Page 12
THE CASTING CALL
Staffer of the Month
INDEX NEWS ENTERTAINMENT FEATURES OPINIONS SPORTS
03 08 15 18 21
Mallory Macgargle Dearest Mallory, We have to admit that you really surprised us this month with your mad design skills. You dove into Adobe Indesign with the right attitude, and you produced something rather spectacular. Thank you for being patient with us. Thank you for your persistence. Thank you for pulling your weight. This paper would not be possible without you. -Jeanna & Sam
is now on Cover art by Samantha Edwards
STAFF editors in chief produc tion manager business manager circulation manager copy editor opinions editor photography editor staff writers
jeannaCAMPBELL samanthaEDWARDS kaylaGROFF malloryMACGARGLE kristenPOLINSKI anniePARHAM samanthaEDWARDS vanessaLINDOWER joshBUTLER morganEDWARDS margoGOODALE rileyMCCULLOUGH emmaMCWILLIAMS britniSLONE
advi ser 02 01
The Stinger
shannonJAINDL
get connected.
The purpose of the Stinger is to inform the student body of Irmo High School about events aecting them, influence readers through responsible editorials, to entertain through features and to provide a medium for advertisers and consumers. These goals will be achieved through fair and accurate reporting. The Stinger is published eight times a year, including a prom supplement published in February and March and a senior supplement, to commemorate the graduating class, in May, by Journalism II-IV newspaper students at Irmo High School. Unbylined editorials reflect the view of a majority of the Stinger senior editorial board. All bylined editorials, cartoons, and personal columns reflect the opinion of the writer or artist. The Stinger encourages letters to the editor as they constitute a constructive avenue for opinion. Letters to the editor must be signed by the writer to be considered for publication. Letters may be brought to the Stinger room (room 149) or sent by e-mail.
Irmo High School 6671 St. Andrews Rd. Cola, SC 29212 (803) 476-3071
T h e authenticity of the writer will be verified before publication and letters may be edited for poor taste, libel, grammar, space, and style. Special requests to withhold a name may be submitted if the topic is sensitive enough to warrant anonymity. For advertising information or to request a subscription, please call (803) 476-3071. School District 5 of Lexington and Richland Counties does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, creed, religion, sex, age, disability, or handicap in admission to, or access to, or treatment or employment in its programs or activities. Inquires should be directed to the Chief OďŹƒcer of Human Resource Services (Title IX Coordinator) and the Director of Special Services (504/ ADACoordinator) at P.O. Box 938, Ballentine, SC 29002, (803) 476-8110 www.lex5.k12.sc.us
Juniors take AP Physics rileyMCCULLOUGH staff writer AP Physics is usually only a senior year course, but that has changed for next year. Now juniors are able to sign up for AP Physics without having to take Honors Physics first. This change occurred because of the success that another school has had with this switch. “Before, it used to be you would take Honors Physics your junior year then AP physics your senior year,” Clayton Smith, AP Physics teacher, said. “[If ] Dutch Fork High School has had some success with offering this course without Honors Physics as a prerequisite, we definitely can, too, because we have better, bright and handsomer kids at Irmo High School.” The appeal that this class has for students is that instead of having it as a AP double-blocked class, it is a single-blocked class. “[AP Physics] is singleblocked,” Smith said. “Where most AP courses have a lab or a seminar or are just plain doubleblocked. Your schedule your junior year will be packed with these and perhaps AP Physics would fit.” This causes the class to become a great deal faster. “We will be going at a breakneck speed—very, very fast,” Smith said. “No one in their right mind would run it that way, but that is the way we decided to do it.” Smith says that students must have a good work ethic to be successful in AP Physics, and it would be easier to have this work ethic your junior year. There are some
disadvantages to taking AP Physics your junior year, though. “As far as taking AP Physics your junior year versus your senior year, I feel that you may be better prepared mathematically as a senior,” Smith said. “This is open for debate, but the course is very mathematical and having the proper tools leads to success in any endeavor.” He also says that with taking AP Physics there are some disadvantages no matter what grade you are in. “The AP Physics that is currently offered does not apply to engineering or science majors in some colleges,” Smith said. “It would definitely help students interested in these fields, or any other major, but at your better colleges, it does not count.” It doesn’t matter what grade a student is in, AP Physics is a course that will help prepare a student for a job in the science field.
n
Projections off, jobs cut district wide Economic downturn results in budget cuts in education ameliaMAU
freelance repor ter Irmo High School has been targeted to lose 28 teachers as Lexington-Richland District Five anticipates a district-wide total reduction of 100 teachers for the 2009-2010 school year. School District Five recently announced that it must reduce its budget for the 20092010 school year by $8.5 million due to lower anticipated tax revenues. As 85 percent of the district’s budget is tied up in personnel costs, the district is eyeing teacher layoffs as a means to cut $5.2 million of that total. The District Five School Board has yet to decide where it will cut the remaining $3.3 million. Every year, District Five makes enrollment projections to predict the number of students who will be attending schools across the district. Based on those numbers, the district hires teachers to maintain an average student-to-teacher ratio of 19:1. This year, the district employs more than 1,300 teachers. “In the last two years, student projections have come in low,” said Buddy Price, director of community services for LexingtonRichland District Five. “[Now] we have identified about 100 positions district wide that need to be reduced.” Although nothing is final yet, school principals across the district have been asked to make plans to lay off a total of 100 teachers. Price said it is expected that roughly 50 teachers will leave the district at the end of the year due to natural attrition. The district office has asked Irmo High School Principal Eddie Walker to plan to lay off an unprecedented 28 teachers from his school alone. “This is a tough experience for me,” Walker said. “This is my thirtieth year in education, my twentieth as an administrator. This is the first time I’ve had to reduce staff because of budget cuts.” There has been considerable discussion about the disproportionate number of teachers targeted to be cut from Irmo High School compared to other schools across the district.
News Ticker -Richland County Sheriff department could not find enough evidence to charge Michael Phelps for using Marijuana.
04
The Stinger
“I may not like or even know all the teachers, but [cutting] 26 teachers is an incredible thing to do. Science classes are already too big to fit into the labs,” said Jason Spillers, sophomore. So far, only two teachers from Irmo High School have indicated that they will voluntarily leave the school at the end of the year. Walker will make his decisions concerning the other 26 teachers to let go based on obligating contracts and the unique services and certifications that individual teachers provide for the school “All of the elementary schools and both of the other high schools are getting more money that us with the bond referendum,” said Frederick Moore, senior. “Cutting funding as well as more teachers will most certainly make our high school fall into mediocrity.” . Teachers in District Five have one of four different contracts with the school. Most teachers have a continuing contract, meaning that they have been teaching within the district for at least two years. These teachers have tenure, and by law they cannot be fired without cause. Other types of contracts include induction contracts for first-year teachers, annual contracts for second-year teachers, and letters of agreement for retirees. Teachers bound by those contracts do not have a legal right to tenure. At Irmo, only 36 teachers are not on continuing contracts. It is from those 36 that Walker must develop his list of possible layoffs. “My first consideration has to be the educational services we provide the kids,” Walker said. “We’ve got to provide the courses that kids need to graduate.” Price said that in making these decisions, the district takes into consideration keeping certain teachers whose positions are generally the hardest to fill. These include teachers for students with special needs as well as teachers who teach calculus, physics and other higher-level subjects. Although this sudden wave of expected layoffs is spurred by the sinking economy, Price said that the district had been planning to reduce the number of teachers any way
-In Cape Haze, Florida a 23-year-old man robbed a gas station, but was arrested after running out of gas.
because there is an unnecessary surplus of staff across the district. “The staffing reductions that are being made because of this shortfall would have been made regardless of the revenue reduction,” Price said. “[Under other economic circumstances] we might would have the luxury to do it in stages. The reason we’re doing it now is because of the budget.” Irmo High School offers several programs that are not offered anywhere else in the district, including certain special education programs, International Baccalaureate, carpentry, cosmetology and auto body. Only specially trained teachers can teach these courses, a significant number of them on contracts other than continuing contracts. According to some students, losing these teachers would be losing some of the school’s greatest assets. “I think the losses are going to outweigh the [monetary] gain on this issue,” said Juanita Hazel, junior. “The retirees are usually the most experienced and have made a solid foundation for many students and alumni.” Price said the district is open to budget cut suggestions from the community. Aside from teacher layoffs, the district plans to reduce the salaries of other personnel, starting with employees at the top. Another option is to use teacher furloughs, which would require teachers to have a contract of 185 work days, rather than the 190 work days that the current legislative mandates require. However, teacher furloughs and other innovative options being discussed statewide would first have to meet legislative approval under a flexibility bill currently under consideration. Among other things, the bill currently under consideration would allow for teachers to go unpaid for five days during the school year, a measure that could reduce the number of layoffs needed to balance the budget. It would also extend the deadline for renewing contracts from April 15 to May 15. As of February 18, 2009, A House subcommittee had agreed to send the legislation to the full Ways and Means Committee for consideration.*
Story last updated Feb. 20, 2009
-An infant boy got married to a neighbors dog in Bhubaneswar, India because the tribes people said it would ward off tiger attacks.
n
Limits on teacher/student conduct malloryMACGARGLE business manager
e Get to know me
e
District Policies Regarding Staff Conduct with Students
• • • •
•
The exchange in gifts between staff members and students is discouraged. Staff members will not send students on personal errands or ask or permit students to perform personal tasks. Dating between staff members and students is prohibited and will result in dismissal. Staff members will use caution and good judgement in posting personal information that may be accessible to students on social networking websites. Staff members will not sign students out of class except for school-related reasons.
Some people wonder when to draw the line between teacher and student relationships and what is appropriate inside and outside of school. Social networking websites like Facebook are used by both teachers and students, but there has been debate on whether it is appropriate for teachers and students to be “friends” on these websites. Gene Williams, English teacher, says he has a facebook page. Williams has one to keep in contact with old friends but not students. “It would be nice to have two separate ones,” Williams said. “One for students and one for my friends and family.” Some rules regarding contact between teachers and students that are being enforced are things like, teachers cannot transport students in their personal vehicles without permission, no dating or physical contact between teachers and students and teachers can not have electronic contact with students unless it is for school-related. These rules are ment to be established as a basic structure for discipline and to ensure as an equal educational program.
Eddie Walker, principal, believes the “golden rule” is the key. “I try to treat every student the way I would want my children to be treated,” Walker said. “I try to treat every staff member the way I would want to be treated.” As mentioned in the school district policies, teachers and students having contact with each other about certain things nonrelated to school is unacceptable. “When the student has a question concerning an academic matter in that teacher’s class then it would be alright.” Walker said. Shelby Cook, junior, believes that as long as teacher and student do not cross the line, then there is no problem. “I think it is completely harmless,” Cook said. “Teachers could also be a neighbor or family friend that you normally talk to every now and then.” Even though students have their friends and parents to sometimes to confide in, some students might consider their teachers to be someone to confide in. “You do not really want friendships between teachers and students, but I think that teachers are sort of like mentors and guides for their students,” Williams said. “Students should be comfortable to talk to their teachers.”
Ask Mr. Walker
?
Why can’t we turn in canned goods for extra credit any more?
We really appreciate students helping people who need help. Please don’t stop bringing canned goods for our food pantry. We have people who need the food. However students should not be given academic credit in any course with the possible exception of community service ser-
vice for bringing canned goods to school. Grades should reflect what you have learned in a course. That should be the purpose of grading. Bringing canned goods to school does not reflect what you have learned in math, science, social studies, English, etc. February 2009
05
n
Teacher anniePARHAM
copy editor
Nancy Brock, Global Studies II Honors teacher, was named Irmo High School’s Teacher of the Year for the 2009-2010 school year. The Irmo staff selects nominees for Teacher of the Year. Then, staff members take a vote that determines the winner. Brock says she was completely surprised that she won. She didn’t even vote for herself. She says she never thought she was Teacher of the Year material. “I knew I was nominated, but I’ve been nominated before,” Brock said. “I paid absolutely no attention. I didn’t even tell my husband I was nominated. It was not even on my radar screen that it would be a possibility.” Brock has been teaching for a total of 39 years. She taught for a year in Massachusetts, 15 years in New Hampshire and has spent the last 23 years teaching at Irmo High School. Brock says she has stayed at Irmo so long because she likes the atmosphere. Over the years, Brock says nothing has really changed except for her students.
2004-2005
06
The Stinger
“[Students today] have shorter attention spans,” Brock said. “Some movies that I show that kids used to love, they’re now bored by. It’s the times.” She has taught many social studies classes. These courses include Global Studies, US History, Sociology, Current Issues, Government and Civics, but she says the class she has enjoyed teaching the most is Global Studies. “I just love world history,” Brock said. “I love art and all of the characters that you bump into. I love philosophy. Everything in life, basically, is in world history—everything, because it’s the history of everything.” Brock says she started teaching to begin with because she wanted her summers off. “I didn’t realize that I was going to really love it,” Brock said. “I just fell into it because it seemed like a good idea, and then I liked it.” Brock says her favorite thing about teaching is that “kids are funny.” She says
2005-2006
they are more relaxed, have good senses of humor, and she knows that they will go on to do great things. One of the students she taught in New Hampshire went on to become a congressman. Her least favorite thing about teaching is all of the paperwork that’s involved. Her proudest moment as a teacher happened last year with a student whom she taught several years ago. “I had a student who was a challenge,” Brock said. “He was tough. His mother and I were on a first-name basis. He went on his honeymoon to Rome and sent me all of these pictures … He remembered all of the art lessons about Michelangelo and all of that. He sent me all of these pictures and told me how he taught his new wife all of this stuff. I thought ‘wow,’ because I didn’t think I made any impression on him.” As for her approach to teaching, Brock says she wants to make sure that students
2006-2007
2007-2008
r Year 2009-2010
n
of the
are not just memorizing the content. “I want everybody to understand and not memorize,” Brock said. “I try to make it a story they can identify with and retain without memorizing.” Brock says one of the most important qualities of a good teacher is to work harder than their students. She offered some advice to teachers who are just beginning their careers. “In the first few years, learn your content,” Brock said. “Work hard and expect the students to, and they will.” Since being named Teacher of the Year, Brock has received a lot of attention, including students gathering outside her classroom to clap. “That was the best part of [receiving this award],” Brock said. “The fact that the students seem to like the idea is the best part of it.”
2009-2010
2008-2009
February 2009
07
Winter Jam tour conquers Columbia vanessaLINDOWER photography editor Winter Jam, founded by the band Newsong, is a concert showcasing, this year, six Christian artists. This year, Winter Jam was on Friday February 20th. I was lucky to attend. After first hearing radio ads about the concert, my intern youth leader, Christy Lester, announced that she was taking our youth group to the concert. I promptly told her that I would be attending. Lester says she was excited to be able to go to Winter Jam. “I used to go when I was younger, but I haven’t been in awhile,” Lester said. On the day of the concert, everyone from my church attending the concert carpooled downtown to the Colonial Life Arena. When we got there, people were lined up outside the doors. After about 10 minutes of waiting in the wind outside, we passed through the doors and entered the heated inside. Soon enough we were admitted through to the concert. The arena was separated into 3 sections from top to bottom— the floor seats, the middle seats and the top seats (also known as the nosebleeds). We found seats on the top row of the middle section. My group was fortunate; the other groups from my church were positioned in the nosebleeds. The pre show was held by pureNRG. They were enthusiastically performing despite the audience frantically trying to find seats. At 7 p.m. Steve and Amy from Christian radio station 89.7 WMHK, who had been advertising Winter Jam, walked on. They welcomed everyone graciously and introduced the first artist, Francesca Battistelli. Battistelli gracefully held 08
The Stinger
the audience’s attention, and, as quickly as she entered, she exited. Newsong then energized the audience. This year, Newsong hosted the concert and surprised me by only performing a few songs. They chose a different and refreshing style-by displaying the lyrics to their songs on big screens and encouraging the audience to sing along. Even when Matt Butler, the vocalist, was singing, the audience was still heard. Brittnee Hill, sophomore, enjoyed Newsong’s performance style. “It was awesome to hear everyone sing along in the crowd,” Hill said. After Newsong’s short run, one of the tour pastors took over. He asked everyone to commit to praying for all of America’s brave. He then led a prayer asking for the safety and well-being of our troops. He left the audience in thought and silence. Hawk Nelson quickly changed that. The band came running onto the stage and, by watching the reaction of the crowd, they were definitely a crowd favorite. The change in tones was almost tangible, everyone immediately stood up and began cheering. At this time, everyone had finally entered the arena and I had just realized the enormity of the crowd. Looking around, I didn’t see one empty seat. The stadium was full from the floor seats to the nosebleeds. I was amazed. “I didn’t expect to see that many people there, it was crazy,” Lester said. After Hawk Nelson left the crowd animated and alert, Tony Nolan walked on. Nolan is a minister and began telling a story about his heart attack, adding a little comedy as he went along. He captured the audience’s at-
tention and had them hanging on every last word. With the appropriate pauses and voice inflections, Nolan talked about being spiritually prepared for death. When he was finished, the audience erupted into applause and cheers. During the 15 minute intermission, most of the crowd flooded into the concession area. I wasn’t willing to get caught in the traffic and confusion and remained in my seat until the concert started back up. As the audience started filing in, Brandon Heath entered the stage. Heath’s songs were very well known among the crowd and inevitably the audience joined in. I couldn’t help but be moved by the masses of people singing along and waving their arms. All of them moved together; I couldn’t see people’s faces, just their hands swaying in unison with the person’s beside them. Heath left the united audience just as Stephanie Smith entered. While she sang her song, an offering was being collected from the audience. White buck-
Vanessa Lindower
ets were being passed across the rows, at the end of the row,they were almost overflowing. She then left and opened up the stage for Toby Mac. Just as the audience began chanting his name, Mac appeared on stage with a group called the Diverse City Band. As if on cue, the whole audience stood-the whole audience. Mac and the Diverse City Band perfected the art of choreographed freestyle. Complete with trampolines, flips, jumps, and crowd surfing, Mac knew how to captivate his audience. “Toby Mac really had so much energy, he was all over the stage and got the crowd into it,” Lester said. Winter Jam Tour Spectacular 2009 was a hit. A total of 2,000 people dedicated their lives to Christ that night. Many people felt inspired leaving the concert, “I felt renewed and encouraged by seeing all the Christians together there worshipping and praising God,” Hill said. Winter Jam definitely served its purpose in Columbia.
When it comes to TV, the ‘90s never left morganEDWARDS
staff writer
PHINEAS AND FERB
KENAN & KEL
SABRINA THE TEENAGE WITCH
DEXTER’S LABORATORY
iCARLY
GREY’S ANATOMY
E.R.
because he was so dumb but deep in a strange way, and he reminded me of me at that age,” Hutchins said. But television hasn’t really changed that much. Sure, the names and characters may have changed, but the main plot tends to be the same for most shows. Take, for example, “Dexter’s Laboratory.” Kids used to love watching Dexter build a robot or fight with Dee Dee. Today’s youth get the same joy from a show called “Phineas and Ferb,” where two stepbrothers decide to spend their summer vacation doing crazy and fantastic things, much to the dismay of their sister, Candace. The same thing goes for shows like “All That” and “Kenan & Kel.” These days, “iCarly” takes the place of those. The kids put on skits that aren’t really all that funny, but you laugh anyway. Shows like “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” were so wildly popular that it’s only natural it would inspire shows like Disney’s “Wizards of Waverly Place.” Both have the magic factor in them, where kids learn everything from spells to potions while keeping their true identities a secret. High schoolers don’t tend to watch cartoons anymore, but some of our favorite shows got their inspiration from the ‘90s. Grey’s Anatomy, for example, is incredibly similar to ER but gives the plot a fresh spin. In the end, teens may miss the ‘90s, but they have never really left. Turn on any station and you’re likely to take a step back in time if you are paying attention. graphic by Morgan Edwards
WIZARDS OF WAVERLY PLACE
The days of “Rocket Power” and “Ren and Stimpy” are over, but the memory remains. Some of our most valued lessons were learned from those shows, and our minds were being shaped at the young age when we spent most of our time in front of the TV. According to the ratings, the most popular Nickelodeon show of the time was “Rugrats,” outlasting several other shows of the ‘90s and bringing in tons of revenue. Ra’na Heidari, junior, says it was her favorite show. “My TV idols were Phil and Lil from ‘Rugrats,’” Heridari said. H e i d a r i also remembers Saturday morning cartoons fondly. “I watched probably five or six hours of TV a week,” Heidari said. “Half an hour each day for ‘Rugrats’ and then Saturday morning cartoons and maybe a movie on the weekend.” These days, however, television does not seem to do it for Heidari. “Really now, I turn on Cartoon Network and lots of their stuff isn’t even appealing to look at, let alone funny,” Heidari said. R o b e r t Hutchins, junior, had a long list of his favorite shows from his childhood. “My favorite shows growing up were ‘Too Little Too Late’, ‘Full House,’ the original ‘StarTrek,’ ‘Lizzie McGuire,’ ‘Saved by the Bell,’ ‘Zoids,’ and ‘Ed, Edd, n Eddy,’” Hutchins said. Hutchins even said his TV idol was Ed, from “Ed, Edd, n Eddy.” drawing by Riley McCullough “[I liked him]
E
February 2009
09
E
Irmo Theatre Company’s next big production
School production of “Charley’s Aunt” premiers this March britniSLONE
after school. “I think some people assume that drama is just for fun,” Martha The Irmo Theatre Company has been working hard this year to Suber, drama teacher, said. “If that was all it was, it wouldn’t be put on several productions. So far this school year they have put worth all the time people are willing to give it. It’s not just about the we do and that’s fun, but we do on two successful plays. Currently, they are working on their third, entertaining, although s o much more than that.” “Charley’s Aunt.” Anyone can join the drama “The play is set in 1895 in England,” Kayla McLauchlin, club, but Suber says she thinks senior, said. “The play revolves around best there are certain qualities that friends Jack and Charley, who students should have. have one day to propose t n u A “The student would need s to their sweethearts. They y e l to be well-rounded, interested in Char 6, 7 7:30 p.m. invite the girls over to their everything and everybody,” dorm room and plan to have March 5, 3 p.m. Suber said. “I think they Charley’s Aunt to come over March 8 a should join because the and chaperone them, but when m o skills you get in drama help Okl23a, 2h the gentlemen receive word 7:30 p.m. 4 April you with your whole life— that she won’t arrive, they start to p.m. 3 with every job and every April 26 panic. The boys come up with a relationship.” plan to dress their friend up as Opening night for Charley’s Aunt so the girls could “Charley’s Aunt” will be March 5 at 7:30 p.m. come over.” in the drama room. McLauchlin is the assistant Zachary Woods, junior, is playing Charley, one of the lead roles director for this play. Producing a play may not seem like much work, but the of the play. “I hope everyone gets a good laugh out of this play and also an students spend about an hour and a half after school every day. Once it becomes closer to opening night, they spend about three hours appreciation of the Arts.” Woods said.
staff writer
$5
Keep Your Ears Open For... Jarvis Shaffer
10
The Stinger
Growing up listening to gospel music, Jarvis Shaffer was inspired to pursue his own musical career. Originally, he planned to be a major basketball star, but music had a stronger calling to him. Signed to So So Def back in 2004, Shaffer released his first single, “Radio,” an amazing song with smooth, mellow lyrics. However, it didn’t receive as much success as hoped, and Shaffer was released from his contact. Four years later, Shaffer returned with a brand new look, new music and a new record deal with Disturbing the Peace. His second single, “Pretty Girl,” was released in summer of 2008. Just
$5
like his first single, “Pretty Girl” didn’t receive much airplay. In his music catalog, Shaffer has some amazing songs. His variety of music ranges from radio singles to underground music. From the smooth “Dream Girl,” written about how he can’t sleep at night because his dream girl appears to steal his heart, to the hard-hitting “I’m a Good Look,” where he lets all the females know that he’s a good man, Staffer is very versatile. Even though he hasn’t released his first album yet, Staffer is sure to continue to be an amazing music artist, hit records or not.
week 1
E
“Everything is Fine” by Ann Dee Ellen book “Watchman” movie week 2 “Not Without a Fight” by New Found Glory music “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” dvd week 3 “All I Ever Wanted” by Kelly Clarkson music “Knowing” movie
week 4
“Twilight” dvd “Monsters vs. Aliens” movie
week 5
“Something, Maybe” by Elizabeth Scott book “Back on my B.S.” by Busta Rhyme music
compiled by Riley McCullough
The Breakdown march The Breakdown is a week-by-week glance at the books, music and dvds that will be released in the upcoming month.
February 2009
11
E
MTV’s two time Emmy award winning series “MADE” is all about making dreams come true. We want to demonstrate that with hard work (and a little help from MTV) any goal is attainable. There are numerous kids out there with unlimited potential. However, in their eyes, intimidating obstacles exist that keep them from pursuing their dreams. Perhaps they’re painfully shy or fall short on self-confidence. Maybe they don’t think they’re cool enough or lack the right look. Perhaps they’ve been told that they lack the skills’ and then there’s plain old fear. We seek out the kids who are eager to overcome those obstacles! These kids want to be MADE.
Once MTV finds our “subjects,” we allow for at least one month of intensive training towards achieving their goals. This includes providing a mentor or life coach who will support them and plot out personalized training schedules. Such training could consist of counseling on confidence or attitude, personal training sessions, or specialized lessons in whatever task they’re trying to achiever. Whether they succeed at their goal or not, we strive to give these kids a chance at a dream. Ideally, they learn valuable traits and lessons about themselves and others along the way. They ultimately realize that it takes hard work, persistence, and commitment to make one’s dreams come true.
For more information contact: Chadwick L. Pressley, M.Ed. Guidance Counselor Irmo High School Office# 803.476.3036 Fax# 803.476.3022 Cpressle@lex5.k12.sc.us
12
Compiled by Samantha Edwards
The Stinger
E
MADE is all about making dreams come true. We want to prove that with hard work, and a little help from MTV, you can achieve your goals.
We are looking for your specific, individual goal or aspiration that is attainable in the next five months! We are not looking for a vague goal, like “I want to be a star” or “I want to be like Fergie.”We are also not looking for VJs or people trying to be “famous.” Your goal should be something that you can attain with the help of our experts during the next five months. If your goal takes years and years of training, we can’t help you out this time, sorry! February 2009
13
E
Please share your story and dream with us! Answer the following questions the best that you can. (Remember...we are looking for something original and something that you are passionate about. We are also looking for someone who has taken the time to read all of the above...so take a moment before you write. You can answer with one sentence if you like.)
1) What is your goal? Describe why you want to accomplish this goal. (Have you ever tried to reach this goal before? What steps have you taken to reach this goal in the past, if any?) 2) How long do you think it will take to reach your goal?
3) If there are tryouts for this goal, when are they?
4) Why do you need MTV’s help? Why can’t you accomplish the goal on your own?
5) How do other people at your school view you? What clique or group do you belong in?
6) What are your other interests and hobbies?
7) How would achieving this goal change your life?
8) Do you have any friends at school that inspire you and your MADE goal? Do they share the same passion as you? Would they take a part in helping you achieve your dream?
14
The Stinger
Achieving success in single-gendered class kaylaGROFF produc tion manager Entering high school can be a scary experience for rising freshmen. To help, Irmo High School offers a required course for its newcomers called Freshman Success. Formerly known as Goals, Freshman Success is designed to help students entering ninth grade deal with tough situations they may encounter during their high school career. Up until two years ago, Goals was a mixed-gender class. Now the class is taught with boys and girls in separate classes. Ryan Hodge, Freshman Success teacher, teaches all boys. “Mr. Walker made the decision to have the Freshman Success classes single gender,” Hodge said. “The reason is because sex
♀ Girls are not as assertive with their learning if boys are in the room ♀ Comfortable asking questions in class ♀ Thrive in a relaxed environment ♀ Work alone or in pairs
education is taught in the class.” Before last year, sex education was not included in the curriculum of Freshman Success. However, students and teachers like the concept of having the single-gender classes. “I like being in an all guy class, yeah,” Chris Fanguy, freshman, said. Heather Hook, English and Freshman Success teacher, instructs the female classes for the program. She feels that gender separation should be done in all classes and that it would be more affective in students’ learning. “It allows teachers to gear the class for gender learning styles and differences and also allows the class to be more focused,” Hook said. “Single gender classes allow girls to be girls and guys to be guys without having to put on a mask or impress others. In other words, in our class, we can talk about things that girls are more likely to understand, and we don’t have to worry about impressing the boys or fear that they will make fun of us.” Hodge feels similar when it comes to teaching the single-gender classes in the program. “I think the separation was a great idea,” Hodge said. “The boys are more willing to be themselves. They seem to answer questions more honestly and pay attention more often.” Freshman Success is taught mainly by teachers involved in the English Department at Irmo. Though the program is singlegendered, students in the Sting Program at Irmo take Freshman Success with males and females in the class. “ With the Sting Program, anywhere from 75 to 100 students are chosen out of the incoming ninth grade students, and these are typically students who have either had difficulty in middle school with subject matter or relationships with teachers in the school,” Mark Lowell, Sting teacher, said. The students in the Sting program need special attention with their core classes and, because of this, their English classes are combined with their Freshman Success classes in order to gain better understanding of how to be successful in high school and in life. Whether students are in the singlegender classes or the Sting program,
Freshman Success helps them to not only succeed, but also to plan and decide what they would like to do in their futures. “It helps you, like, plan what kind of career you want to pursue,” Jaime Sailer, freshman, said. Some of the Freshman Success classes have taken field trips to help them explore different types of careers and get a better understanding of them. “We did research in careers and watched advertisements to study them,” Sailer said. “We went to the hospital because we were studying what kind of careers we liked.” Being separated by gender does not turn students off to learning, but it is a change. If the students show that they learn better this way, perhaps more than just sex education classes will be separated this way in the future.
♂ Studies have shown that teachers wait longer for boys to answer than girls ♂ Do better in competitive environments ♂ Prefer to wait with asking questions to avoid looking less smart ♂ Enjoy time-oriented tasks
Photo Illustration by Emily Fanguy February 2009
15
F
Building the bot, one piece at a time priyaPUROHIT
staff writer
The District 5 Robotics team is working to build a robot that can complete a task assigned by the D5 Robotics committee. Students from Irmo High School on the team meet up a few times a week to plan, repair and put together their robot. Currently, it’s build season, and builders are working for more than 20 hours a week to get the robot to perfection. Stephen Orr, AP chemistry and physical science teacher at Irmo High School, is the lead mentor of D5 Robotics and helps schedule times for practices. This robot is being built in an unmarked warehouse on 4068 B Fernandina Road. Meyer Moore, father of a senior on the team, donated this area to work through his business, Burcham International. The team’s first competition is in four weeks. These are the regionals and will take place in Clemson, S.C. “There are about 16 regionals across the nation,” Ryan Brown, senior, said. “The winning three team alliances from each region go to nationals in Atlanta, Ga.” The task robots have to complete changes each year. This year the task is for the robot to pick up a ball nine inches in diameter and have it make it into a goal of the opposing alliance. As for the overall goal of D5 Robotics, it is the same as all the previous years. “We have the goal to give our students the opportunity to work alongside professionals in industry to learn skills that directly relate to the skills they are looking for including design, fabrication, computer coding, marketing, finance, team work and the buzz words of For Inspiration and Recognition
in Science and Technology (FIRST) Robotics: ‘gracious professionalism’,” Orr said. “While the rest of the district is busy in rivalry of sports and entertainment, we are trying to get our members to realize that collaboration and relationships coupled with hard work and innovation can create an environment where you can build very advanced technology and do good work for your community.” Builders, as well as the lead mentor, say building the robot and seeing it improve each day is rewarding. However, it is crucial that one realizes there will be obstacles in the process. “It’s not so much that it is stressful, it is just very challenging, and it takes a lot of work and effort,” Brown said. “When you have six weeks to build a functioning robot, you generally spend 20 or so hours a week working on it.” Orr gives a piece of advice for not only working for robotics, but also for life in general. “In robotics, like in many other situations, you have to learn to deal with challenges as they arise,” Orr said. “You can plan and prepare, but inevitably you will always encounter barriers which have to be dealt with. If you understand that, and work knowing they can happen, then you’ll be more likely to make deadlines and produce the best product possible.” There isn’t anything more important to the team this year than unity. The robot has a new symbol on it, a yin-yang. “We had a lot of team strife last year and this year’s logo represents a new beginning,” Brown said. “We are kind of in rebuild mode.” Most likely, the name of the robot will
be either Yin or Yang. In the past, some names have been Bob, R5D5 (for robot five, district five), Ockham’s Raizor, Chomp and Atlas. Robotics isn’t for those who don’t like physical activity or those who mind getting their clothes and hands messed up. “Usually after a long day my hands are greasy and bloody. Overall it’s a very rewarding team that is a lot of fun,” Brown said. The parts for building the robot are generally provided by FIRST. Teams receive kits to work with. However, most of what they use to make the robot is custom-made for teams and shipped. One bonus to the robotics team is that there is a time in the year where students will get to miss two days of school to compete. The competition lasts from Thursday through Saturday one week. Most of the kids on the D5 Robotics team right now are juniors and seniors. This could be a problem in the future however. If freshmen and sophomores do not join the team, there will be no team left after the juniors and seniors graduate. They are always looking for new members who share an interest in robotics. There are about ten or twelve students from Irmo and Dutch Fork each, but there have been no students from Chapin to join robotics this year. “We need very competent coders, some dedicated mechanics, people good with wiring electrical components and loops and people who have a mind for engineering to design,” Brown said. If anyone is interested in joining D5 Robotics, just contact Mr. Orr about it and let him know. New members are welcomed by the current robotics team.
Courtesy of Savannah Savage
ABOVE: The three pictures are close ups of ther robot D5 Robotics has created. They have completed building the robot and will be taking this one to competitions in the future.
16
The Stinger
Teacher Cadets get valuable field experience Want to be a cadet? Whitney Wright, senior, plans on becoming a kindergarten, first grade or special education teacher. She is looking forward to the hands on experience. If you want to become a teacher, it helps you experience what it will be like,” Wright said. “Even if you don’t want to become a teacher you will still get college credit.” Other students who have changed their mind about teaching since the start of the
Once in their field experience, students will be at the will of the teacher they are working with. For example, that teacher can In mid-February, Irmo High ask the cadet to grade papers, School’s teacher cadets began tutor, assist with seatwork, and their field experience in nearby do one-on-one reading. elementary and middle schools. Both Rolfe and Wright are Since the teacher cadet program doing their field experience began in South Carolina 22 years at Nursery Road Elementary. ago by CERRA, over 42,000 Rolfe will most likely be helping students have participated in students with math. this honors level course and “The teacher I am going to have earned three hours of shadow is one of my old math college credit for free. teachers, so that should be pretty Much of first semester was fun,” Rolfe said. spent introducing W r i g h t students to courses will have the they will take in opportunity to college for an work with special education degree. education kids. “In most “I knew education courses that Nursery you’re going to Road had a big spend a semester special education in each,” Margaret program, and Butler, teacher cadet I wanted to instructor, said. experience that,” “The teacher cadet Wright said. program is giving a Laura Conger, little sampling of all senior, plans on the courses students becoming a first will take.” or second grade The first teacher. On her semester is also a Morgan Edwards first day of field time to prepare students for their Reading Time: Erin Thomas, senior, reads to third training, she was able to help first graders. teaching field graders at Nursery Road. Teacher Cadets spend a “I walked around experience. semester earning feild experience in nearby schools. the room to help “We’ve had lots the students with of activities and projects,” Andrew Rolfe, senior, course are waiting to see how their reading and writing skills,” said. “We’ve learned about the the field experience will impact Conger said. “They are learning to use more exciting words like different learning styles and them. “I had thought about ‘shout’ instead of ‘said.’” have had guest speakers come in becoming a teacher, but I Conger hopes that she will and talk to us.” Students also spent time changed my mind,” Travis get to know the children more visiting Irmo’s feeder schools Teague, senior, said. “The field and will continue to help them such as Irmo Elementary, and experience might change my with reading and writing. mind again.” “I hope to gain a lot of Irmo Middle. Butler believes that the knowledge about teaching Students participate in the course for many reasons. field experience can change a first grade and how to get Some have strong passions to student’s mind about teaching [the students] excited about become teachers. Others, like in both ways – they will either learning,” Conger said. Each teacher cadet takes Rolfe, do not plan on becoming love it or not. “It’s better to find out now the course for different reasons, elementary school teachers, but believe they will benefit from than to go through four years but they have one goal in of school and do your student common: they all hope to gain the experience. “Both of my parents are teaching and say ‘I hate this!’” valuable experiences in their professors so I thought it would Butler said. “But then some, field work that will help them be interesting to see what who didn’t want to teach before, in college, future careers and teaching would be like,” Rolfe loved it because they loved being even parenting. As Butler says, said. “The class also looked with the kids. They realized they will always be “consumers that’s what they want to do.” of education.” interesting.”
kristenPOLINSKI circulation manager
F
Requirements: • • •
Minimum 3.2 GPA Completed application Five teacher recommendations
Some Perks: • • •
•
Earn dual credit Scholarships Teacher Cadet Day (trip to Newberry College) Explore a career
Lesson Plans: •
•
•
•
Whitney Wright developed a lesson plan to help special ed students with the five senses. Andrew Rolfe created an edible solar system using candy to teach planet order. Travis Teague taught his class how to write a poem. Laura Conger used Dr. Seuss’s “Bartholomew and the Oobleck” to connect reading and math.
See Mrs. Butler in Rm. 117 or Ms. Casey in Rm. 255 for more information. February 2009
17
Don’t be fooled, you can’t buy happiness priyaPUROHIT staff writer
We always want what we can’t have. Everyone knows that, and yet nobody seems to want to change it. Currently, I’m suffering from something my friend and I refer to as “summer fever.” It’s cold and rainy (which I typically love), but I can’t stop wishing I could wear a T-shirt and a pair of Soffees and walk outside barefoot. Of course, I’m sure you can guess what I suffer from after it’s been about 90 degrees for a month straight (“winter fever”
in case you didn’t catch on). The weather is definitely not the only thing that I want to be able to change, and I know that I’m also not the only one. Sometimes it’s little things and sometimes it’s more important things – well, important to my teenage life. Although, I don’t need those things. A girl in my biology class was talking about how badly she “needed” a new phone. She really didn’t, she just didn’t like the one she had. On the other hand, I’m pretty positive I actually do. Mine has decided to never turn on again. Life is not simply about fancy things like iPods and cell phones and designer bags and the latest video games. Sure, it’s nice to have them, but do our lives have to always revolve around them? Yeah, yeah, I know our phones have all our friends’ numbers, our iPods contain our “only escape from reality” or whatever people describe music as being and our brand name clothing makes us look stylish or something. Let’s face it, though, we’re not going to be able to get all those at
any and every time we please. In eighth grade, I went through a phase where I wanted most of my clothes to have that designer label on them, which meant they ended up costing way more than they should have. I didn’t think about how much of my parents’ money I was wasting, so when my mom told me that buying a shirt for $60 was a bit outrageous, I just shrugged my shoulders and wondered what the big deal was. I didn’t get the shirt, of course, and that led me to be pretty upset because it was just “really cute.” This serves as a perfect example of how needy our world has become. Fortunately, I have changed a lot over the last two years. Yeah, my interest in having a good taste in clothes has remained intact, but I go to more reasonable places. Just for the record, TJ Maxx has some of the cutest clothes ever, in case you’re wondering. You have to look hard, but they’re there. It’s pathetic looking back now thinking that something as petty as a shirt could bring
my
end of February. According to a Kellogg’s spokesperson Phelps doesn’t go along with the “image of Kellogg’s.” Are they scared people are going to stop eating cereal because Phelps smoked a bong? All Kellogg’s has managed to do is bring more attention on themselves. Just days after their little announcement, Facebook was publicly making fun of them. “Weedies” and a picture of Phelps grace the cover of a fake cereal box that was one of the top bumper stickers sent among friends. The point is that the guy is only 23 years old and, in case you missed it, he pretty much rocked at the Olympics. His dad is a cop, and his mom is a principal. Obviously the kid knows right from wrong,
he just wanted to live a little. Phelps reportedly apologized to fans and said his actions were “youthful” and “inappropriate.” In my opinion, his private life is his own business, and this has been blown out of proportion. If he is good enough to smoke pot on the weekends and still break seven world records in swimming, then good for him. His only crime was being stupid enough to get caught. Give him a slap on the wrist and let him go back to his pool. Let’s get realistic, though, the only reason this is such a big deal is because Phelps is such a good swimmer. If he had only won two medals or if he was just a college swimmer, no one would care. I can almost guarantee you that a large percentage of employees at
Kellogg’s have smoked a joint or two in their day, so I really don’t see the justice. Remind me not to get too successful or else every mistake I make could mean weeks in the media spotlight and the loss of millions of dollars. Phelps isn’t entirely screwed, though.Speedo,Visa and Omega are keeping their contracts with Phelps despite the unfortunate photos of his drug abuse and the fact that he publicly said he might not go to the 2012 Olympics. Oh, and just for an extra punch in the gut, he’s been suspended for three months from swimming with his team. My favorite part of this whole ordeal? The pictures of Phelps were taken in good ol’ South Carolina. There’s another great representation of our beloved state.
mood down so much. Our happiness should be based on strong friendships and small gestures and we should be able to still find the excitement in shopping for new things. It shouldn’t be a habit of going out and getting whatever, whenever because then it’ll take bigger and more expensive things to make us happy after awhile. It’s very hard to find a friend you know you can tell absolutely anything to and trust that they won’t tell anyone. I have been so incredibly lucky with finding people like that. The day I realized I knew three people like that, I felt like the luckiest girl in the world. I am truly happy knowing there are those few people I can go to. When life gets tough, we need our friends to rely on, not things that will quickly get old in our eyes like a new wardrobe or the latest iPod. Garth Brooks, an American country music artist, once said “happiness isn’t getting what you want, it’s wanting what you got.” I’m not going to hesitate to say, I completely agree.
Weedies: The breakfast of champions morganEDWARDS staff writer
Since when do 14 Olympic gold medals mean nothing just because of one bong? That’s basically what Kellogg’s is saying. Michael Phelps, the famous swimmer who has won a record-breaking 14 gold medals, will officially be off Kellogg’s payroll by the 18
The Stinger
I am a failure when it comes to quitting anniePARHAM copy editor
A lot can happen in 40 days. It’s the period of time that marks about half of a summer vacation. The moon makes near one and a half revolutions around Earth in this time. I could watch the entire 10-season set of “Friends” four times in 40 days (and I probably have). Phileas Fog traveled halfway around the
world, God flooded Earth and Noah rescued two of every animal on the planet, ultimately saving every species from extinction. So, in comparison, it’s a little bit pathetic that I’ve never been able to last through the Lent season. In case you’re not familiar with it, Lent is a 40-day season in the Christian calendar. In those 40 days, people prepare for Easter by giving up things that are bad for them. Unfortunately, I suck at this. Take last year for example. I decided it would be a good idea to give up arguing—a bad habit, and I was going to drop it like third period French. I started strong on Ash Wednesday, no arguments all day long. However, within a week, I had failed. I blew it on a petty argument with my mom over how much money she owed me. To top it off, I didn’t even end up getting
Get your fix on kristenPOLENSKI circulation manager
Money has been tight for a lot of people during this economic downfall and many are trying to find ways to cut back on the not so necessary things. However, many, including my family, find it hard to give up on entertainment, especially movies, so we found an excellent way to cut back without being super affected. At my house we have satellite TV. For years we paid for the package that included HBO, STARZ and about a million other movie channels. Did we watch them all? Nope. Besides the movie choice selection was mediocre (with a few exceptions), so usually we would end up watching
repeats of movies over and over. So to save an extra $40 a month, we did away with all the major movie channels, but kept all the normal satellite channels and signed up for Netflix for a doable $9 a month. With our Netflix package we get one movie in the mail at a time but can watch unlimited movies on the computer. Netflix offers other packages, too, but we figured this would be the best one for us. We were hesitant of Netflix at first because we wouldn’t have the movie right when we wanted it. We figured the movie would take a while to come in the mail, but we were assured by friends that Netflix was speedy. Sure enough, within two days of signing up for our account and choosing our movies, we received our first DVD, “Get Smart.” The main reason movies are delivered to customers in Columbia so quickly is because Netflix has one of their distribution centers located in our state. The great thing about Netflix is that our movie entertainment isn’t strained by the bad economy. We are able to watch the movies we want at a decent price without late fees.
any money at all. What a waste. Other times I get close, but I end up bending the rules. One of the best parts of Lent is Sundays, or as I like to call them, “wimp days.” On Sunday you’re allowed to indulge in the thing you gave up. For several years in a row, I gave up soda, and I followed the rules fairly closely. Six days out of seven, I wouldn’t drink it. Then came those times when I would want soda on a weekday.That’s when I decided that it didn’t matter what day I indulged, as long as it was only once a week. Yes, I am aware this is a pretty feeble excuse. I’m not proud of it. Most of the time during Lent I just feel like the world is conspiring against me. When I
o
gave up chocolate, the next day someone brought brownies to school. When I gave up ice cream, thoughtless people would offer to take me out for ice cream. I’d never realized how much chocolate and ice cream were in the world until I couldn’t have them anymore. So this year I need to give myself a real shot at success. I could (and I probably should) say that I’ll give up being late, but I know that won’t happen, so why bother? I could give up TV or texting or computer time or any of the other things my parents think I do too much of. Yeah, right. I could give up worrying about what I should give up for Lent. Hey,maybe I’ll just give up Lent.
Serving the best rileyMcCULLOUGH staff writer
Volleyball is one of the few no contact sports there are, but I still always end up bruised, sore and scraped up. Even though I wear knee pads my knees are the most battered part of my body. Well, my knees and my elbows. This happens because of the constant diving that goes along with volleyball. When a player has enough drive and urgency to win, they don’t care where the ball is on the court or how high off the ground it is, they will still sprawl across the floor to get it. When the player is six feet tall, this image can get really funny. Usually we end up stretched out our full body length trying to at least get a fingertip on the ball before it hits the ground. Having this kind of determination has paid off for my team because we are
now champions of a gold division. This means that we beat all the respective teams that were at this tournament. One of the best feelings any athlete can have is playing in the championship game.—the do or die game that you have been fighting for all season or for the whole tournament. When my team made it to the championship game we put it all on the line. None of us held anything back, and we put all of our trust into each other. I knew that my teammates would try their hardest to get every ball up and put all their effort into winning. When a team does this it is darn near impossible to stop them. This kind of trust does not happen all the time, though, since ten girls are together for a long period of time so there can be some tension that builds up. With all the teenage hormones flying around a team can become prone to biting each other’s head off. On my old club team this problem would have prevented us from going far, but on my new club team our chemistry is great. At the last tournament we all trusted each other to do their job and everything just ended up falling together for my team. We played flawlessly in the championship game and it paid off because we walked away the winners of the gold bracket. February 2009
19
O
Got O P I N I O N S ? Letter to the
EDITOR
How to submit your letter: • Letters may be brought to the Stinger room (room 149)
or
• sent by e-mail to stingernews@gmail.com
Find on
20
The Stinger
We want to hear them. The Stinger encourages letters to the editor as they constitute a constructive avenue for opinion. Letters to the editor must be signed by the writer to be considered for publication. Special requests to withhold a name may be submitted if the topic is sensitive enough to warrant
anonymity. The authenticity of the writer will be verified before publication and letters may be edited for poor taste, libel, grammar, space, and style. Letters should be no longer than 350 words. Longer submissions will be considered for publication as guest columns.
®
Nyquil nightmare vanessaLINDOWER photography editor Flu and cold season has come and gone and many of us have found ourselves victims to sickness. I myself am one of those people. While I was bed ridden, I had plenty of thinking time. While pondering the confusing components of the circle of life, one thing in particular baffled me-medicine. I am not a believer in medicine. I have never liked taking medicine, vitamins, antibiotics, you name it and I’m against it. I do agree that some things call for intense medication, but the common cold does not need all the attention it receives from many parents. AllofthisstartedwhenIwasyounger.Iwastrickedandforcedinto swallowing all sorts of medications. I felt like meds were against me. I could never attribute the end of the sickness to the medicine. I always helped my health along by staying in bed, drinking fluids, sleeping, and taking medicine. It could be any of the factors that make me feel better. Thus, when it was up to me as to whether or not I consumed medications, I opted out of it. This past week I started getting sick. Soon enough I could not stand up without being reminded of my knotted stomach and throbbing headache. My father noticed my distress and turned on his paternal instinct. Before I knew it I was in bed with a humidifier steaming away with a glass of water in my hand and three pills sitting before me. My sickness pretty much continued like my childhood sicknesses had gone; I was completely helpless in deciding on my medications. The first night I was sick, my dad forced me to take Nyquil to suppress my cough. Nyquil, if you’ve ever had it, is terrible. It is green and smells like cough drops mixed with gasoline and tastes even worse. It wouldn’t be so bad if you could wash away its disgusting taste, but you could drink 3 gallons of water and still have the taste of Nyquil in the back of your throat. The next night, I refused to take Nyquil again, so my dad pulled out the children’s Nyquil. Willing to do anything to avoid that green stuff again, I measured the appropriate amount of children’s Nyquil into a medicine cup and threw it down my throat. To my surprise, it wasn’t half bad. Children’s Nyquil is red and cherry flavored. Now of course it is the typical cherry medicine flavor, but after drinking the adult’s Nyquil, it tasted like heaven. All of this got me wondering. If both adults and children have to take medicine, why not make it enjoyable for all ages? As if being sick isn’t torture enough, medicine just makes the whole experience worse. It’s almost as if it is a punishment for adults to be sick, like medicine industries try to make adults more miserable by forcing them to take repulsive meds. Even though children’s medicine flavors aren’t delicious, companiesobviouslyspentmoretimeformulatingaflavorthattastes good for children,so why not take the time to do the same for adults? With all of the gross adult medicines out there and all of the not-so-gross children’s medicines,I’m sticking with the kids’flavors.
Rugby: the sport all about brotherhood Many new players join the team, starts the year off in a new light emmaMCWILLIAMS staff writer Players and coaches say they have high hopes for Irmo High School’s rugby team this year. Head Coach Mike Artlip, also known as “Coach Redneck,” says that this year is a rebuilding year for the team with all of the new guys. There are also three new coaches. “It is a tough thing to start over from the very beginning, from tackling to passing to rules to everything, every year,” Artlip said. Chris Knibbs, junior, is captain of Irmo’s team. He and Michael Northington-Doyle, sophomore, co-captain, both say they believe the team will be good this year. “I’m really optimistic about the team this year,” Knibbs said. “I think we’re going to do really good. It’s really a team sport, and you have to work as one so, as long as we can do that, I think we’ll be fine.” To play a game of rugby, it takes two teams of 15 players, and Irmo’s team is composed of about 29 to 30 guys. Knibbs says this is the first team ever in South Carolina to have two full sets of forwards. “[Forwards are composed of ] eight people, so you’ve got 16 big guys that can actually constitute as forwards,” Knibbs said. “That’s never happened before. I think we’re going to hit hard. I think we’re going to shock some people this year.” Knibbs says there are much bigger guys on the team this year. The attire for the rugby team is light material. Doyle says he thinks that it’s really strong and not breakable. The striped socks the players wear are just to represent the yellow jackets. “People make fun of it like the Quidditch socks from Harry Potter, but really it’s just a symbol that we are the Irmo Yellow Jackets,” Knibbs said. The team practices every Monday and Wednesday from about 4 to 6 p.m. at Irmo Middle School. The players must condition, so they often run on hills to get in shape. They focus a lot on passing, because players must have to learn how to pass behind them, since that is one of the rules in rugby. They also work on tackling because there are penalties if a player tackles too high.
Terms and Facts
“Certain parts of the practice we just scrimmage seven on seven, or ten on ten,” Doyle said. “Other times we’ll do tactical drills to learn more about the sport and how it’s played.” Unlike football, where the faster people score, rugby gives the opportunity for any player to score. Any player has an opportunity to touch the ball into the try zone. The coaches and players say they believe that rugby is about brotherhood. Many find rugby to be their favorite sport, because it involves non-stop action and constant moving, like soccer. “Fifteen guys come together as one entire team,” Knibbs said. “I’ve noticed more so with rugby than any other sport, that I’ve really bonded with the other forwards on the team. We all know each other, we all feel comfortable with each other and we hang out outside of rugby. It’s a real sort of union that you can’t find with many PLAYING ROUGH: other sports.”
Photo illustration by Emma McWilliams
SCRUM:
MAUL:
RUCK:
LATERAL PASSING:
• Forward players come together and try to win possession of the ball. • A way to maintain possession while a couple of guys step over them and hold the line of scrimmage.
LINE OUT:
• The ball goes out of bounds and the other team gets the ball and each team lifts up a specifiic player in the air. to try to catch the ball as it’s thrown in the air.
The rucking and mauling drill helps the team get ready for games. Rucking is used to maintain possession of the ball.
• A group of people on their feet trying to push each other. • The person has to be behind you in order to pass it to them, and if they are in front of the person passing, it’s call a knockon and is an automatic turn-over to the other team.
TACKLING:
• Suggested to tackle at the hips. High tackling will count as a penalty.
FACT:
• Rugby balls have always been oval. The boys at Rugby School used footballs made from inflated pigs bladders which are, themselves, oval in shape.
FACT:
• Twickenham was the scene of the first ever streaker at a major sporting event, when Michael O’Brien ran across the pitch in 1974.
February 2009
21
S
Boy’s soccer highly ranked margoGOODALE staff writer Irmo soccer is just starting to kick off their season. With a strong team and only a loss of two players last season, the Irmo soccer team is second on the pre-season ranking chart. However the players say they are confident that the number one spot will soon be theirs. Coach Savitz, head coach of the soccer team, has been coaching soccer for 31 years. With plenty of coaching experience under his belt the team is headed in the right direction for claiming the number one spot, which is now held by Northwestern. With the achievement of being ranked number two, it didn’t come as a surprise to Savitz or Kyle Hubbard, captain. “With the amount of returning players that Northwestern had, it didn’t really come as a surprise,” Savitz said. Hubbard also had almost
22
The Stinger
the same viewing as Savitz; it didn’t come as a surprise to him either. “We have a large returning roster and with the loss of only two players, I expected us to be up on top,” Hubbard said. To reach the number two spot, the team worked hard,set a goal and went for it. In the end this landed them in a spot that any successful team would want to be in. “When we lost in the upper state it was a close game,” Savitz said. “The amount of returning players that we have and all the talent that we have on the team is what earned us the spot.” Despite their high ranking, Savitz continues practicing the way that he has in the past. However, the players feel the practices have been more intense because they are determined to be a winning team this season. “The practices are more intense because we take practice as serious as a game so when we’re in a game situation we’re capable and comfortable at achieving victory,” Hubbard
Inside the Huddle
said. Stephen Arneson,junior, goalie, has the same opinion that Hubbard has with the way practices have been going. “Our practices are more intense and as a team the intensity level is high because we want to do well,” Arneson said. “We encourage each other a lot too.” This season Savitz is sharing advice with the team to keep them on the right track and give them the determination to be a winning team. They are focused on being a winning team, and he doesn’t want them to lose that focus. “We are just going to get better with each day. We are focused now on Sam McConkie winning region mainly. We want to focus on the game What is a quote you live that we are playing at the moment and not thinking by? about the next game until I’ve failed over and over we have to,” Savitz said. and over again in my life The player’s attitudes and that is why I succeed. remain the same as before -Michael Jordan the rankings were revealed. Savitz says he hasn’t noticed a change in the attitudes. Why did you start The determination level is playing basketball? still as high as before. I used to watch my brother “The attitudes haven’t play and I have always really changed,” Savitz said. “We play like champions, loved the game. and if you play like a champion, in the end you will be a champion.” and passion to be there in the Hubbard says he doesn’t think that the attitudes have end it is possible. With our commitment level and our really changed either. “We base our attitudes on attitudes it is doable.” Hubbard says he thinks that results, not rankings,” Hubbard it is only a matter of time before said. The players don’t think the they take over the number one pre season rank really means spot. Arneson has the same anything, and they try not to let opinion. “We have a really good it get to them since it’s from last season. They care more about chance at taking over the their rank at the end of the number one spot we just have to keep working,” Arneson said. season. The last time Irmo won The team is determined to take over the number one spot, State was in 2004, and the last and they say they are pretty time that the soccer team went to State was in 2005 when they confident that they will. “It [claiming the number were runners up. This year, the one spot] is very possible,” players are determined to return Savitz said. “With the hunger back to State and take it all.
50
:]
Thanks for your support! Supporters
Patrons
Bob and Martha Veto Brett and Leah Macgargle James E. Parham Jr. John and Bonnie Hutto Marvin and Lorraine Veto Mr. and Mrs. Rick Abercrombie John and Betsy Goodale Mr. & Ms. Gene M. Porter Nucor Building
Anthony Taddonio Beth Burn Dwayne, Jennifer, and Amber Cox Elliot Dominick Carolina Ale House Elizabeth Taddonio George and Margaret Ann Butler Frank, Janet and Lisa Johns Fred and Laura Shuford Laurie Slate Mandy and Danny Westerkam Tidwell & Associates, Inc The Smoak Family Bobby Blankenship Marcelle & Sam Edwards
Centurions
Calvin and JoAnne McGee Terry and Diane Parham John and Jenny Edwards The Purohits
If you would like to support please contact us at (803) 476-3071 or at stingernews@gmail.com For advertising information or to request a subscription, please call (803) 476-3071.
sudoku 1
8 1
2
9
5
7
4
6
8
5
2 5 6
7
9
3
1 4
3
9
6
2
3
2 2
8
1
4
7
3
8
5
5
8 1
3
3
8
7 1
5
1
3
6 9
2
4
2 8
6
1 5
5
3 7
9
2
Fill in the grid so that every row, every column, and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9.
3
5
6 4
2 February 2009
23
COACH’S CORNER
Yarah Rose
Quote to live by: “Discipline is doing what has to be done, when it has to be done, as well as it can be done, and you do it that way everytime.” - Joe Newton What do you enjoy most about coaching track? I love to build strong relationships adn an athlete’s confidence in their abilities. Running is a mental sport.
Irmo High School
.
6071 St. Andrews Rd.
.
Columbia SC, 29212