Issue 7: 2008 - 2009

wilmington

march 27, 2009

volume xvi

inside...

issue vii

300 richardson place wilmington, ohio 45177

District cuts budget and staff

Ashleigh Achor editor-in-chief

Several students successful at recent art competition Story p. 2

about a quarter of a million dollars or The Wilmington City School District five to seven jobs. will be cutting 11 ½ positions for the next on] have “We [Sexton and the union] (Fiscal Year) year. This reduction in force (RIF) will be liminate talked about where we will eliminate the result of the loss of more than one milIncluding General Property Tax, Tangible, cuts in funding, what the budget get lion dollars by the start of the 2009.

Property Tax, Income Tax, unrestricted looks like, what our predictions ns According to Superintendent Ron Sexand restriced Grants-In-Aid, Property Tax, and other revenues are for next year and the year afton, this cut in staff was one day expected ter,” Union president Jason Goddas Wilmington suffered from the DHL dard said. “But if we have another her bailout. As a district, 82% of spending is ng $26,617,644 $27,765,242 $28,618,296 spent on staff salaries, therefore cuts would terrible 2009 year…we’re looking at probably another round of cuts eventually begin to take place he said. of equal amount or maybe even “Our goal in this was to make cuts withmore…it really is up in the air.” out losing people. We have some people Besides cutting positions and retiring that way if a high school social $29,595,859 $30,126,089 staff incentives certain supplies studies teacher is retiring, if we cut a high were cut such as a new computer school social studies position, maybe we software program. The administration on can save someone from losing their job,” would also like to work on lowering got Sexton said. the costs that goes into busing athleticc elThe positions eliminated for next year teams to away games by combining mbining emenwere two administrations positions the trips with other teams. eams. Another post a r y teachers teache communications director, assistant treai s lowering with w already 26-27 in a class…a high surer’s position, a high school math, social s i b i l i t y the ppractice pra cticee school history teacher having 28-32 s hi studies, special education, media secrecrekids ki in a class versus a second grade tary and the In School Restriction n (ISR) teacher teaching 32 kids how to read, tea positions in the middle and high school. A it iis very difficult to find areas to cut at title one reading intervention teacher, cher, an (Fiscal Year) the elementary,” Sexton said. “I worry elementary guidance counselor, a speech more about the social aspects of what m Including Personal Services, Employees’ pathologist and an attendance officer kids ki are going through. We’ve tried Retirement/Insurance Benefits, Purchased Services, were also cut. to do everything we could, teachTo determine which people were cut Supplies and Materials, Capital Outlay, Intergovernmental, ers er are staying upbeat. It’s just not from the positions, for example a high gh Debt Service and other objects. always easy when you’re going al school English or math teacher, the through tough times. We have tried thr contract goes by seniority. Therefore to kkeep the finances of the district if there is a staff member cut from the and our crisis situation away from high school that has been in the diskids because you should come to trict longer then another teacher in the school schoo and go to ballgames, worry $26,617,644 $27,765,242 $28,618,296 district they have a right to ‘bump’ that about yyour grades and maybe make person. college ddecisions about where you’re “Under the contract, it is based on going and that should be your focus… seniority, a person that has been here the Next year m my goal is you coming back least, as long as they are certified in the $29,595,859 $30,126,089 and sayin saying ‘from what I hear kids don’t area have the right to ‘bump’ someone notice a difference.’” else,” Sexton said. “My goal when we get times for f after done with this next year is not one person loses a position. They are all back in some school activities iin order to conserve on building buildi usage, Sexton said. capacity, it may not be in the same posi“There may be times where we say tion, it may not be in the same building but ‘cheerleaders you’re going to have ve to they all have a job in these tough times.” go on a van’ or ‘no’ the basketball team If there are any staff members that are isn’t going to get two wo buses on Frinot able to return next year due to the RIF day night, you can all ll go watch the they will remain on a list of people in line freshman game at four ur o’clock and (Fiscal Year) for any positions that may eventually open come home at 11,” Sexton exton said. up.

Excess of Revenue and Other Financing Sources over The expected class size for In order to assist with the budget cuts (under) Expenditures and Other Financing Uses. the upcoming year willl not be the staff agreed to three different contract determined until all the schools changes. First, the staff agreed to reduce have completed the scheduling eduling the length of the school year by one day. process. However, according rding The second change cut the attendance to Sexton the administration tion $1,900,906 $4,052,731 $4,651,555 bonus to the staff which is usually given would rather have an increase rease in to all staff members that do not miss more the amount of students in high than four days per grading quarter. The school classes rather than the third and final change was teachers agreed elementary classes. to take half their rate of pay for Virtual $5,151,851 $5,205,733 “I think we have always felt that Learning Academy (VLA) as they receive the high school would take cuts betbenefits for having students take VLA. ter than the elementary schools. ols. We’ve These contract concessions would save

Revenues

2009

2010

2012

Preview for the upcoming spring sports season Story p. 12, 13

2011

2013

Expenditures

Learn about the six little words that changed dating forever Story p. 15 Spring show delivers standout performances.

Story p. 16

2009

2010

2012

2011

2013

District Debt

index

news......................2 opinions................4 features.................7 the eye..................8 sports....................11 entertainment.....15

2009

2010

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2011

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graphics/patrick blouin

news

march 27,, 2009

Katie Swindler news editor

Art by senior Chas Wiederhold

In the video category, Chas Fritzn placed first, Ryan Shunk placedW second, Kylie Holmes placed third,R and for another, separate film, Shunk received an honorable mention. p In computer graphics, PerseveranceC Bray was awarded third place, andO honorable mentions were given toR Ashley Capps and Erinn Eldridge. m This is not the first time WHSC students have taken part in this artf competition, according to Stanforth,c “we’ve participated in it for at leastC five years.”

O i w A f a C g a a f i s s

Art by senior Ty Carroll

photo/mercedes welsch

Art by Brad Davis

to Katy Sewell, Devon Borton, and Megan Sorenson.

Wiederhold and Brittany Reed both placed first in their respective categories, Wiederhold in ceramics and Reed in Black and White Drawing.

In mixed media, Sarah Lane received third place, while Laura Miller and Ty Carroll were awarded honorable mentions.

For colored drawings, Diane Warden was given third.

In photography, Danielle Daley placed second, and Aurelia Piatt and Megan Sorenson received honorable mentions.

photo/mercedes welsch

Art by senior Ashley Capps

some by asking people to fill out the forms then some of them came to us and said I’d like to send a piece, each student was allowed to send three pieces,” art teacher Linda Stanforth said. “The [awards] are all individual and they were placed according to the discipline, be it ceramics, or photography, or painting. Then there was the best of our high school.”

Though no Wilmington student won Best of Show, Brad Davis holds the title for Best of Wilmington. Chas Wiederhold won Reserve Best of School, and the Honorable Mentions for Best of School were awarded

photo/mercedes welsch

Students at Wilmington High School (WHS) recently submitted artwork to the 2009 Area High School Art Showcase. Each student was allowed to enter three pieces.

“It’s sponsored by Southern State Community College, the Fincastle branch, that is also called The Appalachian Gateway,” art teacher Michele Carr said. “It’s a little bit south of Hillsboro. It’s called the 2009 Area Art Showcase. It’s also their opportunity to ask for portfolios and scholarships for Southern State.”

“We pretty much said we’d like to send students’ work and we initiated

photo/mercedes welsch

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2Students place in area art competition

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High school Relay for Life team starts meeting Ashleigh Achor editor-in-chief

The Wilmington High School chapter of Relay for Life recently started meeting to plan their contributions to the American Cancer Society for cancer research.

“It’s a loosely put together club and it’s a group of students from the high school of any gender, of any age, and it’s for those that are interested in research for cancer by raising money,” Linda Stanforth, club adviser and art teacher, said. We do different fundraisers as a group and have a good time. We also have the responsibility of doing a few things educationally about cancer.”

The actual Relay for Life event is scheduled to take place on June 20-21.

Anyone can form a group to walk at the relay all they need are other team members to help raise money and awareness. Besides volunteering to walk the entire night at Relay for Life, the event also has a theme along with

games and entertainment.

“There will be a theme for the night out, it’s a sleep over so we’ll have to get coordinated for that because we usually dress to match the occasion,” Stanforth said. “When you go out to the park you see there are families, clubs, there are church clubs, there are [also] school groups.”

This year, the theme for Relay for Life is ‘Fifties and Sixties.’ Teams are challenged to portray the theme through their dress and booths. For the first part of the night the theme will be the fifties decade and once the clock strikes midnight the theme will change into the sixties. This change in theme in one relay event is something new for the night.

To help earn money for their team the students have a variety of fundraisers throughout the school year.

One of these is having the teachers wear denim on Fridays in exchange

for a five dollar donation to the relay team.

“We solicit donations from friends.

The teachers support it by doing denim day a couple of times on Friday’s.

We’re also going to do a car wash in the spring when it gets warmer. So we do a lot of different activities,” Stanforth said.

In addition to ‘Denim Day,’ the team also plans to have a raffle in late spring specifically for teenagers which would include movie tickets, restaurant coupons and gas money.

According to Stanforth, many of the other school organizations have contributed to the cause.

“We will have a team of around [12 to 15] people, sometimes more, and they solicit funds, we sell things, we have help from the student body like the student council supporting us and athletic groups have supported us,” Stanforth said.

For Stanforth, being the adviser for Relay for Life holds a special meaning as she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1999 and finished chemo therapy later the next year.

“It’s a disease that everyone’s familiar with and mostly from a personal point of view. A lot of the kids have had a family member or friend that’s been inflicted with cancer at some time or another, so it’s just an opportunity for those that are aware of the need and like to get involved with something more positive.”

Although the club has already begun meeting to start planning for the summer event and getting donations anyone interested can still be in the club.

“We meet during enrichment, depending on what the schedule I’m hoping to get two meetings in a month,” Stanforth said. *Contributing reporter Neil Vance

Heroes Campaign benefits local chapter managing editor

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Chris Clevenger

of them is deserving of an award.

The American Red Cross recogNominees include: Youth Heroes: nized “heroes” of Clinton County on Seth Carpenter, Logan McCormick, Wednesday during a breakfast at the Humanitarian Heroes: Jan ShumachRoberts Centre. er, Carmen Sparks, Jason Hilliard, “The Heroes Campaign is the Nancy Anders, Emergency Action primary fundraising event for the Heroes: Patrolman Edwin McFadClinton County American Red Cross den, Deputy Chris Office,” Kelley Kirk, Deputy Harvey Robbins, Com“The Hereos CamPayne, Deputy Betty munity Relations Va n Wi n k l e , S e rCoordinator paign is the primary geant Ron Fifthen, for the American Red Cross fundraising event for the Life time Achievement Heroes: Joyce Clinton County Clinton County American Noland, and Cindy Office said. “It Chester.” i s k i c k e d o ff Red Cross office.”

Students from the with the Heroes high school were Awards BreakKelley Robbins encouraged to parfast in March at the Roberts Community relations coordinator ticipate in the campaign, as well as getCentre with a ting involved with guest speaker and the American Red awards ceremony Cross. and usually runs “Chas Wiederhold is a wonderful for six to eight weeks, with a Closvolunteer for the Red Cross who will ing Celebration in the end to thank be leading his fourth Heroes Camsponsors and volunteers for all their paign at Wilmington High School,” support.”

Robbins said. “We hope to have This fundraising event has been Denver, Holmes, East End, Roger O. around for nearly a decade, recogBorror Middle School, and the high nizing citizens of Clinton County. school involved in the campaign this In an e-mail Robbins disclosed the year. If anyone at WCS is interested nominees. in being involved with the Heroes “We have several people nominated for awards this year and every one Campaign or with the American Red

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march 27, 2009

photo contributed by kellley robbins Pictured above is Jason Read , the speaker at the Heroes breakfast on Wednesday. Read was noted for his heroic actions on Sept. 11, 2001 and his later success at the Olympics.

Cross they may call me at 937-3820083 or e-mail me at robbinsk@ cincinnatiredcross.org.”

For an up to date list of the Heroes

Campaign award recipients, visit the hurricane online found on the Wilmington City Schools home page, under the resources tab.

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opinion point/counter point

march 27, 2008

wilmington

hurricane

Effectiveness of life-sentence questioned A life-sentence in prison is an effective punishment, the prisoners are excluded from the outside world Katie Swindler

Life in prison is an ineffective punishment seems more like an escape for lives of criminals’ before they committed the crimes Lauren Showen

news editor

columnist

People sometimes refer to school as a prison, and I myself feel it is at times.

I feel caged in by the small, confining desks, I feel like I’m being controlled when I’m handed a schedule that tells me when I can walk in the halls and when I can eat, and people wonder why I don’t always necessarily enjoy school when they know I love learning. I feel like I’m being jailed, and it isn’t even a real prison.

How would I feel in jail? How would I feel if I knew I would die in prison, never seeing my home again, and seeing my family when they tell me I can, assuming my family even wants to see me. How would it feel to know that my penance for my crime(s) was my life?

“Prisoners forfeit their opportunities, hopes and dreams when they take those from someone else” katie swindler news editor

In my mind I always skip the part where I had to commit a heinous crime to go to jail, and I focus on what happens there. I’m handcuffed when I’m

outside of my cell, and when I’m in my cell, I feel like a caged animal.

Prisoners forfeit their opportunities, hopes, and dreams when they take those from someone else. This is why I feel it is a legitimate punishment for those who strip those rights from others.

What crimes warrant a life sentence? Which criminals get their lives sucked away? Those accused of treason, murderers, serial rapists… shall I continue? These crimes involve ruining other’s lives. Call me crazy, but I think a life sentence is a suitable punishment for those criminals.

See, humans have to feel a sense of retribution, of revenge, for real closure in cases such as murder; some will deny it, but it’s true. People like to know that someone finally got what they deserved. They like to know that what goes around does come around.

For that reason, some believe in the death penalty. They say, ‘They killed someone, so let’s kill them.’ I disagree with this for several reasons.

Firstly, I will now steal a quote from a bumper sticker, ‘Why do we kill people who kill people to show that killing people is wrong?’ Secondly, it makes murderers out of everyone involved in the decision. Thirdly, it’s too quick. It’s too easy. Their pain and suffering is over, but the families of those affected will grieve for much longer.

A lifetime on the other hand is plenty of time to pay for one’s crimes. We aren’t talking a day, or a week, or even a few weeks. We are talking about a lifetime. And it’s defined as such because no one knows how long a prisoner will live. They do know that they will die in their cell, though.

This sounds horribly morbid, but if someone was to kill my sister, I know I would want them to realize how much pain they had caused me and my family, and they are escaping their share of regret by receiving a death sentence. As a Christian, I would forgive them, but as a human and a sister, I would never forget.

I believe a life sentence is a punishment worthy of the crimes that have been committed. In prison, everything is taken away, your hobbies, your pets, your home, your life, and all you have is time. Time to think, time to remember, time to regret.

Clean clothes to wear, a soft bed, three meals a day and not a care in the world. Sound like a nice way to live? This life of luxury can be found in the local prison. That’s right, the home of law violators and worse. A criminal serving a life sentence seems like a waste. What kind of lesson are you learning from having everything handed to you on a silver platter?

“I believe the saying goes, ‘an eye for an eye’, not ‘an eye for a marshmellow.’”

Lauren showen columnist

Perhaps it’s just me, but if I were murdered, I would hope that my friends and family would fight to see that the killer was issued the harshest of punishments. If my ghost were floating around in the court room during the trial and the ultimate punishment were life in day care, I would most certainly haunt the jury and the judge forever.

I believe the saying goes, “an eye for an eye,” not “an eye for a marshmallow.” Life in prison seems like the ultimate scapegoat to me. Plenty of food to eat, a nice place to sleep, visitors on occasion, and no worries of a mortgage or a failing economy. Sounds like living the life to me.

If a person has committed a crime harsh enough to lose all of their rights for the rest of their life, living the life of luxury does not seem fair. You mean to tell me that a man or woman that kills their spouse gets amenities that they may not have had to begin with? After doing some research, I realized that these criminals had it much better than I had once thought.

According to the Mental Health association, a state prison in California has a “state of the art gym where inmates can play badminton, basket-

ball and volleyball on a rubberized floor. There’s also [an inmate] mall decorated in bright colors, a baseball courtyard, eight landscaped atriums, two chapels and a sweat lodge.” And this is just one example. Other prisons offer cable television, games for the inmates, and my personal favorite, weekends off. Not to mention free health care and counseling on the tax payer’s tab.

It seems to me that the majority of those who commit crimes are in the lower income bracket. Some even live on the street. So these low income criminals commit a crime, and then we scoop them up off the streets and toss them into prison. This seems like justice on the outside, but once you realize what is given to these inmates, how bad can you feel? It’s a breezy life from there on out.

So after researching, collecting and recovering from disgust, I realized this must be some kind of hoax.

A criminal living the life of luxury makes me want to be sick. Food, shelter, social interaction and amenities that some people never get to experience; all available to you, at the small cost of a serious crime. A sentence to life in prison? Truly a blessing.

drawings/katie swindler

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march 27, 2009

Mrs. Hatfield Social Studies Teacher “Life in jail, the worse part would be loss of freedom, come and go as they please, or make your own decisions. They know the possible consequences, and they engage in them anyway, it’s proper punishment ”

Katie Teasdale Grade: 11 “It depends on the criminal and what they did, but most of them do deserve life in prison. But I do believe they shouldn’t have computer access and luxeries.”

Caitlin Clifton Grade: 10 “I think life in prison is a good punishment because they are stuck in jail and they can’t do anything else, their life is pretty much over.”

Letter to the editor Dear Editor, Sex ed ruffles the sheets, yes because casual sex dirties the sheets.

Information is good. Knowledge is power. But in reading your point/ counter point I see one point that leans heavily on a pro casual sex viewpoint (with miss-information) and one that expresses a wait for marriage point. I am disappointed that the Hurricane would print an article such as this, without including the viewpoint of someone who is well informed on the Abstinence issue. In Kate’s article there are many comments which concern me. She states Wilmington City School’s Sex Ed Policy seems outdated: So good health, and caring about your true physical, emotional, and spiritual self is outdated? She states the “A” word Abstinence is ineffective as it is contradictory to law: Ineffective by whose opinions… the thousands of women and men in this country who decide that their marriage day should mean something? The men and women who have decided not to have a disease that follows them for a lifetime with infertility, sores

or warts? And contradictory to what law? The same law that founded many of the moral codes we live by here in America based on the Ten Commandments, Gods law? That hasn’t changed. That’s still an abstinence message, intended not to do us harm but to protect us.

In reference to The Morning After Pill. That drug works in three ways, to be brief - one way is making it impossible for a fertilized egg to implant.

Also called abortion if you believe life begins at conception. That’s a problem for those that believe that life has value. The Morning After Pill also has a failure rate of up to 25% making your future not being a teen parent possibly 75% successful? Would you get on a plane with those odds?

Kate stated that using a condom protects you 98% of the time. Sadly the fact is condoms fail up to 15% of the time for whatever reason. Now think about that. You can only get pregnant a few days of the month, yet they fail up to 15% of the time. Sperm and Sexually Transmitted Infection travel via body fluids. Body fluids just don’t always stay within the boundar-

ies. An STI can infect every day of the month. What is the failure rate for that? What we do know is that since the marketing of the condom STI’s have increased to the point that they are in epidemic proportion and yes you actually could “have sex and die”. For those who do die with AIDS or cancer from HPV it’s no joke. I agree that students should be informed of any current protection to prevent pregnancy and STI’s. Unfortunately there is only one that is 100% effective. Abstinence! America’s teens want to do things their own way, nothing new about that. Even if you’re not religious, you want to be able to reach your goals and live a full life. But America’s teens need to recognize that they are intelligent enough to choose for themselves what will be good for them in the long term, not just for minutes of physical pleasure.

Safe sex? How is that when no choice with casual sex is 100% safe?

Holly Plomske Executive Director, Clinton County Women’s Center

300 Richardson Place Wilmington, OH 45177 937.382.7716

The hurricane is a student-produced newspaper published eight times each year by the Wilmington High School newswriting class.

All printing costs are paid through advertising revenues.

The purpose of the hurricane is to inform and entertain the students of Wilmington High School and the members of the community. It is an open forum for student, faculty, staff, and community expression.

The hurricane is a member of the Ohio Scholastic Media Association (OSMA) and the Journalism Education Association (JEA).

Letters to the editor are encouraged.

They must be signed; however, names may be withheld if the editorial board determines that the situation warrants it. In addition, the staff reserves the right to edit material for length, grammar, libel, poor taste, or obscenity.

All signed columns are the views of the writer only and do not necessarily reflect the views of other staff members, faculty, or the administration.

Staff editorials (those without bylines) are the consensus of the editorial board, who makes the final decision concerning the content of the newspaper.

Editor-in-chief: Ashleigh Achor Managing Editor: Chris Clevenger News Editors: Katie Swindler Opinions Editor: Karlee Blanchard Columnist: Lauren Showen Features Editor: Madison Law Sports Editor: Jessica Maus Entertainment Editor: Libby Wetterhan Asst. Entertainment Editor: Zach McCune Design Editor: Chas Wiederhold Asst. Design Editor.: Patrick Blouin Staff Writers & Contributors: Neil Vance, Marcy Smith, Danika McClester, RJ Houghten, Robert Johnson, Mercedes Welsch, Megan Phillips, Emilia Lander, Alexis Thatcher Adviser: Maggie Krohne Letters to the editor should be sent to Wilmington High School room 214. Letters may discuss previous articles or columns published in the hurricane, or other newsworthy issues.

wilmington

Shadrach Brausch Grade: 10 “Life sentences have ups and downs, but I think it’s wrong to kill somebody no matter what they’ve done, but it is cheaper.

It’s cheaper for taxpayer to just kill them, instead of putting them in there and wait for them to die.”

hurricane

hurricane

the hurricane asks...

“Is a life-sentence to prison a fair punishment?”

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opinion

march 27, 2009

Smart Mouth Showen

Lauren Showen columnist

What are your plans for the future?

The questions that ring in my ears and cause me such grief. “What’s next for you?” “Do you know what you’re going to major in?” “Are you married yet?” “Have you written your will?”

I have enough trouble trying to decide which cereal to eat in the morning, how can you expect me to know what my plans are for the next day? Or even the next week?

What gets to me is that those same people who fire such questions at me also advise me to live in the moment and enjoy what time I have left. Excuse me? Could you make up your mind? Either cause me an enormous amount of stress or help me stay positive about my confusion.

There is so much pressure on high school seniors to have answers to all of these questions. As an eighteen year old who was just happy to pass chemistry, how can I know what I want to do with my life? I can at least cancel things out: I don’t want to be a chemistry teacher, I couldn’t be a professional athlete, and I certainly couldn’t be a doctor.

From now on, when asked what I’m going to do with my life, I will reply with the following: I plan to live in a box on Main Street and juggle in hopes of those who pass tossing pocket change. In my spare time I will collect cans and adopt stray cats into my box. I will travel the world, or street to street, rather, and mumble to myself about airplanes and the economy.

For the sake of my sanity, don’t ask

Charity money not spent wisely Karlee Blanchard opinions editor

For some reason, people always get tem to keep the public, donators, aware sucked in. Charity organizations use of where their money is going, along rallies, prizes, raffles to grab the attenwith when the foundations or charities tion of anyone with a checkbook. And mess up, likely behind the scene. The it seems to always work, people tell system has specific criteria that are themselves, “It’s for a good cause,” and helpful in selecting charities that are they pull out their wallets and donate most likely to use donated money to to the various kinds of charities and services rather than behind the scene organizations for breast cancer, cancer, expenses. They also take in to considor Down syndrome. It can be hard to eration the willingness of the charity tell where the money is really going, to share financial records with AIP. is it going to research and treatment, According to AIP, “Top-Rated list or is it going straight into the pocket generally spend 75% or more of their of ‘big guy’ in charge? How can a person know, and why should people be educated?

The recent visit from the large, well known charity, Feed the Children, has been accused of this ‘scandal.’ It has been given an F-rated grade when it comes to the money spent on services verses advertising and salary amounts.

According to charitywatch.org, “FC (Feed the Children) spends only 18% of its cash budget on program services and spends 60% on direct mail and television and radio ads, has been enormously successful obtaining gifts chart/charitynavigator.com in kind.”

These statistics are provided by the Chart shows the percentage spent on American Institute of Philanthropy programs (blue) versus the money spent on (AIP), which has created a grading sys- non-profit fundraisers (yellow).

budgets on programs, spend $25 or less to raise $100 in public support, do not hold excessive assets in reserve, and receive “open-book” status for disclosure of basic financial information and documents to AIP.” There are many other charities that have bad reputations when it comes to where they put thier money; when administrative costs, and fundraising expenses are more than the program, there is a problem.

The Coalition Against Breast Cancer has fallen under this category, along with several other charities are spending more money on fundraising than program funding.

It is unfortunate that charities put images in the minds of donators that they are giving directly to help a cause.

Anyone with the heart to give deserves to know that their money is going to a program that will benefit the people who really need it.

There are many recourses that have been created to help the donators beware of these unfortunate scandals.

The harsh reality is that some charities are more concerned about the publicity side of things, and the founders than really fighting for a cause.

Facebook claims to have ownership Zach McCune

asst. entertainment editor

From status updates, to album locations, you may be posting more information than you desire on your Facebook page.

Facebook offers you an outlet to express your political and religious views, status of employment, group and club affiliations, birth date, location, and even where you went (or still go) to high school. So what is next?

Are they going to be asking me for my social security number? What about my shoe size?

The bombardment of categories that I am asked to fill out to personalize the different sections of my page can seem over-whelming. With sections such as; hobbies, interests, activities, favorite music, favorite television programs and movies, I am left to wonder if by answering all of these questions I’m tossed into some sort of larger category myself.

Shockingly I discovered that I was not the only one that dwells on this thought and as I browsed the accumulation of videos on YouTube, I discovered one that kicked the “creep” factor up a notch. Titled, “The Truth about Facebook”, I decided that I would watch this video to feed my paranoia.

The video starts out with the common statement about whether or not the internet is secure. Questions were being asked such as; ‘do you have a Facebook? Have you thought about the privacy you put at risk?’

Each question was met with my own answer; why yes I do have a Facebook and I have kind of thought about placing my privacy at risk. Within the first six seconds of the videos I was hooked.

I wanted to watch more…I needed to watch more.

As seconds turned to minutes, the video went into detail about the terms of service of the social networking site. Using phrases and excerpts from the sites terms of use, the conspiracy video divulges the secret guidelines you accepted upon registering with the sight.

Then, all of the sudden, the video hinted to my suspicions of a large, generalized, human data base. Dropping the names of things that could categorize internet users like political credit card purchases, internet history, airline ticket purchases, medical records, bills and anything else they can be identified by.

Weird enough yet? It is for me. The

thought of a simple social networking sight that has our society in a chokehold utterly disgusts me. Do they have a right to send our information and keep records of our activity to other sources? Well according to their terms of service they do reserve the right to keep records of my activity in the sight, as they state in the terms of use.

“When you post User Content to the Site, you authorize and direct us to make such copies thereof as we deem necessary in order to facilitate the posting and storage of the User Content on the Site.” (Facebook , Terms of Use, User Content Posted on the Site).

As I reference back to the actual websites Terms of Use, I was utterly appalled by the sites so called ownership of our posted content. Is it possible to actually own someone’s thought, or own the moments that are captured in my photographs? Can they own my religious beliefs? I surely think (and hope the law agrees with me) that a website does not own these extensions of myself that I used to so willingly post. All points considered, maybe the next time I log into the facebook, could very well be my last.

features

march 27, 2009

features editor

wilmington

Madison Law

Wilmington’s own Agricultural Department has been busily involved in scores of activities and contests

With 115 students involved in the program and willing to work, it doesn’t come as a surprise that Wilmington High School’s Vocational Agriculture class gets the job done.w Fondly known as the‘Ag,’ class to those at the high school, this program is involved in scores of different charities and is instrumental in many projects around Clinton County.

“Well it’s kind of a two or three headed monster,” Ag teacher Eric Heeg admitted. “Academically its vocational agriculture. Now that is kind of inseparable from the organization which is called FFA.” According to Heeg, Future Farmers of America (FFA) is the blanket organization and iss an, “integral part

of the class.” “ T h e ng we main thing ulture in do is agriculture nature, but the thing he kids as that I tell the freshman is that we’re not going to teach them how to farm,” Heeg said. centage of “Very small percentage oing to be these kids are going n producdirectly involved in tion agriculture.”

Instead, Heeg said he wants his kids in the four years he derstand has them to better understand eir food agriculture and where their comes from.

“So many people don’t understand anything about Ag. They mes, don’t know really, a lot of times, therr the difference in species, whether they’re looking at a cow, orr a nd goat or sheep. That’s really kind d of scary, because that’s their food source,” Heeg said. “It does involvee some shop work and some industriall arts and stuff like that. We try to do a broad range of everything.”

Students, as a requirement for the class have to complete to certain number of work hours towards a Supervised Agricultural Experience Project, (SAE).

“They all have an FFA project. It

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could be anything from taking an animal to the fair, or working a job, or having a garden, or restoring a tractor. It could be almost an endless amount of things.”

Heeg said.

Sometimes the SAE could be just a summer project, or it could be something that’s done all year long, according to Heeg. He said it is not uncommon for some students to accumulate 1000 hours. ucation, it’s learn“It’s experiential education, heir hands, it’s learning outside ing with their t h e classroom,” Heeg said. “This is kind of getting them started on responsible record keeping as an adult, and helping to manage their household and their finan nances.”

Sophomore Kelli Hartman believes th that the valuable life skills are one of the many reas reasons that Wilmington’s Ag Department is so import important.

“I know peopl people who aren’t really on the fa farm or live on a farm, or rais raised on a farm, and they like it too just cause you learn a lot l of life skills in there,” Har Hartman said.

Hartman has wanted to be in Ag for as long as she can rememb remember.

“My mom was in it, a lot of fam members were in it, my family cause we come from a farming family, so it’s been like for forever,” Hartman said.

In addition, students in Ag ta take part in many charity o operations that the department d does for Clinton County.

“We helped with Feed the C Children recently, we helped out w the Hollidazzle Parade here in with Wilmington, we hosted a community golf outing, we do a fruit sale every year,” Hartman said, listing off the many charities Ag helps out with.

The Ag Department is also instrumental in helping with the Clinton County Fair every July.

“A lot of people take animals or

whatever to the fair and that’s just part of your SAE. I know a lot of us take livestock there,” Hartman said. “I take market hogs for 4H, and then I’m taking market chickens this year in FFA.” Ta k i n g animals to the fair also bbrings a on another asp aspect of th class: the c contests.

The Agriculture Department goes to scores of different contests throughout the year.

“There’s a lot of contests throughout the year. We just got done recently with public speaking and Ag sales, tractor troubleshooting, we did soils earlier in the fall, there’s a lot more that we do,” Hartman said.

Both Heeg and Hartman also said that students participate in many judging contests as well. Several of the categories are livestock, equine a n d poultry judging as well as agronomy.

“Livestock is one of the easier ones just because it’s kind of common sense a little bit, agronomy is pretty difficult,” Hartman said.

“They do insects and different crops and weeds and herbicides and pesticides and all that stuff…that’s a harder one to do.”

In a nutshell, judging contests are basically asking which animal is better

than the other, however Heeg said that there is much more to it as well.

“They are determining which animals are better than the other, which kind of sounds simplistic but here again, those animals at some point are going to be harvested and enter the food chain, so it does matter what the animal looks like,” Heeg said. “It’s much more involved then what you would expect.”

Hartman said that when judging breeding animals, it all depends of the sets of data thats given.

“For breeding, you just judge the animal based on the data they give you, like the number of offspring they have, the weight of the offspring and everything.

For the market, you look at how they appear, certain traits you look for,” Hartman said.

The Ag Department also has a committee of officers such as President, Vice President and Secretary to make decisions for the whole department.

Heeg says that he tries to make it as student run as possible while keeping a guiding hand to help out when needed.

“I try to put as much responsibility as possible on the kids and officer team and allow them to make the decisions and for them to decide which direction we’re taking the chapter,” Heeg said.

Overall, Heeg believes that his job is well worth any struggle at all, and can see himself doing this for awhile.

“Going from someone who’d been here for 26 years to somebody who was not yet 26 years old when they took the job was difficult but I feel good about where we’re going,” Heeg said, smiling. pictures/eric heeg

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features editor

Madison Law

lol

Since Charles Babbage invented it in 1845, the computer has completely revolutionized the world. Shopping, chatting, watching movies, meeting people, even getting your college diploma can all be done online.

Shopping is a pastime that many in America partake in.

Sophomore Jack Piechocki said he would rather not prolong the experience, and does his shopping online.

“Who cares if it doesn’t fit?”

Piechocki said with a shrug. “I’d rather shop online ‘cause it’s quicker.”

Why would anyone need to travel to a store ever again? Endless selections, and sometimes at a cheaper price are available at Internet tycoon websites like Amazon, and eBay at the touch of a button.

However there are some who believe that travelling to a store is part of the experience.

Sophomore Heidi Florea believes that shopping in a store is the way to go, and for her, it’s more of a social outing than any real necessity.

Computers

“I like window shopping more then anything,” Florea said. “I’d rather just go with friends and goof off. I don’t always buy things though.”

Students in high school can also take online classes, via the Virtual Learning Academy (VLA).

“We have currently about 70 Wilmington City School students,” Asst.

Principal Brent Carey said. “Again, that sounds like a lot but some of those kids, there’s a lot of special circumstances that someone may go on VLA.” For students with a busy schedule, or even students who just want to be at home, VLA is an option.

Sophomore Abbey Judd, who has been involved in VLA classes before, sees the benefit in them.

“I think we should take it (learning) more seriously,” Judd said.

“Sometimes all the social stuff gets in the way.”

Judd believes that if you’re busy and want to take more classes, VLA is great.

“You can’t replace in my opinion, being in class and being here every

It’s like a diary, right? A diary where one can chat with friends at the touch of the screen, where one can post pictures and videos and meet people from all over the globe who share the same interests.

It’s called blogging, and in today’s age, it’s gaining more popularity by the second.

According to Comscore, Inc. the Global Internet Information Provider worldwide visitors to social networking sites has grown 34% in the past year to above 350 million visitors.

That’s over 50 million more people then there are in the United States.

Among the social networks stand the biggest ones, Facebook and MySpace. Both have been locked in a tight battle for top seat, with each winning at different times. Both social tycoons attract more than 100 million visitors per month, according to Comscore, Inc. Teenagers frequent many of these sites, as well as adults. These sites are used to keep in contact with friends or relatives, send notices, and meet and chat with new people. However, like all online social sites this should be used with caution.

“I’ve gone to a lot of legal seminars

Blogging

day for VLA assignments,” Carey said.

Carey also believes that social interaction is an important quality that kids learn when they are involved in public school.

“One part of public education, and people forget this, is to learn how to deal with different groups of people, aand you don’t get that with VLA,” C Carey said.

Next in the line of things done on online are job applications. Traditionall ally, they were posted with the mail.

Ho However, more and more places of emp p employment are requiring all those inte interested in a position to send their appl applications and resumes over the Internet. Included are many hospitals in particular.

“All applicants are required to apply online,” Mary Ann Foland, Director of HR and Support Services at Clinton Memorial Hospital (CMH) said. “It increases our efficiency in reviewing and routing qualified applicants to the hiring managers.”

This isn’t to simply to annoy people, according to Foland. It is also part of the job description.

“All our positions require basic computer skills, requiring an on-line application is reasonable,” Foland said. “(It) Really helps us provide a better level of customer service to our applicants and to our managers because of the efficiency it creates!”

Shopping, learning and getting a job are only three of the many things that can be done on a computer nowadays that require no moving, no interaction, and no hassle.

We’ve reached the day and age where our fingers seem to do most of the talking. According to a research report recently released by Neilsen Mobile, their phone users between the ages of 13 and 17 send 1742 texts per month versus placing 231 calls.

“I would rather text,” Sophomore Caitlin Clifton said. “It’s fast, and it’s convenient.”

That seems to be the appeal that texting holds…quickness and convenience. Although, speaking through messages that often sound like, “wat r u doin?” are simply annoying to some.

“You can’t tell emotion through a text,” Sophomore Natasha Henson said.

It is hard to tell whether someone is angry or if they are just For the most part, however, the argument of texting versus calling seems to depend on the w h o ’s a n d what’s of the recipient. “ I f i t ’s just temporary, quick information, I’d rather text.

But if I want to chitchat and have a nice conversation, I’d call someone,” Judd said.

Judd believes that through text messaging and even over the Internet, people generally sound more open than in person.

“I feel like there’s this barrier,” said Judd. “You’re not saying it, you’re typing it, and it makes it easier to be someone you’re not.”

Technology has definitely shaped and defined our lifestyles, from shopping, to talking, to learning, to even meeting people. Whether that’s for the better or for the worse is still to be decided. Who knows…700 years into the future when Wall-E takes place, perhaps we’ll still be a race that craves human interaction, through technology or otherwise, or perhaps not.

Carey thinks that as Americans we

Texting and Cell Phones

and we’ve had sheriffs, we’ve had detectives, we’ve had FBI detectives that I’ve listened to…this stuff’s dangerous,” Carey said.

Carey believes that people often don’t realize that anyone could be watching what they post.

“Sometimes it’s naively put on there because it seems so fun and you think you’re protected,” Carey said. “But there’s thousands and thousands of cases in Ohio alone where girls are being stalked and people are finding all this information about you.”

need to be careful.

“In the last 10 years I’ve noticed that even adults, you tend to want to hide behind the computer more, and I really think that social skills have been negatively affected because people would rather e-mail, text and they avoid that communication,” Carey said.

Carey also said that he needs to catch himself sometimes. “Why don’t I just go talk to them? So I even get caught up in that, and I think you hurt your social skills…you forget how to deal with people.”

FRIEND :-D or FOE >:-[

A world full of humans, but none n of them utter a word. None of them walk. None off them do much of anything. This is the bleak world animators created in Pixar’s recent movie, Wall-E. The movie, which centers around the love story between two robots set 700 years into the future.

In this future, humans live in a gigantic hotel-like space station after abandoning Earth. Every possible need of the inhabitants is taken care of by technology. They are all incredibly obese and seem to have forgotten how to walk, although this isn’t a problem, as each floats around in hovering chairs.

The future that Pixar animators have created has opened many doors of possibility. Is this the future the human race is heading towards? Complete and utter dependence on technology with no face-to-face interaction? Or is technology really just that, a useful form of communication and entertainment?

tech

y... nolog

nts

de hs stu to: w

DRAMA_DIVA3 -who is this? don’t text me

XicemanX -Hey, wut up

RunnerGurl_09 - Yeah, that’d b gr8!

2010chick - Yah, sure, I have another in my bag if u wnt 1 l8r 4 practice? do u?

RunnerGurl_09 - Hey, can I have a sip of ur propel?

I am SUPER thirsty!

Cane_Baby -Prolly goin 2 tha green. I’ll ttyl... i gotta text sumbody sumtin important. PEACE

Qballa14 -Hey thnx. Wut u doin this weekend?

Cane_Baby - Gr8 game last night! That dunk was sweet

layout/ chas wiederhold

9 hurricane | THE EYE | march 27, 2009

wilmington

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march h 27 27,, 2009

Chas Wiederhold

f features

o d e l p o e p s g n i The th for

Lent

In the face of the economic crisis, what a job means to teenagers has drastically changed

design editor

Everyone knows that once Kroger pate in a more solemn tactic to brace changes their decorations, it is the sign for Easter. of a new season. Flashy red hearts and This method of preparation is called cupids wielding both bow and arrow Lent, a 40-day span in the Catholic lihave retreatturgical calendar ed to their that encourages “Meat is usually something off-holiday fasting, sacrifice, hibernation temperance, and and bunnies, I eat everyday, so it makes me self improveeggs and can- really have to work, and be put ment. dies painted Beginning on in all hues of in Jesus’ shoes to realize the Ash Wednesday, pastel have 40 days before come to take struggle he had to face.”

Easter, disregardAnna Gray i n g S u n d a y s , their places; all this, in sophomore Catholics and preparation other Christians for Easter. of varying deAlthough some are satisfied with nominations participate in a solemn this commercial approach for prepar- feast that reflects the Temptation of ing oneself for the one of the largest Christ detailed in the Gospels of Matand most widely celebrated Christian thew, Mark, and Luke. After being bapholidays, others feel called to partici- tized, Jesus fasted for forty days and forty nights in the desert while the devil offered him worldly possessions.

M u c h like Jesus rejected the offerings of Satan, Christians during Lent try to reject a temptation of theirs or improve a part of their life where they have

been lacking. This could include, but is not restricted to, giving up sweets, drinking alcohol, smoking, using distasteful language or arguing with siblings.

Sophomore Anna Gray decided to give up a big part of her life; meat.

“The reason I gave up meat for lent was because I think thatt it ray y helps me realize why we do lent,” Gray at said. “Meat is usually something I eeat ave everyday, so it makes me really have to work, and be put into Jesus’ shoes to realize the struggle he had to face.” h Some people choose to approach Lent from a perspective that will allow them to contemplate the sufferings of Jesus more closely.

These people give up things or strive to accomplish goals that will thrust them into better understanding of the sacrifice Jesus paid for all people. Some of these Lenten promises include fasting, removing meat from ones diet, reading biblical g or other religious texts regularly, going g a ha half lf to church more often, or taking y tto o an hour or an hour out of yourr day simply meditate and pray. omeom eGray believes that giving up somen ddoo thing like meat is the least she can for her faith. rt “Jesus was stranded in the desert for 40 days with hardly any food at all, and so giving up something like meat brings me closer to him, and makes me get a real feel for what he went through,” Gray said.

Whatever the case may be, by the end of Lent, Christians who participated in the somber celebration are fully prepared for the joyous occasion of Easter, where Jesus fulfilled the prophecies by rising from the dead.

graphic/madison law

march 27, 2009

features

Teens value jobs for several reasons

wilmington

Zach McCune

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In the face of the economic crisis, what a job means to teenagers has drastically changed

asst. entertainment editor

From buying that new pair of running shoes that they saw at the mall, to filling up the gas tank, the reasons teenagers have had jobs have changed over the course of time and even in recent months.

Teens have always had a role in the work place whether it be cleaning tables at a restaurant or bagging groceries at the local produce store. What could be the driving force for high school students to acquire and maintain a form of employment? The answer to that question is often money, but does slightly differ from worker to worker.

Some students said they work just for spending money, while some work so that they can help their parents pay for their car insurance or cell phone bill.

“I like to have a little extra spending m mo money, and working builds good charaacter,” ac t Bob Evans employee and high sschool sc h Junior Sara Horsley said.

Whatever their motivation may be, 19 in 2004 and 2005 was 36.4% and the purpose for them holding down 36.5%. Even though there are a siga job can also be influenced by the nificant number of minors employed, current state of the economy and how nearly two thirds of these 16-19 year directly it affects them, or their work olds do not work. place.

The remaining “…I also third of those under“It is important that I learn age employees are see people who come often influenced by in who most to be responsible before I get home situations or likely can’t af- out into the [real] world.” parental guidance ford to eat out, and influence. sara horsley and they don’t “My parents leave tips for junior would hate for me the servers to not be employed. which is sad They are very wonbecause that is derful and encourage the only way me to do all of the the servers get paid,” Horsley said right things…” Horsley said.

While some teens work, many often Parents are often very adamant in do not go out to find a job in their teen- persuading their teens to get a job beage years. According to the National cause of their parenting methods which Youth Employment Coalition, the drive their virtues into their children. annual average of teens from ages 16“It is important that I learn to be

responsible before I get out into the [real] world,” Horsley said.

Others said they work for a consistent cash flow to keep up with their spending habits.

“Money is a large motivator it allows me to pay for thing that I want to do like go bowling or to the movies,” sophomore Shadrach Brausch said.

Brausch works throughout the summer part time by roofing houses and cleaning out stalls in horse barns and often works to help out his parents. ”I work sometimes to help my parents, I often help my dad work at the church when he works,” Brausch said.

From developing a new found respect for the working class, to developing personal finance responsibility, teens will always have a place in the workforce.

Spring break on a budget PPatrick a Blouin photos editor

How to plan a great getaway without breaking open the piggy bank

In the current tough economic times, one must find ways to save money. With spring break coming up, all one can do is think of new ways to save money while still having fun.

There are many places in and around Ohio that are affordable, and fun, that people may or may not know about, but generally don’t.

Fairport Harbor Lakefront Parks is Cleveland is a beach with picnic areas, a lighthouse, and multiple museums for the enjoyment of spring break-ers. There are also many places that are inexpensive, and are also a fun time for everyone on the trip.

Other options that do not cost much include places that are accessible with just a short drive from the living room couch. A small trip to Columbus could include a trip to the first Wendy’s ever in Bexley, or, for the more art-sy types, you could visit the Topiary French People Garden, which is a French painting brought to life through shrubbery.

Sometimes, life may call for a stay at home for a break. If this is the case, then, there may be the need to find things to do around Wilm-

ington, such as, the Dayton area, and the surrounding cities in Wilmington.

In Wilmington, there is Adventure Cove, and Chakeres Movie Theater if someone is looking for a quick fix for boredom. There are many restaurants in Wilmington, also. Damon’s Bar and Grill is a popular choice, along with The General Denver, and The Mediterranean.

If someone is looking for a Spring Break away from home, they can look at the possibility of going into Florida.

According to billsavings.com, students should try to completely plan out their trip beforehand to avoid overspending and talk to a travel agent who deals with students.

Naples Beach offers many of the more expensive activities for a cheaper price. The Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens is a sure way to have a good time for a low price. This hotspot is located on Florida’s Southwest Coast, about halfway between Sarasota and Naples, near Sanibel. The summer weather ranges from 80-95 degrees, though, the raining generally tends to occur during the spring and summer season. Another attraction that

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brings people from all over the United States is the Marco Island Film Festival. All in all, this location is a must see for the Spring Break go-ers.

When thinking about your Spring Break location, you must think about three main things: money, location, and time. The locations mentioned can give you this with more added. graphic/patrick blouin

12Tennis team hopes for winning season Robert Johnson staff writer

This year the tennis team has “high expectations,” head coach Steven Reed said. After almost making it to their league championship last year, the team hopes to succeed in the feat this year.

“This season I have very high expectations for our team,” Reed said. He is working to improve their doubles, and to keep constantly winning on the lower courts.

While making it to the big championship is a major priority for the team, Reed also hopes to beat Turpin. ”We hope to beat Turpin, they won the league title last season, and we’ve never beat them so I’m really looking forward to playing them,” he said.

Reed is also excited about this season because they have the new tennis

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courts to play on.

“It’s great, we finally feel like part of the school, now we have our own tennis courts to play on and we don’t have to go to the park,” he said.

This year Reed is expecting great things from senior Tyler Johnston (just inducted into the hall of fame), senior Chris Million, senior Adam Lewis and senior Trevor Lynn. As far as freshmen, Reed is excited about Mark Sodini.

“This will be his debut for the high school,” he said.

Last Friday they had a tennis scrimmage against Dublin “It went great, the kid’s were nervous at first but once they got the butterflies out of the way they played great.

The Cane plays their first game on March 30 at home against Loveland.

Junior Cameron Smith hits the courts for practice on March 17.

Track gets running start tomorrow at CMHS Mercedes Welsch staff writer

Senior Ethan Usborne and freshman Tommy Swank practicing.

Freshman Hillary Duquette doing block starts at practice.

On your mark, set, go. The high school boys and girls track teams have started their season with the basics like running, hurdling, high jumping and pole vaulting.

“We are conditioning and working hard,” sophomore Matt Roberts said.

Roberts teammates agree.

“We are practicing really hard, and form a good team and teach everyone to work together,” junior Ariel Anthony said.

The coaches for the boy’s team are Coach Tim Williams and Coach Haze.

The girl’s coaches are head coach Bryan Siebenaller and varsity assistant and throwing coach Eileen Grosse.

The boy’s work on running outside and weight lifting inside to condition for season. The boys try to run and stretch together but are not like last year, they said. Team work for them last year was the key thing.

“Were not as team oriented as last year but we are still good,” Roberts said The girls have been running and hurdling for their conditioning.

“I am a new coach but I have been seeing a lot of improvement because most of them I had in junior high and they have improved from junior high to high school,” Siebenaller said.

“It’s going to be great for me personally. And as a team I hope we do well also,” senior Lindsey Crowe said.

The season for both teams will last until June 6.

“We should have a good season this year,” coach Tim Williams said.

Both the girls and boys will kick off their season with their first meet at the Clinton Massie Invitational tomorrow. photos/ mercedes welsch

march 27, 2009

Baseball team takes the field

RJ Houghton staff writer

The depth chart this season has extended adding sophomores Victor Manley and Brady Camp from the JV squad. Camp, Manley, and also junior Dillan Day are expected to be great contributors to the varsity team.

“The junior class will need to step up as leaders this season,” Craycraft said.

With heavy competition expected from Kings, Turpin and Amelia, Craycraft knows success both on and off the road is vital.

“Our goal as a team this season is to be at the top of the FAVC, and to do that we need to be successful at home and on the road as well.”

Lacrosse team gears up for play Megan Phillips staff writer

Coming in from a rough losing season last year winning only one game, the Wilmington Lacrosse team hopes to improve this season with a winning record. Players this year for the lacrosse team are a good mixture of all grades, but mostly juniors and freshman.

“Personally I think the team is doing pretty good for the numbers that we have. I wish we had more numbers we would be doing a lot better if we had more people but with we got I think we are accelerating

Lacros by wo se players s rking h t ard at art off the s practic eason e.

pretty well,” Derek Bates said.

The Wilmington Crusaders, a recreation team, is always a Wilmington lacrosse rival.

“I think that we have a lot of potential.

So I think that we will do a lot better than last year.

We have become one as a team, “Noah Harris said.

Knowing the lacrosse team had an unsuccessful season last year, the new lacrosse coach, Jeremy Andrews hopes to change that this season.

“I hope to help the players turn some of their past losses into victories,” he said. photos/ mercedes welsch

The softball team is getting ready for the 2009 season and according to varsity head coach Willie McClure, it’s shaping up to be a good one.

There are 13 varsity players, 10 of which are returning players and there are 12 junior varsity players.

“Everyone is working hard,” McClure said. “I am proud of the effort and good skills that I have seen so far.”

Conditioning has been going on for a couple of weeks and tryouts, or “camp” as McClure calls it, started on March 9.

The new player additions and the experience from some girls playing summer ball and private instructors add to the talent, McClure said.

Some of the competitive teams in the FAVC this year include the returning champions Kings, Little Miami and Edgewood.

Both teams started pre-season this week with scrimmages and regular season play starts March 31 against Clermont Northeastern.

Kelli Hartman, sophomore and returning varsity catcher, said they have more of a goal this year to be champs and improvements to the home field are adding to the excitement of the new season.

“This is an exciting time in our program,” McClure said. “We have the best talent we’ve had in a while.”

Sophomore Stephanie Byrne shags a fly ball in practice.

wilmington

Softball shaping up for season Alexis Thatcher staff writer

Daniel Kruger practices pitching during pre-season after school. photos / mercedes welsch

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With the Hurricane varsity baseball team winning only seven games last season, nine year head coach Jeff Craycraft said they will come into this season seeking an FAVC championship.

Last season, according to Craycraft, the varsity baseball team allowed an average of six and a half runs per game.

“We need to get that average down below 4 to be a contender,” Craycraft said.

The team also was a young team, made up of mostly sophomores and only a few players with varsity experience.

This season, the varsity baseball team will have more experience with many juniors and seniors from last season making their way back to the field.

Among the many returning players from last season is senior and last season’s homerun leader Kirby Seeger.

Also returning is junior infielder Brandon Arehart who had a .500 batting average last season.

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14 Boys basketball finishes with district title Mercedes Welsch staff writer

The stands are packed, the crowd is ready and the cheerleaders are cheering, “Wilmington Hurricanes the best of the best, defending our title, expect no less…”

In the game against Bellbrook, the Golden Eagles, at the Dayton Arena, the crowd was going crazy. It was a close game and it was Wilmington’s first time going to district tournaments since 2001. The Hurricanes this year were district champs, as well as sectional champs, but lost in the regional semi –final championship game on March 19; and the final score of the game was 67-60.

In the Bellbrook game, Quinten Rollins put 21 points on the scoreboard that included 12 points in the opening half.

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This put the Hurricane’s record at Craig Osterbrock reached the doubledigits when playing in this game. He 19-2. The next game was against Dunbar on March had 10 more 7 at the Daypoints in the ton Arena. third quarter The Hurrimaking the canes worked score 47as a team to 35. Branwin the game don Areagainst Dunhart added bar and the fieight points nal score was on to that 71-67. After and includthat game, ing his two it made the foul shots, Canes remaking the cord 20-2. score 57Next game 40 and the photo contributed/ linda rinehart was against canes end Springfield up with the Seniors Craig Osterbrock, Kirby Seeger and Michael Shawnee victory.

Grahm pose with district champion trophy

the Braves on March 11, at Dayton Arena.

Everyone worked together to beat the Braves; a division II team. The ending score was 57-43. “We did good enough to win and move on. That is all that matters right now,” Mike Noszka said .

Bringing the Hurricanes record to 21-2. The next game was against Thurgood Marshall on March 19 at the Cintas Center. The final score of the game was 67-60 (ohiolockerroom).

With the seasons unwanted close the Hurricanes finished with a 21-3 record.

“We had the best season in the history of the school. We left everything we had on the floor at Xavier University. We played to the utmost of our abilities,” coach Noazka said.

Tips for earning a college athletic scholarship Jessica Maus sports editor

Every high school student has a dream, some dream of going to Harvard Medical School, and some have dreams of competing in college sports, and eventually playing for a pro sports team. To get to college and compete at the college level, a student either must be given a scholarship, loan, etc. Or another option is get accepted to the college the student would like to compete at and “walk on” the team of their choice if that is offered at the college or university of choice.

“Wilmington College is a NCAA Division III institution, like many in Ohio that does not award aid due to athletic prowess or skill. It does however, award a great deal of aid due to academic ability and/or financial need.

At Wilmington College, all 21 of the varsity teams will permit a student to ‘walk on’. Terry Rupert, the Wilmington College Athletic Director said.

“Usually with most sports there will

be an evaluation period of the studentathletes skills at the beginning of the sport season. Though all of our coaches are actively recruiting prospective athletes for their teams, they are always willing to give a student a chance to make the squad.”

According to Athletic Scholarships. net, to be eligible to receive a scholarship, an athlete must first get noticed.

To get noticed, the site advises athletes to speak with coaches and tell them that they are interested in competing at the college level. Getting ones self out there will help speed the process; also providing an athletic profile to hand to coaches will help.

“It doesn’t matter how good you are, College coaches cannot evaluate your potential if they don’t know you’re out there. If you don’t submit your athletic profile to the coaches then you won’t get a scholarship…it’s that simple,” according to the site.

If one were to receive a scholarship, much responsibility comes with accepting it. According to Wilmington High School Athletic Director Mike Wallace commented on the responsibilities, “To accept a scholarship, you have committed yourself to attend that specific university. Also, each scholarship comes with certain requirements that you must satisfy, such as keeping a certain GPA, staying out of trouble on campus, etc.”

When trying to receive an athletic scholarship, remember these tips, and working toward one will be easier.

graphic/Jessica Maus

entertainment

march 27, 2008

Are you into he’s just not that into you

A+ There are six little words that have changed dating forever, “he’s just not that into you”. These words are a nightmare for any girl who thinks she has found

the one, the one that could meet her at the alter and keep her warm at night.

The problem is, the men haven’t asked, or mentioned that next step.

The book and recently released film, “He’s Just Not That Into You,” could have girls secondguessing relationships, and wondering if they’ll ever find a man that really is into them.

The book, by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo has a tone, mood that lets the reader relate to them. Each chapter covers a different scenario of how the guy is not into you. For example, He’s just not that into you…if he’s not calling you, or if he’s not asking you out, or if he’s breaking up with you. These seem pretty obvious, especially the last one, but women have been blinded of these signs, and continue to pursue the guy.

Behrendt wants women to understand the way guys communicate. He’s slowly begun to learn how girls will react in situations with relationships. The book is set

up in a unique way, where women have written to Behrendt with their situations, trying to prove that their man has a reasonable excuse. Behrendt will reply, with the harsh reality, that ‘he’s just not that into you.’

“For ages women have come together over coffee, cocktails to late-night phone charts and analyze to the puzzling behavior of men,” Behrendt said.

“Men are not complicated, although they’d like you to think they are.

And there are no mixed messages.”

It can be very hard to grasp that, for there are so many excuses that could be holding a guy back from taking the next step, or the first step at all. The guy could be shy, or he could think that the girl is out of his league. According to Behrendt, that is not the case. There is no gray area when it comes to men. And he is so blunt and humorous in the way he tells women.

The hilarious flick with an all-star cast including Jennifer Aniston, Ben Affleck, Drew Barrymore, Scarlett Johansson, and Gennifer Goodwin, hasboth men and women thinking about the muddy waters of the opposite sex.

Behrendt and Tuccillo wrote the book in order to help women who suf-

fer from misreading the signs men give.

Both are enjoyable, but the movie seems to portray the example of the exception better than the book, yet the book shares more humorous stories.

The film and book change the way women look at relationships, they may feel more confused or desperate for their Prince Charming to come along, but in the end, no one wants to spend their life with someone who isn’t that into them.

“It’s all fun and games to have some insight and a witty reply to your letters, but at the core the ‘he’s just not that into’ concept can truly have a magical transcendent effect,” Behrendt said. “It’s not bad news if it helps you free yourself from a relationship that is beneath you.”

Both are enjoyable, but the movie seems to portray the example better than the book, yet the book shares more humorous stories.

The exception cannot be expected, and women cannot aim for the exception, so women must learn to be the rule. Understand that if he’s not calling you then he isn’t into you, and if somehow he realizes he’s messed up, then rejoice that there is an exception: you.

Author survives holocaust to tell chilling account Jessica Maus sports editor

B+ “Never shall I forget that smoke.

Never shall I forget the small faces of the children whose bodies I saw transformed into smoke under a silent sky. Never shall I forget those flames that consumed my faith forever. Never shall I forget the nocturnal silence that deprived me for all eternity of the desire to live. Never shall I forget those moments that murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to ashes. Never shall I forget those things; even were I condemned to live as long as God himself. Never.” (Night34) Forgetting is impossible, moving on and telling a story of survival is pos-

sible though. In Elie Wiesel’s novel Night he describes his experiences in a NAZI Germany concentration camp. Wiesel describes the many obstacles that he comes across such as the very first one, leaving his quiet secluded home in Sighet, Transylvania, and now part of Romania.

“They began to walk without another glance at the abandoned streets, the dead, empty houses, the gardens, the tombstones…”(Night16) Wiesel faced many harder obstacles such as watching his mother and sisters walk away, and never seeing them again, also separating from his father to work in a different unit in the camp, having surgery due to swelling in his foot, and finally surviving off of only a piece of bread and butter, a small cup of coffee in the morning and a ration of watery soup for dinner.

These are only a few of the difficult obstacles Wiesel had to undergo.

Wiesel’s use of strong descriptions helped shape the novel and put you as a reader in his place. An example is when Wiesel and his father went through the first selection at Auschwitz and were walking in line with the other prisoners, they slowly approach a ditch filled with babies being burned.

“Not far from us flames, huge flames, were rising from a ditch.

Something was being burned there.

A truck drew close and unloaded its

hold: small children. Babies! Yes, I did see this, with my own eyes…children thrown into the flames.”(Night32) Wiesel was 15 years old when he walked through the gates of Auschwitz which said “Arbiet Macht Frei”, meaning work makes you free. Night was published in English in 1960 and in my opinion is

one of the best Holocaust memoirs written. Wiesel’s strong descriptions and imagery help put me as reader in his position, and help give me a small feel for what it was like to be a prisoner in a concentration camp during the Second World War under the reign of Adolf Hitler.

wilmington

opinions editor

h hurricane

Karlee Blanchard

15

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hel (Rac ms of . rey Aud k) drea id Row Bec ving Sk lea

“Bu Au sines is c drey II s has ’ l o s ed f s been been t or b hri r e nov loomin ving si atio g.” nce M n . u s hnic k’s

Photos by Libby Wetterhan

a magical, modern flavor to the musical. The set carries a unique, colorful, downtown essence as well as the costumes s that are vibrant erhold) findating (Chas Wied ne and lively, giving Mr. Mushnikthe mouth of the ma more to the talhimself in ent that these terfly trap. rific actors already have. This musical was worth seeing as it’s the kind of entertainment that was funny, smart, charming, witty, comical and most of all hysterical. Being catorgized as not your traditional musical makes it unpredictable and fun for the whole audience. The energy and upbeat of Little Orin Sc Shop compares to the prepare rivello D.D.S (Pa musicals of Grease, Davis) ms to give Seym trick Blouin) Hairspray, and o o u t h a makeov ur’s (Andrew Mama Mia. It only er. deserves a grade A as these young, talented, actors, crew members, band, cast supporters, and director Brian Wallingford who have worked hard. Stand up and cheer for Little Shop of Horrors, these actors were definitely bloodthirsty.

osh, Bexlie Victoria McInt Doowop girls( urdock, Ciara Mrdock and Beam, Elexis M an.) add pizazz to the Hannah Finnegeir soulful voices. songs with th ing with some Motown attitude.

When Seymour cuts his finger, the plant is hungry and needs food. Instead Seymour drops blood into the plant’s mouth, and the plant becomes addicted. The blood feeds the plant as it grows bigger and demands more blood. Krelbourn makes a deal with his plant that as long as he keeps making money, he will feed the plant blood.

This then leads to Seymour meeting Audrey’s sadistic and abusive boyfriend Orin Scrivello D.D.S. (Patrick Blouin).

Blouin gives the musical a unique, hilarious, vibe outshining the colorful set behind him. Since Audrey II (voiced

by Shadrach Brausch and operated

by Timmy Wiederhold the two did an outstanding job of staying in routine with each other and making the plant the true star) is hungry and thirst for blood Seymour gets the bright idea to visit the dentist at his office. In result, the dentist dies due to an overdose of “laughing gas” and Seymour feeds him to the plant putting the evidence in the trash. Police start suspecting Seymour for the disappearance of Mr. Scrivello.

Mr. Mushnik gets the truth out of Seymour and is about to turn him in when the plant surprisingly eats him too.

The play comes to shock the audience with the twist of Audrey giving her life up to the plant, as well as Seymour.

Little of Shop of Horrors was quite successful and deserves to be a classic.

The cast came together to perform a memorable, interesting, plot combined with the singing and dancing that brings

Seymour overnig (Andrew Davis) b h e t c blood thirssensation, along witomes an ty plant. h his

man named Mr. Mushnik (Chas Wiederhold). Wiederhold brought a very comical, loud performance that made his personality shine through with the result of the audience loving his sense of humor. Helping him is a nerdy, young assistant named Seymour Krelbourn (Andrew Davis). Davis was a star in the play as he sung very well and brought out Seymour’s character for people to love and adore. When he discovers that one of his plants has a growing appetite, he continues to feed it as it grows bigger and bigger and bigger.

Pretty soon it grows out of its planter.

When Seymour neglects to feed his plant, he learns that it can secretly talk.

Krelbourn continues to feed the plant until he runs out of food for it. By this time the plant takes up almost the entire store and keeps saying “Feed Me,” “Feed Me.” The plant instantly becomes famous as well as it’s owner, Seymour.. He names the plant Audrey II after his crush, named Audrey (Rachel Beck) who works in the flower shop by his side. Her fashion sense leans more toward tacky as well as her choice in men, but Beck does an excellent job of taking on the role of Audrey. Her vocals and dancing were top notch earning an applause. To help her along the way are the Doo-wop girls (Bexlie Beam, Victoria McIntosh, Ciara Murdock, Elexis Murdock, and Hannah Finnegan) with their fresh, spunky, attitude which make them a big hit and popular with the crowd. They gave their best performance of carrying out their strong voices and danc-

Little Shop of Horrors dominates the stage

Little Shop of Horrors is a rock musical by composer Alan Menken and writer Howard Ashman, about a hapless florist shop worker who raises a plant that feeds on human blood.

Based on Roger Corman’s 1960 lowbudget B-horror movie of the same name, and featuring an infectious score

by Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman. The show is a black comedy combining traditional musical theater characterizations, doo-wop and Motown melodies, suggestions of the Faust myth, themes of urban poverty and physical abuse and monster movie folklore.

The main storyline of the show is a plant store that is run by a grumpy, old

staff writer

Danika McLester

Seym Audre our (Andre love. y (Rachel Bw davis) a eck) p nd rofess thei

wilmington

h hurricane

entertainment i march h 27,, 2009

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