12.12 Issue

DEC. 12, 2011 I VOL. 76 I ISSUE 5 CARMEL HIGH SCHOOL I 520 E. MAIN STREET I CARMEL, IN I WWW.HILITE.ORG

Also in this issue...

How to stay healthy during the flu season — See page 6 * Carmel High School’s student newsmagazine

HANGING UP THE PADDLE Despite the legality of the practice, corporal punishment has become outdated for many families.

Join the conversation.

Follow HiLite online.

PAGE 2 | TABLE OF CONTENTS | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | DEC. 12, 2011

Offbeat

In honor of the upcoming holiday season, take a indepth look at the classic candy cane.

Inside this issue

National Candy Cane Day is celebrated on Dec. 26 in this country.

In about 1670, a choirmaster had sticks of candy bent into the shape of a shepherd’s crook and passed them out to children.

Thus was born the tradition of giving out sugar canes at living creche ceremonies.

news

7

Despite new construction in the Fashion Mall, Clay Terrace is unaffected

feature

8

Though experts are relectant to government using technology, students embrace

The world’s largest candy cane was created by Paul Ghinelli and measured 58 ft.

2 1/4 in.

NATIONAL CONFECTIONERS ASSOCIATION / SOURCE MELINDA SONG / GRAPHIC

cover story

Women’s swimming team reflects on and analyzes its trend of success

While corporal punishment continues to be a practice used both at schools and at home, new generations prefer alternative punishments

Also in this issue Managing editor Caroline Zhang stresses the importance of maintaining good health over accepting statistics / 29

perspectives

28

Entertainment editor Natalie Maier reminds readers to give back to charity during the holiday season / 30

Staff asserts students should perceive college as a means, not an end

Corrections and Clarifications

entertainment 54 percent of kids ages six to 11-yearsold say they eat a candy cane by sucking on it. 24 percent prefer biting/crunching.

26

16

For 200 years, the candy cane came in only one color: white.

Each year 1.76 billion candy canes are made, enough to stretch from Santa Claus, IN to North Pole, AK and back 32 times.

sports

20

Students staying here for winter break can find entertainment in many locations

In the Nov. 18 news article, “New policy changes lockdown procedures,” Assistant Principal Amy Skeens-Benton was mistakenly reported to have attended the 2011 National Association of School Resource Officers Conference. She did not attend.

In the same article, the following information was left out: This school district adopted Sgt. Hobson’s recommendations, and now Hamilton County schools are also implementing these changes.

The HiLite strives to correct its errors. If you notice any inaccuracies in this issue or past issues, please do not hesitate to contact management@hilite.org.

CONNER GORDON / COVER DESIGN

15 minutes

32

Senior Conner Erickson has aspirations to pursue a career as a chef

DEC. 12, 2011 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | JUST A MINUTE | PAGE 3

What Was at Issue

Who Benefits from the New Deal

Two main issues spurred antagonism between basketball players and team owners

The tentative 2011 collective bargaining agreement (CBA) has attempted to resolve many issues that affect players, small-market teams and owners

Revenue Split Last season, the NBA brought in $3.7 billion in “basketball-related basketball-related income,” which includes all income money made through basketball operations. Players were guaranteed 57 percent of this revenue, causing owners to lose $300 million. Also, the league said 22 of its million 30 teams lost money last season.

Resolved: Revenue Split

Salary-capping The salary cap is the maximum amount of money NBA teams can use to play their players. The cap for the 2010-11 season, $58 million, was considered a “soft” million cap because the limit was subject to a complicated system of rules and exceptions.

Players will receive 51.15 percent (compared to the original 57 percent) of BRI this season. In later seasons, players will receive 49 to 51 percent of BRI, and 1 percent of BRI (from the player’s share) will fund a new pool for post-career benefits.

After losing a collective $1.01 billion in the past three seasons, the owners win this concession.

Players will lose approximately 20 percent of their salaries this season as a result of games missed due to the lockout.

Resolved: Minimum Team Salary

Where Each Side Stood The Players The players were led by Fisher, Los Angeles Derek Fisher Laker and president of the National Basketball Players Association, which actually Association dissolved during the disagreement.

They were against a hard cap.

The Owners The owners were represented by the NBA league and commissioner Stern One of its key goals David Stern. was to negotiate a system to give big-market and small-market teams an equal chance of competing for the championship by modifying the current luxury tax level level.

Breaking into the

NBA Lockout On Nov. 26, NBA basketball players and team owners reached a compromise after a 15-hour settlement negotiation to end the 149-day lockout. The season’s opening day is now Dec. 25.

Teams must now spend at least 85 percent, not 75 percent, of the salary cap in 2011-12 and 2012-13 and at least 90 percent of the cap in later years of the agreement.

Due to the recent economic recession, teams were increasingly below the salary cap.

Raising the salary floor benefits players as teams are required to spend more on player salaries.

Resolved: Revenue Sharing

A newly negotiated plan will approximately triple the amount of money that is shared with teams in competitively disadvantaged markets.

x3

Small-market teams benefit. Teams such as the Lakers, which just recently signed a $3 billion television contract, will be annual payers in this new system.

For more on how the NBA lockout affected the men’s basketball team at this school, scan this QR code.

CBS BOSTON, ESPN, USA TODAY, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED / SOURCES MELINDA SONG / GRAPHIC

PAGE 4 | NEWS | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | DEC. 12, 2011

NEWS I Owe You SUBMITNEWS@HILITE.ORG | TWITTER.COM/HILITE_NEWS

Dates to Remember Dec. 12: NHS Final Exam Survival Kit delivery Dec. 16: Winter break begins Jan. 3: Second semester begins Jan. 16: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Did you know?

The world’s largest snow man is measured at 122 ft. 1 in. in Bethel, MA. BETHELMAINSNOWMAN.COM / SOURCE

On Oct. 25, President Barack Obama unveiled a plan to clarify college costs and ease financial burdens for college students beginning in 2012

BY MONICA CHENG mcheng@hilite.org

Obama’s New Plan: Pay As You Earn 2.

Repayment

Forgiveness

$

$$$$

ON NEXT PAGE

1.

*

Income-based repayment for student loans will be limited to 10 percent of the borrower’s discretionary income, a reduction of the current cap by 15 percent.

All remaining student loan debts will be forgiven after 20 years of payments, a decrease from the current limit of 25 years.

The Administration recently proposed for these changes to be introduced in 2012 rather than 2014, including the “Know Before You Owe” initiative. Launched by the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau and Department of Education, the project aims to educate students about debt burdens and financial aid.

Financial Literacy in America

Average percent scored on a personal finance survey for high school students

100

50

0

No financial literacy requirements in schools.

Requires personal finance instruction incorporated into other subjects.

199 7 200 0 200 2 200 4 200 6 200 8

W

hile some of her friends have already received acceptance letters from the colleges they know they will attend next year, senior Katie Havard is still in full swing of the college application process. Three of the colleges she is considering—Washington University in St. Louis, the University of Miami and Cedarville University— have tuitions that amount to annual costs of $40,950, $38,917 and $29,642, respectively. For Havard, higher education is an expensive undertaking that requires thorough planning.

“Both my sister and I will be studying in college at the same time for at least the first two years,” Havard said. “My parents and I have made it a goal to graduate from college debt-free or carrying only a small debt. Having an older sister who went through this process before me definitely helps in terms of saving, but college costs can still be confusing because there are so many factors to keep track of, like tuition, housing, food and scholarships.”

Students like Havard may benefit from some good news. Across the country, the pressure on college-bound students who seek the most affordable deals and the real cost of a college education may soon be alleviated. On Oct. 25, President Barack Obama made an executive order that will clarify the costs of college and accelerate a student loan assistance initiative. These changes will take effect in 2012, rather than 2014 as originally planned.

One component of the plan is the “Pay As You Earn” program, which will not only lower monthly student loan payments to 10 percent of discretionary incomes but also erase the debt after 20 years of payments. In addition, the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau and “Know Before You Owe” fact sheet will help clarify college costs and allow students to more easily compare the real costs of different college options, according to Obama’s plans.

Around 1.6 million students may see their debt decrease by hundreds of dollars each month as they continue to attend college.

Harry Pettibone, college adviser at the College and Career Resource Center (CCRC), said, “It’s becoming increasingly important for students to pursue higher education so that they can lead a successful life and compete in the global economy.”

According to the Carmel High School profile, 85 percent of 2011 graduates enrolled in a four-year college, and 11 percent enrolled in a two-year college or trade school. With this large percentage of students pursuing a higher education path every year, accounting teacher CONTINUED Jill Noel said the need for students to

Requires at least a one-semester course in personal finance.

WHITEHOUSE.GOV, JUMP$TART COALITION / SOURCE LIANE YUE / GRAPHIC

DEC. 12, 2011 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | NEWS | PAGE 5 be financially literate is even greater.

According to Noel, this prevailing attitude of financial nonchalance can be largely attributed to the fact that many students graduate high school without having taken a finance class. She said schools should introduce financial education to students as early as in elementary school, in which the basics can be taught.

In the past five years, several states have successfully made financial-literacy classes mandatory for graduation; however, Indiana is not one of them. Around that time, Noel had been a member of the curriculum committee, and a group of business individuals proposed that personal finance be a requirement for graduation in the state of Indiana. The U.S. Department of Education, however, had rejected the proposal.

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

“By the time they’re in high school,” Noel said, “(students) know how to do high-level mathematic calculations. Yet they still don’t know how to do some of the most basic financial procedures like opening and maintaining a checking account and understanding credit and insurance.”

Two courses that Noel recommends are personal finance and accounting, both of which she said would not only help in managing daily finances but also in pursuing a business major in college.

Havard, on the other hand, said she does not feel that finance courses should be required for students to graduate; however, she agrees they can be helpful and could be more strongly encouraged among many students who have not before considered taking a finance course.

“Obama’s plan,” Noel said, “may initially encourage students to go to colleges they hadn’t previously thought

possible, but in the long run it’s extremely important that students have financial literacy. Those who don’t understand finance won’t be able to pay off their student loans, and the stigma of debt and lack of financial knowledge will affect not just their credit score but how they live the rest of their lives.”

But ultimately, according to Pettibone, the root of the college finance issue lies in college choice.

“The most expensive colleges don’t necessarily provide a better education than the in-state colleges,” he said. “The college you graduate from is a factor in finding a job, but in the end it’s about how you perform in college, no matter which one you go to. You can still establish yourself as a prime candidate for employment at a less expensive school.”

Havard said, “I think finding the college that fits you best and that provides quality education is far more important than the label.”

Incentives for purchase of electric vehicles may lead to an increase in sales

BY ERIC HE ehe@hilite.org With a recent increase in gas prices and environmental awareness, more people are looking toward fuel-efficient and alternative fuel vehicles. To perhaps make that choice even easier, the Northern Indiana Public Service Company (NIPSCO) has developed a plan to provide incentives for those who buy electric vehicles. The company will provide $1,650 to 250 residential customers for installing 240-volt charging stations, and give those who install the stations free power for their cars for three years between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. These combined factors, according to business teacher Rob Holman, may lead to an increase in the purchase of alternative-fuel vehicles for students.

Mason Yao, Environmental Club president and senior, said via email that gas prices and environmental causes were factors that affected his desire to want to buy a fully electric car.

“When I have enough money, I plan on buying an electric car,” Yao said. “But I am not planning on getting one as a student.”

Holman, however, said electric cars are an option for students who are able to purchase them and that the cars would be beneficial.

“I think it all comes down to price because people consider these kinds of cars for the price, but we have to see how affordable these cars are,” he said. “The more of these cars are available, the more the prices will go down. Students will choose these cars in order to save money on gasoline and help the environment.”

Yao said he agreed with Holman, that one of the reasons

Final Exam Schedule 7:50 to 9:20 a.m.

9:30 to 11:03 a.m.

11:13 a.m. to 1:23 p.m.

1:33 to 3:05 p.m.

he wants to purchase an electric vehicle is because of gas prices. Along with this reason, he said that cars’ effects on the environment also affected his desire to purchase this type of car, and the incentives offered by NIPSCO do not hurt.

“In general, buying an electric car would probably help by promoting green consciousness and you can’t put a price on helping the environment, so buying an electric car seems like a good decision. The incentives for buying such vehicles definitely make it more enticing,” Yao said.

Holman agreed incentives for buying electric vehicles would increase sales.

“Electric cars are going to be more approachable with these incentives, and it’s going to be an attractive option if gas prices stay the way they are,” he said. “Whether its tax breaks or other things, incentives like these push people to make decisions. These incentives in general push people to do things that are better for the environment and conserve resources.”

Although he said the incentives are important factors in increasing sales of electric vehicles, Holman said gas prices are a factor.

“For students, it’s more important to save money on gas, and (electric cars) are cheaper to operate than other vehicles,” Holman said. “If you look at the numbers, in recent years bicycle sales have increased as people look at cheaper ways for transportation. I myself can remember when gas prices first hit a dollar. Back then it caused people to start carpooling more. You start seeing that now with kids looking at how much they put in their tanks. Kids are starting to carpool with one another and try to save money in various ways.”

Yao said he agrees with Holman but said he also said students would not be able to afford such vehicles.

By the Numbers

1 1.6

millions of electric vehicles that President Barack Obama called to be on the road by 2015 in his 2011 State of the Union address. millions of hybrid vehicles the Department of Energy reported to have been sold in the past six years.

GRIST.ORG / SOURCE

Yao said, “When you are a student, cheaper is better when it comes to cars. It’s hard to balance work and studying while you’re trying to buy a car. I myself will not buy (an electric car) as a student, but I’m going to get a job and money to buy one in the future.”

Although Holman said he thinks the incentives may be helpful, he also said the purchase trends of electric cars may be uncertain.

“You have to weigh the cost of the car with how much you are going to save on gas,” he said. “Over time the cars may even become more expensive, and we have to see if the gas prices will stay high. It all depends on the change of the gas price. In the end students will buy these cars if they think that they will save money.”

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Period B2 Period B1 finals Period B3 and lunch Period B4 finals

Period G1 finals Period G3 finals SRT and lunch Period G4 finals

Period B1 Period B2 finals Period B4 and lunch Period B3 finals

DOUG BIRD / SOURCE

PAGE 6 | NEWS | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | DEC. 12, 2011

An Epic Epidemic?

Despite potential outbreaks at nearby schools, CHS is prepared for the winter flu season

BY HENRY ZHU hzhu@hilite.org

F

or senior Jake Robinson, his last year of high school was supposed to involve lots of sporting events and perhaps the occasional class prank; it was not supposed to involve getting sick multiple times in just a few months. Yet Robinson, who has missed five days of school this year, said the experience did have a silver lining; it made him more aware of the health risks of a school environment.

“I stayed home for a lot of days this year because I got strep throat and later got pharyngitis,” Robinson said. “I don’t think it got around or anything because I was the only one who had it, but it made me realize that I had to be more careful about diseases because things can spread really easily here at school.”

Robinson was hardly the only person to become sick this year. According to a Nov. 1 article in The Indianapolis Star, a potential outbreak of pertussis — also known as the whooping cough — at Hamilton Southeastern schools a few months ago led the district to inform all parents of the disease’s signs and symptoms as a precaution.

Carmel Clay Schools followed suit in late November, and school nurse Carol Gelatt said she believes this school has done well to prepare for such health problems.

“One of the new vaccines we recently required students to get was a vaccine to protect against pertussis, so that specific disease is not likely to be a problem for students here,” Gelatt said.

“The school is required to notify the Indiana Department of Health if we have 20 percent or more of students absent because of a disease.”

There are, however, different procedures for notifying the entire community.

“The school usually alerts the community significantly earlier as a preventative measure,” Gelatt said.

“When students have a fever of over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, we strongly encourage them to stay home until the fever remains less than 100 degrees for at least 24 hours without using fever reducing medicine.”

As for David Liang, a self-proclaimed health-conscious student and sophomore, he said he believes the school does its best to keep students safe.

However, since the presence of so many people in so little space makes it easy for diseases to spread, Liang also said he thinks it is primarily students’ responsibility to

keep themselves healthy.

“My friends say I’m a germophobe, but I’m just trying to stay healthy. I wash my hands before every meal and whenever I touch something dirty. I used to carry hand sanitizer with me at all times, and I’m a bit more careful around people who were recently sick,” Liang said. The school does what it can to keep kids safe, but I think the person’s behaviors have the biggest impact on whether they get sick or not.”

Liang’s ideas are supported by evidence from the Center for Disease Control (CDC). The organization finds that other than vaccinations, everyday actions like hand washing and using tissues when sneezing or coughing are the most effective ways to remain healthy.

As for this school, Gelatt said the health center follows different guidelines for each disease, but also has policies to

deal with outbreaks in general.

“The local health department has information about symptoms, methods of prevention and other information about almost every communicable disease, and we follow those suggestions closely,” Gelatt said. “The school can notify parents and students of CONTINUED potential health concerns, but it is ON NEXT PAGE

I stayed home for a lot of days this year because I got strep throat and later got pharyngitis. I dont’ think it got around or anything because I was the only one who had it, but it made me realize that I had to be more careful about disease because things can spread really easily here at school.

Jake Robinson Senior

HENRY ZHU / PHOTO

HYGIENE FIRST: Sophomore David Liang washes his hands before going to lunch. According to the World Health Organization, those who wash their hands are 24 percent less like to get a respiratory illness and 45 to 50 percent less likely to get a stomach bug.

DEC. 12, 2011 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | NEWS | PAGE 7 up to students to keep themselves healthy. Washing your hands and being careful when you sneeze or cough not only keeps yourself healthy, but also makes school safer for everybody else.

It’s also important to eat a balanced diet and get the CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

proper amount of sleep.”

For Robinson, the experience of being sick for so long was anything but enjoyable. He said that while some students may relish the opportunity to stay home, missing so many classes only made his return to school all the more difficult.

“I’ve always been a person who tries to come to school every day I can, so missing so much class was really frustrating because of all the make-up work I had afterward,” Robinson said. “Getting strep throat and pharyngitis was bad enough, and having to do all that work when you’re just recovering made it even worse.”

Clay Terrace not affected

by Fashion Mall construction

BY ROCHELLE BRUAL rbrual@hilite.org

scheduled to open in December 2011 at the Fashion Mall.

Debbie Lesjak, business foundations and marketing teacher, said since Clay Terrace and the Fashion Mall are both part of the Simon Malls corporation, they Although she browses more often than she buys, freshman follow an anti-compete policy. Although there are Katie Krauter said she likes to frequent Clay Terrace, exceptions like the store Ann Taylor, stores in Clay Carmel’s outdoor shopping mall, about once every two Terrace cannot be located in the Fashion Mall and vice weeks with friends or family. She said she also goes to the versa. This reduces redundancy and ensures the widest Fashion Mall at Keystone, but not as often, only once or selection of stores for Hamilton County residents. twice a month, she said.

Lesjak said stores at the Fashion Mall have been But the Fashion Mall plans to complete a major there for years, but students often look for new and renovation project by the Christmas shopping season unique stores. The Fashion Mall is already 407,000 of 2012, and that might mean a loss of business for Clay square feet, but once it adds the extra 25,000 square feet Terrace. However, according to economics teacher Justin of retail space, it has the potential to offer stores that Quick, that’s not necessarily the case. sell coveted, new items.

Quick said, “The Fashion Mall has some higher end Quick said, “From an econ perspective, everything’s retail stores for the most part, so I think the clientele’s a about choice and how we deal with choices and how we little more different. (Clay Terrace and the Fashion Mall make choices with scarcity.

When you’re talking a decision are) probably transferable as far as some customer base, about where to go shop, time is factored in, cost factor but for the most part (the Fashion Mall) kind of markets analysis and all this stuff.

If you shop here, you’ve given up towards a different sector as far as socioeconomic level your opportunity to shop somewhere else type of thing. So as far as disposable income is concerned.” it would just depend on proximity, so if anybody lives more According to Krauter, the new changes at the Fashion south, I can imagine Castleton or the Fashion Mall. And if Mall will not affect her attendance there because store somebody lives more this way, Hamilton Town Center. ” selections are more important to her than layout. She said According to Lesjak, the importance of a business’ she is, however, looking forward to the new Urban Outfitters proximity to customers depends on the demographic group. For teenagers, proximity is high priority because parents don’t want their children to drive a long distance in order to shop. For older consumers, distance does not matter if they’re shopping for a special occasion, but they won’t go far for everyday occasions.

Krauter said another reason why she frequents Clay Terrace more often than the Fashion Mall is because the Fashion Mall is too far away.

“I like how central (Clay Terrace) is, how you can just say you want to meet up there and everybody knows where it is,” Krauter said.

Customer service is also a benefit Clay Terrace has over the GAVIN COLAVITO / PHOTO Fashion Mall, according to Lesjak.

MAKEOVER: The Fashion Mall at Keystone is scheduled to have There’s not as high of a volume of remodeling done by Christmas of 2012. This construction will include customers at Clay Terrace, which an expanded bridge, new flooring and an upgraded food court. means there’s more personalized

Differences by the Numbers Keystone Fashion Mall

432 10 13

thousand square feet of food court located on the second floor, built by 2012. additional retail stores added with the expansion of the bridge minute drive via Keystone Parkway

Clay Terrace

70+ 7

retailers consisting of locally owned boutiques, shops and many restaurants. minute drive via Rangeline Road INDYSTAR / SOURCE

service. Because of the sheer number of customers at the Fashion Mall, the workers may seem rushed or even rude because the workers don’t have the time to really help customers the way they want to be helped.

Quick said, “The investment wouldn’t be (at the Fashion Mall) to build these new establishments if they didn’t think it would be worth it in the long run as far as matching consumer demand.”

Although the amount spent on the Fashion Mall project has not been revealed, Simon Malls plans to go through its 16 nationwide development projects at a total cost of $1.5 billion.

Alexandra Gagnier, Director of Marketing and Business Development at Simon Property Group for Clay Terrace, declined to comment.

PAGE 8 | FEATURE | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | DEC. 12, 2011

FEATURE Engaged in the Tech-Age SUBMITFEATURE@HILITE.ORG | TWITTER.COM/HILITE_NEWS

Did you know?

In the United States, 73 percent of teenage Internet users use an online social networking site.

PEW RESEARCH CENTER / SOURCE

Go online Follow the QR code on the right to read a staff perspective about implementing technology at CHS.

Millennial teens who grow up attached to technology are faced with constant innovation and goverment outreach

reason for this increase in sales is that people are always wanting the newest gadget. She said although the actual technology is not making a drastic change, there is always something a little bit faster or different about each new generation of product – such is the case with the iPad versus the iPad 2. Fowler said she believes Apple holds back some of what it can put on a certain gadget so it can release a new version and make more money off it, which contributes to its growth.

What Fowler has described has a name; it’s called “planned obsolescence,” which Apple, along with many other technology companies and car manufacturers, uses to make sure consumers keep on buying new products instead of just sticking with one product that will work continuously. Also, according to a Sept. 2011 CNN article, an app called “Phone Story” was recently banned by Apple because it describes the negatives of tech gadgets, including planned obsolescence and its effect on the environment.

Roddy said Apple’s continuous growth does not surprise him, as he said he believes technology will become increasingly important in our society. In his opinion, there is no way KATHLEEN BERTSCH / PHOTO to avoid technological innovations, as iFAN: Junior Brendan Roddy browses the CNN app on his iPhone. Roddy said he is an ardent follower of techological trends, it is such an integral part of life now. especially those of Apple products.

“In the last five years, we’ve had the explosion of Facebook and the iPad, and so as more of those apps and innovations come up, we’ll have

BY DHRUTI PATEL even more technological innovations,” he said. “I mean, making the passage into adulthood with an undeniable dpatel@hilite.org you can move to the middle of Africa, but I don’t think attachment to technology. According to the Pew Research that’s realistic. If you don’t like technology, you’ll just Center, 95 percent of Millennials own a cell phone, and 70 unior Brendan Roddy is who many people would call have to get used to it.” percent of Millennials own a laptop computer, making the “technology-obsessed.” From his iPhone, iPod Touch, Junior Ross Piedmonte said he agrees with Roddy in generation the most likely to own and use new technology. video iPod, laptop and Sony Cybershot, if it has a touch that technology will continue to grow and really has no However, the interesting part of this technology screen and/or an Apple logo on it, chances are Roddy limit. He also said that due to how much technology is revolution is that it might not be a temporary craze after already owns it or is thinking about buying it. In fact, a part of life today, it will play an even bigger role in the all. According to an April 2011 CNN.com article, Apple while talking about his obsession with technology, Roddy future than it does right now. sales rose 83 percent since last year. In addition, Apple was using an application called iAssociate on his iPhone.

“Of course there isn’t a limit to technology. You just also announced that it sold a record 18.65 million iPhones “I would just like to say that I’m in love with technology got to give it enough time and something new will come in a quarter, up 113 percent from last year following the and the social world the Internet provides,” he said. “It is up,” Piedmonte said. release of the phone on Verizon Wireless. Despite recent one of my best friends. It keeps me in touch with everyone I However, Fowler said she disappointments such as iPad 2 sales not hitting projected know. It helps me keep track of my events, and it lets me in disagrees with both Roddy and marks and supply-chain effects from the recent earthquake on what the new trends are. I could not survive without it.”

Piedmonte and believes that there is in Japan, Apple is still successful and increasing its revenue.

CONTINUED Roddy is not the only Millennial-American teen currently in fact a limit to how far technology Business education teacher Stacie Fowler said the ON NEXT PAGE

J

DEC. 12, 2011 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | FEATURE | PAGE 9

Apple Sales Revenue from Last Five Years

Sales (in millions)

30 25 20 15 10 5 0 2007

2008

2009

2010

Year

2011 APPLE.COM / SOURCE JIVA CAPULONG / GRAPHIC KATHLEEN BERTSCH / PHOTO

APP-DRIVEN: Junior Brendan Roddy is an active user of mobile social apps. Roddy said he is in favor of the government using such means to communicate with society.

to these networks,” Roddy said. “If can continue to develop. they want to announce something “I think we’ve come so far so or contact the people, this is a really quickly; there’s not too much good way for them to do that.” further that we can go. I think Despite the growing influence the there’s always going to be new gadgets, but they’re all Internet and technology has on the government, CHS still Internet could have negative ramifications. Although going to do the same things maybe a little bit faster. I has restrictions on the amount of technology students can she said it is great for those who can afford all the new think we’ve kind of hit a plateau area,” she said. use. Sites such as Facebook can not be accessed from CHS technology and use the Internet, she said she is afraid of how Not only has technology and the Internet played an computers, and using phones to text or use the Internet is it might further aggravate the division between the rich and increasingly important role recreationally with young still against the rules in many classrooms. poor in society. In fact, according to CNET.com, 30% of U.S. adults, but also a growing amount of government officials However, according to Fowler, government use of the residents don’t have access to the Internet as of 2010. use social media to reach out to a younger audience for “I am very aware of the underprivileged, and political purposes. According to Time.

I’m just afraid they will become further and com, President Barack Obama participated further behind because that’s going to be the in a town hall meeting at the Facebook sole means of communication, and they won’t headquarters on April 20, 2011, which was have the means to get that technology,” Fowler streamed live online. Furthermore, right said. “It just seems like they might not know the before his election into the White House, voting or something important is ever happening Obama said the most maddening prospect because they don’t have means to find out.” for him as he prepared to become President Roddy said that Fowler’s point is correct, as was that he might lose his Blackberry not everyone has access to the Internet, and if privileges, which has been attached to the government starts sending updates through his belt for years, according to The New apps or the Internet, it would cause issues for York Times. Obama even argued that his those who are underprivileged. However, Roddy Blackberry was an essential link to outside percent of internet said that as long as the government is not solely events from which he was becoming users went online to get news and information giving information through technological means, increasingly sheltered. about the 2010 elections he sees no problem with it.

Roddy said it is good that the “As long as there’s a way for people to get government is reaching out through information in more conventional manners, then it the Internet, as he said he feels they wouldn’t be an issue, because then it would just be want to be more connected to him more of a convenient thing for those who do have and his generation. Although it might 31 PERCENT iPhones, iPads and more technology,” he said. be unconventional, Roddy said that it of internet Piedmonte said he agrees with Roddy and still shows the presidency is willing to adapt users went believes that it is perfectly fine for the government to changes in everyday life and actually online to get to use social media for campaigning and other form a connection with its citizens. info on the 2006 elections. political reasons.

“I think the government should “I mean, it’s not a big deal. The government become more connected and use more should be allowed to use it, because it’s just another social networks. A lot of people use it, so social medium,” he said. “It’s just another way to get if the government wants to stay in touch PEW RESEARCH CENTER / SOURCE their word out there.”

JIVA CAPULONG / GRAPHIC with its citizens, they need to have access CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

Politics on the web

73

PAGE 10 | FEATURE | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | DEC. 12, 2011

No Stranger to the Town Brazilian exchange student visits Carmel because of family’s experience

BY SHEEN ZHENG szheng@hilite.org Senior Julia Valente is no native to this town. In August, she and six other students arrived from all over the world to spend a year as a Carmel student. The goal, according to the foreign exchange program’s website was to “Spread cultural perspective.”

But Valente stands alone in that she has history with the city of Carmel.

“Years ago, my dad came to Carmel as an exchange student,” Valente said. “So did three of my four uncles. I guess I just wanted to follow in their footsteps.”

According to Valente, her father’s host mother has visited her home in Brazil seven times since her father’s trip in 1978.

She attended his wedding, and Valente even calls her father’s host mother Grandma.

Counselor David Mikesell, who organizes the program each year, said Valente’s case is a remarkable one.

“I think it’s incredible that her family has a story with this town,” Mikesell said. “She knows more about a place that’s 5,000 miles away from her home than the people in other parts of Indiana do.”

Arriving in a country with a culture and language that differ from hers, Valente said she expected to be surprised at the food or the people. But what she has noticed the most is the education.

“This school is so different,” Valente said. “In Brazil, we sit in one classroom while the teachers rotate, and every student takes the same classes as the rest or his of her class. But here, we can select which classes we want to take and we move from class to class.”

Valente’s hometown, Penápolis, has a population of 59,000. With little of its budget dedicated to learning, most of the Penápolis public schools are in poor condition.

“If you want to get a good education in Brazil, you have to pay to go to private school,” Valente said. “And we don’t have clubs or electives there. If you wanted to take art or dance, you would have to go to a special school for one hour in the afternoon. If you wanted to play a sport, you’d have to join a special team outside of school.”

In Carmel, Valente said she had to adjust to certain new responsibilities, including chores.

“We don’t have chores in Brazil. Most families have a maid, so it was really different for me to help out around the house and keep it clean.”

It’s been almost four months here, and I’ve felt like I’ve grown up. Being far away from my family and the things I’m used to, it made me grow as a person.

Julia Valente

Brazilian exchange student and senior

SHEEN ZHENG / PHOTO

FAMILY TIME: Senior Julia Valente and Matthew Sheek, host brother and freshman, rake leaves from the yard. Valente, who has adjusted to life in Carmel, said chores are an adjustment that she has had to make between life in Carmel and life in Brazil.

On weekends, Valente said she cleans her bedroom along with half of the bathroom. She washes and folds her laundry.

She once even mowed the lawn.

“I sent a picture to my sister, but she refused to believe me. She kept insisting that I was just posing for the camera,” Valente said with a laugh.

Her diet, even the time when she eats, has also changed while living Carmel.

“It’s enforcing stereotypes, but I love the junk food here,” she said. “When I first arrived, though, mealtimes were confusing. In Brazil, if we went out to dinner, it would be at 9:30 or 10 p.m., so going out at 5 p.m., when the sun was still shining was a little difficult to get used to. I would think, “It’s still day. Why are we eating dinner already?’”

Throughout the year, Valente will live in three different homes with three different families. She will ride three different buses to school and three different buses back.

She stayed with the Sheek family throughout the first quarter. She will live in Zionsville for a while then move to West Clay in the spring.

Mikesell said, “When it comes to learning for the exchange students, I’d say it’s a mix between school and their host families. The families truly help the students explore the community and experience some of the culture.”

“I don’t know what my experience with the other families will be like, but I’ve enjoyed this one,” Valente said. “They spend a lot of time together. If a movie is on, everyone is watching it together. I feel like in Brazil, everyone in the family is busy with (his or her) own activity.”

The Sheeks are no strangers to the foreign exchange program. Having hosted a student from Slovakia years before, they welcomed Valente into their family with open arms.

“It’s been fun having another sibling in the house,” freshman Matthew Sheek said.

When the leaves fell from the trees in November, Sheek helped his “sister” rake them into a pile for her to jump in.

Then he took the leaves piled onto the rake and threw them at her.

“Matthew, not like that,” she said as she laughed. Then she returned fire.

And as the wind aided them to carry the leaves toward each other, they laughed and joked with threats only used between siblings.

It’s clear that Valente is now a part of the family. And she has easily adjusted to both the new town and the new country.

“It’s been almost four months here, and I’ve felt like I’ve grown up,” she said. “Being far away from my family and the things I’m used to, it made me grow as a person.”

DEC. 12, 2011 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | FEATURE | PAGE 13

A New Way of Thinking

Though a recent study contradicts traditional views on IQ determination, most here say orthodox beliefs are valid

BY ARUNI RANAWEERA aranaweera@hilite.org

T

he capacity for knowledge. The aptitude to learn.

The ability to comprehend new ideas. These factors may seem like concepts a philosopher would be concerned with. But what about an 8-year-old?

IQ, or intelligence quotient, is a standardized measurement of human ability to understand and adapt to new information. For years, a person’s IQ was believed to have been set very early in childhood and development.

While this idea has been the most prominent theory, a study done by University College London in October 2011 showed that IQ may not be set until deep into the teenage years. This could mean that a “baby genius” could turn out to be just a regular Joe. Junior Nick Johnson has had a first-hand experience with IQ tests. He took one at the age of 10 as part of the application process for Sycamore School, a highly selective school for gifted students.

“I felt like (the IQ test) wasn’t that bad. It was divided into portions, so it wasn’t all one day,” Johnson said. “There was a math section, a logic section; it was mostly logic.

An example of one of the questions was that there was a outline drawing of a bus, and you had to figure out which way it was going, and the way you had to figure that out

was by noticing that the door wasn’t on the side you were looking on.”

Johnson earned an IQ score of 128, a high score with the national average being around 100. Johnson said while the chance for IQ to change in the teen years was a probable theory, he generally agrees with the idea that IQ is set earlier in life.

“Your IQ is kind of separate from your intelligence.

Your intelligence is how much you know and your IQ… measures your ability to learn. I think it could (change during teen years), but I think that there’s a definite range, and it’s usually set during childhood.”

Psychology teacher Peter O’Hara said he agrees with Johnson. He said studies have shown that most of the determinants of IQ would have been already set and acquired during childhood.

“The largest chunk of your learning comes in the first three to five years,” O’Hara said. “Your language skills come then…you learn how to get up, move around, walk around. So many concepts are implanted in you those first few years. Cultural things are implanted in you the first few years. Things you won’t even remember are implanted in you. Your brain is a sponge.”

James Ganges, consulting psychologist for Sycamore School, conducts the required IQ testing at the school for prospective applicants. He said IQ is believed to be set even earlier in life than O’Hara said.

“Cognitive development is related to how effectively

JULIE XU / PHOTO

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT: Junior Nick Johnson studies in the library. According to Johnson, who had an IQ of 128 when he was 10, studying and a desire for knowledge helps foster a higher IQ.

Scan this to flex your brain muscle with a practice IQ workout.

Where do you score?

< 70 70 80 90 110 120

Mental Retardation Borderline Retardation Low Average Average High Average Superior Very Superior

80 90 110 120 130 > 130

DR. C. GEORGE BOEREE / SOURCE

one interacts with her/his environment, and IQ, which is a statistic derived from a measurement of intelligence.

Cognitive development begins prenatally and continues throughout one’s life. ” Ganges, however, said that IQ can have small variations over time such as in the teen years, as the study showed. He added that IQ test results obtained later in childhood can fluctuate more than those obtained earlier in life.

“We typically find greater consistency in scores between a 12-year-old and those obtained when that same person is tested as an adult than we find between a 5- year- old and the adult score,” he said.

Junior Gabrielle Stephens said she agrees with Ganges. She took an IQ test when she was 12, and she said she believed that IQ could easily change into the teen years.

“I think that your mind is still growing, it’s still pushing its limits…and you’re learning new ways to study and new ways to learn when you get to high school.”

Johnson said if he did have a change in his IQ, he would expect it to have decreased since his childhood testing at Sycamore School.

“I think (my IQ has) gotten lower, I honestly do…Part of IQ has to do with your willingness and your appreciation and wanting to learn, and I think the stress that we all face (during high school) can impact that,” Johnson said. “I know it has for me in that I don’t have as great of a will to learn anymore just because I feel like it’s such a massive burden to my daily life.”

Ganges said despite any fluctuation in IQ, a factor of greater importance is the maintenance of knowledge and brain activity.

“The advice to continue to read and do puzzles and crossword puzzles is a way of preventing the decline of cognitive skills that occurs as we get older,” Ganges said. “So basically, you use it or you lose it. That’s true for teens and for middle aged and elderly people, and with infants too.”

PAGE 14 | STUDENT SECTION | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | DEC. 12, 2011

STUDENT SECTION Got Giraffes?

STUDENTSECTION@HILITE.ORG | TWITTER.COM/HILITE_NEWS

What is the ‘Student Section?’

It’s a section that pulls stories from you. For a better explanation, scan this QR code.

Junior Franklyn “Frankie” Salzman collects toy animals Tell Us Your Story:

For every issue, the HiLite will ask questions on the Facebook page. You can answer and tell us your story, and we will feature you on the next Student Section.

This issue, we are featuring junior Franklyn “Frankie” Salzman, and this is his Facebook response: We asked: HiLite Online What is an interesting hobby that you have? Tell us about it, and you may be featured in the next issue of the HiLite.

Oct. 25 at 8:40 p.m.

You answered:

HENRY ZHU / PHOTO

COLLECTING CRAZE: Junior Franklyn “Frankie” Salzman shows off one of his many giraffe figurines. Salzman said he plans on continuing to collect toy giraffes in the future.

BY JOHN DU jdu@hilite.org

J

unior Franklyn “Frankie” Salzman is an avid toy collector.

However, rather than collecting action figures, baseball cards or miniature cars, Salzman said he prefers to collect toy giraffes.

“Some have jewels in them; some are hand carved from Kenya; others are almost trinket-like,” Frankie said via email.

While Frankie’s choice of collection is unique, he is but one of many toy collectors around the world. Founded in 1979, Barry Potter Fairs is an organization that organizes and promotes toy collectors’ fairs in the United Kingdom.

It has had over 500 exhibitors at events, according to the organization’s Facebook page.

However, the Barry Potter Fairs not only feature several of collectors but also sell toys for toy collectors like Frankie.

Some pieces are sold for a few dollars, whereas other rarer toys can easily be worth hundreds, according to the organization’s website.

However, unlike many of the toy collectors who frequent such toy fairs, Frankie said he had no real plan for his giraffes

other than to continue collecting them. His mother, Susan Salzman, said Frankie is most likely going to save his giraffes or display them in his home.

For Frankie, he said his desire to collect giraffes came naturally to him, having loved giraffes since preschool.

Frankie’s father, Jerry Salzman, said via email that Frankie’s first giraffe was bought from Ashley’s Furniture in Carmel, which has since been replaced by Hobby Lobby, when Frankie

(Frankie’s) giraffes are made from everything. He has giraffes made of wood, plastic, paper, posters, and puzzles.

Susan Salzman Mother

Frankie Salzman giraffe collecting Oct. 25 at 9:09 p.m.

was 8 years old. While his parents were hesitant about buying the giraffe due to its price, Frankie said they eventually agreed because they knew of his love for giraffes.

“After I bought that first giraffe, I decided to collect them,” Frankie said. “Now any time I am at a store or somewhere with figurines, I look at the giraffes and occasionally buy one.”

Since collecting his first giraffe, Frankie said he has collected around 40 giraffes, many of which are made from different materials. And while he said the actual material didn’t matter to him, some of his giraffes are unique.

“His giraffes are made from everything,” Mrs. Salzman, said. “He has giraffes made of wood, plastic, paper, posters and puzzles.”

While some parents may find toy collecting silly, Frankie’s parents support him by buying Frankie toy giraffes on different occasions. Mr. and Mrs. Salzman said they like many of Frankie’s giraffes and agreed that their favorite giraffe is one Mr. Salzman’s co-worker brought from Africa for Frankie.

As for everyone else, Frankie said he thinks most people consider his giraffe collection as just part of who he is.

“Most people tend to think my hobby is interesting,” he said. “They don’t think too much about it. Doesn’t bother them, I think.”

DEC. 12, 2011 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | STUDENT SECTION | PAGE 15

Cafeteria launches new Twitter Cafeteria manager Anne-Marie Woerner updates students about the school lunchrooms through the cafeteria Twitter page The Face Behind the Tweets Each issue, we’ll highlight a particularly newsworthy Tweeter from Carmel High School.

This Issue’s Twitter account: @CHSCafeteria

Who runs it: Cafeteria manager Anne-Marie Woerner What it is: All the new, updates and messages from the school’s three cafeterias,@CHSCafeteria is the place to go for all cafeteria news.

BY HENRY ZHU hzhu@hilite.org What is the cafeteria Twitter?

In my opinion, the cafeteria Twitter is an informational tool that can help get students thinking more about the choices they make when it comes to their lunches.

Followers: 45 Describe yourself in 140 characters or fewer: I am in charge of Carmel High School’s lunchrooms. I make sure everything runs smoothly in the cafeterias and also update the Twitter feed.

To celebrate ALL our awesome Greyhounds, we have a free cookie in the main cafeteria today.

28 Nov.

What are the tweets usually about?

Our tweets are usually about food-related issues like new ice cream flavors or days when we have hot breakfast in the cafeterias. We generally want to use the Twitter account as a way to generate participation and interest in the cafeteria among students and also encourage students to eat healthier meals.

In my opinion, the cafeteria Twitter is an informational tool that can help get students thinking more about the choices they make when it comes to their lunches.

How often do you update the Twitter account?

We try to update it on a daily basis, but sometimes we get a little behind and forget to tweet for a while. Overall, our goals is to update the Twitter whenever we have information we think students might want to know.

How did you get the idea for the account?

We started the account sometime in late September or early October as a Cafeteria manager way to reach out to the students and the community. Twitter seemed like the best way because so many kids are moving to social media, and tweeting something means there won’t be inappropriate or negative comments like there might be with other sites, like Facebook.

Anne-Marie Woerner

Happy Holidays from all the cafeteria staff...

Enjoy!!!

23 Nov.

Pizza as a vegetable? I don’t think so!

Today’s veggie choices include carrots, peppers, broccoli, celery, green beans, cucumbers and more.

22 Nov. We are nicknaming the sandwich on the Homestyle Line the “Hoosier Sandwich”. It’s the Country Baked Steak, but its shaped like Indiana.

18 Nov.

They’re back! Large chicken poppers on the chicken line today in the Main Cafeteria 17 Nov.

What kind of effect do you think the tweets might have?

So far we don’t have that many followers, and we’ve only gotten a couple retweets, but we hope to keep the community aware of what’s going on in the cafeterias. Part of it is about reaching out to students, but I know there are also parents who follow us because some of them are very interested in what’s going on with the food their kids eat.

How do you hope to impact students?

A lot of the tweets have been fun things, like retweeting for a cookie, but we also want to try to get kids to think about their lunch. Sometimes we might tweet “add a salad to your lunch” or “try some fruit” in order to help students have a better and healthier lunch experience.

What is something you think students should know about the cafeteria?

I think it would be nice for students to see that there’s a lot of work that goes into running a cafeteria. We know that the lunchroom is a place for students to take a break and relax, and we want to keep it that way. If tweeting can improve the students’ lunch experiences, then we’ve achieved our goal with the account.

Let’s Fire Up for tonight’s game! Spicy Chicken sandwiches followed with Blue and Gold “Spirit Twist” soft serve. Go Hounds!

4 Nov.

All the food is here, so lunch is on! Come try something new today. Gorditas are on the Fiesta line in the main kitchen.

3 Nov. HENRY ZHU / PHOTO ILLUSTRATION

PAGE 16 | COVER STORY | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | DEC. 12, 2011

Corporal Punishment

Takes a Beating While corporal punishment is still used in homes and schools, new generations of parents and children are increasingly alienated from the practice

BY CLAUDIA HUANG chuang@hilite.org

O

ccasionally as a young child, junior Nolan Chastain got himself into sticky situations that resulted in punishment.

Nolan said, “When I was punished as a child, usually I got time-outs, I was grounded, I got things taken away, and on occasions I was made to do certain chores that I normally didn’t do.”

Notice something missing from this list? His father Brian Chastain said he never resorted to physical punishment when disciplining Nolan, even though Mr. Chastain was physically punished in his youth.

Mr. Chastain said, “I did not think (corporal punishment) was overly effective for me as a child. I thought that it did more damage when trying to get a point across than other means. It’s a barbaric way of trying to impress an idea upon a child that what they did was wrong. I think there are much better tools available.”

Because of his father’s decision, Nolan joins a growing cluster of people who have never been subject to corporal punishment. In fact, this year, CNN reported that a new generation of Swedish children has grown up never having been physically punished. This is because the first anti-spanking law in the world was established in Sweden in 1979.

Thirty more countries followed suit and banned corporal punishment since then.

Despite this growing trend, according to the University of North Carolina Injury Prevention Research Center, corporal punishment remains common throughout the world, especially in North America, where no countries have banned physical punishment. In the United States, it is still legal for parents to practice corporal punishment in all 50 states. In 19 states, including Indiana, schools are even permitted to use the practice in discipline.

Jennifer Lansford, associate research professor at Duke University’s Social Science Research Institute, said, “There has been a historical decline in parents’ use of corporal punishment, although the majority of American parents today still say that they have used corporal CONTINUED punishment at least once.”

ON NEXT PAGE

DEC. 12, 2011 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | COVER STORY | PAGE 17

HENRY ZHU / PHOTO ILLUSTRATION

PAGE 18 | COVER STORY | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | DEC. 12, 2011

Leaving an Impression

Studies show corporal punishment at home leaves an impact on children, parents and society as a whole On Children

• • •

• • • •

Corporal punishment lowers selfesteem and expectations of oneself.

It interferes with the learning process and thus intellectual and emotional development in children.

By discouraging the use of reasoning, it hampers the understanding of the intrinsic relationship between behavior and consequences.

Children will feel alone and abandoned.

Corporal punishment stimulates anger.

It teaches that violence is an acceptable method to solve problems.

Punishment can get out of hand, and children may suffer accidental injuries.

On Parents • • •

Corporal punishment inhibits communication, damaging the relationship between parents and kids.

It will stimulate guilt and anxiety, even when parents believe they were justified in their actions.

Violence tends to escalate. The use of corporal punishment increases the probability of the parent showing increased aggression in the future.

5

4

6

On Society • •

•

• •

HENRY ZHU / PHOTO

7

8

9

10

11

12

Corporal punishment increases the use of violence and provides a negative example for succeeding generations.

It promotes a double standard: there are two categories of citizens, children and adults. It is acceptable to assault children, but not adults.

Corporal punishment contributes to broken family patterns where there is no communication between members, families are not integrated into society, and families are in conflict with the equality advocated by democracy.

Children lose faith in society as a protective environment.

It contributes to a society characterized by submissive citizenship, where individuals have learned from their earliest years that being a victim is a natural condition.

UNICEF.ORG / SOURCE

VICTOR XU / GRAPHICS

HELPING HAND Brian Chastain helps his son, junior Nolan Chastain, with calculus homework. Mr. Chastain experienced corporal punishment as a child but has not continued the practice with his own children.

The use of corporal punishment is less common that it was several years ago. According to JoAnn Miller, professor of sociology at Purdue University, parents are now more reluctant to use corporal punishment in public places, compared to parents in the 1950s and 1960s.

Mr. Chastain frequently witnessed corporal punishment in public as a child and sees the shift in parents’ actions throughout the years.

“The change in our culture has caused this decrease in corporal punishment. When I was a kid, you would see kids getting spanked in the grocery store. Nowadays, there would be police called and the parents would be in trouble,” Mr. Chastain said. “The culture has changed away from physical punishment and gone more towards psychological and situational punishment.”

In addition, Miller said newer generations of parents are turning away from physically punishing their children because of their own experiences.

She said, “We grew up knowing the pain and the fear.”

Mr. Chastain said he felt the same way from his own encounters with corporal punishment as a child and that they made a strong impact on him.

“I remember how long that hallway was to get the belt to be punished. It was very effective, since I still remember it 40some-years later,” he said.

According to Lansford, corporal punishment is in decline because parents are more informed of the circumstances.

Pediatricians, parenting advisers and other experts now advocate parents to use methods other than corporal punishment to discipline their children.

Mr. Chastain said, “I think parents are better educated on other techniques. Also, shows like ‘Oprah’ and ‘Dr. Phil’ that discuss topics like physical punishment have made a difference on parents.”

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

Parents are now more aware of alternative discipline methods as well, according to Lansford.

“We used time-outs and would take away privileges, such as favorite toys and a computer with games on it. And it’s been very effective, even now,” Mr. Chastain said. “I think sometimes the words or actions that parents say could have a greater effect on psyche of a child than physical punishment.”

Also, recent research has discovered that corporal punishment has negative effects on a child’s psychological and mental health. For example, according to a research report published by Science Daily, corporal punishment leads to lower IQs in children and causes long-term effects on a child’s intelligence.

According to Lansford, this has deterred new generations of parents from using physical punishment.

Lansford said, “More parents are now aware of the potential detrimental effects of using corporal punishment and are better informed about other discipline strategies (time-outs, manipulating privileges, rewarding good behavior, etc.).”

Nolan, who shares this view, said, “There are other methods that are effective without causing the bad side effects of physical punishment.”

Also, corporal punishment can result in behavioral problems like increased aggression.

Miller said, “Children (who are) hit are more likely to hit siblings and peers at school.”

“If you show that your only method of disciplining is physical violence, then it shows that the idea that is appropriate in other situations. If I am spanked, I am going to be more likely to react physically to another child in a school situation or playground,” Mr. Chastain said. “I think you saw that happen a lot more when there was physical punishment involved.”

According to Linda Haas, professor of sociology at IUPUI, corporal CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE punishment promotes violence.

DEC. 12, 2011 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | COVER STORY | PAGE 19

Drop the Paddle

Since 1976, when the U.S. Department of Education began its survey, the number of students who are subject to school corporal punishment has dropped significantly

Number of children who were hit (in millions)

2.0 000000

57 64

1.8 1.6

500000 1.4 1.2

1.0 000000

percent of states allowing corporal punishment that have graduation rates below the national average percent of states allowing corporal punishment that have an average ACT score below the national average

A Backward Practice

Corporal punishment, which is currently illegal in prisons, is permitted at schools in 19 states Number of physically disciplined students in select states in 2006

Texas 49,197

Mississippi 38,131

Georgia 18,249

Florida 7,185

Indiana 577

Arizona 16

0.8 0.6

500000 0.4 0.2

0

0

1976

1980

1984

1988

1992

1996

2000

2004

Year

She said, “It seems contradictory to tell children that they shouldn’t hit and then for parents to hit them. We are a society that condones violence in all forms. We think it is the answer to everything. Witness our continuous involvement in wars.”

Recent events, such as the posting of a graphic video of Hillary Adams getting beaten by her father in November, have reignited the debate on corporal punishment.

Lansford said corporal punishment is controversial because it is difficult to distinguish between corporal punishment and abuse.

Nolan concurred, saying, “There is a fine line between physical punishment and abuse. Society is starting to shun it more. You always hear about on the news about how some dad was punishing his child just like he was in his school, and he ended up going to jail, and his child got taken away by child protective services.”

Although it is controversial, corporal punishment is legal in many different circumstances.

Nolan said he thinks that the current state of corporal punishment in the United States is only temporary and will change in the future.

“I think that it’s still legal because that’s how all the people in Congress were raised. Because most of the congressmen are middle-aged, and they are from an era where it was acceptable, but I think as time goes on and kids of today who were physically punished less and less,” Nolan said. “I think that eventually, when they make laws, we will see corporal punishment disappear.”

One instance of where the state of corporal punishment has changed is here, in our own school district. The use of corporal punishment in schools is legal in Indiana, but the Carmel Clay Schools district made the decision to remove it. According to Steve Dillon, director of student services, Carmel officially prohibited corporal punishment in 2004, CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

but the district discontinued the practice long before then.

Assistant Principal John Newton said, “There was a lot of pressure on the administrators and teachers because of the mounting lawsuits that were popping up all over the United States.”

Nolan said he believed that this was a good choice on the school’s behalf.

He said, “If I was physically punished at school, I would think, ‘was that the really the best way to punish me and teach me my lesson?’”

Tracy Hadden, social studies department chair, used to teach at a school in Tennessee that frequently used corporal punishment. Students had a choice of whether they wanted corporal punishment or in-school suspension. The majority of the students preferred the corporal punishment because it was quicker.

Nolan said he saw the situation in the same way as the students at Hadden’s former school.

“I would rather get paddled since the effects are not as long-lasting, but the effects are driven in,” Nolan said. “I would probably prefer the short-term punishment over the longterm punishment because I feel the in school suspension, which goes on your record, I think that would be more of a long-term punishment and would have farther reaching effects than just the problem I need to correct.”

Hadden said she believes corporal punishment was not effective on the students.

“Obviously they preferred the corporal punishment since it was quick and over, so I think if they would have gone to just in school suspension or those types of things, it would have prevented the behavior problems,” she said.

According to Miller, there is no specific scientific evidence to suggest that corporal punishment in schools has a positive effect.

Hadden said she disagreed with her former school’s choice to practice corporal punishment to discipline students.

STOPHITTING.COM / SOURCE VICTOR XU / GRAPHICS

She said, “I don’t think it’s effective. I don’t think it’s justified. I think there’s enough controversy about it that there is no rational reason to use it.”

On the other hand, at St. Augustine High School in Louisiana, when corporal punishment was removed this year, parents and students protested because they believed the practice was extremely successful in building character and discipline into the students.

Although he does not support corporal punishment, Mr. Chastain said he could understand the high school’s protests.

“I think we are very blessed at Carmel that the situations in the classrooms are conducive to learning. I know that there are schools with situations where they have totally disruptive kids in school. Especially in smaller schools, where it only takes a couple of kids to disrupt all education and the only thing that worked was physically punishing the kids,” Mr. Chastain said. “If the kids only understood that they were in trouble if someone punished them physically, I would be there, protesting, too.”

According to Lansford, as more generations discontinue the practice of corporal punishment, the practice will gradually dissipate.

“Children who have been corporally punished are more likely to endorse the use of corporal punishment than those who have not been corporally punished,” Lansford said. “So as fewer children are corporally punished, there will likely be a shift over time in societal levels of approval of corporal punishment.”

Both Nolan and his father Mr. Chastain said they believe the practice will probably be abolished in the United States.

Nolan said, “Now, less and less people are being physically punished and eventually it is going to become illegal in the future. The more sympathetic people are towards the physical punishment, the more strict the laws will become. I think that society will eventually have a more moralistic way, rather than physical way, of punishing.”

PAGE 20 | ENTERTAINMENT | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | DEC. 12, 2011

ENTERTAINMENT Beat the Break Boredom Friday movie releases: • “Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked” • “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows” • “Carnage”

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Stuck at home for winter break? No worries. There is still potential to have a memorable vacation in Indiana.

BY LINDSEY WALKER lwalker@hilite.org

A

s winter break is fast approaching, some students may be planning to jet off on vacation to sunny beaches or snowy mountain tops during their much needed 18day vacation. But what if you are staying home? Have no fear, there is still plenty to do here around town. Check out your options and some cash-saving tips along the way.

Ice Skating

A traditional winter activity that incorporates exercise with chilly weather is ice skating. Get a group of friends together (or your significant other) and venture out to visit the Carmel Ice Skadium.

“In the winter time you think of ice skating just like in the summer time you might think of swimming, and that’s what makes ice skating such a unique sport,” Floyd Johnson, Carmel Ice Skadium manager, said.

The Carmel Ice Skadium has general public skating hours available on its website, and it offers cosmic skating on Friday and Saturday nights when it is not hosting a tournament.

According to Johnson, during cosmic skating the music is turned up louder and there are disco lights. Because of this, cosmic skating nights typically attract more teens than regular hours.

Never been skating before? Don’t worry. Half of the fun is falling and laughing about it. Johnson suggests that new skaters should be sure to dress warmly and have a good time.

If you plan on going during winter break, be sure to be cautious of large crowds during peak hours.

“As soon as it gets cold out and we get that first real cold day, our attendance goes way up. We also definitely notice a nice increase during the winter break weeks,” Johnson said.

General admission is $6.50 for those older than 11 and $8 during cosmic skating hours. Skate rental is $3. Concessions like hot chocolate, soft pretzels and candy are available as well.

However, if you would rather save your cash and head out to a real lake, there are several precautions you should keep in mind. According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, there is no such thing as “safe ice”- conditions and unseen or unknown factors can render seemingly safe ice suddenly dangerous. Never go alone and always check that lakes or ponds do not have a “No Ice Skating” sign. Also be sure that the ice has been checked by designated authorities—it is severely hazardous to trust how thick the ice is based on appearance.

Movies

HAILEY MEYER / PHOTO

POP IN AT REGAL: If it’s a stormy day, be sure to check out local movie theatres for entertainment. On Tuesday nights, Regal 17 runs discounts on tickets.

There is nothing more relaxing to do on a chilly, snowy day than to watch a movie, whether you stay home or brave the cold and go to the theater. Here is a quick preview of some new holidaythemed movies hitting theaters this month: • “New Year’s Eve” is a romantic comedy that intertwines a plethora of stories amidst a sparkling New York City backdrop on New Year’s Eve with a starstudded cast featuring Zac Efron and Jessica Biel, among dozens of others. This movie is rated PG-13.

• “Arthur Christmas” is an animated holiday movie centered on answering the fundamental question: “How does Santa deliver all of those presents in one night?”

This movie is 97 minutes long, available in

HAILEY MEYER / PHOTO

FIGURE EIGHT: Make the break speed by with trips to the Carmel Ice Skadium. Pick up some new skills at the rink, become a hockey fan, or hang out at the snack bar.

3D and rated PG. Movie-review website “Rotten Tomatoes” gave this film a 94 percent.

However, movie tickets can get expensive, so try to avoid going during the evenings and instead plan to see a matinee.

In the winter time you think of ice skating just like in the summer time you might think of swimming, and that’s what makes ice skating such a unique sport.

Floyd Johnson

Carmel Ice Skadium manager

If you are with a large group of friends, check out the theater’s policy on group discount tickets. Regal 17 offers reduced ticket prices to $6 on Tuesdays for Regal Value Day. If you would rather stay at home, CONTINUED host a movie party for all of your ON NEXT PAGE friends. Save money by inviting

DEC. 12, 2011 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | ENTERTAINMENT | PAGE 21 CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

everyone to bring a snack and a movie. Grab some blankets and enjoy a lazy day with friends.

Outdoor Adventures

If you think you’re feeling brave enough to face the cold, lace up your snow boots and go explore the winter wonderland.

However, before heading out into the frigid Indiana winter weather, it is important to make sure you are dressed warmly.

Be sure to remember your hat, or something to cover your heaWool socks are ideal for keeping your toes toasty and dry inside of snow-covered boots. Snow pants, thick gloves and a water-proof down jacket are essential as well. Finally do not forget that sunburns in the winter are possible too, so slap some sunscreen on to any visible bit of skin left after you get all bundled up to protect against damage.

Sledding is a classic and thrilling way to explore the outdoors, so go check out West Park’s sledding hill. West Park has 16 acres of wide open space with a sledding hill open all day. Dick’s Sporting Goods or other outdoor apparel stores are ideal for buying a sled or a snow tube. Plastic sleds typically begin at $20, and inflatable snow tubes begin at $15. To save even more money, grab the lid to a trash can for a homemade sleigh. If you are really a daredevil, spray the bottom of the sled with a no-stick cooking spray to zip along even faster.

If sledding isn’t your thing, gather your friends for a snowball fight or a snowman-building contest. Make sure you have all of the necessary snowman staples, like carrots, hats and scarves. Set up a timer and see who can build the funniest snowman.

Indianapolis Museum of Art

The Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA) has several featured exhibits so that you can be sure you will find one that suits your taste in art. Sneak a preview of a couple exhibits below and find the one that’s right for you: • “Material World”: If you are a fashion fiend, this exhibit is perfect for you.

According to the Indianapolis Museum of Art website, this display includes pieces from crystal-encrusted Dior gowns to ornate Cambodian pieces while displaying cultures from around the world. See a video preview of the exhibition on the IMA website or go see the real thing in person.

• “Out of this World”: This exhibit by artist Brian McCutcheon uses video, photography and sculpture to explore

HAILEY MEYER / PHOTO

I HEART ART: For an interesting experience, go to the Indianapolis Art Museum (IMA). The IMA hosts many worldly exhibits that will increase knowledge of the art world. If you’re interested in fashion, be sure to visit the “Material World” exhibit. the change between reality and imagination, according to the IMA website.

• “Dynasty and Divinity (Art in Ancient Nigeria)”: Organized by the Museum for African Art, this exhibition features the artistic accomplishments of the 12th to 15th century civilizations of southwestern Nigeria. If this exhibit sounds interesting to you, then winter break is the perfect time to see it, since it ends on Jan. 16.

and give back to others, such as working in a soup kitchen or donating old clothes from your closet. For opportunities to volunteer, check out local organizations that interest you.

With so much to do around Carmel, there is no reason to be bummed out if you have to stay home.

Holiday Party

A holiday party is the perfect way to reconnect with friends over winter break after a stressful semester and have some fun. If you’re up for the challenge of hosting a party, there are a couple of different ways you can plan it.

To some, the holiday season is all about holiday cookies. A holiday cookie exchange party is ideal for those who want a sample of all different types of cookies but do not want to have to bake dozens. Invite all of your friends to cook up a couple of batches of their favorite cookie and then meet together to exchange. However many cookies you bring is however many you get to take home, so everyone gets an even amount.

If your friends are not the baking type, host a gift exchange party instead. Put all of your friends names in a hat and have each one chose a name as his or her secret buddy.

Then plan for everyone to bring gifts for his or her secret buddy to the party. Make each person guess who his or her secret buddy is, HAILEY MEYER / PHOTO and don’t forget to have fun with gag gifts.

The holidays are also a perfect time to HAILEY MEYER / PHOTO give back with charity. With time off, do a TRAVEL WEST: Head over to West Park for some amusement. project with something you are passionate You can build a snowman or sled down the hills. about. Look for opportunities to volunteer

HAILEY MEYER / PHOTO

BUILD UP: Pictured here is the main building for the IMA, a host to many popular exhibits. A modern exhibit on display is “Out of this World”

by Brian McCutcheon.

PAGE 22 | ENTERTAINMENT | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | DEC. 12, 2011

Professional ‘Wrapper’ With presents wrapped like this, the recipients might value the decorations and effort as much as the gift itself. Photos by Julie Xu. COMPILED BY NATALIE MAIER nmaier@hilite.org Traditional Wrapping Style

Looking for a way to impress your grandparents and other relatives? Use a traditional method of wrapping to surprise them over the holidays. This style does take a lot of effort, but the end result is worth it.

Supplies: • Festive wrapping paper (reversible is a fun choice because it allows for contrast that still complements, and it adds to the professional feel) • Tape (preferably more basic, nothing heavy needed) • A pair of good scissors • A ruler for straight lines • A dark pen for marking the lines with the ruler

Directions: 1. Place the present in a box. We used an old shoe box, something

rectangular works the best.

2. Place the wrapping paper, with the side you want to be on the outside facing down on a hard surface.

3. Put the present on the wrapping paper, with the top facing down.

4. Measure how much paper you will need to cover the present on the sides and bottom without revealing what it is. Mark this with your pen.

5. Cut carefully along the line.

6. Once the paper is cut out, pull the two sides of the paper together tightly.

Make sure that they do not rip or wrinkle.

7. Tape the sides together, horizontally.

8. Move on to the untaped sections of the box. Carefully place your fingers on both the left and right sides of the individual corner. Fold the edges into form triangles.

9. There shouldn’t be any excess material noticeable. Tape the sides together carefully. If leftover material shows through the tape and the final packaging, cut down any unecessary paper.

10. Once happy with one side, move on to the next side. Repeat the process.

Be sure to trim down any excess material.

11. Add a bow and a card for decoration. If the color matches the wrapping paper, it will look the best.

STACKED UP: Here, all the presents are displayed together to add to the effect of the holiday season. Many different wrapping techniques were used to make the gifts look unique.

TIMELESS BEAUTY: The presents above were wrapped traditionally, and are typical of holiday ads and commonly seen in pictures. It takes some trial and error to master this technique, but the end product is sure to be appreciated.

DEC. 12, 2011 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | ENTERTAINMENT | PAGE 23 Easy Does It

If you don’t have time to wrap a gift in paper, a good alternative is a gift bag. To make the simplicity look more appealing, you can choose a color that matches the wrapping paper used for other gifts. Be sure to cover the gift with coordinating tissue paper (we used blue and silver paper in our bag), so the recipient can’t see what his or her present is. A nice card and matching, shiny bow add elegant touches and only take a few more seconds to place.

Supplies: • A gift bag (in a color that matches other gifts) • Two colors of tissue paper that complement each other • Bow that matches the tissue paper • A small card that ties to the straps of the bag • A pen or permanent marker • Designated gift Directions: 1. After you have all of your supplies set out, open the gift bag and set it upright. Be sure that the bottom square is set on a table or other sturdy area.

2. Find your gift and the tissue paper.

3. First, wrap the bottom and sides of the gift in the paper you don’t want to be as visible.

4. Repeat this step with the other color of the tissue paper. Be sure to cover the first color of paper.

This doesn’t have to be done perfectly.

5. Place the gift into the bag carefully, so the paper doesn’t rip.

6. Look down into the bag. If the gift is clearly visible, fluff the top of the tissue paper. Don’t be afraid to add some wrinkles to the top, it covers the gift better.

7. Write your message in the card with a writing utensil. Going the extra mile? Feel free to decorate the outside of the card as well. Be careful, sometimes markers smear if you move your hand too quickly.

8. Tie the strings of the card to the straps of the gift bag. To make it look more presentable, tie a bow. However, the string is short so this can be difficult.

9. Take out the bow and separate it from the sticky paper used as a backing. Attach this to the bag.

Now, go back and make any changes to the bag.

10. Decorating is an option, but don’t go overboard.

The key is to keep the bag simple.

Stay Timely

If you run out of wrapping paper but don’t want to use a bag, find some old (or new) newspapers around the house.

This can be used as a replacement for wrapping paper, and will look nice if you select carefully. Try and choose a section of the paper that your recipient would like the most, like the sports section or comics. One problem with this style of wrapping is that newspaper rips easily, so you might have to cover ripped edges with clear packing tape.

Supplies: • A newspaper section that reminds you of the recipient • Clear packing tape • A box (so that the newsprint won’t get on the gift) • Scissors • Thin ribbon (a color that matches the other gifts)

JAMES BENEDICT / PHOTO

UP TO DATE: If you run out of wrapping paper, don’t panic. An easy solution would be to wrap it in a colorful section of a newspaper.

All that Glitters

If you need a cheap alternative to a gift, buy a can of your recipient’s favorite soda from a vending machine.

Be sure to decorate the outside with some tissue paper and ribbon to make it look more eye-catching. Even though this is an affordable gift, work can make it look priceless.

Supplies: • Soda can • Two colors of tissue paper • Scissors • Ribbon

Directions: 1. Take the selected newspaper section and spread it out on a hard surface. Put the images you want to see in the final product face down.

2. Place the box containing your gift face down on top of the paper.

3. Make sure you have enough paper to cover the sides of the box.

Directions: 1. Cut your tissue paper to the designated lengths.

Here, it doesn’t matter if the cuts are done perfectly.

2. Wrap the color you don’t want to see around the soda can, covering the sides and the bottom of the can.

3. Wrap the color you want to see over the other color. It doesn’t need to cover it exactly.

4. Cut a ribbon long enough to go around the soda can twice, and tie it around the can in a knot.

5. Carefully take the edge of your scissors to the ribbon. Hold your thumb on top of the ribbon (which is over the blade) and pull the scissors

SIMPLY DONE: If you don’t have time to wrap a gift, placing it in a gift bag is a great alternative. Be sure to use shiny bows and tissue paper to make it seem more original.

4. Cut around out the paper that you need.

5. Bring the edges of the paper to the center of the longest side.

6. Pull the sides of the paper as close together as possible.

Then tape them together.

7. On the sides that have not been taped, trim them down so they are not too long.

8. Cut six-inch sections of ribbon.

9. Gather the paper in your hand and crumble the sides a little.

10. Tie the sides with the ribbon. Don’t make a bow.

11. Carefully take the edge of your scissors to the ribbon.

Hold your thumb on top of the ribbon (which is over the blade) and pull the scissors down. Your ribbon should now be curly. Repeat for the other side.

12. Pull the sides of the paper as close together as possible.

Then tape them together.

13. On the sides that have not been taped, trim them down so they are not too long.

14. Cut six-inch sections of ribbon.

15. Gather the paper in your hand and crumble the sides a little.

16. Tie the sides with the ribbon. Don’t make a bow.

17. Carefully take the edge of your scissors to the ribbon.

Hold your thumb on top of the ribbon (which is over the blade) and pull the scissors down. Repeat.

down. Your ribbon should now be curly. Be sure to repeat this for the other side of the ribbon, so it looks more cohesive.

Want more?

Scan this QR code to view a picture of the finished product.

PAGE 24 | SPORTS | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | DEC. 12, 2011

SPORTS

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Scan This

Carmel football may be over, but you can still reminisce the season by viewing the photo slideshow of the State game through this QR code.

Follow @GMN_Sports for live updates from basketball games and other sporting events.

Inconspicuous Leader Senior Karl Schneider might not be the most prolific scorer on the team, but his high basketball IQ and hustle help him impact the game in other ways

BY JACOB BOTKIN jbotkin@hilite.org

L

eadership displays itself in many forms. On the basketball court, the obvious signs are unveiled with points scored or rebounds collected. But in every sport, there are a few team-oriented individuals whose contributions to the team’s success don’t necessarily measure in points scored. Instead, their contributions are measured in different ways.

Meet Senior Karl Schneider. He’s a 6-foot, 5-inch forward and is, according to Head Coach Scott Heady, one of those players for the Greyhounds.

“Karl is everything that we want to represent our basketball program,” Heady said. “He is a high character person. He is somebody that we can trust and that is something really important in our program. We have to trust each other. Karl has worked hard to get where he is right here.”

Schneider said he knows his role and looks to help his team, however possible, as much as possible.

“I’m always looking to do the little things out on the court like rebounding and setting the other guys up,” he said. “When my opportunity comes to score, I take advantage of it.”

Schneider said he works hard in practice and games, and his work ethic is one positive aspect of his game.

“Hustling is something that I like to do - just playing until the whistle sounds - like taking charges. There are a lot of different little things you can do like getting deflections and just basically giving it your all,” Schneider said.

Last year Schneider averaged 1.5 points per game, 1.9 rebounds per game and shot 88.9% from the free throw line.

Even though he doesn’t possess the top statistical numbers on the team, Schneider is, according to Heady, a critical part of the team because of his leadership and effort in doing what Heady calls the “dirty work.”

“You know, he can’t jump real high, he is not the quickest guy on the court, he is not the strongest guy on the court, but he has a high basketball IQ,” Heady said. “He has worked really hard to get himself to this point to be a player at Carmel High School in the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference, playing the toughest schedule in Indiana night-in and night-out. He competes every night, and we are counting on him to do a lot for us.”

Schneider, a self-proclaimed well-rounded player, will have that statement challenged this season by his coach.

“Karl is going to be a guy that we rely on to do a lot of things,” Heady said. “Number one, he has got a high basketball IQ so he is going to be a guy that screens a lot for us. He is a good passer from the post area and he will be a leader on the court. Lack of effort has never been an issue with Karl, and I think that’s going to be his role just to be consistent with his rebounding and defending and being a leader on the court.”

MARY BROOKE JOHNSON / PHOTO

HUSTLE PLAYS: Senior Karl Schneider prepares to go for the rebound in the game against Noblesville.

Schneider prides himself on doing the “little things” to help the team win.

The classroom is another court where Schneider excels, and his success in school has not escaped Heady’s notice.

“From a student standpoint, it’s something that is very important to him, and it is something that we emphasize in our program,” Heady said. “If you really are dedicated as a student, I don’t think that there are going to be any problems being dedicated as an athlete.”

According to Heady, Schneider shows his effectiveness in many intangible ways other than scoring.

“Right now, I don’t think we are looking for Karl to come out and get 20 points a night, but I think that he has improved his skills to a point that he could score for us,” Heady said. “He could be a guy that could be our leading scorer on any given night because he can score around the basket. He is very crafty with the ball inside. On any given night, his role may change. I’ve had players where the role you thought they would occupy at the beginning of the year may change a little bit. As the season goes on, you have to have guys do other things than what they were originally expected to do.”

It appears Schneider is ready to fit into whatever role is expected of him.

“I’ve always been a player that’s been well-rounded and plays tough defense and sets other guys up. It’s a role I am accustomed to,” Schneider said.

Schneider’s leadership also affects the younger players on the team. Sophomore teammate Zach McRoberts said Schneider does a good job of leading without having to be the loudest guy in the locker room.

“I would consider Karl to be a leader on the team,” McRoberts said. “He doesn’t need to talk a lot for him to have an impact on his teammates. As far as how his leadership has affected me, he knows how to play to my strengths, and we are very good at playing together.”

According to Heady, players like Schneider are crucial to the success of the team, and it will rely on him to help propel the team to another level this year.

“I think when you have high-character guys that work hard, are unselfish and try to help each other out - they bond to form a tightly-knitted group - those are the teams that are usually the most successful,” Heady said. “That is the ideal we are looking to build on, and Karl exemplifies everything that we want in a basketball player in our program.”

DEC. 12, 2011 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | SPORTS | PAGE 25

Student trainers contribute their time, effort to help keep athletes healthy

BY BOBBY BROWNING bbrowning@hilite.org

Each day, athletes push themselves through grueling practices and games. However, without students such as senior Mackenzie Albertson, athletes would not be able to continue the tradition of excellence that this school has come to expect.

Albertson, along with 21 others this season, is a student-trainer.

“I chose to become a student-trainer because I was really interested in going into athletic training in college,” she said. “Sports medicine is really interesting to me, and I love to learn and be involved in the teams that we work with.”

According to trainer Dawn Ellington, student-trainers assist with treatment and prevention of injuries and also with taping and rehab of injuries. Ellington said one of the most important skills the student-trainers learn is basic first-aid.

“It’s huge that they can help stop the bleeding right when an athlete walks in,” Ellington said.

Students enter the training room and are told to sit on a training table. Due to the fact that Ellington cannot tend to all of the athletes at once, the student-trainers are given the responsibility of caring for the athletes while Ellington is assisting other athletes.

Albertson said she thinks the most important skill she has learned is more of a mindset.

“I think the most important skill isn’t taping and stretching or rehabbing, but is the fact that you have to think on your feet when needed and apply what (trainer) Steve (Schofield) and (Ellington) have taught you to the athlete,” Albertson said.

Student-trainers make a major time commitment by helping with the program. Being a student-trainer can be even more time consuming than being an athlete, according to Ellington and Albertson.

“Like athletes, they have to manage homework load and classes with helping,” Ellington said.

Albertson said she agreed that the job is time consuming, especially during football season.

“We started practicing the second week of June and had practice every Monday and Wednesday of summer. Then, of course, (there were) two-a-days where we are there from 6 or 7 a.m. to 4 or 5 p.m. And we are with them every practice until the last guy leaves the training room,” she said. “On Fridays, we travel with the team to away games and stay with them on home games, and Saturday mornings we have to be there for JV/freshman games both home and away. Football season is crazy. You feel like you don’t have a life, but I’ve figured out how to balance training, friends, family and school pretty nicely.”

Senior Joseph “Joe” Kedanis is also a student-trainer, and said he agreed the job is time consuming.

“During the season, we don’t really have any time for anything else during the week,” Kedanis said. “We have to be there before the team, and we leave after the team, so (it takes) as much time as the players plus an hour. I usually have to balance my time by getting work done during school and then finishing homework after practice. It has helped me to learn to plan out my time.”

KATHLEEN BERTSCH / PHOTO

TAPED UP: Senior Joe Kedanis works in the training room after school to get athletes ready for practice that day.

Kedanis works many hours a week to help keep the players healthy and ready to play.

Ellington said the student-trainers are important for the athletes.

“Due to the size of the student-athlete population, it would be nearly impossible to provide care for all of the student-athletes without (student-trainers),” Ellington said.

Ellington also said student-trainers learn important life skills along with the medical skills. “They learn to have good communication skills and also time management skills,” she said.

Albertson said she agreed with Ellington. “I think the most important skills we learn are communication and people skills,” Albertson said.

Albertson and Kedanis both said they enjoy being student-trainers.

“My favorite part of being an athletic trainer is working with athletes and seeing them recover. It’s really interesting,” Albertson said.

And so as a new season of sports begins, more athletes will be entering the training room seeking assistance for many types of injuries, and Albertson and Kedanis, along with many others, will be ready to help as needed.

“I can’t say enough about what they do,” Ellington said.

“They’re phenomenal.”

Winter Sports Schedule Tomorrow • Women’s basketball - At Kokomo Friday • Men’s basketball - Home v. Fishers Saturday • Men’s swimming and diving - Tiger Claw Diving Invitational at Fishers • Women’s swimming and diving - Tiger Claw Diving Invitational at Fishers

• Wrestling - Hamilton County Tournament at Westfield

PAGE 26 | SPORTS | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | DEC. 12, 2011

25 and Counting CONNER GORDON / PHOTO

PRACTICE PERFECTION: Junior Lacey Locke practices her butterfly stroke after school. Recently, Locke has helped lead the team to two previous State Championships.

Women’s swimming and diving has dominated the pool for the past 25 years. How will they continue to achieve at such high levels and strive for future success?

BY CHARLIE BROWNING cbrowning@hilite.org

S

tate championships do not come easily for most teams, but the women’s swimming and diving team is not like most teams. In fact, swimmer and senior Margaret Ramsey can not even remember the last time the team was not crowned a State champion. The reason? She wasn’t even born yet.

When Ramsey began swimming competitively at age 6, the team had already captured its 13th straight State Championship. This winter, Ramsey and her teammates look to double that number as they go for their 26th in a row, a number that would give the team the third longest streak of any team in the nation. Ever. So how do they do it? How can a team be so good for so long? The question elicited a bit of a chuckle from Ramsey.

“Probably a combination of a lot of things,” Ramsey said.

“We have a lot of depth, but it definitely starts with the Carmel Swim Club. They play a huge part in our success.”

Head Coach Chris Plumb, who is in his sixth season as coach of the team, said he agreed with Ramsey that there are many reasons for the team’s success, with the Carmel Swim Club topping the list.

“There are several reasons,” Plumb said. “The Carmel Swim Club, high expectations, school support, a fantastic facility and a terrific coaching staff, just to name a few. But I believe that the Carmel Swim Club has been a steady force through all the success, and then, when the athletes get to high school, they are

swim fast in the pool,” Plumb said.

But according to Ramsey, after performing well so consistently for such a long period of time, a State Championship doesn’t quite have the mystique and glamour for this program as it might for some others. “(Winning State) is still a big deal to us, but we’re always looking at the bigger picture,” Ramsey said. “When we are at State, of course we are only thinking about that race though.”

The bigger picture, Ramsey said, includes trying to win a National championship. In both of the last two years, the team has been the top public school in the nation.

“We will hopefully once again be vying for the National championship this year,” Ramsey said.

CONTINUED Locke echoed Ramsey’s statement, ON NEXT PAGE

able to take it to another level.”

Swimmer and junior Lacey Locke, who also began swimming competitively at age 6, said the continued success that the program has had is a direct result of the hard work that every swimmer puts in and the confidence that comes from that.

“We’re kind of known for practicing really hard here,” Locke said.

According to Locke, the team normally practices about 11 times per week, with each practice lasting for two hours. Locke said all of that hard work leads her and her team to be even more Carmel is currently tied for the fourth longest consecutive confident in their abilities. high school State Championship streak in the country, “In order to be good, you have and they hold the longest active streak to have a confidence level where you know you are capable of doing 29 – Honolulu Punahou (HI): Men’s swimming things like winning as consistently 27 – Pickford (MI): Men’s track and field as we have,” Locke said.

26 – Woonsocket Mt. St. Charles Academy (RI): Hockey Plumb said, even after six 25 – Carmel (IN): Women’s swimming* straight seasons of watching 25 – Paulsboro (NJ) Wrestling his team bring home the State 24 – Tacoma Wilson (WA): Men’s swimming Championship, winning it all 23 – Bolles (FL): Men’s swimming* continues to be his favorite 23 – Brophy Prep (AZ): Men’s swimming* moment of each year.

22 – Bennington Mt. Anthony (VT): Wrestling* “It is an incredible feeling to 22 – St. Xavier (KY): Men’s swimming* look up in the stands and see the 22 – Honolulu Punahou (HI): Women’s swimming support that the team has and, *Active streaks. at the same time, watch our girls

Climbing to the top

WWW.NFHS.ORG / SOURCE

DEC. 12, 2011 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | SPORTS | PAGE 27 CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

saying the team looks forward to the State Championship meet, but it has other goals as well.

“We have our eyes on a bigger

prize,” Locke said.

As for who deserves the most credit for the team’s long run of success, the swimmers and coaches did not exactly share the same opinion.

The athletes, Ramsey and Locke, both firmly stated it is the coaching staff that deserves most of the credit. Plumb, though, had a much different opinion of who deserves the credit for 25 straight State Championships.

“Definitely the athletes,” Plumb said. “But especially the senior athletes and their leadership. They have been able to take the messages from the coaches to the team.”

Regardless of who or what deserves credit for the dynasty, both the players and coaches said they recognize they are a part of a special program.

“Being a part of this team is really awesome,” Ramsey said.

“Being part of this legacy and having everyone from the past supporting us, with the legacy continuing from team to team, is really special.”

Locke echoed Ramsey, acknowledging that she does not take being part of such a special program for granted.

“It’s amazing to have the opportunity to keep the tradition of Carmel swimming alive and work as a team towards a common goal,” Locke said. “It’s just a really cool and special thing.”

Plumb summarized his thoughts on the program in just a single sentence.

He said, “It is truly an honor and privilege to be part of such a rich history.”

And so Locke and her teammates just continue to, as she put it, “do what they do.” It has been a quarter of a century since the last time the team was not crowned State Champion, and the team has every intention of continuing its record-breaking streak.

When asked if she had ever thought about the idea that the team might not win forever, Locke gave a sly smile and an immediate response.

“No,” she said. She then paused and thought about the question for a moment, but her second response was no different. “Nope.”

CONNER GORDON / PHOTOS

DAILY ROUTINE: Top left: Head Coach Chris Plumb speaks to his swimmers during an afterschool practice. Top right: Locke adjusts her swim cap and goggles. Bottom left: Locke exits the pool after her second practice of the day. Bottom right: Plumb observes the men’s and women’s swimming teams in the pool.

Football team wins seventh State title

BY JAMES BENEDICT jbenedict@hilite.org The football team defeated Penn High School and captured its seventh State title on Nov. 26 with a final score of 54-0.

“It’s an unbelievable accomplishment,” Head Coach Kevin Wright said. “They will probably go down in Carmel football as one of the greatest teams ever to play football here; at a school that has a tremendous amount of tradition (of winning).”

Carmel had arguably the hardest strength of schedule of any team in Indiana. Carmel played Center Grove, Warren Central and Ben Davis each twice this season, losing only to Warren Central in the regular season.

“I think it probably helped us since we were able to remain relatively healthy,” Wright said. “I think that’s credited to our off-season programs, which we approached differently this summer.

(The new approach) helped our freshness and maintain our strength.”

Carmel set multiple State records at the game, breaking the all time scoring margin, the most field goals in a game (junior Billy Stumbo), as well as the most receptions by any single player (senior Adam Kehoe). Carmel finished the season with an overall record of 14-1 and defeated its opponents 618 to 150. They averaged 42 points per game, the overall rushing record, and total offensive record this previous season.

Senior linebacker Justin Todd said winning State was a bittersweet moment. “(The team) has worked so hard to get here, and it feels amazing to win,” Todd said. “But this was my last high school football game. I have so many great memories with my teammates and coaches; I don’t want it to end.”

Wright said while Carmel will lose many seniors, he is not worried.

“If you look at last year, you say, ‘How are you going to replace 18 of your 22 starters?’” Wright said, “At Carmel, you always have guys as seniors that step up. I think the next group is excited about their opportunity.”

JAMES BENEDICT / PHOTO

DEFENSIVE DOMINANCE: Junior linebacker John Kenny rushes for a sack in the State final against Penn. Scan the QR code at the top of page 24 to view more pictures from the State game.

PAGE 28 | PERSPECTIVES | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | DEC. 12, 2011

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GAME ON: Scan this QR code to see Matt Barnthouse’s online video game blog at hilite.org.

Speak Up!

STAFF PERSPECTIVE

College debts may lessen, but students must still make sound financial decisions Year after year, a new batch of seniors at this school make decisions for their post-high school plans. With such a multitude of successors, one would think the margin of error created in the process would decrease each year. However, studies have shown this is not the case, particularly in financial areas. In 2009, the average college loan debt for a four-year degree was $24,000, and according to the Federal Reserve, outstanding student-loan debt totaled at $830 billion. This surpassed the credit-card debt of $826.5 billion. The problem has been a point of concern for everyone from students to Wall Street protesters to the federal government.

On Oct. 26, President Barack Obama announced his plan to accelerate an act passed

by Congress that should help alleviate student loans in the long run. The measure, which is now scheduled to take effect in 2012 instead of its original premiere date of 2014, lowers the time it takes for debt to be forgiven from 25 years to 20.

In addition, the maximum requirement of discretionary income students paid annually will be lowered from 15 percent to 10 percent. However, even if the measure does apply to current students here, these government handouts don’t make it okay to ring up a six-figure loan amount, and they certainly don’t mean that students can slack off with college payment decisions.

It’s not the government’s responsibility to save students from debt; it’s the student’s responsibility to make smart enough choices to avoid crippling debt altogether.

With college loan debt affecting so many students nationwide, it is important for students to take steps now to educate themselves of the cost that will follow them through college and beyond. The price of the college a student attends should be equivalent to the value at which the education is placed. An Ivy League degree may be impressive, but it’s going to be the career, not the piece of paper, that pays off loans. Successful careers are created at different colleges throughout the nation, but that doesn’t mean students should pay any less attention to the colleges found within driving distance of Carmel.

Occasionally the glamour of an out-of-state college can deceive students into thinking that the institution is more qualified than the options closer to home, even when the price tag is beyond their budget. Students should examine

and utilize the resources available in their own vicinity, and not solely for the in-state tuition (although that’s a major plus). In the case of many fields of study, Indiana’s colleges offer degrees in exclusive, top-notch programs for less money. For those looking to make a fortune in the business world, for example, Indiana University offers a highly ranked undergraduate business program. Others going into engineering should take advantage of the wonderful opportunities offered at Purdue. Ball State boasts top programs in both architecture and education.

All throughout Indiana are renowned technical schools. With so many beneficial choices in our own state, considering an Indiana-based college can help a student’s pocketbook and future.

College is a means, not an end, and paying for an education that won’t be able pay for itself in the long run is unwise. Choosing a college that will be most beneficial to a student’s lifestyle doesn’t mean choosing the one with the largest price tag. Often people mistake “essential” and “expensive” as synonyms, when, in reality, they couldn’t be more unrelated. It is excessive to commit to thousands of dollars in loans when there is another educational option that can give a student the same outcome for thousands of dollars less. In fact, some students may find it beneficial to choose not to attend a four-year college, opting instead to attend a twoyear technical school or spending a year or two in the work force to earn more money before deciding on a course of action. Students should realize their ability to personalize their future.

The truth is, there are lots of options. And the key to choosing the right one, as is the case with all impactful decisions, is thought. Only students can be the judge of whether or not your post-gradation decision will be profitable. If picking a college, or deciding to opt out of college altogether, took less pre-planning than the outfit you’re wearing, then you might want to reevaluate your choice. As much as high schoolers hate to admit it, your plans after high school follow you for the rest of your life and should not be taken lightly.

OBAMA’S PLAN: Alleviate students’ loans by lowering the time it takes for debt to be forgiven.

OUR STAND: The price of the college should be equivalent to the value at which the education is placed.

COMPILED BY OMEED MALEKMARZBAN

Is an expensive top-tier college more beneficial than a state college?

Yes. It creates more job opportunities, which would be especially helpful since we are in a recession.

FRESHMAN MICHAEL ZHAO

Yes, because they can open up job opportunities, but they can also put someone in debt, so it has its pros and cons.

SOPHOMORE SAMUEL PICKETT

A person that needs a loan should probably go to state college and work hard with what they’ve got.

JUNIOR GABRIEL PINKUS

DEC. 12, 2011 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | PERSPECTIVES | PAGE 29

GRAPHIC PERSPECTIVE

Rumbly in my tumbly.

CAROLINE

ZHANG

managing editor / czhang@hilite.org

Food beyond the numbers. Forget about the statistics on the nutrition label and choose food that’s actually good for you.

This month I had my first Odwalla juice, complete with a picture of brightly colored fruit and environmentallyfriendly plastic. The nutrition label both stunned and somewhat disgusted me. It wasn’t the 400-something calories in the bottle or the sugar count, but rather the fact that it had 1500 percent of the recommended daily value of vitamin C. In other words, in weeks it takes for this column to be submitted, edited and printed, I might just have begun to run low on the vitamin C I got from that juice.

The drink’s name was “Strawberry C Monster,” which probably should have clued me in, but I have to wonder why someone would need over two weeks’ worth of vitamin C in one drink. (Besides, the label announced, “Keep refrigerated, extremely perishable,” so I couldn’t even take it to the middle of a desert, where it might be of some use.) Yes, the juice contains apples, oranges, grape juice and strawberries (10, to be exact, according the label), but it also contains ascorbic acid, which is probably responsible for the freakishly high levels of Vitamin C in the drink.

Food isn’t meant to be consumed this way, in the form of liquid vitamins. Fifteen hundred percent’s worth of Vitamin C, while a little surprising, isn’t even really all that special, considering it came from a chemical. We shouldn’t make judgments on what to eat based on just the nutrition label. For one thing, there are the recent concerns that vitamin supplements may not actually be that good for you.

In a study called The Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial, men who took Vitamin E had a 17 percent higher risk of developing prostate cancer than non-users. In a study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association, women who took supplements of folic acid, iron, magnesium, zinc and copper had a slightly higher risk of dying early.

Not all nutrients are created equal. Calcium from a pill and calcium from a bottle of milk may not do the same things for your body. Research has found that milk is more effective at helping burn fat than just calcium.

A pill strips away many of milk’s other nutrients, taking away the essence of the food and leaving just

the chemical. The crusty yellow stuff that builds up on sinks? That’s also calcium.

By “stripping away,” I also refer to the supposedly “unhealthy” substances in milk. We were taught that because it had a higher calorie count and more fat than skim or 2 percent, whole milk must be bad. However, this might not be the case; whole milk contains several proteins that may actually boost metabolism and more effectively build muscle. Although the practically translucent skim milk has the same amount of calcium as whole milk with no fat, and certainly looks healthier on paper, it may be missing some important nutrients for your body.

All too often we only look at the numbers. At a school board meeting, for example, the members discussed whether or not to sell sports drinks in the middle schools. One of the justifications for this motion was that the sports drinks had fewer calories than the apple or orange juice served at school. To me, it sounded almost as if sports drinks trumped juice due to its calorie count. However, when making decisions likes this, administrators should remember to examine a food’s actual nutritional value. Although it has a fair amount of sugar and calories, fruit and fruit juices provide many vitamins naturally. The same cannot be said of the lower-calorie artificially colored water from a bottle in a vending machine. Calories are not the only factors that need to be taken into account when looking at nutrition.

Clearly, nutrition labels cannot tell the whole story, and we can’t only use calorie counts or fat levels to decide if a food is healthy. Sometimes a little common sense is in order. It makes sense that a little white pill and a glass of milk may not be equivalents. It makes sense that more nutrients often come with more calories. It makes sense that a “juice” which contains 15 times the amount of Vitamin C you need in a day probably didn’t come by all of it honestly. And it makes sense that if we really want to consume fewer calories, we should try eating less, and not merely cut down on the quality of food. Nature has decided that food should be both delicious and good for us, and we really need to stop interfering.

Clearly, nutrition labels cannot tell the whole story, and we can’t only use calorie counts or fat levels to decide if a food is healthy.

Sometimes a little common sense is in order.

CONNIE CHU / GRAPHIC

PAGE 30 | PERSPECTIVES | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | DEC. 12, 2011

NATALIE

When nothing goes right, go left.

Reflect on holidays you have had the opportunity to spend with your family and friends. Think about the great food that’s been on your table and the memorable moments you have been blessed to have. These are the Hallmark moments that card companies place on the pieces on paper about the holidays, but rarely the ones a materialistic society values.

For better or for worse, the most important parts of the holiday season to most people are often found wrapped up in festive paper under a tree full of ornaments and lights. When I think of the holiday festivities in sixth grade, I remember the special edition red iPod Nano that I unwrapped. Christmas in kindergarten is all about getting my first American Girl doll, not about what my family made for dessert. Memories are priceless, but many revolve around gifts.

Most kids are raised to believe in a man dressed in a red suit that slides down the chimney, who magically gives presents to every kid in the world in one night. But what happens to the kids who belong to families experiencing hardships? Does Santa not love them as much just because their parents are out of work? Of course he does. It isn’t fair that these children have to wake up to empty space on the carpet, free of gifts, while many of their friends will be elated

MAIER

entertainment editor / nmaier@hilite.org

It’s not difficult to get involved for the holidays. This school’s Care to Share program is one way to do it. over receiving the new Disney DVD or trendy clothes.

Usually, I just accept the way things are. If it doesn’t affect me, it’s not my problem. Luckily, I’ve grown up in a family and a church that feel now, more than ever, it is necessary to help out less fortunate families and their children during the holidays.

It’s important to help out whenever possible, but both the season and the increase of economic problems our community face make the need for every type of donation urgent. According to a report released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics from October 2011, unemployment rates in Hamilton County are close to 6.5 percent, part of a general upward trend since 2008. Indiana generally faces an unemployment rate almost 2 percent higher, nearly 8.5 percent.

It isn’t that difficult to get involved and give a deserving child a great present. And it’s something that should be done if you have some extra money to spare. Charities are easy to find; opportunities are everywhere. But, one of the most accessible ones is right here at school. Each year, starting in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, Senate sponsors Care to Share, which provides children with toys and gifts that they need or want. It’s easy for students to help, because some SRTs

choose to sign up and sponsor a child. An easy way to participate is to bring in money, even if it is only a nickel or the dollar bill crumpled up in the bottom of your backpack or whatever you usually spend on weekend entertainment.

Even if donating money isn’t a financial possibility, you can help by collecting it each day in SRT. If you’re not good at basic math used in adding up funds, then help by shopping for the gifts. Find some good deals at Target after the Black Friday madness, and buy what little Johnny or Emily wanted from Santa this year. Or, take it upon yourself to head up the wrapping committee.

While it might take some effort to make a little kid’s holiday better, it is worth it. The feeling you get after helping is well worth your time, money or creativity. You won’t get a thank you note; you won’t even get a thanks.

But you can walk away knowing that you made a kid smile who normally wouldn’t. If nothing else, you’ve provided him or her with entertainment and new clothes that fit.

You’ve helped out their parents, who were concerned that their family wouldn’t get a nice holiday. And if you won’t do it to help out someone else, do it to get your karma back in check.

BEN

ANDERSON reporter / banderson@hilite.org

We got the beat.

Let’s do a word-association exercise. Bieber: hair; Deadmau5: giant electronic mouse head; Chuck Norris: beard; Nicki Minaj: weird hairstyles.

The state of our popular culture in modern times is becoming more and more iconic. In other words, the general audience focuses more on a certain trait or aspect of the artist rather than his/her music. This isn’t too surprising, our culture has been becoming progressively more visual over the last decade. But where is the tipping point? Where is the fine line between a good singer and a good model?

As with most problems in popular culture, I blame Britney Spears. Back then, in the 80s and early 90s, the relationship between the acoustic and visual aspects was in equilibrium.

Yes, it was not all about the music; artists were more real. Now they look similar to Barbie dolls or something out of a fashion show. Britney Spears pushed that equilibrium over the edge.

After her appearance on the stage, music changed. Now we have lip-syncing and these poor child singers like Justin Bieber, Aaron Carter and Miley Cyrus.

I feel bad for these kids. They are out on stage for the world to see during a vulnerable period of their lives. Musicians are prone to constant demands and expectations, and what

Thanks a lot, Britney Spears. The music industry has become increasingly artificial in the past decade. most of these don’t account for is puberty. Being a popular singer during puberty is probably the worst thing ever. You are already insecure about yourself, and having all eyes on you makes the time no easier. This is why you rarely see an adult child star on television or in concert.

But child stars are not the threat; they are more like victims.

The biggest threat I have seen is lip-syncing. It takes a large part of the talent demanded by singers out of the equation, meaning those who are good singers are left behind as modellike performers take the stage. However, this does not seem as big of a problem now as it was several years ago. After events like Ashlee Simpson, record companies have learned that the public generally dislikes lip-syncing.

The visualization of music is part of why the whole “hipster” movement started. Sure, hipsterism existed before this whole mess, but it was largely underground. It took off when the idea of “popular music isn’t cool” wormed its way into the audiences’ minds. They then turned to the World Wide Web and found all sorts of independent artists. I don’t think that these people are “indie.” The term hipster in modern times means someone is fed up with popular trends and has sought out the underground scenes.

While this definition may seem the same as indie, hipsterism has two key differences: the people and the time. Hipsterism started a few years ago, when people who listened and followed pop culture for years turned to the underground culture, bringing their ways and habits with them. Indie is much broader; it has no defined start and those who are indie never got into the mainstream culture. In other words, indie set up the music scene while hipsterism cultivated that into a social scene.

But hipsterism is not as definite as it may seem. It can bleed across both the mainstream and independent cultures. But there is a saying about these cultures, that they are “different in the same way.” This refers to the actual social dynamics of each community: we all want to outdo each other in whatever the task is.

So keeping that in mind, will this blossoming culture end up like the mainstream, visually driven and simulated? As of now it seems to be in an awkward place. The old members of the independent culture are rolling their eyes as hipsterism.

If you looked at an online message board for an independent band or comic, you might be able to see the arguments between the indie kids and the hipsters. It is a battle between idea and status. Only time will tell which side will win.

DEC. 12, 2011 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | PERSPECTIVES | PAGE 31

HAFSA

Time for some thrilling heroics.

RAZI

reporter / hrazi@hilite.org

Take ownership of your well-being. A lack of health literacy holds back millions from the effective care they need.

I’ve never known much about my vision. From the day I proudly showed off my new glasses to my neighbors in second grade, I only knew that I was badly near-sighted and that my glasses made everything crystal clear again. In fact, I never even knew what my prescription was until this October. It was around this time that I got contact lenses for the first time, and my doctor mentioned that my contacts would be slightly more expensive because in addition to my terrible vision, I have astigmatism. I nodded like I understood, but in my head, I thought, “I have what?”

I didn’t have astigmatism—did I? Well, I wasn’t sure what astigmatism actually was, but it sounded serious, and after eight years, wouldn’t I know if I had a severe eye condition? The truth was, I never had to worry about it as long as I could slip on my glasses and go about the day with perfect vision.

Unfortunately, not all health problems should be resolved with so little thought on the part of the patient. Our doctors are highly trained and can make educated recommendations for our well-being. However, given all the information and medical jargon they throw at us in the space of a short appointment, it is not surprising that much of it slips between the cracks. And when we fail to understand the conditions of our health and follow instructions blindly, we lose ownership of our health and risk our well-being. And I’m not the only one with this problem.

In May 2010, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Resources announced the National Action Plan to Improve Health Literacy, a plan based on research over the past few decades, which showed that millions of Americans have limited understanding of health information. Researchers at the University of Connecticut found in 2007 that 36 percent of Americans have low health literacy. According to the National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF) these people make more mistakes with treatment or medication, have higher hospitalization rates and pay an average of $7500 more in annual medical costs. They are at far higher risk of falling prey to false medical advertising, and they have difficulty acquiring proper healthcare coverage. With less ability to know what’s wrong and how to treat it, people with limited health literacy have lower well-being overall.

Part of the reason for this shortfall is the unintelligible nature of much health terminology and advertising, as well as increasingly complex health systems. Despite these shortcomings of doctors and medical professionals,

patients still have the responsibility to make sure they know about their health problems as well. However, patients often don’t understand instructions the first time a doctor explains them, and they feel too embarrassed to ask questions. For us minors, it is all too easy to entrust the understanding of our health conditions to our parents. At every doctor’s appointment since childhood, it seems that once the conversation became difficult to follow, I resorted to flipping through magazines or staring at paintings of happy giraffes on the wall, letting my parents sort through the details of what exactly was wrong with me and how to fix it.

Yet this habit of mine cannot be sustained. In the near future, I will have to make decisions about my health for myself, without the guidance of my parents. In the end, it will be me who has to keep track of medications, me who has to care for that broken bone, me who decides whether to get that surgery. The world of medicine is a maze of changing information and contradicting opinions, but it is up the patient to get accurate information.

This can be as easy as asking questions. Ask your doctor how exactly a medication schedule works, or ask him to translate the medical jargon into words you understand. Repeat back his instructions to him, so you can be sure you know what to do. Outside of the doctor’s office, there is also a wealth of resources on the Internet that can help patients understand medical terms and conditions. The websites of the NPSF, the American Medical Association, the National Library of Medicine and other health-related organizations provide health information on their websites, so patients have the world of medical research at their fingertips. By using these resources, you can tell if something is wrong, you can take full advantage of the medical care offered to you and you can ensure your own understanding.

While it is far simpler to rely on the suggestions of our doctors and the decisions of our parents, it is more important to have an independent knowledge of your health issues. Don’t walk away from the hospital wondering what a comminuted fracture of the calcaneus is; find out that it’s a shattered heel bone. Don’t sign up for an expensive surgery without full knowledge of the benefits and the risks.

Don’t assume for eight years as I did that you couldn’t have astigmatism because you think it’s just for old people. Make yourself the expert on your health problems. Take ownership of your health.

When we fail to understand the conditions of our health, we lose ownership of our health and risk our own well-being.

Contact information Mailing Address: 520 E. Main St., Carmel, IN 46032 Phone: (317) 846-7721, Ext. 7143 Website: 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, Laura Peng will receive mail sent to lpeng@hilite.org.

Responding to the HiLite Letters to the editor will be accepted for the Jan. 27 issue no later than Jan. 13. Letters may be submitted to Room C147, placed in the mailbox of Jim Streisel, emailed to letters@hilite.org or mailed to school.

All letters must be signed. Names will be published. (Letters sent via email will be taken to a student’s SRT for him to sign.) Letters may 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.

Editor in Chief Laura Peng Managing Editors Patrick Bryant

Monica Cheng

Yameen Hameed

Caroline Zhang Accountant Meghan Lindgren Acumen Rachel Boyd

Dhruti Patel Ads Team Ken Li

Matt Wehner 15 Minutes of Fame Henry Zhu Beats/Calendar Rochelle Brual

Claudia Huang

Aruni Ranaweera

Hafsa Razi

Katie Utken Business Manager Patrick Bryant Cover Story Victor Xu Entertainment Natalie Maier

Amira Malcom Feature Tony Tan

Ryan Zukerman Front Page Conner Gordon

Melinda Song Graphics Jiva Capulong

Connie Chu

Melinda Song

Liane Yue Media Liaison Stuart Jackson News Chris Li

Andy Yang Perspectives Kendall Harshberger

Adele Zhou Photography Conner Gordon

Mary Brooke Johnson

Special Projects Sports

Student Section Web Staff

Reporters Taylor Acton Shayan Ahmad Ben Anderson Nick Andrews Jacob Botkin Rochelle Brual Bobby Browning David Choe John Du Linsu Han Eric He Claudia Huang Tim Klein

Caitlin Muller Kim Qian Hafsa Razi Aruni Ranaweera Sean Truax Katie Utken Jacob Vahle Lindsey Walker Andrew Wang Matt Wehner Olivia Weprich Julie Xu Sheen Zheng

Photographers Kathleen Bertsch Gavin Colavito Makenzie Curtis Mikaela George Henry Jackson

Stuart Jackson Amira Malcom Omeed Malekmarzban Hailey Meyer Henry Zhu

Grayson Harbour James Benedict Charlie Browning Matt Barnthouse Sarah Yun Omeed Malekmarzban Nick McLaughlin Ray Qian Patrick Tan

Adviser Jim Streisel Principal John Williams Superintendent Jeff Swensson

PAGE 32 | 15 MINUTES OF FAME | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | DEC. 12, 2011

15 MINUTES OF FAME Top Chef 15MINUTES@HILITE.ORG | TWITTER.COM/HILITE_NEWS

What inspires you to cook?

Mainly it’s my mother who inspired me to cook because every day of the week, she’d try to give our family of five a hot meal to eat for dinner and also for lunch on the weekends. Just all the effort she puts into it got me really wanting to cook.

Is there a dish you cook that your family and friends especially love?

Senior Conner Erickson plans to study the culinary arts

BY LAURA PENG lpeng@hilite.org

Yeah, we have a mock bourbon chicken dish. We don’t actually use bourbon in it because I’m not of age yet, but I made it in one of our classes and then I took that home to my family and made it for them. We kind of adapted the recipe, and it’s kind of a staple for us now, so it’s one of our favorites.

Have you ever worked at a restaurant or competed in a cooking competition?

I have not worked anywhere, but last year, (two classmates) and I, we were chosen out of all the culinary students in the high school to represent Carmel High School at Taste of the

Chamber. Basically all of the local restaurants and chefs go to this event, and you just show off your food. We were chosen to represent Carmel, so that was pretty cool.

Compare yourself to a celebrity chef.

I would just say Gordon Ramsay just because he’s also one of my favorites. He’s mean in the kitchen, which is probably what most people depict head chefs as, but he does it for the good of teaching others and helping them out, so I’d compare myself to him. I don’t yell like him in the kitchen, but I have that kind of passion for it.

What are your future plans?

I plan on going to a four-year culinary college. Right now, I’m looking at Johnson and Wales in Charlotte, NC. They offer a four-year degree, and you minor as well, so I’d probably minor in business. After that, hopefully, I can get a job as a sous chef or a head chef, and then my ultimate goal is to have my own restaurant.

Want More?

Scan this QR code to see a YouTube video of Erickson preparing a meal.

Fast Facts Erickson dishes about his favorite...

Cuisine: Classic American food Celebrity Chefs: Gordon Ramsay, Guy Fieri, Tyler Florence Grocery Stores: O’malia’s, Joe’s Butcher Shop Food Network Shows: “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” HENRY ZHU / PHOTO

Acumen

EXTREME

e h t e m e r t x E E U S IS

Involvement Obsession Endurance Shopping Couponing

3 4-5 6 7 8

PAGE 2 | ACUMEN | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | DEC. 12, 2011

(acumen.)

Contact information Mailing Address: 520 E. Main St., Carmel, IN 46032 Phone: (317) 846-7721, Ext. 7143 Website: 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, Laura Peng will receive mail sent to lpeng@hilite.org.

Purpose Acumen is an occasional publication serving to supplement the HiLite.

Acumen is distributed to the students, faculty and staff of Carmel High School.

Opinions expressed herein are not necessarily representative of those held

by CHS, the Carmel Clay system faculty, staff or administration.

Staff Editors

Rachel Boyd Dhruti Patel Reporters/Photographers Connie Chu Mackenzie Curtis Mikaela George Conner Gordon Kendall Harshberger Claudia Huang Hailey Meyer Kim Qian Melinda Song Olivia Weprich Adele Zhou HiLite Editor in Chief Laura Peng HiLite Managing Editors Patrick Bryant Monica Cheng Yameen Hameed Caroline Zhang John Williams Principal Superintendent Jeff Swensson

The Life of Evel Knievel This year marks the 30th anniversary since extreme daredevil Evel Knievel’s last jump. Here is a look at his career throughout his life

START

Evel Knievel was born Oct. 17, 1938 in Butte, MT. He obtained his first motorcycle at age 13, and before becoming a stunt man he was a competitive ski jumper, minor league hockey player and a motorcycle and insurance salesman.

In the mid-sixties Knievel formed Evel Knievel’s Motorcycle Daredevils, featuring Knievel and others jumping on motorcycles through walls of fire, over rattlesnakes and other stunts.

In 1967, Knievel crashed in an attempt to land a 150 ft. jump across the fountains at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. This is considered one of his most famous jumps although he was unsuccessful and broke numerous bones.

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In This Issue Dear readers, As the gloomy weather drags on, many of us fall into our mundane routine: wake up, go to school, come home, do homework, go to sleep, repeat. But what about those of us who spice up our lives with a little “extreme”? Many of us are looking for that extra something to take our lives from the ordinary to the extraordinary. From extreme sports to extreme couponing, CHS students have found successful ways to become extreme.

Acumen Editors, Rachel Boyd Dhruti Patel

DHRUTI PATEL / COVER DESIGN CONNER GORDON / PHOTO

In 1975, Knievel successfully jumped over a row of 14 buses at Kings Island in Ohio.

In 1976, Knievel was seriously injured during an attempt to jump a tank full of live sharks in the Chicago. This was also the first time a bystander was injured when a cameraman was hit and eventual lost an eye.

In his most famous jump, Knievel made a rocket powered "Skycycle" in an attempt to clear the Snake River Canyon in Idaho. Even though he made it across the quarter mile jump, winds blew him back into the canyon.

FINISH Knievel’s last jump was 1981, and he died on Nov. 30, 2007 of pulmonary disease. His hometown in Montana has an “Evel Knievel Days” festival in July.

RACHEL BOYD / GRAPHIC WEIRDSCIFI.COM, BIOGRAPHY.COM / SOURCES

Going Clubbing

DEC. 12, 2011 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | ACUMEN | PAGE 3

Senior Terrance Lewis actively participates in more than 40 clubs

BY KENDALL HARSHBERGER AND ADELE ZHOU kharshberger@hilite.org azhou@hilite.org

W

henever a new freshman class enters CHS, the students are encouraged to “get involved” by joining an extracurricular activity at the school. This year, student body president Terrance Lewis and Shayan Ahmad, both seniors, have decided to take that mantra to a new level.

Their goal is to participate in at least 40 clubs this school year.

They have already surpassed participation in at least 30 clubs. “(Shayan and I) probably put on average 10 hours (per week),” Lewis said. “We (go to clubs) every day of the week, about two hours a day. (For the weekend), if volunteer opportunities are on a Saturday, we try doing that.”

The feat started with a yearbook, according to Lewis.

“One day Shayan and I were going through the old yearbook and we’re thinking, ‘How many clubs can we do without committing a lot?’ We counted (the clubs) up, there were about 40, and (we) thought we could do it,” Lewis said.

In today’s academic world, participation in extracurricular activities can open doors for scholarships and influence admission to private schools and highly selective schools more than anything, according to counselor Stephanie Aikins.

However, this, along with increased competition among high school students for college acceptance, may lead some students to join clubs mainly for the sake of an impressive college application.

Kern Vohra, Key Club president and senior, said he believes the reasons people join a club can have an impact on their activity in the club.

“Why you want to join is a big reason,” Vohra said. “Key Club members are required to have 40 hours (of community service) by the end of the year. If you’re in the club and you’re really passionate about volunteering, you’re going to get more than 40 hours. If you’re in it just to make yourself look good, then you’re going to get the 40 (hours) and that’s it.”

However, college applications were not a big part of his decision, Lewis said. “(College) crossed our minds, but the thing is, that can’t be the reason, (putting it) on a college application. The thing is, me or Shayan didn’t put that on our applications. (The colleges) would think we were lying.”

Although many colleges may value extracurricular activities for prospective students, Lewis said he cautions underclassmen from attempting the same club-joining feat he and Ahmad have participated in.

“I’m not different than anyone else, but underclassmen have a lot more to focus on,” Lewis said. “It’s a fun experience; if they think they can handle all of it and academics, then go for

For more information regarding the various clubs CHS offers, use this QR Code to go the Clubs and Activities web page

CONNER GORDON / PHOTO

TALK THE TALK: Senior Terrance Lewis talks to a group of Hip Hop Club members during a

Tuesday club meeting. Lewis is a regular member of Hip Hop Club, one of the more than 40 clubs he is a part of this year.

it. But it’s a very time-consuming experience.”

Also colleges look for content over breadth, according to Aikins.

“Many colleges would want to know what contributions students have made through their choice of extracurricular activities,” Aikins said. “Colleges can see through efforts to pad a resume, so adding a club or activity in name only really does not help the admission cause. They are looking for content, not simply quantity.”

However, Lewis said he and Ahmad attempted this challenge not for the colleges.

“I’ve always thought that there’s no way a certain thing can be boring when there’s a group of people involved that like to do it,” Lewis said.

Although there is a large time commitment that he and Ahmad plan to continue pursuing until the end of their senior year, Lewis said he did take away a lot from this experience. Not only did he recognize the diversity of the student body that aided in his role as student body president, but he has also seen the benefits of trying new activities.

Lewis said, “The fact is that if you give new opportunities and situations a chance, in most situations, they will most likely be beneficial, or you’ll have fun doing it.”

Calling All Clubs From GKOM to Swing Dance Club, Lewis has tried them all Rotary Interact, Swing Dance Club, Hip Hop Club, Global Giving, Environmental Club, Share the Music, Gay Straight Alliance, Anime Club, Sew Unique, Debate Team, Creative Writing Club, Film Club, Aperture Club, Rising Stars Drama Club, Student Venture, Jewish Student Union, Muslim Student Association, Yo-Yo Club, Trading Card Club, Scrabble, Chess Club The Best Club, Four Square Club, Do Something Club, All for a Cure, Kenya, Invisible Children, Spanish Club, Astronomy Club, Big Game and GKOM *Indicates larger clubs Extra-curricular activities have many benefits: -Provide a creative outlet for students -Show the depth of a student’s commitment -Offer a chance to meet new people KIDSHEALTH.ORG / SOURCE

PAGE 4 | ACUMEN | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | DEC. 12, 2011

Bad Romance?

While celebrity role models can be beneficial, obsession may be cause for concern

BY OLIVIA WEPRICH oweprich@hilite.org

L

ady Gaga shocked the nation with her catchy music, crazy outfits and inspirational attitude. She calls her fans “Little Monsters,” and for some, to call them obsessed would be an understatement.

Senior Michelle Sanchez Parra, known as “Miss Gaga” to

some classmates, said she falls into the category of obsessed, to the extreme.

“People know that you can’t even say (Lady Gaga’s) name around me without me starting some kind of discussion, and I usually get really emotional,” Sanchez Parra said. “I’m practically psycho.”

Sanchez Parra said about two years ago she heard Gaga’s “Just Dance” on the radio and started looking into Lady Gaga more after that. Now, she said she not only likes Gaga’s

outfits or messages but also her passion and hard work.

According to Robbie Woliver, author of Alphabet Kids, a book about psychiatric problems kids often suffer from, it’s not uncommon for teens like Sanchez Parra to have an obsession with a music artist, athlete or other celebrity. He said that many obsessions can even be considered beneficial for kids, depending on the case.

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE “(Obsessions) can affect teenagers

Levels of Obsession James Chapman in a Daily Mail article used the term Celebrity Worship Syndrome (CWS) to describe obsession with celebrities and their lives. Wondering how bad your CWS is? Check out the following descriptions and see how obsessed you are.

If you answer yes to the following, you may have

low-level CWS:

• My friends and I like to discuss what my favorite celebrity has done • Learning the life story of my favorite celebrity is a lot of fun • I enjoy watching my favorite celebrity performing

12%

of people suffer from mild Celebrity Worship Syndrome

If you answer yes to the following, you may have

mild CWS: •

•

I consider my favorite celebrity to be my soul mate I have a special bond with my favorite celebrity

If you answer yes to the following, you may have

severe CWS:

MACKENZIE CURTIS / PHOTO

GAGA FOR GAGA: Senior Michelle Sanchez Parra looks through her Lady Gaga photos.

Like many teens, Sanchez Parra admits to being mildly obsessed with Lady Gaga.

22%

of people suffer from mild Celebrity Worship Syndrome

• If someone gave me a thousand dollars to spend, I would consider spending it on a personal possession, like a napkin or paper plate, once used by my favorite celebrity • I would be very upset if my favorite celebrity got married

2% of people suffer from mild Celebrity Worship Syndrome

DAILYMAIL.COM / SOURCE

DEC. 12, 2011 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | ACUMEN | PAGE 5 worshipping Lady Gaga.

“My friends get annoyed ‘cause I’m always talking about Gaga or I’ll Following celebrities on Twitter has start randomly singing. I annoy myself become a new outlet for fans to satisfy their sometimes, too. And my parents just obsession. Here are the four celebrities with the hate (Lady Gaga), and they think I’ve most followers on Twitter. wasted too much money,” she said. “My bedroom and locker look like Gaga came in and just threw up everywhere.

1. Lady Gaga I’ve probably spent about $250 on Gaga stuff, not including a $350 ticket to her next concert. But it’s my money, so even though they disapprove, they 2. Justin Bieber don’t make me stop.”

Similar to Sanchez Parra, although not quite as extreme, junior Nicole Murphy said she has a strong case of 3. Katy Perry “Bieber Fever.” She said last August she and her friends got tickets to Justin Michelle Sanchez Parra Bieber’s concert, and what started out Senior as a joke has turned into something 4. Kim Kardashian much more serious.

Murphy said, “Well my room is full of Justin. I basically have a shrine to him, along with posters she is friends with the celeb, or stalking begins, then it has =2 million followers SOURCE / TWITTAHOLIC.COM and a cutout of him. Everyone says reached an unhealthy level.”

GRAPHIC / RACHEL BOYD it’s just a phase, but I really don’t Sanchez Parra said she hasn’t gone that far and she said think so.” thinks having someone to obsess over is not all bad. She said Unlike Sanchez Parra, Murphy Lady Gaga inspires her to pursue and work hard in her own said her obsession does not affect her passion for culinary arts. According to Sanchez Parra, having daily life. She said none of her friends is someone to idolize helps her strive to work harder. She said she normal aspects of life like distracting from school, friends, as big a fan as she is, and even though she loves Justin Bieber, thinks her obsession is not unhealthy because it is more than family or when unrealistic expectations occur, like thinking he is not the most important aspect of her life. music; Lady Gaga inspires her with her strong attitude and the celebrity has feelings for you.”

According to Woliver, it is important for students to keep encouraging messages. On the other hand, she said most Although she said her obsession has not damaged her tabs on their level of interest. of her peers don’t agree with her. Sanchez Parra said her life, Sanchez Parra said she has had some crazy incidents “(A celebrity interest stops being healthy) when it becomes family and friends frown upon her obsession and that many of regarding Gaga. an overwhelming obsession that negatively impacts the them worry about how much time and money she has spent She said, “I remember one day I wanted to be one of the first to get a ticket to (Lady Gaga’s) concert. I wanted to stay home from school, but my mom wouldn’t let me. So when it was the time the tickets went on sale online, I left class and went to the bathroom to call my mom and make sure she was at the computer and ready to order my ticket. I guess it’s kind of ridiculous, but I was so happy to know I had gotten my ticket as soon as I could.”

Sanchez Parra said she had another crazy experience when her choir director announced they would be doing a version of “Telephone” for “Holiday Spectacular.”

“I turned completely red and just fell on the floor. I started crying and was so out of control that I started hyperventilating,” she said. “It was so embarrassing, but I was just so excited.”

According to Murphy, everyone with an obsession has probably done something a little out of the ordinary because of it.

She said, “I used to tweet Justin all the time. Then one day, I realized that my account was blocked, so the small chance that he would even read them was gone. I spent so much time, but he never actually saw any of my tweets.”

Both Murphy and Sanchez Parra said they would faint if they ever had the chance to meet their favorite celebrities, and according to Woliver, this type of excitement is common.

According to Woliver, “The bottom line is being a fan of celebrities is one thing—healthy and typical, but becoming obsessed with a celebrity, in general, can be a problem depending on how deep the obsession is and how intrusive it is in a teen's life.”

Sanchez Parra said, “If you took everything Lady Gaga MACKENZIE CURTIS / PHOTO out of my life, if you just delete that, I would still be obsessed with my passion for cooking. Whether it’s about that or Gaga, LITTLE MONSTER: Senior Michelle Sanchez Parra poses with a photo of Lady Gaga. While she you can call me a freak any day and I won’t mind.” admits that her parents get annoyed with her love for Lady Gaga, she said they do not make her stop. lives in different degrees,” Woliver said. “Having an interest in a celebrity, or being a fan, is a natural part of youth and adulthood. It just depends on the extent of the interest and to what degree it starts affecting the teen's daily routine and thoughts. Collecting photos, joining fan clubs and even following a favorite artist in concert is perfectly fine. When it is all the teen thinks about, or leads to negative behaviors, like the teen believes he or CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

My bedroom and locker look like Gaga came in and just threw up everywhere

By the Numbers

16,161,877

14,662,368

12,179,690

11,417,907

PAGE 6 | ACUMEN | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | DEC. 12, 2011

The Invincible Iron Man

In comparison to competitive team sports, extreme athletics require strong mental dedication and offer unique benefits

BY MELINDA SONG msong@hilite.org

C

ompleting a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile run in one day are usually beyond the average person’s physical reach.

Such is not the case for senior Eric Zigon, who entered the world of extreme athletics when he successfully completed the Ironman Louisville triathlon this August.

“I was just thinking about things that I want to accomplish in my lifetime, and I was like, I kind of want to do an Ironman one day,” Zigon said. “Then I decided, why wait? And I signed up two weeks later and started training.”

According to Nancy Henein, who holds a master’s degree in sport and exercise psychology and treats competitive athletes as part of her practice, extreme sports participation has more than tripled over the past three years. Despite this rise, she said little research has been conducted to understand the full picture behind this “movement.” Zigon’s experience thus sheds light on what motivates these athletes to participate and reveals potential benefits those athletes attain.

during the summer consisted of an hour-long swim, a three-hour-long bike ride and an hour-and-a-half run almost every day.

According to Tim Mylin, women’s track and field head coach and active long-distance runner, the same level of commitment is required for a prospective marathon runner.

“It’s more demanding and more time-intensive to train for a marathon,” he said. “You have to commit a pretty significant amount of your day to training if you’re doing those ultra-type events versus if you’re a track athlete and the farthest you’re ever going to run is two miles in a race.”

Mental Preparation

Yet physical preparation is only one part of an athlete’s training process, especially for those at a high level, according to Henein.

“For top athletes, most have what it takes physically,” she said via email. “It’s the mental component that tends to Training Process separate the best of the best.”

A grueling training effort precedes any extreme athletes’ Zigon said strong mental success. According to Lindsey Langford, a former preparation was responsible for athletic trainer for competitors in high endurance sports, 90 percent of his success as an motivation can either be internal or external. For Zigon, his extreme athlete. motivation—Zigon paid his own $625 registration fee—was HAILEY MEYER / PHOTO “At any point in time, you’re not exclusively intrinsic.

TRAINING TIME: Senior Eric Zigon goes for a run in his going to be feeling good physically.

“I had 625 bucks riding on the fact that I would finish,” he neighborhood in order to train. Zigon said that running, along So mentally you have to tell yourself said. “So whenever I was training, I was like, ‘OK, you paid with other types physical conditioning, helped him prepare for the that you can go further; you can for this. You’re in it. You need to finish. You don’t want to get Ironman Louisville triathlon. do more. A lot of people will start there and not finish and feel terrible about yourself for the next feeling pain, and they’re like, ‘I’m year when you start training for it again.’” done; I quit,’” he said. “But really, Once the training process begins, differences between it’s the mental aspect that will push physical preparation for regular sports and extreme parts in order to take “incremental baby steps.” That way an you to do better and finish things that you never thought athletics manifest. Langford said that, in general, extreme athlete isn’t overwhelmed by such a mentally and physically you could.” sports require a greater time commitment than any other tolling task all at once, and can better achieve his or her goal.

To combat anxiety, Langford said she recommends sports do. Zigon, who trained approximately seven months Zigon said he used this strategy while competing. extreme athletes subdivide the given task into manageable for the Ironman triathlon, said his training regimen “When you’re at the race, you think about all the training that you’ve done and what you’ve accomplished. A big part of it is just forgetting about what you’ve already done during the day,” he said. “You have to break it up into smaller segments; otherwise it’ll get kind of intimidating and overwhelming.”

Mylin, who has completed four marathons and 30 to 40 1978: John Collins founds the Ironman 1999: Lyn Brooks, 51, becomes half-marathons, said he tries to maintain an optimistic outlook triathlon after a debate over who is most the first person to ever finish prior to competing in a long-distance race in order to combat athletically fit—swimmers, runners, or consecutive Ironman Triathlon World anxiety and fear. This state of mind helps Mylin overcome his cyclists—in Hawaii.

Championship races. mental obstacles.

“I’ve got a saying that I’ve used for years,” he said. “Fear sees the obstacle; faith sees the opportunity… Fear tends to paralyze your performance whereas if you have an optimistic 1990: Dr. Jim Gills of Florida outlook, you have a much better 2004: The 28th starts the Ironman Foundation, chance of performing well.”

Notable Dates and Information

20

DHRUTI PATEL / GRAPHIC

a charitable organization designed to benefit the people of West Hawaii.

Ironman Triathlon World Championship had athletes at the starting line.

1,734

Benefits of Participating

Due to the involved nature of

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE

DEC. 12, 2011 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | ACUMEN | PAGE 7 extreme sports, extreme athletes receive unique health benefits.

Zigon, who used to dive and now plays rugby and swims, said what he gained physically from the Ironman triathlon will help him in other athletic endeavors.

“I’ve never been a runner or a cyclist or, really, a swimmer,” he said. “(Training) gave me a lot of CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

cardiovascular endurance that I never had.”

Also, benefits of training for endurance sports can carry into other aspects of life. According to Mylin, his athletic lifestyle and occasional marathon training have bettered his self-discipline.

For Zigon, who said he plans to complete two or three more Ironman triathlons in the next season, training for the Ironman gave him a better work ethic, along with

other positive qualities.

“You find out a lot about who you are as a person.

When you put yourself through a lot of pain, you figure out your limits, and then you push past those,” he said.

“You definitely gain a lot of self-confidence whenever you finish something that large, and you feel pretty good about yourself because not a lot of people finish that in their lifetime, especially as an 18 year old.”

Shop ’Til You Drop Studies show extreme shopping and overspending relate to the current generation’s need for instant gratification

BY KIM QIAN kqian@hilite.org

gratification they get from that immediate satisfaction from the purchase they make,” she said.

Begley’s article states that psychologists and behavioral Like any typical high-school girl, junior Samantha Matly likes economists identified the personality trait that distinguish to shop. With the start of each new season, as the weather savers from spenders: not accurately seeing the consequences changes, her wardrobe must be updated accordingly with of not saving. the latest in fashionable clothes. Visiting the mall almost every According to Pletcher, the consequences of impulsive week, Matly said she likes to look around for anything that spending include money loss, increase in debt and the lack stands out. of saving behaviors learned. She said people would develop “If I find something cute, I’ll buy it,” Matly said. “I don’t like a “get what I want now” mentality instead of learning how to to wait a long time.” wait for something.

Matly is not alone. According to a 2011 Newsweek Although a study described in Begley’s article supported article by Sharon Begley, our generation especially spends the link between impulse control and academic performance, impulsively due to our desire for instant pleasure as opposed Pletcher disagrees. to saving for a greater gain further down the road. And in a “(There are) too many other factors involved to make a digital world where we can get almost anything at a moment’s correlation here,” she said. “I don’t think that if someone is an notice, it comes as no surprise that when we want something, impulsive shopper, they have to be impulsive in other areas of we want it now. their life. I think the two are separate behaviors.”

Psychology teacher Robin Pletcher said via email that she However, Pletcher said she agrees with the idea that believes that extreme spenders may be trying to satisfy their people spend impulsively for instant gratification but believes need for a type of “reward” or seeking some kind of pleasure that it also depends on financial availability and what kind of through shopping. gratification the person is seeking.

“They don’t have sense of impulse control to delay the “Maybe he/she just wants praise or recognition,” Pletcher said. “They might not necessarily need ‘things’ to buy.”

Junior Catherine Onofrey said she thinks of shopping as a social activity.

On the weekends, she said she meets with friends to go to different stores.

“It’s kind of a way to get to know someone because everyone likes shopping,” she said.

Although shopping is enjoyable, Onofrey and Matly agree that one must be sure to carefully stay within one’s shopping budget.

Matly said her parents give her an allowance that she cannot pass “It depends on how expensive it is,” she said. “You have to control and budget what you want.”

While Onofrey goes shopping three to four times a week, she only spends about $40 a month; she goes in order MIKAELA GEORGE / PHOTO to be with friends rather than for actual items. On the other hand, Matly, who SERIOUS SHOPPER: Junior Samantha Matly browses through shops four times less frequently, spends racks of purses, trying to find the perfect one. Matly said she often about $100 a month. goes shopping and instantly buys whatever she likes.

What Do We Spend It On? According to CBS.org, Americans spend the same percent (93%) of their annual income as they did prerecession. What industries are booming, and which ones are taking a hit?

Increase: Health and Beauty: This industry has always seen high profits, but recently, there has been a shift in buying from salons and dietary products, keeping expenditure high in this industry.

Counseling: Psychological counseling is now attracting the highest share of income on record Spectator Sports: Due to its entertainment value, Americans continue investing in this enjoyable activity.

Decrease: Cars: Instead of money being spent on the actual vehicle, more income is being devoted towards rising gas prices New appliances: Despite more rebates being offered by companies, Americans are not buying into this industry CBS.ORG / ORG

In contrast to those who spend uncontrollably, some people thrive on saving coupons and finding the best prices.

However, many don’t realize that often, buying cheap, unnecessary things is still a waste of money.

“Some people thrive on finding good deals,” Pletcher said. “They buy multiple items of something they might not even need just because it’s ‘free.’ Also, you have those who will go out at 4:00 am the day after Thanksgiving to get the good deals.”

Pletcher suggests, “I would first say to buy what you can afford. Too many people are too much in debt, and they’ve let themselves get into trouble due to spending it.”

PAGE 8 | ACUMEN | HILITE | HILITE.ORG | DEC. 12, 2011

EXTREME COUPONING: HOLIDAY EDITION Many Americans are catching on to the extreme couponing craze due to TLC’s “Extreme Couponing” show. Here’s a look at this growing trend with Amanda Merk, extreme-couponer-intraining and junior.

Coupon

Coupon

HALLS

ALTOIDS

Coupon

Total

Dove

mint

Original $2.29 You Pay $1.29

Original $2.29 You Pay $0.99

Original $0.99 You Pay $0.59

Coupon

Coupon

Coupon

Couponing by the numbers

96% of couponers would continue to use coupons even if they won the lottery.

Last year, there were

3.3 billion 2.1 billion coupons redeemed, with

of those for food.

“I coupon because it is an easy way to save money. It only takes me 20 minutes on Sunday to cut coupons.”

Junior Amanda Merk

Amount Paid

$8.36

Percent 49.0% Saved

Chapstick

Original $1.98 You Pay $0.99

Chapstick

Chapstick

Original $2.00 You Pay $1.00

$16.51

Savings $8.15

Cherry

Coupon

Original $0.99 You Pay $0.50

Receipt

Thank you for shopping with HiLite!

Original $5.97 You Pay $3.00

Couponing Tips

Coupons use increased by

27%

from 2008 to 2009.

This year, coupons are most used for:

1. Grocery 2. Dining out 3. Clothing 4. Cosmetics

56% of 13 to 17 year olds used coupons or coupon codes in 2011.

Searches for coupon-related terms online are up

119% in 2011, compared to 2010.

CNN MONEY, REDPLUM.COM, EXPERIAN HITWISE / SOURCE AMANDA MERK, KROGER, PENN STATE / SOURCE

Use coupons when buying in bulk.

Have patience while looking for the specific items on sale in the store.

x

Find coupons in the Sunday edition of newspapers or online on websites, such as coupons.com.

Sunday

Star

coupons!

$$

Couponing Warnings Don’t be caught with expired coupons.

TODAY

12/20 2011

$$$

12/18 2011

Don’t buy too much! Statistics show that extreme couponing leads to increased waste.

x Kroger has restrictions on their coupons. Each coupon may only be used once per transaction and cannot be combined with any other coupons.

$$$

12/20 2011

+

$$$

12/20 2011 2011

=

x

CONNIE CHU AND CLAUDIA HUANG / GRAPHIC