Walnut Hills High School
April 9, 2013
Volume CVII, Issue 7B
People of the United States vs. the Marlboro Country A look at cigarette smoking’s declining role in society Josh Medrano, ‘13 They were once as ubiquitous as their catchy, unforgettable slogans. “Winston tastes good like a cigarette should” is declared by one magazine as one of the best newspaper/television/radio jingles in the past century. Marlboro advertising campaigns, including the “Marlboro man” and “Marlboro country” signatures and the feminist “Mild as May” slogan, are said to be some of the most brilliant of all time. Basically, cigarette companies were everywhere—in every BRANDON WAGNER/CHATTERBOX newspaper, radio and television— Smoking’s popularity has greatly decreased over time, especially recently. that even a television program was Cigarettes were, ironically, a advertisements were banned on named for a cigarette brand. form of treatment, especially for television. In 1990, smoking was Cigarettes were not merely a sore throats. One 1944 print ad banned on all interstate buses and product, however; they were an for Philip Morris cigarettes stated, domestic airline flights lasting six insignia of social life. They were an “When smokers changed to Philip hours or less. indication of masculinity, coolness Morris, every case of nose or State legislatures have also and social status. Mathematics throat irritation—due to smokmoved to ban smoking in public teacher Michael Herald agrees; be- ing—either cleared up completely spaces, especially in restaurants. cause of peer influence and desire or definitely improved.” Herald, who had a scar in his to fit in, Herald was dragged into In addition, although more neck due to smoking, agrees that the world of smoking. He smoked and more evidence was surfacing “people should be able to go to a cigarettes mainly in social occathat smoking is linked to lung restaurant without smelling like sions and lit about a pack a day for cancer, cigarette companies in the smoke.” 25 years. 1950s continued to promote their Herald quit smoking 15 years He started in the early 1970s, products. They also made new ago, due to a mini stroke. Howwhen he was already a college ones that they considered were ever, he first thought of quitting graduate and a lot of teenagers “safer,” such as low-tar and filtered when his three-year-old son sat on were smoking. In 1974, an esticigarettes. the recliner and gestured as if he mated 31.1 percent of teenagers With the lung cancer revelawas smoking. His son told him aged 12-18 smoked regularly, an tion, people became more aware that he wanted to be like his father eight percent increase from 23.1 in of the dangers of smoking. This, of when he grew up. Herald didn’t 1968. There would be a separate course, began a series of legislawant him to. room for students and teachers tive and executive actions. In Today, cigarette companies who desired to smoke during the 1965, Congress passed the Federal have been generally unwelcomed school day, according to Herald, Cigarette Labeling and Advertising in the United States. Warning who also remarked the ubiquity of Act, which requires the Surgeon from the Surgeon General that cigarette machines in stores, where General’s warnings on all cigarette cigarettes contain carbon mona pack cost 25 cents. packages. In 1971, all cigarette oxide appears in a small font on
every cigarette package. Death from lung cancer is also still very prevalent. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “[More] people die from lung cancer than any other type of cancer.” In 2009, over 200,000 people were diagnosed from lung cancer and almost 160,000 people died from it. Among teenagers, about 20 percent consider themselves to be regular smokers. According to the Surgeon General, for every person who dies due to smoking (about 1200 a day), at least two youths or young adults become regular smokers. The American Lung Association reports that 3,800 kids try their first cigarette each day and that state governments fail to fund the tobacco prevention and quit smoking programs. But these statistics only occur in the United States, and cigarette companies now profit more by exporting tobacco to other countries. Although its usage has dwindled a lot, cigarettes still hold a moment in history where they were a treatment for basic medical problems, the most omnipresent commercial product, an emblem of life’s grandiosity. But Canadian comedian Dave Bradfoot makes a point: Isn’t a smoking section in a restaurant really like a peeing section in a swimming pool?
Upcoming Event:
The FUNraiser A Chatterbox-Sponsored Carnival
Who: This event is sponsored by the Chatterbox staff. It is open to all Walnut Hills students and faculty. What: A carnival to raise funds for the Walnut Hills Chatterbox. There will be games, booths, group activities, food and drink, live music and FUN! When: Friday, May 3 (the Friday before AP exams) after school Where: The “triangular courtyard” by the new music wing. Keep an eye out for more information over the next few weeks!
The state of study guides at Walnut Hills
JOSH MEDRANO/CHATTERBOX
Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is currently the most searched study guide in Sparknotes, although 126 out of 160 Walnut students surveyed say they have read the novel. Emily Friedman, ‘13 “When I was in high school... you had that big bright yellow color, and there was no mistaking it if you had it out in class,” says English teacher Dawn Wolfe of the original CliffsNotes. “But in theory you can now have it out
www.whhscbox.com
in class... [and] no one knows.” The advent of the Internet has digitized sources previously only available at bookstores or libraries, including CliffsNotes, SparkNotes and other study guides. 94 percent of 160 Walnut students surveyed said they have used a summary site at one time or another, and 77
percent have used that site in place of a reading assignment. “There really isn’t a difference, other than if you read the summaries you miss the details, so you also miss the deeper meaning,” says a SENIOR. “So it [reading the book] helps for essays.” When asked why they chose to read a summary in place of an assigned text, 37 percent of students responded that they didn’t have time with their other work to do it. “A lot of people are busy, or too lazy, and don’t want to read the book. Using SparkNotes is an easier and more efficient way to get the assignment done,” a junior explains. “I have choir rehearsal and soccer practice basically all year round, so spending free time reading can be difficult.” While 13 percent of students denied using a summary site in place of reading homework and 30 percent said they used these websites because they couldn’t understand the text, 21 percent responded that they simply didn’t
feel like it. With the predominance of media at home via the laptops, TV, iPods, iPhones and other devices, it can be hard to break away from the ease of watching a screen and pick up a book full of complicated language. “I feel that most reading quizzes are too nitpicky. There’s stuff I miss when I only read, so I use SparkNotes to fill in the blanks... Especially with older writing,” says a freshman. The SparkNotes mission statement says, “As SparkNotes editors, our mission is to help you make sense of confusing schoolwork...We work with experts to create books, blogs, quizzes and flashcards that will help you master hard material.” They expect the site to be “read along with the books” analyzed in class. “We’re here to help you learn, not to help you cheat.” “I know the kind of quizzes I give,” says English teacher Samantha Gerwe-Perkins when asked about her reading evaluations. “But I don’t know what kind of
Jade K. Clark and Josh Medrano, News & Features Editors
quizzes other teachers give. We haven’t actually looked at all of our reading quizzes.” Wolfe wonders if teachers could be to blame for students not having time for reading. “Does that mean the course load is too difficult? Does that mean that we need to do something else and coordinate things across the board?” she wonders. English teacher Blake Taylor disagrees. “It’s never the teacher’s fault that students read SparkNotes. I don’t think it’s the teacher’s job to plan for students to cheat,” he says. “My quizzes are almost always based on not only just a factual understanding of what happened to whom. They’re not plot based. They synthesize information. They have to build on stuff that we’ve talked about in class. They have to do analytical things that you cannot prepare for by reading SparkNotes or CliffsNotes.” Read the complete article at <whhscbox.com>.
Issue CVII.7B
VIEWPOINTS & SPORTS Jaylen Hill and Austin Railey, Editors
Summer preview: Vans Warped Tour KeMarca Wade, ‘13 Summer is 90+ degree weather under the hot sun. It’s pool parties, late nights, music and if you’re a SENIOR, the start of the rest of your life. What better way to celebrate graduating than listening to bands from all over in one place live? Every year, the Vans Warped Tour comes to Riverbend Cincinnati with over 100 bands. From March 28 to August 4, 10:00am-8:00pm at each venue, these bands tour together all across the country. This year, the Vans Warped Tour will be at Riverbend on July 30. The genres represented are alternative, rock, metal, screamo, punk and rap. The bands range from big-name bands like Sleeping With Sirens, Black Veil Brides and Bring Me The Horizon, to lesser known bands, such as Art of Shock and Dose of Adolescence. There are around nine stages spread out where the bands play at scheduled times (there’s a largerthan-life blow-up schedule posted in the area for anyone who wants to know who’s playing when and where). The tickets are always cheaper the earlier they’re bought, and they
are all-access passes. As of right now, the tickets are around 42 dollars. With 100+ bands playing, that’s only a few cents per band! Imagine only paying 42 cents to see Falling In Reverse or Allstar Weekend. Pre-order tickets online or buy them at the door, but make sure to get them before they sell out. There’s more than just music to enjoy, though. When I went last year, I enjoyed the food, the dancing, meeting my favorite artists and having them sign me and the overall fun of just being with others who love your favorite artists. The only downside would be deciding what to wear! Typical attire comprise of shorts, a band shirt or t-shirt, gym/tennis shoes (with socks, please!) and other band merchandise you might have. There are multiple ways to keep cool; for example, ladies, a swim top can be worn under shirts. For guys, no shirt is good if you don’t mind a tan. My personal favorite is a swim top under a tank top with shorts and gym shoes. If you’re not doing anything else this summer, make sure you come to the Vans Warped Tour because it’s definitely going to be the best concert of the year.
The great adventures of Robin Eagle
COHEN WALKER/CHATTERBOX
Hitting the books hard in the CIC!
Striking up for new competition
COURTESY OF TRACI D’ALESSIO
The Eagles will begin their new season March 30 against Taylor in the Reds Futures Showcase at Roselawn. Austin Railey, ‘13 Starting in his fourth year of coaching and looking to improve on his teams losing record in what was the Fort Ancient Valley Conference (FAVC), Eagles’ baseball Coach Dan Finley comes into the new season with solid expectations with his current roster of nine returning SENIORS and several underclassmen with prior varsity experience. “He’s a good coach— we’ll do very well this year,” says SENIOR Sam D’Alessio. In the group of returning SENIORS is Thomas Rohlfer, three-year varsity starter and 2012 FAVC Second team all-conference member who will lead the baseball team into a new season. Rohlfer has high hopes that the Eagles can improve on their past success: “I believe last year we had high ex-
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pectations and didn’t meet them, but we have those same high expectations this year, and I think we can meet them,” says Rohlfer. “We’ve been working really hard this offseason,” says SENIOR AJ McSwain. He believes the team will win at least 17 games this year. Competition will also be expected to improve with movement to the ECC (Eastern Cincinnati Conference) in which several teams from the old FAVC will have moved to the new conference. One of these teams being Milford High School who led last year’s league (FAVC) with the best win to loss record at 13-3 in the conference. Returning this year is SENIOR starting pitcher/outfielder Jake Desch who returns to the team having recovered from an injury
COHEN WALKER/CHATTERBOX
COHEN WALKER/CHATTERBOX
I learned Beethoven’s symphonies when I was just a chick. I call this one “Eagle on Display.” It’s a vintage.
he received prior to this baseball season. He had suffered from micro tears in his flexor tendon and ulnar collateral ligament which led to removing himself from the football team this past season. Desch looks to begin and end his SENIOR season healthy. “My arm strength isn’t where it had been in the past but I feel strong and healthy,” says Desch. “We’re more focused than in previous years,” says SENIOR Evan Riffle, who believes the Eagles have what it takes to compete in this year’s new league. The team began its home game competitions with three back-to-back games at Roselawn Park, with one against Ross and two against Glen Este. Game recaps can be found online at <www.whhscbox.com>.
April 9, 2013
COHEN WALKER/CHATTERBOX
Follow my adventures online at <whhscbox.com>.
Spotlight on track and field Isaiah Johnson, ‘13 The Eagles varsity track and field teams are pumped for the upcoming season. The girls’ track and field team was successful last year by winning the FAVC league title. They also returned the FAVC Runner of the Year SENIOR KelseyCornett, Iowa State commit and three-time FAVC & District 800m Champion SENIOR Maryn Lowry and District & Regional Discus Champion Chelsea Carpenter, ‘14. “I feel like this year is going to just get better and better,” says SENIOR Kelsey Cornett. Two team members to keep an eye on are SENIOR Alijah Carpenter, who has been a member of the state qualifying 4x100m and
4x200m relay teams her entire high school career. The other is Hannah Schroeder, ‘15, who, according to her coach, is second only to Lowry in the 800m. The team is coming into this season looking for “redemption after a mediocre year,” says SENIOR Jonathan Avant III. The boys’ track and field team finished last season 5th in FAVC. The individuals to watch for are throwers SENIOR D’Avon Adkins and Ellery Lassiter, ‘14; sprinters SENIOR Kessashun Arthur and Amani Russell, ‘14 and hurdler SENIOR John Avant. “I am really excited about this year,” says head coach Bill Valenzano, “we have a lot of SENIOR leadership and several new athletes with much potential.”
COURTESY OF MILLER PHOTOGRAPHY
SENIOR Jonathan Avant III (right) runs through hurdles during a meet. Hurdles are just one of the many events in track and field.
Issue CVII.7B
FINE ARTS & STYLE Jenna Weber and Hannah Shaw, Editors
Walnut fans go nuts Abrena Rowe, ‘14 Totally focused on the game, drowning out everything around him, screaming out various chants that exemplify Walnut spirit: this is how SENIOR Austin Carpenter spends his time during a typical Eagles game while in front of the Nut House student cheering section. These fans are extremely dedicated to their team and it shows when they are on the sidelines during the various games that they attend. You can find SENIORS Austin Carpenter, Brendan Franke, Charlie Hatch, Evan Riffle and Cohen Walker, in the student section at every game painted up in blue and gold leading the crowd. They’ll get everyone pumped up and encourage the team to victory. They scream and shout their own cheers, cheer along with the cheerleaders, and even wear shorts during the cold weather. With the 2013 basketball season specifically, the Nut House has gone to new heights. If you have
gone to any of the games, you’ve seen the big cardboard heads of the players that the fans pass around in the student section and the glow sticks that they waved around as well as the light show that occurred against St. Xavier. The Nut House has made the basketball games an event for the Eagle fans by including half court shot contests, Chick-fil-a eating contests, and throwing t-shirts into the crowd. Throughout the season they’ve also held different nights where the Nut House would encourage the fans to come out in a certain color, and they would peg these nights as “White-outs,” “Goldouts” or “Blackouts.” Students would go to the extremes sporting morph suits, jazzersise attire, and one even wore a white tuxedo. Nut House vice president, Charlie Hatch, states “The whole goal of the Nut House is to have the school come out and support the athletes as much as we can. The basketball team has received a lot of hype, especially because they’re doing so well this
Arts spotlight: Adrienne Tong year.” Throughout the development of the Nut House it has grown into something great. From the start in 2008 to now; this group has gone from a small establishment that sold t-shirts and appeared in small sections at a few games to a large hoard of students who walk around campus bearing clothing that reads ‘Nut House’ and show up at games in flocks. “The Nut House goes beyond just a group of students together cheering on our teams,” Nut House president SENIOR Clara Smith says. “It is a time when Walnut students can really act as a sixth man on the floor or another person on the football or soccer field. And other people really start to care about one another and come together as a community.” Josh Hardin, the Assistant Athletic Director who oversees the Nut House explains, “It shows the support that we have for our great school. To see all of those students together jamming—it’s amazing.”
AUSTIN RAILEY/CHATTERBOX
Nut House members paint up for a game. The Nut House has risen to new heights during the 2013 season. Questions or comments? We would love to hear your thoughts! All feedback and corrections for the Chatterbox should be directed to <cboxwalnut@gmail.com>. Written feedback and submissions can also be dropped off in Room 2307.
ADRIENNE TONG
Adrienne Tong, ’14, says “bones [are] like a person, without being a person.” Bones are her area of concentration in her AP Studio Art 2D Design class. is bones. When asked why she Jenna Weber, ‘13 chose the rather unusual topic of bones, Tong explains, “The “All kids draw pictures. I thing about bones is they’re like a just never stopped.” This is how person, without being a person.” Adrienne Tong, ‘14, describes her entrance into the world of art. Her She continues, saying that bones father is a graphic designer and got allow more freedom since the artist doesn’t have to worry as much her involved in weekend classes at about getting a person’s features a young age. From there, her love right. of art blossomed. Tong has enjoyed her experiTong considers pens, along ence so far in AP Art, saying that, with acrylic paints, her “signature “at the beginning of the year, I mediums.” Though it is her first was just a kid who did art, now year working with acrylic, she has I’m an artist.” She would defibeen doing pen and ink work for nitely recommend AP Art to other a while. Tong also enjoys working aspiring artists; however she adds with colored pencils, which were emphatically that “they need to her favorite up until this year, and be warned: [AP Art is] so demandshe calls spray paint “so much ing.” Students are usually required fun.” to produce one new piece each Tong also puts a unique spin week. on photography. Because she One goal of Walnut Hills is to describes her photos as often “not strong enough to stand alone,” she get students thinking about college early, and Tong has some very uses other materials to give them firm ideas about where she would a different look. Tong usually like to go. She calls the College uses Photoshop (or other digital programs) to edit her photos, does of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning “ridiculously appealing.” pen and ink work, or sews on top This program within UC consisof her photos. tently appears on national and This year Tong is taking AP international lists of top artistic Studio Art 2D Design. AP Art schools. Tong is also looking at students are required to declare Rhode Island School of Design, an area of concentration for another top-ranked school. their work that year, and Tong’s
World-renowned saxophonist speaks to jazz students
The Chatterbox Editorial Staff
Charlie Hatch and Jonah Roth, Editors-in-Chief Emily Friedman, Senior Managing Editor Garretson Oester, Junior Managing Editor Joe Schmidlapp, Design Editor KeMarca Wade, Online Content Manager Martine Williams, Business Manager Cohen Walker, Assistant Business Manager Page Editors Jade K. Clark, News Editor Josh Medrano, Features Editor Jaylen Hill, Viewpoints Editor Jenna Weber, Fine Arts Editor Austin Railey, Sports Editor Hannah Shaw, Style & Culture Editor Celeste Kearney and Zoe Cheng, Peanuts Editors Brandon Wagner, Arcade Editor Advisors: Samantha Gerwe-Perkins and Dawn Wolfe Illustration by Sarah Davidoff The Chatterbox Policy Statement The Chatterbox has been guaranteed the right of freedom of the press through the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. The administration of Walnut Hills High School is thus bound to support and protect the Chatterbox’s inalienable rights as a free press. As an integral part of the Walnut Hills High School community, The Chatterbox has the responsibility to report in the most comprehensive and objective manner
Issue CVII.7B
possible. Students, parents, faculty, and administrators are encouraged to use this publication as a forum to express any ideas or concerns, whether they be personal or of local, national, or international scope. Journalists are required to work under established guidelines. Invasion of privacy as a means of news gathering is prohibited. Articles found to be discriminatory, libelous, or unnecessarily obscene (as determined by the editors or the advisor) will not be published. Finally, journalists
are granted the right to keep private the name of a source from whom they received information with the understanding that the source was to remain anonymous. The role of the newspaper advisor will be to provide counsel and criticism pertaining to the newspaper’s content and production. Although both the advisor and the administration hold certain powers regarding the Chatterbox, both must respect the paper’s autonomy. No student shall be prevented from joining the staff on the basis of sex, race, creed, or national origin.
April 9, 2013
KYLE CHASE/CHATTERBOX
Branford Marsalis shrugs as he answers questions from the Walnut Hills jazz students. He visited the Schott Recital Hall last month. Jonah Roth, ‘13 On Friday, March 15, worldrenowned saxophonist Branford Marsalis stopped by Walnut for a one-hour question and answer session with jazz students. The Schott Recital Hall was packed: administrators, teachers, parents, and both jazz bands had taken their fourth bell to take advantage
of this opportunity. Marsalis had no set agenda. Every question he answered was posed by teachers and jazz band students. A recurring theme in his answers, however, was his preference for older forms of jazz and music in general. View the complete article online at <whhscbox.com>.
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ARCADE & PEANUTS Brandon Wagner, Zoe Cheng and Celeste Kearney, Editors
Cardinal Survivor
Acorn Hills #4: Google Pretati
Brandon Wagner, ‘13
Shawntez Robertson, ‘13
Ask Piper Peanut: Dances
SHAWNTEZ ROBERTSON/CHATTERBOX
Parties can be a lot of fun. There’s no need to stress, if you take my advice. Dear Piper Peanut, It’s getting to be the end of the school year, and there are a lot of parties and dances going on. The Twilight Ball is coming up soon and it makes me nervous. Do I bring a date? I have been invited to some Bar and Bat Mitzvahs along with some birthday parties, but I’m not sure if I should go. If I go, do I go with friends? Go alone? What if I get invited and my friends don’t? Or the opposite? What do I wear? What does “semi-formal” mean? All of this makes me feel very nervous. I could really use some advice. Thanks! Sincerely, Nervous Norman Dear Norman, It is okay to feel nervous about parties. They can be a lot of fun, especially when you go with a group of friends. For the Twilight Ball, don’t worry about finding a date. A group of friends will be a lot more fun anyway. Bringing a
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date adds unnecessary pressure, plus you don’t have to find a date until at least high school (and not even then, unless you want one). If you don’t get invited to a party, don’t worry. It is okay to not go to every party. Crashing parties is never a good idea! If you are invited and your friends are not, it can be a great opportunity to make new friends. It can be helpful to know if anyone else you know is going to the party besides your typical group of friends. When deciding what to wear, check the invitations. Invitations generally tell you what type of clothing to wear. Most of the dances for us are semi-formal or casual. For casual, wear jeans or khaki pants and a polo or buttondown shirt. Girls can wear jeans, a nice skirt, or a casual dress. Semi-formal means dressing up a little more. Wear nice pants and a shirt with a collar. Ties might be appropriate, depending on the party. Girls will most likely wear dresses or skirts. It can help if you check with your friends and other people going to the party so you do not dress up too much or too little, but just right. Remember to be comfortable; the party will not be as much fun if you are wearing uncomfortable clothes. The purpose of parties and dances are to have fun. So relax, don’t worry too much about what you’re wearing, and have a good time breaking out your cool dance moves.
Junior high boys lacrosse starts their season Zoe Cheng, ‘15 Celeste Kearney, ‘15 The frigid, forty-some degree air whipped at the players’ bare knees as it rolled across the field. Above them, the cloudy sky stirred with the promise of rain. Parents, gloved and bundled, cheered from the side. And in the center of it all, a player in a blue-and-gold jersey ran down the turf and scored a goal. It was March 18th and the first game of the junior high boys lacrosse season. Playing the Blue Jays on the Clark Montessori soccer field, the Walnut boys appeared fierce and competitive. After their victory, the boys celebrated and broke their huddle with a “Go Eagles!” cheer. They slumped on the field amid heaps of duffle bags and lacrosse sticks, exhausted, sore and victorious. “I look at middle school la-
crosse as being the training ground for anybody and everybody who wants to come out and play,” says junior high boys’ lacrosse coach John French, who has been coaching lacrosse for three years. “There are combinations of basketball, soccer, football... you name it, you can find it in lacrosse.” Paul McGinnis ‘18, the goalie for the team, adds “it’s a good team sport.” Kai Kremer, ‘17 describes lacrosse as being “just fast-paced and fun.” “Two thirds of my team has never played the game before, so we are working on a lot of basic skills [at practice],” French says. “I have a bunch of ex-football players who are playing defense. I have, you know, my small fast guys up running on attack. There’s a spot for everybody on lacrosse.” “We have a lot of first-year [lacrosse] players [on our team],”
says Kremer. Even though the season is just a few weeks old, the boys have already developed a sense of friendship and familiarity with each other through practices. French describes practices as consisting of “a little bit of offense and some good team defense.” “[The team is] like a brotherhood,” says Kremer. McGinnis “[has made a] lot of friends on the team and [sees] other kids making friends too, even though kids are only playing on this team first year.” French says that “[his] experienced players have been very good about teaching the guys who don’t have any experience how to play.” Witnessing the team’s fast bonding makes him “extremely happy.” “Everyone’s kind of working well together,” says attack player Joe Smith, ‘17.
Your Friend, Piper Peanut Have a question you want Piper to answer? Send your question to <peanutschatterbox@gmail.com> and the answer may appear in the next issue!
CELESTE KEARNEY/CHATTERBOX
Walnut’s defensive players guard the Blue Jays’ offensive player as he nears the goal. This is the first game of the Walnut Hills junior high boys lacrosse team’s season.
April 9, 2013
Issue CVII.7B