1.23.09

(I,ITE . . .

CARMEL HIGH SCHOOL

inside the issue

• Huge budget cuts to affect school district, Page 2 • Drama department gears up for Peter Pan, Page 3 • As economic recession continues, students look for cheap food, B1

Gymnastics As gymnastic program closes at this school, former athletes must find an alternative. page 7

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520 E. Main Street

Carmel, IN 46032

Volume 54, Issue 8

January 23, 2009

No Bull Monday ushers in year of ox

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By Sara rogers srogers@hilite.org

n Monday, junior Annie Tang and her family will gather together to make dumplings and distribute envelopes to celebrate a holiday recognized by her culture for around 4,700 years.

Patient, quiet and inspiring Sensitive, sympathetic, respected Articulate, talented, ambitious, virtuous Healthy, energetic, excitable, brave, trust-worthy Financially fortunate, vain, selfish, intense, deep Popular, cheerful, perceptive, wise, talented Elegant, timid, creative, pessimistic, deeply religious Clever, skillful, flexible, inventive, original Talented, capable, devoted, eccentric Loyal, honest, confident, eccentric Chivalrous, gallant, strong, honest

Indiana Association of Chinese Americans / SUBMITTED PHOTO

SEE CHINESE NEW YEAR ON PAGE 3

Chinese Culture michelle hu PHOTO center/ /source (far left)

Historic election adds importance to Black History Month afra hussain ahussain@hilite.org

verbatim

As this coming Februar y marks Black Histor y Month, many Americans are reminded of a past where civil rights did not exist.

“The black histor y (previous generations) talk about was about older people like Martin Luther King and Harriet Tubman,” sophomore Aaron Singer said. He said black history never really interested him until the recent election of Barack Obama. Now he said things are different. “It’s cooler, and I think

it will get promoted more,” Singer, who is African-American, said.

While the election of an African American president was an important milestone in American history, racial barriers still exist and the civil rights movement pushes on.

Singer said he always considered himself a skeptic when it came to government and political leaders.

However during this past election he was one of the many AfricanAmerican supporters of Obama.

“A lot of white people think that I liked Obama because he is black. It’s just like saying a white

guy likes a white candidate because he is white,” Singer said. In the beginning of the election, Singer said he favored Sen. Hillary Clinton, but as he became more informed about Obama and his policies, he found himself supporting him instead of Clinton.

Initially, Singer said he thought the countr y would never elect Obama because people were not ready for an African-American president. But when Obama was elected as president in November, he said he felt elated. Singer said the election broke the perception

“Tina Fey and I had an agreement that if Barack Obama won, I would speak for the show from now on.” -Tracy Morgan, star of NBC’s “30 Rock,” accepting a Golden Globe on behalf of the show.

“Yeah, he's probably an idiot. Whatever.” -Michelle Obama, from a 12year-old interview, describing the hype surrounding Barack Obama during his first year at Harvard University.

“I think Prince Harry knows these comments were unacceptable.”

-Gordon Brown, British Prime Minister, criticizing the prince for his use of a racial slur to describe a Pakistani army colleague in video footage released by British tabloid “News of the World.”

that African-Americans had about themselves and about their country.

U.S history teacher, Will Ellery said, “I think (the election) means a tremendous amount. I think it means a lot. Much of Dr. Martin Luther King’s speech about judging a man by his character came to fruition because of Obama’s election as president.”

However, according to Ellery, the civil rights movement cannot be forgotten. “I think there is still a focus (on civil rights), but the shift is now from equal rights and education to more opportunity,” he

said. Ellery said that there are few African-American CEOs and few African-American football coaches, even though there are many AfricanAmerican football players. “The movement shifted to new arenas, but they are more subtle and more toward the top end,” Ellery said.

Referring to Obama, Singer said, “He’s sort of like a spike in a wall. I think he got through racism because he is exceptionally smart and an exceptional speaker,” He said that he does not think that there

SEE BLACK HISTORY ON PAGE 3

For complete previews and reviews, see pages B3 and B4.

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Gran Torino starring Clint Eastwood

Wonderful Winter Wardrobe guide

Feb. 1-29: Art and Soul at Indianapolis Artsgarden Feb. 2, 23: Children of the Civil Rights Movement at Children’s Museum WTHR.com / source

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As always, you can find the latest reviews on the most popular movies, CDs, restaurants and books online.

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Ambitious, successful, thrifty

“Chinese New Year is probably the biggest Chinese holiday,” Tang said. “There are a lot of festivals and parades in China.”

Elaborate performances, vibrant colors and fireworks are all distinguishing factors of Chinese New Year, a 15-day festival filled with traditions. This year the New Year begins on Monday.

The exact day on which the New Year starts varies from year to year.

The celebration, also known as the Spring Festival, begins on the first day of the first month of the year. “The date changes every year because we use an old Chinese lunar calendar,” Tang said.

The lunar cycle, from a new moon to a full moon, determines the length of a month, either 29 or 30 days. While each year begins on a different day, each year also correlates with one of the 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac. This is the year of the ox, also known as Yi Chou.

Many traditions go along with Chinese New Year. “People make d u m p l i n g s f o r t h e N e w Ye a r, ” Tang said. “There’s always a lot of dumplings. Then parents give their children money in a red envelope.”

The red envelope, called hong bao in Mandarin, indicates good luck and good fortune as well as happiness and abundance for the recipient. People also tend to wear red during the holiday to symbolize happiness.

According to History.com, various other foods are also symbolic during the New Year.

Long noodles symbolize a long life. A sticky rice cake, also known as nian gao, made with glutinous rice represents a rich life.

“Candy trays are also popular during the New Year,” Tang said. “Kids like them a lot.” Dried fruits, sweets and other candy often fill up these trays that symbolize togetherness.

Aside from food

Page 2 • Friday, January 23, 2009 • News

GREYHOUND NEWS BRIEFS orchestra Orchestra auditions begin Monday and will proceed throughout the week. The auditions will determine the dif fer ent gr oups that the orchestra students will be placed in for next school year.

Students who would like to audition should contact Director of Orchestras Soo Han for an audition requirement sheet.

Orchestra member and junior Alice Shen said that students should take the auditions seriously by practicing diligently. She said, “(Students who are auditioning) should practice a lot and play for other people so they don’t get nervous. They should play a piece of music that shows their ability.” By Sarah Sheafer

Academic Decathlon The Academic Decathlon team’s major competition of the year is scheduled for tomorrow at Madison Consolidated High School in southern Indiana.

If the team performs in the top 10 of the large school division, it will continue on to State, scheduled for Feb. 14 at Purdue University.

According to Academic Decathlon sponsor Scott Staley, the team has been meeting about once a week to prepare for the competitions.

However, Staley said team members read binders full of information about this year’s topic, Latin America and Evolution, outside of meetings.

David Yang, returning member of Academic Decathlon and senior, said as the competitions draw nearer, he’s changed his study habits. “I’ve just studied more frequently and over longer periods of time,” he said.

In regards to studying, Yang said he has decided to spend less of his time on math and economics and more on some of the other subjects he said he finds more difficult.

“For most schools, it’s always been math that’s the toughest part (of the competition), which is one of our strengths. Something we could work on is our impromptu speeches and giving our prepared speeches,” Staley said. By Emma Neukam

Superintendent to propose significant budget cuts Monday

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By Brittani Wheeler bwheeler@hilite.org

ith authorization from the school board, Superintendent Barbara Underwood has drafted a plan to reduce about $1.5 million of the approximately $90 million general fund district budget affecting all grade levels and the central office for the 2009-2010 school year. The proposed budget is scheduled to be presented at the board meeting Monday. The information regarding the specifics of the plan will be public at that time.

“I have been meeting with building administrators and central office to put ideas together,” Underwood said. She has already transmitted all information regarding the proposed cuts to the district teachers via the teachers’ association. The teachers received an email from the association on Jan. 14 oulining the preliminary proposal.

Underwood said, “After I put together an initial idea, I keep meeting with different groups of people that have different insights (who) are changing it. I think my proposal ‘H’ today has maybe less impact than my proposal ‘A’ that I had two weeks ago.

Different people feel in different ways. I don’t think, for the most part, students are going to feel a huge difference. I hope not, but you will when you cut 2 percent of what you are doing. You can’t help (but to) impact students in some way.”

Underwood said some students may notice the budget decrease. “What we have tried to do is not eliminate programs,” she said. There is only one area in the district where we have probably greatly impacted a program. You try to pick things that have the least negative impact on students’ education because that’s the bottom line. It’s the best we can do at the moment.”

The plan is still far from finished. Underwood said the board would probably go beyond Plan H and make some adjustments. “Hopefully at the January board meeting I’ll present it to the board, but not for action. I want them to have it awhile and the public will hear about it at that point,” Underwood said. She said the public may voice concerns through the board or some people may choose to contact her directly.

“If some ideas come forward, we have to find

another idea to replace it. We can’t just start chipping away at the plan. That’s why it’s changed as it has because there were some areas I just was not comfortable with a few parts of our original plan. In order to take those out, we have to put something else in because we still have to reduce the dollars. That’s why I needed to get it to the board; I could not wait any longer. I want time for everyone to think about it and help us evaluate it,” Underwood said.

“It will get better before it is finalized I think,” she added. Underwood said the final budget would probably be ready in March, maybe as early as February.

If teachers need to be notified that they are going to be laid off, they will need to know by April 1.

This is not the first time this district has faced drastic cuts. “Six years ago we cut over $3 million. We really don’t have fluff,” Underwood said. “Ninety percent of our budget is spent on people. This school year we reduced about $300,000 in travels and material. We’re still talking about a million, a million and a half, on top of that.”

This district is among many who have experienced such cuts. For example, although junior Taylor Robinson said she planned to transfer from this school to Indiana Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Children’s Home next year, she won’t be able to do that. That school will shut down in May due to a lack of funding as a result of the poor economy, according to Robinson. “I’m pretty upset,” Robinson said. “I have a lot of plans and goals for my future, and now I have to change them.”

However, Robinson said she understands why schools need to make cuts to keep the school running the way it needs to.

Principal John Williams said the cuts here would not be so drastic as to change the school’s identity.

“Our goal is to make those cuts as painless as we can,” Williams said.

According to Williams, one example of a cut the school has already made is the decision to not replace Assistant Principal Kerr y Hoffman, who left last semester. The other administrators have taken on the additional work. “(Budget cutting) is a difficult process, but you just have to read the paper to know that we are not alone,” Williams said. “We’re in a tough economic time. That has an impact on all aspects of our lives, including education.” With additional reporting by Amy Flis and Cathy Chen.

House to host Winter Formal tomorrow Dance to continue Sadie Hawkins tradition in fieldhouse from 8 to 11 p.m.

By Hope Boyer hboyer@hilite.org This school’s Winter Formal dance takes place tomorrow, Jan. 24. House and Cabinet are in charge of the preparations for Winter Formal, which will be in the fieldhouse from 8 to 11 p.m.

The cost of tickets is $8 ahead of time and $10 at the door. Tickets will be available during lunch in the Main Cafeteria and Greyhound Station until today.

Studens can buy tickets from the Cabinet table in the Greyhound Station and from the bookstore in the Main Cafeteria.

It is a requirement for House members to be in a different committee that helps prepare for the event.

They should also participate in the actual event.

According to House sponsor Katie Overbeck, House members are arranged in committees, which are in charge of refreshments, decorations, and other details. She said all proceeds go to future Housesponsored events.

According to Overbeck, all the money earned from ticket costs will help run student government.

During the dance, a coat-check will be available for students to leave personal items, such as coats and bags, in the Freshman Cafeteria. Parent chaperones will give all students who participate in the coat check a number representing the paper bag that they will have placed their items in.

“Cabinet and House put together chaperones (who) are both parents and teachers. It’s a fun event that helps raise money for a good cause,” Cabinet member and senior Allie Weller said.

Overbeck said, “All in all, about 1,200 to 1,500 kids are expected to come. At least that was the number we had last year.”

Winter Formal will be the only dance this year that is a Sadie Hawkins Dance, meaning the girls should ask the guys.

Sophomore Katie Wurtz said, “I’m glad that the dance is Sadie Hawkins. It makes it more interesting with all of my friends and their dates.”

Public Library Two filter ed laptops ar e now available this month for students and adults to use in the lounge area of the Young Adult (YA) Services Department upstairs at the Carmel Clay Public Library (CCPL).

YA Services Manager Hope Baugh said via e-mail, “Teens must give their CCPL library card and a photo ID and sign a user’s agreement (in order to use these laptops).”

According to Baugh, because the laptops are filtered, students do not have to have a gold star on the back of their library cards to use them.

Also, students can borrow the laptops for up to four hours and at the end of those four hours, they can renew their hours at the YA desk.

Junior Reid Watson does not have a gold star on the back of his library card but goes to the library often.

He said, “You know a lot of things nowadays we need a laptop so it is quite handy for people who don’t have one. (Borrowing a filtered laptop from the library) could be really beneficial to them and save them a lot of trouble.”

Baugh said, “For this particular service (of laptop checkout), our goal is to give all teens more options while continuing to support parents and continuing to suppor t the intellectual freedom of adults and mature teens.” By Michael Wang

CORRECTIONS and clarifications From the 12.12 issue In the story “School occupied over weekends by cultural societies,” it needs to be clarified that Farsi originated from the Middle East in the empire formerly called Persia.

In the same story, the information about quotas should not have been attributed to Doug Bird.

In the story titled “NHS to deliver final exam survival kits,” it needs to be changed that kits will not be on sale this spring semester.

Kate Grumme / Photo

SHOW STOPPER: Sophomore Bethany Arrington, who plays Wendy Darling in the play ‘Peter Pan,” rehearses with the ‘Peter Pan’ cast after school. The shows, based on the popular book by J.M. Barrie about a boy who refuses to grow up and goes on a magical journey to Neverland, will premeire on Feb. 5.

Winter play ‘Peter Pan’ opens Feb. 5 Shows to feature never-before seen special effects, such as flying cast members, stage combat, Lost Boys, Indians and pirates

By Lauren Burdick lburdick@hilite.org From Feb. 5 to 8, the winter theater production, “Peter Pan,” will take place in the Dale E. Graham Auditorium. Performances will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 5 to 7, and there will be matinee performances at 2 p.m. on Feb. 7 and 8. Tickets are on sale for $7 and $10, depending on the seats, and are available until the shows begin.

“I really love the story; it’s a great story. I read it when I was a kid, and I really loved it,” sophomore Alex Peck, who plays Peter Pan, said.

The play was written by J.M. Barrie, who authored the timeless story of the little boy who refused to grow up so journed to Neverland to fight the antagonist, Captain Hook. According to Peck, the play mirrors the story very well.

Director Maggie Cassidy said she was also enthusiastic for the show.

“I’m really excited for it because there are a lot of things that we are doing for this performance that I have not personally done before in other plays,” she said. Four cast members will be “flying” during the production, which is a special point of interest for Cassidy. Stage combat is another exciting addition to the winter theatre production. According to Cassidy,

there will be scenes featuring Lost Boys, Indians and pirates fighting on stage.

Sophomore Bethany Arrington, who plays Wendy Darling, said,“It’s going to be such a great show. I think it’s going to turn out really well for any audience.”

Arrington said she is also excited about the unique opportunities presented to her through this production.

“It’s kind of unusual to have two sophomores as leads, but we’re so excited. I feel really blessed to have this role,” she said.

The cast and crew has had a rigorous practice schedule to prepare for the upcoming production, and it will get more strenuous as opening night draws near.

Practices began in November after school from 3:15 to 5:30 p.m., with practices increasing to 6 to 9 p.m. closer to the show. The four cast members who are flying during the show have additional practices from 3:15 to 5:30 p.m., followed by a short break before returning from 6:30 to 9 p.m. “It’s going to get pretty intense here soon with all the time they have to spend at school,” Cassidy said.

All of their hard work will likely pay off by the time the show begins on opening night. According to Cassidy, the show has something for everyone and can be enjoyed by students, their families and other community members.

“Almost everyone’s seen the movie or they’ve read

the book or know the Disney version of the play,” Cassidy said.

According to her, the show will bring back childhood memories and will be enjoyed by people of all ages because it is a story that everbody is familiar with.

She said, “With so much of the storyline and the plotline it will be fun and exciting for high schoolers, for adults, for all ages, because it is such a story that everyone knows and loves.”

Ticket Sales and Theater Information Ticket Prices $7 and $10 Selling dates Now through Feb. 5 Upcoming Events Spring Musical “Singing in the Rain” Regional and State Theater Conferences in January and March Maggie Cassidy / Source

News • Friday, January 23, 2009 • Page 3

Planetarium prepares for milestone year International Year of Astronomy marks 400th anniversary of telescope’s invention UPCOMING EVENTS WHAT: Destination: Pluto WHEN: Tomorrow night, 7 and 8 p.m. (Each show is 35 minutes long) WHERE: Carmel High School Planetarium

Michelle Hu / Photo

STAR STRUCK: Astronomy teacher Keith Turner passes out a quiz to his Per. 4 astronomy class. Though students in the class are not required to participate in shows, the planetarium here is actively involved in community events, presenting shows to elementary schools and local families.

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By Beverly Jenkins bjenkins@hilite.org

hile January represents a new year and a period of starting over for many people, the 2009 year also represents a major movement in the astronomical field. Hosted by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), this year is also the first International Year of Astronomy (IYA2009).

“The International Year of Astronomy is a celebration of the telescope,” Keith Turner, astronomy teacher and planetarium director, said. “It was the greatest breakthrough in astronomy.”

In the year 1609, Galileo Galilei was the first person to use the telescope to look at a celestial body, the moon. Now, 400 years later, the IYA2009 celebrates and commemorates both Galileo and the telescope itself, for without this invention, the astronomical field would be almost nonexistent.

Junior Zachariah “Zach” Conrad, who also helps construct the planetarium shows that this school hosts, said, “We would never have gotten this far without eyes into space. We would have no concept of how big the universe really is and how small we really are. (The Hubble Space Telescope) is so popular because there is no atmosphere to distort the images it takes. Without the telescope, we’d have no idea of our place in the universe. It’s ours to discover.”

Since the invention of the first telescope, it has constantly been under construction. Now, astronomers can look through extremely powerful telescopes such as the Hubble, which Turner describes as

Black History, from Page 1 another African-American man like Obama for a long time. Ellery said he thought Obama was elected because his color was not the focus of his campaign unlike other polarizing African-American presidential candidates such as Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson.

Singer said he also sees a difference in the type of racism that exists today compared to racism of his parents’ generation. “I think that it is less outside hate and more inside perspective,” he said. Singer noted that there are no longer any major Klu Klux Klan operations today, but stereotypes of African-Americans still exist. Singer Obama’s himself said he has experienced such stereotypes in middle school where he leadership was one of the few African-Americans might inspire in his honors math class. He said the teacher acted differently toward him larger society to look at during the first month by staring at him as if questioning the validity of him black leaders. being in an upper-level math class. as viable op Eller y said he thinks that the tions whereas election results could subtly affect the stereotypes. “Obama’s leadership before without might inspire larger society to look a leader like at black leaders as viable options him they whereas before without a leader like might not him they might not have considered the option,” he said. have con According to Ellery, the past couple sidered the of years, during the presidencies of option.

Bush and Clinton, there have been major improvements in equaling the opportunity for minority leaders History with the appointment of people like Teacher Condoleezza Rice, Colin Powell and Will Ellery Roger Gregory.

He also said Obama will most likely continue to use minority leaders as candidates for high positions in the government. But Ellery said Congress does control most of the government, with the president giving direction.

Singer also acknowledged that there is still a lot of work to be done in the civil rights spectrum. In terms of Black History Month he said, “I talked to some white people and they said, “At least you get a month.

We don’t get anything.” And that kind of mindset will prevent anything from happening.”

“

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“humanity’s window;” the Spitzer, which takes images on an infrared scale; and the Chandra, which takes X-ray images.

Despite 400 years of astronomical progress, there are still of course many questions left unanswered. “Two of the biggest questions we have yet to answer are ‘What is dark matter?’ and ‘What is dark energy?’ which is more exotic of the two,” Turner said. “I believe we will find answers to those questions fairly soon.”

Worldwide, astronomers are working hard to promote an interest in the field by hosting planetarium shows, lectures and star-gazing parties, which the astronomy department here hopes to emulate.

“There is international cooperation planning different events around the world in an effort to raise educational awareness of astronomy,” Conrad said.

It is no different locally, according to Conrad. The Indiana Astronomical Society is hard at work obtaining speakers and hosting events, as well. Even within the school, those interested are working on planetarium shows throughout the school year on a regular basis.

While it’s nothing new that the planetarium is known for hosting six or seven shows per school year, something that is unique to this planetarium among others is that it has been selected to participate in the February 2009 Great Observatories International Year of Astronomy Image Unveiling.

Among other things, the planetarium will be unveiling two neverbefore-seen prints of the galaxy Messier 101, which were obtained by three of the most powerful telescopes in the world: the Hubble, the Chandra and the Spitzer. The images will be public on Feb. 28.

In addition to revealing the images, Conrad also hopes there will be more shows to host, and he hopes that there might be a program of

Astronomy club sponsor Keith Turner said, “We do have one planetarium show called Destination: Pluto that will be airing (tomorrow). We might plan a star party (stargazing) if the weather is alright.”

Interestingly, the upcoming show is almost completely student-run.

Junior Zach Conrad, one of the two students working on the show, said, “It was a great learning experience, even if it was a bit more difficult than we expected.”

Junior Meera Chander, the other student working on the show, agrees. She said, “The highlight of our major involvement with the club would be this show.”

“I am glad to have worked on this show and I hope that I can participate in another show such as this one, especially this year being the Year of Astronomy.” Chander said. “I feel that this year will expose more people to astronomy. It will help build recognition and igniting passion for astronomy and I am proud to be a part of this cause.” By Rohan Arora

awareness about the IYA2009.

The planetarium staff is busy at work currently. As well as revealing the images and planning more planetarium presentations, there is also a planetarium show to be held tomorrow at 7 p.m. and at 8 p.m.

Each show should last about 35 minutes. Tickets are still on sale in the bookstore, and they can also be purchased at the door.

Called “Destination: Pluto,” the Paulucci Space Theater out of Minnesota gave the slides and audio to this school’s planetarium, and the editing and arrangements have been made exclusively by Conrad and junior Meera Chander.

According to Conrad, the two have been hard at work on the project since March of last year, and it will work as an imaginary journey through each planet, stopping at Pluto, when both Conrad and Chander will discuss the history of Pluto, why it is no longer a planet and even the outer regions beyond it.

Turner also mentioned that here in this planetarium, there is work on another presentation, including everything from the visuals to the music, called “Two Small Pieces of Glass,” which will commemorate the telescope.

“I hope (IYA2009) will be an option for all ages to learn about and form an interest in astronomy and that they will continue learning in the field,” Conrad said. “That way, everyone can find some understanding of what the universe really is.”

Turner said that by spreading the word of the IYA, astronomers everywhere are hoping to see an increased interest in the field.

In addition, Turner said, “For people like me who are so passionate about astronomy, it’s like saying ‘Look at this; how could you live without this?’”

NHS to host annual Chinese New Year, from Page 1 carnation sale at lunch Proceeds benefit NHS and various charities

By Susie Chen susiechen@hilite.org National Honor Society (NHS) will sell not roses or violets for Valentine’s Day, but carnations.

Annie Wu, president of NHS and senior, said, “It’s basically the same as last year. You pick as many carnations as you want to send to your person, and you get to pick a Valentine’s Day card, where you can write them a message.”

Students will have the option to choose among red, pink or white carnations. Wu said that the red carnation stands for love, the white for friendship and the pink for a secret admirer.

According to NHS sponsor Debbie Haire, the carnation sales are not new to the school.

“Selling something during Valentine’s Day brings in a lot of money because it’s easily accessible to students. It’s a very popular idea present at many schools. A lot of people participate in it, which benefits NHS greatly.”

“NHS members will sell the carnations at the area outside Main cafeteria during all four lunches from Feb. 3 to Feb. 9,” Wu said.

Students can buy the carnations both individually or in a bouquet.

Wu said that the price will be $2 for a single carnation.

The flowers will be distributed

T h u r s d a y, F e b . 1 2 , b e f o r e Valentine’s Day because the holiday lands on a Sunday. NHS members will personally send the flowers to each SRT. “The carnations have to be handled delicately. That’s the reason for why we hand-deliver it and don’t just send it in a box,” Wu said.

The money collected from the carnation sales will go toward both NHS funds and charities.

“We have so many that we donate to and because of that, we haven’t chosen some specific ones yet,” Wu said. According to Haire, the past few years have been quite successful, and she hopes that this year will be the same.

Each year, Haire said that there remained a couple hundred carnations left in her room after the sales. To fix the problem this year, she said she will purchase fewer carnations and, at the same time, hopefully have enough for everyone to buy.

“We’re in a recession. I could save some money and also not have dying flowers in my room days after Valentine’s Day,” she said.

Although carnations are not considered to be as romantic a flower as roses, Wu said that there is still a sentimental feel to them.

“Ever yone loves getting a flower,” Wu said, “whatever kind it may be.”

and money, fireworks are also popular.

“China has a lot of firework shows during the new year,” Tang said.

According to an ancient Chinese myth, loud noises and bright lights were first used to ward off a wild beast called Nian.

Continuing the tradition, celebrators in China and the United States often light fireworks and firecrackers during the festival to ward off demons.

According to Youyan Zhang, president of the Indianapolis Chinese Community Center, Inc. (ICCCI), “celebrations feature games for kids, lucky money in red envelopes for children wishing a good year to come, karaoke, talent shows, Chinese food, stage performance and Chinese martial arts.”

Zhang said Chinese choirs and comedy shows are two other popular options during New Year festivities.

The ICCCI hosted its 14th annual Chinese New Year celebration here on Jan. 17 that all students could attend. This year was the third year CHS hosted the event in the auditorium.

The ICCCI also hosts a table tennis competition to celebrate the New Year on Feb. 7, the 13th day of the 15-day festival.

Aside from ICCCI events, the Chinese Community Church of Indianapolis hosts their own celebration on Feb. 1 as well as a traditional Chinese New Year hotpot party on Feb. 7th.

According to Zhang, the Carmel Arts and Design District will display traditional Chinese lanterns during the 15-day festival.

Zhang also said that the last day of the New Year is the Festival

of Lanterns. These lanterns are colorful, predominantly red, and sometimes also display a Chinese symbol for happiness or good fortune on them.

“Carmel is becoming a good example of a diversified city with talents from around the world including China,” Zhang said.

With festive fireworks, traditional food and colorful performances, “Chinese New Year is a very spirited holiday.” Tang said. “Everyone from kids to adults get involved.”

Michelle Hu / photo

TAI CHI: An ICCCI parent rehearses for a Chinese New Year performance at this school on Jan. 17 during the weekly Sunday afternoon language courses. Local children come to this school every week to learn about Chinese language and culture.

Page 4 • Friday, January 23, 2009 • Beats

FOR MORE CLUB AND ACTIVITY INFORMATION Go online to hilite.org and click on ‘BEATS’ in the navigation menu

Club and Activity News at a Glance

Best Buddies

Carmel Connects Club

German Club

Art Club

The Best Buddies Club is preparing for a fun-filled night of karaoke at their next meeting.

“We are going to set up speakers and sing karaoke,” pr esident and senior Tianyi Zhang said.

“There are going to be snacks and refreshments as tianyi well,” Zhang said. zhang Zhang also said the club has raised a significant amount of money from their coupon book sales.

“We have raised a large amount of money and we’re going to use most of it for our club meetings and fieldtrips and things like that,” Zhang said.

Zhang said she was unsure of the total amount because they were still counting total revenues. There are still coupon books available for sale by club members.

According to Brian Bondus, club member and senior, the next meeting will be on Tuesday.

“That’s the night we’re having karaoke,” Bondus said.

Zhang said the next Best Buddies meeting will be one of the most fun out of any meetings of the year. By Meher Ahmad.

The Carmel Connects Club begins working hard on three separate projects, kicking off the second semester. “ We ’ r e s t i l l f i n i s h i n g u p a PowerPoint presentation for Net Literacy on netiquette, or how to use the Internet safely,” co-president and senior Will Petrovic said.

Net Literacy is a non-profit organization started by Carmel resident Daniel Kent, which helps promote safe Internet usage.

Club members plan to show this PowerPoint to the school board then hopefully play it on the school’s television channel.

Along with the presentation, club members continue to acquire around 10 computers a week to refurbish and rebuild.

In order to revamp these computers, members clear off all data and re-install operating system software.

“We donate the fixed computers to families who don’t have them,” Petrovic said.

On weekends, select club members also visit senior citizens at Prime Life assisted living centers and teach them how to use the Internet, Web sites such as E-Bay and other computer programs such as Microsoft Word.

“This year as a whole has been more productive than last year,” club sponsor Margaret Winans said.

The club’s goal this semester is to continue at the pace they’re working at as well as to fix more computers than last year.

“This year we’ve been much more efficient,” Petrovic said. “We hope to continue this until the end of the year.” By Sara Rogers

On Tuesday, the German Club is scheduled to go ice-skating at the Carmel Ice Skadium right after school. Club members interested in going must provide their own transportation. The cost is $9.50, which includes admission and ice skate rental.

According to German Club sponsor Laura King; the club will not incorporate any aspects of German culture into this event.

She said although the focus is not German it does not mean that some of the language will not slip into conversations at the event.

King said, “ The best thing about German Club is even when we’re doing a non-German event, students who may be in level one, who aren’t sure how long they’re going to stay with German, hear about all the cool things level three, four and five are doing. It kind-of motivates them a little more to stick with it.”

Isabelle Loyda, club co-president and senior, said the German Club has gone ice- skating in past years as well.

“We’ve done it before and had a lot of fun.” she said. The club expects 10-25 people to attend.

Also on the German Club calendar is Staatkongress, a German competition held at Ball State University on February 28. In this competition students of all levels can enter a wide range of events testing their knowledge of German culture and language.

Loyda said she has competed in Staatkongress in the past and enjoyed it.

“I really like going with everyone and getting to know the new people.” she said. By Meredith Boyd

On Tuesday from 3:15-4:15 Art Club members will resume their activities.

“Our first meeting will be some quick project: a couple of things we have done in the past is make boxes or put together quick bracelets or jewelry maybe some macramé,” Art Club sponsor Linda Lutes said, via e-mail.

The members also will finish their T-shirts this meeting.

In later meetings they will discuss what project they will do with the Healthy Environment Club, as well as “Empty Bowls.”

“Empty Bowls” is a fundraiser that Art Club takes part in every year. The fundraiser raises money for different charities; it will be sponsored by us next year.

“I am most excited to work with the Healthy Environment Club to give back in a creative and artistic way. Lastly, I am excited to see all of the members coming back for the start of a great year,” Taylor Smith, Art Club president and junior said via e-mail. By Lexi Compton

Rotary Interact

CCPL

Rotary Interact Club will concentrate many of its efforts on the organization called Soles for Souls.

“We have officially started our Soles for Souls projects,” Sally Bae, Interact publicity adviser and junior, said.

“It’s a charity that donates shoes to those around the world who need it. We’re partnering with a church that donates to the charity,” she said.

Donation boxes have been placed in two cafeterias and in the natatorium.

Bae said people should drop off new or gently-used shoes that will be given to people in many dif ferent countries around the world, who don’t have proper shoes to wear.

Sponsor Brenda Lester said she thinks donating to the charity is a great idea for students.

“It’s a great way to get shoes on the feet of people who really need it,” she said.

Interact will also choose one other international service project to complete. The club is also planning to hold a bake sale to fund the charities they choose. By Susie Chen

Two filtered laptops are now available this month for students and adults to use in the lounge area of the Young Adult (YA) Services Department upstairs at the Carmel Clay Public Library (CCPL).

YA Services Manager Hope Baugh said via e-mail, “Teens must give their CCPL library card and a photo ID and sign a user’s agreement (in order to use these laptops).”

According to Baugh, because the laptops are filtered, students do not have to have a gold star on the back of their library cards to use them.

Also, students can borrow the laptops for up to four hours and at the end of those four hours, they can renew their hours at the YA desk.

Junior Reid Watson does not have a gold star on the back of his library card but goes to the library often.

He said, “You know a lot of things nowadays we need a laptop so it is quite handy for people who don’t have one. (Borrowing a filtered laptop from the library) could be really beneficial to them and save them a lot of trouble.”

Baugh said that the library’s goal is to give the teens more options while supporting the freedom of mature teens. By Michael Wang

Wrap The next WRAP Club meeting takes place Feb. 12 in the Media Center. According to Katerina Lower y, junior and member of the WRAP Club, this next meeting will be one of the best of the year.

L o w e r y said she is expecting a great Valentine’s Day connie coffeehouse.

“We are hoping mitchell for more diversity in the next coffeehouse,” Lowery said. “It’ll be fun to see what people perform at the Valentine’s Day coffeehouse. Usually we have a lot of people show up.”

The upcoming WRAP coffeehouses include the Valentine’s Day special on Feb. 12, regular cof feehouses on March 12 and April 16 and the last coffeehouse on May 7.

Connie Mitchell, Media Specialist and WRAP sponsor, also has high expectations for the next coffeehouse.

“I always like to hear what the kids have written because they all have ver y interesting things to share,” Mitchell said.

Lowery said she is also looking forward to the other meeting this year. “The meeting at the end of the year is a pretty big one. Everyone should come,” she said, “We’re really looking for ward to it. By Jackson Whiteker

Weekend patrol Saturday

Indiana Blood Mobile at Just 4 Kicks Indoor Sports from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m.

Year of Ox celebration at Clowes Memorial Hall starting at 7:30 p.m.

Indiana Jusges Cup Gymnastics at Toyota Blue Ribbon Pavilion from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Sunday

Pacer game against the Charlotte Bobcats at the Conseco Fieldhouse startng at 7 p.m.

This Issue @ HiLite Online Twitter

Go to emptybowls.net for more information about the fundraiser.

Comedy Sportz The ComedySpor tz team will compete against Pike at its first home match on Feb. 20 at 7:30 p.m. in the Studio Theater. According to club sponsor, Jim Peterson, tickets are $5 at the door.

Michael Gospel, team captain and senior, said the te a m ha s be e n practicing hard for this first match.

“(The first home jim match) is getting peterson ver y close, ver y fast. We’r e still continuing regular practices,” Gospel said.

Gospel said the ComedySportz team went to see a professional ComedySportz match to see the real ComedySportz players in action.

He said, “We learn from the best.”

Gospel said the ComedySportz team also has exhibition matches, which are similar to dress rehearsals that also help train the team members for real matches.

“Our goal for the first match is to get everybody experienced because we have three new members this year that haven’t competed in a ComedySportz match before,” Gospel said. Gospel said he prefers matches over practices because it makes him feel better when the audience is there to laugh at the ComedySportz team’s jokes.

Peterson said, “The matches are family friendly. It’s a lot of fun.” By Amanda Nguyen

Become a follower of HiLite news on twitter.com. Go online to hilite.org to get more information.

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Recent Updates

F eatured beat : amba s s ador s

Ambassadors work triple duty to prepare for competition By min qiao mqiao@hilite.org For the third year now, the Ambassadors will go for another championship at the state Show Choir competition. According to director Lamonte Kuskye, their first competition will take place on Feb. 28 at Huntington High.

“We have a great show lined up. We are opening with some 40’s swing, followed by some pop, movie music.”

Kuskye said. “It all culminates in sort of a crossover music by a contemporary Christian artist. It’s so cool and it’s not music in the religious context.”

Kyle Straub, president of the Ambassadors and senior, said that they have had a great start this year.

“I think that our show will be a real crowd pleaser, more than ever.” Straub said.

Kuskye also reveals that the Ambassadors will be doing something that they have never done before.

“It is an addition to the show that will…make it unique. It’s something that not many schools have done before.” Kuskye said. “But I want to keep it a surprise.”

Overall, both Kuskye and Straub agree that rehearsals

Keep up with what’s happening around the school and in the community by reading the ‘Recent Updates.’

are going better then planned. Straub said that in a lot of ways, they are further ahead then previous years.

“Like the years before as well, the toughest part is that ‘Evening with the Ambassadors’ coincides with our competitions.” Kuskye said. “They have to learn new music for two shows, so we are really doing double, triple duty here.”

Nevertheless, Straub said, “We are still enjoying it because we really like the show this year. They music and the dance is great, the choreography is, just, amazing.”

upcoming performances Here are some places and events the Ambassadors will be performing at:

Feb. 28: Huntington High School March 7: Carroll High School March 14: Pike High School March 19 and 20: Evening with the Ambassadors lamonte kuskye / source

And much more For daily updates, photos, stories and calendar, go online now to www.hilite.org. You can also subscribe to HiLite Online to receive notifications when new stories are posted.

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Sports • Friday, January 23, 2009 • Page 7

Former gymnasts attempt to fill void by shireen korkzan skorkzan@hilite.org

KATe grumme / photo

A RARE ART: Junior Kirsten Yamasaki practices a routine on the high bar. Yamasaki joined another cheerleading squad to make up for the gymnastics program folding, but she said she will miss participating in gymnastics here.

Junior Kirsten Yamasaki assumed all summer she would participate in gymnastics for the third year in a row.

That is, until she received the phone call from former gymnastics coach Jerry Brickley saying there wouldn’t be a gymnastics team this year. This past July, the administration decided to eliminate the gymnastics program here due to a lack of funding and interest. That decision has left Yamasaki and her teammates (several of whom were on the squad last year) trying to fill the gap that gymnastics used to fill.

“I really couldn’t believe it,” Yamasaki, who has participated in high school gymnastics since her freshman year, said. “It was kind of shocking to me and disappointing.”

But Yamasaki said the prospect of getting rid of the gymnastics program has always been an issue, especially last year since only four athletes participated in the sport.

Typically, there are 12 gymnasts on a team every year. This year, however, Brickley said about 11 girls called him to inquire about this year’s tryouts; six of them were former members (twin sisters and juniors Jennie and Julie Strauch participated two years ago but moved to Texas last year and then came back this year) and five were would-have-been new members.

According to Athletics Director Jim Inskeep, the administration chose to drop gymnastics due to many factors, the main ones being expenses, participation and student body interest. Inskeep said expenses per athlete were calculated by a per-participation rate, which totaled to costing over $1,000 per gymnast, making gymnastics the most expensive sport to sponsor.

Also, gymnastics is not a growth sport across the state. Less than 20 percent of schools in Indiana offer gymnastics, and many are not even full teams. In addition, very

few students not involved in the program showed up to events, he said, and when the decision was made after over a year of debating, only the people directly impacted gave feedback. “(The athletics depar tment) makes a lot of decisions,” Inskeep said. “You’ve got to put all the factors out on the table. There is always going to be an emotional impact. With a lack of facilities and economic constraint, you’ve got to make hard decisions.”

And this definitely left an emotional impact on the athletes, especially on the Strauch twins when they found out about the elimination of gymnastics shortly before school star ted, fr om varsity football cheerleaders who were also involved in gymnastics (both sisters participate in fall and winter cheerleading). They both said gymnastics was an activity they were looking forward to when moving back from Texas.

“Gymnastics is a really fun sport.

I hope (the administration) can bring it back so people can have the same experiences as we did,” Jennie said. “It’s a great sport to show school spirit.”

Brickley said his retirement at the end of the season as well as the resignation of assistant gymnastics coach Michelle Hewitt may have been another major factor in the administration’s decision, despite Brickley finding a replacement for this year. Brickley said he had to retire for medical reasons. He has peripheral neuropathy, a condition involving pain throughout the body.

Otherwise, he said he was planning to volunteer at competitions and help out the team when needed. “ We ’ r e t h i s g r e a t a t h l e t i c school but we can’t seem to keep gymnastics?” Brickley, who is still the Indiana Coaches of Girls’ Sports Association (ICGSA) chairperson for the gymnastics committee, said.

“That just doesn’t fit for me. To me, I think it hurts our image as a school that we can’t offer this choice to athletes. Some lose that opportunity

Some Indiana schools currently funding a gymnastics program

Terre Haute South Warren Central Center Grove Noblesville Jim inskeep / source

Jv Men’s Basketball

by tatum outlaw toutlaw@hilite.org

Upcoming home basketball games

Still tumbling

JV Athletics News

Cheerleaders look to light up winter season Ashlyn East, varsity cheerleader and sophomore, has participated in both football and basketball cheerleading over the two years that she has attended this school.

“Both football and basketball cheer have their strong points but they’re definitely different,” East said. Besides the sports they cheer for, the main variation between fall and winter cheerleading is the fall squad competes while the winter squad does not, but athletes who participate in one are permitted to participate in the other.

However, according to Victoria Walsh, women’s basketball varsity cheer squad head coach, the switch between spor ts can be challenging. “A basketball game is played at a much faster pace than a football game,” she said.

“In a football game, you m i g h t h a v e a b i g pla y here and there with 30 to 45 seconds between e a c h p l a y. P o s s e s s i o n Jan. 23 during a basketball game Terre Houte is constantly changing. It South requires different styles.”

East said, “It’s a lot 7:30 p.m. different cheering a basketball game and a Jan. 31 football game. They’re Ben Davis played at different places at 7:30 p.m. different times and require us to learn two different types of cheering, but both Feb. 7 are as exciting as the next.”

Zionsville Even though the 7:30 p.m. fall squad cheers at the Homecoming game, the Feb. 14 winter squad cheers during many games when Dance Mishawaka Marathon fundraising is 1:30 p.m. going on. This year, Dance carmelgreyhounds.

Marathon is scheduled for com / source Feb. 21 with fundraising leading up to that date.

This way, both squads have their big events for the season, and both have the chance to become just as spirited.

Even though coaches have expectations for their athletes, cheerleading is no different for Walsh.

Walsh said, “My expectations are the same from year to year—to have fun and suppor t the basketball team. Last year was a wonderful experience. It’s a treat to cheer for a team and go with them as they achieve the ultimate goal—the State championship.”

to represent our school. I built this program; I have been in it for 18 years and now it’s gone.”

And that leaves the for mer gymnasts, like Yamasaki, trying to fill the space by participating in other sports, mainly cheerleading, because the skill sets are similar.

And they may be settled with this new paradigm for a while because according to Inskeep, the removal of gymnastics is permanent for now.

He said, “We’ve made the decision.

We’ve moved on.”

Both of the Strauch sisters said they would do anything they could to bring the program back, despite being involved in varsity basketball cheerleading in lieu of gymnastics. “(The gymnasts) understand why the administration made this decision, but it’s sad at the same time because it was a lot of fun for us,” Julie said. “If there was any way to help bring gymnastics back then (my sister and I) would.”

But for Yamasaki, cheerleading can’t take its place. “I’m really going to miss gymnastics. I did cheerleading in place of it but it’s not going to take the place of it,” she said. “It’s not the same. We’ve done all we could do and the decision was out of our hands.”

KATE GRUMME / PHOTO

VISION OF EXCELLENCE: Head Coach Chris Plumb looks on as the women’s swim team does the backstroke during practice. The Hounds’ next varsity meet is Sectional Preliminaries on Feb. 5 at Noblesville.

Cool Under Pressure Swimmers remain calm despite teams’ title aspirations and streak hanging in balance by mackenzie madison and david zheng mmadison@hilite.org and dzheng@hilite.org The road to the women’s swim team’s 23rd consecutive State championship begins with the Sectional meet, with the preliminaries on Feb. 5 and the finals on Feb. 7. The men’s team, on the other hand, competes in its Sectional on Feb. 19 and 21.

Admission for both the men’s and women’s meets is $5 for the first session and $8 for both sessions.

Both teams had a major tournament a month ago on Dec. 16, but the teams said they stayed calm and were taking practices as usual. “We (were) doing our ordinary practices, but we (did not) focus on season meets. We only taper for the State meet,” said swimmer and sophomore Devon Mason.

However, conducting practices as usual did not mean the team is

taking it easy by any means. “Our swimmers have been training very hard in and out of the pool since the season began in late October for the girls, and early November for the boys. In dr y land, we have been focusing on increasing strength, flexibility, agility and general athleticism,” swim team coach Elizabeth Shafer said. “In the water, the focus has been on excellent technique, speed and hard work overall. Our training will help our athletes to be prepared to perform up to their potential in our upcoming meets.”

This is Shafer’s first year coaching here after being a fouryear varsity swimmer for Butler.

Although she is new to this team, she said she had some good predictions for the teams prior to the meet. “I think that both the girls’ and boys’ teams have put in the necessar y hard work to be successful in our upcoming meets,” she said. Shafer also said the team needs to stay focused and

to improve on the little things in order to get better.

The women’s team currently shares the national record for most consecutive State championships with Punahou High School in Honolulu, HI. If the team wins this year, they will break the current record of 22.

As the team looks to achieve that milestone, swimmer and sophomore Danielle Yin said she thinks the other teams will put up a good fight, while Mason said she is just excited. “There’s always going to be competition and Iím just excited to see the new freshmen girls and what the other teams have now,” Mason said.

Shafer said she shares a lot of excitement for the upcoming meets. She said, “The team has progressed from the start of the season. Ever yone has increased their conditioning level and has remained focused in their training.

I am excited to see where the season will go from here.”

The junior varsity men’s basketball team takes on Terre Haute South tonight at home. The game starts at 6 p.m., before the varsity men’s basketball game.

JV Head Coach Steve Drabyn is in his first year coaching here.

He said he has enjoyed coaching here so far, and feels comfortable coaching in the new system. “It hasn’t been ver y difficult due to having a similar coaching philosophy to Coach (Mark) Galloway and the rest of his staff,” Drabyn said. “Many of Coach Galloway’s sets I have coached or used as a player, and our defensive philosophy of tough man-to-man is similar to what I’ve experienced.”

Sophomore point guard Mark Fennerty said Drabyn is doing a great job replacing the previous JV coach. Fennerty said, “He is doing good. He is getting to know all of us better throughout each game and practice.”

Drabyn said that he had high expectations coming into the program. “My expectations were high coming in due to all of the success not only the basketball program has had, but the overall athletic department here at Carmel High School,” Drabyn said. “I believe our guys have done a good job living up to those expectations by their basketball experience, effort and ability to take pride in playing for Carmel High School.”

By Ryan Duffy

Kaitlyn lampe / photo

WATCHFUL EYES: The junior varsity basketball team (in dark uniforms) looks on during a drill in practice. Guard and sophomore Mark Fennerty said the team has performed well under first year Head Coach Scott Drabyn.

PAGE 8 • FRIDAY, JANUARY 23, 2009 • SPORTS

The Rising

of Raising an Athlete

Recently, the prices of bringing up an athlete have increased dramatically because of the amount of money spent on equipment and tickets

MONEY GAMES Analysis of sports costs Compiled by David Zheng

FOOTBALL COSTS: KNEE, HIP, THIGH PADS: $50 SHOULDER PADS: $200 Sid Swartzendruber – Assistant Varsity Football Coach (Defensive Line)

KATE GRUMME / PHOTO

“Fortunately, the school provides most of the equipment for them. They don’t have to pay for shoulder pads or any of the necessities. The only thing they’d have to pay for is like a special brace or something like that. The school is not going to pay for a specific knee brace for someone who has trouble with their knees or has had surgery in the past, so anything outside of shoulder pads, helmet, knee pads, thigh pads, hip pads, tail pads, and the actual jersey and pants, the players are responsible for.”

IN DEEP WATER: Carly Marshall, varsity swimmer and sophomore, practices her breaststroke during practice. She said that while she loves to swim, the sport can sometimes be very costly, be it the fast suits, swim gear or team costs that are required of all the swimmers.

BY MAGGIE BRANDENBURG mbrandenburg@hilite.org ay you wer e to sift through varsity swimmer Carly Marshall’s athletic locker. You would probably find a towel “that hasn’t been washed for at least two weeks,” a practice swim suit, a swim cap, goggles, dry land clothes and a pair of tennis shoes. And with the exception of the swimming cap,

Marshall, a sophomore, and her family paid for all of the items, including another swim suit for meets.

Marshall said, “The things that (my parents) pay for, they understand are needed for the sport.”

Swimming is a sport that requires ultimate dedication from its athletes, from club and school dues to the large amounts of time put in by both the swimmers and their parents. The women’s team meets six out of seven days including morning practices during the school week,

and that dedication has been a large part of the team’s success over the years. However, as swimmers advance in both high school and private club settings, a new factor has begun to play a role in performance that stretches a swimmer’s dedication even further: fast suits or full body swimsuits which can begin to put a financial strain on families.

Marshall said, “There’re fast suits for more competitive meets and those can be more than $100, $200 even.

We used to have sponsors, but now

FA C E S O F S P O R T S S P E C I A L E D I T I O N : T H E C O S T S O F S P O R T S

Sophomore Mark Fennerty Six days a week, two and a half hours a day, guard and sophomore Mark Fennerty participates in intensive practices in preparation for the upcoming junior varsity basketball game.

Just like ever y other sport here, the players must also work hard and practice to sharpen their skills, but also like other sports, cost is a factor.

“Basketball is pretty expensive (in my opinion),” Matt Howard, sophomore center and teammate, said.

Just like Fennerty, Howard participates in Amateur Athletic Association, or AAU, an offseason basketball league that runs from March to August and varies year to year. According to Howard, the initial fee of joining

LIKE MIKE: Mark Fennerty, Junior Varsity basketball player and sophomore, looks to dunk the ball during practice.

KAITLYN LAMPE, LILY ZHAO / PHOTO ILLUSTRATION

is about $400 to $1000. Other costs include equipment, board for the players and plane ticket costs, which are mainly covered by the sponsors of the league, Spice and Nike.

Fennerty’s mother, Karen Fennerty, said, “In order to cover the cost for playing (at Carmel), Mark had to sell for a fundraiser, 10 items at $15 each. We paid a $280 practice package, in the end, plus a pair of new shoes.” When asked about her opinion of these prices, Mrs. Fennerty said that she thought the prices were quite reasonable, because Fennerty was able to keep the shoes.

When Fennerty participated in AAU, Mrs. Fennerty paid $475 to get him into the program. This, according to her, also covers the cost of new shoes. The sponsor covers the hotel costs for the players, as well as plane tickets.

“But there’re also hotel fees and plane tickets that the families of the player have to pay,” Fennerty said. When Fennerty played in Las Vegas last year, his mother said that she paid for two plane tickets, as well as lodging in Las Vegas for $30 a night, which she said, again, was a very reasonable price.

“We also paid for a physical fitness guide in the offseason,” Mrs. Fennerty said. “(CHS) basketball is very competitive and Mark needed to remain fit.”

Mrs. Fennerty paid a rate of $15 an hour. Fennerty went for an hour at a time, twice a week.

She also said that the prices, generally, are reasonable. “When Mark went to IU basketball camp in years past, a week cost $300. Mark gets to keep his shoes and the $475 covers a long season.”

Fennerty agreed and said, “I don’t think basketball is all that expensive.” By Faith Mwalwa

we don’t, so we try to go through the least amount of suits as possible by taking care of them, trying not to rip them, cleaning them and such.”

While fast suits are just an option for more competitive meets, the average swimmer still must cover the cost of the team swimsuits, goggles and other equipment in the face of a tough economic situation, leaving families like the Marshalls trying to cut costs for equipment.

“I know she has (borrowed fast suits), because I was reluctant to spend the money,” Barb Marshall, Carly’s mother, said.

According to Athletics Director Jim Inskeep, athletic costs at this school range from about $100 up to $1,000 for the cheerleaders on teams who travel. He said those costs cover a practice package for the athlete including a practice outfit and other items depending on the sport.

“First of all, there is looking at just the high school costs, and when I say, ‘just the high school costs,’ I mean that in the sense of what a check that is written to Carmel High School by a student-athlete and their parents participating in a team (goes toward),” Inskeep said.

“Any item that is consumable, meaning something that the athlete keeps at the end of the year, so it is not inventory, ended up being purchased by the student-athlete and their parents.”

For a swimmer, Carly said it might cost about $100 and those costs would include a team swimsuit and other items such as T-shirts and sweatshirts, while the school covers the costs of the swimming caps.

But unlike many other high school sports, swimmers must purchase their own uniforms each year.

However, according to Inskeep, those are just the high school costs of the sport, and for athletes who compete year round, like Carly, their sports begin to cost much more.

Carly said, “I try to make sure that my mom doesn’t have to buy that many (fast suits), I’ve only bought one since we haven’t had a sponsor. I try to be careful.”

TRACK AND FIELD COSTS: POLE VAULT PITS: $1,000 and up PAYING FOR OFFICIALS/TICKETS: $50 Will Ellery – Track and Field Head Coach “Most of the equipment is expensive for track, and is paid for by the school. This kind of equipment is like, pole vault pits, poles, shots, discs, hurdles, so most the expense for an athlete is just the shoes, which vary based on event, and uniform, which we pick up as well. In reality it’s WILL his shoes, and that has a huge ELLERY price range, based on what type of event. Jump shoes are different from sprint shoes which are different from distance shoes.”

BASKETBALL COSTS: JUNIOR VARSITY BASKETBALL: $200 VARSITY BASKETBALL: $100 Mark Galloway – Men’s Basketball Head Coach “Basketball is probably one of the cheapest sports out there. Varsity is mostly made up of returning lettermen, who would already have equipment that JV athletes don’t have because they played varsity last year, which is why varsity is mostly cheaper than JV. Also,the cost to run a game is not paid for by the student-athletes.

Instead, the school’s athletic budget pays for it.”

NICK JOHNSON, LILY ZHAO / PHOTO ILLUSTRATIONS WILL ELLERY, MARK GALLOWAY, SID SWARTZENDRUBER / SOURCES

COST COMPARISON OF SPORTS PARAPHERNALIA AND EQUIPMENT Compiled and Ranked by David Zheng and Lily Zhao

Basketball overnight summer camps-$300 to $500

Basketball spirit club dues-$100

Gloves-$50

Under Armour-$25 Cleats$40 and above

SHOCKINGLY PREDICTABLE

Football Helmet$150 to $200

Braces for knees after surgery-$200 to $400

PREDICTABLE

Basketball jersey-$60

WILL ELLERY, MARK GALLOWAY, SID SWARTZENDRUBER / SOURCES

NICK JOHNSON / PHOTOS

New pole for pole vault$400 to $450

SHOCKING

CARMEL HIGH SCHOOL

3POT,ITE

Holy Cow! New cupcake shop opens off Rangeline Road Review on page B4

www.hilite.org

520 E. Main Street • Carmel,IN 46032 • Volume 54, Issue 8 • January 23, 2009

Tighten your wallet

Loosen your belt

As the economy continues to decline, students compensate for the hit to their budgets by choosing less nutritous, cheaper foods, such as fast food, as opposed to the nutritious, more expensive options by maria lamagna mlamagna@hilite.org erely looking at senior Paige Kauffman, one would never guess how she maintains her athletic physique. She runs, plays lacrosse and said she always has a lot of energy. But Kauffman’s eating habits don’t reflect the healthy lifestyle she seems to maintain, and for a specific reason. “(I eat fast food) five days a week or more, really almost every day,” she said. “Wendy’s is my favorite. I usually just buy everything from the Dollar Menu.”

Kauffman said she’s maintained this habit since the end of last school year because it’s affordable. However, she acknowledged that these food choices are often not healthy, especially because nutritious menu items are pricier. “I really don’t pay attention to the healthy stuff,” she said. “There are no salads or fruit or anything on the Dollar Menu.

If you want those

items it’s going to cost you at least $2.50.”

Kauffman’s predicament is a common one. Many experts have recorded a correlation between poverty and obesity, and during this recent economic downturn many people have resorted to less healthy food choices because they’re consistently cheaper.

According to the New York Times article “Recession Diet Just One Way to Tighten Belt” from April 2008, the price of food has consistently risen faster than that of many other goods since 2005, most noticeably in the past two years. Consequently, many Americans are switching to a “recession diet” of eating packaged foods, fast food and worse.

In the article, Burt Flickinger, a longtime retail consultant, said the last time he saw such significant changes in consumer buying patterns was the late 1970s, when runaway inflation prompted Americans to ‘switch from red meat to pork to poultry to pasta- and then to peanut butter and jelly. It hasn’t gotten to human food mixed with pet food yet,’ he said, ‘but it is certainly headed in that direction.’”

Economics teacher Dan Bates, who teaches courses such as AP Macroeconomics and AP Microeconomics, said that this trend of passing over pricey, nutritious items in favor of cheaper, unwholesome ones has been prevalent throughout history. “You need a certain number of calories a day and starches are typically cheaper (than other foods),” Bates said. “Historically, people have used them as fillers. In poor economic times people buy potatoes, rice and pasta but those are items that contribute to obesity.

People don’t get the protein they need.”

Bates explained that to determine the poverty level, the United States government estimates how much

face the fats, er, facts

money it costs to feed a family of four, then multiplies this amount by three. This is the amount of money that families should be able to use to buy “essentials.”

However, Bates said the government’s definition of necessary items does not include products like cleaning supplies, washing machines and other goods that many people deem indispensable.

“If people want money for those things,” Bates said, “they have to take it out of somewhere. Many times they take money for those items out of the money allotted for food.”

Bates said that in order to achieve satisfaction from the foods they are purchasing on a budget, many people resort to unhealthy options. “They go down a notch in quality,” he said. “Some of the foods they can buy fall in the realm of fast foods.”

Many local businesses have seen the effects of these historical economic trends. According to Mark Miller, first assistant at McDonald’s restaurant on 146th Street, said that Dollar Menu sales reflect this trend lately. While he was not at liberty to release specific sales information, he said, “The Dollar Menu is always a good seller, especially with the after-school rush. Our sales around the $3 to $5 range, which we consider a “snack sale,” are trending up recently.”

Miller addressed Kauffman’s concern that many of the healthier fast food options are not present on the Dollar Menu. He said that individual stores do not set prices for menu items; rather, they are more or less universal and changes in them come from corporate mandate.

Still, he said he had speculations about why items like the Fruit and Walnut salad could not be included on the Dollar Menu. For one reason, it is pre-packaged now and those items are always pricier than ingredients assembled at an individual store. Furthermore, shipping and transportation costs for delivering produce to restaurants sometimes make low prices impossible. “(Menu prices are) affected by the price of our product to us,” Miller said.

Bates explained this phenomenon as well.

“Transportation costs make produce prices go up,” he said, “especially because stores can’t let produce stay in the inventory. If it goes bad, they get zero for it.”

He also gave another reason why fast food might be a tempting option recently. “During tough economic times, people sometimes have to take that second job,” he said. “What used to be dinner hour no longer exists. Fruits, vegetables and protein fall by the wayside.”

Still, Kauf fman said fast food leaves her feeling satisfied and she will most likely continue her habit.

“There’s a reason kids like to eat Big Macs,” Bates said.

“It has a fat content and leaves them feeling full.”

Compare the nutritional value of these inexpensive options at McDonalds and Taco Bell

Taco Bell

pooja mathur / photo

EAT IT UP: Senior Paige Kauffman eats lunch at her favorite fast food location, Wendy’s. Kauffman said her reason for choosing seemingly less nutritous food choices outside of school is the affordability.

MCDONALD’S

Regular style Cheesy Double Beef Burrito: 460 calories, 20g of fat, 89 cents

Big Mac: 600 calories, 33g of fat, $3.29

Regular style Big Taste Taco: 420 calories, 22g of fat, 99 cents

Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese: 770 calories, 47g of fat

Fresco style Beef Taco: 180 calories, 7g of fat, 99 cents

Grilled chicken Caesar salad: 200 calories, 9g of fat

yum.com/nutrition/menu.asp, tacobell.com/valuemenu, foodfacts.info / sources

rosemary boeglin / graphic

New year’s resolutions prove easy to make, more difficult to keep by beverly jenkins bjenkins@hilite.org

stephanie coleman / photo

DETERMINED: Junior Jennifer Hosek runs in an attempt to keep her New Year’s Resolution.

Unlike previous years, Hosek is resolved to keep this resolution to work out and stay healthy.

For junior Jennifer Hosek, the end of the 2008 year was also an end to another failed attempt toward keeping a New Year’s resolution. Hosek, who has been making resolutions annually for quite some time, always looks forward to accomplishing her goals in January. However, when the following December comes around, she realizes that she hasn’t achieved what she said she would.

“I always write down a few simple resolutions every year,” Hosek said, listing a few very common examples such as keeping her room clean, getting better grades, and being more active. “But I usually give up after the first month or two.”

Hosek, who is like many other students here, begins the new year with high hopes and expectations, but for

one reason or another, isn’t able to follow through with her goals. Despite good intentions and well meanings, the resolutions are soon abandoned and forgotten. Not unique to students here alone, recent research from motivational Web site proactivechange.com shows that less than half of Americans who make resolutions are still keeping them in June. Twenty-five percent of those Americans have reported giving up within the first week of the new year. Whether it is for a legitimate reason such as breaking a leg after resolving to run a certain number of miles in a given week, or one out of laziness such as keeping the house clean, it is evident that people have trouble keeping resolutions. A big reason for this might be because many people don’t know how to make a reasonable resolution.

See RESOLUTIONS on Page B2

Page B2 • Friday, January 23, 2009 • Feature

Playing It Safe Students planning to attend college in crime-ridden cities recognize need to know self-defense

T

by maddi bourgerie mbourgerie@hilite.org

o recognize January as national self-defense month, the freshman physical education classes are studying defense a self-defense unit. With the help of the physical education teachers and the Carmel Police officers, students will learn how to avoid potentially harmful situations and protect themselves if needed.

“It is in the curriculum and a state requirement to help make kids aware of their surroundings,” physical education teacher Robert Kopnisky said.

“Here in Carmel we all live in a protective environment. It is when students leave this environment that they have to know how to react,” Kopnisky said.

There is benefit to getting some kind of awareness that lies outside of Carmel. This safety course is for everyone, but mostly for girls, he said, because it provides them with knowledge about rape prevention.

For senior Sophia Paliza-Carre, who at a few inches over 5 feet may have trouble if she found herself in a harmful situation without any defense, a self-defense class like the one the freshman physical education classes take may come in handy. In fact, Paliza-Carre said she is looking to attend Georgetown University in Washington D.C. and according to statestats.com D.C. is ranked as the 19th most dangerous city in the United States.

Paliza-Carre said, “I am concerned (about safety) but I don’t think it’s a huge deal because it won’t stop me from going there. Sadly, I don’t think I could defend myself in a bad situation. Maybe if I had more knowledge about defense then I could.”

But Kopnisky said regardless of rankings or percentages no one can ever be too sure about their surroundings. He suggests that everyone should take a class at some point. “A girl may never be able to take down a grown man, but there are different ways to prevent an attack besides beating them up: using Mace, carrying a whistle, screaming or knowing where to kick.

The key is to gain attention,” Kopnisky said.

Junior Charlotte Ulrey has been studying Tae Kwan Do since she was 12 years old. Tae Kwan Do is a form of martial arts and self-defense. This form of martial arts teaches defense moves without using any form of weapons. Ulrey said it teaches her how to use all of the body’s weak spots to her advantage when kicking and punching.

Ulrey said, “Self-defense is a reason my dad put me in the class. There are many maneuvers that can help you out a lot. But it all has to do with speed.”

Ulrey said she agrees with her father that learning self-defense is a benefit. If finding herself in a bad situation, she said her experience would help her. “Most people would just run (in a situation), but if they catch you, you still have to know what to do,” she said.

Paliza-Carre said she would be interested in taking a course in self-defense much like Ulrey does. “It

would definitely be a good idea to use for certain situations,” Paliza said.

Kopnisky said that most people would just know the appropriate time to be defensive. But being defensive isn’t always physical and many people do not realize that. “Someone just getting in your face may require being defensive,” Kopnisky said. “Always judge the situation yourself and what degree of danger it is. It can even be a verbal attack; not physical,” Kopnisky said.

Kopnisky said self-defense is not only about getting out of a bad situation, but trying to create prevention of being in that situation in the first place. “It’s about using your head and being smart, knowing what to do and not what to do,” he said. “(People should) recognize when you’re in a place you shouldn’t be, know when you’re in a bad situation.

Even if it’s at a party and you see drugs and drinking, self-defense can be used to avoid the situation all together, so just get out of there. Always be aware of where you’re at,” Kopnisky said.

Kopnisky offered some tips for situations students can’t avoid. These include always park in a well lit parking lot after dark and when working or leaving somewhere late always have an escort and never walk alone. Also he said, people should always check their surroundings be constantly looking around. When reaching your car, he said, look in it, around it and under it. Also, never be talking on a cell phone when walking outside after dark; it’s important to listen to what’s around you.

Kopnisky said there are many ways to be self defensive. Being aware of surroundings and playing it smart by knowing when it’s a bad situation are included in that list. But, he added, often the most effective defense may not be putting yourself into a potential problem in the first place. “Sometimes walking away may just be the best,” he said.

defense GROIN ATTACK Seize both attacker’s hands and strike him to the respective area with your knee as hard as you can. Groin attacks are quite effective, but most will probably fail without the element of surprise.

defense SIDe ATTACK When an assailant tries to grasp you from a side, strike his throat with an elbow. Such blows are very efficient because they cause severe pain.

Defense front attack When you’re gripped from the front, push off attacker’s chin with both hands as hard as you can. Next, strike his big toe, shin or knee with your spike heel, and escape.

arjuna capulong, kaitlyn lampe, sarah sheafer / photo illustrations

Dangerous winter weather conditions pose problem for unprepared students

By Amanda Nguyen anguyen@hilite.org Many people love the snow, but its beautiful appearance can be deceiving. According to sixwise.com, bad weather is the sixth most common cause of car accidents. This was the case for senior Annie Wu. “I was driving home on a Sunday through a neighborhood that was unplowed. I was going around a curb and as I was turning, I lost control of the car and it kept going straight. I rear-ended a parked car,” Wu said. “I was freaking out. The front of the car on the right side was damaged. I also knocked out the light. I had to go into the house of the car owner and explain what happened.”

According to police officer Shane Van Natter, more accidents occur in the winter mostly because people don’t take the time to prepare their cars by taking off the ice or defrosting the windows to see clearer.

“The main effect that winter weather has on driving conditions is that it makes roads more dangerous because the roads are slippery and covered in ice, rain, and sometimes deep, slushy snow,” Van Natter said.

“People need to be careful anytime there is precipitation and when temperatures are below 32 degrees in which freezing can occur. They should be especially cautious at intersections, overpasses, bridges and parking lots.

Parking lots are more dangerous because they aren’t treated and taken care of like the roads are.”

Junior Lauren Bangs also got into a car accident due to winter weather. “I was driving out of school and the girl in front of me slipped. I didn’t notice until she slammed on her brakes, and I had to slam on my brakes.

I ended up hitting the back of her car,” Bangs said. “I was shocked and ticked off. I didn’t know what was happening and was worried about the other driver.”

Bangs said her front hood and the right door are damaged. “People need to watch out for slick roads and watch the people around them. Keep a careful eye,” Bangs said.

Although more accidents do occur in the wintertime, there are also many ways to avoid these accidents.

“People need to allow extra time in the winter. Make sure the car is warm and the windows are clear for visibility. People also need to drive the appropriate speed for the conditions. It can be against the law even if you drive under the speed limit, but too fast for the given conditions,” Van Natter said. “Vehicle preparation and maintenance are important. You need to have good tires, new windshield wipers and anti-freeze washer fluid. You also should have your battery checked and

ensure that all of the emergency equipment works.”

According to superiorcarinsurance.com, the winter survival kit for cars include ice scraper and snow brush, flares and reflectors, jumper cables, small folding shovel, bag of sand for traction, tool kit, flashlight and spare batteries, snack food and water, warm blankets or sleeping bag, warm gloves and boots, tire chains and tow straps and a cell phone.

Although the winter survival kit is useful, some people do not have these items. If there is an accident, there are certain steps to take. Van Natter said, “First, call the police. Then, find out if anyone is hurt. If there aren’t any major injuries, try to move the vehicles off of the roads to a nearby parking lot. Prepare your license, registration, and insurance card. Possibly draw a diagram of the accident for the police.”

Van Natter said after an accident occurs, the driver needs to call his or her insurance company. Drivers involved in a crash in the state of Indiana are required to fill out a SR21 form. The driver needs to mail it to the BMV within 10 days or else the driver’s license will be automatically suspended.

Wu said she called her dad to help her after the accident because he has more experience. She said, “I now drive more slowly and avoid unplowed roads. The accident was because of the weather, not due to bad driving. If you’re a good driver, stay cautious. If you’re a bad driver, stay off the roads.”

winter car survival kit Ice scrapers and snow brush Flares and reflectors Jumper cables Small folding shovel Bag of sand for traction Tool kit Flashlight and spare batteries First aid kit Snack food and water Warm blankets or sleeping bag Warm gloves and boots Tire chains and tow straps Cell phone superiorcarinsurance.com / source

Resolutions, from Page B1 In the minority of people that actually keep their resolutions is freshman Lauren Kahre. Kahre went above and beyond the resolution she made for the 2008 year and has high hopes for this year too. In 2008, Kahre, a cross country runner for CHS’s girl’s team, resolved to do whatever it took to run on varsity for at least one meet. Because Kahre took appropriate steps and never failed to give up even when she suffered setbacks, she not only met her goal but surpassed it by running on varsity at every meet, being the sixth out of the seven top runners for the team.

Kahre said that she put a lot of time and effort into accomplishing her resolution, working toward it daily. “(The team) had practice for an hour and a half daily during the summer. It wasn’t mandatory, but I went every day anyways,” Kahre said. “I used the pressure to be at the front of the pack as sort of a mental motivation. It kept me going even when I was tired.”

Guidance counselor Shelly Rubinstein said that resolutions that people like Kahre make each year are fool-proof and reasonable because the goal is clear and attainable. Rubinstein advises that for the majority of people who have difficulty keeping their resolutions take the extra time to map out a plan in order to help them stay on track.

Top 10 New Year’s Resolutions 1. Spend More Time with Family & Friends 2. Fit in Fitness 3. Tame the Bulge 4. Quit Smoking 5. Enjoy Life More 6. Quit Drinking 7. Get Out of Debt 8. Learn Something New 9. Help Others 10. Get Organized

shirley chen / photo

COLD AS ICE: A police officer directs traffic just outside of the school. Some students here have experienced car accidents due to dangerous winter conditions.

about.com / source

Entertainment • Friday, January 23, 2009 • Page B3

Wonderful Winter Wardrobe Is your wardrobe as gray as the sky outside? Fashion correspondents Tim Chai and Lexi Muir offer the latest tips to brighten up any dull closet

Fashion for girls

Fashion for guys

Overall: Woman’s styles for this winter season have become much more ladylike and classic, from long knee-length pencil skirts to lacy high neck tops. Skin-tight shirts and short skirts are out and classic styles from centuries ago are back in.

Overall: The main idea this season seems to point at the border between refined and rugged, using an East-meet-West motif as the backdrop. Tweed and herringbone suits shared the runways with workwear—hunting jackets, leather bombers, washed tartan shirts, and desert boots—as it did with a (very, very expensive) Russian serf look.

Coats This season, coats have become more than just a way to keep warm.

They have become a fashion statement that far surpasses any other winter-outfit accessory. Long or short, a cute coat is something that every girl must have this winter. Popular in coats right now are big-buttons, plaid and built-in belts. One piece of advice for those venturing out to buy a coat: buy a high quality coat that is very versatile and can go with almost any outfit.

Coats can be found at Burlington Coat Factory, any department store, H&M, Old Navy and Forever 21.

Price: $50 and up.

Animal Print

The most popular look this winter season is animal print. Whether it’s leopard, zebra, tiger or any other wild animal, animal print is a great way to dress funky and release your wild side.

From simple cardigans and shirts to dresses and skirts, animal print is sweeping the nation. Also a popular look for jackets and bags, animal print is a great way to jazz-up any outfit.

Animal print clothing can be found at Forever 21, Delia’s, H&M, Express and any department store.

Price: $15 and up

Topcoats can be found by designers Etro, Marc Jacobs, and Tommy Hilfiger. Locally, check out J. Crew, Banana Republic, Express, Macy’s and Old Navy.

Price: $82 at Old Navy

topcoat If you’re going to own one winter coat, I recommend a classic topcoat. Versatile enough to be worn on all different occasions— from suited business attire to casual cardigan and jeans—a good one will be a worthy investment for years to come.

Just one thing: the coat should hit above the knee; it’s not a bathrobe after all.

Washed shirt This is one shirt that you’ll never have to iron or fold. Care is easy—throw it in the washer and dryer and pull it on—it’s a perfectly casual shirt for any occasion.

Shirts for this season can be found by designers Adam Kimmel, J. Lindeberg and Gilded Age. Shirts can be found locally at J. Crew, which is famous for its secret wash shirts.

Price: $80 at Polo

Handbags The absolute must-have accessory that can make or break any outfit is the handbag.

This season, the trendiest way to carry must-have items is in a clutch. Small and simple, the clutch is the easy, carefree way to keep track of everything a girl needs when she is out. However, for those women who need more room for their items than a clutch will allow, large bags are definitely still in-style. The popular animal print is also great for handbags and can spice up any dull or slightly boring outfit. Also in this season are bright solid-colored handbags that are also a great asset to any outfit. And don’t forget about vintage handbags, they are also one of the most popular trends in bags this season.

Handbags can be found at most stores.

Prices: $15 and up.

Pencil skirts can be found at Express, H&M, Forever 21 or any department store.

Price: $20 and up

Skirts A few years ago, shirt skirts were the way to go.

Now, however, being caught wearing a shirt miniskirt is a definite fashion-don’t. This season, the trend in skirts is to wear high-waisted, long and tight skirts, which are also known as pencil skirts.

This skirt is a classy and sophisticated look that goes great on any girl for any occasion. They can be worn with heels to look simple and classy or boots to make a statement. The pencil-skirt is definitely something that every girl should be able find in her closet.

knit Tie

Knit ties are a classic staple that will never go out of style. From The Beatles stepping out at John F. Kennedy International Airport to JFK himself, their longevity is evident. Recently, they’re making a splash even among today’s most fashionable crowds.

Ties can be found by designers Michael Bastian, Tim Hamilton and Ralph Lauren. They can be found locally at J. Crew.

Price: $50 at J. Crew

Chino

American workwear is known for its utilitarianism, remarkable durability and unbelievable comfort.

Chino pants gained popularity in the United States after the SpanishAmerican War, when army men returning from the Philippines brought back their cotton military trousers. Although chino is a Spanish term for Chinese, don’t be fooled; it’s all American now.

All varieties of boots can be found at any department store, shoe store and most women’s boutiques.

Price: $30 and up

Footwear The biggest, most popular style for footwear this season is the boot.

Whether they are tall and slouchy or short and simple, boots are the number one must-have look for women’s feet. Tall and slouchy vintage boots look great with jeans, dresses and skirts for any everyday outfit. Sleek black knee-high boots are great for looking hip and sassy for a night on the town. And let’s not forget about the shoe-boot! These ankle-height boots have made a huge comeback this season and can be seen on women everywhere.

Chinos were sent down the runways by many designers, including Dries Van Noten and Michael Bastian.

Price: $70 at Banana Republic

tim chai, bennett fuson, matt kanitra / photo illustrations

desert boot Whether you live in the city or the country, you’ll need serious footwear to keep your feet warm this winter. The desert boot is this season’s most versatile mode of transportation. Originally introduced by Clark’s in the mid-20th century, they’re unstructured in a seriously sexy way. Wear them everywhere—they’ll only get better with age.

The desert boot can be found by designers Ralph Lauren and Pierre Hardy. They can be found at Gap and Clark’s, among others.

Price: $89 at Clark’s

Page B4 • Friday, January 23, 2009 • Entertainment

Reviews

Books. Movies. Food. Music. Shopping. Previews.

‘Gran Torino’ summarizes Eastwood’s career by sam Watermeier swatermeier@hilte.org “I finish things. That’s what I do,” Walt Kowalski, the belligerent codger at the center of “Gran Torino,” says threateningly. Clint Eastwood, the actor behind this character, is also finishing something: his amazing acting career. And with the fantastic “Gran Torino,” he ends it gracefully. Eastwood also goes behind the camera, taking newcomer Nick Schenk’s screenplay and truly making the story his own. He turns it into a study of the iconic character he has established over his nearly 60-year career. “Gran Torino” is not only about Walt, but also Dirty Harry, Josey Wales, William Munny- the list goes on. Naming this film after a classic car is fitting for it is a highly nostalgic tribute to Eastwood’s career.

This celebration of his work is infused with effective selfreferential humor as well as poignancy and relevance.

Walt, a widower and former autoworker, is a crotchety old man who watches obsessively over his property while drowning himself in booze and cussing out neighbors. Eastwood portrays a certain American stereotype, a nativist who is prejudiced against and suspicious of foreigners and who champions “buy American.” He calls his own son unpatriotic for driving a Japanese car. Here, to much success, Eastwood pokes fun at the mindset of his legendary Dirty Harry character, the infamously prejudicial cop.

With Walt’s every snigger and mean look, Eastwood telegraphs a wink to the audience: Walt’s values, Eastwood implies, are not his own. In this sense, Eastwood is similar to TV personality Stephen Colbert in mocking an ultra-conservative attitude. Also like Colbert, he has powerful comic presence. However, the film takes a serious turn when Walt surprisingly befriends a Hmong boy named Thao and attempts to protect him from a ruthless gang.

Walt shows a sensitive side in his relationship with Thao that mirrors Eastwood’s own sensitivity. In telling the touching story of this strong, interracial friendship, Eastwood tries to convey that he is nothing like the violent, corrupt, racist roles he’s played in the past. In fact, all of his more recent directing efforts seem to deliberately stand against the behavior of those famous characters. Particularly in his revisionist western, “Unforgiven,” Eastwood plays against type as William Munny. Instead of portraying him as a cold-blooded gunslinger like in his earlier westerns, he creates a sympathetic, compassionate figure. For example, after shooting a man, Munny demands that the man be given water after noticing that he suffers from dehydration while dying. Eastwood conveys genuine concern and sorrow over the man’s pain. Another directorial effort, “Mystic River” also stands against violent behavior.

Sean Penn’s character in the film is actually punished for his uncontrolled rage unlike Dirty Harry. “Gran Torino” is the most obvious of these films in highlighting Eastwood’s values. It is arguably his most personal and, therefore, most affecting piece of acting and direction.

In terms of relevance to 2008 films, “Gran Torino” joins “Iron Man” and “The Wrestler” in presenting a central character that mirrors the actor playing him. In “Iron Man,” Tony Stark’s transition from irresponsible playboy to ethically strong man resembles Robert Downey, Jr.’s transformation from wild, druggie celebrity to serious, respectable actor. Similarly, “The Wrestler” is not only about fictional, washed-up wrestler Randy Robinson, but the similarly battered actor playing him, Mickey Rourke. These performances are especially powerful precisely because of their self-reflective quality that allows filmgoers to see through the character and into the actor’s soul.

“Gran Torino” is speculated to be Eastwood’s last performance. The film community will undoubtedly be saddened if this is true. However, people couldn’t ask for a more perfect, beautiful swan song.

‘Gran Torino’ Directed by: Clint Eastwood

Starring: Clint Eastwood, Bee Vang Rated: R

Overall: A-

More Cup than Cake Holy Cow, Cupcakes! looks pretty, but fails to impress with a lack of flavor and creativity Lexi Muir / Photos

NOT SO HOLY: Although highly hyped, Holy Cow, Cupcakes! failed to meet the high standards set by word of mouth. The cupcakes were dry, unimaginative and lacking in variety.

By Lexi Muir lmuir@hilite.org The art of cupcake baking is a sacred one. The secret to a great cupcake is to add the perfect amount of creativity to the flavor and look of the cupcake and combining it into one small and dainty treat! Cupcakes are perfect for any occasion; whether it’s a birthday, a wedding, a holiday or even just Wednesday afternoon, cupcakes warm the heart and are sure to fill the stomach with joy!

Many restaurants, bakeries and coffee houses have cupcakes on their

Holy Cow, Cupcakes!

Quality: C Atmosphere: C-

Price: $2.50 per cupcake Overall: C

menus but it’s not as easy to come by a shop that specializes in them. For those in Carmel who crave cupcakes often, Holy Cow, Cupcakes! may be the answer to their prayers, but it may also leave them disappointed and wanting more out of their cupcakes.

The title of the cupcake shop, Holy Cow, Cupcakes! leads the average person to imagine a place with giant and unique cupcakes like they’ve never been seen before. That is what I imagined, at least. Walking into Holy Cow, Cupcakes! however, was a rather different experience.

Located at 545 S. Rangeline Road, Holy, Cow Cupcakes! is connected to the Crystal Flash gas station. Because of this rather secluded and odd location, few people know about this cupcake shop and even fewer can actually find it. In my opinion, cupcakes and gas just don’t mix. The inside of the store was also not as warming as I imagined it would be. While standing in the front of the store (which is rather small, by the way), the kitchen was perfectly framed by the half-wall where I could see every tool and ingredient made for baking the cupcakes thrown around the tables in an unorganized fashion. Looking to the left was a rather bare lime-green wall that was covered with some sort of writing that I did not observe too closely. The store is also strictly carry-out as there are no chairs or tables to sit and enjoy your cupcakes.

As mentioned before, Holy Cow, Cupcakes! brings a picture to mind of many different flavors and sizes of cupcakes surrounding the store and overwhelming the customers. When I walked in, however, there were six flavors of smaller-than-average cupcakes. Chocolate, chocolate-cheesecake and vanilla were the only options of cake flavors and there were about three or four different icings on each flavor. Maybe my expectations were too high, but six options to choose from seems a little under-achieving of a shop that supposedly specializes in cupcakes. Definitely lacking variety in the store itself, Holy Cow, Cupcakes! less than impressed me with its selections.

The cupcakes themselves, which I was able to eat in only four averagesized bites, were nothing to brag about either. Slightly dry and averagetasting, the $2.50 cupcake was not worth my money or calorie intake.

Perhaps Holy Cow, Cupcakes! is more for catering and delivery needs, because the store delivers. Its website, holycowcupcakes.com, clearly states that they are happy to deliver for any special occasion, including weddings, birthday parties and any other occasion that may be in dire need of cupcakes.

The dine-in experience was less than pleasing and lacked in appeal of both the atmosphere and the cupcakes. Choosing Holy Cow, Cupcakes! for a special occasion may work out for the best, but choosing to venture to the shop and enjoy a cupcake with a friend is definitely not my idea of calories well-spent.

Animal Collective’s ‘Merriweather Post Pavillion’ best effort thus far by meher ahmad mhamad@hilte.org Animal Collective’s hotly awaited album, “Merriweather Post Pavilion,” proves to be another great addition from the psychedelic folk rock group. With the flurry of excitement in the music community from the album leak, rumored to be orchestrated by Grizzly Bear, the album is coming into its own among the Animal Collective discography. Typically coated in ethereal sounds and layered with echoing melodies, “Merriweather Post Pavilion” is Animal Collective at its best.

Merriweather begins with “In The Flowers”, starting, as many of their songs do, with airy, non-distinct sounds.

It slowly progresses into the chorus, which suddenly bursts with sounds of a sped-up carousel sound track.

The lyrics, “If I could only leave my body for the night,” set the sentiment to the song as a whole. It pulses with an underlying beat at the epitome of the song, and then digresses back into simple piano melody coupled with organic beats typical of Animal Collective.

“My Girls”, which follows “In The Flowers” perfectly, starts with a high-pitched triplet beat. The lyrics of the song are some of the first lyrics that are actually discernable. Animal Collective is fond of mixing their lyrics with sounds to the extent that listeners can’t understand them, but in “Merriweather,” most of the songs are understandable. The beat to “My Girls” is catchy enough, but the song isn’t the highlight of the album.

“Also Frightened” is possibly the first Animal Collective waltz. Although the lyrics are beautiful, some of the chords in the song detract from the eerie quality of the song.

“Summer Clothes” proves to be one of the hit songs of the album. The chorus is not only catchy with its underlying bubblegum beat, but has the substance expected from Animal Collective music. The song finishes off with the repeating lyrics, “And I want to walk around with you/Just you/Just you…” and finishes abruptly, unlike most of Animal Collective’s music, which ends with ethereal echoes.

“Daily Routine” was the least impressive of the album, starting with somewhat annoying random electric piano which returns throughout the song along with ghostly, far away singing.

The sixth track, “Bluish”, sounds almost like a Beach Boys song on psychedelic mushrooms recorded in a cove in the middle of the jungle. The melody is strangely pop-y, with the occasional piano, but when blended with the strange sound waves generated by whatever instruments Animal Collective uses, has the perfect mixture of psychedelic sounds and pop.

“Guys Eyes” begins with what one could imagine stomping through magical mud and moss sounds like.

The echoing singing throws off the sound of the song a bit, but provides for a hypnotic feeling to the song.

Paired with sounds of a lurching, wooden ship, “Guys Eyes” comes together perfectly in the end

Another one of the album’s catchy songs, “Taste” has the same bubblegum beats of Summer Clothes. Mixed again with altered carousel music, “Taste” eventually builds to a repetition of the memorable lyrics, “Am I really all the things that are outside of me?” The carousel melody, however, sounds too busy and is unable to mesh with the organic beats of the song.

Starting with the sounds of a didgeroo, “Lion in a Coma” starts out promisingly with tripping beats that sound not unlike a Renaissance fair. Although the song doesn’t really build to the rushing gusto of most Animal Collective songs, it is decidedly catchy and enjoyable to listen to.

“No More Runnin” is the perfect lullaby that brings fluidity to the album. Its dreamy sounds and plunking notes, along with soothing, airy singing make the song sound like a peaceful summer breeze.

“Brothersport” sounds reminiscent of an early Born Ruffians song, with cute lyrics and harmony. This song seems to be the thesis of the album, with that same Beach Boys sound from “Bluish.” After a catchy start, it digresses into the indiscernible white noise that is Animal Collective and builds back into happy singing of “Until fully grown/You got a real good shot/Won’t help to hold inside/Keep it real keep it real shout out.”

As a whole, the “Merriweather Post Pavilion” is an amalgamation of “Strawberry Jam” and Animal Collective’s early works, which is to say, the best Animal Collective album yet.

‘Merriweather Post Pavilion’ Tone: A Rhythm: A Lyrics: A Overall: A+

STUDENT SECTION • FRIDAY, JANUARY 23, 2008 • PAGE B5

Pet neglect growing problem Incidents of ignoring animals far outnumber incidents involving abuse

SIGNS OF NEGLECT According to pet-abuse.com, the majority of animal cruelty cases are neglect cases. The underlying reason for these cases is often ignorance. Here are some indicators of pet neglect.

Collar too tight Not increasing the size of a collar as an animal grows causes injury, strangulation and death.

Lack of grooming Without regular grooming, a pet, especially a long-haired one, can get massive matting and sores.

Mange Mange, caused by tiny parasites, leads to itching, loss of hair and sores from scratching and biting to relieve the irritation.

Starvation Starvation is caused not only by lack of food, but also by improper food, untreated disease and parasites (like worms).

WWW.PET-ABUSE.COM / SOURCE

F

BY DARLENE PHAM dpham@hilite.org

reshman Jessica “Ashley” Appleton once owned two cats, two gerbils, a hamster, a guinea pig, two fire-belly toads, a crayfish and 300 fish. However, none of the mentioned animals are alive today.

“We didn’t have them all at the same time. We just got some, and they all died or ate each other, and we got more,” Appleton said.

According to Appleton, most of the animals died due to neglect or by accidental means. The gerbils died, she said, because her brother accidentally froze them to death. The hamster passed away because it suffocated.

“I forgot to clean its cage, so it buried itself and died,” Appleton said. The cause of death for the fish is that they all ate one another. The crayfish drowned and the toads died due to neglect.

Appleton’s story is not uncommon. According to pet-abuse.com, the most common type of animal cruelty is neglect or abandonment. In other words, people don’t necessarily provide adequate care for animals in their ownership. In many of these cases, it is due to the owner’s lack of knowledge of how to properly take care of their pets. In other cases, people just do not care and animals may not be seen as living beings, but simply as things a person owns.

“Neglect is defined as owning an animal and not providing adequate food, water, shelter, training, sanitary conditions and affection,” Rebecca Ebert, volunteer coordinator for the Humane Society for Hamilton County, said via e-mail. According to Ebert, neglect could also mean keeping your pet outside on a chain or leash for more than a few minutes or not providing food, water or shelter from weather. Unlike abuse, neglect is not considered to be intentional but results in the animal not receiving proper care.

Sarah Fields, volunteer at the Hamilton County Humane Society and sophomore, has a different definition. “Neglect is lack of taking care of your pet when you should, and lack of an education is a poor excuse. If you have a pet, you should know enough to try and take good care of them,” Fields said.

For Appleton’s two cats, one ran away, while the other was attacked by a raccoon and a coyote.

“We let (the cat) outside one night. A raccoon saw it and tried to eat it. Then a coyote came and saw the raccoon eating the cat. He half ate the cat and killed the raccoon. We found the cat half-dead on the porch, and the raccoon was spread all over our yard. I was really mad. My parents decided to take our cat to a shelter, but it died on the way there,” Appleton said.

Appleton’s parents’ decision to take the dying cat to an animal shelter is not unusual. According to Ebert, the number of severe abuse cases is no more than 10 per year, while cases of neglect can reach up to 100 per year. At any time, the shelter houses about 300 animals. According to The Humane Society of the United States, the number of animal neglect cases decreased slightly over the years, but is now an increasing problem in today’s society.

Fields said the problem of neglect is a big one, not only among animals such as cats and dogs, but also “pocket pets,” such as hamsters.

“Pockets pets are commonly neglected because most people don’t consider them as important as the bigger pets. Also stores like Petco or PetSmart do not tell you how to properly care for small animals. People assume that these pocket pets have short life spans, but in reality if you take good care of them, they can live for a long time,” Fields said.

There are many ways to prevent animal neglect, according to Ebert. The most effective one is for people to start taking care of the animals they own. People must educate themselves before they can educate others on pet care, according to the pet-abuse.com.

EVERYBODY HAS A STORY According to the HiLite student name list, there were 4,199 students registered at CHS as of the first day of school. We plan to cover some of them randomly. This week, we feature number

2,886 Ebert also said educating the public is the best way to prevent neglect. “Adopting a pet should never be done on a whim. Serious thought needs to occur before committing to pet ownership. Ignoring a pet is just as bad as abusing it,” Ebert said.

For Appleton, she’s not planning on any pets for awhile. She said, “We may get a dog, and hopefully we will keep alive this time. I definitely learned from this experience. Animals should be carefully taken care of and they deserve to be treated well.”

MIN QIAO / PHOTO

PET CARE: Local pet stores like, Petco, provides a wealth of information on caring for pets. One of the associates at Petco said that the biggest mistake that people making with new pets is not researching the pet. This leads to lack of preparation and, in some cases, neglect.

Five degrees of separation

How five students from the first row, third seat in Mr. James’s classroom are connected

Middle School JUNIOR NICK STIRN

Good friends

Play recreational soccer in a club JUNIOR CHRISTOPHER GRAHAM

Went to Woodbrook elementary and Clay

Involved in the Blue and Gold Choir

with Christina Gonzalez

friendship with Jacob Hall

Connected through

Involved in Key Club

JUNIOR CAROLINE “CARLY” MARSHALL

and Andrea Brackman

Both take U.S. History and Literature and Composition Block

Favorite T.V. Show is “The Office” JUNIOR KATHRYN “KATIE” HOHN

JUNIOR NA “NANCY” KANG

In the Tote...

Sophomore Marianna Cooper shares a peek in her bag

BY MAGGIE BRANDENBURG mbrandenburg@hilite.org Ipod- “I like to have my Ipod so I can listen to music in SRT or on the bus.”

Cough drops- “(I have them) because during the winter, I usually get sick and those have a lot of vitamin C in them.”

Lotion-“I have lotion in my purse because my hands get really dry during the winter and it smells good too.”

Altoids-“I have Altoids because they’re just really good.”

Blister tape-“It’s tape that you put on blisters because I get really bad blisters with my shoes that I wear.”

Cell phone-“I have my cell phone because I need it to call people and my parents after school or friends or (to) text people.”

Wallet-“I keep my money and my ID and my (driving) permit in my wallet.”

Post-It notes-“I have Post-its just in case I need to write something down so I don’t forget it later.”

Chap-stick-“I have Chap-stick because my lips get chapped in the winter and I always wish I had it if I don’t bring it to school.”

Kleenex tissues-“I have Kleenex because I have a cold right now.”

School supplies-“I put my folder and my assignment notebook and my pencils in my purse. My folder has all my homework in it so I have it with me all the time and it’s like (for) if I need to do homework in SRT or something like that.”

Perfume-“ I keep perfume in there just in case I want to smell good or forgot to put it on in the morning.”

Lip-gloss-“I have lip-gloss because it will help if my lips get chapped or something.”

Graphing Calculator“I have a calculator for math and I have to have that calculator so I just keep it with me.”

KATE GRUMME/ PHOTOS

PAGE B6 • FRIDAY, JANUARY 23, 2009 • PERSPECTIVES STAFF PERSPECTIVE

First black president brings new significance to history month

F

OUR STAND With the induction of America’s first AfricanAmerican president, Black History Month is more important than ever. We challenge students to participate and learn more about the people who changed the face of our nation.

ebruary is Black History Month, a month many Americans pass by as being just another reason for stores to have sales, people to hang posters in schools and TV stations to play specials. However, while the celebration has become more materialized than intended, President Barack Obama’s head-turning election should have Americans turning their heads yet again for the upcoming month now celebrated with more relevance than ever.

Since the early 20th century, Americans have recognized black history annually.

Although it was first known as “Negro History Week” and now as “Black History Month,” the black population’s history was not officially documented until the existence of these recognitions. From the first African-American elected to a local office, town clerk John Mercer Langston of Ohio, to our new President of the United States, Barack Obama, not only the black population, but also all citizens of America have come a long way in embracing African-Americans as leaders of our society.

While most Americans realize the magnitude of how big of a step Obama’s election into office is for the black community, the majority

“

SPEAK UP

Compiled by Maria LaMagna and Mackenzie Madison

are mostly likely unaware of the history behind African-Americans in the government.

While the first elected official was Langston in the 1800s, larger government roles such as U.S. representatives, senators and Secretary of State have been occupied by a total of only eight AfricanAmericans in the past 139 years, one of those Senators being Obama. From Rep. Joseph Rainey’s election in 1870, to Secretary of State Colin Powell’s appointment in 2001, Barack Obama was not only the first black nominee for President but now the first black President as well.

As students at this school and citizens of the United States, we should take time to celebrate this special month. Learn about what makes this upcoming month so important and why its celebration is more relevant than ever. Get involved with Black History Month by participating in events honoring the African-American population.

In a time when America is experiencing change as the first ever black president takes office, take the initiative to not only learn about our new leader’s heritage, but the legacies of all black citizens that have made our country the great place we know it as today.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE SADIE HAWKINS STYLE OF GIRLS ASKING BOYS? I don’t really like it. I feel like it’s the guy’s obligation to ask out the girl.

” “ ” “ ” “ SOPHOMORE ELIZABETH KRAMER

I personally would want it the other way around, but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it. I asked my girlfriend out.

SENIOR ERIC SCHMITT

REBECCA XU / ART

Life should be run like the NBA draft OH YES HE DID!

BY BENNETT FUSON This past election season I spent what little spare time I had planted in front of the television. Yes I know, I should have probably spent time studying or doing homework or what have you, but it’s water under the bridge now. As I sat and watched political history unfold in all its glory, I couldn’t help but notice that amid all of the elections and scandal, certain states were particularly drawn to turmoil.

Alaska, Georgia, Minnesota: each of these states has had either a gubernatorial or congressional election debacle. We, as a state, were lucky; our politicians were either liked enough by a majority or the opposite. So as a passive bystander, I have a suggestion not only for the embattled states but for those who were fortunate enough to sit back and watch.

Congress, as a whole, should be run like the NBA draft.

What I’ve noticed is that at the core of ever y scandal is money.

Not just the money that the politicians in question pursue, either. Money that could ver y well be used to improve states and the lives of its citizens is instead used to stem the scandal and play

damage control. Now here’s the connection: whenever an NBA (or NFL, but we’re sticking with basketball – ‘tis the season) player does damage, irreparable or close to it, his general manager and team releases his contract. At that point, another team could pick him up, or he could lose his contract.

Now we would have a government by the people, for the amusement of the people!

Blagojevich got you down, Illinois?

Release his contract! There’s always hope that Alaska might pick him up in a late draft pick – after all, Ted Stevens is newly retired, and the slot of “scum bag politician” is still open. Plus, with that extra salary, you might be able to pick up some fresh face with a

pocket full of revolution out of Georgetown or Yale.

Now hear me out, skeptics.

This is what we call “bringing in the masses.” Why, you may ask, would we ever want to do such a thing? This, you may argue, is sacrilege to the Constitution and the founding fathers!

Yeah, so?

It’s a flawed system, to be sure, but one I think could potentially be of great use to this increasingly commercial countr y. After all, if Americans can pick their popstars and role models on television shows, shouldn’t we be able to pick our politicians too? Bennett Fuson is an Entertainment editor for the HiLite. Contact him at bfuson@hilite.org.

Both past, future still have much room to change DANCING THRU LIFE

BY AMY FLIS In Germany, archaeologists recently found evidence of a huge battle between Roman and Barbarian troops according to a CNN article titled “German battlefield yields Roman surprises.” The significance? A possible re-write of the history books.

Though a change in the timetable of Roman control over Germany may not enthrall the masses, what it means in the bigger picture is that history is not set in stone. A chance discover y, made by illegal relicscavengers, extends the life of the

Roman Empire by centuries. Only within the last 10 years, data has surfaced supporting the theory that modern man migrated from Africa.

With such evidence, it is clear that the past as notated by the history books is fluid and constantly at the mercy of new discoveries.

The human race is continuously lear ning and reevaluating its ideas about the past, and in the end, it all becomes a part of how humankind defines itself. In that case, a date change is insignificant as a small piece of the puzzle that makes up the whole history of life on this planet.

However, at the time that battle between the Romans and Barbarians was enormously significant. The historic battle, an event which we had forgotten, changed the lives of thousands o f p e o p l e .

C o m p a r a t i v e l y, only time will tell what important events in our lives will sur vive. The events that seem so signifi cant now may not seem that way to the historians in hundreds of years.

This brings me to my point—a central question. A few days ago, Pr esident Barack Obama was inaugurated as the first African

Of all the changes the coming years will bring, only a few of them will live on.

American President of the United States, as the leader during one of the worst economic situations since the Great Depression and as an advocate for change. The question, then, is how will that event will remembered? After we see the ramifi cations of Obama’s presidency, how will the history books record it? Our capacity to record the details of modern histor y is much greater than that of ancient Europe, but even considering that, details will be lost to the passing of time. Of all the changes the coming years will bring, only a few of them will live on. What will we make of our time on this planet, and how will that time be remembered? Amy Flis is editor in chief of the HiLite.

Contact her at aflis@hilite.org.

I think it’s a nice thing for the boys because it takes the pressure off them and you can just go (to the dance) and have fun.

FRESHMAN ALAINA FINKELMEIER

It’s just kind of the same as the guy asking the girl. I don’t think it matters.

JUNIOR JACK PURCELL

Perspectives • Friday, January 23, 2009 • Page B7

Online art lacks needed emotional interaction chai town by tim chai I can still vividly recall my first fashion show, the electricity shooting throughout the room of some 800 guests, camera flashes lighting up the room like the Fourth of July and gorgeous women floating down the runway like angels. As the models continued to appear—their legs swimming in a sea of chiffon and their fingers dancing over the delicate white fur vest—for the next thirty minutes, I felt like (pardon the cliché) I had died and gone to heaven.

This is my ar t. No, I’m not going to become the next Nicolas Ghesquière, Raf Simons or Tom Ford, but it’s something that I can truly love and appreciate.

Earlier this year, the venerable fashion critic at the New York Times Cathy Horyn wrote an article about the growing role of technology in the fashion industry, saying that she would be excited if designers “unburdened (themselves) of the whole system, closed down the shows…and went directly over the Internet to the public.” While I’ve disagreed with Horyn’s opinions in the past, nothing has shocked me as much as this.

Let me clarify a couple of things.

First, I have nothing against the Internet, and I don’t advocate a “de-digitizing” of society; in fact, I believe that the Internet has arguably more impacted the world and its people than anything else within the last two decades. Second, I won’t stop using the Internet, nor would I suggest for anyone else to stop either. After all, I look through most of the collections through a slideshow on style.com. What I am worried about is the consequences modern technology invariably has on the personality of fashion.

I was a huge proponent for the democratization of the fashion industry just a few years earlier. My whole perspective changed with my first fashion show. In the past, I looked through still images of collections on Web sites or found low quality recordings on YouTube. Believe me when I say that it could not compare with the real thing. There is something exceedingly intimate about seeing the way fabric moves, staring in awe at every small detail of the silhouette or embroidery.

The digitization of art has occurred across the spectrum; there are now online art galleries, YouTube videos of concerts and torrents of movies being released the day after the premiere.

This phenomenon scares me. As the literary master Leo Tolstoy eloquently penned it, art is a “human activity consisting in one man consciously hand(ing) on to others feelings he has lived through.” The key here is the personal interaction, or the intercourse of emotions between people. No matter how sophisticated technology becomes, it can never replicate this intimate connection. Tim Chai is the front page editor for the HiLite. Contact him at tchai@hilite.org.

Friday, December 12, 2008 Dear editor, _________ I am usually impressed with the HiLite and its careful coverage of modern issues from a student’s perspective. I was, however, shocked and disappointed with the article “Wishlist 2008: Recession Edition” that appeared in the December 12 edition of the HiLite. A more accurate title would probably have been “Carmel’s Wishlist 2008: Recession? What recession?”. While the article offered more expensive

comparisons to the items listed, the gift ideas listed were all by far too expensive for the average teen to even consider as practical gifts for friends and family. The cheapest item on the list cost four teen dollars and the prices increased exponentially from there! Perhaps a $250 game console is bargain spending for a privileged few Carmelites, but most students at this school would not even have considered that a practical gift when the economy was still thriving. I would so much have preferred to see an article about

great gifts that can be made or purchased for under ten dollars, or the best gifts to give that cost no money at all. The lucky few who can buy all their friends Bearpaw boots or Rock Band 2 probably very much enjoyed the article, but for myself and my fellow students who make $6.55 an hour and don’t have our holiday spending reimbursed

by Mommy and Daddy, I was disappointed.________________ S i n c e r e l y, _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Tessa Wilkerson, 2010

graphic perspective

Contact information Mailing Address: 520 E. Main St., Carmel, IN 46032 Phone: (317) 846-7721, Ext. 7143 Web site: www.hilite.org E-mail: Staff members of the HiLite may be contacted by using their first initial and their last name appending @hilite.org. For example, Amy Flis will receive mail sent to aflis@hilite.org.

Responding to the HiLite

Letters to the editor will be accepted for the Feb. 6 issue no later than Jan. 29. Letters may be submitted in Room C147, placed in the mailbox of Jim Streisel, e-mailed to letters@hilite.org or mailed to school. All letters must be signed.

Names will be published. (Letters sent via e-mail will be taken to a student’s SRT for him to sign.)

Letters must not contain personal attacks against an individual and may be edited.

Purpose The HiLite is a student publication distributed to students, faculty and staff of Carmel High School, with a press run of 4,500. Copies are distributed to every school in the Carmel Clay district as well as the Chamber of Commerce, city hall and the Carmel Clay Public Library.

The paper serves as a public forum and two-way communication for both the school and the community. Opinions expressed in the newspaper are not necessarily those of CHS nor the Carmel Clay system faculty, staff or administration.

Credentials The HiLite belongs to the Indiana High School Press Association, Quill & Scroll and the National Scholastic Press Association.

Advertising Businesses may advertise in the HiLite if their ads adhere to guidelines. The advertising policy is available in Room C147 or at www.hilite.org.

Renny logan / art

Teachers should be held accountable for job performance hu’s there? by michelle hu There are quite a few successful Michelles in the world now – Kwan, the figure skater; Wie, the golfer; Obama, the First Lady; and now, Rhee, the educative administrator. She’s the current chancellor of Washington D.C. schools, and has almost completely shifted the blame from financing to teacher competence.

She’s absolutely crazy. In the approximate year-anda-half that she’s been in her position, she’s closed 21 of the 143 schools she oversees, fired more than 100 staff members, 270 teachers and 36 principals. She even dismissed the principal of her own daughters’ elementary school.

She’s also brilliant. She’s revolutionized the art of school administration. Granted, she’s quite lucky. Rhee has the best bureaucratic support in the form of Adrian Fenty, mayor of D.C. Every move she’s made has been backed by Fenty, giving her carte blanche in anything she wishes to accomplish.

Her plan? To rid the system of adult incompetence.

This has angered teachers’ unions across the nation, but her actions could actually make a difference. She’s beginning to treat teachers like any other professional in the free market: their paychecks are dependent upon job performance.

At this school, teachers receive an average salary of $51,078 based upon experience and college degrees earned. Job performance plays little to no role in

determining this number.

In the real world, this determination raises serious concern. Surgeons are rated by their successes and lack of patient deaths. Salespeople receive commission based upon the quantitative sales they make. Why then, aren’t teachers held to the same standard?

Rhee’s plan hopes to answer this question with a powerful, resounding “they should be.” All of the staff members that she’s fired so far are ones that she has deemed incompetent, and the remaining teachers’ job performance are constantly evaluated. She’s given them a deal: keep job security or trade it for a double salary. This treads upon the greatest fears teachers feel, which is why unions are up in arms about the whole situation.

It’s not at all unreasonable. Basically, Rhee’s asking teachers to prove their worth, which, in a corporate world, is the only way to survive. Granted, a school system is far from a corporate environment, but this way of survival may just work.

However, Rhee still has problems to iron out. It is difficult to appoint a watchdog, and even if she does, there is no measurable standard to account for external factors. Factors such as classroom demographics, course level and parent involvement can all raise or lower scores significantly.

So far, Rhee has been successful. Under more capable educators, the district’s test scores have risen 8 to 11 percent in both elementary and high schools.

Rhee’s plan is admirable. She’s fought powerful unions and legislators (since Democrats are in support of teachers’ unions) in order to achieve measurable progress. With such backing from the mayor and with a keen sense of business politics, she’s inherited the perfect opportunity to reform.

I can only hope that other districts follow in her example.

Michelle Hu is a News editor for the HiLite. Contact her at mhu@hilite.org.

Editor in Chief Managing Editors Accountant Acumen 15 Minutes of Fame Ads Manager Artist Beats/Calendar Entertainment Feature Front Page Graphics News Perspectives Photography Sports Student Section Videographer Web Writing Coaches Adviser Principal Superintendent

Reporters Meher Ahmad Aili Arnell Kelsey Binion

More cooperation needed for peace between Israel and Gaza get happy by meher ahmad The foremost global crisis appearing in today’s media is the conflict in Gaza in the Middle East. Situated in the tinder-box of the Arab world, Israel has long been the source of controversy and conflict.

The current situation in Gaza worsens daily. What started as just another exchange of rockets has quickly turned into an unthinkable emergency with Israel.

What is difficult for most to understand is the perspective of the Palestinian people. The media reporters, for the most part, stand near the Israel-Palestine border with bullet proof vests. The only information coming out of Gaza is reported by Israeli military and civilian reporters. What is known is certainly frightening.

This whole conflict has been blamed on the organization t h a t m o s t o f t h e We s t e r n world recognizes as a terrorist

organization called Hamas.

Criminalized by most media organizations, Hamas is considered a terrorist group by both the United States and Israel, mainly because they use military tactics that target civilians and promote some usage of suicide bombing.

Targetting civilians and suicide bombings can by no means be justified, but Hamas is in a difficult position.

As the only voice for the Palestinian people, Hamas has a laundr y list of grievances to address. The Gaza strip, as well as all of the Palestinian territories, is virtually being suffocated slowly.

Surrounded by the recent Separation Wa l l , w h i c h i s five times bigger than the Berlin wall and made with three feet of concrete, the territories are economically crippled. Palestinian farmers are separated from

their farmland, whole villages have lost steady water supply, and the unemployment rate is astronomical. The depression rate in the Palestinian territories is somewhere around 75 percent.

Hamas is a form of government.

The people of the ter ritories have chosen Hamas leaders to represent them in the global political scene.

Hamas also funds a number of community ser vice activities through mosques and schools in the Gaza territory.

Unfortunately, Hamas does not have a legitimate method of communicating with the Israeli government. Since it is considered a terrorist group, Israel and the United States refuse to have talks with Hamas leaders.

This seems counteractive to avoiding military conflict, as it prevents any sort of peace talk.

Israel and the United States refuse to have talks with Hamas leaders. This seems counteractive to avoiding military conflict, as it prevents any sort of peace talk.

T h u s f a r, o v e r 5 0 0 G a z a civilians have died, including roughly 150 women and children.

Just recently, cnn.com reported 60 civilian casualties in a school.

The Israeli army claimed that they were responding to mortar fire emanating from the school. All civilian reporters have told stories of not being able to leave their homes for fear of Israeli air strikes.

What I find especially disturbing is that Israeli authorities have been sending automatic calls to regions where they plan air attacks as warnings to civilians.

In my opinion, avoiding human suffering should be the priority of both Hamas and the Israeli government. In order to achieve a cease-fire, there needs to be direct talks between Hamas and Israel, instead of communication through rocket fire. If Israel truly claims to be responding to Hamas attacks correctly, why have there been a growing number of innocent civilians dying daily?

Hamas should be recognized as a legitimate form of government in order to reach an agreement.

Meher Ahmad is a reporter for the HiLite. Contact her at mahmad@ hilite.org

Amy Flis Cathy Chen Brittani Wheeler Charlie Duncan Ariel Aisen Jinny Zhang Stephanie Hodgin Beth Brookie Renny Logan Hera Ashraf Bennett Fuson Jade Luo Rosemary Boeglin Sarah Sheafer Tim Chai Matthew Kanitra Steven Chen Michelle Hu Michael Wang Reid Conner Maria LaMagna Evelyn Forbes Kaitlyn Lampe Andrew Browning Lily Zhao Min Qiao Brian Bondus Yon-Sue Choi Shireen Korkzan Renny Logan Jim Streisel John Williams Barbara Underwood

Maddi Bourgerie Hope Boyer Maggie Brandenburg

Lexi Muir Faith Mwalwa Amanda Nguyen Tatum Outlaw Monica Rice Mitch Ringenberg

Lauren Burdick

Erum Rizvi

Steven Chen

Sara Rogers

Susie Chen

Jade Schwarting

Ryan Duffy Ellie Seta Cassie Dugan

Tommy Sneider

Daniyal Habib

Mallory St. Claire

Jon Haslam Afra Hussain Beverly Jenkins Julie Kippenbrock Erin Lowe

Tracy Sun Sam Watermeier Tyler Wright Celina Wu Rebecca Xu

Mac Madison Michelle Yun Lauren Mugavin David Zheng

Photographers Arjuna Capulong

Kate Grumme

Shirley Chen

Nick Johnson

Stephanie Coleman

Pooja Mathur

Lizzy Grubbs

Elizabeth Trancik Owen Williamson

Webmasters Michael Luo Mike Jiang Nishanth Samala

Jimmy Sun Alex Yin

Page B8 • Friday, January 23, 2009 • 15 Minutes of Fame

Senior Kevin Anderson uses his artistic skills to draw his very own science fiction comic book by tommy sneider tsneider@hilite.org How did you get interested in drawing comic books?

Sam (Watermeier) just told me the idea for the comic he wanted to write and I thought that doing the artwork for it would be a good challenge for me and would help me as an aspiring artist.

What’s the basic plot of the comic book you two are writing?

It follows a lonely scientist who genetically enhances soldiers for the military. So, in that sense, he is creating superheroes; hence, the title of the comic, “Superhero Man.” His work goes largely unrecognized which compels him to become a vigilante to gain attention from the world.

What are the events in the comic based off of?

It’s mostly just inspired by 1950s B-horror and science fiction movies. It also hearkens back to “The Invisible Man,” “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” and “The Hulk” with its “mad scientist” gimmick.

What kinds of comic books do you plan on drawing?

I’d want to do a more traditional superhero book next instead of a science-fiction, horror story like the one Sam and I are working on now.

How did you and Sam get the idea?

Sam came up with the idea for the story. I just offered my expertise in terms of the artwork.

What superpower would you have if you were a comic book character?

I would want to be able to freeze time.

What have you done to help you draw the comic?

I’ve picked up some instructional books and looked at other comic book artwork for research and inspiration.

Describe yourself as a comic book character.

I guess I would want to be like Superman. He can virtually do anything.

Do you plan on drawing comics in the future?

We’ll see. It’s just a hobby for now. My real passion is music.

What is your favorite comic book?

I like the older stuff like the early Batman and Spider-Man comics.

What’s the hardest part about drawing the comic?

Most of my art is focused on one object. This is the first comic I’ve done, so depicting the several events that were supposed to happen in the panels was difficult. The action-adventure elements of the story were difficult to draw.

What’s the best part of doing this comic?

The challenge of it and all of the comics I’ve discovered through research.

Do you guys plan to make a series out of this comic book?

Why or why not?

A series would be great, but difficult and time consuming as well. We’re still working on the first comic so we’ll see how that turns out first.

arjuna capulong / photos stephanie hodgin / photo illustration

To submit nominations for 15 Minutes of Fame, email Stephanie Hodgin at shodgin@hilite.org

How much time do you guys spend on the comic?

About an hour every day. We’re taking it slow right now.

Are you guys considering publishing or making the comic book public?

We might send it to a company depending on how it turns out. Right now, this is just for fun.

min qiao / art

Modern art forms are affected by increasing multiculturalism

“

In general, people tend to draw from their own background for inspiration. If they don’t have a multicultural background, then they use the Internet.

JUNIOR MéGHANE MASQUELIN

by mallory st. claire mstclaire@hilite.org

Junior Méghane Masquelin moved from France to America four years ago. Here, she takes art classes and is enrolled in the IB course program.

Her art projects combine African and Indian elements, and she is currently working on a drawing with Asian influences, based off a Korean film called “Virgin Snow.”

“I’m really inspired by East Asian culture,” Masquelin said. “Right now I’m studying different Asian visual artists as well as musicians and would like to visit someday. I’m also inspired by my French culture, as I draw inspiration from my family and country.”

With the world opening and new cultural influences arriving in America, art finds itself subject to the globalization and outside influences, much like Masquelin’s multifaceted work. According to Amanda Holman, AP Human Geography teacher, the availability of the Internet has drawn people together and made information about other cultures more accessible.

“It is very easy to go onto a chat room and talk with a person from another country,” Holman said. “The general availability of information via the Internet is also a major factor.”

According to art teacher Jen Bubp, the art world has slowly changed to accommodate representation by different cultures. Galleries are

showing an increase international art due to demand by buyers for more global representation, and art museums are responding to the cultural shift. The recent Ming art exhibit at the Indianapolis Museum of Art, Bubp said, is a good example.

“Ar t histor y has especially changed,” Bubp said. “Traditionally, we only taught the western artists, like Da Vinci, Van Gogh and Monet.

We’re seeing more multiculturalism and feminism in art history because of the post-modern movement.”

Bubp said she sees her students influenced particularly by Japanese animation, as well as Native American and Australian art, but said all cultures influence her students.

Junior Annie Tang, is in an independent

study art class. She mostly draws people and face constructions, specifically between different races to observe the contrasts.

“I think it’s great modern art can produce art with various influences,” Tang said. “Unfortunately, traditional characterizations are almost lost.

In China, before it was traditional Chinese art and architecture, but now everything feels more international.”

Masquelin said from living in France, America affected French culture in turn.

“In France, America is viewed as the dream,” she said. “People want to visit Hollywood, Vegas, and New York. We have this vision of America.”

With the cultural flow going both

ways, the art world is clearly being changed by access to other cultures.

Bubp said while the pull is creating hybrids of styles and cultures, the basic principles of masters such as Da Vinci and Michelangelo are taught worldwide.

Masquelin said she tends to view multiculturalism in art as inspiration.

She said that, as a child, one of her dreams was becoming a fashion designer. Today, she watches shows such as “Project Runway,” where contestants are challenged to create creative pieces of fashion.

“You see designers pulling inspiration from paintings and different cultures,” she said. “They draw inspiration from within and all around the world.”