Cross Country takes 5th at state, Hetrick named Coach of the Year —Page 11
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CENTRAL COMMUNITY SCHOOLS of DeWitt, Grand Mound, Low Moor and Welton, Iowa
November 28, 2009 Vol. 23, No. 2
Come and give it Fundraisers to benefi t the less fortunate
The can drive, student council’s main fundraiser, will be different. They are awarding the food party to the class and not a specific classroom. The grade who brings in the most food Eryca Schebler by weight will win a breakfast party. “There Features Writer aren’t any limitations or lists the students have to go by.” student council advisor, Around Thanksgiving high school stu- Mrs. Denise McAleer said. dents are in the mood to help the less fortu“The student council charity commitee nate. Of course there is some competition (including Courtney Bauer and Tessa between classes, but the main point is to Stocker) is very involved.” Mrs. McAleer give back to the community. said. “We also included Ekstrand and the Student council expanded on the tra- middle school.” ditional food drive and came up with two “We are aiming for families that can’t more fundraisers, Boots for Babies and afford a bunch of food for thanksgiving to Coats for Kids. have more this year,” Matt Daniels said. Each Friday, student council will pick up the food from the classrooms and take it to the Referral Center in Dewitt. Devin Happe is the chair for the Coats for Kids fundraiser, a fundraiser to raise coats for children who can’t afford to buy them. “Our goal this year,” Happe said. “Is to raise at least three coats each size ranging from kids to adults.” Coats for Kids, like the other fundraisers lasts from Nov. 2 to Nov. 20. “We will ship them to Bettendorf American Education Assosciation and they will Drop it like it’s cold. Melanie Saunders clean them and send us back ones (coats) drops a used coat into the student coun- from another school,” Happe said. “So kids cil’s Coats for Kids fundraiser drop box. won’t have any coats from people here.” Photo by Eryca Schebler. Boots for Babies is another new fund-
Now where did I put that grocery list? Matt Daniels picks cans up from classrooms for the annual food drive which ended Nov. 20. The junior class won the competition for most food collected. Photo by Eryca Schebler. raiser that Lena Niemann and Hillary Drury are in charge of. “Since it is a new fundraiser we don’t really have a goal,” Niemann said, “other
than to have a lot of people participate.” “The boots will be distributed throughout Central School District by Mrs. Amanda Greubel,” Niemann said.
FCCLA fashions leaders for the future Jenna Duffy said. “And it’s good for your resume.” Duffy, who was elected president of the group, looks forward to seeing FCCLA expand. “We want to help more around the community,” Duffy said. The group plans on helping at the DeWitt Santa’s Workshop and Children’s Carnival on Dec. 5. Members attended a FCCLA convention where they met with students from other schools. “My favorite part was definitely meeting new people,” Lena Niemann said. “We need to go to more conventions.” FCCLA holds monthly breakfast meetings in Room 202. Each meeting features a guest speaker from the community. Dave Necker, speaker at the Nov. 18 meeting and co-owner of Necker’s Jewelers, spoke about struggles he has faced in his career and how he overcame them. Preparing themselves to be the leaders of the future. Front Row: Advisors Mrs. Betz, Ms. Scheckel. Second Row: Aarika Stone, “The world is not fair,” Necker told the Paige McCulloh, Mackenzie Keeney, Hillary Drury, Jenna Duffy, Lexi Cheney, Lena Niemann and Lexi Meggers. Back Row: group. “And I struggled with the unfairness of the world for a long time.” Kalee Pray, Ali Necker, Cara Melvin, Ashley Borota, Natalie Smith and Ravin Kilburg. Photo by Katie Dorpinghaus. “Then I realized that I didn’t want the you just want to be involved. Just come world to be fair. I don’t have to be the best gram called FCCLA. to one of our meetings and we’ll feed you at everything; I just have to be a little better Family, Career, Community Leaders of Katie Dorpinghaus breakfast and give you a red shirt.” than everyone else. I just have to work a America, or FCCLA, is a national student Editor in Chief Those who have joined FCCLA are little harder than everyone else,” he said. organization for high school students that learning about leadership and the family Necker also gave the group advice about Mrs. Betz and Ms. Scheckel are launching and consumer sciences. “We’re teaching having confi dence and making mistakes. John Quincy Adams once said, “If your at Central. “People like the leadership asleadership and how to get involved in the “How you get confi dence and retain confiactions inspire others to dream more, learn pect,” Ms. Scheckel said. “It’s a good activcommunity,” Ms. Scheckel said. “We try to dence is going to be your key to success,” more, do more and become more, you are ity to put on a resumé.” think of topics under the family and conNecker said. “I make a lot of mistakes, Joining FCCLA is simple. “People can a leader.” Mrs. Valarie Betz and Ms. Beth sumer sciences umbrella.” don’t be afraid of mistakes. Mistakes are Harrington-Scheckel are challenging stu- join anytime,” Ms. Scheckel said. “We do “I joined for the leadership program,” how you learn.” dents to become leaders with a new pro- have membership dues, but it’s only $3 if
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The Purple Onion November 28, 2009 Vol. 23, No. 2
’Tis the season to be hunting Hunting recreational for outdoor types
Lauren Weirup
On Campus Editor
Bang! The shot heard miles away. Hunting season is upon us, and is a very important season for many students. Both male and female students have taken their part to help the enviroment by getting involved with county conservation. Many think hunting is bad, but hunting is not just about killing animals, there is much more to it. Hunting has been called a sport, a recreational activity, and a danger, Winston Henningsen calls it “population managment,” how ever you look at it hunting is a neccesity. The Department of Natural Recources (DNR) have set hunting seasons to only a few days at a time.These seasons help control over populations without completely wiping out a species. The fun of hunting comes with rules and
responsibility. There is a plethora of laws that hunters must follow to ensure that they are being safe and not over killing. There are laws that mandate you to take a safety course before you can get your license, and you must have a license in order to carry a weapon. There are also laws that state you must have a tag for every animal you ‘bring down’. If you take a look into the history of the United States hunting has been a part of the culture for centuries. People used to hunt for their main source of foods. Even today there are people who hunt for their main source of meat and they prefer game meat over the normal beef or pork. Game meat is a healthier choice compared to commercial meats. For example venison (deer meat) inmuch leaner than beef and a lot cheaper. “Hunting is a great way to provide cheap, healthy meat for your family,” Cody Kent said. In general, hunting has brought several advantages to both the enviroment and to the hunters. So whether you are a hunter or against hunting, realize that hunting is beneficial to everybody.
Looking for a 14-pointer. Scott Adams eyes down the prize from his precarious perch in a tree. Lots of students enjoy hunting every year as a way to make a competition to see who is the best hunter in the school. Photo by Lauren Weirup.
Let it snow (x3)
Bree Dunkel
Assistant Editor
Your alarm clock goes off at 6:30 a.m. playing the latest tune. You rub your eyes and stretch, preparing for another long day of school when you look outside the window and see 3 feet of sparkling snow covering the ground. Excitement rushes through your veins and you rush to the television to bore your eyes into the screen until you see school is cancelled. You watch it come across the bottom and feel overjoyed. Today you can spend all day in the snow. Things to do in the winter seem to be Say hello to my little friend. Alexandria Naughton models her costume and doll. endless. Snowboarding, ice skating, sledNaughton worked at a haunted house throughout the Halloween season. Photo ding, making snowmen and snow angels, contributed by Alexandria Naughton. having snowball fights, and snowmobiling are only a few examples and most people participate in at least one during the winter months. Shawn Paarmann, a junior at Central, is an active winter weather participant. His main acitivity is snowboarding. “I love the
Things that go bump in the night
Haunted house goers enjoy thrills, chills
Nate Cypher
Features Writer
Everyone associates Halloween with images of witches, ghosts, devils and hobgoblins. But when it comes to haunted houses people go crazy. When Halloween comes round it is a fun time of year, a time when candy and ghosts come out. But it is also a time for haunted houses. When you see hear the announcements on the radio and T.V. for
haunted houses you can’t wait until you go see them. There are many haunted houses around Dewitt and a lot of people at Central High get groups together and they go as it is called “Haunted Housing.” “I like haunted houses and I love going in groups,” said Amanda Benson. “My favorite haunted house was Skeleton manor.” Everyone has his or her own preference. “I went to the haunted house in Low Moor and it was good,” said Brooke Crater. “I liked the mirrors at the end.” The number of teens and adults who go to haunted house has tripled over the years. “The haunted house is $117 million industry and a lot of people go to them every year,” according to About.com. Why do people like to go to haunted houses’? Maybe it is the fun of being scared or maybe it is just a hobby you choose.
snow and how amazing everything looks,” Paarmann said, “plus when I’m hittin’ the powder on the slopes, nothing could feel better.” There are many places to be active in winter activities. Some or more popular then others. “We usually head to Chestnut, or “The Nut”, or we hit some spots around the streets,” Paarmann said. Chestnut Mountain is a winter resort in Galena, Illinois that’s set to open Nov. 27 if the weather permits it. Resorts aren’t the only place to enjoy winter though. You can step out into your front yard and collapse into a snow angel or perhaps take part in something a little more dangerous such as a snowball fight. Winter can have its pros and cons. Cons: cold weather, driving in the snow, and missing the sunshine. Pros: Christmas, an exceptionally long break from school, the beauty of snow covered fields, seeing snowmen as you drive through town, hot chocolate, and so much more. Winter can be a pain but the positives of winter and snow might just outweigh that.
Shredding the slopes. Shawn Paarmann shows off his snowboarding skills at Chestnut Ski Resort in Galena, Ill. Photo contributed by Shawn Paarmann.
The Purple Onion November 28, 2009 Vol. 23, No. 2
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Some students give thanks because loved ones are still with them Jenna Blondell Features Writer
Having fun, helping out.. Drew Dieckmann, Jordan Porth, Cameron Donovan, Lucas Sheppard, Cameron O’Neil, Brice Bowan and Carter Hemesath show off some of the food they collected during St. Joe’s scavenger hunt. Photo by Katie Blaser.
Youth group holds food drive Katie Blaser Features Writer
During Thanksgiving and the holiday season many people all over the world give donations of either money or items to those who are less fortunate than them. In DeWitt there are many organizations to give to. The Saint Joseph’s youth group is one of these organizations. They do a scavenger hunt around DeWitt to get food to give to the Referral Center. The scavenger hunt is a fun way for students to get involved and help while having fun at the same time. “I enjoyed doing it, but it was kinda cold,” Taylor McWilliams said. Many had fun despite the cold weather,
though. “It was good to do something different,” Cassie Blaser said. Chris Tabor said that it was fun “because you get to get to be with friends and you are helping out people who are less fortunate than you.” Everyone likes helping others who don’t have as much as they do. “It makes me feel very good about myself. To solve big problems you need to defeat the smaller ones,” Chris said. “The feeling that someone will have food on a table is amazing.” Students collect as much food as they can on their list and bring it back for the youth minister to bring to the Referral Center. “It makes me feel fortunate for what I have and how privileged I am,” McWilliams said.
Thanksgiving is a time for giving thanks, and Emily Willis, Alli Cavanagh and Krystal Jensen are especially thankful this year, with family circumstances. What do you have to be thankful for this Thanksgiving? Emily Willis is thankful that her grandfather is home again. After being in the hospital for a few days in Iowa City, her grandpa was able to return home. “He had a form of a stroke,” said Willis. “I’m thankful that my grandpa came home, and that the stroke wasn’t too serious.” “I was planning a Halloween party, I was afraid I might have to postpone it because of him being in the hospital,” Willis said. “I wasn’t really concentrating on the party, I was more worried about his health.” Emily did have her party despite her worries. “Two days after being in the hospital he said to me, you better have your party.” said Emily of her grandpa. Alli Cavanagh’s father had unusual circumstances when it came to a surgery to get his gall bladder removed. He went in to have a simple gall bladder surgery and wound up with two blood clots in his lungs. “I didn’t realize how big a deal it was,” said Cavanagh, “until the doctor said he could have died if he went home.” Blood clots are common side effects of surgery, but can be fatal. “If he wouldn’t have gotten a blood thinner,” said Cava-
nagh, “the blood clot would have blocked arteries in his heart.” A heart attack can be fatal. It’s scary to think it happens everywhere around you. It’s even scarier when it happens to a family member. Krystal Jensen experienced this. She was one her way to DeWitt from Maquoketa when her mom started having chest pains. “She has never had them like this before,” said Jensen. Jensen made the rational decision to take her mom to the emergency room. “The doctors and nurses moved very quickly,” said Jensen. “They got her stabilized enough to transfer her to Genesis East.” When she got there they took her straight into a scope surgery. “They put in two stents,” said Jensen. “They ballooned one area to open the blockage.” Jensen’s mom was lucky and thankfully, she is all right. “She is a lot better now than when she came back from the hospital,” said Jensen, “but she still has to do heart physical therapy to get stronger.” “I thank god that nothing more serious happened to her,” said Jensen, “and that she is still with us.” Many have traditions. Some go to family houses every year, and others just stay home. Jensen and her family go to church every Sunday. “I am glad that she can go,” she said, “because it is important to her and to our family.” Jensen said many families provided meals for them for two weeks. Many families have survived injuries or bad experiences and look to see how truly thankful they are for their blessings.
‘Black Friday’ shopping: Is it worth your time? Ariani Oehrlein On Campus Editor As the Thanksgiving days are coming to a close, many kids are getting excited about Christmas. For most people, the end of Thanksgiving leads to the beginning of shopping for the ones they love. The very popular day to start of the spree is the day after thanksgiving. Black Friday is well known to many savvy families. “Black Friday is just a chance when we know the discounts from all the advertise-
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Editor in Chief: Katie Dorpinghaus Assistant Editor: Bree Dunkel Features Editor: Becca Walker Sports Editor: Bryan Connell Page Design Editor: Katie Petersen Photography Editor: Alex Barr On Campus Editor: Nichole Haack Graphic Design: Renee Christiansen Review Editor: Melanie Saunders Adviser: Mrs. Christine Gilroy THE PURPLE ONION WELCOMES LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. LETTERS MUST BE SIGNED.
ments, and usually the most popular shopping day of the year,” Lexi Meggers said. “Of course I know what black Friday is!” Alison Rekemeyer said. “I’m going to go with my mom.” Stores have morning specials and door busters for those willing to wake up extremely early. “I’m going to wake up at 5 a.m.,” Abby Schneckloth said. “I’ll probably wake up around 4:30ish,” Cheyenne Gonzalez said. For some people, early hours don’t mean anything. “Earliest I’d wake up, probably one in the afternoon,” Rekemeyer said. Shoppers usually go with an item they want in mind, either for themselves, friends or family. Rekemeyer and Schneckloth both agree on shopping for themselves. “I want to buy a new camera,” Rekemeyer said, and as for Schneckloth, her item of choice is a crock-pot. “I’ll shop for family and myself, whatever I find,” Meggers said. “I’m sort of doing both, I want to get stuff for my sister for Christmas but I want to see if I can find anything for me, too,” Gonzalez said. The best hot spots to shop include Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Kohl’s, Circuit City, Sears, K-Mart and Target. “Any store in the mall will be packed, as well as Target, Wal-Mart, etc.” Meggers said. “Target and Wal-Mart, of course! I know the mall will be filled,” Gonzalez said. “I would say electronics would be most popular, they are usually a big hit,” Meg-
Scoping for good coupons. Alison Rekemeyer and Abby Schneckloth get excited over the newspaper ads. Photo by Ariani Oehrlein. gers said, as most people would agree. Electronics are the No. 1 item people shop for on Black Friday. “Probably like video games,” Rekemeyer said. The price range on this day varies for all shoppers; most go with a budget. “I’ll spend about $200,” Rekemeyer said. “I’ll spend as much money as I have, which is usually not that much,” Meggers adds. Others won’t be so easy on their money. “I’d probably spend about 50 dollars,” Schneckloth said. “Well, I’m not going to try and spend all my hard earned money, but it depends on what the prices are like,” Gonzalez said. Many think Black Friday has the best deals, but is it really worth your morning
hours and most of your wallet? “A con of Black Friday is all the traffic in town,” Gonzalez said. “There are so many people going early, they’re all crazy,” Rekemeyer said. “Facing the crowds, and spending more money than you expect is a con for me,” Meggers said. “You can get pretty good deals anytime of the year, you just have to look in the right spot.” Rekemeyer said, “Most of the things are cheaper, but when people think things are cheaper, they spend more money.” Schneckloth says no, “The best deals are when the stores have their own sales.” Gonzalez says, “Yes and no, I mean they will have lower prices but it just depends on the demand of what people want.”
4 New Art Club offers creative opportunities
ON CAMPUS
Art just a click away on new iWeb site
Eva Maria Conway
Jordan Larison
Staff Writer Enter the room, and almost instantly the senses are overwhelmed with the smell of acrylic paint and wet clay, the scraping of charcoal on paper, and the obvious visual overload that walks hand in hand with the art room. The art room has become meeting place of sorts in the mornings before class begins. Students are always welcome to go and have a place to sit down, scurry to finish homework, or to just hang out with their friends. Not only is the art room available in the mornings, but also because of a recent addition of ‘Art Club’, the art room can now be used by interested artistic protégés from 6-8 every Monday night. Not so great at artistic expression? That’s not a problem. The newly founded Art Club is open to anyone even remotely interested or curious in anything artistically related, and the beloved “Nordy” is always there to assist, guide, critique, and give advice. “There are a lot of kids who are taking other classes, don’t have the materials at home, and like the atmosphere and the commodore of the art club,” said Ms. Sue Nordstrom. “This gives kids extra time to work artistically, because if you don’t set time aside, it just doesn’t happen.” “I think it’s going really well,” Nordstrom added. “Two to six kids show up every week, so we’ll just keep on going until the kids decide they don’t want to anymore.” On a rare occasion, great talent comes naturally, but more often than not, its something to be cultured and practiced, and something that takes time to grow. Art
Staff Writer
Spitting image. Founder Eva-Maria Conway takes her self-portrait by storm and paints an eerily familiar face during the newly founded Art Club. Photo by Jordan Larison. club might be the perfect place to harvest your potential. “I came to work on things I don’t normally work on,” said Tiffany Allers, “To expand my artistic horizon.” “It’s a really good environment to try something new,” she added. “You can express yourself without being worried about being criticized and critiqued in a negative way.” The subject matter and media varies constantly in art club. Nothing is required and the only rule is you have to be doing something at least a little artistic. This is the time where students catch up on sketch credits or projects for various other art classes being taken. “I’m working on portraits right now, “ said Emily Willis. “But later on I’m going to be doing a project for WAMAC.” “I’m so glad we thought of this now,” said founder Eva-Maria Conway. “It just hit me one day that we didn’t have any extracurricular opportunities for students interested in art.” “I’ve been thinking about it for a long time,” she added. “But I finally decided to talk to Nordy about getting an art club on its feet, and it’s worked really well.”
‘Little black dress’ a hit with fashion class designers
A fleeting moment is captured with the preciseness of a camera. A masterpiece is brought to life with the click of a mouse. When art and technology blend together seamlessly, the results are impressive. The booming technological era and fanciful art world together bring society into an entirely new dimension. One such example is the art department’s new website, featuring a rotating gallery of student artworks. Ms. Sue Nordstrom, the high school art teacher, is enthralled with the benefits of using the iWeb program for the brand-new website to showcase her students’ talent. “The iWeb site’s purpose is to make an art gallery available to the school and public so that they can view student artworks,” Nordstrom said. “In addition, it includes the first issue of the Muse fine arts magazine, the catalogue descriptions of all the art classes, class criteria, and grading for all the classes. Also, there is a link to Mrs. Dunlavey’s art classes at the high school and middle school.” “I know the middle schoolers like to look at the high school students’ art work,” said Mrs. Cassie Dunlavey, teacher for art at the middle school and painting courses at the high school. “It fuels their creativity and inspires them to continue taking art classes.” The purpose of iWeb is to provide a way for the community to connect to student artwork and to help with other activities in the art department. “I wanted to do IWeb because we have art shows in the spring,” Nordstrom said. “Also, people are limited by location and time, and by doing this people can view the
Lending a hand. Mrs. Cassie Dunlavey guides Haley Kreiter through the many brilliant masterpieces on the website. Haley Kreiter pauses briefly to take in the inspirational works of Mrs. Dunlavey’s teen years.
artworks anytime they want. Parents can look at the curriculum requirements anytime they want as well.” “There is a link on the website for the grants we received,” Dunlavey said. “Four thousand dollars were granted to purchase equipment for the art department. It is my way to show the community how their monetary donations increase student achievement.” Organizing this could have been a difficult task. Dunlavey and Nordstrom, however, found the project of placing the artworks online to be a breeze. Dunlavey said, “iWeb is really userfriendly and the website is really easy to keep updated.” “The process wasn’t hard,” Nordstrom said. “We’ve got a scanner that is fast and efficient.” The works chosen vary considerably, from pastel works to mixed media to conSTUDENT PROJECTS ON WEB SITE --Continued on Page 5
Four take All-State awards Sarah Stofer Features Writer
Becca Walker Features Editor “Every woman needs a little black dress.” Ever heard that one before? The fashion class, taught by Mrs.Valarie Betz, went to a shop called emeDesign in Erie, Illinois. While there, they got to talk to the owners of the shop and see the way that they run their business. “It was an once in a lifetime experience,” said senior Lexi Meggers of the fashion class, “and very eye opening to go and meet an actual fashion designer. I had never taken anything like the fashion class before,” Lexi said, “so I thought it would be interestingand it turns out its a lot of fun.” Mrs. Valarie Betz, the teacher of the fashion class was excited to go on this field trip. “I have a background in clothing and tailoring,” Mrs. Betz said, “and I thought that it would be a good thing to expose the students to a designer.”
The Purple Onion November 28, 2009 Vol. 23, No. 2
Make it straight. Trying to make all of her pieces nice and creased, Jenny Franzen uses the iron to make sure the job gets done. Photo by Becca Walker. “I chose to go to the emeDesign because it was featured in the newspaper a lot,” Mrs. Betz said, “and I thought it would be a good idea for students to meet face to face with the business owners Erica Mae and Shelli.” Mrs. Betz also said that the mother-daughter designers work out in the country so that their designs are not influenced by other designers around them. This is the first fashion class that the school has had. In the class the students study vocabulary related to fashion, they do projects, and they have a computerized program called Digital Fashion Pro which lets students play around with different clothing ideas to create fashion designs.
After weeks of practice, several days of stressing, and a couple hours of quality time with Mr. Greubel and around a hundred of your closest band buddies; it’s finally your turn to audition. Four of Central’s students were accepted into the 2009 Iowa All State Band/Chorus, the auditions were on Oct. 24 at Fairfield High school; Emily Browne on alto clarinet, Jenessa Kyarsgaard on bass clarinet, Fletcher Paulsen with vocals and Colleen Tague on B-flat clarinet. (I) “Freak out, shake, the usual”, Kyarsgaard said, (because) “I practiced, the week before.” Tague disagreed with Kyarsgaard, “I start practicing as soon as they come out in July,” Tague said. “(Before auditions you) practice your butt off, then have no face for the audition.” Some students find it difficult to find time to practice during their busy schedules. Paulsen solved this problem by having a set time to practice, four days a week. “I practice once a week, late at night after everyone has gone to bed,” Browne said.
Hard work paid off. Jenessa Kyarsgaard, Fletcher Paulsen, Emily Browne, and Colleen Tague were selected for the Iowa All State Band or Chorus. Photo by Katie Dorpinghaus. The Central students who made it into All-State band said that the other All State band students were “most definitely” bigger ‘Band Geeks’ than they were. But Fletcher thought that the other All State chorus members were “pretty cool”. There were surprise all around when the students were accepted into the band, which will be on Nov. 19-20 at Iowa State University. “I wasn’t expecting it,” Tague said. Kyarsgaard and Browne were both very surprised because they didn’t think that they had good auditions. “It was a big relief,” Paulsen said. “ After not making it last year, I was very happy.”
The Purple Onion November 28, 2009 Vol. 23, No. 2
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NHS: Worth the extra effort Students selected for elite academic group based on service, character Melanie Saunders Movie Review Editor You may think that all National Honor Society consists of are two yearly blood drives held here at the high school, but there’s really much more to it. For applicants, just getting in a big honor, but along with the accomplishment comes great challenge. For the application process, there are several requirements to being accepted. You must have at least a 3.0 GPA, and each person being evaluated will be judged on Service, Leadership and Character. Many times, members accepted are leaders in the school and hold some sort of authority such as a team captain, in student council or being a section leader in the band. “I don’t get to evaluate the forms, but I want as many people possible to apply,” Ms. LeAnn DePue, NHS advisor, said. “I
Scholarship, Service, Leadership and Character. Front Row: Carrie Demmon, Taylor Donovan, Katie Dorpinghaus, Amanda Franck, Melanie Saunders and Colleen Tague. Second Row: Caitlin Geise, Anthony Burke, Rachel Henning, Michael Carr, Katie Blaser, Alan Buttars, Haley Kreiter and Justin Block. Back Row: Lindsay Smith, Chas Cahill, Fletcher Paulsen, Jen Keitel, Bryan Connell, Tyler Smith, Nick McClimon and Matt Daniels. Photo courtesy of William Luse Photography. am satisfied with the outcome.” On Nov. 5, 14 new members were inducted into the prestigious society: Rachel Henning, Lindsay Smith, Justin Block, Caitlin Geise, Anthony Burke, Chas Cahill, Jennifer Keitel, Fletcher Paulsen, Michael Carr, Haley Kreiter, Bryan Connell, Mary Broadfoot, Katie Blaser and Taylor McWilliams. Also present were
already existing members in NHS: Alan Buttars, Matt Daniels, Carrie Demmon, Taylor Donovan, Katie Dorpinghaus, Amanda Franck, Nick McClimon, Lucas Nastruz, Hailey Penningroth, Melanie Saunders, Tyler Smith and Colleen Tague. With this large group, there are some higher expectations from last year. “I’d like to increase numbers for the blood
drive,” said Ms. DePue. “Weather hurt us last year. There wasn’t enough time between the winter and spring drives, so people who would have normally donated in spring couldn’t because they were too close together.” So bring on the blood drives and community projects, because there’s nothing this group can’t handle.
Student art projects grace gallery of new website —Continued from Page 4
Tootin’ their horns. Under the instruction of Chloe Myers and Ryan McAleer, the band belts their flavorful Latin-themed music. It was enough to earn a one rating at state contest, a feat not achieved since 1992. Photo contributed by Melanie Saunders.
Band gets Division I rating at state Katie Petersen Page Design Editor
State Competition is not something usually associated with the school band. For the past two years, however, the Saber Marching Pride has attended both State and Wilton Band competition. “We were an exhibition band at Wilton,” said Mr. Greubel, “because it is a competition for smaller bands.”
This competition was a practice for the band they received Division II rating and came in fourth overall. “Only a week after Wilton we received a Division I at State,” Mr. Greubel said. “I was freaking ecstatic,” said Christie Wiese. “It was good to see our hard work finally pay off after billions of hour of practice.” “I tried to cut down on extra Monday night practices,” said Mr. Greubel, “but I tried to do more sectionals with different sections of the band.” “People may not know this, but the last
time the band went to State was in 1999,” said Mr. Greubel. However that year the band was unable to play due to a rain cancellation. “We started going to State again last year,” said Mr. Greubel, “We got a Division II, but it was good for the kids to know for this year.” These State Competitions do not even begin to compare with what the band will be doing next year. “Next year we will be going to Florida and playing in the half-time show of the Orange Bowl.” Mr. Greubel said.
“For the site, I don’t put everyone’s pieces on because there would be too many,” Nordstrom said. “I select a variety of works from different classes and different students. I rotate works in and out.” “For my classes, every project the students do go on the website,” Dunlavey said. “Photographing and putting them on the website is a way of showing off their artwork before art shows.” Both teachers attended a workshop offered at a teacher in-service and now utilize the program in their classes. “iWeb was a workshop I attended,” Dunlavey said. “Mr. Townsley was an instructor and he taught me how to get started with the software.” Nordstrom said, “I use it in Graphic Design class for a student project and decided that it’d be a great way to show student artwork to the public.” Haley Kreiter, a student involved in art at the high school, is pleased with the extensive gallery online. “It’s impressive to see how many good artists we have at school,” Kreiter said. “So many people you wouldn’t expect to be artists are actually really talented.” For those curious about art online, visit the high school web page, www.centralclinton.k12.ia.us and click fine arts link.
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The Purple Onion November 28, 2009 Vol. 23, No. 2
Off to Indy they go FFA chapter heads to National Convention Lauren Weirup On Campus Editor
Gossip girls. Ms. Beth Scheckel teaches students such as Jenna Blondell how to avoid the relational aggression around the school. Photo by Alli Cavanagh.
Real life plastics New ‘Mean Girls’ class teaches about relational aggression Ali Cavanagh Features Writer Did you know the movie “Mean Girls” is based on a real life story? It is about relational aggression, a bullying behavior that affects a person’s social acceptance. Ms. Beth Harrington-Scheckel’s human relations class is doing a unit on relational aggression. This class is mostly being called the “Means Girls” class, because it is a real life thing. Many students were not aware of the class as the “Mean Girls” class. They figured it was just another unit, until they started to realize how relational aggression is everywhere around us. Natalie Shank, who is attending the class, said “finding out about how serious human aggression is,” is
a main concern of hers. Both girls and boys are aggressive. Boys, however, use physical aggression, while girls use relational aggression. Boys use bullying and taunts and usually end up getting physically aggressive. Girls mostly use relation aggression: lies, rumors, secrets, betrayal, bullying, gossiping, taunts, harassment, exclusion and ignoring. “I think it is out there definitely,” said Ms. Scheckel. “ I think it is in every school.” Most relational aggression is light, but some can be serious. Sometimes students feel threatened to leave school, or not come to school, and the relational aggression can cause depression and sometimes suicide. Many teachers see relational aggression in their own classroom.“I see it more subtly,” Mrs.Scheckel said. Some students who experience relational aggression may feel left out, lose friends, have difficulty experiencing intimate relationships later in life, become depressed, have suicidal thoughts, or may seek revenge.
National FFA Convention is filled with talent, fun, education and inspiration. Every year FFA chapters from every state and Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands take the trip to the National Convention which is held in Indianapolis, Ind. The 82nd National Convention was a place of opportunities for students to come together and find common interests in colleges, careers and contests. With everything from Career Development Events (CDEs) to walking around the Indianapolis mall, you will never run out of things to do. “Watching CDE contests at the national level helps teams prepare for the contests in the coming year,” Matthew Costello said. There is a career show of more than 300 colleges and around 400 cooperations trying to recruit students and future employees. At several sessions throughout the day, National FFA Officers present different awards or guest speakers. One of the guest speakers was Mike Rowe of the hit TV show Dirty Jobs. He spoke about working hard and enjoying what you do, not just working for the money. “Mike Rowe is just an average guy who loves what he does,” Costello said. “He is using what he has learned for the betterment of the earth,” Each year only a few students from each state are selected to participate in the National FFA Chorus. Eleni Boesch not only got the chance to represent her chapter but
Walking down FFA Way. Students Logan Kennedy, Nick McClimon, Caleb Beer, Renee Christiansen and Patrick Diedrich stroll downtown Indy. Photo contributed by Erin Weirup. the state of Iowa as well participating in the National Chorus. She had to go to Indiana three days before the convention started in order to practice with the new choir and director. “Even though we all came from all different states we all seemed to act like a family,” Boesch said. The national band and chorus stay in a separate hotel in downtown Indy. With constant practice, the choir had little free time so they spent a lot of time together. “I built some amazing friendships,” Boesch said. “It was hard to let them go.” DeWitt had five members receive their American FFA Degree, the highest degree an FFA member can achieve. These members earned more than $7,500 and 2,250 hours of labor, that went toward their Supervised Agricultural Experience (SAE). These students had to have been out of school for 12 months, and had to have previously received his or her State FFA Degree. The members who achieved this award were Brady McNeil, Brandon Franck, Brandon McCulloh, Meghan Henningson and Glen Mommsen.
Lack of sleep can cause problems Alexandria Naughton Page Editor Most students do not know the importance of sleep. Eight hours of sleep is a good amount of sleep for a person to get, but not many people get that many hours of sleep every night. How much sleep do students get at night? “Probably six,” Hillary Drury said, “because you can tell if people get sleep by what they do in class, or how they pay attention.” Spencer Hicks agrees. “Probably like six, because kids stay up really late.” Creighton Fox estimated less sleep for the school. “I would say five, because a lot of people stay up late with either stress with homework, or playing video games, and a lot of people who are in sports don’t get home ’til late.” Kids have been known for falling asleep in class. Many kids who fall asleep miss out on things that may appear on tests, or
quizzes. “When I don’t get enough sleep, I don’t pay good enough attention in class,” Drury said. Others find their sleep in class is more important. “I sleep in class when I’m bored,” Hicks said, “but sleep doesn’t affect how well you do.” There are certain classes, or certain times of the day that are the worst for people to stay awake during the day. “Fourth block, definitely fourth block,” Hicks said. “Usually those are my boring classes and I’m ready to leave, so I put my head down.” The first block and fourth block seem to be the hardest to stay awake in. “Some morning classes, I’m still trying to get awake,” Fox said. Students get out of school at 3 p.m. That leaves 17 hours for students to sleep. What is keeping students up late at night? “Internet, cell phone, facebook, homework,” Drury says. Hicks says, “TV, boyfriend/girlfriend, computer.” Too much sleep is also bad. “You’re in the sleep mode all day,” Drury said. “It could go both ways,” Maggie Gehlsen said. “Some people get drowsy if
they get too much sleep, but others pay more attention if they get more.” Others believe that sleep is not a bad thing. “I don’t think you can get enough sleep, I think sleep is good!” Fox said.
“If you’re active, you are not tired, but if you aren’t active, you get tired,” Hicks said. “That is why school should be more interactive.”
YEARBOOKS DECEMBER FOR $40. YOU MAY ALSO PURCHASE YOUR YEARBOOK ON-LINE THROUGH THE SCHOOL WEB SITE. DON’T MISS OUT ON THE HAPPENINGS OF THE YEAR.
WILL BE SOLD DURING THE MONTH OF
PUBLICATIONS CLASS WILL ALSO HOLD ITS ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN IN DECEMBER. DISPLAY ADS, SALUTE ADS AND PARENT ADS MAY BE PURCHASED THEN. IF YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE A PICTURE OR MESSAGE GETS INTO THE YEARBOOK, PURCHASE A SALUTE AD.
The Purple Onion November 28, 2009 Vol. 23, No. 2
ON CAMPUS
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Lustrous new floor brightens up the gym Katie Dorpinghaus Editor in Chief Basketball season has officially begun, and brought with it hours of conditioning and thousands of sprints. But this year, players’ blood, sweat and tears will drip onto a brand new floor. The old floor, which was installed in 1957, was ripped up this summer, and as fast as the floorboards were torn up, they were snatched by people looking for keepsakes. “We were thinking of auctioning off the floorboards for a fundraiser,” athletic director, Mr. Brent Cook said. “But people just came in and took them from the dumpster.” At practices, the new floor has impressed players and coaches alike. “The new floor is way shinier and nicer,” Alex Hunter said. “Now they just need to add a JumboTron to the scoreboard.” Girls’ coach, Mark Kurtz agrees. “The floor has brightened the whole gym,” he said. “In practice we can see everything better. Hopefully, it will inspire us to play better.
“It has a lot more traction than the old floor,” Coach Kurtz said. “When we practiced last year, it looked like we were wearing skates: we slipped all over the place.” The boys’ team has also appreciated the change “It’s brighter and easier to jump off of the new floor,” captain, Scotty Burke said. “And it has more cool designs.” Questions about whether the gym floor should be used for roller-skating in P.E. have sparked some controversy. “I don’t like it,” Burke said. “It scratches up the floor too much. It’ll make the floor as bad as last year.” “It makes me mad,” Jen Keitel said. “We just got a new floor and I can already see the marks from the roller-skates.” Others disagree. “It doesn’t really bother me,” Hunter said. “The marks are just a sign of our warriorism.” All roller-skating does is make marks in the wax.” Mr. Cook says. “It doesn’t damage the floor.” The school will also be performing more maintenance on the new floor. “During Christmas break we will re-wax the floor,” Mr. Cook said. “We used to do it every year, but with the construction in the last few years, we decided it wouldn’t do any good.”
Slipping and Sliding. Students scooter across the new gym floor during P.E. class. Students have been rollerskating and using scooters on the new floor, which has marked it up and sparked complaints about scratches. Photo by Katie Minick.
Rake and Run FFA members donate time to rake leaves Mary Broadfoot Staff Writer
Forty high school student volunteers: enthusiastic, 22 leaf-covered yards: plentiful, 6 hours: hard work, 1 community service project: priceless. The DeWitt Central FFA’s annual fall service project was once again a success. On a chilly Saturday in early November, a group of FFA members got together at nine in the morning to rake lawns for needy people around DeWitt. “The Rake N’ Run is a good service project for us,” said Mr. Dan Smicker, DeWitt Central’s FFA advisor. “Kids need to be taught to give back.” “An FFA member came up with this idea five or six years ago,” Mr. Smicker said, “after that, we took it and ran.” Central’s FFA officer team contacted local churches
and compiled a list of elderly and disabled people in the community that could benefit from this project. Once the date was set, FFA members quickly agreed to help out. Many members had friends helping, and others were asked by Mr. Smicker, resulting in a large turnout of volunteers. “It’s the right thing to do,” A.J. McNeil said, “and by volunteering, we give back to the community and make it better.” The people that were helped can’t get out and rake their lawns themselves, so they are very grateful that someone will make their yards look nice for the fall. “They were surprised and wanted to pay us,” McNeil said, “we didn’t take the money, but (their appreciation) made us feel good. We did take the lemonade and cookies that they gave us though.” At the end of the day, 40 truckloads of yard waste were hauled to the city compost area outside of town and 40 FFA members were worn out from a long day of physical labor. But next year they will do it all again because as A.J. McNeil said, “it’s fun and it’s a good thing to do.”
New coach. Coach Ed Vance oversees Chris Cambell, Logan Brundage and other wrestlers in his first week of practice as head coach. Coach Vance replaced Coach Kurt Kreiter who stepped down after 20 years. Photo By Renee Christiansen.
New role, familiar face Vance takes over reins of wrestling team Dakotah Doolittle Staff Writer
For many years the head coach of Central High School’s wrestling team has been Kurt Kreiter. But last year he stepped down from the head coaching position. So the debate was who is going to be the new head coach? Finally, and after much debate former assistant coach Edwin Vance was chosen. It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s Chas Cahill! Luke McGuire watches Chas leap into a People are sad to see Coach Kremountain of leaves during the FFA’s Rake N’ Run. Photo by Renee Christiansen. iter leave but are exited to see how the
new season will go. “ I think it’s awesome, Vance is a beast, its a good change a nice change.” said Dustin Fox. “Well my first year of varsity was with Kreiter but I like Vance as a coach so i think it was a good choice.” said Nick Jewell. Greyson Doolittle agrees. “I think Vance will be a good head coach,” Doolittle said. “But there’s one main thing that makes Kreiter better, and that’s experience as head coach, which will come in time.” Coach Vance, however, is ready for the job. “ I was an assistant coach for six years,” Coach Vance said. ”We are doing some off-season wrestling in the spring, making sure all equipment is here, finding ways to promote the club, and trying to get more kids to go out for Sabertooth.” Although being a head coach requires much work and dedication he is not afraid to make the sacrifices needed to be the head coach of Central’s wrestling team.
8 ‘Twi-hards’ infatuated with sequel New Moon
REVIEWS
Alex Barr
The Purple Onion November 28, 2009 Vol. 23, No. 2
New Fame a fresh take on vintage musical Melanie Saunders
Features Writer
Reviews Editor
Renee Christiansen Graphic Design
New Moon has finally — last Friday, Nov. 20 — come out. In the second installment of Stephenie Meyer’s amazingly successful Twilight series, the romance between mortal and vampire soars to a new level, as Bella Swan dives deeper into the mysteries of a supernatural world she strongly desires to become part of, only to find herself in greater danger than ever before. In the book, Bella has her 18th birthday, a date she didn’t want to come. After an incident at her party, Edward Cullen and his family leave the town of Forks, Wash., trying to protect Bella from the dangers that are in their world. Heartbroken Bella sleepwalks through her senior year of high school, numb and feeling completely alone. She discovers that Edward’s image comes to her whenever she puts herself in jeopardy. With more vampires, werewolves, motorcycles, Italy and cliff-diving, cast and crew had their work cut out for them. With more of the passion, action and suspense that made Twilight a global sensation, the movie version of New Moon brings back Hollywood’s hottest love teams. Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, respectively, bring back their roles as
Riches. Jewels. Good fortune. All are Super Fan, another Twi-hard. Chelsea Garton enjoys watching previews online for temptations faced by everyone, but how far the new movie New Moon that came out Nov. 20. Photo by Renee Christiansen. is one willing to go to achieve those standards? Edward Cullen and Bella Swan. Hunk actor was pleased. “I liked the movie of New In the movie Fame, five teenagers atTaylor Lautner co-stars as Jacob Black, a Moon because it follows the book a lot tending the most prestigious performing member of the mysterious Quileute tribe. better than the Twilight movie did.” she arts high school in New York City are folWhen asked about the event, Sadie said. “The actors were really good once lowed throughout their four years of high Banowetz said she was excited about again.” school as they learn life lessons about seeing the movie sequel. Overall, the movie did extremely well greed, power and sticking to their guns “I’ve read in the box office, about their beliefs. Twilight and because of the The film starts out with an intense day of seen the movie,” “ T w i - h a r d s . ” nerve-racking auditions in all areas of perBanowetz said. A c c o r d i n g forming arts, such as acting, singing, film “They’re both so to Web site and instrumentation, in order to be part of good, but the book associatedcontent. the incredible school. Out of the thousands is much more com, New Moon of potential candidates, only 200 people are detailed. I know broke the previous chosen to be a part of the freshmen class. the sequel New midnight box It continues to follow these students Moon is going office record set through tough times with families, making to be great. I’m by Harry Potter. new friends, finally breaking out of their a huge Twilight The sales for the comfort zone to find out who they are as a fan, everything midnight showing person and what their destiny in life is. about it is just so totaled $26.3 The plot was a little scatterbrained and addicting. In my opinion Jacob Black is so million dollars. slightly confusing at times to follow, but all hot! I’d rather choose him than Edward.” While the Twilight sequel recieved in all a good movie to see with the family. Madeline Wright also plans on seeing dismal reviews from critics, the sales seem Inspiring and moving, it made me want New Moon with her foreign exchange to beg to differ. Many feel that the critics to get up and dance in the theater, but I student Marta Goldona. Marta knows all aren’t the target audience, anyway. didn’t want to mortify my poor little sister about Twilight,” Wright said. “She’s read At the end of the movie I was definitely who was viewing it with me. all the books and is excited as everyone pleased, although it was more than two There were all of the old classic songs else.” hours long. This is definitely a great movie from the original, such as the tune which After seeing the film, Chelsea Garton to see with friends and family. gives the movie its title, Fame. I predict this will not be the last time we’ll see some of the fresh faces featured in the film. The breakout star by far was Asher Book, who has the voice of an angel and acting skills to match, so look out for him in the near future. different. “Here we go again,” was all he buddy system,” Miko said. Fred obtained This is definitely the type of film you the cow in a different way. “When Mr. Hincould say to describe himself. would want to see over and over, just be“I thought it would be funny to take his richsen was out of the room, I snatched and cause of the realistic nature of it. precious cow,” Fred said. “He always teas- grabbed,” Fred said. Many people believe these criminals es me so this is my way to get revenge.” The ransom note was also just a little have regrets about their actions, yet, they extra. It stated that Mr. Hinrichsen was to don’t. Will his cow and duck be given back run up and down the senior hallway singing soon? Only time can tell. “I have no reParty in the USA in his Hawaiian shirt. Sadly, he waited until class had begun grets,” Miko said. and he only stayed by his classroom. “I Andie just wanted to see him do something stupid Columnist and obnoxious,” said Fred. Unfortunately, Mr. Hinrichsen’s animals have not returned even though he Hi, My name is Andie. I’m a senior gave in to the ransom note. and I’m a member of Pubs Class. I enjoy “I did what it demanded and my cow hanging out with my friends and going to still doesn’t return,” Hinrichsen said. all the sporting events at school. You can Why steal these animals? “I did it just write to me in care of Pubs Class about because I wanted to,” said Jane. Jane and anything from what classes to take, to if Miko were partners in crime in the theft of you should ask out your crush. the duck, while Fred worked alone. I’m very easy to talk to and I’d love “I thought it was cute and squeaky,” to help anyone who needs a little outside said Miko. “It was all basically for comadvice. Drop off your anonymous letters to edy,” said Fred. “I thought it would be the office and your letter will be answered funny to watch Mr. Hinrichsen give in to in the next issue. our demands.” Can’t wait to hear from you. It wasn’t a tricky process to get their His end of the bargain. Mr. Hinrichsen hands on these prizes. “I put it in my sweat- sings Party in the USA to retrieve his stoSincerely, shirt during class,” Jane said. “We used the len animals. Photo by Katie Minick. Andie
‘With more vampires, werewolves, motorcycles, Italy and cliffdiving, cast and crew had their work cut out for them.’
Mr. H responds to ‘ransom’ note for duck, cow Katie Minick Features Writer As if Mr. Hans Hinrichsen getting his Christmas tree stolen every year wasn’t bad enough, now his duck and cow have come up missing. Three students were responsible for the disappearance of the animals. These students wish to remain unnamed so they will be called Fred, Jane and Miko. Mr. Hinrichsen has had these animals for many years. “Years ago the duck was the hall pass,” he said. “I decided to retire the duck but people started giving me more ducks.” Mr. Hinrichsen has a much different purpose for the cow. “Students put homework anywhere and expect me to find it. “Put it under the cow” is the standard answer to “Where do I put my homework?” Mr. Hinrichsen said. The duck thieves hoped for a hilarious reaction. “I wanted him to cry,” Jane said. “I think he knows I stole it but I’m not sure.” “I just wanted him to be very depressed,” Miko said. Mr. Hinrichsen’s reaction was very
The Purple Onion November 28, 2009 Vol. 23, No. 2
MUSICAL REVIEW
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Dancin’ at the Box Social. Front Row: Joe Slapnika, Megan Salyars, Lucas Blondell, Darcie Farrel and Seth Johnson. Back Row: Erin Dorpinghaus, Alex Engelmen, Jasmine Kong, Austin Daniels, Mariah Driscoll, Andy Risinger, Grant Housman, Natalie Smith, Bryan Connell, Carly Bauman and Tommy Petersen. Connell said his grandmother’s cousin was a cowboy in the original film. “It took us two months to synchronize and polish this really hard dance.”
Oklahoma! is more than OK Bree Dunkel
Assistant Editor
Oklahoma! was quite a hit. The seats were sold out all three days the musical was performed at the Operahouse Theater in DeWitt. The acting was great and the dancing was pretty impressive. I was especially fond of the Persian accent of Ali Hakim, the peddler, played by Dakotah Doolittle and all the character’s southern accents. The main characters were natural and looked as if they were born to be on stage. The love story between Laurey (Audrey Machovec) and Curly (Fletcher Paulsen)
took main screen while the love triangle played by Amanda Benson, Dakotah Doolittle and Bryar Bloomer won the crowd over with their liveliness and humor. The vocals of the men blew me away and the ladies’ vocals were fantastic. The acrobatic skills toward the end of the musical required a lot of strength and skill. So kudos to Bryar Bloomer for being able to flip girls over his shoulder 6 times in one weekend. And kudos to Amanda Benson and Hannah Harlson for having that much faith in Bryar to not drop them on their faces. The rivalry between the Cowboys and the Farmers added to the overall wittiness and charisma of the musical. It’s safe to say Oklahoma! was much more than OK. All Er Nothin’ (above). Bryar Bloomer as Will Parker and Amanda Benson as Ado Annie perform a song together. People Will Say We’re In Love (left). Fletcher Paulsen as Curly and Audrey Machovec as Laurey share a dance. Farmer And The Cowman Should Be Friends (right). Aunt Eller was played by Kristen Dierickx. Lonely Room (far right). Mike Carr as Judd sings of loneliness.
All photos by Melanie Saunders.
OPINION
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The Purple Onion November 28, 2009 Vol. 23, No. 2
Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 challenges ninth-grade readers Emalee Thul Guest Columnist
It’s not about censorship, it’s a warning for all of us Fahrenheit 451 is the story of Guy Montag, a fireman living in the near future. In this story, the future seems very wrong. The firemen don’t stop fires; they start them. Their jobs are to burn and destroy all books, burning anyone who gets in their way. Technology has gotten out of control, taking over the world and the way of life for many, if not all, people who live in that society. In this story, the future is very different. All books are illegal and must be burned, and that includes anything that gets in the way of their being burned. Books have to be burned because people started getting angry and offended by what the authors said. It’s censorship gone wrong. One of the firemen is a man named Guy Montag. He has never really given the world around him much thought, that is until he meets his new neighbor, a young girl named Clarisse, who has a very particular outlook on life. She sees the little things, like what the rain tastes like, and she sees how the world changed. With three little words, “Are you happy?” She makes Montag see what he has been missing. This sends Montag down a dangerous path of secrets and lies as he tries to find what is missing from his life. He puts not only himself in danger, but also the ones he loves. Most characters in this story are lifeless and stupid, not noticing the world around them. They are too addicted to television. They are too busy with their lives to notice they’re being controlled by their own government. They don’t notice that their own children hate them, or that they’re angry at the world. In this world, all the kids are violent
EDITOR’S NOTE: Ms. Liz Dague’s freshman language arts class has been studying Ray Bradbury’s book Fahrenheit 451. Here are two essays reflecting differing opinions of the science fiction book. and angry. It’s okay to kill people. It happens all the time. People die and they’re forgotten, their memories are too painful to think about, so let’s burn them, too, characters think, Better not to think about them and be happy rather than be sad. Ray Bradbury wrote this story as a warning that we must not become like the characters in this book. He believes technology can be dangerous if not used in the right way. Look at our lives now: We are literally controlled by technology. Try going at least one day without using technology, like no music, television, Internet, nothing. It’s hard just thinking about it, isn’t it? Almost impossible, it seems, but it isn’t. Sometimes we just need a break from everything and it helps to take in what we have and consider what we really don’t need. We need to focus on what we really need, not what we want. Do we really need that new big screen television, or does our old one work just as well? That’s what we need to think about when we go out and see all those new televisions, computers, phones, and the newest iPod. Bradbury wrote this book as a warning. He didn’t write it about censoring books; he wrote it as a warning about how our lives could be if we let our lives get controlled by technology. This warning should be taken as such. I recommend this book to everyone. Everyone should read this book at least once. It makes you think not only about your own life, but also about our own government.
Learning about Big Brother. Freshmen (front) Hannah Macumber, Emily Kramer, (middle) Junior Thomas, Cameron Donovan, (back) Shelby Carlson and Cara Melvin celebrate Bradbury’s book. Photo by Ms. Liz Dague.
Hunter Ilg Guest Columnist
Boring in a nutshell: 3 out of 10 stars Are you scared of the future? Fahrenheit 451 will confirm your thoughts of the future if you are scared. Guy Montag is a fireman whose job it is to start fires — fires that burn books — and he enjoys his job. Books are viewed as evil and they must be censored. Ray Bradbury wrote this book in the early ’50s, and it was supposed to take place in the future United States. The future he wrote about is meant for now. This book contains tons of diverse, figurative language and complex writing, but there is not as much straightforward action. There were many themes to this book. One was the use of technology. Montag’s wife, Mildred, gets consumed by technology. What could happen is exaggerated, but the point expressed is good. Technology, if
used in the wrong way, can make your life worthless and confusing. Mildred cares only about her television shows. She thinks they are real life, and she ends up talking to walls. Much of what she says makes no sense: “‘Don’t get excited, I’m trying to think.’ She laughed an odd little laugh that went up and up.” There are a couple spots of good action in the book, but there isn’t enough. The rest of the book is basically dialogue and random about nothing. Boring! The lack of action makes the book hard to get interested in. The only high adrenaline spot of action was when Montag is chased by police through the streets and alleys. You can tell what is going through Montag’s mind, and you can feel the rush of blood through Montag’s veins — and yours: “He ran steadily for six blocks in the alley and then the alley opened out into a wide empty thoroughfare ten lanes wide. It seemed like a boatless river frozen there...” If only there were more spots in the book like that. The writing style of the book was what really bored me. It was hard to follow. There seemed to be a ton of metaphors and sometimes you couldn’t tell if the part you were reading was happening in the book or if it was a metaphor: “He was a thing of brush and liquid eye, of fur and muzzle and hoof, he was a thing of horn and blood that would smell of autumn if you bled it out on the ground.” Can someone please tell me what that means? This book is definitely not meant to entertain the reader, but rather to inform. If Bradbury had included more action, my rating would have been bumped to a 5 out of 10. One more bad thing about this book is the ending. It didn’t really come to a conclusion; it just stopped. That’s it. Bradbury should have kept going and explained what happened to the world. I recommend Fahrenheit 451 only to teachers and hardcore science fiction readers.
How to survive Thanksgiving
Katie Dorpinghaus & Bree Dunkel Thanksgiving is... warm turkey on a cold day, family football games in the backyard, three days off school to spend with your loved ones, and eating so much you can’t fit in your pants. Unless you’re a wrestler. Then Thanksgiving is watching everyone else eat twice their weight in mashed potatoes, stuffing, and buns as you look on with sincere hatred sipping your glass of water in your three layers of Barney-purple sweats. Thanksgiving brings families together at the start of the turkey and... rips them apart by the pumpkin pie. At this point the only thing you are probably giving thanks for is that no one has cut your uncle’s head
off with the carving knife. Football is a Thanksgiving tradition for most families. Watching, playing, cussing out the idiots on the television who don’t know how to play the game and admiring Grandpa as he jumps and screams at the television without spilling a single drop of his late-afternoon beer. For months in advance, we count down the days until Thanksgiving break when we can have a few days of serenity. Until Mom wakes you up at 6 a.m. on the first day of break yelling at you to load up into the family van all the food she spent hours preparing. Suddenly your peaceful alone time has been transformed into family hell with 30 of your youngest cousins running around like chickens with their heads cut off telling you about how they found a hair in Aunt Marge’s green bean casserole. Still, every year, when Thanksgiving rolls around, we get caught up in the hubbub of holiday spirit. We choke down Grandma’s fruitcake, get three hours of
Sharing some family love. Derek Fox, Dustin Fox, Creigton Fox, Josh Fox, and their cousin Mr. Matt Ohnemus, history teacher, show how loving families can have fun on Thanksgiving. Photo by Katie Dorpinghaus. sleep, fight for the last Wii at Target and put up with annoying relatives. In the end, no matter how dysfunctional
our families are, we’re still a tiny bit thankful they are with us to celebrate. Until Christmas break.
ON CAMPUS
11 Seniors have tough decisions ahead The Purple Onion November 28, 2009 Vol. 23, No. 2
Renee Christiansen Staff Writer Each year the class of seniors must decide what they will pursue in their next years of life. Many seniors have already made the decision to go on to higher learning at some form of college. But deciding where to go and actually applying are very tedious tasks. The college application process starts long before a student’s senior year. Many students have been thinking about where they want to attend since they were little kids. “I’ve always planned on going to Iowa State,” said senior Kristen Dierickx. “I hope I get accepted because I don’t know where else I am going to apply.” Even if a students are unsure about which college they want to go to, most take the ACTs sometime in their high school years. And many students go on college visits to see which campus would be the “best fit” for them. At the beginning of senior year, most students begin deciding where they want to apply. There are many factors to consider when choosing a college. It is important
to consider your major, interests, distance from home, cost, sports, and other extracurricular activities. Both Carrrie Demmon and Easten Lovelace chose Iowa State because of its superior engineering program. “There are good options for my major if I would change my mind on what I wanted to do,” said Lovelace. “And my mentor goes there so he has helped me choose.” Once a student has decided which schools to apply to, then it is simply a matter of filling out the application and sending in your information. Well, it sounds simple. Most applications take some thought to make sure they are filled out correctly, and all of them take time. Applying to many colleges is a good idea if a student is unsure where he or she wants to go, but application fees can get expensive. “I apply to all the schools that offer free applications,” said Lovelace. “ I have nothing to lose.” There are other problems that students run into when applying to the colleges of their dreams. “There were some problems with transferring our dual credit courses,” Carrie Demmon said. Students hope that the hard work they put into their college courses in high school can be transferred to the school they choose.
A click away. Zach Rowland fills out an online college application. College applications have become easier through online forms. Photo by Renee Christiansen.
Bookin’ it to state Melanie Saunders
and places pushing them to work harder. “As soon as Matt (Volkens) got on varsity, I started to pick it up,” Jordan Murray said. “I didn’t want to be the only sophomore not on varsity.” A little luck, the right mix of runners, and most of all, a lot of hard work and motivation went into the triumph of the team, and earned them a coveted spot in the state meet for the third year in a row. Only three teams out of the district advanced to state, and the Sabers blew everyone out of the water earning a team score of 53 points, while second place, Marion, earned 79 points. The Saber boys also came out of districts with all five of its scored runners placing in the top 20, an incredible feat. Two runners finished the race in the top 10: Nolan Knudson finished second with
a time of 18:35, and Ryan Hamby placed fifth with a time of 18:45. At state, the team had five returning members with state experience, but it was a whole new ordeal for two of them. “The worst part of state was the anticipation before the race, like hearing how competitive it is,” Volkens said. But nerves didn’t play a part in the race results, because for the first time since the 2001 state champion team, the boys came out with a top ten finish, finishing 5th out of 15 teams in the 3A race. All seven of the runners ran their best race of the season, and some, like Ben Niemann, cut as much as two minutes off their district race time. “They did as well as I expected,” Coach Jim Hetrick said. “I didn’t see all the runners come in at the finish, so it was a nice surprise when results were posted.”
Lending a hand Chris Carber Guest Columnist
If you can take a step back and think, do it right now and remember a time. Not just Movie Review Editor any time, but one that should stay forever locked in our hearts with wonder and inConference champs. District champs. trigue: the first Thanksgiving. Fifth at state. Not bad for a cross country Who cares about that, you might ask. team that lost Frank Futselaar, district The truth, though, is that the first Thankschamp and foreign exchange student of giving did more than bring relatives tolast years’ team, and went without their gether. It brought more than just pies and top senior, Nolan Knudson, for part of the stuffing that no one really knew was food. season. So you may be wondering what Thanksgiving, more than now, for our pilmade this season so successful. grims was a matter of life or death. Liter“I made it my goal to run varsity this ally, without those weird looking cranberseason,” sophomore and first-time varsity ries, the first to stand and think of America member Matt Volkens said. “I tried to run as a new life and frontier would have lost up front with the varsity during practice to the long winter ahead. and give it my all.” What the pilgrims went through, and the They were always pushing each other to events that took place, aren’t an everyday a higher level with the goal of better times occurrence. Pastor Curt Girod of DeWitt’s own Cornerstone Church understands this. He might not be able to take the place the Native Americans did for the pilgrims for the community, but he is willing to try. “Sometimes prayer needs a push from a guiding hand,” says Pastor Curt when I asked him why he tries for DeWitt’s proud people, “and time comes when I’m certainly willing to be that hand.” November church activities include the locally organized Royal Rangers group. Thanksgiving dinner, sermon, and donations to supporting missionaries. Big deal, one could say. They’d be absolutely right to say it. Some of us wouldn’t lift a finger to help another, even as far as opening the door for a stranger. Pastor Curt never pointed this out, but I honestly wondered if Pace to the finish. With a nice, steady the thought had even crossed his mind. speed, Nolan Knudson keeps opponents “I was never told to help out,” Pastor in view as he nears the three-mile mark. Show off the banner. Proudly displaying their brand new state qualifier flag, Nick Knudson was the first Saber to finish at Jewell, Ryan Hamby, Matt Zimmer, Ben Niemann, Matt Volkens, Jordan Murray Curt added. “I was never given a list of districts, bringing home a second place. and Nolan Knudson are all smiles as they officially become district champions. The things needing to be done. I knew I could, and I knew I wanted to.” team ended up fifth at state. Photo by Wes Demmon. Photo by Wes Demmon.
12 SPORTS These cats aren’t afraid of the water
The Purple Onion November 28, 2009 Vol. 23, No. 2
Four swimmers brave water to compete for Clinton River Kings
pool in DeWitt is barely big enough to fit an afternoon class of adults, Central has four competitive swimmers. Every day at 2:30 p.m., the four get out of class and drive 20 minutes to Clinton High School. Cory Cypher is swimming his second year, but Ben Niemann, Garrett Delaney and Matt Zimmer are starting their firstBryan Connell ever season. Sports Editor “This is the hardest thing ever,” Zimmer said. “Wrestling is nothing compared to what we do.” Everywhere pools are being drained and All the swimmers agree on the diffiswimsuits put away. To most, the cold air culty of swimming. To start practice, they has pushed away any thoughts of an after- must swim a 1000-yard warm-up. For an noon swim. For high school swimmers all average day, they must do a 10,000-yard over the state, however, swimming has just workout. begun. “Even coaches agree that this is the Although the only indoor swimming hardest sport,” Cypher said. Clinton High School’s track coach, cross country coach and swim coach, Albert Hayton, told the swimmers that running is nothing compared to swimming. Practice is so hard; Niemann hopes he doesn’t drown during one. Luckily for Niemann, Delaney is a lifeguard. With the season starting soon, all the swimmers are excited to get going. Cypher is especially ready to get back in the water. After starting last season on the JV squad, he swam his way to the top. By season’s end he was either starting or anchoring his Strong ’til the end. Cory Cypher reaches relays. “I can’t wait,” Cypher said. “I think we out for the wall while finishing his race. He is one of Central’s swimmers partici- have a chance for state this year.” Cypher has his goals in sight, but for the pating for Clinton High School this winthree new swimmers, everything is new. ter. Photo by Nate Cypher.
Cannon ball. Clinton swimmers stand and watch fellow teammates finish races Friday, Nov. 20, during meet-the-team night. Four members of the team are swimmers from Central. Photo by Nate Cypher. “I don’t know what I am going to do this year,” Zimmer said. “I plan on swimming freestyle.” Niemann and Delaney are also unsure where they will end up. Another new experience for the swimmers is swimming for another school. For the most part, everyone is fine with the
Central swimmers. “They are cool and funny,” Zimmer said. “But some of them are really cocky.” For the four, nothing is really different in swimming for another school. However when they look down, they see red and black, not purple and gold.
Central bowlers are ready to roll out Central adds bowling team to abundant list of winter sports Nichole Haack On Campus Editor When it comes to sports at Central High School, thoughts go straight to football, volleyball, basketball, track and cross country. Central has begun to expand its horizons in the last few years with a soccer team, swimming and now school bowling. Starting this year, there will be a boys’ and girls’ bowling team, something students at CHS have been trying to get for years. Many kids who already bowl have been waiting for an opportunity like this. “I am planning on going out for school bowling because I like to bowl, and I am already in a league,” Cassie Frahm said, “It’s also a good way to make new friends and improve your skills.” Austin Daniels also plans on going out for bowling. “I’m going out because it’s a sport that I enjoy, and it’s my senior year. I’m very excited for the season to start,” he said. “Bowling is a good opportunity to earn scholarships, and it’s something new to try,” Frahm added. Lucas Blondell is also planning on attending signups.
Strrrrrrike! Allen Mumm winds up to throw the ball down the lane at the DeWitt Lanes where the participants tried out and will practice. Many students who joined the bowling team are already on a team at the lanes in DeWitt, but the school sponsored team adds new opportunities for them. Photo by Nichole Haack. “I think you should go out for school bowling even if you haven’t bowled before,” Blondell said. “It’s a more relaxing and stress-free sport, and it’s still competitive, but not on the same level as contact sports.”
Allen Mumm, a freshman at Central, agrees with Blondell. “Bowling is a really fun and intense sport at the same time,” said Mumm. “If you haven’t bowled before, you might as well give it a try. You might be really good at it.
Sign ups were held Friday, Nov. 13, at DeWitt Lanes. Among other students signing up for bowling were Caleb Beer, Matt Walker, Derek Fox, Sam Biggart, Chelsie Macumber, Preston Frick, Lucas Perdieu.