The May Issue

p. 12

Fused.

May 2011 Volume 4, Issue 8

Official Student Newsmagazine of Bloomington High School North

Bloomington, Ind.

With Extra Online-Only Pages

Contact Have Something to Say? Letters to the editor may be emailed or dropped off in room 709. All names will be published and letters may be edited for length and clarity.

In This Issue

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Mailing Address: Fused Newsmagazine Bloomington HS North 3901 North Kinser Pike Bloomington, Indiana 47404

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Staff Maria Behringer Karima Boukary Sophie Harris Siyang Liu Lindsay McKnight Sarah Petry Jessi Rannochio Landon Stancik Whitney Taylor Web Editor: Sami Haddad Editor: Victoria Ison Adviser: Ryan Gunterman

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iReview This assessment of iPhone apps shares a few you’ll have to get.

NOT in this Issue A sneak peek at online only photos and stories.

Couting the Hours How PLCs can help the longer school day be worthwhile.

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The First Step A youth shelter like no other helps teens manage on their own.

Cover photo by Sophie Harris

Catfight Cougars and Panthers.

Softball and Baseball.

Photos and Schedules.

Listen IN Featuring GLOWfest photos and summer festival previews.

Did you know you can flip through a virtual issue of Fused online?

Check our website this month for an expanded edition, featuring these stories.

Accomplished Cougar A Q&A with Sports Illustrated writer L. Jon Wertheim.

Pass on Passes Examining the usefulness of vigilant hall monitoring.

Drink This What our trash says about who we are - or at least how we eat.

Brain Over Brand: Choosing What Fits The college years should be the best years of our lives. What happens when they’re not?

A North grad’s story is a lesson on making the right choice about college.

Opinion by Sami Haddad Four years ago, IU junior Rachel Irvine was a North senior waiting for college to start.

She’d been accepted to Cornell early decision and had stopped applying elsewhere. This was a decision she regretted.

“I was looking for things my parents wanted, not what I wanted,” Irvine said.

Even though attending Cornell was financially difficult for her family, Irvine wanted a good education and decided that the school ranked in the top 15 would be the place to go.

After her first semester she knew she was in the wrong place. Feeling homesick and downtrodden, she decided to transfer back to IU. It felt like defeat.

While her AP credits transferred and made life easier, without a human biology program at IU like the one she’s been in at Cornell, Irvine was without direction. She took classes she was interested in and searched for new passions.

The transition was difficult, but Irvine said transferring to IU is a decision for which she’s ended up being very thankful.

“I had to reevaluate what was really important: having a name of a university on my undergraduate degree or being in astronomical debt,” Irvine said.

In a nation where 38 percent of students drop out of four year private institutions, Irvine was one of many feeling the financial strain. At IU, Irvine only had to pay a mere $4,000 a year. But she made the move for more reasons than money.

Irvine said that at IU she finally felt comfortable; not only with herself, but with the surrounding atmosphere.

“When I got there everyone there seemed so proud about the fact they were at Cornell… like they were better than other people.”

At IU Irvine felt that she was where she belonged But for a long time, I didn’t think I would ever feel the same way.

Having been a Bloomingtonian my entire life, I always wanted to go away for college. The idea of living 10 minutes away from my parents made me cringe.

I went with my older sister to visit Notre Dame and Washington University in St. Louis hoping to find another city I could call home.

After more visits, these to Vanderbilt and Tulane, I found myself slowly easing toward an unexpected conclusion; I love IU. My decision to attend IU was shaped by visiting schools of every variety. I saw what it was like to be on campus surrounded by popped collar frat boys and seemingly over dedicated students.

I knew what kind of school I wanted and found it in my back yard. Not only did I see the limitless possibilities surrounding me at a school where I could create my own major, but I became witness to the diversity of students - not only a diversity of cultures and ethnicities, but of interests and hobbies. What else will you get when you place 30,000 students on about 20 square miles of campus?

I take value in the international food fair that is Fourth street and all the music heard there. I love thta I can watch universally popular folk artists at the Lotus festival or go to Ford Hall to hear a worldrenowned pianist’s interpretation of any masterpiece.

I love that I could also visit Buskirk Chumley to listen to any other genre of music. I can go to IU’s Musical Arts Center for an opera or stroll to the IU auditorium to watch a Tony award winning Broadway hit. These are only some of the things that endear IU to me.

But these aren’t things that everyone values. For some, Cornell is the right kind of place.

Ours is a society where the idea of the clothes making the man pretty much rings true. While some people go for Gucci and Prada, others go for Harvard and Princeton. Thousands of students are flocking to name-brand schools.

An Ivy-caliber education is a good thing, if that’s what you are willing to pay for. But choosing your future home for the next four years isn’t a decision to take lightly.

It’s imperative that the decision be strictly your own, and not influenced by intangible factors such as prestige and reputation.

As Irvine learned the hard way, college isn’t about numbers; it’s about how you fit. You only choose the college of your dreams once. Don’t blow it.

The Longer School Day: A Question and a Choice To care or not to care?

Staff Opinion It’s remarkably cliché to say that one’s attitude is all that matters. But as North grad and sports journalist, L. Jon Wertheim would say (see virtual issue) the fact it’s a cliché only makes it truer.

The well-researched story on this issue’s center spread (pages 8 and 9) addresses next year’s longer school day and the things teachers and administrators have started doing this year to maximize the extra time, as well as the time we already have, in school.

They’re going to an awful lot of work to organize something most of us don’t seem to want. Earlier mornings? Longer afternoons? It seems that the student’s window of free time between school days – in which homework, extracurricular activities, work, family time, a social life and sleep all have to fit – keeps shrinking.

But that doesn’t mean the extra time next year is something only to be endured. This issue’s feature story reveals that extra time in a school day is only beneficial if it’s taken advantage of. Teachers and staff are trying to take advantage of that time for our benefit, but what about us?

We can treat the extra minutes – or all of school, for that matter – like many of us already treat cougar den and prowl: Sit there. Text. Sleep.

Read, maybe. Wait for the bell.

Or we can pretend we’re grateful for it and go about the business of getting an education. We don’t have a choice in the extra 45 minutes a day.

We do have a choice in how we use them.

It’s a lot of work to change an attitude, but if we have to endure these hours anyway, it might as well be worth it.

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Crazy for Apps With almost 1 million applications in the iTunes store, it can be hard to find the good ones. Here are a few popular and not so popular apps that come in handy on any Apple device, organized by category.

Review, photos and design by Karima Boukary

Productivity

Networking

Apps that help users keep track of tasks and accomplish goals.

Apps that allow users to connect with friends, family, and community.

Evernote — This app allows users to store written notes, pictures, voice memos and even video memos in a living journal that separates everything by either date or category. For example, when a user creates a category for “Vacation” they can write memos, take pictures of interesting things they saw, take videos and record sounds of things they saw.

Evernote saves all of the information in the same place. It can later be shared with friends and family, or kept private for the user.

Free.

Lose It! — This is a very creative dieting app. It calculates the user’s weight vs. height and age to calculate the user’s metabolism. It displays the number of calories the user needs to eat to reach a certain weight. The user can log foods and, with over 500,000 foods already in the database, it gives exact calorie counts without needing the internet. Exercises can also be recorded and the exact calories burned are added to the calorie intake allowance. Exercises stored in the database range from jogging to underwater yoga. The user can track weight loss success and keep track of friends.

Free.

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Facebook — For users of Facebook, this app is essential. See photos, videos, posts and status updates in a conveniently condensed version of the website.

Many details are left off this version of the site, such as changes in relationships, Facebook application posts and multiple other activities. This version is the only one with the capability to “check-in,” or update your location. It also has a feature for adding friends to your favorites, which keeps their icon on the home screen, which is convenient for checking up on siblings or close friends.

Free.

Twitter — The Twitter app is useful for searching people’s twitter feeds, and offers a convenient view of the news feed. Editing the individual profile is nearly impossible, and posting tweets is much easier via text message. It does have the capability to display ‘twit-pics’.

Free.

Bump – Two different iPod touch or iPhone owners can download this application and literally just bump their devices together for an instant file transfer via wi-fi. It’s almost magical. Incredibly useful for picture or video sharing.

Free.

Just Plain Cool

Reference

Apps that encourage exploration and invention.

Apps that make it easier to access all different kinds of information.

Voice Band — Sing, hum, beatbox, or tap into the microphone, and hear it transform into the sound of an instrument. Because it can record over tracks, the user can add drums, and/or guitar, then sing over that to create their own rock song. Hundreds of instruments are available to add to the “symphony” for 99 cents each. No talent needed! $2.99.

Fandango — Track any and all movies in surrounding areas and buy tickets in advance. Very useful and easier to navigate than the website. Watch movie trailers, read reviews and rate the movies for other users of the site as well.

Free.

Pandora – In this free internet radio application, users can type in the name of favorite songs or artists and instantly be connected with a playlist of music similar to it.

Free.

Type N Talk — Type and hear a robot speak the words. Easily amusing; very useful for those who are amused by prank calls.

Free.

WolfRam Alpha — This app takes any question and gives an answer. Type in a date, and it will display the weather, lunar and solar patterns, people who have died and who were born on the date, special events that occurred and anything else possible to know. Type in a math equation and it will give every possible root, graph and solution. It takes thousands of kinds of questions. $1.99.

Cougar Reviews iPhone users share their favorite apps.

Jordan Worth, Junior

Games

“I really love the Twitter App. I’m crazy and I tweet all the time, so it’s convenient to have that on there. I also play Lane Splitter a lot. You have to dodge cars, it’s pretty sweet.”

Apps that entertain and are easy to play on the go.

Words With Friends — This is an arguably educational game that is a lot of fun. Users can chat and play scrabble. Each letter is worth a cer tain amount of points, but landing on a special square can double or triple the value of the letter of the word. It’s extremely addicting and comes in two versions. $1.99, or free with visible adds.

Lane Splitter: Games, $0.99

Maddy Mitchell, Freshman Traffic Rush — The purpose is to keep cars from crashing into each other. They fly through the intersection at increasing speeds.

It is easily amusing for hours, adivisable to keep on iPhone during long waits at the doctors office, it is nearly impossible to win.

Free.

“I love listening to free music on Pandora, and when I get bored I play Cut the Rope.

It’s so addicting.”

Cut The Rope: Games, $0.99

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Pass on Passes

Teachers and students note the impracticality of the newly enforced hall pass rule.

Staff writer Maria Behringer adds her voice to theirs.

Story and Design by Maria Behringer Photo by Landon Stancik

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ecently students have been abuzz about the Martinsville Middle School shooting and the vandalism of the boys’ restroom stall. In response to the threats, the administration seems to have created a new rule requiring that all teachers and faculty write every student a pass to leave the classroom for any reason, with no exceptions.

This is not true.

The hall pass rule is listed in our student handbook and has always been the same; it has just recently been enforced more, for security and safety purposes.

Following the stricter enforcement of this rule, students as well as teachers voiced their annoyance about the inconvenience of writing a pass for everything.

Senior George Wyatt said that even though this new rule is being enforced they [security] don’t pay attention to who has a pass and who doesn’t.

“I walked out of class without a pass and they didn’t stop me or anything.”

Wyatt said.

He said he does think that this rule works in some measures because legitimate passes are harder to obtain and students have to ask permission to receive one.

Another senior, Erica Kingsbury, said she understands why this rule is being enforced but still thinks it’s a little excessive.

“I feel like I can’t even go to pee without someone holding my hand.” Kingsbury said.

She said she has always felt that school is safe and that no matter what threatens

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our school she doesn’t have to come to school scared.

Unlike the bulk of North’s students, Economics teacher George Leonard fully supports the administration’s decision.

Leonard said he believes that even though the rule does cause some inconvenience, it helps teachers to keep better tabs on the students that do leave the

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classroom.

“I think it is a change that has its merits. Anything that will keep students safe, keep students in the classroom and keep students from getting in trouble or making poor decisions, I’m all for,” Leonard said.

Enforcing this rule may keep track of students that leave the classroom but it

doesn’t heighten student safety. A pink three by two inch piece of paper isn’t bullet proof.

Security already monitors the parking lots and the area around the school; that helps student’s safety from outside threats. Even with hall passes, we are safer in this school that most people think.

Thirsty?

These pieces of trash were photographed lying in upper lot after school one day in April.

Opinion, photos and design by Victoria Ison Cut-outs by Landon Stancik

Upland Wheat Ale While whoever abandoned the six-pack of beer could be commended for supporting local businesses (Upland is a brewery based in Bloomington, founded in 1997) they probably could also have used a front row seat to the mock crash. The question begs to be asked: If the people who left this trash weren’t drinking and driving, what were they doing with it? Sitting in their cars in the parking lot after school, getting buzzed? Way cool. Newsflash: high school students are not legally allowed to get drunk. Especially on school property. Whoever left this shouldn’t insist on breaking the law, but if they do, next time they better at least take away the proof so the broken glass from their bottles won’t cut up other students’ tires.

SunnyD, Sun Drop Drink, Bottled Soda These items may be legal, even yummy, but they don’t belong on the ground. Aluminum cans take 200-500 years to decompose; the plastic that makes up the bottles can take up to 1 million years. The nutritional values of these items are debatable, but their status as trash isn’t. Recycle, please.

5-hour Energy The stories of teens dropping dead after drinking beverages like this aren’t rare. While it’s statistically unlikely that whoever dropped this bottle in the school parking lot will suffer fatal heart trouble as a direct result, it would still be hard to make the case that energy shots are healthy for adolescents - or anyone else. Leaving the trash behind only makes drinking it look sadder.

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Click On This Visit bhsnfused.com for exclusive web content.

Learn Modeling Tips

View Mock Crash Photos and Video

Photo by Siyang Liu

Browse photos of the event in our Facebook photo album and check YouTube for a video that includes interviews with the actors.

Best wishes to BHSN Fused from:

Photo by Lindsay McKnight

Read a Q&A with aspiring model junior Montana Sheets and look for a link to her website.

E-Learning and Collaboration!

monroecountymartialarts.com

Find out more at: http://www.anabas.com/netscape/index

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[Accomplished Cougars]

How to Embarrass L. Jon Wertheim The author and North grad speaks about college and clichés, nonexistent typical days and what it’s like to be among the most accomplished sports writers in the nation.

As told to Victoria Ison

That’s a good question. One of the things I like about journalism is that it’s always changing. You’re always working on different stories. I seem to be doing more TV now than I used to, so I imagine that will continue. I just finished a book called Scorecasting and I think we may end up doing a sequel, so that’s probably my next book project. I wrote a book about Bloomington North about 10 years ago.

Maybe there’s another Bloomington book in the future.

Editor’s Note: Wertheim graduated with honors in 1989 and was inducted into the Cougar Wall of Fame in December, the first inductee since 2007. This piece is a continuation of last year’s Accomplished Cougars series that profiled inductees.

Y

ou interviewed Andy Roddick when he was 16; now he’s the eighth-ranked tennis player in the world. If someone had interviewed you at 16, who would they have seen?

They would have seen a proud sophomore. They would have seen someone who didn’t realize how much they liked the Midwest. They would have seen someone who probably thought he was smarter than he was, someone who in some respects was very much a typical teenager.

T

hey also would have seen someone who played No. 1 singles tennis for his high school and wrote for The Herald-Times’ student supplement, correct?

What all do you remember of North and Bloomington?

I played a lot of tennis and the Whole Press is where I first kind of got the writing bug. I wasn’t one of these kids that hated high school. I really liked growing up in Bloomington and try to get back whenever I can. I had a great experience at North – give a shout out to Bill Hays if he’s still around.

Y

ou went to school at Yale, and then the University of Pennsylvania. I know a lot of kids who’ve been stressing out about getting into “good” colleges. How important is it?

The further away from school you get, the less it matters. People stress out about it now, but very few people go to college wherever and not have a good time, and not grow and not learn a lot. Your first week of school you might still be smarting a little bit, but I know very few people that haven’t enjoyed their college experience, wherever they went.

W

O

hen did you know you wanted to be a sports journalist?

For a long time I wasn’t sure if I liked writing like someone else liked golf – it’s a good hobby but it doesn’t mean you’re going to be a pro golfer. I went to law school and worked in a law firm and all I could think was how much this sucked compared to being a journalist. I think that’s when it clicked that I should really think of this as more than a hobby and try and make a career of it.

I

t seems to have worked out well: your bio on Sports Illustrated’s website calls you “one of the most accomplished sports journalists in America.” What’s it like to be the person behind a title like that?

I did not write that; I want to make that very clear. That sounds horribly immodest. You don’t go into journalism for fame – or for money, for that matter. It’s nice to get a label like that, but more than

Wertheim looks up from a crossword puzzle in this photo from his senior yearbook.

that, it’s nice to get responses when you write something.

W

hat’s a typical day for you like?

Honestly, that’s one of the things I like best about this job: that I have yet to have a typical day. A story breaks or an editor needs something or a TV appearance comes up. You wake up and run with it. I have an office but I don’t go in there a whole lot. I tend to travel: I was in San Francisco a week ago; I was in Delaware yesterday. Today I’m back in New York.

W

hat can we expect from you in the future?

f all the things that you’ve done – interviewing all these athletes, writing for Sports Illustrated, attending Yale, what’s most important? I guess what I’m asking is, for all of the high school students that are starting to try and figure life out, what’s most important in it? What’s your advice for us?

You know when you’re in high school or you’re of a certain age and you kind of roll your eyes at conventional wisdom and clichés? Things like how your family matters more than your career, friends are important, and money doesn’t make you happy? In general you want to encourage kids to challenge assumptions and overturn conventional wisdom, and it feels really lame to say these things to 16 and 17 year olds who are supposed to be trailblazing, but these clichés have stuck around for a reason. A lot of these truisms you hear are actually true. Challenge assumptions but don’t reflexively roll your eyes at the things your parents tell you.

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Making Time Count Teachers and administrators will try to take advantage of next year’s lengthened school day, beginning with Professional Learning Communities.

Story by Siyang Liu Photo illustration and design by Jessi Rannochio

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hen Monroe County Community School Corporation (MCCSC) representatives Jan Bergeson and Cameron Rains presented plans for a lengthened school day in front of parents and teachers at a community meeting last month, they received no shortage of questions.

While the crowd seemed to appreciate the MCCSC’s intent of bettering students’ education, it took advantage of the meeting’s question and answer format to pose plenty of questions about how the longer day will be implemented.

The very first question that Rains read from an orange post-it note struck at the heart of the whole issue. “Do longer school days show better school performance?”

It’s a question without a simple yes or no answer. Terry Spradlin, the Associate Director for Educational Policy at Indiana University’s Center for Evaluation and Educational Policy (CEEP), has co-written at least two educational policy briefs that deal with school length and performance.

While he commends the MCCSC for “going in a positive direction” by lengthening what is currently the shortest school day permitted by the state, he also knows there’s no guarantee it will work.

CEEP’s two publications about school time

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conclude that the correlation isn’t between school day length and school performance; it’s the time spent actually learning that influences school performance.

The Christel House Academy, a “Knowledge is Power” Program (KIPP) charter school in Indianapolis, is an example. It follows a 190-day school year with a 4 a.m. to 4 p.m. school day. In 2008, Christel House Academy met Adequate Yearly Progress in all 27 of

Indiana’s categories, despite mostly serving underprivileged kids.

However, these results can’t be attributed to the longer school day alone.

Studies have found that most of the extended time in the KIPP schools translated to actual learning, and KIPP teachers have often found the work required to be “exhausting.” KIPP schools also offer a lot of

Extending the School Day Under the new schedule, elementary and secondary school students will be at school 45 minutes longer every day except Wednesdays.

MCCSC schools currently have the state minimum school day: 6 hours of instructional time. The number of school days, 180, won’t change.

Compilation by Siyang Liu Design by Jessi Rannochio

New School Day Time Scale for Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday

New Start Time: 7:40 AM Old start time: 8:00 am

New School Day Time Scale for Wednesday New End Time: 2:55 Old end time: 2:30 PM

New start time: 8:25 AM

New end time: 2:55 PM

Old School Hours New Added Hours New Removed Hours

afterschool options.

“If the time is just added to the school day without purpose, then the effect on students is marginal,” Spradlin said.

He noted that actual learning time is affected by many factors ranging from class-size ratios to financial resources to the leadership of the principal in the school building.

Most significant is whether the curriculum and teacher development increase along with added the time.

Professional development is happening at North right now.

On Wednesday mornings next year, teachers will have time prior to school to work together through North’s Professional Learning Communities (PLCs).

PLCs bring teachers together to share and discuss teaching strategies. Science department chair Jean Schick says that even more importantly, PLCs are about learning through collecting and analyzing data.

The math department took the lead in implementing some of their findings by setting up the tutorial program late this year. It requires students deemed as struggling with Algebra I to come to help sessions during Cougar Den. The math department has noticed a significant drop in missing algebra homework as a result.

Seeing these results, Schick said she supports the school’s plan of extending the tutorial program to all subjects.

“Most of the kids who come in during Cougar Prowl only need minor tune-ups,” Schick said.

“Some kids need a lot of help but won’t email or ask for it; this helps kids to make good choices.”

The tutorial program next year will also include options for kids who don’t need help sessions, ranging from library access to enhancement sessions.

Principal Jeff Henderson reasoned that a high school should prepare kids for college, and that kids should be able to manage their extra time like they would have to in college.

There’s no guaranteeing what will work and what won’t. However, the work that North faculty has put into the PLC this year would be a step in the right direction in Spradlin’s book, considering the challenges of a different day next year.

“If teachers do a better job because of the PLC, then students will perform better.”

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Taking a Step in the Right Direction Sophomore Tiffany Schultz discusses her brief experience with homelessness - and the program that’s saving her.

Story by Sophie Harris Photo illustration and design by Jessi Rannochio

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or most students, a safe place to live is something they have always had and can take for granted.

But for some, this isn’t the case.

Sophomore Tiffany Schultz began dealing with her troubles at home when she was thirteen.

“My mom is diagnosed with bipolar disorder,” Schultz said. “She didn’t take her medicine for a long time, and she was manipulative and abusive toward me.”

Schultz’s mother would give Schultz permission to go places regularly, then call the police and report that she had run away.

Schultz knew she needed to get out and began doing research about where she could go. Her public defender told her about a transitional housing program called Stepping Stones for teens under 21. She decided to apply.

“After I applied, I went on a tour of Stepping Stones and my mom called me in as a runaway again,” Schultz said. “That was the night she got

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all my stuff together and kicked me out.”

After spending some time at the Youth Shelter and continuing to communicate with Stepping Stones, Schultz was accepted to the program.

It was one of the best things that ever happened to her.

“Without Stepping Stones, I would have nowhere else to go,” Schultz said. “They have your best interests in mind, and they are always there for you.”

Stepping Stones has four apartments available for a maximum of nine residents. There is a community center located in another apartment nearby, where staff offices are located.

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Sheri Benham, the executive director of Stepping Stones, founded the program, which is funded partially by the state and partially through fundraisers.

“I was a foster parent for six years, and I saw there was a need for housing for teenagers.” Benham said. “As a foster parent, I saw that once kids aged out of the system, there was nowhere for them to go.”

Benham, who was previously a social work intern at South and Aurora, decided to take action to create a housing program for teens that were falling through the cracks.

She created Stepping Stones after noticing that there were temporary places teens in need could go, like the Youth Shelter, but nowhere permanent.

She wanted the program to provide more than just shelter. That’s why three of Stepping Stones’ main goals for their residents are for them to graduate high school, have employment, and to learn life skills.

Stepping Stones is the only shelter of its kind in Bloomington; because of this it receives more applicants than can be accepted.

The process of being accepted to this program was more difficult than Schultz had anticipated. She said it required a lot of work and that the interviewing process was nervewracking.

“You have to stay in contact with them; they don’t contact you,” Schultz said. “You have to prove you really want it.”

It’s worth it, though. Schultz says she has already experienced the benefits of being accepted to the program.

“They help you become responsible. They help you apply for jobs, and they help you prepare a resume for what you want to do,” Schultz said.

Stepping Stones also encourages their residents to do volunteer work. Recently they participated in the Homeward Bound Walk.

Residents are encouraged to follow the requirements of the program. When they comply, they receive incentives of $25 a month to encourage and congratulate them.

Stepping Stones has also begun a Resident of the Month program. Whoever is chosen gets a gift card to restaurant or something similar.

When residents receive recognition, it’s a sign

Stepping Stones Requirements The organization offers free housing, a monthly cash allowance and a number of services but requires much from its residents in return.

To live in Stepping Stones, residents must: - have a job or be looking for one - pass drug tests - have a signed consent form if under 18 - attend counseling sessions - participate in group activities - attend a mandatory weekly meeting

If you or a loved one knows a teen in need of Stepping Stones’ services, go online for a link to the organization’s website.

Left: Schultz and Benham relax outside the community center. “I don’t know what I’d do without Stepping Stones,” Schultz said.

that they’re succeeding on their own.

“We want to make sure that when you leave, you are able and ready to live on your own – do things like manage money and learn to work.” Benham said. “Basically, we just want them to be able to take care of themselves.”

Some teens struggle initially in the program because of all the responsibilities. Drugs are a common struggle among residents of the program.

Benham emphasizes that Stepping Stones is a drug free zone, and though residents won’t be kicked out if they fail a drug test, there will be consequences for them.

Benham said Stepping Stones is especially dedicated to helping the residents further their education and reach their goals.

“Kids struggle with school, because once they get here, they’re already behind,” Benham said.

“They also struggle with getting a job, because they’ve never had one and they’ve had no role models.”

Guidance counselor Sarah Franklin has seen

how unstable living conditions affect a student’s education.

“If they have an unstable home life, they can’t focus on schoolwork,” Franklin said. “And it’s hard to maintain relationships at school if you’re worried about where you’re going to sleep tonight.”

Franklin said she has studied Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in education and psychology. These needs are very basic, such as food and shelter.

“You need these things before you can focus on things like school and your goals,” Franklin said, “You can’t move forward if you’re constantly trying to figure out your most basic needs.”

Franklin said teens in unstable living situations tend to have poor self esteem. Stepping Stones removes teens from those unstable situations and helps them succeed.

“It’s hard to feel good about yourself and try to build a life for yourself if you’re stuck at square one,” Franklin said, “Stepping Stones helps kids be secure enough to move on and to build a life for themselves.”

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Crosstown Cat Fight Softball and baseball competed against South on April 20. Baseball lost 5-2 and softball lost 4-2.

Baseball photos by Lindsay McKnight Softball photos by Sarah Petry Design by Jessi Rannochio

Juniors Jason Jolivette and Brice Stratton and Sophomore Colby Stratten along with other varsity baseball players break from a huddle. “The North vs. South game was exciting, it was my first and I felt we were competing with a good team,” Stratton said.

Junior Michael Oliphant was third up to bat against South. “I hit pretty well against South; they just happened to get the better of us on that night,” Oliphant said.

During warm-ups Junior Tyler Hurt charges in to field a bunt. “The North vs. South game is something you look forward to all year, so there is always a little more drive to win it for your side of town. But you have to look at it as just another game; I want to win every time we are out on the field, and South is no exception,” Hurt said.

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Junior Audrey Mullis slides back to first base after trying to steal second base. “This season has been kind of rough” said Mullis. Both Terry and Mullis get pumped for a game by listening to music prior to the game starting. “This season i’ve enjoyed getting closer to some of the players that I haven’t been close to in the past” said Mullis.

Junior Ashley Chittwood is congratulated by her teammates after making a catch that stopped South from advancing and ended the inning.

Left to right: seniors Meg Garl and Shelby Terry, juniors Ashley Chittwood and Emily Mosier.

Senior Shelby Terry pitches during the varsity game against South. “I really enjoyed being a senior and getting the chance to be a leader and help out when and where I could” Shelby Terry said. Terry pitched the entire South game and said staying focused and positive throughout the whole game is very important for the players. “Our record doesn’t show the real team we are. We are a really good team and our defense is getting stronger and if we hit like we do at practice then we would have been the team to look out for all year” Terry said.

Upcoming Home Games

Go online to see more photos from the North vs. South softball game. The varsity team was 6-14 as of May 5.

If you missed the North-South action, you still have some chances to catch these teams play on their home fields.

Baseball vs. Floyd Central on Saturday, May 21 at 12:00 p.m.

Jeffersonville on Saturday, May 21 at 3:00 p.m.

Owen Valley on Tuesday, May 24 at 5:30 p.m.

Softball vs. Mitchell tonight at 5:30 p.m.

Sectional games: Softball on May 24, 25, 27 at Lincoln Park, Columbus, Ind. TBA Baseball on May 26-28, 30 at North. TBA

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“With Music Destroyed, We’ll Only Create Noise...” ...So said alternative rock band Showbread in their song “Stabbing Art to Death.” A culture is somewhat defined by its music. But what happens when music is destroyed? There is simply nothing left but noise. This is an issue-by-issue account of music, showing you what’s coming up, what’s coming out and what’s going on in the school. This is mainstream and beyond. This is the music section of Fused.

Compilation and design by Whitney Taylor

[Summer Releases] Alternative

Country

May 31 “Codes And Keys” Death Cab for Cutie June 7 “Gloss Drop” Battles

May 17 “This Is Country Music” Brad Paisley May 19 “Ronnie Dunn” Ronnie Dunn

May 24 “Pala” Friendly Fires June 7 “The Postelles” The Postelles

Indie

Metal/Hardcore

Pop/Dance

Rap/Hip-Hop

May 24 “Evinta” My Dying Bride May 31 “Rev-Raptor” Udo

May 24 “Isam” Amon Tobin May 31 “Circuital” My Morning Jacket

May 24 “Waste-Age Teenland” Face Candy June 7 “All 6’s and 7’s” Tech N9ne

Jazz

Reggae

May 24 “School Days” Stanley Clarke June 14 “Prime Time” Paul Taylor

May 24 “Elohim” Alpha Blondy June 7 “Starship Africa” Creation Rebel

R&B/Soul

Folk

May 24 “Entervention ” Havana July 12 “Just Me” Brian McKnight

May 24 “Let the Rain Fall” The Good Lovelies June 7 “City of Refuge” Abigail Washburn

[Summer Festivals] June 9-12 Bonaroo Manchester, TN Featuring Arcade Fire, The Black Keys, NOFX

June 23-26 CountryFest Cadott, WI Feat. Trace Adkins, Gary Allan, Carrie Underwood

June 30–July 3 Cornerstone Bushnell, IL Feat. Anberlin, P.O.D., The Chariot, For Today

July 7 Van’s Warped Tour Noblesville, IN Feat. Simple Plan, Hellogoodbye, The Ready Set

August 5-7 Lollapalooza Chicago, IL Feat. Eminem, Coldplay, Deadmau5, Muse

July 26, 7:30 PM Backstreet Boys Conseco Fieldhouse Indianapolis, IN

July 31, 7:30 PM Keith Urban Allen County War Memorial Coliseum Ft. Wayne, IN

July 12, 7:30 PM Josh Groban Conseco Fieldhouse Indianapolis, IN

[Summer Shows] June 2, 7:30 PM Glee Tour Conseco Fieldhouse Indianapolis, IN

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June 10, 8 PM The Black Keys The Lawn at White River State Park Indianapolis, IN

bhsnfused.com | May 2011

Glowed Out In collaboration with The Susan G. Komen Foundation and the Zeta Tau Alpha Fraternity, the sold-out GLOWfest concert brought some huge artists to the Bell Tower Fields on IU’s campus April 14 in honor of the annual Little 500 bike race.

Photos and design by Whitney Taylor

Singer, songwriter, vocalist, keyboardist and guitarist Ted Wendler of the fairly new band Mansions on the Moon, livens up the crowd as he plays their song “Magic.”

George Watsky performs his original song “Who’s Been Loving You.” He previously suffered from juvenile epileptic seizures and said he has no problems sharing his past experiences in his songs. “I’m proud of who I am,” Watsky said. “I have no problem sharing it.”

Brice Fox and Daniel Weber pump up the crowd with their dance moves as they perform their song “ILL 5” The song has received over 54,730 views on YouTube.

The duo that created the song “This is Indiana” hosted the event at the Bell Tower Fields.

Electronic artist Derek Vincent Smith, also known as Pretty Lights, closed the show with a dance of lights, sounds and bass. A line on his website reads, “At a time when music lovers from almost all subcultures and genres are finding common ground in the basic form of bangin’ beats, Pretty Lights is giving the people what they want.”

Hip-hop artist Chiddy Bang performs his song “All Things Go,” which samples Sufjan Stevens’ song “Chicago.” Chiddy Bang is comprised of DJ Xaphoon Jones and rapper Chiddy.

STUDENT

Art SHOWCASE

BEAD WORK

The bead work class consists not only of making jewelry with beads but also embroidering and working with threads. “The first thing we do is learn how to thread beads because that is the basis of all bead work,” teacher Daria Smith said.

Photos by Victoria Ison Design by Jessi Rannochio

Senior Kayla Depierre uses her needle to pick up a bead. She threaded these bead around the outside of another, larger bead to produce a unique decorative piece.

Seniors Olivia Middleton and Megan Vint apply dye to their t-shirts. “A lot of the projects we do in beadwork take a lot of time and have to be so precise,” Vint said. “Tie-dye was so simple, it was a nice break.” Vint said she tie-dyed shirts for her dad, mom and best friend.

Sophomore MacKenzie Herbin stiches a design in a sqaure of cloth. After tie-dying the cloth, students were instructed to tear out the thread. Their final pieces contrasted colored tie-dye with a white pattern where the thread was.