2.25.2011 issue
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Carmel High School's HiLite presents its Feb. 25, 2011 issue.TRANSCRIPT
CARMEL HIGH SCHOOL520 E. MAIN ST.CARMEL, IN 46032WWW.HILITE.ORG
FEB. 25, 2011 | VOL. 56 | ISSUE 7
*CARMEL HIGH SCHOOL’S STUDENT NEWSMAGAZINE
The United States falls behind in science and mathematics. Is Carmel turning over a new
leaf? — Page 16
Acumen: The “Millennial” Issue See Insert
Be a riend, keep in ouch.
STEMEducation
Blooms
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ArjunA CApulong / Cover DesignDAniel li / Cover grAphiC
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Table of Contentsnews
the College board revamps the AP biology curriculum and postpones
change to AP U.S. history.
15 MinutesJunior Michael Kelleher participates in cage-fighting.
featurerecent political riots in egypt affect students at ChS.
student sectionStudents debate passion versus practicality in job choice.
entertainmentreporters Melinda Song and Dhruti Patel review the best frozen yogurt
restaurants in the Carmel area.
sportsthe men’s basketball team faces a tough season with a new team coach.
Perspectivesthe HiLite staff proposes improvements to the Distinguished grad program.
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cover storyrelease of international test scores in December prompts a shift in
educational focus.
Feb. 25, 2011| hilite.org | hilite | just a minute | page 3
NEWSPage 4 | NeWS | HiLite | HiLite.org | feb. 25, 2011
[email protected] | twitter.com /hilite_news
Important Datesfeb. 26: Dance MarathonMar. 1: NHS meetingMar. 4: Deadline for AP exam registrationMar. 11: end of 3rd grading period
College Board reexaminescurriculum for AP classes
A Look AhEAD: AP Biology teacher Tom Maxam instructs his class. The College Board announced changes to the curriculum last month to emphasize a shift from breadth of material to depth of coverage on the national exam.
College Board announces changes in instruction of AP Biology while postponing change in AP U.S. historyBy mELINDA [email protected]
The College Board’s Advanced Placement program is gaining popularity both at this school and around the world. According to an October 2010 press release, last school year marked a 9
percent increase in AP course enrollment here. Moreover, according to the College Board, in 2009, 1.8 million students took more than 3.2 million AP exams.
However, with this upward trend, complaints have also been on the rise.
According to a New York Times article “Rethinking Advanced Placement,” the loudest of these voices targets the overwhelming amount of content required and lack of in-depth understanding within certain course curricula. The College Board has responded with the “New AP” program, which includes curriculum changes that will
shift the instructional focus from breadth of material to depth of coverage in several of its 33 AP courses.
The first AP course up for change is AP Biology, which had about 173,000 exam-takers in 2009. College Board publicly released its changes to this course on Jan. 29.
AP Biology teacher Tom Maxam, who has taught this course for 16 years, said there is evident room for improvement within it.
“The kids don’t learn enough process,” he said. “There’s too much memorization in AP Bio, too much volume. If you saw how much anatomy and physiology I’m supposed to teach in five weeks, you wouldn’t believe it. It’s kind of like going to law school. While not academically super hard, the volume of material you have to learn is the difficult part.”
Despite the amount of material within in AP Biology, however, senior Jeremy Weprich, who is currently taking
hope boyer / photo
News Briefs
CHTV will broadcast live coverage of Dance Marathon tomorrow. CHtV will be at Dance Marathon for the entire event, from 4 to 10 p.m. During the coverage, a phone number will be shown on screen so viewers can call in and make a pledge to Dance Marathon.
On March 21 the german Club is scheduled to visit the Heidelburg Haus, a german restau-rant and gift shop in Indianapolis. According to Alex Wallace, german Club co-president and senior, all participants will meet after school to play german games and then take a bus to the restaurant around dinner time.
Summarizing newsworthy content found daily online at www.hilite.org
Dance Marathon scheduled for tomorrow. the annual event will occur tomorrow from 4 to 10 p.m. in the freshman cafeteria, varsity gym, and the fieldhouse. Last year, Dance Marathon raised over $174,000 for riley Hospital, making it the nation’s largest high school dance marathon. Participants are encouraged to arrive early to check-in with their color groups.
Story continued on next page >>
DeCa members prepare for State competition March 6 to 8 in downtown Indianapolis. According to DeCA sponsor Janice brown, the team has performed well in past State competitions. Scoring and ranking is determined by the number of students who manage to place in each of the events.
AP AND IB ProgrAmS
Weather Forecasttired of the snow and ice? find out if temperatures are going up and the sun is coming out from Patrick bryant’s Weather forecast.
HiLite staff members were recently awarded 17 gold Circle awards from the Columbia Scho-lastic Press association (CSPa). Staff members placed in 11 categories, two in the online News division and nine in the online News Writing division.
Carmel Clay Parks and Recreation (CCPR) is planning a Breakin’ 101 to occur on Thursdays from March 3 to april 28. According to Lindsay Labas, marketing manager for the CCPr, new events are occurring specializing in the arts and culture. Along with new special events, Labas said that volunteers are needed. According to Labas, Dime Carnival on March 5 will have a few hundred participants and is open to anyone who wishes to volunteer.
for more information and stories, go to our website www.hilite.org
The class was also added as a way to provide more opportunity to incoming freshmen who want to be challenged more academically and as preparation for other advanced courses, like IB or AP classes. According to Gibson, another benefit of taking the new class would be meeting and interacting with other students who might eventually choose the IB program.
Harmas said, “So many students at CHS have the ability to achieve at such a high level, and the staff at CHS is committed to making sure that the needs of each student at the appropriate level.”
By offering different rigor to students, both students and parents are able to select the course that best meets the needs of each student. Only one AP course is currently offered to freshmen.”
feb. 25, 2011 | HiLite.org | HiLite | NEWS | PagE 5
this course, said knowing the fine details of biological processes is crucial to understanding overarching biological concepts.
“You can’t just understand why evolution happens because of the definition of evolution. Because it’s the AP and it’s a college-level course, you have to understand the actual elements, the biological elements, that make that up,” he said. “So instead of just knowing the definition, you really have to know the parts that equate to that larger picture.”
The AP program is designed to challenge students intellectually and better prepare them for college courses. In 2002, the National Research Council, a branch of the National Academy of Sciences, criticized AP science courses in general for failing to develop problem-solving skills through labs and experiments in their students. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, for example, stopped accepting college credit for AP Biology in 2007 for this reason. According to Maxam, however, effective college preparation has not been a large issue in his class.
“The kids do fantastic with the course,” Maxam said. “I get e-mails from former students who said that they were beyond prepared, like they could teach the class when they go to college, even at Ivy League schools.”
Maxam said he believes decreasing the amount of content and increasing the amount of critical thinking on the AP Biology exam would be more beneficial.
“I think students will like the change. It’s a less frenetic pace,” he said. “I mean, we’re basically pouring the stuff down their throats. They learn it, but it’s pretty intense.”
AP U.S. History, a course College Board also plans to revamp, is currently the most popular AP subject, with over 387,000 test takers in 2009. While the board planned to release changes to this subject last month, they have been postponed due to complaints of vagueness.
Social studies teacher Will Ellery, who has eight years of experience teaching this course, said he has a concern with College Board’s plan to reduce the amount of material students need to know for the national exam.
“There is a cause-effect relationship in all of history. And if we start eliminating prior history to just zero in on certain other parts of history, we may not understand the ramifications of what we’re looking at,” he said. “For example, if we look at political figures—if I were to look at America’s handling of imperialism at the end of the 19th century and early 20th century, we’re going to look at Theodore Roosevelt and his command of what happened with the Monroe Doctrine. Well, if you don’t understand the Monroe Doctrine, you’re not going to understand that. And if you’re not going to understand the Monroe
School makes IB block class available for incoming freshmen starting next year by natalie [email protected]
When senior Irene Gibson planned her schedule for her freshman year, she didn’t have as many options as incoming freshmen now do. Like other students, Gibson had to choose which diploma she wanted, and she selected the IB diploma. But unlike incoming freshmen, Gibson could not take any pre-IB classes until her sophomore year. Beginning next year, however, freshmen will be able to enroll in a pre-IB block class, which combines Honors English 9 and Honors World History 9.
Gibson said having those choices as a freshman might have altered her schedule.
<< Story continued from last page Doctrine as a result of George Washington’s neutrality proclamation of 1793, then you really might not get the whole concept itself.”
After looking at the new curriculum College Board has created, teachers across the nation have echoed Ellery’s reservations. As a result, vice president Trevor Packer said the board plans to make changes to U.S. history applicable during the 2014-15 school year.
“While there’s a lot of content (in AP U.S. History), the questions are actually analytical in nature—not just the free responses, not just document-based questions, but even the objective multiple choice questions are analytical questions,” Ellery said. “That’s the difficulty if kids run into it without having taken an AP course before and without, really, having their eyes opened. They haven’t had the experience of taking analytical, objective exams so it’s not necessarily the amount of content to memorize as much as it is the ability to take that content and then analyze the application of that content.”
Combinationsthe ib block class will combine honors english 9 and honors world his-tory 9. Jason elrite and Katie gray will teach the respective courses.
the OriginsAccording to gray, the idea for the program was influenced by her own experiences in the AP block class at this school and a similar program elrite instructed in California.
expectationsthe ib block class is designed to be challenging yet manageable. Class expectations will be adjusted to suit the freshmen’s ability to cope with the academic rigor, according to gray.
to read the full version of the story and for more on the new ib block program, go to hilite.org.
Go OnlineFor more To read the full version of the story and more on
the latest events at CHS, go to hilite.org
Gibson said, “I think I would have taken the block class because it’s a higher level of learning. It’s different then AP because it doesn’t have as many details. I think it’s a good idea.”
While Gibson and all other CHS students had the option of pursuing the IB diploma, taking pre-IB courses as a freshman is a new option. “The decision to offer the new freshman course was made by the CHS administration, and those involved in the IB program,” IB coordinator Lori Harmas said via e-mail.
According to the CHS website, the IB program is made up of six classes taken over the course of a student’s junior and senior years. These six classes are mandatory to receive the IB diploma, but the new IB block class will not be required
and is considered to be pre-IB. Still, the new class may provide a good way to lead more students to seek an IB diploma, according to Katie Gray, a social studies teacher who will teach the honors world history portion of the class.
“The pre-IB block class will simultaneously prepare students for the advanced curriculum at Carmel and challenge them to apply their learning to creative problems throughout the year,” Gray said via e-mail. “In addition, the pre-IB class will be a great bridge for students who are unsure if they are ready for AP World History.”
Gray said the idea for the new program began from discussions she had with Jason Elrite, who will teach the Honors English 9 portion of the class. She said, “The inspiration for the class was a combination of the block class that Mr. Elrite taught in California and my own experiences in the AP U.S. History and AP American Literature course while a student at CHS.”melinda Song / grapHiC
ib Diplomas Worldwidenumber of schools around the globe that offer ib diplomas, by country
ibo.org / SourCe
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Growth of Global AidThis school year finds increase in clubs, events dedicated to supporting global charitable causesby vicTor [email protected]
On Jan. 12 last year, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck the capital of Haiti, Port-au-Prince. According to the New York Times, up to 250 thousand died amid collapsed buildings, and the total cost of the disaster piled up at $7 to $13 billion.
Nevertheless, the international response and relief efforts were remarkable, and over $9 billion and much more in relief have been contributed to Haiti, according to a Time article published in January. Yet despite the amount of global attention and donations to Haiti, statistics from the article show that only 5 percent of the rubble covering Port-au-Prince has been removed. Some cite the lack of glamour in donating money for removing rubble.
Slow Help for HaitiSenior Kathleen Hayes said Haiti’s slow recovery was a cause of concern, but she emphasized that she still had faith in international aid efforts despite their ineffectiveness after the Haitian earthquake. Last year, Hayes headed the group Project Haiti, which focused on raising money by selling $2 stickers to support the victims of the earthquake.
The rise of many humanitarian groups in the past several years also reflects the student body’s confidence in international aid and helping the needy, according to Jim Inskeep, director of athletics and activities.
“I believe our student body as a whole has become more socially aware of needs across the world, whether that is the result of media attention to it or otherwise,” Inskeep said. “I also think our social studies department does a really good job of discussing current events and issues. We have teachers who are specifically interested in certain types of aid, going different places and providing vehicles for students to get involved.”
other organizationsFrom Jan. 18 to Jan. 28, the Muslim Student Associa-tion (MSA) established the Peppermints for Pakistan fundraiser in response to the Pakistani flood in August of 2010. The flood had displaced over 20 million citizens, 5,000 miles of road and 7,000 schools, according to the New York Times. Despite competition with Dance Mara-thon fundraising, the group sold baked goods and candy and raised several hundred dollars in donations to the
clubS And AcTiviTieS Entertainment clubs give value to studentsby Andy [email protected]
This school has been home to a variety of clubs and organizations, and while some tend to focus on competition or humanitarian efforts, others emphasize a different interest.
These so-called entertainment clubs are based on social interest and allow students to get together just to relax. Senior Garrett Bacon created one such club: Scrabble Club.
“It started out that I was playing Word with Friends on my iPod a lot, and so I thought ‘Hey, why not just make a club for Scrabble because they’re very similar’. I talked to my friends and they said ‘Yeah, that would be a great idea’, so I just did the paper work and put it together,” Bacon said.
Bacon also said that these clubs brings people with similar interests together who might otherwise never meet, and Jim Inskeep, athletics and activities director, said he believes these clubs bring a level of diversity that separates CHS from other schools.
“When there are kids interested in something and they can find a sponsor who is willing to work with them, I think it really celebrates the uniqueness of Carmel High School. I don’t think there are a lot of schools that would allow that or celebrate the fact that we have over a 100 clubs or the fact that we’re pretty liberal lots of times with what we accept as clubs. It really celebrates the diversity of our interests that we have.” Inskeep said.
Furthermore, in the club’s first meeting, around 30 students attended, according to sponsor Courtney Trachtman, and while Bacon attributes this simply to the popularity of the game, Trachtman says that this might in fact be due to the improved promotion of clubs in general.
“The promotion for them has been better and that might be because they tightened up the announcements, so videos and announcements have to be a little more polished and a little more planned,” Trachtman said.
reAl Aid: Caroline Stephens and Aneesha Kamath, co-presidents of the Real International Aid Club and seniors, conduct a club meeting. Organizations like this were started for humanitarian and charitable efforts.
katie bourgerie / photo
PopularitySponsors and mem-bers attribute the unique video an-nouncements to increased membership and interest in the clubs.
importanceinskeep says the clubs provide a more diverse and inclusive environment only available at schools like this one.
club Acceptancethis school does not accept clubs that mirror athletic organizations already offered by the school. but inskeep generally authorizes clubs that meet the necessary criteria.
for the full version of the story, visit hilite.org.
Story continued on next page >>
feb. 25, 2011 | HiLite.org | HiLite | NEWS | PagE 7
Get Involved
Key ClubMuslim Student AssociationReal International Aid ClubGlobal GivingDo Something Club
Looking for an after school activity or a chance to get involved? Consider joining the following clubs at this school that focus on giving back.
Red Cross, according to Lyla Nassimi, president of the MSA and senior.
Inskeep said although certain clubs and events, such as Project Haiti and Peppermints for Pakistan, are temporary and formed in response to specific disasters, many permanent humanitarian organizations have arisen as well.
Caroline Stephens and Aneesha Kamath, co-presidents of Real International Aid Club and seniors, are among those who continue to trust in international aid. They reformed an existing club last year to create Real International Aid Club. The two said the organization is not interested in the glamour of donating that has prevented Haiti from alleviating a fundamental issue like the rubble coverage; the purpose of the club is to provide international aid in a realistic way by raising money to buy farm animals for families in third-world countries.
Stephens said, “A lot of times when you try to solve all those problems, it’s like here have food, it’ll last maybe a week or only one time. By giving someone a cow we give them a way to actually maintain a lifestyle at a realistic standpoint.”
Never Giving UpGlobal Giving also started here within the last two years. President and junior Rossie Nho said the goal of the or-ganization is to bring educational resources to children worldwide who do not yet readily have access to educa-
Tomorrow’s Dance Marathon continues with new additions, minor changes from last yearby HeNRy [email protected]
As the school prepares for its annual Dance Marathon tomorrow, senior Lauren Wiegand said she is both excited and a little saddened by the prospect of attending her last fundraiser for Riley Children’s Hospital.
“I’ve been doing Dance Marathon since a friend recruited me as a freshman, and I’ve loved it since the beginning,” Wiegand said. “I’ve seen Dance Marathon grow and change throughout the years, and it’s a little sad that this Dance Marathon is my last.”
According to Speaker of the House David Chiang, this year’s Cabinet has tried to encourage student participation in Dance Marathon with new events dedicated to raising funds and awareness for the cause.
“We’ve added new events like ‘Smoothie Smashdown’ last semester and some new restaurant fundraisers this semester to give students more opportunities to contribute to Riley,” Chiang said. “However, Dance Marathon is about more than the fundraisers—it’s about helping the kids at Riley who can’t do many of the things we take for granted; simply put, it’s about dancing for the kids that can’t.”
House of Representatives sponsor Sarah Wolff said that, though Dance Marathon has undergone small changes throughout the years, the event remains true to its original goals. Wolff said the actual day of Dance Marathon will include six hours of group activities, entertainment and inspirational speakers connected to Riley Children’s Hospital. The total funds raised this year will be revealed at
FLyeReD Up: Cabinet member and seniors Allison Scott and Lauren Wiegand pass out Orange Leaf flyers before a Dance Marathon fundraising night. Dance Marathon will take place tomorrow from 4 to10 p.m.
Henry zHu / pHoto
tion. Nho emphasized that failure in any one interna-tional aid program does not mean people should give up on humanitarianism.
“(Helping others) is the moral thing to do,” she said. “It’s good to know you’re making a difference in a child’s life, a brighter future and a more equal opportunity to do the things we can do.” Nho attributed the rise of clubs focused on international aid to students’ desire to show that high school students can make an impact.
However, in forming these clubs, Inskeep cautioned that club officers should carefully consider whether the group is a duplicate of an existing club and whether the group should concentrate on spreading awareness or fundraising.
“Is what we’re going for social awareness of a disaster, or is our primary focus fundraising?” Inskeep said. “I really want in those clubs a good mix between the two. I think primarily it needs to be social awareness and the main mechanism doesn’t necessarily need to be fundraising. That’s why our clubs exist; they don’t exist to raise funds for things. They exist more for social awareness and making social connections.” Inskeep said that when the Activities Office does approve fundraising, it considers the fundraising mechanism, the organization the money goes to and how the money will be collected.
A Delicate balanceAccording to Stephens, Real International Aid Club tries to strike a good balance between spreading social aware-ness and fundraising. She said although social aware-ness is necessary and significant, little real help can be achieved without money.
“We want to raise money to help the world, because if you don’t have money you can’t do much,” she said. “We hope through our fundraising we would spread the word so people would see what we’re fundraising for. It’s very cyclical. Somehow we want to get animals packaged to third world countries and get others to do it too.”
Although there is criticism of the slow progress of aid after the Haiti earthquake, Kamath and Stephens said they continue to have high hopes for international aid efforts.
“Even if there are problems, at least we’re trying, and I think (humanitarianism) is really important,” Kamath said. Without even trying how can you complain about something?”
<< Story continued from previous page
the end of the night, and students can still turn in any last minute funds both today during SRT and tomorrow right before the event begins.
“Though the donations and the fundraisers are a part of Dance Marathon, it’s important for students to remember that this event is about far more than six hours and one day and raising money for Riley,” Wolff said via email. “At its heart, Dance Marathon is about walking away knowing that you made someone else’s life easier for a day, or maybe even a second, and not needing to see them stand in front of you or know their name or hear them thank you to know that you helped them in some way.”
Wiegand, who has been part of Cabinet for the past two years, said her love of Dance Marathon and its goals encouraged her to get more involved with the event. From her first time participating as a freshman to organizing the event as a Cabinet member, Wiegand said her involvement in Dance Marathon has strongly impacted her high school experience.
“When I first did Dance Marathon, I was a little intimidated by how many people there were at first, but seeing all those kids together doing something for people they didn’t even know inspired me to get involved with Dance Marathon as much as I could,” Wiegand said. “For anybody doing Dance Marathon for the first time, I would tell them to just have fun and remember the great cause that we’re all here for. You don’t have to be a good dancer or be personally connected with Riley to enjoy the event—I’m not either of those things, and Dance Marathon’s one of my favorite things about this school.”
Page 8 | FeaTURe | HiLite | HiLite.org | Feb. 25, 2011
[email protected] | TwITTER.coM/hIlITE_nEwS
Go OnlineFor photos, news briefs and more features stories.www.hilite.org
Sister Knows BestRecent study shows that growing up with a sister may have positive impact on the individual
Senior Cort Post is very familiar with the impact of having siblings, especially sisters. Post, who has five siblings, including a twin sister and two other sisters, said his female siblings have “definitely hanged his
perspective on certain issues and challenges.”“My sisters have really made me a softer person,” Post
said. “They look at things in a different way than I do, which has made me more open.”
According to a 2010 study conducted by the Flourishing Families Project at Brigham Young University (BYU), Post’s situation is not unique. After following 395 multiple-child
By SARA [email protected]
families, each with at least one female child, researchers found that having a sister significantly decreased the likelihood of the other sibling or siblings “feeling lonely, unloved, guilty, self-conscious and fearful.”
“We found that siblings were related to being more pro-social, meaning helpful, and less depressed and less likely to be delinquent,” Laura Padilla-Walker, family life and human development professor at BYU and lead author of the study, said.
While the BYU study only focused on “early adolescents,” or children 10 to 14 years old, she said the findings could also apply to teenagers. “The current study
focuses only on early adolescents,” she said,” but we could certainly speculate that these would apply to older teens as well.”
According to Padilla-Walker’s results, growing up with a sister “was a protection against internalizing behaviors, perhaps because of higher levels of communication and/or care giving by sisters.”
These findings, which indicate a strong tie between relationships with one’s siblings and overall behavior, may help adapt future parenting programs as well as sibling and family counseling. Current prevention or intervention programs for adolescents focus on the parent-child relationship, according to Padilla-Walker. Based on the observations, however, addressing problematic sibling relationships may prove more effective in counseling.
Robin Pletcher, psychology and K-8 mentoring teacher, said she can see the validity of the findings. “In the (K-8) mentoring program, we have juniors and seniors who are paired with an elementary or middle school student to give them that older-sibling-type person that they can meet with and have influence their life aside from a parent,” she said. “For me, I have one sister who is two years older than me. (Growing up) there was definitely that looking out for and kind of protecting measure.”
A similar study by the British
Psychological Society found that out of 571 randomly selected citizens 17 to 25 years in age, those who grew up with sisters were “more likely to be happy and balanced.”
Post said he agrees with the results. “My brothers are always there to joke and get physical with,” he said, “but
my sisters are really my rock. If there’s ever something that’s upsetting me, (my sisters) will always be there. I don’t always directly go to them, but knowing that they’re there whenever is comforting.”
Junior Katie Pittman, who has a younger sister and younger brother, said she could also relate. “Even though I’m the oldest sibling, I still find myself going to (my sister) to talk about things or work through things emotionally,” Pittman said.
Pletcher said the results are due, in part, to the traditional gender roles. “Even though males and females experience the same emotions, females tend to be more expressive,” Pletcher
said. “A sister is going to be more caring and thoughtful and go over to that sibling and be more comforting.”
Padilla-Walker said, “The thought is that perhaps sisters are more likely to talk, especially about emotions, and that might be why they are especially protective and influential, but any sibling, brother or sister, was related to these positive outcomes, so that is good news.”
Pittman said both her brother and sister have altered her behavior. She said, “Just having other people around and in the same boat as you makes life way easier and way more fun.”
Post said he would be a completely different person without his siblings. He said, “Even though I’ll never really know how much my sisters have changed me, there’s no doubt that they’ve made me a totally different and probably even a better person.”
Sisterly InfluenceEmotional expression
Sisters encouraged more emotional expres-•sion in their siblings than brothers.
Motivationnot only were individuals with sisters more •motivated, but also more social and often had more friends.
Stress managementgirls with sisters were better at coping with •distress after an emotional experience. Also, in families going through divorce, sisters encour-aged families to talk through their distress.
DE MonTFoRT UnIvERSITy AnD ThE UnIvERSITy oF UlSTER / SoURcE
Did you know?in Korea, it is considered unlucky for girls to be born in the Year of the Horse, a year in the Korean zodiac. in past Years of the Horse, 1990 and 2002, the female-to-male ratio of births dropped significantly.
”‘‘(My sisters) look
at things in a different way than i do, which has made me more open.
Cort PostSenior
FAMIly MATTERS: Senior Cort Post (far left) stands with his siblings. Post said he values the positive effect his brothers and sisters have on him.
connER goRDon / phoTo
nATIonAl ATlAS oF KoREA / SoURcE
Page 10 | FeaTURe | HiLite | HiLite.org | Feb. 25, 2011
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est
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al n
etw
ork.
Las
t ye
ar, e
xper
ian
Hitw
ise
repo
rted
tha
t Fa
cebo
ok
outs
trip
ped
goo
gle
as t
he m
ost
visi
ted
site
of t
he y
ear.
M
ass
med
ia t
each
er N
icol
e W
ilson
att
ribut
ed F
aceb
ook’
s ov
erta
king
of
goo
gle
to t
he p
erso
nal a
spec
t of
the
soc
ial n
etw
ork.
“W
ho c
an y
ou t
rust
mor
e th
an y
our
frien
ds?”
Wils
on s
aid.
“W
hen
you
type
in
‘vac
atio
n ho
tels
,’ in
to g
oogl
e, y
ou c
an g
et 2
00,0
00 h
its. Y
ou d
on’t
know
w
here
the
y’re
com
ing
from
; you
don
’t kn
ow if
the
y’re
cred
ible
. but
you
can
pu
t a
Face
book
sta
tus
up t
hat
says
, ‘D
oes
anyb
ody
have
a g
ood
hote
l sug
-ge
stio
n fo
r...’
any
loca
tion,
and
any
of y
our
frien
ds…
can
resp
ond
to t
hat.”
Fa
cebo
ok c
ited
that
its
user
s sp
end
over
700
bill
ion
min
utes
per
mon
th
on t
he s
ite. b
ajpa
i sai
d sh
e us
es F
aceb
ook
thre
e ho
urs
a da
y.
“Fac
eboo
k is
add
ictin
g no
w; i
kind
of l
ike
ever
ythi
ng a
bout
it,”
she
said
. “i
like
the
fact
that
you
can
kee
p in
touc
h wi
th p
eopl
e. L
ike
you
can
text
them
, an
d yo
u ca
n ca
ll th
em, b
ut F
aceb
ook
is ju
st a
new
form
of c
omm
unic
atio
n.”
W
ilson
als
o ac
know
ledg
ed t
he g
row
th o
f oth
er s
ocia
l med
ia s
ites.
“Soc
ial m
edia
is t
he w
ay o
f the
futu
re,”
she
said
. “it
’s h
ere;
it’s
not
go-
ing
anyw
here
.”
Face
book
, infl
atin
g he
ads?
Last
yea
r res
earc
her S
oray
a M
ehdi
zade
h of
Yor
k Un
iver
sity
co
nduc
ted
a st
udy
of 1
00 c
ol-
lege
stu
dent
s, a
nd fo
und
that
st
uden
ts w
ith lo
wer s
elf-e
stee
m
or h
ighe
r lev
els
of n
arci
ssis
m
were
mor
e lik
ely
to s
pend
mor
e th
an a
n ho
ur a
day
on
Face
book
. Sh
e cl
arifi
ed th
at h
er s
tudi
es d
id
not n
eces
saril
y m
ean
Face
book
m
ade
its u
sers
nar
ciss
istic
.
Did
you
kno
w?
sc
ieN
tifi
c A
mer
icAN
/ s
ou
rc
e
turn page
Alth
ough
Fac
eboo
k’s
addi
ctiv
e na
ture
doe
s no
t bo
ther
baj
pai n
or W
ilson
, tw
o ps
ycho
logi
sts,
Jea
n M
. tw
enge
, PhD
and
W. K
eith
Cam
pbel
l, Ph
D, w
rote
an
influ
entia
l boo
k in
200
9 tit
led
The
Nar
ciss
ism
Epi
dem
ic: L
ivin
g in
the
Ag
e of
Ent
itlem
ent.
the
y cl
aim
soc
ial n
etw
orki
ng s
ites
allo
w p
eopl
e to
es
cape
rea
l frie
ndsh
ips
and
sim
ply
colle
ct “
Face
book
frie
nds”
or “
twitt
er
follo
wer
s,” m
akin
g th
em m
ore
self-
cent
ered
.
in s
pite
of s
uch
conc
erns
, psy
chol
ogy
teac
her
Pete
r o
’Har
a sa
id F
ace-
book
is s
impl
y an
out
let
for
emot
ions
no
diffe
rent
from
e-m
ail o
r te
le-
phon
e. A
ccor
ding
to
him
, som
e pe
ople
will
alw
ays
try
to c
ompe
nsat
e fo
r lo
w s
elf-
este
em b
y ac
ting
confi
dent
and
ext
rove
rted
, whe
ther
on
Face
book
, on
e-m
ail o
r on
the
pho
ne. H
owev
er, h
e sa
id, t
he im
pers
onal
, acc
essi
ble
inte
rnet
is w
here
nar
ciss
ists
may
feel
the
mos
t co
mfo
rtab
le e
ngag
ing
in
this
beh
avio
r.
“You
can
sit
in t
he c
omfo
rt o
f you
r be
droo
m a
nd p
ut s
omet
hing
out
on
Face
book
tha
t yo
u w
ould
nev
er d
o if
all o
f you
r fri
ends
wer
e w
atch
ing
you,
” o
’Har
a sa
id.
H
e sa
id t
he s
ame
conv
ersa
tions
or
expe
rienc
es a
re s
omet
imes
mor
e di
f-fic
ult
but
also
mor
e en
joya
ble
in r
eal l
ife t
han
onlin
e.
in a
gree
men
t, ba
jpai
sai
d sh
e is
cau
tious
of l
ettin
g Fa
cebo
ok t
ake
over
he
r so
cial
life
bec
ause
her
frie
nds’
pro
file
page
s do
not
mat
ch u
p to
her
fri
ends
in p
erso
n.
“i
f you
tak
e Fa
cebo
ok (
too)
ser
ious
ly, t
hen
you
have
an
issu
e to
beg
in
with
,” ba
jpai
sai
d. “
Som
e pe
ople
sit
ther
e on
the
ir la
ptop
and
just
tak
e pi
ctur
es o
f the
mse
lves
for
no r
easo
n. i
thin
k th
at’s
a li
ttle
stu
pid,
but
not
m
any
peop
le a
re li
ke t
hat.”
Up,
up
and
away
2010
has
see
n bo
th th
e ri
se a
nd fa
ll of
som
e so
cial
med
ia s
ites
Top
10 m
ost v
isite
d w
ebsi
tes
in 2
010
= Ch
ange
in r
anki
ng fr
om 2
009
11. w
ww.fa
cebo
ok.c
om
2. w
ww
.goo
gle.
com
3. m
ail.y
ahoo
.com
4. w
ww
.yah
oo.c
om
5. w
ww
.you
tube
.com
6. w
ww
.msn
.com
7. w
ww.m
yspa
ce.c
om
8. m
ail.l
ive.
com
9. s
earc
h.ya
hoo.
com
10. w
ww
.bin
g.co
m
Face
book
’s s
easo
n
Face
book
sur
-•
pass
ed g
oogl
e as
the
mos
t vi
site
d w
ebsi
teit
acco
unte
d fo
r •
8.93
per
cent
of
all
visi
ts
twitt
er g
rew
•
by 1
09
perc
ent
in
2010
New
s Co
rp.
•pl
ans
to s
ell
Mys
pace
expe
riA
N H
itw
ise
ANd
mAs
HAb
le /
so
ur
ces
By M
elin
da S
ong,
Tha
lib R
azi,
Tony
Tan
and
Ryan
Zuk
erm
anm
song
@hi
lite.
org,
tra
zi@
hilit
e.or
g, t
tan@
hilit
e.or
g,
rzuk
erm
an@
hilit
e.or
g
Feb. 25, 2011 | hilite.org | hilite | FEATURE | PAgE 11
Frie
ndin
g th
e pa
rent
s
Two
diff
eren
t ex
peri
men
ts
Face
book
is
bloc
ked
on
cam
pus.
Nee
d ho
me-
work
hel
p? g
o to
Fac
eboo
k!
Face
book
’s p
opul
arity
am
ong
stud
ents
has
ca
used
col
lege
s to
res
pond
in d
iffer
ent w
ays
Harr
isbu
rg
Univ
ersi
ty o
f Sci
ence
an
d Te
chno
logy
har
risbu
rg U
nive
rsity
bl
ocke
d al
l soc
ial m
e-di
a si
tes
for o
ne w
eek
to s
tudy
soc
ial m
edia
’s im
pact
on
staf
f and
st
uden
ts.
Purd
ue U
nive
rsity
Purd
ue U
nive
rsity
is
pion
eerin
g se
vera
l Fa
cebo
ok a
pplic
atio
ns
desi
gned
to h
elp
stu-
dent
s in
thei
r cla
sses
.
new
sw
eek
An
D n
Y D
AILY
new
s /
so
ur
ces
Did
you
kno
w?
You’
re
fired
!
the
briti
sh in
telli
genc
e ag
ency
M
15 p
lans
to
lay
off s
ever
al s
pies
w
ho d
on’t
know
how
to
use
Face
-bo
ok t
o fig
ht o
nlin
e te
rror
ists
.
new
sw
eek
/ s
ou
rc
e
Wat
ch w
hat
you
clic
k
to s
ay t
hat
bajp
ai w
as a
gain
st h
er p
aren
ts b
ecom
ing
mem
bers
of F
aceb
ook
wou
ld n
ot b
e tr
ue. i
n fa
ct, a
s so
on a
s he
r pa
rent
s di
d jo
in F
aceb
ook,
baj
pai
adde
d th
em a
s fri
ends
.
“the
y ju
st s
tart
ed t
o le
arn
how
to
use
it,”
she
said
, “so
the
re is
no
t m
uch
i hav
e to
wor
ry a
bout
.”
Acco
rdin
g to
a s
tudy
by
Kapl
an te
st P
rep,
nea
rly tw
o th
irds
of A
mer
i-ca
n te
enag
ers,
like
baj
pai,
are
frien
ds w
ith th
eir p
aren
ts o
n Fa
cebo
ok.
Ac
cord
ing
to W
ilson
, soc
ial-n
etw
orki
ng s
ites
such
as
Face
book
, th
ey p
lay
a di
ffere
nt r
ole
in t
he li
ves
of s
tude
nts
and
thei
r pa
rent
s.
Sh
e sa
id, “
i thi
nk te
ens
use
it m
ore
for k
eepi
ng u
p wi
th w
hat’s
cur
-re
nt a
nd s
tayi
ng in
touc
h wi
th th
eir f
riend
s wh
ere
i thi
nk th
eir p
aren
ts
use
it to
kee
p an
eye
on
thei
r frie
nds
and
to c
atch
up
with
peo
ple
they
ha
ven’
t see
n in
20
year
s.”
th
ese
stat
istic
s ca
n be
mis
lead
ing,
how
ever
. Ac
cord
ing
to t
he
sam
e Ka
plan
stu
dy, 1
6 pe
rcen
t of
tho
se w
ho s
aid
they
are
frie
nds
with
the
ir pa
rent
s on
Fac
eboo
k ha
d to
bec
ome
frien
ds w
ith t
heir
pare
nts
as a
pre
cond
ition
for
havi
ng a
Fac
eboo
k.
As
for
bajp
ai, h
owev
er, t
his
was
not
the
cas
e. “
My
pare
nts
did
not
mak
e m
e fri
end
them
,” sh
e sa
id, “
but
i mad
e su
re t
hat
ever
ythi
ng
was
set
up
befo
re i
did.
”
thou
gh s
he is
frie
nds
with
her
par
ents
, baj
pai s
aid
she
did
take
so
me
prec
autio
ns to
lim
it wh
at in
form
atio
n th
ey c
ould
see
. She
sai
d, “
i pu
t the
m in
a s
epar
ate
grou
p be
caus
e, n
o m
atte
r wha
t, we
are
teen
s an
d no
mat
ter w
hat w
e ar
e go
ing
to b
e di
ffere
nt.”
1. F
arm
ville
500
mill
ion:
num
ber
of
acre
s pl
ante
d in
the
last
15
mon
ths
2. T
exas
Hol
dem
Pok
er8
billi
on: l
arge
st w
in
so fa
r
3. F
ront
ierv
ille
31.5
mill
ion:
num
ber
of
user
s ea
ch m
onth
4. C
afe
Wor
ld19
.5 b
illio
n: n
umbe
r of
di
shes
ser
ved
ever
y 24
ho
urs
5. M
afia
War
s8
mill
ion:
num
ber
of
robb
erie
s co
mm
itted
in a
tw
o-m
onth
per
iod
Top
addi
ctiv
e ga
mes
(5)
new
sw
eek
/ s
ou
rc
e
...an
d al
so f
rien
ding
the
gra
ndpa
rent
s
Gra
ndm
a
Jan.
201
0
Dec.
201
042
%
22%
in 2
010,
the
num
ber
of F
aceb
ook
user
s ag
e 50
or
olde
r ro
se fr
om 2
2% t
o 42
%
44%
sai
d th
ey w
ere
on F
aceb
ook
the
day
befo
re t
hey
wer
e po
lled
Pew
res
eAr
ch
cen
ter
/ s
ou
rc
e
turn page
cAr
oLI
ne
ZhAn
g /
gr
APh
Ics
Conc
erne
d ab
out
secu
rity
? M
aybe
tom
orro
w...
Wils
on s
aid
conc
erns
als
o in
clud
e se
curit
y is
sues
. Ac
cord
ing
to t
he h
uff-
ingt
on P
ost,
Face
book
exp
erie
nces
an
incr
ease
d am
ount
of s
pam
act
ivity
.
“My
gues
s is
tha
t sc
amm
ers
have
got
ten
smar
t, an
d th
ey’re
rea
lizin
g th
at p
eopl
e ar
e us
ing
Face
book
ver
y pr
edom
inat
ely.
the
scam
mer
s ar
e go
-in
g w
here
the
y ne
ed t
o go
to
get
the
targ
ets,”
Wils
on s
aid.
“S
omeo
ne p
oste
d on
my
wal
l, an
d i a
ccid
enta
lly c
licke
d on
it,”
Juni
or
bran
den
Clem
ens,
a v
ictim
of a
Fac
eboo
k sc
am, s
aid.
“i’m
not
real
ly s
ure
how
it h
appe
ned,
but
i cl
icke
d on
a v
ideo
that
was
pos
ted
on m
y w
all f
rom
so
meo
ne w
ho g
ot h
acke
d, a
nd th
en it
hac
ked
my
acco
unt,
and
it po
sted
on
a w
hole
bun
ch o
f peo
ple’
s w
alls
that
they
sho
uld
go lo
se w
eigh
t on
this
ne
w d
iet s
yste
m. b
ut i
thin
k m
ost p
eopl
e w
ill re
aliz
e th
at i
got s
cam
med
.”
Acco
rdin
g to
Wils
on, m
edia
lite
racy
is im
port
ant
in r
emai
ning
saf
e w
hile
livi
ng in
the
new
soc
ial e
ra.
“i
thi
nk t
he fi
rst
line
of d
efen
se is
und
erst
andi
ng t
he t
echn
olog
y,” s
he
said
. “if
you
are
not
a m
edia
lite
rate
per
son,
the
n yo
u do
n’t
have
any
bus
i-ne
ss b
eing
on
Face
book
, bec
ause
it is
dan
gero
us if
you
don
’t kn
ow h
ow
to u
se t
he t
ool.
Until
eve
rybo
dy is
pro
perly
edu
cate
d on
…ho
w t
o be
sm
art
onlin
e, t
hen
we
need
to
be v
ery
caut
ious
abo
ut h
ow it
is d
isse
min
ated
.”
75: p
erce
nt o
f pe
ople
age
18
to 2
7 w
ho s
ay
they
are
con
-ce
rned
abo
ut
iden
tity
thef
t
Stud
y sh
ows
mos
t yo
ung
adul
ts a
re u
ncon
cern
ed a
bout
se
curi
ty o
n so
cial
med
ia s
ites
43: p
erce
nt
of p
eopl
e w
ho
have
act
ually
ta
ken
secu
rity
mea
sure
s to
pr
even
t it
new
sw
eek
/ s
ou
rc
e
Scam
mer
s ha
ve e
ven
crea
ted
Face
book
pag
es u
nder
the
gu
ise
of c
olle
ge w
elco
me
page
s to
ear
n m
oney
. Ac
cord
ing
to
The
New
Yor
k Ti
mes
, a c
ompa
ny
calle
d ro
omsu
rf.co
m c
reat
ed
fake
col
lege
Fac
eboo
k pa
ges
that
offe
red
room
mat
e pa
iring
to
inco
min
g fre
shm
an, c
harg
ing
a fe
e to
use
the
ir se
rvic
es.
Did
you
kno
w?
new
Yo
rk
tIm
es /
so
ur
ce
Page 12 | FeaTURe | HiLite | HiLite.org |Feb 25, 2011
By Victor [email protected]
After the outbreak of the demonstrations in Egypt agitating for a new government, senior Crestin Andrews said she was concerned for her relatives in Cairo and other Egyptian cities. Although her
relatives did not participate, they still needed to protect themselves during the protests.
“I do know that a lot of them had to stand outside with weapons in an attempt to protect their buildings and families when the police told the citizens to protect themselves early on in the protests,” Andrews said.
The protests in Egypt started on Jan. 25 and lasted for less than three weeks, culminating in the resignation of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, according to CNN’s website. The protests erupted in major cities across the nation, including Cairo and Alexandria, and most famously in Tahrir Square in Cairo. According to Hicham Bou Nassif, a senior graduate student in the Indiana University Department of Islamic Studies who has been following the events in Egypt closely, Egyptians are fighting for the end of the political repression, corruption and economic issues under Mubarak’s regime.
“It was humiliating to have to listen for years and years that Egypt is not yet ready for democracy,” Nassif said. “How come, say, India is, but not Egypt? It is certainly humiliating to…know that you can find yourself in jail just for venting out opinions that happen to be ‘politically incorrect.’ The accumulation of all these frustrations, over decades, led to the eruption we are witnessing.”
According to senior Andrea Biel, her sister, Erin Biel, a sophomore at Yale University, was studying abroad for her
second semester in American University at Cairo when this eruption occurred. About two weeks after her arrival, Erin was able to experience the protests firsthand by attending one of the earlier protests.
“My sister had texted me actually as she was there,” Andrea said. “She was at the courthouse, and she had told me that she had just run three blocks from the protest because police officers had just started firing the rubber bullets everybody
has been talking about.”Erin’s tenure at Cairo was cut off
by several months as the situation intensified and became dangerous. Andrea said her sister and other students needed to stay within dorms and wear gas masks when they left. Ultimately, Yale University chartered an emergency evacuation flight of all their students back to the United States. Erin’s account of her experiences can be found on the Forbes website.
Andrews also had family in Cairo during the protests. Her relatives told her that the country was in chaos, and all the stores, schools and banks had shut down. Her uncle is one of the police officers dispatched to protect citizens during the protests; demonstrators had released many prisoners, and citizens were concerned about crime.
“Another story I was told was of this girl that was sitting in her balcony reading a book, not at all involved in the protests,” Andrews said. “She was shot (by) a radical on the street and died
instantly. Another person was robbed by one of the escaped prisoners and ended up committing suicide because they stole everything he ever owned. Sad stories.”
Still, Andrews emphasized that the nature of the protests in Egypt were indicative of a new unity in Egypt as different social groups congregated for the cause of new government.
“I have been told that the sight in Tahrir Square is close to unbelievable,” Andrews said. “Millions of people
Conner Gordon / Photos
Not so far from home
Egypt’s FutureAs Egypt experiences a revolution, the united States wonders about the country’s uncertain future
islamic dictatorship:82: percent of egyptians who
believe stoning should be punishment for adultery
84: percent who believe leaving the islamic faith should be punishable by death
or democracy?90: percent who believe in
freedom of religion75: percent opposed to
censorship
Pew researCh Center / sourCe
turmoil in Egypt affects students at this school
PArt oF it All: Senior Crestin Andrews shows her support of the revolution in Egypt. Andrews said the violence of the protests affected her relatives in Egypt.
from all different backgrounds are gathered together to stand up for the same cause, and it looks like they are not going to leave until they get what they want.” She added that Egyptians, Muslim and Christian, were uniting and praying together, marking what she hopes is a new era of cooperation between historically clashing religions.
According to Nassif, the Egyptian youth have been the “vanguard” in organizing the demonstrations. According to a Feb. 9 Gallup poll, the number of Egyptian youths who believed government maximized youth potential dropped from 39 percent in 2009 to just 29 percent in 2010. These youth utilized social media like Facebook and Twitter in organizing the demonstrations, Nassif said. For that reason, Mubarak’s government attempted to block the Internet.
The shutdown of Internet and mobile devices on Jan. 28 made communication with their Egyptian relatives more difficult for Andrews and Andrea. Andrews usually communicates with her family in Egypt through the Internet, but she had to resort to phone calls.
“It was much easier for us to call them from here than it was for them to try to contact us,” Andrews said.
Andrea said she and her family became apprehensive after they could not contact Erin any longer.
“My mom and I are naturally worrywarts, and we were really concerned, trying to find any way to get a hold of her,” Andrea said.
Despite some instances of violence, Nassif said the Egyptian protests and the government’s response to them have been peaceful, and family members in Egypt remain safe. With the resignation of Mubarak and the dismantling of his government, Nassif said he looked forward to a future Egypt in the hands of the people.
“People want freedom and dignity everywhere,” he said. “The Tunisians seem to be well on their way toward democracy. I hope the same will be true in Egypt.”
Page 14 | Student Section | HiLite | HiLite.org | feb. 25, 2011
STUDENT [email protected] | twitter.com/hilite_newS
As students look into the future, they discuss whether they would choose a career based on the economic stability it offers
By HENry [email protected]
Passion vs. Practicality
Though careers in medicine repeatedly rank among the most profitable in the country, immense medical school expenses and years of exhausting training often discourage many interested youth from entering such professions. For senior Meredith Moon, however, the economic stability of the vocation, combined with her own personal interest in medicine, has motivated her to pursue that career path despite future challenges.
For many, high school is but another step in the path towards a future career. Some students choose to be doctors and others to be lawyers, but freshman
Carrie Kolb said she hopes to pursue a profession unlike that of most other students.
“I know that I want to do something related to figure skating, whether being an instructor or a professional figure skater,” Kolb said. “Ever since I started figure skating it’s just been something I’ve been really passionate about, and I can see myself continuing figure skating as a career because there’s always something else to work at and
By HENry [email protected]
Other responsesSome of the other responses received on the HiLite Facebook Fan Page!
Facebook.com / Source
Freshman pursues career in professional figure skating
ON THE ICE: Freshman Carrie Kolb practices her ice skating at the Carmel Ice Skadium. Kolb hopes to skate professionally in the future.
henry zhu / Photo
Medical job holds appealfor senior
PASSIONATE PrACTICAL
See “PASSioN” continued on next page >> See “PrACtiCAL” continued on next page >>
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feb. 25, 2011 | hilite.org | hilite | student section | Page 15
A beAt in my heArt: Senior Meredith Moon dissects a sheep heart in her Human Anatomy and Physiology class. The class helps students prepare for a future in medicine by providing them with hands on learning.
Henry zHu / PHoto
We asked you to take the “Passion vs. Practicality” Poll on Facebook. here are the results:
Poll results
totaL Votes: 45 Question: in the future, would you rather pursue a job that follows your passions but provides less money, or a job that is practical and provides sufficient income?
cHoices:1. Passion all the way! happiness is what matters. 2. Definitely practical. Money is necessary, and i need a substantial job to live a comfortable life.
Passion36% Practicality
64%
something new to learn.” According to economics teacher Dan Bates,
students who pursue a career based solely or heavily on personal interest often face more challenges economically compared to those more concerned with financial stability. Many passion-based careers, according to Bates, are not as financially stable as more practical careers and are also less dependable in terms of job security.
“The students who choose to be artists or professional athletes have to deal with a much smaller likelihood of success, at least economically, and thus their chances of financial self-sufficiency diminish greatly,” Bates said. “The possibility of success still very much exists, however, and those who pursue such risks often contribute to society in ways only they are able to.”
As for Kolb, she said she does acknowledge that pursuing a career in figure skating may have its difficulties, especially concerning finances. Kolb also said she realizes the additional challenges she faces due to her decision to pursue an economically unpredictable career, but ultimately believes her personal happiness is most important to her future.
“It’s true that professional figure skaters don’t make a lot of money from competing and the other things they do, but the most important thing for me is to have a career I’m interested in and would actually want to continue for as long as I can,” Kolb said. “I can always become a figure skating coach or teacher, which probably brings in more money, and I believe that if I’m happy with my chosen career, everything else, including the financial issues, will work itself out in the end.”
“I want to become either a surgeon or an anesthesiologist and, while medical school is very expensive, I think the financial benefits of the career once I start working will balance things out in the long run,” Moon said. “I’ve always been interested in medicine, and knowing that surgery and anesthesiology are two of the most profitable careers in the country helps to balance out the fact that the near future will probably be really hard.” From his experiences, economics teacher Dan Bates said it is common for students to look into a profession for its monetary benefits. Bates said that, especially among youth who are not absolutely certain about their futures, high salaries alone are often reason enough for them to choose a certain career.
“In today’s society, young people are often very drawn toward promises of big paychecks and end up choosing a career just to get rich,” Bates said. “They sometimes don’t consider how challenging the jobs might be and whether it will fit them well. I think there are lots of jobs out there that can satisfy both a student’s interests and provide them a secure future.”
Moon said economic gain is only one of her many motivations to go into the medical field and she is fully aware of the many challenges a career in medicine entails. Furthermore, Moon said she has desired from a young age to work in medicine and believes her chosen career will be both economically and personally fulfilling.
“The money and job security are really nice and important to me but they’re not the only reasons I want to pursue medicine,” Moon said. “I used to want to be a veterinarian when I was young, and other than that I’ve never thought about anything other than going into medicine. There’s not much of your future you can be certain of at my age, but going into medicine is the one thing I feel really sure about.”
As for Bates, he said he believes it is best for students
to have a solid plan for their economic futures before going to college. However, Bates said he also acknowledges
the uncertainty of the future and believes students should also try to keep their options open and explore other interests before focusing solely on one career path.
“In general, going to college with no plan for the future is not a good idea. It’s best for students to go in with at least some idea of what they are interested in,” Bates said. “It’s much better to experiment and try new things in high school so that by the time students go to college, they won’t have to spend so much time searching when they should be finalizing their career choices.”
Ultimately, Moon said the choice between pursuing a passion and being practical depends on each individual’s personal circumstances.
“In general, it depends on what you want to do with your life,” Moon said. “For some people a job they’re passionate about is all they need, while others might want a job that lets them pursue other interests too.”
”
‘‘in today’s society, young people are often very drawn toward promises of big paychecks and end up choosing a career just to get rich. they sometimes don’t consider how challenging the jobs might be and whether it will fit them well.
Dan batesEconomics teacher
”
‘‘the students who choose to be artists or professional athletes have to deal with a much smaller likelihood of success, at least economically, and thus their chances of financial self-sufficiency diminish greatly.
Dan batesEconomics teacher
<< “PrACtiCAl” continued
<< “PASSioN” continued
rebecca xu / GraPHIc
PrACtiCe mAKeS PerFeCt: Freshman Carrie Kolb balances on one leg while practicing her skating. Kolb recognizes a career in figure skating has its difficulties, but she is ready to overcome the challenges in order to follow her passions.
Henry zHu / PHoto
Page 16 | Cover story | HiLite | HiLite.org | Feb. 25, 2011
An international test reveals the weakness of American education in mathematics and science. The country now aims to strengthen its focus on ‘STEM’ subjects.
Daniel li / graphic
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A Shift in Educational…
Feb. 25, 2011 | hilite.org | 1 | Cover story | page 17
At 3:05 p.m., when most students at this school flood the halls and prepare to head home, junior Ryan Wilmes usually remains behind with his fellow TechHOUNDS members to build a robot.
“Monday, Wednesday and Friday, we stay from 5:30 to 9 p.m. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, we stay after school until 6:30. And then on Saturdays, we usually have meetings,” Wilmes said.
Along with being a team leader in TechHOUNDS, Wilmes is enrolled in several math and science classes including AP Physics B, AP Chemistry and AP Calculus AB, and he said he intends to take AP Calculus BC and AP Physics C next year. He doesn’t plan to stop there.
In college, Wilmes said he would like to study to become a mechanical engineer. Wilmes said his work in TechHOUNDS will be beneficial in his pursuit.
“You learn a lot (in TechHOUNDS). It’s more of like a hands-on class work,” he said. “Where in math and physics you just do the science behind it, here you can actually see how it works.”
However, recent studies imply that Wilmes may be among the minority of students in the country who are pursuing achievements in math and science, according to the test results from the Programme for International Student Assessment
(PISA), an internationally standardized test administered to 15 year-old students, released in December 2010.
American students who were tested ranked 23rd in science and 31st in math, far lower than 2006 levels.
Because of these dropping statistics, current politicians have begun to push for more success in these areas, dubbed “STEM” subjects, which stand for science, technology, engineering and math.
Math teacher Janice Mitchener, who recently traveled to Washington D.C. and met President Barack Obama for receiving the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST), said she saw several presentations on American education and its need to change, especially in regard to STEM subjects.
“I saw a chart that said, in over the last 10 or 20 years, the largest difference between the highest a country has ever ranked and the lowest a country has ever ranked belongs to the United States. We hold the record for the largest gap. That’s not a good thing at all,” she said. “I think maybe it’s time just to step it up a little bit in the United States.”
Mitchener said there may be a number of reasons for the sharp decline.
Story continued on next page >>
An international test reveals the weakness of American education in mathematics and science. The country now aims to strengthen its focus on ‘STEM’ subjects.
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fluorine19.00 16.00 63.55 32.07
oxygen copper sulfur[He]2s22p4 [Ar]4s13d10 [Ne]3s23p4
A Shift in Educational…
Page 18 | Cover story | HiLite | HiLite.org | Feb. 25, 2011
”‘‘Just by looking at the
numbers, you can see something needs to be done, especially in math and science.
Janice MitchenerMath teacher and PAEMST recipient
“Maybe other countries that were down lower in previous years started making some changes and improved,” she said. “As far as what happened in the United States, it’s hard to say. Maybe we just looked at our scores and thought, you know, the status quo was good and we didn’t need to make any changes, so we fell behind.”
Federal Programs to HelpObama looks to change that disparity with a national program called Change the Equation. According to Change the Equation’s website, only 56 percent of 2010 high school graduates are ready for college math and 36 percent are prepared for college science. And those are some of the higher percentages. Mississippi, for example, has only 20 percent of its high school graduates ready for college math and 14 percent for college science.
To mend this, Change the Equation looks to create a widespread literacy in the STEM subjects. This, according to the site, will begin with improving STEM teachers, inspiring student appreciation of STEM subjects and
getting the nation involved through the help of over 110 CEOs of several large companies across the board.
A similar program was adopted last year called Race To the Top. This program, according to Mitchener, would give qualifying states grant money to work on their schools.
“Indiana chose as a state to adopt common course standards and apply for (Race To the Top), but we did not qualify for it. But we still are using those common course standards,” Mitchener said.
The difference between Race To the Top and Change the Equation is mainly in STEM education.
Mitchener said, “I think the main thing to look at is that STEM education is the main focus. The big move is, how can we improve our STEM education? How can we help to get more qualified and prepared teachers in the classroom? We just need to improve those fields,”
The CEOs of several companies, some of which include
Intel, Time Warner Cable, Xerox, Kodak and Sally Ride Science, joined forces with Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to form Change the Equation.
“Companies have invested interest in this because it’s the mathematicians and the scientists that come out of colleges and go into some of these companies, so of course the corporations have invested interest and funds into this project,” Mitchener said. “It’s the students that benefit from (Change the Equation) because it will help them in the future.”
As far as what schools this will affect, Mitchener says she thinks it will affect all schools, including this school.
“They’re going to be looking at all schools. If you look at Carmel High School, we’re not struggling academically as a whole school to meet our Adequate Yearly Progress or to meet our state testing, but there’s always room for improvement,” she said. “If you just sit back and think, ‘Well, we’re a great school, we don’t need to improve scores,’ you’re going to fall behind.”
Who’s Responsible?Part of the success or failure of U.S. students in STEM subjects may come from parents, but even they don’t necessarily guarantee enrollment in STEM subjects. Senior Irene Gibson, who said that the pressure her parents placed on her in the past led her to be more self-motivated, chose to not take a math class this year. Gibson said her parents were slightly worried about her not taking a math class during her senior year at first, but did not pressure her too much to enroll in a math course.
“My dad wanted me to take math, but my mom was fine with it. When they realized there was no room for (Statistics), they were both okay with it, though,” she said via e-mail. “The only worry was that colleges looking at my classes would think I was using this year as a blow-off year, but really, I’m taking all IB classes. Also, my counselor said when she wrote to them she’d explain the situation.”
Gibson said she thinks it is the parents’ responsibility to stress the importance of academics on children.
“If done correctly, stressing the importance will cause the students to pressure themselves into performing well academically,” she said via e-mail. “In my case, both parental and personal pressure contribute to my academics.”Pisa.org / source, tim lu / graPhic
<< Story continued from previous page
Where We StandResults from the Programme for International Student Assessment indicate that the average student in United States is far behind the average student in top-performing nations.
1. Shanghai, China2. Singapore3. Hong Kong, China--------------------------31. United States
1. Shanghai, China2. Finland3. Hong Kong, China--------------------------23. United States
1. Shanghai, China2. South Korea3. Finland------------------------17. United States
Mathematics Sciences Reading
ASSeMble tHe PIeceS: Each member of TechHOUNDS contributes to the building of a robot. The team meets every day after school and hopes to earn a $5,000 grant from Ingersoll Rand.
Fastest Growing Jobs
FEb. 25, 2011 | hilitE.org | hilitE | Cover story | page 19
According to Mitchener, another aspect that could contribute to the drop in success in STEM subjects is teaching quality.
“There are some areas in our country where teacher quality is just not up to standards, and, if you think about it, that’s really not fair to the kids at that school. It’s just not,” she said.
Another issue in the world of STEM is that students just aren’t as interested in math and science anymore. According to The New York Times, participation among students in science fairs is declining rapidly. The Los Angeles science fair, one of the largest in the country, has only 185 participants this year, compared to the 244 who took part a decade ago.
Politicians are worried that with the loss of the science fair comes the loss of exposure of the scientific process to teenagers and, with that, fewer teenagers interested in STEM-related jobs. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, projecting forward from 2002 to 2012, the need for science and technology workers will increase by 26 percent compared to 15 percent for all occupations.
CHS Well PreparedMitchener said this school has always encouraged students to get involved in STEM subjects.
“Here we’ve always had our counselors encouraging students to take the highest math and science classes that they’re qualified for,” she said. “We are adopting a new engineering program in the Industrial Tech to encourage engineering professions, but other than that I don’t think we’re doing many other things to encourage STEM, mainly because we already are.”
According to Change the Equation’s website, in its first year it hopes to work with its member companies to begin spreading a small number of programs that work to 100 sites across the country where student performance is low. Also, it hopes to create a scorecard that can assess the condition of STEM education in all 50 states. This first scorecard will provide a baseline from which to measure states’ progress in coming years.
Mitchener said changes need to be made in education.“Education reform, I think, is something that the
Democrats and Republicans can’t really argue too much about. Just by looking at the numbers, you can see something needs to be done, especially in math and science,” she said.
As far as any changes hat this school, Assistant Principal Ronda Eshleman said they would not be remarkable.
“I don’t see dramatic changes for us,” Eshleman said. “We are adopting the new national core standards over the next three years, but I don’t think it’s going to change the way we do things a whole lot. We already have highly qualified teachers in math and science, and we’ll keep stressing the importance of those topics, but I don’t see
significant changes.”Eshleman also said this school is already doing a lot to
focus on STEM classes for students.“As a school, we feel it’s important to take rigorous
science and math classes and encourage all students to do so. As colleges also see the need for this, it will become more important for students to show high levels of achievement in these areas,” she said via e-mail. “Our enrollment in our Project Lead the Way Engineering classes keeps growing each year, especially with the dual enrollment college credits student can earn from Invites and Purdue. We continually look for ways to integrate technology into all our courses.”
Wilmes said he thinks math and science are especially important subjects.
“What you learn in math and science, you can use in almost any job and on a daily basis. It’s really important,” he said. “From high school, you see a lot of kids who ask, ‘Well, why does it do that?’ but they don’t have the curiosity to see why it works. They just go through life accepting what it is without knowing why it is, but knowing the reason why can be really important.”
CNN projects the 10-year growth (in percent) of the fastest growing jobs in the United States between 2008 and 2018. Nine of the
10 jobs require secondary education in STEM subjects.
biomedical engineer1. telecommunications engineer2. Physician assistant3. Software architect4.
Environmental engineer5. Physical therapist6. Employment recruiter7.
Environmental specialist8. occupational therapist9.
Construction estimator10.
72
53
39 3431 30
28 2826 25
Emily PutErbaugh / Photos
CNN / sourCE, DaNiEllE yiN / graPhiC
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Related NewsCHS prepares for future American education
President barack obama emphasized the importance of StEM education in the State of the Union address on Jan. 25. Editor-in-chief Sara rogers speaks to Principal John Williams about StEM education here at ChS.
Visit hilite.org and search “StEM education” for more information.
Page 20 | entertainment | HiLite | HiLite.org |Feb. 25, 2011
[email protected] | twitter.com/hilite_news
Opening this weekend:• DriveAngry3D• Hallpass• Shelter
Upcoming concerts:• Mar.10:The7thAnnual17GreenTourwithFloggingMolly
• Mar.11:HastetheDay
Freeze timeWith the recent surge in frozen yogurt shops in central indiana, we compare some of the most popular spots to keep chilly year-round. Compiled by Dhruti Patel and melinda Song
Service: B+Self-service doesn’t allow for much interaction.
Pricing: a-Weigh and pay: 45 cents/ounce, $3 to $7 price range
Variety: a-16 flavors: vanilla, coffee lover, chocolate, peanut butter, pineapple, coconut, cookies & cream, chocolate & raspberry, confetti cake, mango tango, peach, strawberry, cheesecake, cherry, caramel & chocolate, almond.
taste: B+i decided to try a combination of mango tango and peach with vanilla as the base, topped with delicious “poppin’ bubbles,” mango fruit and gummy bears. My creation tasted pretty good—until it started quickly melting.
Orange Leaf
emily puterbaugh / photo
SWEEt trEat: Frozen yogurt at Orange Leaf. The shop, which opened in December, is a national chain with many locations on the West Coast.
amount: aChoose from either a huge 16-ounce container or a gargantuan 24-ounce one.
atmosphere: a-Crowded and popular, this location straddles the border between Carmel and Westfield. it can hold about 30 people and attracts people of all ages. Despite its self-service aspect, the store has a warm atmosphere with the buzz of content customers, a vibrant color scheme, as well as a customized wall mural of its surroundings.
Overall: a-orange Leaf seems to be the buzz in Carmel right now, and it’s obvious why. Not only does the atmosphere welcome families, friends and even couples, but it’s also located on prime real-estate near regal 17, Jet’s Pizza and Clay terrace. Highlights include the Japanese-imported mango and straw-berry “poppin’ bubbles” filled with flavored juice as well as the unique mural that greets you. but where were the exotic flavors, including Pistachio, Lychee and green tea, listed on the orange Leaf website? granted, as the Carmel branch continues to grow, these flavors may yet make an appearance. overall, the pricing is affordable, and you won’t feel guilty after eating here: one ounce carries an average of 30 calories. Finally, self-service gives you, the customer, complete control of your unique froyo creation.
2760 E. 146th Street, Carmel, in 46033
According to USDA standards ice cream consists of at least 20 percent milk solids and 10 percent milk fat. often “pre-mium” brands contain higher percentages of milk fat.
Frozen custard is distinguished as a frozen treat by containing a small amount of egg yolk which contributes to the richer, smoother texture compared to ice cream
Frozen yogurt is a blend of milk fer-mented with yogurt cultures and the classic ice cream mix of milk, sweet-ener and cream. the yogurt cultures contribute to the slightly tart flavor in frozen yogurt.
ice Cream Frozen Custard Frozen Yogurt
Yogurt? Custard? Ice cream?What’s the difference?all the frozen questions you had but were afraid to ask
melinda song / graphicrecipe.howstuffworks.com / source
Service: AEven though Huddles is self-serve, I have to say the service is great. The cashiers are friendly, upbeat and helpful.
Pricing: A- Weigh and pay: 45 cents/ounce, $3 to 7 price range
Variety: B+Huddles offered 10 different flavors of frozen yogurt when I went, though its website advertised many more. In addition, there were more than enough toppings available to create a custom-made dish for yourself.
Taste: AHuddles’ frozen yogurt is to die for. Huddles shatters all preconceived notions about frozen yogurt and the dessert experience all together.
Amount: AHuddles offers 16-ounce and 24-ounce containers.
Atmosphere: AHuddles appropriately shows its support for the Colts with blue coloring the walls and the tables. The shop is also very conveniently located on the Monon Trail, making me think that it’s where most of my summer will be spent.
fEb. 25, 2011| HIlITE.org | HIlITE | EntErtainmEnt | PagE 21
Service: B+Unlike some frozen yogurt places, Yogokiss doesn’t have a self-serve option. While service wasn’t terrible at all, it wasn’t as warm and welcoming as I would expect from any kind of eatery.
Pricing: B+The pricing was average: it wasn’t too expensive, but not cheap enough to brag about. A small size was around $3 and the extra large size was $8. Toppings were extra, being around 75 cents each.
Variety: BWhile the flavors that were available were original and tasty, there were only five of them. However, there was a wide variety of toppings available, Yogokiss also offers bubble tea, soy ice tea and hot beverages in addition to frozen yogurt.
Taste: B+Yogokiss offers original flavoring, from coconut frozen yogurt to pineapple bubble tea. I tried the latter and honestly have never tasted anything like it before. The coconut was delicious and the tapioca “bubbles” were a nice surprise every now and then.
Yogokiss
Melinda Song / graphic
Huddles
Hungry for more?
4825 E. 96th St., Indianapolis, IN, 46240
MMMM...TOPPINGS: Frozen yogurt with Oreo topping from Huddles. The shop is conveniently located along the Monon Trail.
1356 86th St., Indianapolis, IN 46240
Overall: AHuddles is not only a great frozen yogurt shop, but dessert place in general. I will definitely be a returning customer, as the combination of great taste and a welcoming atmosphere are too much to resist.
Overall: B+Yogokiss, while not offering all the variety of other frozen yogurt shops, is a quaint place that is an ideal lo-cation for a quiet Sunday afternoon. With a calming atmosphere, I could easily spend a couple of hours there, relaxing on the couch and reading the sweet wall of love notes. However, it was not the best place I’ve ever eaten, and it would not be my first place when looking for a dessert. overall, Yogokiss offers a unique twist on frozen yogurt, venturing away from the expected.
eMily puterbaugh / photo
Find the Fro-Yo
Go online to www.hilite.org and check out Melinda and Dhruti’s review of Yogenberry
Amount: Afor only paying $4, I was able to make my bubble tea last from the moment I got it to later on that night. While the small size of frozen yogurt would be best as dessert, the rest of the sizes are more than enough to fill a hungry stomach.
Atmosphere: AYogokiss is cozy and relaxing; however, the store is more hidden than other restaurants, being farther away from the road and near many car dealerships. Nevertheless, it’s a charming shop and definitely worth discovering.
Page 22 | entertainment | HiLite | HiLite.org |feb. 25, 2011
A Rocking Late NitecompiLed by kush [email protected]
members: Jacob benner: drums, Aaron Severance: lead guitar, brady Szuhaj: bass/harmony, Dalton Wixom: vocals/rhythm guitar
What’s in a name: According to Szuhaj, the name of the band was a result of boredom with popular band names. “the name came from our dislike of generic and cliche band names that plague today’s music scene. We picked a name that was a little strange and unique,” Szuhaj said.
National exposure: Late Nite reading, in addition to playing at es Jungle in broad ripple and the Hoosier Dome, played previous events at the rave in Milwaukee and the Mall of America.
professional connections: Late Nite reading played on the midwest leg of Nevershoutnever’s Harmony tour. the group is now playing the midwest leg of All time Low’s Dirty Work tour.
Attainable Goals: Szuhaj said that the band’s main focus for this year is to get signed by a record label.
lauren burdick / photos
RockiNG Loud ANd pRoud: (Clockwise from right) Benner, Szuhaj, Severance and Wixom of Late Nite Reading practice a few of their songs. The band has its own Myspace and Facebook fan page.
Late Nite Reading transforms a passion for music into success
Late Nite Reading
Want to see your band in the hiLite? contact [email protected] for nominees.
Page 24 | SPORTS |HILITE | HILITE.ORG | fEb. 25, 2O11
[email protected] | twitter.com/hilite_news
Go onlinefor sports scores, updates, additional photos and more.www.hilite.org
Men’S baSkeTballRecord: 7-11Upcoming: Sec-tional v. Noblesville on Tuesday at NoblesvilleNotable: Guard and senior Joshua “Josh” baldridge had a season high of 24 points against HSE
wOMen’S baSkeTballRecord: 22-5Upcoming: Semi-state against Jeffer-sonville tomorrow at SouthportNotable: Team lost last meeting to Jeffersonville in Hall of fame Classic Dec. 28
wOMen’S SwiMMinGFinal Record: 9-0Upcoming: Season finishedNotable: Team won its 25th straight championship on feb. 12 while qualifying 26 of 27 swimmers to State (see photos on next page)
Men’S SwiMMinGRecord: 7-2Upcoming: State at IUPUI natatorium today at 6 p.m., tomorrow at 1 p.m.Notable: After placing first in Sectional, team seeks second consecutive State title
wReSTlinGRecord: 18-3Upcoming: Season finishedNotable: Qualified four seniors to State—ben Sommer (fourth) Grant Scurria, Curtis Anderson (sixth) and James frascella (sixth)
MORe Onlinefor up-to-date scores and stories, go to our websitewww.hilite.org
Accurate as of 2/22 press deadline
Sports Scoreboard Team enters post-season facing tough
Sectional with first-year head coachby ChaRlie [email protected]
There is nothing routine about this year’s upcoming Sectional tournament which
begins on March 1 for the mens’ basketball team. The beginning of the post-season comes around every year right around this time, but this year is different. The coach is different. The system is different. The mentality is different. One aspect, though, remains the same: the goal is still to win and advance.
“Looking at the big picture, our goal is to win a State championship,” Head Coach Scott Heady said. “Right now, though, our main goal is to just keep getting better. We have one of the toughest Sectionals in the state, and we feel like if we get through the Sectional then we would have a shot at a State championship.”
Captain and junior Benjamin “Ben” Gardner said he is fully aware of how difficult the team’s Sectional road will be.
“We always have a really tough Sectional,” Gardner said. “It’s always really competitive and has a lot of good teams in it. Noblesville and Hamilton Southeastern probably pose the biggest threat to us getting through (the Sectional), but every game is going to be highly competitive.”
Heady said he thinks the quality of Carmel’s Sectional makes the beginning of the post-season that much more important.
“Anyone can beat anyone on any given night,” Heady said. “We have to be prepared and ready to play no matter who we draw because every game is going to be tough. We always tell our guys that if we keep getting better every day and playing how we want to play, then we have a chance to contend for championships.”
One factor that will not be in the Greyhounds’ favor come Sectional time is its location. The game rotates every year between Carmel and Noblesville, and this year the games will be played at the Millers’ home court. Noblesville always brings an especially rowdy fan base, according to Gardner, and it only gets more intimidating in its own gym.
“Playing at Noblesville is always difficult,” Gardner said. “They always have a lot of fans and it’s a tough environment.”
Furthermore, the Greyhounds have not been particularly potent on the road this year. They have only one win away from home the entire year. This statistic, Heady said, can be a little misleading though.
“We would definitely much rather play at home,” Heady said, “but we have been within one possession of winning many of our road games this year. We have played teams like Pike, Avon and Center Grove, all very tough, at their places. Those are all tough environments, and I think we have done a good job handling them throughout the year.”
Heady said the difference between those games, along with a few others throughout the season as well, was only one or two possessions that didn’t go the Greyhounds’ way. The ability to finish games is one aspect that Heady said his team still has the opportunity to improve in.
“We’re playing better and have improved in several areas throughout the season,” Heady said. “We still have to finish games better and make plays down the stretch in the last minute or two to turn the game in our favor.”
According to Heady, the key to finishing games down the stretch often comes down to the leadership displayed by a team’s
Story continued on next page >>
inTenSe defenSe: Captain and junior Benjamin “Ben” Gardner attempts to steal the ball during the Varsity basketball game against Terre Haute South. Gardner said the team won’t change its approach when opening Sectional play.
stuart jackson / photo
Men’S baSkeTball
Men’s lacrosse not to implement cutsfor the first time in three years, team will keep all participants. Check out the story exclusively online:www.hilite.org
FEb. 25, 2011 | hilitE.org | hilitE | SPORTS | PagE 25
upperclassmen, especially the seniors.“The leadership shown by our seniors has been
important throughout the year for us,” Heady said. “We’re reliant on seniors (Josh) Baldridge and Alec Peterson to put up big numbers for us every game, with Alec inside and Josh on the perimeter. We also have a lot of other guys who can score as well and are crucial to our success.”
Gardner said he thinks that the leadership displayed by the seniors becomes more important as the games get bigger.
“How all of the seniors play and practice dictates how everyone else plays,” Gardner said. “When they raise their level of play, we become better as a team. The tone they set is especially important in big games because everyone looks up to them.”
The Greyhounds have already met every team during the regular season that they could face in the Sectional. But with seasons on the line, Gardner said the atmosphere and intensity is at a completely different level.
“Having experience playing in a Sectional before and knowing how much more intense the environment is definitely helps,” Gardner said. “It’s the same teams you’ve played in the regular season, but there is a lot more excitement and preparation.”
Gardner said the team wouldn’t change its whole approach to the game, but it would just increase the intensity of its preparation.
“The coaches will scout more and look at more old film of the other team,” Gardner said. “We just want to know our opponent as well as possible coming into the game.”
<< Story continued from previous page
Women’s sWimming
A Quarter-Century of DominanceWomen’s swimming team wins 25th consecutive state Championship
life in the fAst lAne: (from left) Sophomore Lacey Locke cheers after a victory. She placed first in the 100-yard backstroke, 200-yard individual medley and the national record-setting 200 medley relay (left). Senior Carly Marshall receives her first place medal for the 50-yard freestyle. She also received the IHSAA Mental Attitude award (center). Junior Lucy Kramer takes a breath during the 100-yard breaststroke (right).
Paige hergenrother / Photos
Women’s bAsketbAll
Women advance to semistateteam breaks ben Davis’s 81-game win streak, will play Jeffersonville tomorrowby Reuben [email protected]
Eighty-one games. Two consecutive State Championships. On Feb. 19, the women’s basketball team snapped Ben Davis’s unparalleled streak of success.
Guard and junior Blaire Langlois said, “Everyone was going crazy. Beating Ben Davis was a dream come true to us. We wanted to win so bad and to finally do it felt really great.”
Now, with the 65-62 victory behind them, the team will advance to play Jeffersonville tomorrow in the Semistate at Southport at 2:45 p.m.
Carmel was the last team to defeat Ben Davis three years ago in the 2008 Regional. Forward and senior Torrie Thornton said, “It feels great. It’s almost like déjà vu because it happened the same exact way it did my freshman year when we won the State championship. It was a great game and both teams played well.”
Thornton said the team will prepare for the next game the same way as it has the entire season.
When the team hosted Ben Davis earlier in January, it led at halftime and midway through the third quarter. However, Ben Davis pulled away in the fourth quarter to win 58-45.
This game had a similar feel as the team led 31-30 at halftime and clung to a slim six-point lead throughout the second half. But when Ben Davis tied the score at 62 with under two minutes remaining, Carmel’s fan section became quiet and restless. Clutch free throws and crucial plays by the five starters sealed the game for Carmel.
Thornton said, “We were able to defeat them by playing our game. It was close the first time we played them at home, but we just couldn’t pull it out. This time around we made it a priority to stay poised and focused at critical times in the game.”
Langlois added, “We played
aggressive all game by driving to the basket and hitting open shots. We also defended really well and played together as a team.”
mary brooke johnson / Photo
Defense: Forward and senior Tor-rie Thornton plays against Hamil-ton Southeastern during Sectional.
PAGE 26 | SPORTS |HILITE | HILITE.ORG | FEB. 25, 2011
At this point, about 25 seniors have accepted athletic scholarships from various colleges and committed to compete at those schools next school year
Playing at the Next Level
Swimmers to stay in the pool after graduation
How do you feel about getting to play there next year? “I’m really excited because I’m not a division I swimmer. So being able to still do what I like, at a level that I know is good for me makes me excited.”
What are you most looking forward to? “For swimming, I’m looking forward to continuing to get better, and getting to know new people.” What are you least looking forward to? “The only thing I’m not looking forward to is I’ll have to do all that stuff myself next year and I don’t really know how I’m going to do that because I rely a lot on my mom.”
How are you preparing for this next level of athletics? “Physically, I’ve just been continuing with my training. I am still practicing with the team.”
Name: Cameron KantnerGrade: SeniorSport: Men’s swimming and divingYears played: 7Future School: Milligan CollegeLocation: Milligan College, TNColors: Orange and BlackMascot: Buffaloes Conference: Appalachian Athletic
Conference Division: National Association of
Intercollegiate Athletics
How do you feel about getting to play there next year? “I’m really eager and a little nervous because it’s a really fast team. But, I look forward to being able to compete with some of the best athletes in the Big 10 and being able to continue my swimming career.”
What are you most looking forward to?“I’m most looking forward to getting to IU, meeting the team, seeing who I’ll be with for the next four years, kind of building that team camaraderie and being part of a winning class at IU.”
What are you least looking forward to?“Just getting used to a new team. I’m not dreading it; it’s just something you have to adapt to. It’ll prob-ably take me awhile to get used to it, but I think it’ll be a good thing once I’m finally settled in and I’m sure it won’t be as bad as I think it will be.”
How are you preparing for this next level of athletics? “Right now I’m really training for not only the high school level, but the national level. I’m trying to compete in the Olympic trials.”
Name: Kelsi JonesGrade: SeniorSport: Women’s softballPosition: CenterfieldYears Played: 12Future School: University
of Missouri Location: Columbia, MOColors: Black and Gold Mascot: Tigers Conference: Big 12 Division: NCAA Division I-A
According to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) about $1 billion worth of scholarships are
awarded to approximately 126,000 student-athletes in the United States every year. Over the years, several athletes here have accepted scholarships to play at the collegiate level.
Here are some of this year’s seniors and juniors who have signed the documents to continue their athletic career in college.Compiled by Alex Mackall and Reuben Warshawsky
Jones to play at Mizzou
How do you feel about getting to play there next year?“(I’m) so excited. I’m looking forward to the big time competition and being able to play on TV a lot. I think it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
What are you most looking forward to? “I’m looking forward to playing for such a competitive team. They’re number seven in the nation right now.”
What are you least looking forward to? “I’m least looking forward to being six hours from home.”
How are you preparing for this next level of athletics? “Physically, I’m trying to get stronger, because I’m kind of small for division I softball. Mentally, I’m trying to prepare just like it’s any other game.”
Name: Matt GerthGrade: SeniorSport: Men’s swimming and
divingYears Played: 12Future School: Indiana Univer-
sityLocation: Bloomington, INColors: Cream and CrimsonMascot: Hoosiers Conference: Big 10 Division: NCAA Division I-A
Tim Lu / Graphic
Go onlineFor results of last weekend’s men’s Sectional meet. www.hilite.org
FEb. 25, 2011 | HILITE.ORG | HILITE | SPORTS | PAGE 27
How do you feel about getting to play there next year? “I’m really excited. It’s close to home, so that’s a plus. And they have a really good program there. They actu-ally just rebuilt a lot of their athletic facilities, so I’m excited for that.” What are you most looking forward to? “Probably just the big 10 experience just because basketball is just a big deal in the big 10, especially in Indiana.”
Hall’s career continues
How do you feel about getting to play there? “I’m really excited. I went down there for a visit and I really liked the campus and I felt welcomed by the players that were down there.”
What are you most looking forward to? “It’s going to be great competition, just playing with the guys, really just bonding with them and getting to know them better.”
What are you least looking forward to? “Nothing really. It’s only about two hours away from home, so that’s not really that far. There’s really not much I’m not looking forward to. I’m really excited for everything.”
How are you preparing for this next level of athletics? “basically right now I’ve been going to Cardinal Fitness and I’ve been training and everything. I’ve already signed, and I’ve actually already received a workout book that has all the workouts I need to prepare me for next season. Mentally, I’m just doing the same thing I’ve been doing for the past six years, just being optimistic, being excited, being dedicated, and continuing to work hard.”
Women’s basketball players to stay in-stateHow do you feel about getting to play there next year? “I’m pretty excited to go and play at butler. I can’t wait to spend time and get to know my new team-mates.”
What are you most looking forward to? “I can’t wait to play at Hinkle Fieldhouse because it’s such a historic gym. I am really looking forward to my first game that I will be able to play in. I am really looking forward to the first game I will play in.”
Name: blaire LangloisGrade: JuniorSport: Women’s basketballPosition: GuardYears Played: 11Future School: butler Univer-
sity Location: IndianapolisColors: blue and White Mascot: bulldogs Conference: Horizon League Division: NCAA Division I-A
What are you least looking forward to? “Nothing. I can’t wait.”
How are you preparing for this next level of athletics? “This summer, I will be doing workouts with trainers in groups and individual ones. Also playing AAU will be a part of my off-season development.”
Name: Torrie ThorntonGrade: SeniorSport: Women’s basketballPosition: ForwardYears Played: 12Future School: Purdue Univer-
sity Location: West Lafayette, INColors: Old gold and black Mascot: boilermakers Conference: big 10Division: NCAA Division I-A
What are you least looking forward to? “I don’t have anything that I’m least looking forward to. I’m pretty much excited for it.”
How are you preparing for this next level of athletics? “Right now I’m just kind of focused on high school. but after the season ends, I have work outs and stuff that I’ll have to do in order to get prepared for sum-mer conditioning with Purdue.”
Name: Trent HallGrade: SeniorSport: FootballPosition: Offensive guardYears Played: 6Future School: St. Joseph’s
College Location: Rensselaer, INColors: Purple and cardinal Mascot: Pumas Conference: Great Lakes Valley Division: NCAA Division II
Sophomore year is keyAccording to Athletics Director Jim Inskeep, a student’s sophomore year is very important in setting up his or her future. It is important academically because, along with keeping his or her grades up, the student will have to schedule classes for their junior year. Inskeep said that this scheduling process is very important in making sure the student is on the right track to be eligible for his or her intended school and that he or she have the correct number of credits to get in to his or her school of choice.
Two types of athletesAthletically, Inskeep said students have two different approaches to pursuing a collegiate athletic career. The first is an athlete who is very talented in his or her sport and stands out from other athletes. As a result, he or she attracts the attention of college coaches immediately. This student has little trouble drumming up interest from colleges, but instead just has to choose which college he or she believes will be in his or her best interest.
The second type of athlete is the one who plays varsity athletics but does not necessarily easily stand out from everyone else. This athlete will likely receive questionnaires in the mail or via e-mail from college coaches. Inskeep said he strongly advises an athlete to fill these forms out, regardless of whether or not he or she is interested in the specific school that is contacting him or her. If nothing else, Inskeep said, filling out the questionnaires will put the student on the map and get them ‘in the system.’ “
Athletes must consider several factors when mulling college athletics
Whose responsibility?Inskeep said the student and his or her family are re-sponsible for college. He said it is the student’s respon-sibility to pursue whatever he or she is looking for in a college education. A student’s high school coaches will do as much as they can to help facilitate communica-tion between a student and college coaching staffs, but in the end it is the student’s responsibility to figure out what college best suits him or her.
Carmel supplies opportunity“As a varsity athlete at Carmel High School, there is a place for you to play at the collegiate level some-where,” Inskeep said. “Playing in the MIC and being in Central Indiana gives student-athletes a good amount of exposure to college coaches.” Inskeep said he is pleased with the role that CHS plays in giving its ath-letes the proper amount of exposure, but that there is always room for improvement.
By CHarlie [email protected]
Lizzy grubbs / photo
PERSPECTIVESPage 28 | PersPectives | HiLite | HiLite.org |feb. 25, 2011
[email protected] | twitter.com/hilite_news
Check out the blogs:to see olivia Walker’s pick for best outfit of the week, visit www.hilite.org.
Have an opinion?to be featured as a guest writer in the next issue, send your column to [email protected].
What is your opinion of the Distinguished Grad program?
Administration should reconsider Distinguished Gradin 2008, chs introduced the Distinguished grad program to its graduating senior class. by replacing the titles of “valedictorian” and “salu-tatorian,” the title of “Distinguished graduate” was designed for students to take leadership, service and extracurricular accomplishments, not just scholastic achievements such as gpA, into consideration. now, a point-based system determines distinguished graduates, com-mended graduates and the top Distinguished graduate, who has accumulated the most points and speaks at commencement.
Yet during the three and a half years of Dis-tinguished grad, some students have voiced concerns about its nature, most notably in how it places emphasis on quantity of activi-ties over quality of participation.
According to John chang, stanford class of ’06 graduate and author of From hopeless to harvard who has the applications of over 100 generous high school students accepted to all eight ivy league schools, stanford and mit, admission is “about depth over breadth, always.” in other words, he asserts that focus and strong development in one area, instead of spreading yourself too thin, will be more important in the future.
in addition, the point system as it is neces-sitates further change. how does one (some-what arbitrarily) place a number on an activity? instead, point values should be determined by the amount of time, a quantifiable number, needed for participation in that varsity sport, volunteering event or theatrical production.
if the chs administration seeks a holistic assessment process, numbers, once again, are not enough. more subjectivity is required, perhaps in the form of a mandatory application essay on the senior’s most meaningful activ-ity throughout his or her high school career or a brief formal interview. while such an action might deter some students from applying, those who have steadfast de-termination will not mind clear-ing this additional hurdle.
Although about 100 seniors will be recognized as either distinguished (3 percent of the graduating class) or commend-ed (7 percent), the top Distin-guished graduate is not only commemorated with a plaque, but he or she is also remem-bered and respected by many peers. An essay will provide students with the opportunity to tell their individual stories. nowadays, most selective col-leges incorporate supplemental essays into their applications. the common Application, which allows students to easily ap-ply to any one of its 414 member institutions, includes short-answer and essay sections.
Yale, which u.s. news and world report ranks third in the nation, desires applicants who can “share something meaningful about yourself and your experiences.” without having main-
the current Distinguished grad program emphasizes quantity over quality of extracurricular activities and should be altered in order to be more representative of the Senior Class.
Our Stand
STaff PERSPECTIVE
Speak Up
“i think it’s a good idea because Carmel is such a big school. Having just one valedictorian would be difficult so it gives more people a chance to be recognized.”
“My opinion about Distinguished grad is that editors in chief of communications and publications should get as many points as those who have varsity letters because in the end, we end up putting in the same amount of time as athletes.”
“i think that it’s good that there’s a program for people to graduate distinguished if they earn it.”
jUnIOR TaylOR Hall SEnIOR andREa bIEl
compileD bY melinDA song
tained deep-rooted, quality commitments in activities, an applicant cannot convey anything “reflective” or “meaningful” regarding his or her passions. collegiate success, the primary goal of high school education, starts with valuing depth over breadth.
it’s time to turn the lights on. students have been kept in the dark about information, including an estimate of a cut-off score, justification behind recognized and unrecognized activities and procedure in case of a tie of point values. now, however, they should have more transparency in the entire application and judg-ment process, as well as an opportunity to voice sugges-tions and improvements.
while the Distinguished grad program has effectively evolved to reflect the impor-tance of balance within the holistic college admissions process, it has also brought
along confusion and complaints. by support-ing a clear contradiction of what colleges support, the chs administration owes to its student body an explanation detailing the pro-gram itself and justifying its aspects. students should also be able to voice their own opin-ions. only then can distinguishable change come to this Distinguished grad program.
SOPHOmORE SEPaUS CRawfORd
feb. 25, 2011 | hilite.org | hilite | perspectives | page 29
Got real? Change comes in small doses, not serving size.
RogersSara
FRom the editoR
In 1985, not a single state in America had an adult obesity rate over 15 percent. In 2009, 33 states in the United States saw adult obesity rates of over 25 percent. Something has to give, other than American waistbands.
Last month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion issued the release of the seventh edition of its manual, “Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA),” the first update since 2005.
While these guidelines are well and good in their own right, it’s impossible for me to ignore the underlying parallel present. The USDA began releasing DGA reports every five years since 1980. Over the last 20 years, Americans have experienced the largest swell in overweight and obesity rates on record. That being said, it would be naive to assume that these new guidelines could significantly alter the lifestyles and eating habits of Americans.
These guidelines, issued by the federal government, do not only impact consumers, but producers as well. In order to keep specific divisions of the food industry afloat (namely red meat and salt enthusiasts), the DGA must remain vague when prescribing which foods to “eat less” of. In the 2010 guidelines, the USDA discussed explicitly when advocating an increase in the intake of fruits, vegetables, seafood, beans and nuts. When discussing which foods to eat less of, however, the USDA avoided specifics, encouraging Americans to avoid sodium, solid fats and added sugar.
To the more informed consumer, these guidelines, regarding both specific foods and vague nutrients, do not require translation. For the majority of Americans, however, the latter terms are foreign vocabulary. Mixing health with politics and economics only harms and confuses the population.
A more reasonable solution? Eat real food. Eat an apple with peanut butter for a snack instead of fruit snacks or packaged cookies. Eat oatmeal for breakfast instead of that Pop-Tart (because, really, “beef gelatin” should not be on the ingredients list of any food I’m consuming). The common misconception of “real food” is that it is just another name for vegetarianism. However, real food can include meat, fish and poultry.
The trick is recognizing the difference between a chicken breast and breaded chicken fingers. A regular chicken breast has one ingredient, the “all-natural” Tyson brand chicken fingers have ten, including sodium aluminum phosphate and sodium acid pyrophosphate.
America has a ridiculous addiction to overly-processed, low-quality, cheap food. The problem isn’t always that we’re eating too much food, it’s that we’re eating too much fake food. Replacing a serving of Cheetos with a Kraft natural
cheese stick saves an average of 100 calories and five grams of fat. I won’t even begin to mention all of the chemicals and additives avoided with the switch, because, as evident by the “beef gelatin” example, that can get pretty disturbing.
The 2010 guidelines do acknowledge the importance of real, wholesome food. In the fourth chapter of the document, the USDA states that children, ages 2 to 18, and adults, ages 19 to 30, obtain more than half of their daily fruit consumption through fruit juices.
The USDA follows by saying, “although 100 percent fruit juice can be part of a healthful diet, it lacks dietary fiber and can contribute extra calories.” For instance, a raw apple contains three grams of dietary fiber and 65 calories. One serving of generic apple juice, according to the USDA, contains less than a gram of dietary fiber and 112 calories, doubling that of its raw counterpart.
The movement toward the consumption of real food is already appearing on college campuses with the Real Food Challenge, a national campaign designed to “redirect 20 percent of all food purchased by colleges and universities towards real food by 2020.” Over 340 colleges and universities have officially joined the campaign to develop healthier students and faculty.
It’s important that this transformation start with the younger generation, which is now forecasted to have a shorter life expectancy than that of their parents. It’s far easier to develop healthy lifestyles and eating habits at a younger age while still developing physically and socially.
In order to spark any sort of positive shift in American health, a change needs to come from both producers and consumers. Governmental dietary guidelines can serve as useful tools, but are by no means driving forces of change. Unhealthy eating habits are rooted within American society, emphasizing convenience and cheapness. At some point, however, the well being of society has to overshadow ease and accessibility.
While the newest DGA report contains well-merited information for improving America’s health and well-being, it is inaccurate to assume that it will bring about any real change. Telling someone what to eat does not guarantee a distinct change in diet, which is clearly necessary.
Sara Rogers is the editor in chief of the HiLite. Contact her at [email protected].
”
‘‘the common misconception of ‘real food’ is that it is just another name for vegetarianism. however, real food can include meat, fish and poultry. the trick is recognizing the difference between a chicken breast and breaded chicken fingers.
alex mackall / art
GRaphiC peRSpeCtive
Page 30 | PersPectives | HiLite | HiLite.org |feb. 25, 2011
Rethinking education. Western system of education system has flaws.
TanTony
The publishing of Yale professor Amy Chua’s book Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother and her article in The Wall Street Journal in January initiated a media firestorm in which the implications of the Eastern parenting style have been redefined.
In her article, Chua compares the success of the demanding style of parenting that is a staple to Eastern culture to that of the permissive, Western style of parenting common in the United States. While a “Tiger Mother” of eastern descent may blatantly insult her children in order to persuade them to overcome an obstacle, a more Western-oriented parent may work their way around with euphemisms and gentle coaxing, worrying about their child’s self-esteem. Chua sees the Western style as weak and ineffective, but what are the larger effects of each style?
Education in America has seen its lows. According to a report by the Agence France-Presse (AFP) in December, the United States has fallen to an average global ranking in education with its scores in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) survey taken by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The PISA, a worldwide examination
Chen
of the academic aptitude of 15-year-olds administered every three years, reported that the United States ranked 14th out of 34 OECD countries in reading skills, 17th in science and 25th in mathematics. Also, more than half the countries scoring in the top 10 on the PISA are located in either Asia or Europe. The resulting corollary: perhaps Chua is right in her assessment of the styles of education.
Chua isn’t the only one evincing her belief that the current Western style has many shortcomings in regards to managing education. Michelle Rhee, former chancellor of the public school system in Washington D.C., has perhaps applied the same principles of Eastern parenting to the Washington school district. Although faced with the challenge of reforming what may be one of the most dysfunctional education programs in the nation, Rhee, during her service as chancellor, had institutionalized broad restructuring of the school systems, firing a mass of school staff and hiring new replacements based upon merit instead of relations of patronage.
Even President Barack Obama admitted the United States was lagging behind many other countries in education in his State of the Union address, and that parenting was
one of the roots of this issue.Being the child in a family from China, I have experienced
both sides of the spectrum. But what I have to say is that there is no iron-clad law of parenting that produces successful students: parenting can only be as effective as the student allows it to be. Consequently, students themselves have a large role in the parenting process. If parents are not the ones taking full, unmitigated responsibility of guiding their child to success like a “Tiger Mother,” then the students must push themselves are they to succeed. In other words, if your parents yield to your decision to either go out with friends to the movies or study at home the night before a math exam, you must decide which option will benefit you the most. If the United States wants to improve education without adapting to ideas from other cultures, then more students must take initiative themselves.
People don’t succeed sheerly because of their ethnicity or their parents; they have a guide that they must either obey or create and commit to.
Tony Tan is a reporter for the HiLite. Contact him at [email protected].
Education revisited. A case for American education. The U.S. education system is not doing anything wrong. It is just too conflicted right now to move forward.
President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address said we once again are in a “Sputnik moment” with the other superpower of this day – China. What defines the current “Sputnik moment” is a mix of standardized test scores and economic conditions that contribute to a sense of America’s decreased superpower status.
In fact, the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) that put Chinese students at the top only assessed students in Shanghai, a hub for the smartest students across China.
While many U.S. students have formed a sense of adventure through education and learn through their mistakes along the way, China emphasizes rote memorization, essentially spoon feeding its students. Because of such rigorous education absorption, Chinese students lack the fundamental ability to think critically and creatively. A sign of this difference between U.S. and China is in testing. While we write essays developing our thoughts and forming
Steven
our solutions with care, Chinese students go straight to the answer with a memorized procedure.
Then there’s college. Chinese students want to go to college. However, if they don’t test into a good school, the road stops there. High school in China train students for the Gao Kao, a test with more significance than the American SAT since it actually directly determines college acceptance. In the United States, high school teaches the basic critical thinking skills necessary for students who might not want to choose college as their next step. This contributes in large part to the better U.S. colleges where students have already received a foundation of critical thinking rather than rote memorization. This is why Chinese colleges do not live up to their American counterparts.
The focus on standardization may not be the best route. China’s competitive student market makes standardized tests
the most viable option. What schools really need are enrichment opportunities that hone a student’s career choice(s). This is what Superintendent Jeff Swensson’s proposed Greyhound
Senior Semester is trying to achieve. (Swensson is currently pushing for local control of schools at the State Legislature, and one change he would install would modify the senior year curriculum.) An enhanced curriculum also calls for better educators. Because China has an aura of memorization, teachers don’t play as big of a role as they do here.
Although U.S. education might be losing its edge in public opinion, it’s not too far behind. Education is historically slow at reforming, but we will realize an American education will succeed in the future, producing strong leaders out of the current generation.
Steven Chen is a managing editor for the HiLite. Contact him at [email protected].
”“Although American
education might be losing its edge in public opinion, it’s not too far behind.
U.S. education under scrutiny from varied frontsOppOSing viEWpOinTS
feb. 25, 2011 | HiLite.org | HiLite | perspectives | page 31
Contact informationMailing Address: 520 E. Main St., Carmel, IN 46032Phone: (317) 846-7721, Ext. 7143Website: www.hilite.orgE-mail: Staff members of the HiLite may be contacted by using their first initial and their last name append-ing @hilite.org. For example, Sara Rogers will receive mail sent to [email protected].
Responding to the HiLiteLetters to the editor will be accepted for the March 25 issue no later than March 1. Letters may be submitted in Room C147, placed in the mailbox of Jim Streisel, e-mailed to [email protected] or mailed to school. All letters must be signed. Names will be published. (Letters sent via e-mail will be taken to a student’s SRT for him to sign.) Letters must not contain personal attacks against an individual and may be edited.
PurposeThe HiLite is a student publication distributed to students, faculty and staff of Carmel High School, with a press run of 4,500. Copies are distributed to every school in the Carmel Clay district as well as the Chamber of Commerce, city hall and the Carmel Clay Public Library. The paper serves as a public forum and two-way communication for both the school and the community. Opinions expressed in the newspaper are not necessarily those of CHS nor the Carmel Clay system faculty, staff or administration.
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CredentialsThe HiLite belongs to the Indiana High School Press Association, Quill & Scroll and the National Scholastic Press Association.
Editor in Chief Sara Rogers Managing Editors Steven X. Chen Mackenzie Madison Rebecca Xu David ZhengAccountant Pat O’NeillAcumen Monica Cheng Ellie Seta15 Minutes of Fame Yameen Hameed Artists Meredith Boyd Daniel Li Alex Mackall Rebecca XuBusiness Manager Patrick BryantBeats/Calendar Rachel Boyd Melinda Song Victor Xu Sarah Yun Ryan ZukermanCover Story Laura PengEntertainment Lauren Burdick Meredith BoydFeature Afra Hussain Caroline ZhangFront Page Arjuna Capulong Daniel LiGraphics Daniel Li Tim Lu Danielle YinNews Tracy Sun Nina UndermanPerspectives Emma Neukam Jade SchwartingPhotography Arjuna Capulong Lizzy GrubbsSpecial Projects Katie Norman Darlene Pham Jackson Whiteker
Staff
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PhotographersKathleen BertschKatie BougerieGabrielle BowersBrandon CandisKathryn Dawson
Conner GordonMary Brooke JohnsonEmily PuterbaughJenna Ruhayel
from the StAff
steven chen / art
In today’s world of over-sexualized images and an emphasis on beauty, it’s more important now than ever for children to be… well, children. Forcing baby girls and boys to spray unnatural chemicals on their skin, pluck hairs from their little, innocent faces and dress up like the plastic Barbie doll in the attic toy bin is surely considered akin to child abuse.
But in TLC’s show “Toddlers & Tiaras”, mothers, attempting to live through their daughters, expose them to the toxic world of beauty pageants and national television. It seems like in most episodes, the children are forced to perform as if they were objects for entertainment. Supporters for this sick act may argue for their actions, but in all honesty, it’s just wrong and there is no defense.
As a result, “Toddlers & Tiaras” has stirred up controversy in the media. Anderson Cooper of CNN called the actions of some mothers inappropriate, especially of one who forced her screaming daughter to wax her eyebrows.
The worst part is the costumes, make-up and other factors that turn little girls into mini sex objects, imitating today’s pop stars and celebrities. These girls spend hours putting on fake eyelashes and bronzer to be flaunted on stage for the nation to see. The parents and endorsers of the beauty pageants advocate a twisted perception of beauty; it parades girls around on national television, exposing them to your friendly neighborhood sex offender. They tell the world their names and where they live, then they show the girls wearing Madonna’s notorious cone bra while doing a
risqué dance routine. Seriously? They might as well invite pedophiles to their homes and lock them in a room with their daughters.
The parents argue that these beauty pageants improve self-esteem and family bonding and that their daughters want to compete. The truth is these toddlers do not understand the difference between a competition and reality. Since competitions are based largely on appearance and first impressions, when they lose, these kids inevitably
feel ugly and inferior to those who win. They are too young to decide to compete or not; children rarely make decisions for themselves, so it’s their parents who are forcing them to compete.
I’m not saying beauty pageants as a whole are terrible, but there’s a difference from Miss America and Miss Diaper. These girls are just too young. They lose their innocence due to their exposure of artificial beauty and attitudes. Kids should be kids. They shouldn’t know how to wax their eyebrows or understand the
difference between foundation and concealer. The next time you see your little sibling, cousin or
neighbor, influence them to be a kid. Let them be innocent and careless. With exposure to the media, young children are already pressured with issues they shouldn’t have to deal with until years later. Be a positive influence and teach them the right values… manners included.
Darlene Pham is a special projects editor for the HiLite. Contact her at [email protected].
”“i’m not saying beauty
pageants as a whole are terrible, but there’s a difference between Miss America and Miss Diaper. these girls are too young.
grAphic perSpective
too Young. Beauty pageants teach girls wrong values.
phamDarlene
Page 32 | 15 MINUTeS | HiLite | HiLite.org | feb. 25, 2011
15 MINUTES OF FAME ‘Like’ Usto submit nominations for 15 Minutes of fame, post on our facebook page: ‘HiLite Online’
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Junior Michael Kelleher competes as a cage fighter.
Cage Rage
conner gordon / photos
By SARAH [email protected]
What does being a cage fighter entail?You have to work out a lot. I work out about eight times a week and practice for three hours four times a week. You have to have incredible dedication and will power to train that much.
How did you become a cage fighter? I started watching cage fighting in 2006, and I started looking for a place to train. My friend was actually training at the time, so he intro-duced me to a place one and a half years ago.
Why did you choose to become a cage fighter? Because besides that fact that it is the most awesome sport ever, cage fighting is very natural to me. I like the competition and it’s a good way to express myself.
What was your scariest moment while cage fighting? I was knocked unconscious once. But the worst thing that has hap-pened to me was when I was training to do knockdowns, and I was trying to do this trip. I picked the guy up and he fell on my extended knee and I thought I broke my leg. It was a pretty bad day.
Where do you usually cage fight? I train at the House of Martial Sport Arts in Clay Terrace.
What is your favorite thing about cage fighting?The competition. The competitive nature that everyone has is very civilized and there is better sportsmanship in cage fighting than in many other sports.
( a c u m e n * )* t h e m i l l e n n i a l i s s u e
education . . . page 3
technology . . . page 6
polit ics . . .page 2
music . . . page 7
America’s Newest GenerationWho are they, and how might they reshape America’s future in the decades ahead?
values . . .pages 4&5
Page 2 | acumen |HILITE | HILITE.ORG | FEb. 25, 2O11
Contact informationMailing Address: 520 E. Main St., Carmel, IN 46032Phone: (317) 846-7721, Ext. 7143Website: www.hilite.orgE-mail: Staff members of the HiLite may be contacted by using their first initial and their last name appending @hilite.org. For example, Sara Rogers will receive mail sent to [email protected].
By AfrA [email protected]
Staff
Monica Cheng Ellie Seta
Brandon CandisAudrey Courter
Shokhi GoelAfra Hussain
Melinda SongAndy Yang
Danielle YinAdele ZhouHenry Zhu
Ryan ZukermanSara Rogers
Steven ChenMackenzie Madison
Rebecca XuDavid Zheng
John WilliamsJeff Swensson
PurposeAcumen is an occasional publication serving to supplement the HiLite. Acumen is distributed to the students, faculty and staff of Carmel High School. Opinions expressed herein are not necessarily representative of those held by CHS, the Carmel Clay system faculty, staff or administra-tion.
Editors
Reporters/Photographers
HiLite Editor in ChiefHiLite Managing Editors
PrincipalSuperintendent
In This Issue
ARJUNA CAPULONG / COVER DESIGN AND PHOTO
( a c u m e n * ) Hear us OutMillennials become more politically involved in their communities through clubs, voting and other activities
Junior Keeli Curtis stands out as the lone Democrat in her Republican family. Curtis did not always consider herself a Democrat, but she said she knew she had more liberal views than her parents.
“I was talking to my dad about Vietnam War veterans and I said something like, ‘Look what we have done to them’ because a lot of them are homeless and drug addicts; he said, ‘You sound like a Democrat” she said. Curtis then took an online quiz on the website Politicalquiz and found her views did in fact coincide with the ideals of the Democratic party.
Curtis isn’t alone in her beliefs. According to a recent study conducted by the Pew Research Center, Millennials, or those born after 1980, tend to demonstrate strong liberal and egalitarian opinions and favor a more active government, like those espoused by the Democratic party, compared to those born before 1980. Some factors attributing to the change include technology and the media as well as social and economic conditions of this current era, according to Pew.
How a teenager forms his or her political views is through political socialization, according to Joe Stuelpe, a U.S. government teacher here. “It’s a never-ending process
that a person experiences where a variety of factors ranging from media to peers to family to events shape how a person looks at government and evaluates the actions of that institution,” he said via e-mail.
Curtis identified peers and media as factors in her political development. In elementary school, her best friend’s family was Democratic. “I think I got some ideas from her,” she said.
Senior David Atkinson describes himself as an “anarcho-syndicalist,” which he said means he supports a strong working class and leans toward the extreme left on the political scale. His parents, with whom Atkinson shares his liberal views, have a slightly different outlook on politics,
“Mom is leftist populist with a very strong feminist streak. Father would be, I would describe him as old Labour,” Atkinson said. He said his mother was moderately involved with the anti-Vietnam groups but was mainly focused on school.
Still, while his mother identifies herself as a Democrat, Atkinson said he does not associate himself with any political party. Along these lines, Stuelpe said Millennials happen to identify themselves more as independents. He said one of the biggest differences between Millennials and the previous generations is disalignment where more people split their ticket when they vote and affiliate themselves less with any single political party.
Equality is another value Millennials embrace in politics according to Pew.
According to the study, Millennials have been more in favor of equal rights and opportunities in all of their surveys since 2003. Millennials even go as far as to prefer affirmative action programs; 45 percent of Millennials said they were in favor of affirmative action programs compared to the 30 percent of Gen Xers and 20 percent of Baby Boomers.
Stuelpe said a variety of factors influenced the Millennial view on equality. “Society has emphasized that value during their life time. Lots of different experiences from youth leagues to classes have emphasized equal participation.”
Technology, too, plays a large role in Millennials’ beliefs. The Pew study revealed that 24 percent of Millennials said that technology was what makes their generation unique and that was the most popular choice among the five choices which also included more music and pop culture, liberal, smarter and clothes.
“With blogs, Facebook, Twitter and texting there are more ways for people to be politically active,” Stuelpe said. “I am not sure I would say one generation is more or less active, they are just choosing different avenues to communicate,” Stuelpe said.
Atkinson attributes his personal political views to the internet, where he said he found most of his information. He blogs about his views and follows the New York Times, BBC, the Economist and the New Republic. Stuelpe said there are more reasons to take part in the American political process and range of options for political participation which make the Millennial generation unique.
He said, “There are so many ways to communicate with government officials and to gather information so that an individual can be informed that people really should have no excuse for not knowing about a topic or not participating in some fashion.”
Dear readers,
Every individual has different values and traits. Though unique in our own ways, together, we make up the seams of America’s newest generation, the Millennials, which is in the middle of the coming-of-age phase of its life cycle. Its oldest members, according to Pew Research Center, are appraoch-ing age 30 while its youngest are approaching adolescence. And we are at the midst of it all.
In the following pages of Acumen’s Millennial issue, we take a closer look at just how different—or similar—we really are from previous generations. May we continue to be open-minded and willing to be enlightened.
Acumen editorsEllie SetaMonica Cheng
bRANDON CANDIS / PHOTO
fOr tHe nAtiOn: Junior Keeli Curtis jots down her political ideas. Unlike her parents, she holds more liberal views as typified by most Millennials.
Feb. 25, 2011 | hilite.org | hilite | acumen | Page 3
By Ryan [email protected]
Millennials embrace new educational opportunities in increasingly competitive global economy
Sophomore Gabrielle Stephens is aiming high. Aspiring to be a marine biologist or lawyer, Stephens said she decided that it is important to challenge herself now in preparation for college and
eventually the struggles involved in finding a job.“I have decided that high school education is a great
way to prepare for college and the obstacles that I might face in my future job,” she said. “The courses I take now will help me determine my strengths and weakness so that I can determine the correct career choice.”
Stephens is not alone. According to a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center for Social & Demographic Trends, Millennials—those born after 1980 and come of age in the new millennium—are particularly ambitious. In the Survey, over half of Millennials currently enrolled in high school, college or graduate school said they want to go on to earn a graduate or professional school degree, and 34 percent will end their education after graduating from college.
These statistics show that Millennials are on their way to becoming the most educated generation in American history, but this is not without reason. The study also determined that Millennials are driven by the demands of a modern knowledge-based economy making it more difficult to find a job without a college degree.
According to Amy Dudley, the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment for Carmel Clay Schools, post-secondary education after high school is vital in today’s world.
“I believe that some type of post-secondary education is paramount for students,” she said via e-mail. “This education may include a college degree or it may be vocational training in a skill or trade.”
Because of this new trend, schools across the nation have started to shift their educational focus in order to better suit student’s future needs, and, according to Dudley, Carmel is no exception.
“The educational focus has shifted from what units of knowledge students have to what students can do with knowledge,” Dudley said. “Knowing how to think critically, analytically and creatively are not new to education; however, these skills have taken on a new importance as the nature of the economy and work has changed. Today’s workforce needs to be able to find and analyze information, often from multiple sources, and use this information to make decisions and create new ideas.”
It is no secret that the global and national economy is becoming more competitive, and, according to the College Board, the United States is falling behind. The United States used to lead the world in the number of 25- to 34-year-olds with college degrees but it currently ranks 12th among 36 developed nations.
According to Dudley, the Carmel Clay School District has recognized the more competitive economy and has
made changes to the curriculum that prepare students more for life after high school.
“At Carmel High School we offer a larger variety of AP, dual credit and IB courses in all departments,” she said. “These courses provide a strong foundation for students entering college. In addition to course work that focuses on higher-level thinking, students have an abundance of opportunities through sports, clubs and service organizations to corroboratively work with others
and solve real world problems.” According to AP Economics teacher Dan Bates, who has
been teaching at Carmel for 32 years, the biggest shift he has seen in teaching was the integration of the AP courses throughout the curriculum.
“It all ties into the AP program and the possibility of our high school students entering college as sophomores with all of the credit they receive from AP exams,” he said. “So, yes, we have adjusted by providing that opportunity.”
Not all students, however, are pursuing a career path
that involves higher education. Recently, students at Carmel and 11 other school corporations in Marion, Boone and Hamilton Counties have been given a unique opportunity by the J. Everett Light Career Center. According to the JEL Career Center website, Career Center classes apply academic subjects to the “real world of work,” and most students are juniors and seniors.
With a facility of over 150,000 square feet and space for over 1,000 students, the career center includes a full service Beauty salon, an onsite banking center, dental laboratories, radio and television studios, an auto repair shop and a child care center that cares for thirty preschoolers.
Stephens said she understands the current economic condition and said she feels that the more experience and education one has the easier it will be to find a job in the future. Because of this, she is taking advantage of the new opportunities available here and has filled her course schedule with several honors and AP classes. She said she realizes, however, that she can never be sure how well she is really preparing herself for the future.
“Planning for the future is hard,” she said. “Things just pop up every now and then. I think that by putting effort into the classes I am taking, I am preparing myself for the future.”
”‘‘the educational focus has
shifted from what units of knowledge students have to what students can do with knowledge.
amy DudleyAssistant Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment for Carmel Clay Schools
Danielle Yin anD anDY Yang / graphicnumber of undergraduate enrollment over the years
Page 4 | acumen |HILITE | HILITE.ORG | FEb. 25, 2O11
By Henry [email protected]
Despite any difficulties, however, Harriet said she is confident she can be successful. Ultimately, she said, her choice in careers will be based on personal fulfillment rather than economic calculations.
“I’ve always wanted to go into law because I’m interested in that field,” Harriet said. “To me, it’s more important that I have a job I can enjoy than a job that makes lots of money.”
Positive ProgressThough economic outlooks differ among generations, Harriet said the most important distinctions involve each generation’s view on society. She said she believes the
younger generations are more accepting of different ways of life.
“Our generation is definitely a lot more understanding and
less judgmental than our parents and grandparents,”
Harriet said. “It’s on issues
First came the “Greatest Generation,” then “Generation X,” and now the “Millennial Generation.” Though the existence of different generations is unquestioned, there is disagreement over what sets a generation
apart from those that come before and after it. Like many others, junior Harriet Leishman said she believes the most significant distinctions between today’s youth and its predecessors seem to lie in their different perspectives.
“I think a lot of what sets us apart from our parents and grandparents involves how we see the world,” Harriet said. “We’ve grown up in a different time than they did, and it’s only natural that we have different views and opinions.”
According to a new study on Millennials by the Pew
Research Center, Harriet is not alone in her belief that her generation is unique. The study states that over 60 percent of Millennials said their generation “has a unique and distinctive identity” due to a variety of social and economic differences.
“Well there are obviously different generations, but there’s no one thing that distinguishes us from the older generations,” Harriet said. “It’s just the atmosphere that we’ve grown up with in general and how it changes our perspectives on a lot of things.”
Funding the FutureAmong the many factors that constitute a generational identity, both Harriet and the Pew study mentioned contrasting economic views between Millennials and older generations as an important difference.
“I think teens in general are more positive and optimistic about our economic futures,” Harriet said. “The current recession is affecting our parents more directly than it’s affecting us, and I think by the time we
enter the job market a lot of the problems either won’t be there or won’t be as severe.”
The Pew study’s findings show that despite adverse economic conditions, most
Millennials share Harriet’s optimism toward the future. Though over a third of youth are currently facing
career difficulties, statistics show that approximately 90 percent of Millennials said
they believe they will eventually achieve their economic and career goals.
According to economics teacher Dan Bates, this outlook is quite typical for a younger generation. Bates said younger generations have historically been more optimistic while older generations have been more cautious about the future.
“Part of the difference is that adults have been around longer and have more experience,”
Bates said. “Especially with the recession, adults are more cautious because they’ve had to deal with more
economic and personal difficulties than most teens have.”Harriet’s mother Amy Leishman said she has noticed
several distinctions between older and younger generations’ economic views and situations. Mrs. Leishman said that, though the economy has become increasingly competitive and work is thus harder to find compared to the past, she believes an optimistic outlook will help motivate youth to overcome any future challenges.
Different outlook, same focusDespite their more optimistic views when it comes to the future, Millennials find they still share core beliefs and values with their parents
shokhi goel / photo illustration
6%
Intelligence
Feb. 25, 2011 | hIlIte.org | hIlIte | acumen | Page 5
like same-sex marriage that we’re really different and a lot more accepting than our parents, and, in my opinion, that openness is one of the best things about our generation.”
According to statistics from the Pew study, Millennials are more accepting of different ways of life than their elders. When it comes to issues of marriage and relationships, less than a third of Millennials see same-sex marriage as a “bad thing for society” while approximately half of older generations hold that less tolerant view. The study concludes that because Millennials had been raised in a modern world throughout their lives, they have become more accepting of “modern family arrangements” than previous generations.
Mrs. Leishman said from her experiences, she feels the Millennials are far more tolerant of previous generations. Yet, Mrs. Leishman said a number of the differences also depend on geography as well as culture.
“In the Midwest, the older generations are less understanding than the youth, but in other places like and Europe, the older generations are very accepting,” Mrs. Leishman said. “For our family, the gap is more between Harriet and me on one hand and her grandparents on the other rather than between Harriet and me.”
For Harriet, she said the increased openness of younger generations has positively affected society. On the other hand, she said she also acknowledges that society is not as openly tolerant as it should be and that there is work to be done.
“We’ve made really great progress recently toward more equality (in society), but there’s always more work to be done,” Harriet said. “Nobody should be treated differently for who they are, and I think American society is finally getting that message.”
Sides of the Same CoinStill, while there is ample evidence that each generation differs from ones before it, it is also evident that different generations have much in common. As for Harriet, she said she shares many views in common with her parents.
“For the large part, I feel like my mum and I have very similar values because she raised me well,” Harriet said. “I feel like even though we grew up in different times, there’s not much of a generation gap between us.”
Bates, who also teaches sociology, said the similarities between different generations are as much to be expected as the differences. According to Bates, it is natural for children to inherit many of their parents’ values despite different outlooks. Overall, he said the current generation’s perspectives are very similar to those of previous generations during their youth.
As for Mrs. Leishman, she said she has much in common with her daughter despite growing up in different times. Though they share many views, Mrs. Leishman said she
believes allowing Harriet to form and develop her own opinions is more important.
“We’re very similar in that we highly value respecting and acting compassionately towards others,” Mrs. Leishman said. “I want Harriet to share many of my values, but I wanted her to learn that herself rather than just following everything I say.”
Ultimately, Harriet said that, despite the generational differences and occasional disagreements, she still feels very close to her parents.
“We’re different people who grew up in different times and places, but my mum has been a big influence on me throughout my life,” Harriet said. “Our generation is a unique one and I think we’re doing a lot of stuff right, but it’s also always good to learn from those before us too.”
Generation UniqueA 2010 survey shares by percentages which aspects are the most prominent among these three generations
Millennial
11%
Pop culture
7%
liberal
Generation X
7%
traditional
14%
respect
8%Values
6%
“baby boomers”
Baby Boomer
Danielle Yin / Graphicspew research center / source
Traditionalistsborn between 1900 and 1945•Financially difficult childhood followed by prosperity•Famous people: elizabeth taylor, bob Dole•Famous influencers: great Depression, WWII•
The Baby Boomersborn between 1946 and 1964•era ended with the advent of •
the consumer birth control pillFamous people: bill Clinton, •
Meryl StreepFamous influencers: Cold War, Space Age•
Generation Xborn between 1965 and 1980 •
First generation predicted to be less • financially successful than their parents
Famous people: barack obama, Jennifer lopez•Famous influencers: Watergate scandal, •
tiananmen Square Massacre
The Millennials born after 1980•grew up in a sheltered lifestyle because their •
parents strove to protect them from the “evils of the world”
Famous people: Mark Zuckerburg, rihanna•Famous influencers: 9/11, AIDS epidemic•MelinDa sonG / Graphics
wMFc.orG / source
Different outlook, same focusDespite their more optimistic views when it comes to the future, Millennials find they still share core beliefs and values with their parents
Transcending Time
”‘‘We’re different people
who grew up in different times and places, but my mum has been a big influence on me throughout my life.
Harriet LeishmanJunior
17%
Work ethic
11%
Work ethic
6%
Intelligence
1900 20111945 1964 1980
technology use
12%
technology use
24%
Page 6 | acumen |HILITE | HILITE.ORG | FEb. 25, 2O11
By Audrey [email protected]
Not So Silent Night Addiction to social networking leads to sleep deprivation among Millennials
As her phone vibrates on her night stand two inches from her head at one in the morning, junior Valerie Hicks wakes up suddenly to see who has texted her. This is a regular occurrence
throughout the night, Valerie said, which leaves her tired the following day.
“I often fall asleep while texting people, so when I hear my phone I have this urge to text whoever it is back no matter what time it might be,” Valerie said. “I feel like if I don’t always communicate with people then they will get upset with me and I would be missing something socially.”
Valerie is not the only student who has sleep patterns like this. According to a report from December 2009 Pew Research Center, a non-profit organization that researches trends, Millennials all over the country are not getting the recommended amount of sleep due to their desire to stay connected socially.
Millennials, the newest generation, with ages ranging from kids reaching adolescence to 30 years old, have increased levels of tiredness that not only affect mood and fatigue levels but also school performance according to the report.
Valerie’s mother, Judith Hicks, is a baby boomer and said she went through the same process as her daughter when she was a teenager of fatigue and tiredness, which affected school performance. She said she still experiences this today but for different reasons other than the desire to stay socially connected. She said her desire to stay current in the world motivates her to be up to date with technology and have her phone near the bedside.
“Millennials don’t know any other way; it’s what is out there it’s the acceptance. I put the phone in my life for convenience and it’s not convenient for me at this time (of night),” Mrs. Hicks said.
Although Valerie said she lies in bed for eight to nine hours each night, she technically only gets five to six hours
Shokhi Goel / photo illuStration
of sleep. The lights may be off in her room and the light setting on her phone changed to its lowest option, but according to Valerie the nightly texts sent and received from her phone vary from 70 to 100.
“I don’t have to study at night and my parents think I’m sleeping, so it’s easy to text; plus I can’t fall asleep before 10 o’ clock,” Valerie said.
According to a study from Kidshealth.org, teens are supposed to get eight and one-half to nine hours of sleep per night but because the hormone melatonin, which tells the brain to fall asleep, is produced later at night, teens fall asleep later than older and younger generations. Most teens end up texting later into the night, according to the website because they already have a later start than do older generations.
School nurse Carol Gelatt, said that students need to decrease any stimulation before bed in order to fall asleep faster and get a better night’s sleep.
“Students need to wind down for the night to help fall asleep better and help the brain relax,” Gelatt said. “They can do this by not drinking caffeine, do any exercise, watch TV or play Xbox a couple hours before bed.”
Sophomore Craig Maude gets more sleep than most teens at about seven hours a night, but that still does not meet the recommendation for teens to meet their fullest potential in school. Like Valerie, his phone may be a reason for that.
“I leave my phone on my bed so I have an easy way to talk to my friends and I can hear it if there’s ever an emergency,” Maude said. “If I ever fall asleep texting, in the middle of the night somehow I will be able to hear the texts and wake up to respond. In the morning, I become tired and lazy with my schoolwork.”
Valerie said fatigue from only receiving half the advised hours of sleep does not affect her immediately, but throughout the day it settles in. She said she becomes socially affected as she rambles on during the day and it also affects her school studies. Though she may study for three hours, she said she was still not able to retain the information because it takes her a lot longer to process the schoolwork.
“Exhaustion can affect moods because lack of sleep in class can cause you to fall asleep during the class and you end up missing everything the teacher said,” Valerie said.
Maude said he knows that when he texts while studying nothing gets accomplished, so he said he leaves his phone off during that time. But at night his phone is on the charger located near his bedside.
“My phone is a way to stay connected to people when I’m not with and I don’t have to worry about calling them,” Maude said.
The desire for technology and social connection affects many aspects of the daily life, especially when it comes to the time for “lights out.” When Valerie is waiting for someone to text her back, she said it becomes harder to fall asleep than just simply lying in bed. She said she is a really
light sleeper, and it’s easy for her to wake up in the middle of the night to texts, especially when she places her phone within easy reach in case anyone does text her.
“I randomly wake up in the night and think, ‘Oh, wait, I have to text them back; I fell asleep. Oh, wait, it’s 3 a.m.’” Valerie said. “I think it has only been five minutes, but in reality, it has been three hours.”
Although being connected socially has its rewards, Valerie said texting doesn’t need to be a habit.
“I feel more refreshed when I don’t wake up in the middle of the night texting because my sleep was not interrupted,” Valerie said. “It will be hard to not text at night, but being successful in life is more rewarding than finding out something happened socially.”
”
‘‘Students need to wind down for the night to help fall asleep better and help the brain relax. They can do this by not drinking caffeine, do exercise, watch TV or play Xbox a couple hours before bed.
Carol GelattSchool nurse
Feb. 25, 2011 | hilite.org | hilite | acumen | Page 7
By Adele [email protected]
Millennials, parents share common music interests
Junior McKinley Clayton shares a love of rock ’n’ roll with her father, Michael Clayton. Both have said that liking the same classic rock bands from the 1960s and 1970s, such as The Beatles and AC/DC, gives them some common ground, benefitting their relationship.
“(Our music tastes) are really similar,” McKinley said. “Me and my parents both like the oldies. That’s mainly because when I was younger, in the car, they would always listen to their stations and I wasn’t allowed to change the channel. So I just grew up with it and got used to it.”
McKinley’s shared music tastes with her those of her father reflect a certain trait of today’s generation of teenagers and parents that did not exist previously.
Today, for every age group under 65, rock ’n’ roll is one of the most popular genres of music. According to a nationwide telephone survey done by the Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan research organization in August 2010, 35 percent of respondents said they listened to rock often, and 30 percent saying they listened to it sometimes, placing rock ’n’ roll ahead of other popular music genres, such as hip-hop, country and jazz.
However, in the 1960s, the national opinion of rock ’n’ roll was extremely different. In a 1966 national survey, 44 percent of adults said they disliked rock ’n’ roll compared to other genres, and only 4 percent said it was their favorite kind of music.
Consequently, kids of this generation are more likely to share a love of rock ’n’ roll with their parents, which cannot be said for past generations, when there were major differences in music interests between parents and their children.
According to Randy Albright, a professor at IUPUI who teaches courses such as “History of Rock ’n’ Roll,” the music the adults preferred and the music the kids preferred varied in the 1960s.
“The parents of the kids who grew up in the ‘60s and the early ‘70s were not accustomed to music with such a heavy beat,” Albright said. “Their music came from the swing era. Swing
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music did have plenty of rhythm with a lot of drums, but the emphasis on swing music is on good musicianship, good singers, good soloists, horn players and all that stuff, and rock ’n’ roll didn’t emphasize that as much.”
Mr. Clayton said he remembers having different musical tastes than his parents.
“My parents grew up in the big band era, so there wasn’t any rock ’n’ roll or any of that kind of sorts,” Mr. Clayton said.
Albright said that the musical interests between parents and teenagers today are more similar than they were in the 1960s. “I think the reason that Mom and Dad and kids can like the same music or come closer to liking the same music is because Mom and Dad grew up with that beat, but their parents did not, and that’s what caused that big generation gap in the ‘60s and ‘70s.”
With McKinley and her father, it is clear that the musical generation gap has disappeared. Both said they sometimes go to rock ‘n’ roll concerts together.
“I’ve always gone to concerts with them,” McKinley said. “AC/DC came to Indiana for a concert—sophomore year maybe.”
McKinley said although going to concerts with her parents is different than attending them with her friends, she still enjoys the time she spends with them. “It’s cool seeing your parents jam and rock out to the same stuff.”
Mr. Clayton said that he enjoys attending rock ’n’ roll concerts
with McKinley. “You feel like you have a connection when you go to concerts, and it’s fun being together and enjoying something together,” Mr. Clayton said.
Albright said having similar music tastes can be beneficial to the relationship between parents and kids. “I do know for a fact that it’s helpful, parents and kids at least try to listen to some music together and talk about it,” Albright said.
“It’s cool to talk to them about (rock ’n’ roll),” McKinley said. She said if rock ’n’ roll did not exist, “I guess we wouldn’t have something in common to talk about, and agree on something on the radio.”
”
‘‘i think the reason that Mom and Dad and kids can like the same music or come closer to liking the same music is because Mom and Dad grew up with that beat, but their parents did not, and that’s what caused that big generation gap in the ‘60s and ‘70s.
Randy Albright“The History of Rock ‘n’ Roll” professor at IUPUI
Research shows rock ‘n’ roll is the most popu-lar music genre among both parents and teens
Think your parents have boring taste in music? Today’s music takes similar cues from music of previous generations, proving that what goes around really does come around.
Page 8 | acumen |HILITE | HILITE.ORG | FEb. 25, 2O11
Ask the Contributors
“Our opinions. It’s crazy that in just one gen-eration, things that were absolutely forbidden in the past are now socially acceptable, or on the path to being socially acceptable, today.”
Senior Danielle Yin, graphics
“The biggest difference between our genera-tion and the previous generations that we are better informed about major health issues such as obesity and smoking.”
Junior Audrey Courter, reporter
“Pop culture. With stars like Lady Gaga and the black Eyed Peas, Madonna and Michael Jackson are, unfortunately, taking the back seat.”
Sophomore Ryan Zukerman, reporter
“Our ability to surf the internet without getting a computer virus every 20 minutes.”
Junior Andy Yang, reporter
Acumen staff members of this issue share what they think makes the Millennial generation unique
“We may be narcissistic, and we may have a shorter lifespan than previous generations, but we do not hesitate to volunteer and involve ourselves in various charities.”
Senior Afra Hussain, Feature editor
Henry ZHu and LiZZy Grubbs / pHotos
“Our positive attitude. Especially with the recent recession, we don’t see the future as all “doom-and-gloom” like older generations tend to.”
Junior Henry Zhu, reporter