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Were you an avid ScoobyDoo fan? Never missed a new episode of Hey Arnold? Trojans reminisce about their favorite cartoons on
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We are who we are because of where we were when.
Bishop Chatard High School 5885 N. Crittenden Ave., Indianapolis, IN 46220
Students go above and beyond their service hour requirements Jimmy Mundell
opinions editor
From helping out at soup kitchens for the poor to going on mission trips to help the disadvantaged throughout the world, students at BCHS are involved in a wide variety of s er vice ac t ivit ies. While some students may view these hours as a chore at the beginning of t heir hig h s cho ol careers, many students go beyond the required 20 hours of service after they experience service opportunities. Ac c ord i ng to t he Campus Ministry section of the Bishop Chatard website, one of the objectives of the service program is “to expose the student to a variety of service opportunities so that he or she will discover his or her gifts and interests, and remain committed to some type of Christian service for life.” M r. Ty l e r Maye r, director of campus m i n i s t r y, f u r t h e r emphasized that point. “Each year students are asked to do service that
Need more hours?
Still need a few extra service hours to fulfill your 20 hours, or just looking for new service opportunities? Here are some interesting ideas for you to try out. All completed service hour forms are due March 13, along with the Senior Service Essays. compiled by Jimmy Mundell Are you good with kids? This organization is looking for some young people to help coach and organize youth basketball teams for boys and girls. Contact Mr. Tyler Mayer for more information. Do you enjoy working with the elderly? This organization provides day care service for the elderly. Located in Broadripple, Joy’s House could always use more volunteers at all times of the year. Contact Liz Van Landingham at 317-254-0828 for more information. Interested in helping troubled kids? This peer-sentencing program helps young juveniles through the use of volunteer youth counsels, attorneys and jur y. C ontact Casandra Anderson at 317-9205900 (extension 29) for more information.
And more in the Trib . . . Read who BCHS teachers had crushes on when they were younger on
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A new team of c omp e t itors j oi ns BCHS this year. Read more about the boys volleyball team on
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focuses on a different group of people, from your family to your community,” said Mr. Mayer. “We hope that this helps students find an agency or type of service that really motivates them to act. Our goal is for students to find something that truly impacts them enough so that they can be part of the change they see in the world.” Mary Zimmerman, junior, agrees. “Once I find something that I really enjoy, I almost get more out of it than the people I’m helping.” Zimmerman enjoys doing service with the less fortunate, such as helping out at soup kitchens or going on a mission trip to Brazil. “(In Brazil) I helped teach English to the people there and build houses. We basically helped out any way we could.” Danny Ford, senior, has also found service opportunities that he has enjoyed. “At St. Vincent de Paul we pick up donations continued on page 3 - Service
2.27.2009
Issue VII Your mom Indianapolis
Add Your mom as a friend?
YES
NO
Parents join Facebook Bridget Feeney
design editor ou sit down at the computer and decide to check Facebook. After logging into your account and opening up your home page, you notice you have a new friend request. You excitedly wonder which one of your classmates finally conformed and signed up for Facebook. Then you notice that the new “friend” has the same last name as yours. Could it be a cousin or a distant relative, or perhaps just someone with the same last name? But after a closer look, you suddenly realize that the new friend is your mom, wanting to add you as a friend on Facebook. This scene is becoming increasingly common as more and more parents and other adults are creating Facebook accounts. According to the Facebook website, “Facebook is a social utility that connects people with friends and others who work, study and live around them.” For some younger Facebook users, the term “live around them” takes on a whole new meaning. Then-Harvard student Mark Zuckerburg founded Facebook in early 2004. Initially, membership to the website was exclusively limited to Harvard students. However, membership was later granted to any college student. Then in late 2005, Facebook was open to anyone in high school and college. In 2007, Facebook opened up membership to include anyone aged 13 and over. The website currently has over 175 million users worldwide and the numbers continue to grow. In fact, Facebook is becoming so popular with parents that Stanford University is offering a free “Facebook for Parents” class that teaches parents the ins and outs of the social networking site. The first session is already full and the remaining sessions are rapidly filling up.
Y
In a school-wide poll taken Feb. 11, 23 percent of senior respondents say that at least one parent has a Facebook profile. Sabbath McKiernan-Allen, senior, is one of that 23 percent. “Both of my parents have Facebooks and requested me to be their friend on it. At first, I just let the requests sit there and they would ask me everyday if I was going to accept the requests or not. Finally, I declined both of their friend requests because that’s just weird. I don’t want them spying on me. Not that I do anything bad, it’s just really weird,” she said. While some parents attempt to “friend” their children, others give their kids their space on the Internet. “My mom has a Facebook but we haven’t tried to be friends with one another. I don’t feel the need to befriend her on it because she’s at home everyday. If I need to talk to her, I can just call her or text her,” said Amanda Armstrong, senior. Thousands of Facebook users have openly protested the fact that their parents may be on Facebook by joining global groups against their parents ‘invading’ the social networking site. Some of the numerous global groups include ‘‘Against Parents Invading Your Facebook (YES MOM THAT MEANS YOU!),” and “No Parents on Facebook.” “Parents on Facebook is so weird. They are trying to fit in with our generation and trying to be cool, but they’re not. Facebook is for us - get off,” said McKiernan-Allen. Another reason kids are hesitant to add their parents as friends on Facebook is for privacy. For years, the Internet has been a place where, for the most part, kids could be themselves. They could anonymously say or do whatever they continued on page 2 - Facebook to see the results of the Feb. 11 Facebook poll, see page 2
THE
Friday
April 17, 2009
Vol. 91
Issue 10
The voice of Muncie Central High School students
FACT
source: http://www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/benefits.html
Indoor air quality (IAQ) is a critical component of providing a healthy and comfortable learning environment. IAQ affects the health, productivity, performance, and comfort of students, teachers and staff. Good IAQ helps schools meet their core mission - educating students. Improving IAQ in schools can help: • • • • •
Reduce absenteeism Improve student and staff concentration Decrease IAQ-related health risks from exposure to indoor pollutants Reduce environmental triggers of asthma Reduce respiratory illness
FACT
source: http://www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/environmental.html
“More than 53 million children and about 6 million adults spend a significant portion of their days in more than 120,000 public and private school buildings in the US. Many of these environmental conditions that inhibit learning and pose risks to the health of children and staff. One third of schools (housing about 14 million students) have buildings in need of extensive repair or replacement.� Research reports suggest that students attending schools in poor condition score 11 percent lower on standardized tests than students who attend schools in good condition.
FACT
source: http://www.in.gov/idem/4537.htm
“The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) have teamed up to help provide a free kit (called Tools for Schools) that contains all of the information necessary for schools to improve their indoor air quality. The actions recommended by the Tools for Schools program should cost the school little or no money.� �Mini-grants for $200 are available to help the schools implement the kits. IDEM distributes those funds, which are provided by the U.S. EPA.�
Respiratory complaints spur questions over abatement Kay Rankin - Room 258 Business Dept. Head Teacher for 41 years
“
“As a rule, I don’t suffer from allergies. I do believe, however, that the air quality in all of our schools is not as good as they (whoever ‘they’ might be) say it is. Too many of my teaching colleagues are fine during the summer, but as soon as school starts up - breathing problems return. (One teacher) has trouble with her voice and breathing when she is in the main office for a long period of time. In other parts of the building she is alright. For the past 10 weeks I have had a severe cough. Two doctors say I have had an infection and part of it has stayed behind. No allergies or asthmatic symptoms have shown up.�
TIMELINE
Lora Byrum - Room 248 Science teacher Central teacher for 8 years
“
“I have had respiratory problems since I began working at Central eight years ago. Each spring I go through a bout of bronchitis that lasts for several weeks to completely get over. Within three days of school beginning each fall I feel the symptoms begin: runny nose, scratchy constricting throat, and persistent drainage from the sinuses. It takes half of the summer to get back to normal before beginning it all over again in the fall. My doctor has placed me on a decongestant as a maintenance drug to try to tolerate the conditions here. I believe there is something in the building acting as an irritant.�
Trudy Anderson - nurses office School Nurse Medical Professional for 34 years
“
“There has been an increase in respiratory problems with students and staff in the past two years with so much construction going on and all the dust in the air. Air quality studies have been done, especially at the end of last year because of the construction and asbestos situation. I think that it is probably carried out to the letter of the law. Filters are changed regularly as far as I know. We probably don’t do anything over and beyond the call of duty. I certainly feel like administration has followed all regulations.�
Roy Connor - Room 242 Science Department Head Teacher for 40 years
“
“During the two years that the science area was being remodeled, I had more sinus problems than I had ever had in my life. I had my doctor x-ray my lungs for asbestos but it is too small of a particle to see. You have to wait for the damage to see if it is in the lungs. I will not be surprised that some of the staff have lung damage from all of the asbestos and dust from the remodeling.�
Jenny Leach - Main Office Secretary to the Principal Secretary for 26 years
“
“Something in the office air irritates our eyes, sinuses, and throats. The air has been tested several times and always comes out in the ‘Clean’ level. I don’t know what it is, but we feel fine until we get here and things clear up after we go home.�
“Kids jump up and touch the ceiling tiles, and if they do this where the asbestos is, particles can fall down, get into the air system and blow throughout the entire building. It scares me that we have all of these kids in here with all the stuff (asbestos) around. The kids are the future and it’s going to be hurting them 10 years from now.�
Asbestos and Air Quality Checks on Muncie Central High School
Reports provided by Lon Sloan, MCS Director of Facilities; and Dan Justice, supervisor of maintenance and custodial services
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Top 3 things you need to know about asbestos
1.
Asbestos: What is it?
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--unnamed source
Questions persist over air quality
NEWS
THE
The Air in Err
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2.
Asbestos: What’s the risk?
3.
Asbestos: What can we do?
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8Midnight LOOK BACK Cruise
MUNSONIAN April 17, 2009
Lighting up the night on the dance floor of the Cornerstone Center for the Arts are three couples: Pat Galliher and Stephanie Cole; Becca Smith and Cort Fondon; and Sarah Hanauer and Steven Barnes.
Smooth sailing for 374 Prom goers
Up on the balcony, Eun Kim captures the action on the floor, accompanied by couples Kristen McKinley and Alex Swickard; and Jeff Dick and Katya Kucherenko. Ready for a cruise is senior Natasha Thomas, dancing to the music provided by DJ Potts, from Chicago. • photos by Prestige
Prom Royalty: seniors Queen Mariah Noble and King DJ West
...she said ‘Yes!’
Prom Princess Abbie Allardt Junior Court
Above: Slow dancing are Mickey Harsh and her fiancee’ at the April 4 prom. Left: Bustin’ out are seniors Evan Vonderschmidtt and Dylan Howard.
Prom Prince Blake Hall Junior Court
Keeping in step with floor repairs
Above: Floor tile needing replacement in the cafeteria. While the tile does not contain asbestos, the mastic does. Below: Workers began replacing floor tile in the cafeteria the week before Spring Break.
During first semester floor tiles lay cracked and in need of replacement at the north end of the cafeteria near the salad bar. Beginning the week of March 16, workers began tearing out the tiles to replace them. Not to worry, according to Lon Sloan, MCS director of facilities. “We replace tile when they become a trip hazard (loose or warped edges). This is an ongoing process in our corporation. My information indicates that this is or was the issue at Muncie Central. Our tile does not contain asbestos.� Whereas the tile does not contain asbestos, the mastic does. Mastic is a black building material used as an adhesive or seal. According to the AHERA inspection performed by David Starzyk, a state asbestos inspector in 1988, “Floor tile mastic under all floor tile in the building is 1 to 2 percent chrysotile (asbestos).� Doug Meeks, instructor of Natural Resources and Environmental Management from Ball State says that “Any building material that is greater than 1 percent asbestos is classified as asbestos-containing material. Removing the tile from the mastic has almost no likelihood of creating significant numbers of airborne asbestos fibers. This is because the asbestos mineral fibers are very tightly bound in the matrix of the mastic material.� A 1989 report prepared by the Indiana Dept. of Environmental Management disagrees. “If asbestos containing floor tile and mastic are improperly handled, they could present potential asbestos fiber release, creating unnecessary exposure to maintenance personnel or students.�
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Most girls dream of getting proposed to when they are really in love with a boy, but most girls don’t expect to be proposed to the night of their senior prom. Around 2 a.m. at after prom, Brooke Whitney’s boyfriend of one year, Ryan Lacy, proposed to her in front of all after prom attendees. “We were sitting down and then he pulled me up and proposed to me,� Whitney said. The couple say they plan to “wait a few years� before they actually tie the knot, and that their parents are happy with the engagement.
Q&A from IDEM
The Munsonian interviewed Anthony Rench, the compliance and enforcement manager of the Indiana Dept. of Environmental Management, on April 15 about Central. Here is an excerpt:
Q A Q A
According to two sources who wished to remain anonymous, a Central office administrator instructed the wetting down of carpets a half hour before an Air Quality Test was to be conducted. Why would someone do this? ‘I’d certainly like to talk to that individual and find out the purpose for wetting down those areas. That is one method for controlling asbestos fibers.� Before Spring Break, areas of tile were being replaced in the school cafeteria with the black mastic (sealant) exposed with students eating in there. Is this or could this be a problem? “It could potentially be a problem. Category 1 non-friable is usually tile and mastic. If it’s walked on or dry scraped it becomes friable and may release particles into the air.... If tile is missing it should be replaced.�
According to Amy Hartsock, public information officer with the IDEM, ‘Anyone can call in a complaint dealing with asbestos and we will respond appropriately. We also respond to anonymous complaints.�
Left: A flourescent light illuminates the exposed ceiling that some faculty believes to be asbestos. The area is not accessible to students. Below: A piece of material which has been on this staircase for over a year was referred to at Tuesday’s school board meeting as Soundcote, a sprayed acousitcal treatment and not dangerous. Custodians were instructed to remove it Tuesday night. • photos by Angel Ramey
LAWRENCE NORTH HIGH SCHOOL
North S tar
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Friday, April 17, 2009
Issue 14
A look at this year’s schedule according to next year’s school day policy changes
180=180
New state superintendent changes policies to revise school day norms Addison Bradford EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Bennett, along with the DOE, drew up the plan in order to provide Indiana students with at least 180 days of instruction in hopes of increasing student achievement. “State law does not allow schools to use half days as full days,” said Cam Savage, Communications Director for the
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tions around the state scrambling, including Lawrence Township. Currently, the township has six professional development half days and four parent-teacher conference half days that are counted as days of full instruction. This is not allowed under Bennett’s policy. “The state superintendent has said there are no half days available for public schools in Indiana, which is another way of saying all students must attend 180 days of full instruction at five hours minimum of elementary students and six hours minimum for secondary students,” said Copper. After being elected in November,
Measuring Up
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When State Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. Tony Bennett announced several new policy changes for Indiana high schools on March 24, Lawrence Township Superintendent Dr. Michael Copper immediately knew he had his work cut out for him. “The timing doesn’t allow me to plan and plot to provide meaningful time for both professional development and teacher conferences,” 180 said Copper. “There is no real ‘this is what we are going to do’ kind of options, but we are working to develop them.” 175 A new position by Bennett and the Department of Education [DOE] eliminates counting any half days as days of full instruction. This 170 decision sent many school corpora-
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DOE. “It is not currently illegal, but we think students deserve 180 complete days of school for the minimum. Parents expect it. Taxpayers pay for it. In a global world, our students are competing against other students from around the world. We owe it to our kids to give them as much instruction as possible.” The DOE requires students to have six hours of instructional time at the middle and high school level. Lawrence Township currently exceeds that by providing secondary students with six and a half hours of instruction each day. “[State superintendent Bennett] is saying we have to meet for six hours,” said Copper. “He is viewing more time in class on days, and I am viewing more time in class by minutes available for teacher instruction each day.” Principal Steve Goeglein believes the DOE drew up the plan in order to deal with current problems with granting half days. “Things were getting out of hand from [Bennett’s] perspective. Too many schools were taking advantage of it,” said Goeglein. “It holds everyone accountable. It’s, ‘Here are the roles to play; everyone needs to get back on board.’” Copper does not agree with the proposal, believing it does not effectively give students the best education. “[The DOE] is wrong in the assumption that that their position is what is best for Lawrence Township,” said Copper. “I think the teachers’ associations will start bargaining for reduced time in class and that is going to work just the opposite of what the state wants.”
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PAC talent show to Dancers gear up for spring recital display various skills Madeleine Achgill REPORTER
Rachel Stenger REPORTER Although senior Kyra Johnson’s talent of singing might be considered ordinary, the song that her group chose is not. “We’re singing ‘His Eye is on the Sparrow.’ It was written in 1900 by some composer. We found it through my friend [junior] Pearl Scott. It was her idea,” Johnson said. The Principal’s Advisory Council is hosting the talent show Wednesday, April 22 at 6:30 p.m. in the Little Theater. Tickets are two dollars. Johnson and Scott are two of the five people who are singing “His Eye is on the Sparrow” during this year’s talent show. PAC is making this year’s show have the feel of a competition on TV. “This year, we’re planning to have more people, more variety and we have our panel of judges, who will make it funny. And that’s where we’re going to get the ‘American Idol’/‘Dancing with the Stars’ feel,” senior Dia Flemister said. All of the money collected from the show will be donated to Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International. According to JDRF’s website, they have developed five research areas in order to create
Talent Show Dates Dress rehearsal: Tuesday April 21
Talent show:
Sneak Peek
Wednesday April 22 6:30 p.m. Little Theater
new discoveries in cures and treatments for type-one diabetes. The five research areas are replacement, complications, autoimmunity, control and regeneration. “Ashleigh Taylor is the student chairman and she picked [JDRF]. She submitted it before the committee and we talked about it in a PAC meeting and that’s what we chose,” PAC advisor Kim Zimmerman said. Auditions were last Wednesday and Thursday, with acts such as poetry reading, dancing, rapping and singing. “I think they went really well. There was a lot of good talent. The show should be really exciting,” freshman Michaela Flowers said. While watching the auditions, Zimmerman, Flowers and Flemister were looking for uniqueness, confidence and variety. Juniors Quintin Davis and Ajia Sanders will be dancing to “Incredible God, Incredible Praise” by Youthful Praise. Davis explains that the dance is a mixture of hiphop and gospel. “People say it’s the same as other dances, but it’s still pretty different. I feel like I actually put passion into my dances,” Davis said. Because Davis is the one with the experience, he is the one who choreographed their dance. “It’s kind of like how people use sign language, I dance to the words,” Davis said. The winner of the talent show will be decided by the panel of judges. The student judges will be Flemister and Flowers and the teacher judges will be Amy Routt, Sarah Owen, Brett Crousore and Zimmerman. The students’ score will be based on volume, quality of the act, entertainment level and confidence. “I think we’ve got some great talent. We chose 15 acts and I was thinking that we should have the acts taped or something and put it on Cat’s Eye because they’ve just been great,” Zimmerman said.
NEWS
Students lead photography class Page 4
Dancers get a chance to show off what they have learned in class this year, along with the dance team’s competition pieces, during the spring dance recital. MC Hammer and *NSYNC are just some of the artists Senior Austin Day believes that there’s a difference beand groups that are making a reappearance on April 29 at tween the types of pieces they will be performing for the the spring dance recital. recital and the types of pieces they use to compete. “I think the audience will really like it. Everyone can “For [recital] pieces we usually put something together groove to old-school music,” said senior Kala Herbert. that’s more entertaining, more fun to do,” Day said. “You’re “We’ve never done anything like it before.” going to see more things that we like to do that we create, as opposed to competition pieces.” Day is one of the dancers that helped to choreograph the recital. “I have my own group, so I make choreography for them. So I just put something to the music that they could move to,” Day said. “I like to dance, so it just kind of comes. The music dictates the dance.” Even the beginner’s class helped to choreograph their own pieces this year, as a class project. They split into groups and designed a section of the song, then taught their ideas to the class. Besides pieces with each of the classes, the spring recital will contain solos, duos and smaller groups. Senior Maya Mitchell is performing a solo to “Hurt” by Christina Aguilera. She describes it as a modern, contemporary-type dance. “It’s something weird. It’s not something that you’d look at and say, ‘oh, pretty’,” Mitchell said. “But, I love the song. It moves me.” At their last recital, the dance team showcased their pieces, but dance teacher Jenna Mooney says their performances at this recital will be even better. “The competition pieces weren’t finished at the semester,” Mooney said. Herbert asserts that there is a noticeable difference in the way people are dancing since the beginning of the year. “I can see improvement, people starting to care more,” Herbert said. “With dance, you can tell who’s passionate and who’s not. People are being more passionate.” Mitchell said that the recital should be really good. CHRISTA COOK/PHOTO “Our spring concert is always the best PUT YOUR DANCING SHOES ON: Sophomore Latayshia Crenshaw prac- concert,” Mitchell said. “We have a lot of tices in dance class to improve her skills. The class is preparing for their dances and a lot of different styles in it.”
upcoming recital on April 29.
FEATURE
Homelessness rates rise Pages 8-9
SPORTS Track team battles Ben Davis Page 11