V O l . l i V N O . 2 s e p T e m B e r 2 , 2 0 0 9

MUS Football Reloads

MORgAN HUNT, OWl’S HOOT PHOTOgRAPHeR

The Owls started the season explosively in their 38-0 victory over Millington in the annual AIM Charity/Bridges kickoff Classic.

MUS Owls start year strong with early victoryForrest BatyOwL’S HOOT nEwS EDiTOR

november 2008: MUS appeared to be unstoppable, dominating its competition on the way to the school’s fourth state

championship. Th e off ense was fi nding the end zone seemingly every possession, and the defense was forcing turnovers at will. when night fell on the 2008 season, the Owls had fi nished with 13 wins, no

losses, and a Division ii-AA State Cham-pionship trophy.

Fast-forward nine months to August 2009. Once again, the Owls have what it takes to be successful. with returning

[See MUS Football Reloads, page 9]

Seniors Cherish MUS in EuropeCameron CrawfordOwL’S HOOT COnTRiBUTOR

On May 28, a group of twenty or so rising seniors boarded the eight-hour fl ight to Brussels to begin what certainly became one of my fondest memories of my time at MUS. we landed in Brussels and took a bus to Ypres, a major world war i battle site and town renowned for the defi nitive British wwi monument, the Menin Gate. Our purpose for hopping the pond was of course to study world war i and American expatriate litera-ture. Having already studied four books (Erich Von Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front, Dalton Trumbo’s Johnny Got His Gun, Ernest Hemingway’s Th e

Sun Also Rises, and Tim O’Brien’s stirring Vietnam account, Th e Th ings Th ey Carried), we were prepared to see the places where many of the events of these four novels took place. Most students would agree that the novels truly came alive aft er our study at La Giraudiere, Dr. Dalle’s resplendent chateau in the French province of Anjou in the Loire Valley.

in Ypres, we visited the in Flanders Field Museum and the accompanying set of graveyards for the battles at Ypres and

Passchendaele, both horrifi c and costly battles of world war i.

Aft er our cozy stay in Ypres, we trav-eled by bus to Paris where we spent a

[See Seniors Cherish Voyage, page 4]

RegINAlD DAlle

The MUS in europe class spent three weeks touring europe.

An Interview with AlasdairAlasdair took the time to sit down with the Owl’s Hoot and tell us about himself.

[See Alasdair Smith, page 3]

National Latin ConventionTwo MUS Latin scholars attended the nJCL this year; fi nd what they did.

[See MUS Latin Students, page 5]

MUS Golf Team TriumphsOlsen, Jordan, and Martin seek to lead this year’s golf team to success.

[See Golf Team Aims High, page 9]

Lollapalooza Coverage[See Lollapalooza, page 10]

Barry Brunetti Interview[See Barry “Th e Gift ” Brunetti, page 9]

Danny GalvinOwL’S HOOT COnTRiBUTOR

Or, more accurately, swine fl u never stopped striking. Yes, it may seem like old news, but the H1n1 virus is still a very dangerous strand of the “normal” fl u virus and is still very relevant to MUS. in fact, as recently as August 17, a student at Briar-crest Christian School was diagnosed with H1n1. Offi cials estimate that the deadly strain might cause as many as 90,000 deaths when it resurges. And although a vaccine will be available by mid-Septem-ber, its safety will be under question until testing is completed by early 2010 at the latest. However, MUS’s administration is not ignoring the threat.

“we will stay open until our numbers sick exceed what we can handle. Th at will be determined by the administration. Th is is following the CDC guidelines and rec-ommendations,” Upper School Principal Barry Ray said.

Th e administration hopes that no pol-icy will need to be enacted, and everyone will stay healthy and safe. Still, all mem-bers of the MUS community are advised to be cautious of the H1n1 virus.

Swine Flu Strikes Back

CDC.gOv

The H1N1 virus threatens to infect thousands this fall.

• Mix of swine, avian, and human fl u• Pandemic alert now at phase 6• Hand gels with alcohol are eff ective

at killing novel H1n1• People under age 25 are more vul-

nerable to the virus

Do you miss “Thought of the Day?”

[Poll taken from 114 random student responses.]

No: 84.2%

yes: 12.3%undecided: 3.5%

T h e O w l ’ s h O O TN e w sFrom the Editor: Owl’s Hoot 2.0

The MUS football program has adopted “Reload” as this year’s team motto, following an immensely successful season last year. But who’s to say that we can’t apply that motto to all aspects of MUS? After all, we are currently the reigning champions in a myriad of different leagues and organizations, both academic and athletic. Well, the Owl’s Hoot has certainly reloaded, aiming to bring you the best school newspaper possible throughout the 2009-2010 school year. In June, I had the incredible opportunity to attend Columbia University’s annual Summer Journalism Workshop in New York City, thanks to MUS’s relatively new Summer Journalism Fellowship (initiated by Robert Davis ‘82). At the weeklong program, I took pages of useful notes regarding journalistic writing, content, and layout from some of the industry’s best. I also had the chance to compare the Owl’s Hoot with other high school newspapers from across the country. Before the program, I knew that the Owl’s Hoot was already a quality publication. However, after seeing other schools’ impressive papers, I realized that there was still room for improvement. Since my return from New York, the rest of the staff and I have worked diligently throughout the summer, brainstorming and implementing several much-needed changes. Obviously, as you’re reading this now, you’ve probably already noticed the new-and-improved layout, engineered by our chief layout editor, Ryan Turner. Ryan spent countless hours corresponding with the layout editors at the Commercial Appeal, receiving invaluable advice from a professional standpoint. We’ve also added an informative poll, located on the bottom left of the front page, as well as a useful calendar of upcoming events. These are just a few of the many yet subtle changes we’ve implemented, and we have several more on the way. With that said, the Owl’s Hoot would be nothing without the support of the student body, and because of that fact, I want to thank all of our dedicated readers. So sit back, relax, and enjoy this year’s first issue. Also, don’t forget to join the official Owl’s Hoot Facebook Page to receive special updates. And remember, your feedback is always much appreciated!

Sincerely,

Wade Laycook

Editor-in-chief

Owl’s Hoot Staffwade laycookediTOr-iN-chief

James ArnoldAssOciATe ediTOr

ryan TurnerlAyOuT ediTOr

Nicholas rouseAssOciATe lAyOuT ediTOr

forrest BatyNews ediTOr

Jon KastanViewpOiNTs ediTOr

Bradley ringelspOrTs ediTOr

holt edwardsAmusemeNTs ediTOr

morgan huntphOTOgrApher

Norman ThompsonfAculTy AdVisOr

Upcoming Events9/4 - Football: MUS @ South

Panola

9/7 - Labor Day

9/11 - Football: Overton @ MUS

9/13 - Dr. Harkins’ s Book Signing

9/16 - Parents Back to School Day

9/18 - Josh Pastner Speaks in

Chapel; Football: MUS @ Olive Branch

9/24 - Varsity Golf Regional

Tournament

9/25 - Football Homecoming

(East @ MUS); Live Entertainment by

Gorilla Zoe

s e p T e m B e r 2 , 2 0 0 9 p A g e 3N e w s

Holt Edwards OwL’S HOOT AMUSEMEnTS EDiTOR

Returning to the faculty as the lucky number 11 alumnus, Ross Rutledge re-turns as the newest, and youngest, Lower School teacher and football coach. Hav-ing graduated from MUS in 2002, Coach Rutledge is one of the youngest teachers in MUS history. “One of my fondest memo-ries of MUS is my senior football season. we went 7-4, including a one-point vic-tory over CBHS.” Coach Rutledge says that some of his fondest memories come from his time spent here.

now, returning as the safeties coach (including the falcon and owl positions) for the football team, Coach Rutledge will also undertake the responsibility of teach-ing Lower School Ancient and Medieval Studies. He says that Doc winfrey and Dr. Harkins were two of his favorite teach-

ers at MUS. “Their vast knowledge of his-torical subject matters is the degree with which i hope to measure myself as a histo-rian.” Graduating from Millsaps College with a degree in history, Coach Rutledge returns to MUS after teaching history at Cordova High School. Ultimately, his goal is to give back more to MUS than he took away from it.

New Faces at 6191 Park Ave.Brian K. SmithWade Laycook OwL’S HOOT EDiTOR-in-CHiEF

Tell me about yourself.i’m from Chicago, and i went to high

school in indianapolis. i went to Ball State and indiana University, where i was a Division 1 sprinter. My under-graduate degrees are in English and vocal performance, so i have a music back-ground.

What brought you to MUS?i’ve known about MUS for a number

of years because i used to be head of ad-missions at Lake Forest College. One of my territories was the state of Tennessee, and i would come down here to recruit students and meet with Dr. Baer. She had told me that i ought to consider college counseling. After ten years at Lake For-est, Baylor called me and said they had some openings for college counseling. i went there for five years until Dr. Baer told me she was retiring. She suggested that i come to MUS. i applied for the job, and i’m here!

What are your first impressions of MUS?

it’s a great school, and the academic rigor here is excellent. The students seem to be very involved and possess great leadership qualities. i think they’ll be great students on any college campus. i’m really looking forward to working with them and moving them to the next level.

Do you have any significant changes planned?

we’ve already made a number of changes. i think one of the biggest things that our guys need to understand is that it’s definitely a team process. Mrs. Parr and i will work on helping you get into the “right-fit” institution. Since there are so many institutions out there, we also want our guys thinking “out of the box” as far as colleges. we’ll also make sure you’re ready for the admission process, the scholarship interviews, and the appli-cation process itself. in every step of that process, we’re going to walk you through it and make sure that you’re ready to leap to that next level. we’re using naviance a lot as well.

What are your favorite books, mov-ies, music, etc…?

i’m a big fan of the Lord of the Rings. i’m also a fan of Harry Potter, and i like to read a lot. i love all kinds of music too. A friend of mine who’s getting married in november asked me for some recom-mendations for his reception, and i told him to make sure to include Michael Jackson, Sugarland, Darius Rucker, John

Legend, Robin Thicke and the Dave Mat-thews Band (my all time favorite!). You’ll always hear music playing in my office.

Music is obviously a big part of your life.

i’m a vocalist, so i sing a lot. i grew up singing in church. i perform at wed-dings, and i’ve done the national An-them on several occasions. i’m actually scheduled to sing the national Anthem at the very first football game for Georgia State University.

What cool things have you done in Memphis so far?

i enjoy going out to great restaurants, so i’ve done a lot of that. Being a run-ner, i’ve also had some enjoyable runs. i haven’t really done any sightseeing though. i did go down to the [Missis-sippi] River and Beale Street to walk around.

Anything else you’d like to add?i’m very personable, and i like for

students to come in and just hang out. You don’t always have to come in with a question. i am on Facebook too, and i answer a lot of college questions on there. i haven’t quite gotten into the Twitter thing yet though. i’m also friends with several professional tennis players, including Venus and Serena williams and James Blake, among others.

How did you meet them?i do a tournament down in Miami

called the Sony Ericson Open. i’m pretty much responsible for the top twenty players on both sides. i get to mix and mingle with everyone, and i get to talk with players like Roger Federer. it’s a lot of fun! However, i don’t know if i’ll be able to go back to Miami again this year, since our spring breaks don’t coincide now that i’m at MUS.

Alasdair SmithMUS’s British exchange student experiences the South

Ross Rutledge

Rocky Stone OwL’S HOOT COnTRiBUTOR

Tell us a little about yourself.My name’s Alasdair, and i’m from

windsor, England, just outside of London. i went to a school in Shrewsbury for 5 years, and i’m now on a gap year. i aim to return to University next October, where i plan to go into international relations. Hopefully, my experience here will further my knowledge of American culture.

Is this your first time in the U.S.?no, i’ve been to the states a few times

before on holiday, just never to the South. Mainly, i’ve been to the west in Arizona and California. i much prefer the South-ern lifestyle, though.

What do you like about the South so far?

Everyone seems so friendly, hospitable, and laid back. Central Bar-B-Q was a great start to my stay here. And, it’s completely different from anything i’ve experienced in the U.S. i’ve been enjoying the Chick-fil-a and the Southern girls as well.

What classes are you taking this year?i am currently taking Spanish, Geol-

ogy, U.S. History, Art, and the nighttime Psychology class.

Are there any extracurricular activi-ties that you plan to get involved in this year?

i’m hoping to try American football, although i’m not positive i’ll be allowed to play. Possibly the bowling team, baseball,

or soccer. Basically, i’m having a go at anything i haven’t been able to do before.

Is the MUS experience anything simi-lar to what you expected initially, and how does it compare to your school in England?

i wasn’t really sure what to expect. i just came with an open mind and planned to kind of take things as they come. i’ve only been here a week, but i’m really en-joying it so far. There are a lot of fun times to come, and they definitely don’t have a senior lounge at Shrewsbury. it has been the highlight so far.

Anything else you have to say?no, not really, but if anyone has a

question for me, feel free to come ask. People seem to keep asking me whether i like Harry Potter, and just to clarify, i’m not much of a fan. Go Owls!

T h e O w l ’ s h O O TN e w s

typical touristy but incredibly interesting and busy two days. Among the sights we visited in Paris were the Musee D’Orsay, the Louvre, the Eiff el Tower, notre Dame, the Paris Basillica, Montmartre, the Zero Point, and many others via a riverboat tour of the River Seine. Th e Louvre and Musee D’Orsay were two of my favorite aspects of the trip. Th e art here takes on a new level of meaning when you encoun-ter these craft s face-to-face.

From Paris, we traveled to Dr. Dalle’s chateau, La Giraudiere, where we were warmly welcomed by Bruno, Dr. Dalle’s older brother; Mohammed; and of course, our gracious host, Dr. Dalle. Aft er hav-ing a quick tour and a lottery for rooms, we settled into our new home. Each day, we woke to the sound of a bell (usually freezing because we forgot to shut the windows) and ate breakfast. Class started at eight o’clock with updates about the soldiers’ roles we were assuming and generally lasted until eleven. At lunch, we sat in tables according to each student’s status: living, wounded, shell-shocked, or dead. Th is allowed our group to see how destructive world war i had really been. On the fi rst day, only one person was dead, but aft er nine days only two survived, with several at the wounded and shell-shocked tables.

in the aft ernoons, we traveled to nearby cities. At Chinon, we toured a castle that Joan of Arc had once resided in. At Guerande, we went to a sort of year-round Renaissance fair and ate what was probably the best pizza i’ve ever had. in nantes, we walked the streets until rain forced us into small shops, the numerous malls, or the cathedral where the Edict of nantes was issued. At La Baule, Coach Taylor promised the fi rst man to dive into the Atlantic a free milkshake. i won, despite the water’s being around sixty-fi ve degrees. One more town we visited was Angers, an incredible place which is home to a large university. “People watching” was a must that day. Th ese excursions gave us a chance to leave with a small group of students, practice our French, “people watch”, and buy gift s. One day, we trekked to a local chocolate factory up the road from La Giraudiere to learn how they make their chocolate, and of course, to sample it.

in the evenings, we played soccer or Frisbee or petanque until dinner. weighed down with a heavy French meal, we watched movies on Dr. Dalle’s projec-tor for extra credit, walked around the grounds to enjoy the climate, played ping-pong or board games, and just relaxed.

when our time at La Giraudiere was up, we loaded onto our bus with our new-

and-improved tour guide John, a stalwart leader of MUS in Europe trips and set out for St. Jean Pied du Port, the traditional starting point for El Camino de Santiago, a pilgrimage throughout much of France and Spain. we bought necessities, regis-tered as pilgrims, attached seashells (the traditional marking of St. James) to our packs, and rested up for the big day. it was this night in St. Jean Pied du Port when we fi rst got to know Jose-Luis, our bus driver and resident F.C. Barcelona fanatic who never allowed a dull moment, even at rest stops.

Th e portion of El Camino that we hiked is known for being the most diffi -cult day of the trip. we hiked twenty-one miles over an 11,000 foot peak in roughly eight hours with surprisingly no injuries, despite cramps and blisters. (i have no idea how Coach Taylor did it either.) we crossed the French-Spanish border aft er several hours and only knew so because Spencer Fong’s phone starting receiving indecipherable messages, most likely be-cause he was fl eeing the country.

we arrived in Burguete, a small Spanish fi shing town favored by Ernest Hemingway and depicted in his classic novel Th e Sun Also Rises. Sam Ferguson, Steven Bell, Emmett Montgomery, and

i were able to walk from one end of the town to the other in less than ten minutes. we refueled and rested in Hemingway’s preferred hotel and ate his traditional meal of fresh trout caught in the irati river along with a lentil soup and country ham. we all passed out around 8:30pm and woke up for the drive to Pamplona aft er getting our pilgrim’s passports stamped by the innkeeper.

we drove to Pamplona where we linked up with our wildly underqualifi ed tour guide Peter, who told us more than we wanted to hear about Pamplona’s ca-thedral (which, although beautiful, was perhaps the fi ft h we had seen and paled in comparison to notre Dame and the Paris Basillica), a Basque ball court, and the Pamplona bull ring. we had a short mid-tour break for coff ee at the Café iruna, a classic café depicted in Th e Sun Also Risesand later set out for lunch and testing our Spanish vocabulary skills.

we left Pamplona that aft ernoon for what was by far my favorite city of the trip: San Sebastian. Located on the Spanish coast, San Sebastian is world-renowned for its breathtaking view and beautiful beaches. For two days, we wan-dered around San Sebastian and swam out to the raft in the bay. we took a day

trip to see the Guggenheim Museum of Modern Art in Bilbao, which sadly was being renovated and was not displaying any of its permanent collection that day.

Aft er another day of enjoying the street musicians and laid-back culture of San Sebastian, we drove to Madrid where our bus driver had to take down his F.C. Barcelona scarf from his back window for fear of his tires being slashed. in Madrid, we explored La Plaza Mayor and watched street entertainers before heading to the second largest bullfi ghting ring in the world. we saw a bullfi ght aft er a quick and dirty briefi ng from our tour guide, John. Th e fi ghts were unlike anything i had ever seen and were amazingly fasci-nating and exciting. Aft er the fi ghts, we went back to La Plaza Mayor to relax and do last minute gift shopping and gelato eating.

Th e next morning we fl ew home from Madrid with a wealth of new informa-tion on world war i and expatriate writers, as well as an appreciation for French and Spanish culture. we would like to thank Mrs. Crosby, Coach Taylor, and Dr. Dalle (and his family) for all that they did to coordinate our trip and to provide us with the experience of a lifetime.

Seniors Cherish Voyage to Europe [continued from front page]

RegINAlD DAlle

This summer’s MUS in europe class poses for a group photo in the streets of France during their trip overseas.

s e p T e m B e r 2 , 2 0 0 9 p A g e 5N e w sMUS Latin Students Excel at National ConventionMason Soun OwL’S HOOT COnTRiBUTOR

During the last weeks of summer, sophomore nicolas Rouse and i traveled to the University of California at Davis just outside of Sacramento to participate in the 56th Annual National Junior Clas-sical League Convention. Led by acting state chair, Mrs. Reinhardt, and accom-panied by a few white Station students, we each had high hopes of placing well on academic tests and in certamen (Latin Quiz Bowl).

Arriving at the convention, we partici-pated in and watched as much as possible of the convention’s jam-packed schedule. in addition to general assemblies and spirit contests, there were many displays and competitions in graphic arts. One could take many academic tests and play certamen, or compete against some of the world’s greatest, yet nerdiest athletes in Ludi or Olympika. At the convention, no one could be found who knew the winner of Superbowl XXVi, but everyone knew the date on which Cicero delivered his Ca-tilinian Orations.

Rouse and i spent the majority of our time on academics. we both played on state certamen teams, and both qualified for the semifinals. Rouse captained the intermediate (Latin ii) team, while i was

a member of the Advanced (Latin iii-V). Rouse placed in the top 10 for three academic tests (Hellenics, Literature, and Reading Comprehension) for Latin ii, and i placed first in the Roman History Test for Latin iii. it seemed that we accom-plished the goal for which we set out.

But why is Latin important? why do people go to such conventions for a language which hasn’t been spoken for hundreds of years? Of course there are the obvious academic reasons. Latin boosts your scores on the SAT through an enlarged vocabulary, and it “looks good” on a college transcript. Latin also remains a large part of our society through our culture, government, law, architecture, medicine, and language. whenever one ends a sentence using et cetera, provides examples using e.g., or identifies a school as his alma mater, he uses Latin. Even the motto of Memphis University School is in Latin: Veritas Honorque, Truth and Hon-or. Personally, Latin has impacted my life the most through its teaching of dedica-tion. Translating Ovid or deciphering complex grammar structures has trained me in dedication, discipline, and patience. i believe that Mrs. Reinhardt, Rouse, i, and thousands of others attend nationals and State conventions because Latin is the ultimate teacher, despite its label as being “dead.”

Will Forsythe OwL’S HOOT COnSTRiBUTOR

Two administrators of Pace High School, a Santa Rosa County School lo-cated in Milton, Florida, will soon be fac-ing a U.S. District Judge. not for theft, or embezzlement, or fraud, but for a prayer. Principal Frank Lay, a Christian and nine-teen-year employee of the school district, and Athletic Director Robert Freeman have been brought up on criminal con-tempt charges stemming from a lunchtime prayer. This prayer violated a consent decree that was a result of a settlement of a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liber-ties Union (ACLU) in 2008 on behalf of two unnamed students that complained about the religious practices of the school administration and faculty. Only eight days after signing the consent decree, Principal Lay asked Mr. Freeman to “bless the food” at a booster club luncheon. Principal Lay’s comment on the prayer was simple: “we did what we normally do in the South before we eat.” The men are now facing a fine of up to $5,000 and a six month prison sentence. Their hearing be-fore Judge M. Casey Rodgers is scheduled for Sept.17.

This trial is a mockery of rights. it seems that the ACLU is bent on remov-ing harmless religious practices from U.S. public schools. The whole matter is laughable. why does the ACLU continue to restrict everyday, harmless religious practices? no organization, no court rul-ing, no authority figure on Earth will stop Christians or other religious believers

from publicly and passionately living for what they believe in. what do Princi-pal Lay and Mr. Freeman face? Losing money (for which a Lay/Freeman Defense Fund has been established to combat), or spending time in jail? in an interview, Principal Lay asked what would happen if someone blessed him after he sneezed. would he have to report them to the ACLU? no matter what the outcome of this trial, Christians and other religious peoples won’t alter their everyday prac-tices. Organizations like the ACLU can remove “under God” from The Pledge of Allegiance. Religious believers will still say it. The ACLU can make Principal Lay remove The Ten Commandments from a hallway of Pace High, but what will that accomplish?

no religious believer enjoys being refused acknowledgement to his God in “one nation under God.” Principal Lay’s request for a prayer hadn’t occurred yet, but the seeds of protest had already been planted: the Senior Class President was unable to speak at her own graduation for fear of her saying anything religious. in their support of her, graduates of Pace High wore crosses on their mortarboards and interrupted their graduation with a recital of “The Lord’s Prayer.” now that Principal Lay’s request for a prayer has entered the picture, the protests have ma-terialized in even ways. Yard signs saying “Pray for our Schools” have popped up; anti-ACLU t-shirts are being worn. On September 17, 2009, many across the na-tion will be praying for and believing in these courageous men.

The Price of PrayerShould prayer in public schools be punished?

SAMUelATgIlgAl.WORDPReSS.COM

Recently, two public school teachers were severely punished for praying in school, inciting outrage among religious advocates.

T h e O w l ’ s h O O TN e w s

Andrew Wilensky OwL’S HOOT COnTRiBUTER

i’m sure that i could probably guess your summer plans. Maybe basketball practice and games, football practice ev-ery morning, going to work, a trip to the beach, and, of course, summer reading. i did some of those things, but i also had the best experience of my life.

One day last spring i received a let-ter in the mail from the “Harvard of the west,” Stanford University in Palo Alto, California. it explained the school’s Edu-cated Program for the Gifted Youth that offers an astounding variety of different three week courses, ranging from legal studies to number theory to artificial intelligence. i took a quick look through the list of classes, and stopped when i saw “economics.” i have been considering for a long time a career as a financial advi-sor, like my uncle, who lives in new York City and is a very successful leader in his field. i also thought it would be good to get a more in depth look at how econo-mies work given the current state of the national and world economy. Since i can remember, i have wanted to go to Stan-ford, and with this opportunity sitting in my lap, i had to take advantage of it. i filled out my application, and sent it in at the cutoff date. A few weeks later, i re-ceived an email telling me that i had been accepted into EPGY. Overjoyed, i bought my plane tickets and planned for a chal-lenging and exciting three weeks.

My dad flew out with me a few days early, and we stayed in San Francisco. we sawthe Alcatraz tour, a tour of the city in a go-kart, and a Giants baseball game. After a Sunday morning trip over the Golden Gate Bridge and breakfast in a neighboring town, we headed down to Palo Alto and the Stanford Campus. i was a little nervous when we pulled up, but

the butterflies left pretty quickly as i met the counselors (Stanford students) and unpacked in my dorm room. we had a couple of hours before the convocation BBQ, so we drove around, getting lost several times (Stanford is the second big-gest campus in the world, the largest in the US), before my dad had to return to Memphis. At the BBQ, i met several kids who would become my best friends dur-ing the three weeks; they came from all over the world: Mexico, Australia, india, Japan, Cameroon, and of course the US. My roommates were from Hawaii and in-dia, and i was proud to be the first person ever from Tennessee to attend the camp.

Every day started with breakfast at 8:00 and class from 9:00-11:30. Our teacher was a PhD and is currently an economist for the navy. Unfortunately, he taught us as though we were college students, not what we really were: kids who had no idea about anything concern-ing economics. However, we covered a tremendous amount of material in a busy three-week period, and we did learn a lot. it started out with the basics: micro and macroeconomics. As the three weeks pro-gressed, so did the rigor of the work. The class got into things like supply/demand, surplus/deficit, fiscal/monetary policies of countries, etc. Each class also included a 30-minute speech from famous econo-mists about different economic topics. After lunch, everyone returned to the dorm for a three-hour afternoon study session in which we worked on projects or read the books they had given us. we were assigned two projects, a group and an individual. My group presented on the Federal Reserve Banks, and proposed several ideas for economists to work on to improve the banks’ efficiencies.

For the individual project, we were required to choose a country, do some research, and propose an “economic

stimulus” to mend the economy. i gave my selection deep thought and decided to go with israel, thinking that the seem-ingly never-ending war with Palestine would have a big effect on an already lousy economy. But i was wrong on so many levels. israel is one the world’s top ten economies and a leader in software development, in addition to its historic role as a world center of religion. Busi-ness tycoons like Bill Gates and Donald Trump have each praised israel’s stead-fast and stable economy. i did manage to find one huge hole in its economy, though, and that is what i zeroed in on. israel lacks almost every natural resource imaginable, and, forced to import them all, loses money each year. Considering their current deficit and trends over time, as well as historical situations of other countries with the same problem, i gave a two-step solution. The most important thing the government could do is drill in a newly-found natural gas pocket off the coast that will serve the country for thousands of years. This is of superior importance because their current supply of natural gas will run out in about five years. After drilling, they need to import more raw materials, which are very cheap, to make more products to export. Despite the great economy, israel still has around $90 million of national debt. Following these steps, they would eventually be able to make a profit and begin to erase that debt. There was also a step 2B, which was to export at higher prices small amounts of the natural gas to countries in dire need of it.

i am especially glad to report that Stanford was not only about studies, but also afforded time to relax and play a pretty wide variety of games After the study sessions we were assigned specific activities, like football, basketball, soccer, capture the flag, ping pong, etc. One day,

all four dorms participated in the Dorm Olympics, and i am proud to say my dorm won. Sports activities were followed by dinner. in fact, i learned fairly quickly that the food was the same every day, so i often got Subway, pizza, or Mexican from restaurants on campus, and then i was free to roam the campus until 11:00. Some nighttime activities included the nearby Stanford Mall and the quaint downtown Palo Alto. Saturdays were devoted to field trips. The first Saturday we went to the beach in the small town of Capitola. The second Saturday (Fourth of July), we were expecting to go to San Francisco but were instead taken to an art museum outside the city. it wasn’t what we had all been hoping for or expecting, but we had a better time than you might think. On Sundays, we were allowed to do anything we desired.

My three weeks on campus at one of the most respected universities in the country ranks among the best of my life. i met new friends from around the world, learned a lot about a subject i knew very little about, and left knowing what it will take over the next three years at MUS to be considered by a school like Stanford. i also realized how lucky i am to be attend-ing such a great school like MUS. Even though i was only a rising sophomore in a crowd of mostly rising seniors, i no-ticed that i possessed the same amount of knowledge in other subject areas as the other students, if not more. i saw how well MUS prepares us for college classes, as well as oral presentations and disci-plined study habits.

i recommend this entire experience to everybody and would gladly do it all over again. i know the idea of summer school doesn’t sound great to many of you, but all i can say is that this was different. For now, though, it’s back to MUS and, hope-fully, another good school year.

Sophomore Spends Three Weeks at Stanfordwilensky discusses his experience at one of Stanford University’s summer programs

ANDReW WIleNSkY

Andrew Wilensky, who spent part of his summer at Stanford University’s educated Program for the gifted Youth, stands in front of the school’s campus in sunny California.

s e p T e m B e r 2 , 2 0 0 9 p A g e 7V i e w p O i N T sBanned From FacebookNicholas Rouse OwL’S HOOT ASSOCiATE LAYOUT EDiTOR

while most of my Facebook interac-tions are limited to responding to friend requests out of politeness (or spite, de-pending on my mood), i have been unable to endure either since early July, when the constabulary of the social networking site disabled my account. Although a link di-rected me to a quartet of frequently asked questions of which were as colorful as my real questions, the page managed to im-part to me that i was in fact not a student of MUS.

i found neither any provision for error on the part of the website nor any way to petition or otherwise contact Facebook. Since my not attending MUS was appar-ently concluded beyond any doubt, and i was presumably repentant, the FAQ page offered to allow me to join another high school network or continue to use the site without a high school affiliation. The only problem is that a disabled account cannot

log in to join another network or use the site in any other manner.

Eventually, i managed to find an e-mail address to which i could send a request to be reinstated, but after a month and a half without a response i am begin-ning to lose hope. The FAQ mentioned that someone who does not confirm their high school status within sixty days will be removed, but as i registered in Janu-ary, i find that route to Facebook limbo unlikely.

However, i also find being unable to use Facebook strangely liberating. Having the perfect excuse to avoid interaction or, worse, socialization with real people feels almost providential. when asked why i’m not on Facebook, or why i have yet to confirm a friend request, i can play a discussion-ending trump card. Besides, i have moved on to a better website, a web-site that has its own verb (when was the last time someone said he was “Facebook-ing”?), and that verb is tweet (and, no, you can’t follow me).

Belated Senior Prank‘09 “graduates” return with tasteless mischiefLane Sally OwL’S HOOT COnTRiBUTOR

Deprived of the opportunity to ex-press their newfound freedom in the form of a traditional senior prank, a few of last year’s seniors decided to perform their mischief the evening prior to Con-vocation Day.

Everyone wants his class to be re-membered. Everyone wants to leave a legacy. A clever, well-planned, well-executed senior prank is perfect for that legacy. Unfortunately, this year’s prank was neither clever, well-planned, nor well-executed. it was also really late.

Upon their arrival at school on Con-vocation Day, a few teachers noticed that the Hyde Chapel and surrounding areas were disheveled, to say the least.

Apparently, the perpetrators entered the Chapel through a door that was left open overnight.

According to Upper School discipli-narian Mark Counce, the mystery men “discharged some fire extinguishers, up-rooted and moved some benches by the amphitheater, and dislodged the Campus Center sign.”

They also egged and rolled the Cha-pel, as well as a few trees, and wrote on the windows. However, the perpetra-tors have not gotten away with their act cleanly.

“The school has identified all the people that were involved” Mr. Ray said.

The potential consequences could result in legal action, but will most likely stay within the jurisdiction of the school.

The Great Debate: HealthcareChase Harriman OwL’S HOOT COnTRiBUTOR

Maybe because we high school students haven’t seen our nation go through very much, it’s not immediately obvious to us exactly how big of an issue this healthcare stuff really is. But if you talk to anyone over fifty they’ll most likely tell you that they’ve never seen the American people so pas-sionate on any issue. And rightly so: your quality of life is dependent on healthcare in a greater way than on any other current political issue. with so much at stake, let’s ask ourselves some basic questions.

will we really be able to keep our cur-rent insurance companies if they cannot hope to compete in a free market with a government plan that doesn’t have to make a profit? will healthcare really be more affordable? The government may subsidize our healthcare, but don’t we pay the government? with our national debt already at $9 trillion, where will the money for this reform come from? Are you aware that this reform will require you purchase insurance even if you don’t want it? Do you really trust not only this government, but all future governments with handling your healthcare? Are bureaucrats that trustwor-thy and immune to corruption, especially when we give them this much more power? The President said that “we need to bundle payments so [doctors] aren’t paid for ev-ery single treatment [they] offer a patient with a chronic condition like diabetes, but instead paid well for how [they] treat the overall disease,” so who will be the judge of how well doctors work? will this give doctors any incentive to try innovative treatments, or will it cause them to take the safe route? And won’t it make doctors more likely to avoid or “pass off” difficult cases like in a game of hot potato? will the government still pay doctors their current salaries, or with their over-strained budget will they cut doctor’s pay at a time when already 60% of primary care physicians say they would not advise medicine as a career? will bright young people see a career in medicine in a less appealing light and de-cide to go for other things? And if they do, how will fewer doctors provide better care for more patients? if you get cancer that is considered terminal, will the government

really pay for you to fight it if you want? if an 85-year-old breaks her hip, will the gov-ernment really pay for a hip replacement for someone who is close to death anyway? Does it not sound creepy that as of July 22, page 425 of the healthcare bill before the House mandates that anyone on Medicare attend an end-of-life counseling session every five years? Since the government is paying for our healthcare, can’t they tell us to do or not do anything as long as they can find a medical excuse? we already have things like mandatory helmet laws, would we wind up with, say, mandatory exercise laws? Mandatory calorie-counting laws? Does anyone really have so much faith in the government that they don’t believe that it would ever abuse this power? Britain’s healthcare system is the third largest em-ployer in the world, and our population is five times that of Britain’s, so how large would our system have to be? wouldn’t this create the largest voting bloc in Ameri-can history, forever disrupting our democ-racy? And lastly, if, despite all hopes and dreams, this system goes wrong, how do we dismantle it without devastating economic repercussions? Could we dismantle it?

Consider these questions carefully. Our nation’s future rides upon the answers. Research, think, discuss. To my conserva-tive readers i say this: if ever there were a time to get involved, it’s now. Get the word out, educate yourselves on the issues. To my liberal readers: if ever there were a time to show your open-mindedness, it’s now. if you can see the potential disaster in the proposed healthcare reform, op-pose it, don’t simply follow the party line. i have great faith that we can come up with a healthcare reform that helps our less fortune countrymen and avoids the grave problems that come with the current pro-posal.

FACeBOOk.COM

Facebook has seemingly barred all possiblities for Nicholas Rouse to rejoin the popular social networking site.

DAvID SCHROeDeR

• 1.5 million families lose their homes to foreclosure every year because of unaf-fordable medical costs

• Nearly 46 million Americans are without health insurance

• Out of 19 industrialized countries, the U.S. ranked last on deaths amenable to health care

• 1.3 million full-time workers lost their health insurance in 2006

Source: nCHC.org

T h e O w l ’ s h O O Ts p O r T s

Jack Klug OwL’S HOOT COnTRiBUTOR

Rivals number one dual-threat quarterback. Part of ESPn’s Elite 11. State Champion. 2A Mr. Football Final-ist. Pepsi Best of Preps. These are just a few reasons why Barry Brunetti has emerged as a football star. in his junior year, Brunetti finished the season with 1,251 passing yards, 704 rushing yards, 36 touchdowns and a D2-AA State Championship.

As the leader of the Owls, Brunetti proved to recruiters that he was ready to take his career to the next level. Re-ceiving offers from such schools such as Penn State, Mississippi State, Tulsa, Duke, Memphis, and Marshall, Brunetti quickly became a big-name high-school prospect. with hard work and dedica-tion, Brunetti’s childhood dreams of be-ing a college quarterback were coming true.

“i mean, when i was little and i used to see my friends in the neighbor-hood getting recruited a lot. i used to always tell my mom that i wanted to get recruited one day. She prayed about it, and once i started getting recruited, it was a blessing,” Brunetti explained.

Ultimately, Brunetti chose west Virginia as his future college. Because west Virginia runs the spread offense, Brunetti believed that he would succeed as a Mountaineer. As a senior this year, Brunetti will persevere for another suc-cessful year and a State Championship.

i caught up with Barry before the Millington game and had the opportu-nity to ask him a few questions:

What made you choose West Vir-ginia?

i really liked Coach Bill Stewart, and i feel comfortable running the spread offense. it just felt like the right place.

What do you want to accomplish this year with football?

Another State Championship. i have confidence in my team and think we can go all the way.

I know you have had many inter-views, but is there anything you want to get out?

That’s a hard question. no, not re-ally. You know, there are girls at every school, so i’ll be cool.

Do you have a pre-game ritual?i pray and stretch before every game.Which Harry Potter character do

you see yourself as and why?

i don’t know. i have never seen Harry Potter.

Can you dunk yet?Of course. Two-handed. All day!Did you know that my family

named my little brother after you?no, i did not. Really?No, I’m joking, but my little broth-

er likes to tell everyone that my family named him after you.

That’s funny.What player or players have you tried

to model your play after?Troy Smith and Pat white.Shaq is the Diesel, Allen Iverson is

the Answer, and Barry Brunetti is the _____.

Barry Brunetti is the Gift.

Barry “The Gift” BrunettiMUS starting quarterback commits to west Virginia

Danny Galvin OwL’S HOOT COnTRiBUTOR

The Owls have returned and have re-loaded, but not just on the football field. with a few highly-touted college recruits, this year’s group of Buzzards have the ability to come back just as strong as last year. And i’m talking about golf, of course.

MUS’s three very gifted returning se-niors - wilson Orr, Matthew Murphy, and Holman Moores – will be leading a slew of talented underclassmen on the links. This fall, MUS golf returns with a balanced at-tack of leadership and ability.

Freshman Zach Olsen has been turn-ing many heads with his play over the past couple years. A gifted player, Olsen does not shy away from competition. He won the Southern Amateur qualifier (the youngest person ever to do so) and last year’s State Championship as an eighth-grader. Olsen is confident the team can exceed last year’s second-place finish at state and that he can repeat an individual championship. However, he is cautious to make guarantees, as golf is a fickle mis-tress.

“Obviously a good team goal is to win the state title, and obviously i’m trying to win it [State] as an individual too… i think we can do it, definitely. we finished second last year, and we’ve only lost one player. Most teams have lost a lot. And since i won last year, i think i can win again too,” Olsen said.

Because of his age, Olsen had had to compete against golfers much older than him. Concerning the pressure of competing against these older players, he remarked, “i practice a lot. i don’t really think pressure matters”

Also on the team is junior Clifton Jor-dan, who in the eighth-grade was selected to be on the Tiger woods Foundation’s national Junior Golf Team. Jordan was re-cently invited to compete in the walmart First Tee Open at Pebble Beach in early September. He is one of 70 junior golf-ers chosen to play in the highly selective event.

Also helping to bring MUS golf into the forefront of its league is junior Jerry B. Martin, who led the Owls in their first tournament this season, in which the team placed third. in addition, sophomores Daniel McLeod and Max Barousse will also assist in the Owls’ consistent and dominant play.

with the plethora of talent and great experience from an incredible season last year, expect big things from this year’s team.

MORgAN HUNT, OWl’S HOOT PHOTOgRAPHeR

Barry Brunetti, currently ranked the number one dual-threat QB prospect on Rivals.com, clearly lacks no confidence.

Golf Team Aims High

s e p T e m B e r 2 , 2 0 0 9 p A g e 9

quarterback Barry Brunetti, running backs Stephond Allmond and Keith McBride, receiver Hank Hill, and linebacker Har-rison Martin, MUS has its sights set on defending its 2008 state championship. “Reload” has been tagged as this year’s motto, especially referring to the team’s defense. The Owls have to replace 10 starters from last year’s defense, which held opponents to a mere 11 points per game. in particular, the defensive line must grow up quickly, as it lost its entire two-deep from last year. nonetheless, the media has high expectations for this year’s squad, with The Commercial Appeal rank-ing MUS number one in its prep football “Dandy Dozen.”

Opening the season against Millington in the AiM Charity/Bridges Kickoff Clas-sic, MUS picked up right where it left off, crushing the Trojans 38-0. Quarterback Barry Brunetti led the MUS attack, rush-ing for a pair of scores and throwing for another. Elliott Bryant, starting for an injured Keith McBride, finished with 68 yards on 11 carries, setting the tone for the game with his aggressive running style. And the Owls’ relatively inexperienced defense was stellar, holding Millington to 103 yards of total offense. Though the Owls started the season well, Head Coach bobby Alston stressed that they must not rest on their laurels.

“[we] must continue to work hard and improve each week,” Alston said.

That comes without question though, as MUS holds arguably the toughest schedule in the area. Last week, the Owls hosted Kingsbury High School in the season’s true home opener, defeating them 47-8. next week, MUS travels to Batesville, Mississippi this Friday to face powerhouse South Panola High School in a game nationally televised by ESPnU. The Owls will then make the drive to Olive Branch to play the Conquistadors, who seek revenge for last year’s loss to MUS. On September 25, the Owls host East High School for homecoming. white Sta-tion High School, ranked number two in The Commercial Appeal’s Dandy Dozen, comes to Hull-Dobbs Field to challenge MUS on October 2. After fall break, the Owls jump into region play, facing Chris-tian Brothers, St. Benedict, and Briarcrest.

will MUS be able to handle the pre-season hype? Can the Owls hold up from week to week against such a stout sched-ule? Only time will tell.

Bradley Ringel OwL’S HOOT EDiTOR

win, win, win. Throughout the 2008-2009 school year, the various Owls’ athletic teams seemed to dominate in every sport. whether in the fall, winter, or spring, MUS consistently crushed the field. Because of our shining success, not only did MUS enjoy championships and awards, but the Owls also proudly loaded the Commercial Appeal’s “Best of the Preps” section with our very own tal-ented players and coaches.

with every success this past year, in the end, it all began with the coaches. MUS enjoyed the Appeal’s recognition of four of our coaches in our outstanding coaching staff: Elliot Dent for lacrosse, Laurie Clark for swimming, Greg King for golf, and Bobby Alston for football. Each team performed extraordinarily throughout their respective seasons. while the lacrosse team had a great run, Coach Clark defeated CBHS in the coun-ty championships, Coach King achieved a Regional Championship and guided Zach Olsen to a state championship, and Coach Alston led MUS to an undefeated season for the first time in the school’s history. Along with this success, MUS achieved the team award for the Boys Di-vision in the “Best of the Preps.”

when asked about this past year in athletics, Coach Alston replied, “The 08-09 school year brought out the best in many of our teams. Because of that our overall program was honored as the best

in the Shelby Metro area in the male divi-sion. Since that is the only division we can compete in this was a great victory for the school and all our teams played a major role. in addition to the team award it was great to see so many of our students and coaches receive individual praise as well.”

Complementing our coaches, the MUS students filled the pages as well. Se-nior Barret Folk, a track and field finalist, helped the Owls win its first champion-ship since 1997 with his dominance in the decathlon and pole vault. will Carter

and Cliff Guy-ton were named Boys Finalists for tennis after gaining the Owls’ record breaking 13th state doubles championships. in addition, will Carruthers was a finalist after reaching the semifinals of the state tour-nament, while Jackson Knight, Grant Hopkins, and walt wep-fer all joined the three on the All-Metro ten-nis team.

Moreover, wide receiver Taylor Reed achieved final-ist stature in the athlete of the year com-petition while will Benton was awarded as a scholar-athlete of the year finalist. in baseball, Forrest Baty, Kelly Myers, and Jake Deason were part of the All-Metro team.

As another year of Owls’ athletic competition rolls around the corner, success and achievement are once again in the eyes of the coaches and players. Hopefully, we will find our achievements wrapped up pictures of students and coaches in next year’s “Best of the Preps.”

MUS FOOTBALL RELOADS[continued from front page]

s p O r T s

MORgAN HUNT, OWl’S HOOT PHOTOgRAPHeR

The Owls take the field before defeating the Millington Trojans, who went undefeated last season, at the 2009 Kickoff Classic.

Athletes Dominate Best of Preps

MORgAN HUNT,OWl’S HOOT PHOTOgRAPHeR

Assistant coach kyle Finney talks strategy with the players.

T h e O w l ’ s h O O T

District 9 ImpressesKevin Szymkowicz OwL’S HOOT COnTRiBUTOR

Yes, there are a lot of secrets in the new hit film District 9, and we, along with our slightly annoying but likable protago-nist, MnU Official wikus Van De Merwe, are about to witness them first-hand. The film, set in 2010, opens with a little history lesson on a group of odd space invaders and their origins. Their ship hovered to a stop right over the city of Johannesburg, South Africa. Paranoia and anxiety lead human beings to drill a hole into the spaceship, in which they find noo blood-thirsty and horror-style aliens, but rather starving creatures from outer space. Ac-tion is quickly taken to ferry them down to the ground and fence them in, in a place that becomes known as “District 9.”

After this background lesson, we get to the beginning of the downward spi-ral of events for wikus. wikus “luckily” gets promoted by his boss, who’s also his father-in-law, to the head of a new MnU mission: evict the aliens from their current homes and transfer them to a new cleaner environment away from the Johannesburg inhabitants. while carrying out this mis-sion, wikus manages to stumble across an unknown alien object, and what seemed like great evidence eventually becomes a new “problem.”

what follows are some of the most riveting scenes i’ve seen in theaters this summer (save for those in Bruno), and it all culminates with an amazing ending that leaves you feeling satisfied. Go see this movie. You won’t be disappointed.

A m u s e m e N T s

Nicholas RouseOwL’S HOOT ASSOCiATE LAYOUT EDiTOR

The summer months are generally not the time when the high profile games come out, but this summer offered some excel-lent titles, many of which took the down-loadable medium, but retail also offered a few gems. So let’s take a look at the most recently entered annals of video game his-tory, but note that these are only the games i managed to play during the summer and should not be treated as an exhaustive list.

Having been released a week after the last day of school, inFamous was the first summer release that i played. This Playsta-tion 3 exclusive title kept me entertained with its exotic array of electric superpow-ers, sharp controls, and a well-crafted ur-ban playground. Difficulty spikes and a plot that gets a bit needlessly complicated aside, owners of Playstation 3s should pay atten-tion to inFamous.

Early June brought us The Sims 3, a well-designed title, but one that offered too little in the way of major changes or origi-nal ideas from its predecessor to have the impact that The Sims 2 had, but Sims fans will certainly enjoy the latest iteration, even

if it feels more like an incremental upgrade than a true sequel.

The second week of July saw the release of Battlefield 1943, an online multiplayer only, downloadable title for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. The third week of July saw the release of a patch that made Battle-field 1943 playable online. while the $15 price tag (1200 Microsoft points) is entic-ing, Battlefield 1943 lacks the depth, maps, and features to draw many people away from their Call of Duty or Halo. while that’s not to say Battlefield 1943 is a poorly-made game, but as a multiplayer online title, the gameplay offered is too shallow to fuel long-term playing, and with that in mind Battlefield 1943 is a hard game to rec-ommend as it will likely be a $15 dabbling for most people.

‘Splosion Man, a 2D, downloadable, sidescrolling platformer released in late July, is likely the best value of any game in this, especially if online multiplayer is less important. At ten dollars (800 Microsoft points) exclusively on the Xbox Live Ar-cade, ‘Splosion Man offers four to six hours of excellent gameplay that challenges the player’s timing, reflexes, planning, and even some reasoning. Simple yet responsive controls keep the frustration to a minimum

in the game’s challenging and progressively difficult levels.

while ‘Splosion Man was my favorite offline game of this summer, Fat Princess is my favorite online game. This Playstation network exclusive, isometric action title (i.e. a perspective like viewing the gameplay from above at a forty-five degree angle) offers quantities of depth and strategy typi-

cally online seen in the real-time strategy genre. The class based system offers a mul-titude of gameplay options in its premier capture the flag-centric game mode. while matches have a tendency to come to a stale-mate if teammates do not communicate and coordinate, once one finds a good team, Fat Princess becomes comparable in enjoyment to many other marquee online games.

Summer Games Turn Up the Heat

gIANTBOMB.COM

In Sucker Punch Production’s inFamous (PS3), the player wields a vast number of superpowers, ranging from throwing sparks to devestating lightning storms.

Holt Edwards OwL’S HOOT AMUSEMEnTS EDiTOR

woodstock. The name represents the largest outdoor musical gathering in Amer-ican history. However, this was one event that none of the student body of MUS were able to attend, seeing that it occurred in 1969. However, there have been many at-tempts to recreate the atmosphere that was once woodstock. The forerunner among this group is Lollapalooza. Created in 1990 as a farewell festival for alternative rock band Jane’s Addiction, the tour did not last long. However, once Jane’s Addiction re-united in the early 2000s, Lollapalooza was given new life. now, the three-day con-cert is one of largest music festivals in the United States. Held in Grant Park (the park where Obama gave his victory speech) in Chicago illinois, the festival hosted 225,000 people who journeyed to see the 90+ bands playing this year, making it the largest Lol-lapalooza ever.

This year, senior Emmett Montgom-ery was able to attend Lollapalooza. After meeting up with a few friends, he was able to see the majority of the headliners at Lol-lapalooza. They attended over 20 concerts, an impressive feat in a three-day span, and met many “interesting” people.

“it was one of the greatest experiences of my life,” Montgomery said.

The headliners at Lollapalooza included Ben Folds, Bon iver, Asher Roth, The Arctic Monkeys, The Killers, Snoop Dogg, and Tool. Kings of Leon headlined this year’s tour. Other indie bands performed, such as Frederico Aubele, Thievery Corporation, Zap Mama, The Decemberists, TV on the Radio, Animal Collective, Dan Deacon, Dan Auerbach, and Passion Pit.

“The Killers were by far the best perfor-mance. They really put on a great show,” Montgomery stated.

Festivals like Lollapalooza and Bonna-roo are quickly gaining popularity through-out the United States. Although none have come close to the legacy of woodstock, more than three million people attend festi-vals similar to these each year. Perhaps Lol-lapalooza will ultimately be just as famous as woodstock.

Lollapalooza-ed

eMMeTT MONTgOMeRY

DISTRICT9MOvIe.COM

s e p T e m B e r 2 , 2 0 0 9 p A g e 1 1A m u s e m e N T s

7 8 1

3 5 8 6

8 2 1 3

1 7 5

8 6

4 1 2

1 2 6 8

4 3 8 9

2 3 4

Wade Laycook OwL’S HOOT CHiEF EDiTOR

what kind of band name is Chicken-foot? well, if you ask ex-Montrose/Van Halen frontman Sammy Hagar, he might tell you it’s the name of the band that could “rival Zeppelin.”

Chickenfoot is the newest supergroup to burst into the world of hard rock. Along with Hagar, the band features ex-Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony, guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani, and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith. The group formed after an impromptu jam in 2008 in Las Vegas, and they quickly began com-posing their self-titled debut album. At first, Hagar used the quirky name Chick-enfoot as a joke, but the name ultimately stuck.

The album, released this summer, re-minds us just exactly what the term rock ‘n’ roll means, especially in an era dominated by commercially formulaic pop music. Huge guitar sounds, powerful choruses, and searing riffs drive most of the album’s tracks, subsequently taking us for cool ride back to the era of excess during the ‘80s.

what’s truly remarkable though is the chemistry displayed by the group. Because

of conflicting egos and hard-edged per-sonalities, many similar supergroups often fail after their first few months of incep-tion. But that’s certainly not the case with Chickenfoot. Although each member is a superstar in his own right, the band man-ages to sound like one cohesive unit with no musical “ball hogs.” That’s not to say that each musician doesn’t flex his virtuos-ity, though.

Satriani, who has said before that he prefers playing in a vocally-driven rock group rather than a solo instrumental set-ting, still lights the fretboard on fire with his blazing chops. Both “Soap on a Roap” and “Turning Left” offer testaments to such guitar wizardry.

Anthony and Smith, Chickenfoot’s dy-namic rhythm section, manage to keep the songs interesting with a myriad of grooves and fills. They also provide the signature harmonized backing vocals prevalent in most of the album’s songs, a clear holdover from Hagar and Anthony’s Van Halen days.

And of course, let’s not forget the tequila-drinkin’ Red Rocker himself. Al-though he’s over sixty, Hagar still proves that age has no effect on his ability to perform. His vocals seem to improve with

age, much like a bottle of wine. Granted, he’s certainly no lyrical genius, but he still pos-sesses the energy and swagger of someone half his age.

Perhaps it’s this youthful vitality that helps make Chickenfoot so potentially popular

among such a wide variety of age groups. On one side, you have old rockers nostalgic for the music of the ‘70s and ‘80s; on the other, you have a group of younger fans eager to discover new, energetic music. Chickenfoot might just be the source of rock’s much needed revival.

CHICkeNFOOT.US

ex-van Halen members Michael Anthony and Sammy Hagar are still ready to rock.

Supergroup Explodes onto Hard Rock Scene

8 3 2 4

9 5 7

2 1 7 6 5

6 4

9 1 5

2 8

7 1 9 3 2

4 2 5

6 3 4 1

A Hoot and a Half Twist your hippocampus with these brain busters

T h e O w l ’ s h O O TT h e B A c K p A g e

A Night of Celebration, Dedication

WADe lAYCOOk, eDITOR-IN-CHIeF

SKIRTS & SCHOLARS: Students and girls party it up in the Dining Hall after MUS’s vic-tory over kingsbury last Friday night. The “vic-tory Dance” is an annual tradition and helps fund the Student Council’s activities.

WADe lAYCOOk, eDITOR-IN-CHIeF

DEDICATION: Trow gillespie ‘65 addresses a crowd of students, faculty, parents, and alumni at the dedication of Stokes Stadium before last Friday’s game. Those who attended the cer-emony were also treated to a special cookout.