Issueapril14e

Give Sam’s a try

Smart Panthers

Truck Yeah!

Great food and great people; what a combination.

Academic team makes history at State tourney; a review

Quill’s annual Best of the Lot; Did your ride make it in?

see Features on page 7

see Sports page 9

see Features page 13

Published by the Students of Elder High School

Volume 82 Number 8

April 30, 2014

Making the “smart” switch Sean Feldman ‘14 Arts and Entertainment Editor

E

lder is a school steeped in history and tradition, so when something new comes into the Elder community, it has the tendency to cause quite a stir.

For years Elder used Smart Boards in classrooms. The decision was made recently to transition from Smart Boards to LED Backlit LCD 65” televisions, and people are talking.

I asked Mr. Kevin Holland for information regarding the transition.

“The move is a move that we needed to make. The projectors we have now for the Smart Boards are not very cost effective. The new monitors will be much more dependable because the Smart Boards’ light bulbs burn out and often cause other issues. (The Smart Boards) are on their way out, they aren’t as popular as they once were. Very few business-

es actually use them.”

To gain even more information on the subject, I went to Mr. Jeff Fuell, director of Technology at Elder High School.

Mr. Fuell said, “Displays will make an enormous, positive impact on the learning environment in the classroom by enabling student devices to be plugged into the displays through the presently used DyKnow technology software.

Teachers and students now have a digital canvas for interacting and collaborating in a whole new way.”

He continued to explain by saying “Upgrading Elder classrooms projectors and smart boards to wireless LED Backlit LCD 65” Displays/Monitors will further enhance the curriculum integration and better engage students in the classroom.”

The new monitors will not be exclusive to the classrooms themselves, but also be integrated all throughout campus.

“We are also looking at installing different size LED Backlit LCD displays in locations like the café, main entrance area, etc. to show messages in times of

Intramural tourney begins Rawley Cook ‘15 Back Page Editor

A s the school year winds down and the anticipation for Elderfest goes up, students get ready for the annual intramural basketball tournament. The tournament takes place at the end of April each year, with the champions facing off against the teachers and faculty at Elderfest.

Students seem to really enjoy the annual tournament, as they get a chance to get into an actual gym and also get a taste of what it is like to play in Elder Memorial Field House. Any group of students can enter into the tournament in hopes of taking on the teachers and faculty. The tournament is set up by math teacher Mr. Lewis. Teams consist of up to six to ten players, with teams facing off in a one game elimination tournament. Games are usually played on Thursday nights in The Field House. Full court games are played on the side baskets in the gym.

Playing against the teachers can be a really fun experience, and I had the chance to talk to some guys who were lucky enough to play against the teachers twice in their high school career.

2013 graduate Hayden Cook played against the teachers in both the 2012 and 2013 Elderfest. He said it was weird at first, because you’re not sure how competitive you should be when you’re playing against your teachers, but you get

used to it. “Once the game gets going it feels like a normal pick-up game of basketball. Overall I’d say it’s intense on the court,” said Cook.

Another member of that back-toback intramural champ team was 2013 graduate Mike Carroway. On the intensity of the game, Carroway added that he felt like he was playing in Game 7 of the NBA Finals and that it was one of the best experiences of his high school career.

The torch will be passed to a new intramural champion this year, and it will surely be exciting to see which team gets to face off against the teachers at Elderfest.

Mr. Oberjohann’s room features one of the new flat screen monitors being tested alongside the aging SMART BOARD and projector.

emergencies, evacuation routes and daily messaging. The LCD’s can be part of the entire safety, security and communication infrastructure of the school. The LCD can be used for digital signage between classes and digital learning during classes for streaming school related videos to the classroom.” He clarified, “A projector can do that also but the projector cannot participate in the whole safety, security and communication vision.”

Smart Boards have been a part of the Archdiocesan education for years, so it may take students and teachers both some time to become familiar and comfortable with this new media of education, but as described by Mr. Holland and Mr. Fuell, the switch will benefit all involved, being a decision of necessity rather than one of preference.

Faculty favs

windows at either end. The windows were ajar and gleaming white against the fresh grass outside that seemed to grow a little way into the house. A breeze blew through the room, blew curtains in at one end and out the other like pale flags, twisting them up toward the frosted wedding-cake of the ceiling, and then rippled over the wine-colored rug, making a shadow on it as wind does on the sea.”

The favorite novel of Mr. James is Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. He said, “September, 1990...It doesn’t get any better than Mr. Mike Briede navigating the scenic California landscape, enlightening a young punk on the American genius that is John Steinbeck.

My admiration for his work can be traced all the way back to room 201 and my sophomore English teacher.”

Mr. Ploehs said that his favorite book to teach is The Great Gatsby because he can identify with the narrator, Nick Carraway, with his observations on his society and the pursuit of the American Dream.

Mr. Ploehs’ favorite novel that he read is An Antique Drum by Thomas Howard. “That book used the premise that ‘everything means something’

Collin Schweirs ‘15 Staff Writer

reprinted from The Purple Quill Online Lately, it seems as though reading has been lost in our generation with the rising popularity of movies, music and video games. However, there are still a select few who really enjoy reading.

We all know that we have to read books for our English classes, but what kind of books do the teachers enjoy? And which books are their favorites?

I sent an email to each English teacher asking for his or her favorite book and why it was his or her favorite so that the students of Elder may also read the novel and strike a conversation with the teacher about a common interest.

Mr. Briede said that his favorite book is Catch-22 by Joseph Heller. “It’s a novel that I’ve always found to be both comic and deeply disturbing. I still laugh out loud when I remember or reread certain scenes; at the same time, I feel it captures much of the absurdity and insanity of both war and modern society,” he said.

Mr. Alig stated his favorite book to be The Great Gatsby. “It is wrought with one man’s determination to achieve his dream. Additionally, Fitzgerald’s command of the language is beautifully poetic.”

Also, Mr. Alig said that no other language can beat a specific line from the novel: “We walked through a high hallway into a bright rosy-colored space, fragilely bound into the house by French

continued on page 6

Inside The Quill Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2,3 Features . . . . . .4,5,6,7,10,11,12,13 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8,9 Arts & Entertainment . . . . . .14,15 Back Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

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Opinion

Shootings raise questions on PTSD Nick Antone’14 Co-editor in Chief

T

he recent shootings at Fort Hood in Texas could be described as a wake-up call. Unfortunately, this is not the first shooting at a military base and is probably not the last either.

Whether or not this case is directly related to post traumatic stress disorder is not what’s important.

The numbers and the seriousness of this disease in relation to returning veterans are troubling regardless. Steps must be taken to prevent such a high number veterans with PTSD, especially when lives are being lost on domestic bases due to extreme reactions such as the one at Fort Hood.

One in five soldiers returning from combat has PTSD according to a number of different studies. Most experts say these numbers are most likely a lot higher than reported due to many veterans trying to avoid the issue. This leads to an important question: Are those in the military trained to not acknowledge any serious mental health issues that arise inside of them? Due to recent events, I’d have to argue that this is sometimes the case.

PTSD itself is a very difficult psychological disease, and not knowing that one might have it is a scary reality for some. Symptoms for the disease can include insomnia, feeling or acting detached from the rest of society, problems at work or home, and a heightened sense of irritability.

Many veterans who have been diagnosed say that these symptoms were thought of as nothing and “normal” by some standards. This could be a sign that keeping quiet about PTSD is one of its biggest issues.

Another issue that has arisen involves a lack of proper diagnosing from primary care physicians, many of whom give soldiers physicals. Most do not have the type of training to see signs of the disease.

And when any signs are seen, some patients are merely prescribed common antidepressant or anti-anxiety drugs. These drugs may help for the time being but should not be considered a cure. Soldiers with PTSD should have multiple visits with specialists on the disease to truly try and work toward any sort of path for integration back into normal society.

Many steps can be taken on both sides to improve the situation of PTSD. For those in the military who are struggling, know that there’s help for you. It may have not been presented to you, but seek help and hopefully you will find some. One of the biggest problems is hoping that the disease will simply disappear. In an ideal world, no one would have to go through such hardship, but this is not reality.

As far as doctors and physicians, they need to keep in mind that some of those struggling do not want to talk about it. These caretakers need to make it clear that they will not judge any of the soldiers for being “soft” so to speak. Besides being gentle, those at the head of healthcare in America need to recognize this probably more seriously than they do now.

Soldiers are people too and have feelings and emotions. Just because they are willing to die in war does not mean they are immune to its horrors- no one is. If nothing is done towards this problem the reports on shootings and suicides committed by those with the disease will just continue as they do now. It’s time to take a serious look at a serious problem.

Wedesday April 30, 2014

Born in the wrong generation Will Brueggemeyer ‘15 Staff Writer

L

ately, I’ve noticed an increasing trend of people claiming they were born in the “wrong generation.” They claim things were better in the past, wishing to live in the stability of the 50s, the social upheaval of the 60s, or maybe the music scene of the 70s.

No matter what generation these people wish they were born in, they all share one belief in common: that this generation is doomed. For whatever reason, many modern Americans (adults and teenagers alike) believe today’s culture is inferior to that of the past. Even more alarmingly, they believe they are the first people to come to this conclusion.

People have always looked at the past through rose-colored glasses. They are unwilling to cope with changes in society, believing their moral standards to be the only true ones. They only see the past through a modern lens, not realizing that society’s entire cultural makeup was fundamentally different.

The people today who oppose modern culture are just like the people a hundred years ago who opposed women’s suffrage, or the people from the 1800s who opposed abolition. I’m not saying they’re sexists or racists, but just that they are opposed to the natural progression of society.

They see all the positive aspects of the past, but fail to realize reality is much more complicated. An entire generation can’t be condensed to one sentence, and to claim one generation is “better” than another would be a gross generalization. People look at the prosperity of the 50s, but ignore the uglier details like America’s blatant racism and irrational fear of communism.

Many people claim the music of today is also inferior to that of the past. They cite bands like The Beatles or Queen as superior to the Justin Biebers and Miley Cyruses of today. People fail to realize that there was just as much mindless pop music in the past as there is today.

Take, for example, the year 1969. The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, The Who, Neil Young, and plenty of other musicians released albums now considered to be classics.

However, the most popular song of that year was Sugar Sugar by the Archies.

Popularity doesn’t necessarily equal greatness. Much of the “bad” pop music from the past has been weeded out by time, leaving only the truly great music to be remembered.

The same thing will happen with modern music.

There is just as much good music being produced today as there was in the past.

You just have to look for it outside the top of the charts.

While our generation may seem hopeless at first glance, don’t take this belief too seriously. People have thought the same thing for as long as society has existed, and society continues to go on. Things change, and clinging to the beliefs and traditions of the past won’t get you anywhere.

Today’s young people are lamenting their situation, but is it really different from the perspective of those in other decades?

The Purple Quill

Co-Editors in Chief: Nick Antone ‘14 and Chris Henkel ‘14

The Purple Quill is published 9 times per academic year by the students enrolled in the Journalism class at Elder High School. Content is determined by the staff and does not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of Elder High School’s faculty, administration or student body. Signed editorials and columns reflect the views of the writer. Letters to the editor and guest commentaries are encouraged and must be signed, although anonymity can be granted on a case by case basis.The staff reviews letters to the editor, advertising and guest commentaries and reserves the right to edit and refuse material. Reasons can include length, clarity, libel, obscenity, material disruption of the educational process at Elder High School or violation of copyright laws.

News Editor: (temporarily vacant)

“Give students the freedom of expression and soon everyone will want it.”

Features Editor: Steven Maurer ‘14 Opinion Editor: Donald Lutz ‘14 Sports Editor: Andrew Cole ‘14 Arts & Entertainment Editor: Sean Feldman ‘14 Back Page Editor: Rawley Cook ‘15

Staff Writers: Peter Aguilera ‘14 Dan Brown ‘14 Will Brueggemeyer ‘15 Rob Ellerhorst ‘15 Nick Rackers ‘15 Alex Reid ‘14 Collin Schweirs ‘15 Charlie Sehlhorst ‘15 Nathan Wuest ‘14 Faculty Advisor Mr. Gary Rogers Faculty Advisor Emeritus Mr. Edward Menkhaus ‘63

Wedesday April 30, 2014

Opinion

What happened to freedom of speech?

Mozilla CEO ousted for Prop 8 donation made in 2008 Rob Ellerhorst ‘15

Staff Writer

A ccording to the First Amendment, you have the right to free speech.

Unfortunately free speech does not equal free consequences Political correctness so rampant that the CEO of one of the biggest software companies in the world can be forced out of his job for having “incorrect views”.

That’s exactly what happened when former Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich was forced to resign from his position due to backlash he received for donating $1000 to California’s Proposition 8 back in 2008, only just angering the public six years later when he was promoted to CEO of Mozilla, the company that created the Firefox web browser.

The donation made in 2008 didn’t become public until 2012, and even then nobody really paid much attention to it until he was promoted to CEO, and the news of the donation spread like wildfire.

Eich was initially promoted to the Mozilla Corporation CEO on March 24, only to resign on April 3, after only ten days of holding the job. Ten days filled with furious debate between protestors and Eich’s defenders.

Eich, who also created Javascript, the coding language used to power many different websites and apps, said he resigned because he felt he could no

longer be the effective leader Mozilla needed, “I have decided to resign as CEO effective today, and leave Mozilla. Our mission is bigger than any one of us, and under the present circumstances, I cannot be an effective leader. I will be taking time before I decide what to do next.”

Mozilla confirmed the change in a blog post, “Mozilla prides itself on being held to a different standard and, this past week, we didn’t live up to it. We know why people are hurt and angry, and they are right: it’s because we haven’t stayed true to ourselves,” read the post, in part.

“We didn’t act like you’d expect Mozilla to act. We didn’t move fast enough to engage with people once the controversy started. We’re sorry. We must do better.”

In part due to internet and social media, news of Eich’s past spread quickly and a sort of “lynch mob” formed from many different people and groups, calling for Eich’s resignation as CEO and boycotting Firefox in protest.

Employees of Mozilla took to twitter to voice their unhappiness with Eich, and personally asked that he step down from his position as CEO. Not only that, but three of Mozilla’s six board members stepped down from their positions the week Eich was promoted, although it is unclear if Eich’s past was the reason for leaving.

Dating site OKCupid called out Eich for his contribution and asked its users to avoid using Mozilla software to access its website. The following message appeared on the page of its Firefox users:

Freshman are “up” for getting down Nick Rackers ‘15 Staff Writer

F or the juniors and seniors of Elder, springtime is prom season.

Whether it be Elder’s, Seton’s, Mercy’s or any other schools’, students are renting tuxedos and asking girls to be their prom date. Unlike the juniors and seniors, the sophomores don’t share the enthusiasm for dances. For the second year in a row, the sophomore class has managed to get their dance cancelled due to low ticket sales. However, for the rookies of Elder, the freshman,

the dance is on.

Even though they’re the newcomers, the freshmen seem to show an interest in their dance. Freshman cross country runner Joe Reiter said, “I think that since it is the freshmen’s first year, of course we want to see what dances like this are like and that is what makes them more interesting.”

Freshman Duncan Rackers agreed with Joe and explained, “I think more freshman go to their dance because the only formal dances before our freshman dance are those of the girls’ schools and not everyone gets to go to those. So more kids are more excited to see what dances are like, especially the formal ones.”

Like Elder’s other dances, the freshman dance will feature a DJ, and a light

“Hello there, Mozilla Firefox user.

Pardon this interruption of your OkCupid experience.

Mozilla’s new CEO, Brendan Eich, is an opponent of equal rights for gay couples. We would therefore prefer that our users not use Mozilla software to access OkCupid.”

App developer Rarebit announced that they would no longer support the Firefox platform with Eich as CEO, “As a married gay couple who are co-founders of this venture, we have chosen to boycott all Mozilla projects. We will not develop apps or test styles on Firefox anymore,” Hampton Catlin, CEO of Rarebit and creator of Wikipedia mobile, wrote in a letter to Eich.

“We will continue our boycott until Brendan Eich is completely removed from any day to day activities at Mozilla, which we believe is extremely unlikely after all he’s survived and the continued support he has received from Mozilla,” Catlin added.

show. There will be refreshments to replenish the freshmen who will be worn out from dancing. It will also be the first of many opportunities to get dressed up with a member of the opposite gender.

Despite this, many freshmen may not wish to attend. Rackers said, “Some freshman wouldn’t want to go because it’s similar to why some may want to go and why they’re so enthusiastic. They don’t know what they’re like and some freshman, they’re too timid to go. From previous dances in grade school, they make think they don’t like it and they don’t know that freshman dances can be a lot different.”

As for Reiter, he’s optimistic and looking forward to the dance.

“I am excited for just the whole dance experience. I think it will be a

3 I’m not saying at all that I support the California Proposition 8, and I’m definitely not anti-gay, but if someone wants to make a contribution to something that he thinks is righteous, then he should be allowed to do so without getting hateful feedback from people with different ideas, much less be forced to resign from his job because of it.

President Obama shared the same views as Eich in his 2008 campaign.

Where are the demands for his resignation for something he said six years ago?

Just because he isn’t “politically correct” in his views doesn’t mean he should have to come under fire for something he did six years ago.

Only when he works hard and gives his time and energy to the company and be promoted to CEO is when the protestors come out and call for his head.

Now I don’t agree with Eich’s descison to support Prop 8, but I applaud him because he stood up for what he thought was right and didn’t care what anyone else thought, and only stepped down because the whole controversy was hurting the very company he co-founded.

In a day in age where we are supposed to be over all of the prejudice against people whom we see as “different”, it is clearly just as rampant as ever when a man is kicked out of his own job simply for having different views.

And for the future of Eich, if I were him I would just keep practicing, “Welcome to Chick-fil-A. May I take your order?”

great time from dinner beforehand, a great dance with all my friends, and then a fun after party. I’m expecting the dance to have a number of people there because we have over 200 kids in our grade,” said Reiter.

The Freshman Dance will be Friday, May 9th, in Elder’s Cafeteria. It will run from 8-11 p.m.

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Features

Elderfest is here Andrew Cole ‘14 Sports Editor

E

veryone’s favorite school day will be here tomorrow, Elderfest. For those who don’t know what Elderfest is, it’s like your grade school field day on steroids, or Creatine if you go to Moeller. It’s a day of relaxation and fun given to us by the Elder administration as we head into our last leg of the school year.

As we do every Elderfest, we will start with our all-school Mass before the festivities begin. After the slow-clap before Mr. Ruffing makes his speech and then dismisses us, there will be a short intermission for the students to change from their school uniform to what they will be wearing for the rest of the day.

When we meet back in the gym, the student-faculty basketball game begins.

When the final horn sounds, the students head to whatever activities they will be participating in this year.

The ping pong and 3-on-3 basketball tournaments – the two most popular events – will be returning. Ping pong will be held in the multi-purpose room of the Schaeper Center while the basketball will obviously be taking place in the Field House. If you take a stroll through the Field House exit into The Pit, you will be able to see money exchanging hands as teams take each other down in corn hole set up on the field.

“I’ll definitely be hustling some freshman in corn hole,” senior Austin Cipriani said.

Along with the usual corn hole sets in The Pit, all the other activities are the more of the same as the past years.

Coach Rogers’ Birdieball will be having the east side of the field and punt/pass/kick will hold the west. The soccer fanatics will again have their 30 yards of the field as they do every year.

As most of the students relax on the steps of The Pit or participate in the Field House, there will also be a variety of video game tournaments going on in classrooms throughout the school. Mrs. Graham’s definite list of those games was not ready for print time.

Mrs. Graham did say the new event this year is the Spotify Party.

“I’ll most definitely be taking my talents to the Spotify Party,” sophomore Joe Kraft said.

All in all, Elderfest is a day of getting away from the hurried atmosphere of spring semester. Some students take part in three or four events that day while others just enjoy the sunshine and getting away from schoolwork for the day.

“Elderfest is a great way to end the year, especially for seniors,” senior Brian Guck said.

This year’s Elderfest is obviously the seniors’ last go around. Elderfest has yet to disappoint my three past years, and I don’t expect anything less for my last one.

Wedesday April 30, 2014

Features

Wedesday April 30, 2014

Role models reimagined Collin Schwiers ‘15

Staff Writer

I

n today’s society, many people focus their attention toward pop culture and entertainment. This is partly due to the fact that many people wish to escape the burdens of everyday life and turn their attention away from the atrocities experienced throughout the real world.

Among all of the useless and quite commonly horrible television series and movies being produced today one diamond in the rough has remained prominent for 75 years: Superheroes.

Superheroes such as Batman and Superman have become American icons.

These fictional role models have been regarded by many as the personification of quality values on how to live a decent life.

Mr. Alig, Elder’s very own superhero expert, said that superheroes “fight for the values of justice, truth, and assiduity.” He also went on to say that those principles are the principles upon which his teaching and life are guided.

For me and many others, Batman is the favorite superhero because he does not have powers. Batman is a superhero built by himself. The mind is his greatest weapon, and because of this, he seems practical.

Far too often our society is stricken by grief and terror (as is Gotham City in the Batman universe) and we look for

heroes to believe in something far greater than their feats and powers: hope.

I personally believe that everyone should strive to be his own hero; live a life for the good of humanity without seeking recognition. Mr. Alig just so happens to agree with this perfectly as he stated: “Another reason that superheroes are important to me stems from the inevitable secret identities borne by most if not all superheroes. All the good that superheroes enact normally gets noticed, but the actual do-gooder is never really properly recognized.”

This statement helps to prove that superheroes are not identified by the powers they possess, but by their integrity and the morals by which they live.

Mr. Alig gave a wonderful example of how Batman received the credit for defeating the Riddler, not Bruce Wayne.

Mr. Alig said that this is how he also tries to live his life. “Just like superheroes, I, too, believe wholeheartedly that doing my best, working my hardest, and helping others are actions that offer their own rewards. Like superheroes, I don’t engage in the work I do for reasons of self-aggrandizement.”

Mr. Alig is proof that people draw inspiration from superheroes in their own lives. Superheroes are often viewed as role models, not just fictional beings in comic books.

Lately, I feel as though superheroes have become a prominent aspect of entertainment due to the success of the movie industry.

Soon to be expected is Batman vs.

Superman, a new Justice League movie, and a new Batman series.

Everyone loves super heroes and the entertainment that they provide, but for me and many others in society, super heroes can be viewed as today’s greatest role models.

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Features

Indoor drum line shatters record at MEPA Championship Peter Aguilera ’14 Staff Writer

I

n early February, Elder’s indoor drum line faced much controversy. Along with having a short line of recruits and a lack of upperclassmen, they were entering into an all new competition circuit. However, no one was expecting to set a new school record.

On March 30th, Elder’s drum line ventured out to Wright State University for the MEPA circuit championship. With two competition wins under their belt, they looked for their momentum to carry over into the year’s final performance.

“Yeah, we kind of expected it,” smiled sophomore snare drummer Vonte Jennings. “After winning the other competitions we expected to take first.”

It was no secret that Elder’s indoor drum line was dominating the new circuit, but this was by no means a fluke.

“Concentration is the key,” commented Elder percussion instructor Andy Mersch. “We had a group who would consistently show up ready to rehearse and concentrate on getting the piece down.”

Mersch explained that within seven days, the drum line was able to raise its score by a total of eight points up to a 92 to break the existing record.

“They came to play,” said Mersch.

“I was not expecting a score that high,” admitted senior keyboardist Jason Geis.

Jennings and Geis both concluded that the drum line’s pit was a big contributor to the score. It consisted of many first year indoor percussionists who, for the most part, did not know their instru-

Faculty favorite books continued from front page

instead of some people’s idea that ‘nothing means anything.’ That philosophy really helped to promote my own ‘Carpe Diem’ approach to life itself. How amazing that other people’s ideas, when read with an open mind, can influence one’s own thoughts and intent on living each day to the fullest.”

Obviously, not all of the English teachers and his or her favorite book are listed, but if you are curious to know

ments.

Along with the young guns of the drum line stepping up, Mersch’s original piece It’s About Time was a huge hit with the judges.

“The judges really appreciated the attention to detail,” said Mersch, “It’s all about presentation; no one wants to pay to watch Kings of Leon play horribly.”

Having won the circuit, Elder will be moving up a division in the upcoming year which will bring a whole new set of challenges.

Moving forward without seniors Jason Geis and Brennan Smith, though, will be one of the tougher blows to take.

With infectious zeal and optimism present in younger members such as Jennings, the musicianship of Geis will be the hardest asset to replace.

With a Championship under their belt and a historic year in the record books, Elder’s indoor drum line has wetted their appetite for gold. Come next February; keep an eye out for some new hardware in the band office.

Jason Geis shows off the hardware.

which book he or she likes best, feel free to ask. I am sure an English teacher would love to take time to discuss a common interest in literature with you.

David McCullough once said, “Learning is not to be found on a printout. It’s not on call at the touch of the finger. Learning is acquired mainly from books, and most readily from great books.” So go ahead and ask your teacher what book to read, and then read it!

Wedesday April 30, 2014

Pro-Russian forces revolt against central government in Eastern Ukraine Nick Rackers ‘15 Staff Writer

M ore than two weeks ago, on April 7, proRussian separatists took control of government buildings in the eastern Ukrainian cities of Donetsk, Kharkov and Lugansk. They called for a referendum on independence and asked Vladimir Putin to send the Russian military to protect them.

The next day, Ukrainian authorities were able to take control of the Kharkov government buildings, but protesters remained defiant in Donetsk and Lugansk. In Donetsk, Pavel Gubarev and his supporters proclaimed the Donetsk Peoples Republic, which no country has recognized as independent.

In the southern and eastern regions of Ukraine, Russian is widely spoken and ethnic Russians form a large portion of the population. Resentment towards the Ukrainian central government in Kiev is not new, but the tide of pro-Russian sympathies has been rising since the overthrow of President Viktor Yanukovych in February.

In March, Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine, which is mostly ethnic Russian with Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar minorities. The annexation, which has drawn condemnation from around the world, made Crimea a de facto part of the Russian Federation.

Unlike in Crimea, the separatist uprising in eastern Ukraine has not been peaceful. On April 12, heavily armed proRussian soldiers took control of Slaviansk and clashed with police in Druzhovka, Kramatorsk, and other cities. After they refused to back down, interim President of Ukraine Aleksander Turchynov announced the beginning of an “anti-terrorist operation” in order to regain control of the eastern regions on April 15.

Over the next few days, the Ukrainian military operation stalled as it met resistance from rebels and civilians alike. In Kramatorsk, pro-Russian forces seized six Ukrainian armored vehicles. Three separatist gunmen were also killed during an attempt to take a Ukrainian base in the city of Mariupol in the south of the Donetsk region.

On April 17, Ukraine, Russia, the United States and the European Union reached an agreement in Geneva, Switzerland. The agreement, aimed at deescalating the crisis, started to break down after a shooting at a pro-Russian checkpoint in Slaviansk on Easter Sunday. After the bodies of two men were found tortured to death in the Donetsk region, Aleksandr Turchynov announced that the Ukrainian military is continuing its operation to remove separatists in the east.

As of April 24, the United States has sent 600 soldiers to Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia to reassure its regional allies. The Russian government announced that it will commence military drills in the vicinity of the Ukrainian border.

In Moldova, a Russian populated break-away country known as Transnistria has appealed to Russia to recognize its independence. Transnistria declared independence from Moldova after the fall of the Soviet Union, sparking a war that resulted in thousands of Russian soldiers being stationed in Transnistria. It is still recognized as part of Moldova, but the majority of the population wants the region to be annexed to Russia. The Russian intervention in Ukraine has raised their hopes of union with Russia.

Estonia and Latvia have expressed fears of Russian intervention as both have large Russian minorities. Russian actions in Eastern Europe have shown that even more than 20 years after the fall of the Soviet Union, Russia is a force to be reckoned with. Whether or not Russia will use force is unknown, but it is a waiting game.

Tensions are high in Donetsk where pro-Russian forces have gained control.

Wedesday April 30, 2014

Features

7

Sam’s Chili:Better than imagined photo by Steven Maurer

Steven Maurer ‘14 Features Editor

S

am’s Chili may seem like a shady restaurant, but outside judgments are washed away once you enter the premises. The restaurant, opened in 1967, has great food, but an even better experience.

I had never been to Sam’s until Sunday, April 6, when I visited before a Shrek dress rehearsal. I went with Drew Kahny and Matt Listermann, two frequent visitors who had gone with the Honor Guard many times before Elder football games. I had no idea what to order, but I was recommended to try their chicken.

I ordered chicken and fries, and while I was waiting, John, the delivery man for Sam’s, came over and started to talk to us. He talked with us about multiple subjects, but two of his biggest points were being grateful for his blessings, and how you look at yourself in a mirror.

John has two daughters who graduated from Purcell Marian High School, and both are in college, one an Air Force staff sergeant at the University of Maryland, and the other a freshman at Northern Kentucky University. He’s very proud of both of them.

John asked us, “When you look in the mirror every day after you wake up, what do you see?”

No one could come up with a definite answer, so he told us, “The only

thing that’s present in the mirror is yourself. Everything else is behind you.”

I thought about this, and he’s right.

Even though we struggle and fall at times, the only thing we can change is our present. Our past may have been good or bad, but we’re in the present.

“The only thing that’s present in the mirror is yourself. Everything else is behind you.”

Listermann felt the same way.

“His talk about the “mirror of life” made me realize that what has happened in the past has been shaped who I am today, and I cannot dwell on it. He told me that I need to focus on the moment at

hand,” he said.

John also showed us a book that he reads called “Introduction to Reflective Thinking.” We conversed, and had an enlightening conversation about different philosophy.

After talking for a good twenty minutes, our food was ready. The chicken was to die for. Sam’s uses mustard in their chicken breading for an extra kick, which made the chicken even better.

Sam’s also has great fries and mozzarella sticks, and is also very affordable, which is also appealing. I would recommend eating here as soon as possible.

When we left, Joe left us with a few last thoughts. He told us, “If I don’t see you again, please know that I love my two daughters, and I cherish every day.

Let go, and let God.”

Sam’s chili is a familiar sight here in Price Hill, located just across Glenway Ave. from Seton High School.

I’ve taken these as a motto, and I’ve been living a better life recently because I’m thankful for every moment I have, and I have been closer to God. I left Sam’s with a new appetite and a new taste for life. You can easily pass judgment on the restaurant across the street from Seton, but you don’t know Sam’s until you’ve met John and had the Sam’s experience.

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Sports

Wedesday April 30, 2014

2014 NFL Mock Draft Dan Brown ‘14 Assistant Sports Editor

Moderator’s note: This time of year is ripe with mock NFL drafts and we here at The Quill have our share of discussions of the same subject down in room S-134 of the Schaeper Center. Our resident national sports expert, senior Dan Brown, gives his first round predictions here: 1. Houston Texans: Johnny Manziel, QB- Texas A&M 2. St. Louis Rams: Sammy Watkins, WR-Clemson 3. Jacksonville Jaguars: JaDeveon Clowney, DE-South Carolina 4. Cleveland Browns: Mike Evans, WR-Texas A&M 5. Oakland Raiders: Greg Robins, OT-Auburn 6. Atlanta Falcons: Khalil Mack, OLB-Buffalo 7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Aaron Donald, DT-Pittsburgh 8. Minnesota Vikings: Teddy Bridgewater, QB-Louisville 9. Buffalo Bills: Anthony Barr, OLB- UCLA 10. Detroit Lions: Justin Gilbert, CB-Oklahoma State 11. Tennessee Titans: Taylor Lewan, OT-Michigan 12. New York Giants: Eric Ebron, TE-North Carolina 13. St. Louis Rams: Jake Matthews, OT-Texas A&M 14. Chicago Bears: Haha ClintonDix, FS-Alabama 15. Pittsburgh Steelers: Darqueze Dennard, CB-Michigan State

16. Dallas Cowboys: Calvin Pryor, FSLouisville 17. Baltimore Ravens: C.J. Mosley, ILBAlabama 18. New York Jets: Marquis Lee, WRUSC 19. Miami Dolphins: Zach Martin, OT-Stanford 20. Arizona Cardinals: Blake Bortles, QB-UCF 21. Green Bay Packers: Odell Becham Jr., WR-LSU 22. Philadelphia Eagles: Louis Nix, NT-Notre Dame 23. Kansas City Chiefs: Allen Robinson, WR-Penn State 24. Cincinnati Bengals: Anthony Barr, OLB-UCLA 25. TRADE: Jacksonville Jaguars (from Chargers): Zach Mettenberger, QB-LSU 26. Cleveland Browns: Derek Carr, QB-Fresno State 27. New Orleans Saints: Bradley Roby, CB-Ohio State 28. Carolina Panthers: Brandin Cooks, WR-Oregon State 29. New England Patriots: Jace Amaro, TE-Texas Tech 30. San Francisco 49ers: Kelvin Benjamin, WR-FSU 31. Denver Broncos: Xavier Su’a Filo, G-UCLA 32. Seattle Seahawks: Rashede Hegeman,DT-Minnesota

Elder reaches pinnacle of Academia Collin Schwiers ‘15

Staff Writer

E

lder has an Academic Team, and yes it is considered an academic sport, so in case you haven’t heard of such a thing at Elder, you should know that it was actually quite successful this year.

This year’s varsity team consisted of the MVP, William Preston Brueggemeyer, Matthew Murray, Michael Kay, myself (Collin Schwiers) and first substitute, Nicholas Conda.

Will Brueggemeyer led the team as both captain and MVP. His vast knowledge of literature (especially French literature) and also history has certainly aided the team this year. With Matt Murray to answer every question remotely related to a science or mathematics, Michael Kay and I were left to answer the odds and ends which we did quite successfully.

Mr. Ceddia, our coach, said “This year’s team was one of the best we have had, and I am quite happy with the result of this season.”

For the first time ever, the Academic Panthers won their league with a record of 9-1. Also, during the season, the team ran into quite an interesting incident during one of its matches.

Chaminade Julienne, a team that would normally win the league without struggle, had to forfeit the match they played against us. When the scores were tallied, the match ended with a victory for Chaminade Julienne by 12 points.

However, the match was forfeited by Chaminade Julienne because they had heard all of the questions of the match the week prior by sitting in on another match which is not allowed.

Due to winning the league, the Academic team went to the State Regional Tournament. For the first time in eleven years, the team won a match at the tournament.

The first match at state was against Walnut Hills, and sadly, the Panthers were blown out of the water. We lost by a score deficit of over 20 points.

The second match was against Batavia, and I am proud to say that we won with a score that was over double that of Batavia’s.

The final match of the day was against Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy. Ironically, the Christian

Lee Lutz ‘14 Opinion Editor The 2014 NFL draft kicks off on May 8.

Many Elder students and Cincinnati sports fans alike are very interested in what may happen with this very deep draft class. This class has been labeled by scouts and media as the deepest in recent years. This year’s class features a plethora of talented underclassmen. Thirty-five of the top 64 prospects ranked by CBS Sport’s Rob Rang are underclassmen. This year will bring a large amount of talent but that talent could be lacking in maturity.

It seems every day this spring there has been another report of a QB not impressing teams in workouts. Several teams have come out saying they would prefer to draft a quarterback in the second round. What if the top three QBs, Blake Bortles, Teddy Bridgewater and Johnny Manziel, really aren’t guaranteed top ten picks? All of this just adds to the drama and will ensure that this will be one of the most exciting drafts in years.

What most Elder students are concerned with in this upcoming draft is who the Bengals might take with the 24th pick. The Bengals could potentially go a number of ways in this draft.

Everywhere you turn you see a different person portraying a different pick. Most likely we will see a defensive back being picked on May 8th but depending on who is selected first, there could be a various number of situations that could play out.

“I hope the Bengals take Dennard from Michigan State, our corners are getting old and that guy can flat out play,” said Elder senior and former St. Williams left guard/middle linebacker T.J.

Academy wasn’t so Christian throughout the match. The team, and the team’s coach contested the way Will Brueggemeyer stated a correct answer hoping to nullify the point. The point wouldn’t have been one of great importance though, seeing as how we lost by six.

2014 NFL Draft Bengals Preview Nicholson.

Bradley Robey, CB, Ohio State Matthew Fairburn, writer for SBnation.com, claims that the Bengals will select the former Ohio State Buckeye and speedy corner Bradley Robey.

“While the Bengals have an impressive trio of cornerbacks, Leon Hall is coming off his second torn achilles in three years, and Terence Newman and Pacman Jones are getting up there in age.

Adding a young cornerback like Bradley Roby would be an ideal first-round pick.

He’s talented enough to start from day one and could play in the slot or on the outside,” says Fairburn.

Kyle Van Noy, OLB, BYU Dan Hope, a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report, has the Benglas selecting Van Noy to help out the Bengal’s linebacking core.

“A fantastic all-around player with tremendous versatility, Van Noy could quickly emerge as a three-down player on the Cincinnati defense. He is a terrific player in space who makes tackles all over the field and is skilled in coverage while also being used as a pass-rusher off the edge,” says Hope Various other sources have the Bengals selecting various different players. People speculate they could select Darqueze Dennard, CB, Michigan State if he falls to 24. Ryan Shazier, OLB, Ohio State and Jason Verrett, CB, TCU are also possible selections. The bottom line is that the players selected with the 23 picks before the Bengals will play a big factor in who the Bengals select first on May 8th.

Overall, this season has been one for the record books of Elder because we certainly performed to the highest caliber we possibly could. Records were made, matches were won, and a heartbreaking loss in the State tournament combine for one phenomenal season for the Academic Panthers.

Eggheads: left to right; Nick Conda, Colin Schweirs, Mr. Rick Ceddia, Matt Murray, Nick Ellerhorst and Will Brueggemeyer.

Sports

UMass’s Gordon breaks down barriers Rawley Cook ‘15 Back Page Editor

O

n April 9, Derrick Gordon announced he was gay, becoming the first openly gay college basketball player in the history of the sport. Gordon, a sophomore starter for the University of Massachusetts, shared his story with ESPN and Outsports.

The 22-year old came to this decision at the beginning of April, coming out to his family and a couple of close friends. He then decided to take it to the public.

“I just didn’t want to hide anymore, in any way,” Gordon told ESPN. “I didn’t want to have to lie or sneak. I’ve been waiting and watching for the last few months, wondering when a Division I player would come out, and finally I just said, ‘Why not me?”

This announcement comes on the heels of NBA-player Jason Collins and soon-to-be NFL-player Michael Sam’s announcement of being gay.

The reactions have been surprisingly good, with most people being very open to it.

Collins, a free-agent at the time of his announcement, was recently signed by the

Brooklyn Nets. Sam, reigning SEC Player of the Year, will enter the upcoming drafts as one of the top defensive talents and will likely be drafted in one of the mid-rounds.

Gordon said that these people, Collins especially, factored into his decision a lot. “That was so important to me, knowing that sexuality didn’t matter, that the NBA was OK with it.”

Gordon has received a mass amount of support from within the UMass athletic administration and even was shown support from Jason Collins and Michael Sam on Twitter.

This news will certainly bring a lot more attention to the UMass team and to Gordon specifically, but with the strong support from his family and teammates, Gordon is certain they will be able to deal with it.

Gordon, a red-shirt sophomore last season, averaged 9.4 points and 3.5 rebounds for UMass.

Nick Rackers ‘15 Staff Writer

A fter a year of waiting and a few indoor meets, Elder’s varsity track team started its season on April 1st. The team went down the street to the Panther Athletic Complex on Quebec Road for the Skyline Relays. Led by captains Joe Ratterman, Austin Pitchford, Carl Lengerich, Adam Gardner, and Jonathan Reiter, the varsity team took first place in the season opener with 121 total points.

A week later, the Panthers took first

again in the Coaches Classic Prelims at Ross on the 9th. Two days later, they took 6th place out of 28 teams at the Coaches Classic Finals at Winton Woods.

Not simply settling for 6th place, Elder came back to take first of 13 at the Colerain Invitational at Colerain High School on April 15th.

Distance squad captain Adam Gardner is impressed and said, “We’ve been doing well as a team. Some guys have been stepping up to fill varsity roles and some JV guys are really vying for spots. Several guys have set personal records thus far which is great. I love to see the young guys compete and progress as runners.”

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Two local standouts head to the NBA draft Alex Reid ‘14 Staff Writer

T

he 2014 NBA Draft is just around the corner.

Both XU and UC have players entering the draft.

Senior Sean Kilpatrick, who led UC in scoring this year and was named an AP First Team All-American, and sophomore guard Semaj Christon, who led XU in scoring and was selected to the All-Big East First Team, will be hoping to hear their names called at the 2014 NBA Draft. Here’s a breakdown of what these two players are bringing to the draft and the chances they have on getting drafted.

1. Sean Kilpatrick: Kilpatrick is already 24 years old. He spent five years at Cincinnati. His best season was undoubtedly his senior season, where he averaged 20 points and four rebounds a game. Aside from the numbers, Kilpatrick made a huge impact with his leadership. With the change in conferences that took place after the 2013 season and a couple of key players graduating, many questioned whether this program would be able to return to the same competitiveness that they have had in the past. Kilpatrick, along with senior Justin Jackson answered those questions with a great season and earned a five seed in the NCAA tournament. Throughout the season, Kilpatrick consistently put up solid numbers and demonstrated great leadership. This leadership may be something that could help him entering the draft.

His only major setback might be the fact that he is already 24 years old. Another possible set back is whether or not he is an “NBA player.” He can shoot the three ball well, but other than that he has not showed a very strong mid-range game.

Kilpatrick stands at 6’-4”, which is slightly undersized for a two guard position. That leads into the next set back which is his weakness at handling the There has been a lot of improvement, especially in the distance events.

“In particular, the Rickett brothers have stood out to me. Kyle and Tyler are 800 runners this year for the varsity team and have established themselves as the nucleus of our 4x8 team. Also, Brandon West and Michael Huschart have become vital 800 and two mile runners respectively,” continued Gardner.

On Friday, May 2nd, the group goes back to Ross High School for the Ross Invitational.

The following Thursday will be the Best of the West meet at Oak Hills on the 8th.

May 14th will be the GCL Prelims at

ball. Kilpatrick never really showed explosiveness when it came to attacking the rim which again may affect his chances of being drafted. He is projected to be a late second round pick.

2. Semaj Christon: Christon came to Xavier and immediately made an impact as a freshman. He led the team in scoring his freshman season and won multiple Atlantic 10 rookie weekly awards. He even won the Atlantic 10 rookie of the year award his first season with the Musketeers. He showed a lot of promise just in his first year in terms of being an NBA player one day. His sophomore season was much improved, where he averaged 17 points and four assists per game. After the 2014 season ended, there were many questions on whether or not he will declare for the draft just after two seasons with the Musketeers. He somewhat struggled towards the end of the season, which definitely played a part in people thinking he wasn’t ready.

However, Christon is 21 years old and this may have been the best time for him to go. He stands at 6’-3”, which definitely gives him an advantage at the point guard position. In his second season with Xavier, he wasn’t really seen as the true point guard of the team. This enabled us to see what he can do without the ball.

Christon can finish strong at the rim, but lacks big time shooting from three point range. Along with struggles from behind the arc, Christon also struggles with his free throws. The free throws might be his only big set back in the draft as a point guard. As a point guard who gets to the line, he needs to improve at that spot to be an effective guard. Christon is projected to be a late first round to early second round pick.

LaSalle, with finals on the 16th. It will be tough competition against St. Xavier, LaSalle, and Moeller, but Coach Flaherty is confident.

“We got a shot, LaSalle is extremely tough, X has got a lot of really good distance guys. LaSalle is probably the team to beat. I think we have a fighting chance.

Everything has got to break our way for us to win, but I think we can win. That’s our goal every year, to win. If we can’t win, then fourth, third, second doesn’t really matter. First is all we’re worried about.”

photo by Nick Rackers

Wedesday April 30, 2014

The PAC is the home of Elder Track and Field.

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Features

Wedesday April 30, 2014

The Power of Code Steven Maurer ‘14 Features Editor

T

here is a vital skill for our modern world that is not being taught in 9 out of 10 American high schools. It’s not tweeting or posting pictures to Instagram, though: it’s computer coding.

Code has been used in every technology source ever made. From the first computers that were the size of a room to an ordinary iPhone, technology uses computer code to make sure programs work efficiently. Games and apps also use code, and are filled with multiple pages of code. Even the simplest program-Microsoft Word, for example-is highly dependent on the code that created it.

Code is everywhere, but not enough students know about or have taken coding classes. With the technology industry at its highest point ever, there are multiple jobs available for programmers. You can design video games, write an app, develop a website, and so much more with code. There are hundreds and hundreds of coding languages already made.

Code.org, a website made solely for the purpose of promoting computer science and programming, has multiple statistics on coding. Computer science is a top paying college degree, and there will be 1.4 million computing jobs available by 2020. Less than 2.4% of college students graduate with a degree in computer science, while 60% of today’s jobs are based on computer programming. Also, in 31 states, computer science doesn’t even count towards high school graduation math or science requirements.

This website also has a video with

Computer programming isn’t being taught in 9 out of 10 American high schools.

When you view written code, it can seem very confusing, but learn the basics and you could be establishing skills that are very needed in the workforce of today and the future.

will.i.am, Chris Bosh and Mark Zuckerburg promoting computer programming. The website also has tutorials on basic computing skills, and touts that over 32 million people have tried an hour of code on their site.

I asked Mr. Jameson about the opportunities available to those who learn a programming language.

Knowing how to write code helped Mark Zuckerberg become a billionaire.

“Knowing a programming language opens a lot of doors. Working as a programmer has been and will continue to be a lucrative profession. However, programming has been slowly seeping its way into nearly all forms of industry.

Banks, insurance companies, construction companies, even soap makers all have complex computer systems that have to be maintained and improved.

While many of these companies will hire specialists, it can help immensely if the non-programmer employees have a basic understanding of how the computer system works. A person will be much more marketable as an employee if they have programming skills,” he said.

Mr. Jameson also said that “Another huge advantage to learning one programming language is that you will likely be able to pick up other languages very quickly. However, despite the obvious

advantages to learning a programming language I do not necessarily recommend that every person learn to code. Studies suggest that people can have a knack for writing code or not.... and there’s not a whole lot a person can do about it. For some people, the way that a computer works will always just be ‘magic’.”

Computer science is growing by the day, and there is more demand for programmers than ever. Even if you don’t know a specific language, being able to understand computer systems will come in handy in a future job. I would recommend all underclassmen to consider taking a computer science elective next year.

You can benefit from learning languages like Java and Visual Basic.

Wedesday April 30, 2014

Features

11

Class Clowns Peter Aguilera ’14 Staff Writer

T

he weeks leading up to an April at Elder High School bring much anticipation.

Discussions of Elderfest, opening days, prom, and the epidemic of senioritis naturally circulate through the student body. However, in recent weeks a mild curiosity has formed around the appearance of mysterious clown paintings in a handful of classrooms.

Little explanation regarding the purpose and origins of these clown paintings have left students confused and, occasionally, disturbed.

These eerie embellishments of circus employees range from a sad clown sitting in a chair to an elated jokester in golf attire clutching his driver.

Though the degree of concern varies, confusion is mutual amongst witnesses of the portraits.

Consequently, Elder’s faculty has gotten a kick out of students’ reactions.

Mr. Kevin Espelage was one of the first faculty members to adopt a new “circus” motif in his classroom.

Neighboring Espelage is mathematician Mr. Scott Louis.

The duo’s collection of new art work features over five clowns. Yet, there was no recognizable correlation between the clowns or their underlying meanings.

Nonetheless, Elder’s next mysterious masterpiece resides in Elder’s freshman wing.

“It does kind of creep me out,” said English teacher Julie Brandel.

Ironically, Brandel’s guest appears to be the saddest of his kin, even though his new home rests halls away from any hint of algebraic equations. One may even

“You can’t just sell pieces like those,” Heile said.

“They deserve to be appreciated by the faculty and the staff.” deem him ungrateful for not appreciating the abundance of introverted discussion and the room’s pleasant fragrance which is a coveted alternative to the humid, odorous air native to Elder’s main building during hot climates.

Elder’s final clown remains hidden,

Left: Mrs. Brandel is obviously pleased with the new addition to her classroom.

Below: Golf coach Rogers can point out the good grip and club position of his new roommate, but could never tolerate those shoes on the delicate greens of Western Hills CC.

from most of Elder’s students, in the far corner of the Schaeper Center.

“I just think it freaks kids out,” laughed Graphic Design and Journalism teacher Mr. Gary Rogers.

Rogers’ room is home to the golfer clown. Clutching his driver by his ear, this joker wears a floppy cap, an orange sweater, baggy brown pants, and a heavy smile; most likely due to the fact that his room is air conditioned.

Mr. Rogers went on to explain that he had gotten the painting from the alumni office after receiving an email that surplus artwork from past Elderamas was available “free” to faculty members.

There was a limit of one piece per faculty member until all had been able to see every piece that was available.

Apparently some teachers were more taken with the roustabouts than others.

Following up on this led me to alum-

ni director Toby Heile.

“No one knows where they came from,” Mr. Heile explains.

Apparently, the artwork had been donated over many years of Elderama raffles.

“You can’t just sell pieces like those,” Heile said. “They deserve to be appreciated by the faculty and the staff.”

Thus, it would appear that these clowns will not be moving any time soon.

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Features

Elder Prom finds a new home Sean Feldman ‘14 Arts and Entertainment Editor

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very year Elder hosts Prom for students in the Junior and Senior classes.

The Prom has been held at the Woodlands reception hall for about ten years, and at a few other locations here and there. Student council has actually tried to get Prom moved to a new location for a while, but it never happened.

I spoke to Mr. Reiring, moderator of student council, to get more information on past Proms.

“Music Hall was home to Elder’s Junior/Senior Promenade until the year 2000, when riots and violence were becoming an issue in the Over the Rhine

Turnout this year was around 250 couples, as opposed to the last few years’ averages of about 220. area. That year the Prom was held at the Kolping Center. Other locations of the Prom included the Phoenix ballroom downtown and the Cintas Center.”

This year, though, student council decided they were going to make a new location for Prom become a reality.

Mr. Reiring said, “Student Council

ultimately agreed on moving Prom to Newport’s Syndicate after it was proposed by Mrs. Brandel, who built a rapport with the reception hall after her wedding reception was held there.”

Reiring continued, “Some practical reasons for why Prom was moved to the Syndicate were because since we didn’t have a senior dance this year, we could afford a more expensive venue. Also, the date on which we usually have Prom, the second week of April, was already booked at the Woodlands, and Elder was hosting the ACT test the next day, so the move was almost necessary.”

Though the Prom was moved from the Woodlands this year, Elder still has a great relationship with the establishment and its owner who is an Elder graduate.

The Woodlands offers a fantastic place for Elder to hold the Honors Banquet, Mom Prom, Victory Dance, and other events.

A pricier ticket than at the Woodlands, students were willing to shell out a bit more for the opportunity to have Prom at the Syndicate.

The Syndicate offered a classy venue for a one of the few nights out of the year in

which students get to dress up in our finest duds and class it up. From the moment Prom-goers entered the Grand Ballroom, where the Prom was held, the atmosphere of excitement was evident through the lively chatter and party feel of the lights and decorations.

Turnout this year was around 250 couples, as opposed to the last few years’ averages of about 220.

The music at this years Prom was good, but songs such as the cha-cha slide and cupid shuffle crept their way into spots mid-dance, rather than their rightful places in the pre-dance position.

The photo booth was a hit as always,

Wedesday April 30, 2014 allowing students to capture Prom in a fun and unique way.

The Prom next year is scheduled to be held at the Syndicate again, but nothing is set in stone. Prom will be held during the last weekend of March, but Elder looks to return Prom to the second weekend in April, where it has always been in years past.

A huge thank you to all people involved with this year’s Prom, especially student council, chaperones, and teachers.

Features

Wedesday April 30, 2014 Andrew Cole and Douglas Lee Lutz ‘14 Sports and Opinion Editors, respectively

E

very August the Panthers file into the parking lot to begin another school year.

For some students, this might be the first time driving to school while others have been making the daily commute to Vincent and Regina for a year or two. Another tradition is the Purple Quill’s “Best of the Lot.” This year’s installment features some new and familiar wheels.

THE BEST: Johnny Lammers’ 2014 Honda Civic Lammers joins the prestigious Best of the Lot rotation this year. His Civic is his third car since he has had his license.

After flipping his truck on the way to school on a rainy day; he temporarily sported a yellow Ford Escape.

Apparently his dad felt that he had enough embarrassment driving around in a Twinkie, so he leased him a new Civic.

Lammers will be riding big next year on his way to Thomas More football practice.

Jimmy Riegler’s Jeep Anyone that pulls out of the faculty lot on to Gilsey sees Jimmy’s Jeep sitting in the Community Service spots. His purple-ish hue of paint has slowly started to fade over the years and the side mirrors seem like they could maybe take one more mailbox hit and they’re done, but it’s still a good looking piece. When the weather is nice, Big Rig takes off the doors, puts down the top and rolls like a white Rick Ross. The only problem is some delinquent picked up a snowball on his way out of school one day and threw it at Rig’s jeep and plastered it through the back cover. Though this jeep might be a few years out of date, Rig does it huge in the Jeep.

Noah Burbink’s 2011 Dodge Charger Burbrink’s orange Charger isn’t alien to The Quill’s Best of the Lot awards. He has been chilling the American muscle since he first got his license sophomore year. The Charger rides like a space ship, floating down Neeb

1.

2.

The Chosen Few: 1. Burbrink’s Orange Charger; 2. Reigler’s Jeep; 3, Rensing’s Audi; 4. Larz (The Peters’ Corolla); 5.Bischoff’s bug; 6. Isham’s Camry; 7. The Orloff’s Acclaim; 8. Diener’s F-150.

Road into his circle driveway as he pulls in next to his sister’s just as impressive white jeep. The Burbrinks don’t mess around when it comes to wheels, and for that we decided that Burbrink’s car gets runner-up in year’s Best of the Lot.

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against the side of the garage as he was pulling out with his mom. Later, Nick was at ASAP at the Western Sports Mall, and a few hulligans decided it would be a fun idea to steal Larz.

The cops would go on to catch the bandits that stole Larz, but not before doing a considerable amount of damage to him. The CYO basketballs belonging to St. Jude were never recovered but the culprits did leave a Lil Wayne CD which the Peters still bump to today.

Hopefully Larz will have a long prosperous life just like their older brother’s Honda Accord, which has over 200 thousand miles on it.

Joe Isham’s Toyota Camry Isham’s Camry is holding on for its life. Like it’s literally being held together by tape. A couple months back Joe got a little too excited to leave and accidently backed into someone. Instead of going to a body shop and getting an estimate on what it might cost, Isham thought some Scotch tape would suffice.

5.

7.

3.

Davis Rensing’s 2009 Audi A4 With his golf clubs rustling around in the back, Davis rolls in a cherry red Audi A4. Purchased his junior year, he won last year’s Best of the Lot award. With his blacked out rims mixed with his black leather interior, we at The Purple Quill have decided to crown him the Back-to-Back Champ. With Davis graduating this May, the throne for Best of the Lot is open for the taking next school year.

THE CLUNKERS: Nick and Matt Peters’ 2001 Toyota Corolla Nicknamed “Larz”, the Peters’ car has gone through a lot.

When Matt had his temps, he scraped it up

4.

Kyle and Keith Orloff’s 1995 Plymouth Acclaim Orloff is used to taking some hits as he brings down the opposing players in football, but his Acclaim has been taking some hits too.

This bad boy features no air conditioning and no heat, making winters brutal and summers excruciating for the Orloff brothers. As if it isn’t enough that they can’t feel comfortable in their own car, their ceiling has begun to slowly fall off. At the very least, the Orloff’s can use an iPhone cassette player converter to play music on their horrible drives. Honestly, the only decent thing I can see about this car is that it has motorized seat belts,

6. which I’m not sure why car companies got rid of.

CREATIVITY AWARD: Nathan Bischoff’s 1964 Volkswagon Bug Everyone knows when Bischoff is coming to school because anyone walking from their car to the cafeteria door can hear him coming from Price Hill Chili. Some might think his blue bug is newest piece to his collection because last year he had a black bug with John Lennon’s face spray painted on it, but it is actually the same car. Bischoff purchased this gem for just $3000 and he has had minimal problems with it. He hopes to keep adding to his collection.

Tim Diener’s 2006 F-150 Diener actually purchased this F-150 from his own dad and since then he has added his own get-ups to it. XD series strike wheels, nitto terra grappler tires, magnaflow exhaust, and a custom grilled equipped with a batman emblem are all new. By the end of this month Diener said he will have added four LED pods and cab lights too. This bad boy makes other monster trucks look like LaSalle’s O-Line, small and non-existent.

8.

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Arts & Entertainment

TMNT Reborn Charlie Sehlhorst ‘15

Staff Writer

E

ver since its formation in 1984, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have been a distinctive, but prominent figure in the comic book community. Although the original comic books were much darker than the characters that have evolved today, the majority of the Turtle’s underlying fan base consisted of young children from the late eighties and early nineties when the first animated series based off of the characters skyrocketed in popularity along with the toys that were created to promote the show.

The Turtles create a strong sense of nostalgia for adults who grew up in the early 80s and 90s, and the characteristics and storylines that fans love from the lovable heroes in a half-shell will be challenged this August with a new film produced by Michael Bay that depicts the story in a whole new way.

Originally, producer Michael Bay, known for his most recent work in the Transformers movie franchise, was going to take the Turtles in a direction that they have never been before. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Movie would feature four brothers who are not turtles, but aliens.

“These turtles are from an alien race, and they are going to be tough, edgy, funny and completely loveable,” said Bay in a press conference for the movie.

The recent trailer of the movie is evidence that they have rightfully changed their minds about the ambiguous changes that they planned on bringing to the storied franchise. The finished product now acts as a unique origin story for the characters. While the characters are now true to their amphibian form, the original origin is very different than the one that will be in the film. The first trailer they have released shows the Turtles being created on purpose by their most hated advisory, the Shredder, but originally they were created by toxic ooze that was accidentally spilled on the turtles and their caretaker, the rat master of ninjitsu, Splinter.

actually do exist when we are done with it,” said Bay. The key word in this quote is “kids”.

Although many people would love this movie to be a nostalgic journey back to their days as a kid, it won’t be. This movie is produced by Nickelodeon studios. This isn’t a studio that puts out serious movies on a consistent basis. It’s no secret that the majority of the shows and movies that Nickelodeon produces are geared towards young audiences.

Children of the 1990s will probably be disappointed with this movie, but that’s ok because this is a project that isn’t geared towards men and women in their mid to late twenties, but for children who

Michael Bay and his new friends the turtles.

The most popular first impression that people have of this film are very negative. The majority of the fans of this new rendition experienced the golden age of the Ninja Turtles in the 90s and therefore are very critical of the first impressions of the film from the trailer.

“When you see this movie, kids are going to believe one day these turtles

can enjoy the simple pleasures of the teenage turtle fighting ninjas.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are seemingly ridiculous, but that is just what makes them so lovable. The Turtles make for an outstanding children’s adventure and are most likely to be enjoyed by them.

Wedesday April 30, 2014

Shaking away your creative boundaries in Northside

Nick Antone ‘14 Co-editor in Chief

T

he amount of record stores across the country is dramatically shrinking. After all, the ability of any small business to stay open after the blow of the recession in 2008 is truly a spectacle in and of itself. The west side of Cincinnati is no exception to this fact unless CD Warehouse is considered a “record store” despite its lack of variety towards genres and overpriced nature. Thankfully, a record store by the name of Shake-It Records is located in Northside which is only about a 20 minute drive from Elder.

Upon walking into this establishment, one will immediately notice the organized mess that makes the store so unique. CD’s and vinyl stored in boxes, visually stimulating posters, and even a few novels line the walls. Shake-It’s look is basically that of a cultural nirvana- one that can cause a person to truly feel immersed in the simple art of creativity with material from all corners of the earth.

The building itself resembles a house with a huge basement. This basement, however, is full of vinyls ranging from jazz artists like Miles Davis to under-

ground 80’s punk like Black Flag and Descendents. Although many of the records are used, a good number are new or have never been played. Days like international record store day are what keep these vinyls in circulation with even teens indulging in the older music setup.

Perhaps one of the best deals one can find at Shake-It amongst all of the other low prices is its used CDs in boxes.

These discs take up a huge shelf to the right side of the store, and contain a bargain just too amazing to pass up: you can purchase 10 of these CDs for five dollars.

Now these aren’t the latest album releases on the Top 40 charts, but one can truly find some great albums if he or she looks hard enough and that’s part of the fun.

What many people don’t realize about the store is that it was founded by two GCL alumni. Jim Blase attended St.

X, and his brother and co-founder of the store Darren attended our very own Elder High School. At the time of the store’s opening in 1999, Northside was not the cool and laid-back town of culture that it now seems to be. Foreclosed houses and businesses made everything seem all too gray. The fact that the pair wanted the store in such a struggling neighborhood shows their optimism towards the power of music, though, and is a part of the reason that Shake-It has been able to stay open for 15 years.

Unfortunately when I stopped by to see if I could get an interview with Jim or Darren, they were extremely busy preparing for international record store day which occurred on Saturday April 19th. Hamilton Avenue was backed up three or four blocks with people from all over the city eager to purchase or at least

check out some records, so, the two had a lot of work cut out for them to say the least.

Nonetheless, the story of the pair’s hard work can be seen in the smiles of all who walk in and out of the store. Shake-

Party at the goat house!

Could we see a Blue Mountain State movie in the near future?

Robert Ellerhorst ‘15

Staff Writer

I

t’s finally happening bro beans.

The cast and crew of the college football TV show Blue Mountain State have acquired the rights and are currently raising money on KickStarter.com to fund a movie based one of the greatest shows every created.

If you’re one of the many BMS faithful, it is definitely a dream come true.

The series was cancelled in 2012 by Spike after only three completed seasons.

The fans were upset with the decision and petitioned for the show to be resurrected for a fourth season.

On April 8th, a video was posted on Youtube of Mountain Goats’ linebacker Thad Castle in an interview with Jimmy Kimmel, a video where Thad had cropped himself in and replaced the actual guest, announcing that there would be a KickStarter campaign for the movie.

The video, originally appearing to be a late April Fool’s joke, was confirmed to be absolutely real, and the KickStarter for the series began on April 15th.

The pledged goal is $1,500,000 by May 15th, and currently they are well past the halfway point for the goal.

Fans who donate to the KickStarter website will reportedly receive fabulous prizes for helping the cause, with a

$10,000 donation resulting in an actual speaking role in the movie, as well as many other awesome prizes from the producers.

They even have a College Contest where students from the same school donate under the same school name, and the school with the most money raised will get a visit from the cast of the movie!

According to the show’s creators Chris “Romanski” Romano (who plays Sammy on the show) and Eric Falconer, the show’s audience continued to grow after its cancellation, via online distribution through Netflix and Hulu.

Falconer wrote on the KickStarter page to describe the situation with the movie and how he hopes to make the movie he knows the fans want to see.

“Making Blue Mountain State was one of the greatest experiences of my life. If you had fun watching it, believe me, we had just as much fun making it.

When the show was canceled unexpectedly in 2012, after only three seasons on the air, I felt cheated for you and for us.

College is supposed to be four years. We needed four seasons to complete the show. Since the day of our cancellation, we’ve been trying to figure out a way to make a BMS movie. “We” being myself, my co-creator Romanski, and our amazing cast lead by Alan Ritchson, who played Thad Castle on the show.

First we tried to go the traditional route, but our studio wasn’t interested in making a BMS movie. They were too busy making Twilight. So we asked them

15

photo by Nick Antone

Arts & Entertainment

Wedesday April 30, 2014

TV show Blue Mountain State is currently raising funds for a movie for a release time of spring 2015.

if we could have the rights and go make a movie on our own. Surprisingly enough, it worked! After a lengthy process, we were given the rights and our studio’s blessing to make this movie.

Next we looked into finding private investors for the film. There was some interest, but unfortunately those investors didn’t share our vision for the movie and we ended up parting ways. Our goal is, and has always been, to make a movie that will satisfy our fans. Our fan base is fiercely loyal, and we couldn’t imagine making a movie that wouldn’t honor that.

So now here we are, on Kickstarter. We’re on our own. No studio backing us, and no distributor attached to the project. Some people might look at no studio and no distributor as a negative, but I see it as a positive. No studio and no distributor means we, as creatives, are free to make the biggest, craziest, most outrageous

Posters on the walls and CDs and vinyl in boxes at Shake-It records in Northside.

It Records is truly a mecca of culture with not only music but also art and every creative outlet in between.

movie possible. We’re free to make the Blue Mountain State Movie that we, and our fans, want to see.

I truly believe that with your support, we can make something special.

Thank you for your interest in our project. I’ll see you at The Goat House.”

If the KickStarter is a success, the movie will reportedly begin shooting in Montreal this July/August, and aim for a release in spring of 2015.

I was actually mad the first time I saw the Youtube video, because I thought it was some cruel April Fool’s joke aimed at those who were waiting for a Blue Mountain State Movie, something I thought was too good to be true.

Now that the KickStarter has officially started, I couldn’t be any more excited for the release of the movie. My only regret is that I will somehow have to be patient until next spring when it’s supposed to be released.

So get ready bromigos. Cause this is sure to be the greatest football movie ever made, and true fans will be first in line the day tickets go on sale.

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Back Page

Shrek was a roaring success Sean Feldman ‘14 Arts and Entertainment Editor

The Seton-Elder Performing Arts Series recently performed the hit show Shrek the Musical on April 9th, 11th, 12th, and 13th.

Starting just before Christmas break, the production took about three and a half months from rehearsal to opening night.

This was the first time that the Seton-Elder Performing Arts Series performed Shrek, and hopefully not the last!

Shrek received nothing but good reviews from the Series’ loyal audiences.

Teachers who have taught at Elder and Seton have said that Shrek was one of their all-time favorites. Some teachers who just couldn’t get enough of Shrek included Mr. Rosen, Mr. Klusman, Mrs. Ploehs, Mr. Auer, and many more.

The spring musical usually only runs for four shows, but the directors were anticipating the show to be a huge success and decided to add a fifth performance, a matinee on Saturday. This decision turned out to be a good one since ticket sales went extremely well, selling out three of the performances.

What seemed to win over these teachers and audiences of Shrek was the energy of the cast. When Mr. Auer made his annual post-show Monday-morning announcement he said, “You could just tell that all the kids on stage were having a blast up there.”

When I spoke to Mrs. Ploehs about her experience at the show she said, “Shrek and Beauty and the Beast are my favorite productions I have seen (by the series).”

Another element which made Shrek very exciting was that it is the first show performed by the Seton-Elder Performing

Wedesday April 30, 2014

Shrek: A multi-layered performance

Arts Series as a member of the Cappies Organization.

The Cappies is an organization which includes students from schools all over the country. There are 14 different regions that participate in Cappies, and Cincinnati is one of them. Schools from all over Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky perform their shows for critics from each other’s schools, who then write reviews on the shows, vote on nominees for different categories, and then winners are announced at the end of the year at a Gala downtown at the Aronoff Center.

Will Brueggemeyer ‘15

Staff Writer

W hen Shrek came out in 2001, it was a huge success. It was clever, funny, and heartwarming, and it didn’t take itself too seriously at the same time. It cleverly mashed up countless fairy tales and added its own spin on things. The musical adaptation of Shrek brings new life into the already great tale of everyone’s favorite ogre.

I’m sure everyone is at least aware of Shrek, but for those of you that have been living in a swamp for the past few years, it’s about a reclusive ogre who has to save Princess Fiona (with the help of a talking donkey) in order to get the recently expelled fairy tale characters out of his swamp.

Seton and Elder performed their version of Shrek the Musical on April 9, 11, 12, and 13 at Seton’s auditorium. I went on the 11th, and I was surprised at the turnout. The whole place was packed with people, with nearly every seat taken.

Still, the audience was respectful, keeping the flashing lights and crying babies to a minimum.

The first thing that really stood out to me was the production value of this play. It felt almost like a professional

musical, with little tech difficulties and elaborate sets and costumes. My only complaint is that some of the sound effects were a bit too loud, but that is easily overshadowed by how great the rest of the production was.

The entire cast did great, with nearly every line delivered well and every song in proper pitch. All the actors looked like they were having a lot of fun, and it showed in their performances. All of the stars played their characters fantastically, bringing to life the myriad characters of Shrek.

Anthony Ciarla did the Shrek voice, even while singing. He seemed like he was really into his role, and really brought the most out of Shrek. Kalie Kaimann was similarly impressive in her role as Fiona, perfectly personifying the character through singing and dancing.

Jay Quitter played donkey perfectly as well, although his costume reminded me of that bear suit from The Shining.

Perhaps the most memorable performance in the musical was Sean Feldman, as Lord Farquaad. He constantly had the audience in stitches, waving around his little legs and enthusiastically waddling around.

The supporting cast was just as remarkable as the main cast. Michael Rogers played Pinocchio perfectly. His voice and movements were hilarious, completely matching the iconic character.

Overall, Shrek the Musical exceeded my expectations in nearly every category.

I came in expecting just another school play, and I got much more than that. My only complaint is that the shirts didn’t say “Shrek yourself before you wreck yourself.”

Top: Anthony Ciarla as Shrek and Jay Quitter as Donkey were a a classic “buddy” combination. Bottom: Visitors to Lord Farquaad’s castle at Duloc were treated to a welcoming dance from the citizens who seem strangley similar.

photos by Dave Herdeman

compiled by Nate Wuest and Alex Reid ‘14

Who or what is your favorite?

Cabana

Batman

or Buckhead

Superman

World Series Pick

Batman

Reds

F a c u l t y

Mr. Flaherty

or

Cabana

S e n i o r

Chris Hall J u n i o r

Crocs or Flip Flops

The Beatles Neither

Cabana

Drew Robb

Batman

Superman

One Direction

Reds

Mariners

XBOX 1

Cabana

F r e s h m a n Cabana

Flip Flops

XBOX 1

The Rolling Stones

PS4 Expos

S o p h o m o r e

Jake Freudiger

XBOX 1 or PS4

CROCS

Cabana

Max Dressman

Rolling Stones or Beatles

Batman

Batman Reds

Crocs w/ fur

Flip Flops

John Lennon

XBOX 1

The Beatles

XBOX 1