European Hairstyles serves the American, Russian and Latino population in the Harrisonburg and Rockingham County area. We have English, Russian and Spanish speaking staff to better serve our customers.

We Offer: Dimensional Coloring High- Low Lights Color Gloss Haircuts- Design Waxing Perms

990A Reseroir St. Harrisionburg, 22801 540.432.0734 Hours of Operation: Mon.- Sat. 10:30am - 7pm