The student news publication of Walnut Hills High School
Volume CX, Issue 9
Friday, February 19, 2016
Makyla Burnam An interview with Walnut’s very own movie star IM: Did you have any influences? MB: Not necessarily, I just wanted to do it. But Taraji P. Henson and Gabrielle Union have been my two favorite actresses since I was younger. IM: How did you get to be in a movie in Italy? MB: The director of The Fits, Anna Holmer, contacted the director of my dance team because she had heard great things about us and saw a stand battle video of us on YouTube. In January of 2015, Ms. Anna and the producer of the film, Lisa Kjerulff flew to Cincinnati from New York to meet us. The girls that wanted to audition for main roles in the movie were given a script and we had to audition that next day. I went for the role of the head captain, Legs. Legs totally seemed like me and I knew her part would come a little more natural to me. I was one of the only girls that actually had the script memorized and I feel like that was a plus. The movie was filmed in Cincinnati but premiered in Venice, Italy.
PHOTO COURTESY OF YES, MA’AM! PRODUCTIONS
SENIOR Makyla Burnam in character as Legs, captain of the Lioness’ dance team. Burnam herself is also the captain of her dance team, and says she has many things in common with Legs. Ibrahim Munir: How long have you been acting? Makyla Burnam: I began acting in 2010, when my dance team decided to put on a production called “Stop the Violence” as a fundraiser and to raise awareness in our community. Before then I had never really been a part of any plays, but I did take acting les-
sons at Uptown Arts in the 3rd grade. IM: Why did you start acting? MB: I started acting because I’ve always been one to entertain. Acting wasn’t the first on my list of talents, but it’s something that I’ve always wanted to be able to do. The art of it is interesting to me.”
The movie premiered in Italy because the sponsors are Italian and in the contract it said that the movie had to premiere in Italy first before it could premiere anywhere else. Since then, the film was shown at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival in Utah, where it was labeled 1 of 19 films that could be the next “Oscar breakouts.” The movie was picked up by an American film company called Oscilloscope Laboratories and they are working hard to make sure the movie premieres in the States this summer. IM: Can you give us a general summary of the movie? MB: The Fits is a psychological portrait of an
Flint water flowing fatally Sarah Hansen, ‘17 Water is a commodity that is frequently taken for granted. It flows out in near limitless supply from taps and faucets at the flick of a lever or a turn of a knob. To have such unfettered access to a necessity of life is itself a luxury. Yet, as recent events have called into focus, the quality of the water we drink, clean and cook with can be questionable. In April of 2014, the city of Flint, Michigan began sourcing its water from the nearby Flint River, in order to cut costs associated with providing filtered water from Lake Huron via Detroit. According to the Flint Water Study, due to the runoff from salted roads, the water in the Flint River has attained an unusually high chloride level. Usually, this would be of little consequence. Chlorides are not inherently harmful to fish, birds, or humans. However, much of the city of Flint uses lead pipes in its plumbing system, and the Flint River wa-
ter is far more plumbosolvent (that is, able to dissolve lead) than average due to its high levels of chlorides. The Flint River water quickly corrodes the lead pipes, leading to increased levels of lead within the tap water and eventually within the bloodstreams of humans and animals who consume it. Lead has long been known to be highly poisonous, with long-reaching health effects related to its consumption. Plumbism, or high levels of lead in the bloodstream, has been linked to a plethora of symptoms. According to the Center for Disease Control, lead has a profound effect on the nervous system, causing headaches, insomnia, depression, and cognitive deficits. In addition to its impact on the brain, lead poisoning can wreak havoc on the kidneys and reproductive system. There is no “safe threshold” for lead poisoning either---even minute amounts of lead are able to cause harm to the human body. The use of lead pipes in America’s cities
11 year old tomboy that goes by the name, Toni. Toni boxes in a community boxing gym with her brother Jermaine, but when she sees girls from a local dance team, she instantly becomes hooked. Toni watches the dance battle between the head captain, Legs and her co-captain, Karisma and at first site she idolizes Legs. Toni decides to join the team of powerful and confident dancers, eagerly absorbing routines and trying to fit in. When a mysterious outbreak of fainting episodes torment the team, Toni’s desire for acceptance is distorted. IM: What was your role in the movie? MB: I play the head captain of the dance team. Her name is Legs. She is the first to have an episode of the community of girls. IM: How do you relate to Legs? MB: My character is totally me, not in every aspect but generally. I’m the head captain of the Q-kidz Dance Team, Leg is the head captain of the Lionesses. I’m naturally a leader and so is Legs. Legs doesn’t try too hard, she has a genuine way of keeping herself in line and so do I. IM: How was the experience? MB: This was my first time acting in a movie. It was a great experience - really long days, but it was well worth it. When I watch movies now I know and can tell exactly how they cut scenes to get the right shot. Many scenes has to be repeated over and over and over again. IM: How long did it take to make the movie? MB: It took about two months straight to film, but then some time in the summer we had to get back into character in order to finish scenes and take promo pics.
#CincyLovesFlint points to latent problem. Many of America’s major cities continue to use lead pipes in their plumbing systems, and lead is still used to join metal fixtures together due to its malleability. Given the damage that lead can wreak on otherwise healthy individuals, should cities not prioritize modernizing their plumbing infrastructure? The city of Flint has since dedicated its efforts to resolving the current water problem. According to the city’s website, Mayor Karen Weaver declared a state of emergency in December, announcing her intention to fix the current water situation. Currently, water is being brought into Flint by private companies like Meijer and Anheuser-Busch in order to provide the citizenry with a safe source of hydration. President Obama announced that $80 million is able to be allocated from the state infrastructure fund to Michigan in 2016.
Join us in the fight to help Flint. Bring water & any donations to Room 2716 through March 4th. Sponsored by Black Culture Club
NEWS
FEBRUARY 19, 2016
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SECTION EDITOR: HALI LANIER
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Election check-in: Iowa & New Hampshire
PHOTO COURTESY OF PETER STEVENS
The Republican candidates debate in front of a large crowd at the Ronald Reagan Library in California on Sept. 16. The candidates have come a long way since then, with the first two elections in the primary cycle now complete, and candidates such as Donald Trump (third from the right), Ted Cruz (fourth from the left) and Marco Rubio (third from the left) appear to be frontrunners. Matthew Youkilis, ‘19 For months, news anchors, political analysts and pollsters have focused their coverage on the first two elections in the 2016 presidential race: Iowa and New Hampshire. The voting in the two states has come and gone, answering some questions but leaving behind even more. The Iowa Caucuses were held on Feb. 1. Unlike a primary which is traditional voting on a ballot, caucuses are meetings with a set place and time for registered voters of each political party. Originally, caucuses were the primary way that candidates were chosen to be the nominee for their political party. Caucuses are now only held in a handful of states, with normal primary elections being more popular. In caucuses, voters come together and openly advocate for their preferred candidate. Voters then decide which candidate they support. In both primaries
and caucuses, the more support a candidate gets, the more delegates they earn to represent them at their party’s national convention. In some of these elections, the winner takes all the delegates, but in most, the delegates are divided proportionally by percentage of the vote each candidate wins. For the Republicans in Iowa, Ted Cruz won with nearly 28% of the vote. Donald Trump finished second with just over 24% of the vote and Marco Rubio garnered 23% of the vote for third place. No other candidate finished with more than 10% for the Republicans. Although Cruz won and Trump placed second, many saw Rubio as the winner and Trump as the loser. “[Rubio’s] third place finish is surprising. I think that will invigorate his campaign,” SENIOR Nick Fixler said. Regarding Trump, Fixler said, “I think that it’s going to be a bit harder of a race. It’s not like Donald Trump’s going to be the prohibitive favorite like the polls showed
him to be.” For the Democrats, the final results in Iowa were the closest in Iowa Democratic caucus history, according to Dr. Andy McGuire, Chair of the Iowa Democratic Party. Hillary Clinton won with 49.9% of the vote, just beating out Senator Bernie Sanders who finished with 49.6%. Many believe Iowa is the beginning of a long, close election for the Democrats. Craig Slagh, ‘17 said, “I think [the rest of the election] is just going to be a battleground between [Clinton and Sanders].” Iowa also had repercussions for those who did not perform as well. Democratic candidate Martin O’Malley, who finished with under 1% of the vote, dropped out following the caucuses. Republicans Rick Santorum, Mike Huckabee and Rand Paul also ended their presidential bids after Iowa. The New Hampshire Primary occurred on Feb. 9. For the Republicans, Trump finished first by a wide margin, gaining a total of
35%. Ohio Governor John Kasich came in second with 16% and Cruz finished third with 12%. Jeb Bush narrowly edged Rubio for fourth place. “I think Kasich’s turnout and the way he showed himself in New Hampshire was a really good move on his part,” Slagh said. However, regarding the remainder of the election, Slagh said, “I think it’s going to be Trump consistently.” Carly Fiorina and Chris Christie dropped out after the New Hampshire election. On the Democratic side, Bernie Sanders finished first with 60%. Hillary Clinton came in second with 38%. Slagh said, “I saw there was a huge voter turnout...but I was [still] very surprised by [Sanders’] big increase in support.” Many analysts believe that Sanders was helped greatly by the larger voter turnout. This means that younger people, generally more in favor of Sanders, were voting. Some people wonder why Iowa
and New Hampshire go first in the election process. Many think it is unfair that those two states should establish the momentum and frontrunners in the election. “I think it’s stupid because they’re both really small states...that don’t demographically represent the rest of country,” Fixler said. Looking ahead, election season will get busier in the coming weeks. The Nevada caucus for Democrats and the Republican South Carolina primary occur on Feb. 20. The Republican Nevada caucus occurs on Feb. 23 and the South Carolina primary for Democrats is on Feb. 27. Then on March 1, Super Tuesday, fifteen different states have elections, making it a huge day for every candidate still in the race. The Ohio primary occurs on March 15, an election in which many Walnut Hills High School students will be voting. Both Slagh and Fixler are among those students who plan to vote, agreeing that it is important for everyone’s voice to be heard.
Scalia’s death rattles the Senate
Allie Berding, ‘16 On Saturday evening shock fell upon America as the news hit that Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia had died suddenly. Scalia had been serving on the bench of the court for 30 years and was the leader of the conservative side of the court. While they are not term lim-
HANNAH BUNDSCHUH/CHATTERBOX
ited, most justices decide to retire when the serving President has the same political party or ideology as them, and they are confident that the person appointed as their replacement will be someone of their party. Given this commonality when replacing a Supreme Court Justice, controversy has arisen amongst the
Republican Party. The party is opposed to President Barack Obama picking Scalia’s successor due to his liberal ideology. This opposition stems from the fear Obama will appoint a liberal judge as Scalia’s replacement, causing the l iberals to have an advantage over the Conservatives in the Supreme Court.
Another aspect that intensifies the controversy is the fact that this absence in a seat of the court has occurred in the midst of an election. The last time this happened was in 1968 when Chief Justice Earl Warren wanted to retire. Justice Abe Fontibras was appointed to fill his seat by President Lyndon B. Johnson which led to a Senate
filibuster. According to the Constitution it is the President’s authority to appoint the new justice. With only 8 justices, many 4-4 decisions may occur meaning the Federal Court ruling will be upheld, giving less power to the Supreme Court because their ruling will hold no weight.
VIEWPOINTS
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SECTION EDITORS: JOESEPH GLANDORF & VANESSA MOORE
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Transcending boundaries Elise Fritts, ‘16 As support for the LGBTQ community has risen over the years, so has awareness of different topics pertaining to sexuality and identity. Gay marriage was legalized just this past summer, and transgender celebrities such as Laverne Cox and Caitlyn Jenner have worked to gain visibility for other transgender individuals. Another topic that is on the rise is gender identity. The first thing to know within this broad topic is the difference between sex and gender. Sex is a biological identity of male or female that is determined by your chromosomes. Gender, on the other hand, is a psychological identity that can expand beyond these two sexes. The idea of gender being a psychological identity is fairly new and a little difficult to grasp, but think of how we define ourselves within different cliques. There are groups that we define people with, such as nerds, jocks and preps. While these groupings aren’t a physical entity, we sometimes use these labels to define ourselves. Gender is the same way. It isn’t something physical, but more an identity that we see ourselves as. And just as we join different cliques when our interests change, gender identity can change as we go through life. The gender binary of female or male identity has been around for a long time, but there are many other gender identities. The spectrum is broad with different specific identities and umbrella terms
used as looser definitions. Terms such as genderqueer and nonbinary serve as umbrella terms to describe those who do not conform to the gender binary. Gender variant is another umbrella term that describes a person who does not have a cisgendered (meaning their gender identity matches that which is commonly associated with their sex) identity. This includes those who are transgender. There are also many specific terms that one can identify with to describe their gender. An agender person doesn’t identify with any sort of gender identity whereassomeone who is bigender would identify with both the male and female gender identities. Hyland Schmidt, a SENIOR who identifies as genderfluid, describes his gender identity as feeling a different gender on different days. “Some days I feel as if I’m a girl and some days I feel as if I don’t have any gender,” Schmidt said. With all these different identities, there arises a problem in the use of pronouns. A non-binary person may have a pronoun that doesn’t conform to the pronoun typically used for someone of their sex. For someone like Schmidt, pronouns may change. “I don’t really prefer any pronoun. I won’t expect people to follow along with my changing identity,” Schmidt said. For others, however, it could be that neither female nor male pronouns apply to them. This calls for a singular, gender neutral pronoun that doesn’t exist in the English language.
Learn the lingo of gender identity Genderqueer: A general term referring to anyone outside of the gender binary. Cisgender: Someone who identifies with the biological sex they were born with. Transgender: Someone who identifies with a different gender than the biological sex they were born with.
Biological sex: A person’s anatomical gender, as determined by their hormones and sex organs. Gender identity: A person’s psychological conception of their own gender, determined by what gender(s) they are attracted to and which biological sex they identify with. Gender Binary: The traditional concept of gender, defined by the male and female biological sexes.
exploring gender identity
SENIOR Hyland Schmidt, who identifies as a genderfluid. With the lack of a singular, gender neutral pronoun, some people have taken to using ‘they’ as their preferred pronoun. The Oxford Dictionary even now accepts ‘they’ as a singular pronoun to refer to someone of unspecified sex, but not everyone agrees with this new definition. “‘They’ isn’t correct. They’re not more than one person,” English teacher Blake Taylor said. The issue of gender identity is something relatively new, so the language hasn’t evolved to create a new, grammatically correct, pronoun for those who don’t prefer ‘he’ or ‘she.’ “It’s so new to be speaking open-
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ly about those things [that] there isn’t a formality to the language yet, and so just as there is gender fluidity, there’s a lot of linguistic fluidity, and the possibility of both misspeaking and also inadvertently offending is possible. Increasingly so perhaps, and so I think this is an interesting conversation because there isn’t an accepted lexicon as of yet, to my knowledge,” Taylor said. The conversation about gender identity and gender neutral pronouns is one that is just beginning. While I strongly support and respect those who use ‘they’ as their preferred pronoun, I know there is no easy solution to this matter.
ISABELLA PITTMAN/CHATTERBOX
Just as there were people opposed to gay marriage, there will be those who do not agree with anyone identifying as something beyond male or female. And along with that, they may refuse to use the preferred pronouns of a nonbinary individual. There’s no denying that a change needs to be made. It could be in the form of a new pronoun, or the wide range acceptance of ‘they’ as a singular, gender neutral pronoun. What I do know is that society is changing. Ideas are being accepted and language is evolving.
Deference despite difference Wally Hill, ‘16 Gender identity seems like it would be a fairly straightforward idea, and for many years, there was limited fodder for discussion; the accepted norm was that you were either male or female. Over the years, there has been increased discussion about the variations of identifying with a certain gender. The transgender community has come to the forefront of national discussion. Television shows such as “I am Cait” and “Transparent” have opened the door to the once taboo topic of changing genders. For many people, the idea of being transgender is foreign territory. Not everyone feels as though they were born into the “right” body,” or as the “right” gender. Data on the exact amount of Americans
who identify as transgender is uncertain, because many people still do not feel comfortable identifying themselves as transgender, despite their desire to transition. The most frequently cited estimate is that 700,000 people in the U.S., about 0.2 to 0.3 percent of the population, are transgender, however many experts agree that the actual number is much higher. The trans community is one of the most marginalized social communities in America. It is important to take a moment in order to try to imagine the internal struggle of another person who, in the most literal sense, does not feel comfortable in their own skin. Not everyone is going to understand the idea of a grey area between the traditional genders of male and female. For some, it
is an idea that will take a while to get used to. In the meantime, it is important to respect a person’s decisions to identify themselves in an unorthodox way. Despite a student’s personal religious and cultural beliefs, the bottom line is that the way another person views themselves, is really none of anyone else’s business. The presence of respect and tolerance between humans, despite the way in which we identify ourselves, is essential to the progress of human interaction. We, as Walnut students, belong to a diverse student body, and as we move forward as a society and community, it is our collective job to keep Walnut an inclusive and inviting place for students of all identities to receive the best education in Ohio.
PATRICK MCDONNEL/THE NOUN PROJECT
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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 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 informa-
tion 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.
SARAH DAVIDOFF, ‘13
The Chatterbox Editorial Staff Alexandra Berding, Editor-in-Chief
Isaac Stephani,
Managing Editor of News and Features
Maddy Fixler, Managing Editor of Student Life
Avery Samuels, Managing Editor of Opinions
Augusta Battoclette, Managing Editor of Design
Luke Warren, Managing Editor of Photography
Swede Moorman, Business Manager
Lela Robinson, Video Content Manager
Pavan Yaddanapudi, Online Content Manager
Samantha Gerwe-Perkins, Adviser
Dawn Wolfe, Adviser
FEBRUARY 19. 2016
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STAGE MANAGING Emma Farrell, ‘19 Emily Glazer, ‘17 SENIOR Ada Barach, Stage Manager for The Lion King, Jr., is one of Walnut’s four stage managers this year. As Stage Manager, she has two main jobs: administrative duties and making the show run smoothly. This means that one of her main tasks is to be in charge of the crew. During show runs, she calls cues every time there is a change in lights, sound or set. Much of the show relies on these cues. “It can be pretty scary to be in charge of everything. Fortunately, I have ASM’s and other crew heads to help me,” Barach said. Chloe Burwinkel ‘20 and SENIOR Marlo Whetstone are the two ASM’s for this production. They help manage the cast and run operations on stage. It can be hard job for someone like Burwinkel, an eighth grader and first time ASM this year. She said, “I just have to be determined, organized, and firm while doing my job.” Still, missteps often happen in theater. “No show is perfect so it’s not worth getting upset over,” Barach said. “At the end of the day, our job is to put on the best show possible and sometimes that means choosing our battles. As long as it’s still safe for the cast and crew to perform, the show must go on!”
DIRECTING Allison Meier, ‘19 For every musical, there is a team working behind the scenes to make it happen. For The Lion King, Jr., part of this team is student director Isabella Noe, ‘17. As student director, she works closely with director Michael Sherman. “I kind of create the bare bones for what the actors are doing, and then they fill it in with their character choices,” Noe said. How scenes are portrayed is especially important, as actors are not only playing animals. To do this, Noe reads through the script to decide how a particular scene will work. During rehearsal, she explains her concept to actors by walking them through it on stage. “It’s one thing to think of something in your head and be like ‘that’s a really great idea,’ but to actually put it on stage and add live people into it, it makes it really interesting,” she said. “It’ll either prove your idea was a great idea, or it’ll be like, ‘Oh, well that didn’t work. I’ll have to change that.’” To Noe, seeing an idea come to life is the most rewarding part of her job. An actress as well as student director, Noe has been part of both sides of productions, both backstage and onstage. She said, “Right now I’m really loving directing...It’s not just learning about your character choices, it’s learning about the picture as a whole.”
FINE ARTS
DISCLAIMER: SENIOR Veronica Victa, Fine Arts Section Editor, SENIOR Elise Frits, Style & Culture Section Editor, and Augusta Battoclette, ‘17, Design Managing Editor are on the crew of The Lion King, Jr.
PEANUTS
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behind the scenes
THE LIONESS MASKS: A TIMELINE
The tin foil base, held together by tape.
The sketch of the mask of Sarabi, Simba’s mother.
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Fall 2015
A “ready to steam” mask with Fosshape fabric pinned to the base.
MASKS
Maddy Fixler, ‘16 The Lion King, Jr., is an exciting time for Walnut Hills’ cast and crew— this is the first time most of them have worked with puppets. There are several kinds used in the show: pole operated birds, hand operated buzzards, arm-band gazelles, and two person elephants and giraffes. Many of these puppets were directly inspired by the Broadway production’s own. The students building them, including SENIORS Sam Petersen, Chris Quay, and Alex Gluck and others have been building them during Stagecraft, a process described by Gluck as “trial and error”. The birds are similarly built to kites—they are attached to long “poles” to create the illusion of flying. The buzzards use a wooden dowel and PVC pipe contraption. Actors actors moving a PVC pipe up and down the dowel to mimic wings flapping. The three actors playing gazelles each wear three gazelle puppets—one ABOVE: Sam Frank, ‘ 20, and Dominic Haggerty, ‘20, on either arm and one on top of her head. They were constructed by who play one of the two elephants, put on the elephant legs. carving and painting Styrofoam. On stage, this will be combined with choreography to create an illusion of gazelles “leaping,” as it was in the BELOW: The elephant puppet tilts its head. This was the Broadway production. first day they were used by the actors. The giraffe and elephant puppets are the only puppets ones not student designed. They were provided by Madcap Puppets here in Cincinnati. Madcap has advised on other puppet constructions and how to act like their puppet. They “did workshops with our students—both about techniques to build and construct puppets, and how to act with them,” director Michael Sherman said. With hard work and practice, the performers of Walnut Hills High School’s The Lion King Jr. will make use of puppets to enhance the experience that is the Disney classic.
Maddy Fixler, ‘16 Walnut Hills High School will be among the first high schools in the country to put on a performance of The Lion King Jr. Since the rights to the play released by Disney just within
Mask Design: Veronica Victa,’16 Mask Constructors: Isabella Noe, ‘17, Veronica Victa,’16, Chris Quay, ‘16 Mask Painters: Erin Ryan, ‘16, Isabella Noe, ‘17, Jessica Kavinsky, ‘17
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Winter 2016
Hannah Bundschuh, ‘18 Maddy Fixler, ‘16 SENIOR Veronica Victa was tasked with the design and construction of the lion and lioness masks. To showcase the actors’ faces, the masks for many of the performers were designed to be worn on top of their heads. “The patterns on their masks are geometrically based— so like lines, triangles, circles in a way that filled the space,” Victa said. Once the concepts were cemented, Victa with the help of Technical Director Helen Raymond-Goers, Isabella Noe, ‘17 and SENIOR Chris Quay, created them using Fosshape, a unique fabric that hardens when heated with steam. Noe described the process: “We had to make the base to lay the fabric onto it, then we have to steam the fabric , then we have to take all the pins out...paint it, sew things on. It’s a very difficult process.” After this, SENIOR Erin Ryan, Isabella Noe, ‘17 and Jessica Kavinsky, ‘17 painted them. The hyena masks were sculpted out of Styrofoam. One of the people working on the hyena masks is Martha Dameron, ‘19 who also plays the hyena Ed in The Lion King, Jr. They a held up in front of the actor’s heads and are designed to complement the hunched back posture the actors adopt to play hyenas. One of the main problems Dameron faced was finding the right material to hold the mask in place while allowing movement: “It was kind of difficult...because you want the mask to bounce a little bit cause hyenas are very kind of animated, twitchy creatures,” said Dameron. The wildebeest masks were similarly by carving and painting Styrofoam and adding horns.
ABOVE: Talia Raider-Roth, ‘20 cackles as she wears the unfinished hyena mask. Raider-Roth plays the hyena Shenzi in The Lion King, Jr. BELOW: The wildebeest masks, created by SENIORS Sam Petersen and Chris Quay.
COSTUMES + MAKEUP
Allison Meier, ‘19 addy Fixler, ‘16
SET
Matthew Eggers, ‘20, sprawls in the unfinished set of Scar’s Cave. Eggers plays Scar.
The final touches: Sarabi’s mask with the accents from the sketch.
Basic lioness paint on the poststeamed, hardened mask.
Winter 2015
PUPPETS
CHOREOGRAPHY Allison Meier, ‘19 In this production, choreography, created by Jessica Kavinsky, ‘17, Kayla Lennon, ‘17 and Morgan McHale, ‘17, is used as a way to communicate meanings behind several scenes. The choreographers have incorporated African dance, rather than typical musical theater choreography. This means that it focuses mainly on feet and head positions. In creating the choreography, they “have to take into consideration puppets, staging, singing and acting,” Kavinsky said. “If the dance is too hard, actors can’t sing, but if the dance is too easy, it looks bad.” While classical theater focuses on the voice, the bright rhythms in The Lion King, Jr. come from the entire body. Connecting the physicality and percussiveness of the music to the choreography has been a focus of Music Director Reina Dickey. She said, “It’s really physical. In a lot of African music, singing and dance aren’t two different things like we think about it as being.” For Lennon, dance is “such a wonderful opportunity to express yourself physically. You can tell a story with just your body, and I think it’s amazing.”
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SECTION EDITOR: VERONICA VICTA
Maddy Fixler, ‘16 SENIOR Sam Petersen, Set Designer for The Lion King, Jr., SENIOR Hyland Schmidt, master electrician, Jordan Lunsford, ‘17 master carpenter and Stagecraft classes created all the sets for the production. Because the rights to perform the show are owned by Disney, they had to stick fairly closely to the precedents set by the Broadway production and the film by sticking to the sets of the well-known Pride Rock, Scar’s cave, the Gorge/Wildebeest Valley and the rainforest of “Hakuna Matata.” Petersen said, “I’m fitting in as many elements of the Broadway show that make sense for us to do and fit with our space and actor restrictions but I also take inspiration from how the movie looks.” The set for Pride Rock is actually a familiar one— it is the same rock structure built for The Pirates of Penzance, Jr. last year, just repainted and modified to suit the needs of this show. Scar’s Cave too uses parts of this rock structure as in the background. The rest of the set consists of a tattered drop, or set piece that is “flown in” by the rail crew, and a wagon, or a mobile set piece brought on and off by the deck crew, which Scar is rolled in on. The rainforest set in “Hakuna Matata” is familiar to those who know the show. It consists of a constructed tree stump, accompanied by a small number of drops of trees.
SENIOR Erin Ryan, the Makeup Designer for The Lion King, Jr., designed the makeup for the show in coordination with the costumes, puppets and masks to create a cohesive production look. Rather than being exaggerations of normal makeup, Ryan’s makeup has to be stylized to represent animals. The extent of the makeup depends on the character: “Rafiki’s [makeup] is the most complicated. Ensemble characters are less so, with geometric patterns in appropriate colors,” Ryan said. To compensate for the amount of makeup needed for the forty person cast, there are nine people on this makeup crew, excluding Ryan. In most shows at Walnut, there are two. To further enhance the visual elements of the show, SENIOR Veronica Victa, Costumes Mistress, is in charge of designing and directing the creation of the costumes for the cast. Because The Lion King Jr. is so new and so stylized, the costumes are mostly handmade. Victa drew inspiration from “the look of the Broadway production but also by more Walnut elements— the demographics of the cast, our puppets and masks, how certain cast members chose to portray their characters and the materials I had at hand.” Victa, in following Broadway tradition, incorporated costumes for cast members for the musical number “Grasslands Chant” in which actors take the role of grasslands. To create the signature look, Victa designed Maya Robinson, ‘19, is perched atop Pride Rock. Robinson plays the character of Rafiki in the production. similar hoop skirts made from piping, rope and raffia.
The process of choosing The Lion King, Jr.
the last academic year, not many schools have purchased them. Despite this newness, Technical Director Helen Raymond-Goers believes that “it’s going to be a really cool show.” When a high school the-
ater department wishes to produce a show, they first have to buy the rights to the script of the play. For some, like anything by Shakespeare, the copyright laws that accompany the script are lax or nonexistent, allowing for
many artistic liberties. For others, such as The Lion King Jr., the restrictions are prevent stark changes from the original performance. Copyright aside, the cast and crew have been putting their all into the produc-
tion. Director Michael Sherman had multiple reasons for choosing the show: “First, it is a brand new “junior” show. We are one of the first schools in the country to do it. Second, Mrs. Raymond-Goers and I knew it would be a
show that would bring a lot of new students out to audition, and that it would be a show that would be a big draw with audiences. Third, and most important, we [knew] it was going to be a challenge both from an acting and a techni-
cal standpoint, and would force all of our theatre students to think and grow in ways we haven’t pushed them before.” A loose interpretation ofShakespeare’s Hamlet, TheLion King is a Disney classic.
Through students in seventh, eighth and ninth grades, the Walnut Hills Theater Department will deliver this highly anticipated performance to an audience of all ages.
LIGHTS
Emma Farrell, ‘19 Light Designer Makayla Friemoth has to work closely withwith the director, choreographers and actors to do her job. “I need to know where the actors will be, what mood the director wants, and I choose how I want that to be displayed,” Friemoth said. This in conjunction with the script and the directors vision is the basis of her actual design. Friemoth’s process is drawing first the stage with all set pieces and then creating a light plot or a plan for what colors she wants the lights to be. Then, the lights are “gelled,” meaning that the right colored filters are secured in each light used. Other roles in lights are Light Board, who carries out light cues during shows, Follow Spot, who manually controls the lights in the balcony that specifically focus attention, and Master Electrician who maintains the lights prior to show runs. One special effect takes place during the scene in which when Simba sees his reflection and it turns into his father Mufasa. The lights will mimic water. Another effect is in Scar’s cave: creative use of shadows will convey a conniving mood when he and the hyenas are plotting. Finally, Friemoth designed the iconic from both the movie and the Broadway production that symbolizes the beginning of life. It will be created by fading dark amber and red lights on a white cloth drop.
SOUND Emily Glazer ‘17 In a production in Walnut’s auditorium like The Lion King, Jr., it takes a good sound crew to make everyone heard. A Sound Designer’s job involves the acquisition and manipulation and of sound to create needed sound effects. Jack Russell, ‘18 and Walnut’s primary sound person, explains, “If they need me to get a car horn, or a bird chirping, I go out with my field kit, microphones, and recording equipment. For sounds that need manipulation, I use various synthesizers and effects within a program called Ableton Live.” While in the sound booth during show runs, Russell serves as blends sounds adjusts actor volume levels so they are all clear and audible to the audience. As The Lion King, Jr., will not have a live orchestra, Assistant Board Operator Liam Vollbract, ‘21 will trigger recorded sound tracks in addition to sound effects as they are cued. Backstage, a four person microphone crew will handle the actors’ microphones. Russell learned these skilled through the internet, college classes and his experience backstage. He adds, “We need more sound people. If you like listening to music, making music, analyzing music, dancing to music, then audio engineering may be for you because there are so little that the world needs to know that this is the underground industry to sound.”
PROPS
Hannah Bundschuh, ‘18 SENIOR Erin Ryan, Props Mistress, is in charge of organizing the production, gathering and creation of the props as well as managing their distribution backstage on show run days. Typically, Walnut uses a mixture of bought, made and adapted props. Given the original nature of The Lion King, Jr., they bought none of the props. Instead, they created and adapted existing props. Walnut’s version of Rafiki’s staff and Baby Simba, both props in the Disney movie, were heavily influenced by Broadway production’s own versions. Rafiki’s staff is essentially a stylized wooden stick with adornments taken from props storage that was bolted to another to add the height Director Michael Sherman wanted for the show. Baby Simba was sculpted using Model Magic and painted by Ryan herself and was reinforced using two double ended bolts. The other props are two handmade pendants which are being made out of an old gold necklace. The first one will be used as the royal symbol which is placed on Simba by Rafiki to show that he is the king’s son. The second one will be used by Nala to remind her of Simba.
ALL PHOTOS: ISABELLA PITTMAN/CHATTERBOX
SPORTS
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Newton finds his kryptonite Aaron Espelage, ‘18 Everyone has heard of Superman and his one weakness, Kryptonite. Until the 50th Super Bowl, no one knew Carolina Panthers’ quaterback Cam Newton’s weakness. Newton is considered a one-of-a-kind quarterback, standing 6-foot-5 and weighing 245 pounds. Newton is taller than 90 percent of NFL defenders and weighs more than 52 percent of them, according to ESPN.com. Size and strength aren’t the NFL MVP’s only advantages; Newton ran a 4.59 40 yard dash and pairs speed with his physicality. The 50th Super Bowl wasn’t just about Newton, in fact the Broncos Defense stole the show. The Denver Broncos’ defense features edge rushers, Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware, and shutdown cornerbacks, Chris Harris Jr. and Aquib Talib. Miller became the star of the Broncos defense on the biggest stage. Miller forced two strip sacks of
Highest ranked Super Bowl ads Shiv Malhotra, ‘20
Usually, when the average television viewer sees an advertisement (ad) cut into a program, they groan and wait for the program to resume. But when the Super Bowl is on, they are still glued to their seats to view advertisements. One 30 second Super Bowl ad costs five million dollars. USA Today, surveys Americans during the live telecast of the Super Bowl for their favorite ads. From the surveys results, top five advertisements were two from Hyundai, one from Heinz, and another two from Doritos.
#5
This ad by Hyundai showed actor Ryan Reynolds doing many activities, while distracting a female driver in her Hyundai vehicle by his looks. Eventually, Reynolds was walking dogs, and the female was about to run over him while she was gazing at his face. But Hyundai’s Automatic Emergency Braking saved Reynolds.
#4
This ad by Doritos showed dogs trying to get into a grocery store to purchase Doritos, while there was a ban on dogs inside the store. The dogs attempt to sneak into the store numerous times then fail. Eventually, the dogs stand on top of each other and wear a jacket and hat to mimic one man. They make it in the store, and buy numerous packs of Doritos bags.
#3
The second ad by Doritos had a man and his pregnant wife getting an ultrasound. The man was eating Doritos and waved a chip around while the ultrasound showed a baby struggling to try and get the chip. Eventually his wife took the man’s chip and threw it forward. Along with the chip, the baby was thrown forward too!
GRAPHICS: JULIA DUELL/CHATTERBOX
Newton which set up two easy touchdowns for quarterback Peyton Manning and the Broncos’ offense. The first strip sack led to Denver’s first touchdown and broke open a 10 point lead in the first quarter. The second one came with 4 minutes and 10 seconds left in the game and the Panthers trailing by
6 points with the ball, Miller made a game clinching strip sack on the Panthers 17 yard line. Newton may have been drafted #1 in 2011 with the pick ahead of Miller and won the MVP for the Regular Season, but Miller rose above, winning the Super Bowl MVP. Manning finished the Super Bowl with
a Quarterback Rating (QBR) of 9.9 which is considerably low on its 0-100 scale. Manning went 13 of 23 for 141 yards, one interception and no touchdowns. None of that may matter considering the Broncos won by a score of 24 to 10 but it is ironic. Manning, who holds the records for most career passing yards and touchdowns, did not play well in the super bowl win and was carried by his defense. Manning will certainly walk into the retirement sunset after what is statistically his worst NFL season and after winning his second Super Bowl ring. After the dust settled, the Broncos’ defense gave Manning the send-off that many believe he deserves. The Panthers were rendered incapable with their superhuman QB Newton performing poorly. At last Newton, who prides himself as a Superman fan, found his kryptonite in Miller and the Broncos historic defense.
SUPER BOWL XXVI HALFTIME SHOW GETS CONTROVERSY INTO FORMATION Alison Meier, ‘20 Nick Robertson, ‘20
As the clock hit 0:00 and the first half of the nation’s biggest game wrapped up, spectators awaited the upcoming performance. Coldplay, Beyoncé and Bruno Mars sang their hearts out on stage before thousands in the stadium and millions more on television. The show’s theme was to tie together all past Super Bowl performances, with a goal of “honoring the past, recognizing the present and looking ahead to the next 50 years,” according to the official NFL website. Choreography included several moves made famous by Michael Jackson, and Beyoncé’s outfit echoed that of his performance in Super Bowl XXVII.
The Performance Coldplay was the headlining act of the show. The Grammy Award winning band played their classic “Viva La Vida” and new song “Adventure of a Lifetime,”. Most football fans feared Coldplay’s ability to perform at such an iconic show. Most of the time, a more popular singer or group is chosen. “It seemed kind of ridiculous that Coldplay was chosen. Next year we should have someone more appealing to the youngsters. For instance, Drake , who was recently at the NBA All Star Game. Or even Chance the rapper, did you hear him on Kanye’s album?” said SENIOR Jess Carr . In recent years performers have included Madonna, The Black Eyed Peas, Katy Perry and more. Bruno Mars performed his hit song “Uptown Funk”. Equipped with a full band and back up dance crew, the crowd went crazy and fans at home and at the game were singing and dancing along. Beyoncé Knowles then stormed the field for her highly anticipated segment of the
performance. Knowles sang a perfectly choreographed version of her song “Formation” on the field, which she had dropped the night before. Regardless of the fact that the song had been out for less than 24 hours, fans still knew every word. At the end of the show, Knowles and Mars gathered on the stage and engaged in what seemed to be a dance off. This was the act that brought everyone together. With no apparent winner, Chris Martin, lead singer of Coldplay, joined the other two performers as they all sang and danced. Directly after the halftime show, Knowles also announced her upcoming world tour, “Formation” to the excitement of many fans. Although Coldplay was a controversial headliner, more tension rose from Knowles’s performance.
The Controversy From Fox News to Comedy Central, newscasters from both sides of the aisle are talking about her message of racial inequality portrayed in her performance.
Player Profile: Jack Langenderfer
#2
This ad by Heinz displayed dogs dressed up as a hot dog, running towards humans dressed up as Heinz’s different types of toppings typically used for hot dogs.
#1
Hyundai showed Kevin Hart’s “daughter” going on a date with her boyfriend. The boyfriend went to pick up the daughter, and Kevin Hart gave the keys to his Hyundai for the boyfriend to take his daughter around on. Kevin Hart could track the car to see what his daughter and boyfriend were doing. He followed them to the movies, carnival, even to a high romantic peak of a hill, where they were about to kiss. Kevin scared the boyfriend the whole date, driving him quickly back to Kevin’s house. NICHOLAI LEKSON/CHATTERBOX
This controversy stemmed from an apparent tribute to Malcolm X, as Beyoncé and her dancers assembled in an ‘X’ formation. Backup dancers also wore outfits resembling those of the Black Panther Party, a black nationalist organization celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Along with this, at one point they raised their fists in unison, a familiar sign of Black Power. Reactions varied; the performance has been called “anti-police” by some viewers, including former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani and Republican representative Peter King. However, she has also been praised for her message by fans as well as prominent Black Lives Matter activist Melina Abdullah. Anti-Knowles protestors held a protest outside of the NFL New York Headquarters the following Tuesday that brought the tension to life. Overall, this year’s Super Bowl Halftime show has been met with both positive and negative reviews, but in the eyes of most, it was a performance worth seeing.
Krijn Schwartz, ‘16 Jack Langenderfer, ‘17 is on the Walnut Hills varsity bowling team and is in the midst of his second year playing. “Last year a lot of my friends were bowling so I joined and had fun so I kept playing,” said Langenderfer. Unlike going to a bowling party with friends, bowling matches are quite competitive. “We start out with two individual games, which are intense and put a lot of pressure on you. Then we do four bakers games, which is where each bowler bowls one frame, and those are my favorite because all we do is cheer and have fun the whole time,” said Langenderfer. The team’s record is currently 7-9 with a team mostly comprised of new faces. He i plans to win more games this year and also get the team ready for his senior year.
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STYLE & CULTURE
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Spreading culture one step at a time
SENIOR Sade Olowe (above) has been in the African drum and dance ensemble for 3 years. She says her favorite part is learning new things about African culture.
LOGAN WALTERS/CHATTERBOX
Elise Fritts, ‘16 Seventeen years ago, band director Charles Ferrara created an African drum and dance ensemble with the hope of sharing the colorful culture of Ghana. This project began after Ferrara traveled to Ghana himself to study. He was inspired by the music he studied there and wanted to expose his students to it. “The music inspired me to go and study it myself, which in turn prompted
me to want to expose it to any student that I would have.” Ferrara said. The ensemble, which pulls its inspiration from the Volta region of Ghana, has been performing for seventeen years-- nine at Walnut Hills. “My goal was to attempt to do it for at least 20 straight years.” Ferrara said. His ultimate goal is to expose as many students as possible, both in and outside of Walnut. Before coming to Walnut, the
ensemble would travel for fourteen performances within 3 days. “It’s interesting because one thing I would say is we’re used to our own culture and what we do everyday. Music to the people in Ghana is kind of like how we perceive turning on the television. It’s a part of their everyday; it’s a part of when they think of waking up and going to sleep, they would never think of a day without it. And that’s something new to
us because we wouldn’t think of having to dance and drum when we wake up that day, but it’s almost like not brushing your teeth.” Ferrara said. Hopefully, Farrara will continue to bring his African drum and dance ensemble to Walnut for at least the next 3 years to complete his goal of spreading the culture of Ghana to as many students as possible.
ARCADE
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WHERE IS YOUR FAVORITE PLACE?
“Kings Island, because it’s a lot of fun”
“The locker room , with my boys.” “Florence, Italy.... or home”
Ricky Roberts, ‘
Kai Kraimer, ‘17
Social Studies Teacher Susan Donnett
“Anywhere in Alaska”
“Maui, Hawaii because I went to a nice wedding there and I got my first tattoo there.”
“Nepal , it has beautiful foothills and I loved experiencing the culture. “
Athletic Director Josh Hardin
Jackson Hamann ‘17
Science Teacher Mark Rucker
“Mr. Schnure’s room. Room number 2722 because I love the aesthetic and I love Mr. Scnhure.”
“Walnut Hills High School”
SENIOR Sophia Carey
SENIOR Dominic Ventura
“Burnett Woods .” Zach Siegel ‘17
Stay connected with the Chatterbox! How to make announcements in the Lunch Room: • Complete the form at <goo.gl/YPP3yY> • Email announcements, slide shows, or videos to cboxwalnut@gmail.com -- All clubs are welcome to submit videos • Submit information for announcements to Video mailbox in room 2306
How to submit pieces or become a club member: • Email pieces to cboxwalnut@gmail.com • Come to the lunchtime club meetings in room 2306 every Thursday • Email any inquiries to Alexandra Berding, Editor and Chief, at allieberding@hotmail.com