The
Valentines Day
Tiger HI-LINE
Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2013
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Volume 53 Edition 18
Hi-Line staff invites new members There is one class at the high school that teaches students to write, communicate, manage deadlines, work as a team and boosts self confidence — journalism. The students in the class have learned skills that they will take with them for jobs or higher education. Sophomore staff writer Alyssa Jensen said this class has taught her writing skills, feeling comfortable meeting new people and learning how to interview people. Junior staff writer Martha Hall agreed that her ability to write really well comes from weekly writing assignments in the journalism class. “Journalism has improved my writing and research skills greatly. I learned to look at both sides of an issue to really understand it. It helped me not be hesitant to ask questions about things I don’t know much about,” Hall said. The most valuable skill senior sports editor Jared Hylton has learned from the journalism class is how to create graphic designs and photo editing on the computer. “I feel the most important skills are the ability to work with programs such as InDesign and Photoshop. These programs are likely what I’ll be using in college and for years to come. I really
have a leg up on others. Journalism has also helped my ability to work within a team. It’s really challenging to work with each other to put out a final product. It’s a work-type environment, so it really feels like the real world,” Hylton said. Senior staff writer Amanda Harwood is really glad she has taken this journalism class in high school. “Journalism has helped me be a more creative thinker. It’s challenged me to come up with new ideas and look for what’s going on around me. Before taking this class, I often didn’t make time to pay attention to the news or find out more about what’s going on around school. It’s been a blast interviewing my peers and finding out more about the people I go to school with every day,” Harwood said. Hall is just as enthusiastic about having taken the class. “It’s provided me with many valuable experiences. I’ve gotten to use really nice cameras to take pictures for various events, and I’ve learned about things I wouldn’t have known about,” Hall said. Journalism has enabled her to write about things she cares about and share them with the world. “[This] is a really special thing,” Hall said. “My questioning, research and writing skills have improved. It also
gave me the chance to talk to people I might not have talked to otherwise, and I’ve met a lot of cool people because of it.” Senior entertainment editor Lindsey Davis thanks journalism for the strength it has given her. Davis is much more comfortable voicing her opinions and hunting down facts for an article after having been on the Tiger Hi-Line staff for two years. “I’m glad I’ve taken this class because it’s given me the opportunity to write something for publishing every week. I get to practice my writing skills nearly every day,” Davis said. Many different types of people would thrive in the environment that this journalism class provides. As a huge sports fan, Hylton chooses to write sports articles every week. “I would encourage anybody who enjoys sports to take this class. You’re literally getting English credits for covering sports,” Hylton said. Senior feature editor Sandra OmariBoateng has advice for students looking to learn certain skills. “I would encourage students to take advantage of having the chance to take this class because you improve your skills as a writer but also learn skills like time manage-
ment. This class has taught me about using my time properly and gave me an example of real world deadlines,” Omari-Boateng said. And additional perfect candidates for this class, according to Harwood, are any students who are interested in what is going on in the world around them and are interested in improving their writing skills. “It’s fun and refreshing to write articles that are much different than your standard English paper. I also love the freedom this class has given me. There isn’t too much homework because you have all the class time to get your work done. If you use your time effectively, you can get most of the work done in a relaxed classroom,” Harwood said. Hall encourages her peers to sign up and benefit from this class because of the long term benefits each student will gain. “It helps you understand how media and newspapers work, and your improved writing skills will help you in whatever you do after high school. It’s a really fun learning experience,” Another positive feedback about this class is the amount of freedom each writer has,” Hall said. Editor-in-Chief Maya
Amjadi
Scouts address national controversy For over a century, the Boy Scouts of America has provided a learning experience for boys to be better leaders, positive role models and caring individuals. However, despite these core values of kindness, caring and respect, the organization has not accepted open gays into their club from the beginning. Sophomore James Bamber, juniors Erik Mueterthies and Zach Worthington, and senior Josh Carlo are grateful for the years they’ve had in Boy Scouts, but are surprised at the dissonance between the Boy Scouts’ positive teachings and the anti-gay message the organization is sending by keeping a ban on gay participation in the group. “I have been involved with scouts since I was in first grade,” Mueterthies said. “I believe that same-sex couples should have every right heterosexual couples have. The ban on openly-gay scouts doesn’t line up with my values. Tolerance and acceptance are values taught to people in the scouting program. It’s a shame that the organization itself doesn’t practice them.” Carlo actively participated in Scouts
until he was 14 and did not realize a ban was in place until recently. “This ban does not line up with my views on gay marriage. I did not even know this was a real thing until I was asked to answer questions about it,” Carlo said. Bamber also has participated in Boy Scouts for many years and disagrees with the ban as well. “This ban on open gays in Boy Scouts doesn’t line up with my values because it doesn’t matter what their sexual orientation is. Scouting is a program to develop young leaders and teach boys valuable life lessons and skills. Accepting open gays wouldn’t be a problem in my mind. It would just be giving more people the opportunity to join scouts and benefit from it,” Bamber said. For Bamber, this issue hits close to home. “My brother is transgender and used to be a lesbian. So, when he was in high school, he worked with GSA and had many friends that were gay, lesbian, transgender or bisexual, so I grew up not seeing a difference and not having a handicap that others have,” Bamber said. “They are people too, and are in a lot of cases even cooler and more tal-
ented than straight people. We are all one people and should treat each other as one equal people.”Worthington also strongly believes that Boy Scouts should be there for any boy who wants to be involved, regardless of his sexual orientation. “I feel that every boy should be able to join Boy Scouts. Boy Scouts is an amazing thing: it teaches you leadership, teamwork, responsibility. A lot of people think it’s just camping outdoors, but it goes way beyond that,” Worthington said, “There’s financial merit badges that teach you how to manage money, how to run businesses, all sorts of things. So I think if you can let guys get involved that is great. It helps them. It sets a foundation so they can become great men in the world in their future lives.” However, on this issue, Worthington also acknowledges the religious aspect of the Boy Scout’s decision and offers an explanation of why the ban remains in effect. “What it really boils down to is most people take it the wrong way. They do not understand the whole background of Boy Scouts themselves,” Worthington said. “First off, Boy Scouts
is a religious-based organization. I want to set that straight. It’s across the world, but in the U.S., it’s quite commonly a Christian organization. Some churches frown upon or do not accept same-sex relationships. Quite often the groups are sponsored by churches. That church is the one that most of the Boy Scouts have their religion based in.” While he recognizes religious concerns, Worthington firmly believes it is important for every man to have access to Boy Scouts. “I don’t think that society should be looking down on Boy Scouts because we don’t accept gays as the ruling is. I feel that if we did, the society, the world would be better off because we would have gentleman of any kind, any sexuality, that are prepared, that are ready and willing to take on a challenge and lead a group of people to get something done,” Worthington said. “Why should we hinder the American society itself when we can supply so many great guys that would be willing to work and lead?” Staff Writer Amanda
Harwood