The Indiana High School Athletic Association has announced that a new Class 6A will be implemented for this year’s postseason football tournament. The new system splits the 64 teams that previously formed Class 5A in half, bumping the 32 schools with the largest enrollment up to Class 6A. Portage, which is one of the schools moving up to 6A, will have to adjust to a new sectional alignment. “To be honest with you, I don’t think it’s going to have the effect that people think it’s going to have,” head coach Wally McCormack said. “The 5A teams that were complaining about it are going to get beat by Catholic teams. Cathedral

and Roncalli are going to be in 5A, so they’re going to win 5A.” According to McCormack, Portage will either join Crown Point, Merrillville and Lake Central in a four team sectional, or go to the east with Chesterton, Penn and Valparaiso. “I could see the logic in both,” he said. “My guess is we’re going to go west, and then they would take Lafayette Jeff and put them south.” Another change put into place by the IHSAA for 2013

is a success factor. A school will receive one point for winning a sectional, two for a regional, three for a semistate and four for winning a state title. If a school totals six points over a two year period, it will be bumped up to the next highest class, regardless of its enrollment. “I think it was a cowardly way to add a multiplier,” McCormack said. “Certainly there are some inherent advantages that those private schools have. I used to be the head coach at Andrean, so I understand the difference. The guys that have the power to make the decision are products of catholic schools and they’re not going to punish catholic schools.” McCormack does not believe that the argument about giving more people a chance to win is valid. “It’s the state championship, it’s supposed to be hard to win,” he said. “We have 2,600 kids and we play in a tournament with people that have 4,000. So what? Only 11 are on the field.”

See CLASS 6A, page 4

Pow Wow Covering Real Issues for the Students of Portage High School

Portage High School Issue 9 February 8, 2013

Eric Mesarch smiles while posing with his OYM plaque and medallion after being announced as the winner of the 2013 Outstanding Young Man Competition. Photo by Haley Crnarich

Becoming valedictorian is a goal students strive for, parents pray for and children dream of. For seniors Cody Spoolstra and Tyler Demko, this dream has become a reality. For the Class of 2013, Spoolstra and Demko tied in class rank, earning the exact same grade point average and sharing the title of valedictorian. “Being co-valedictorian is a great honor and I’m glad to share it with a classmate as cool as Cody,” Demko said.

In regard to sharing this title, Spoolstra is equally as proud. “Earning this title is an honor. [Demko] is incredibly bright,” Spoolstra said. Becoming valedictorian was a goal Demko set for himself early on. “Believe it or not, I actually set valedictorian as my goal for high school. Admittedly, I had no sound idea what it required at the time, but I still had that goal in my head,” Demko said. On the opposite side of the spectrum, Spoolstra entered high school optimistically, later realizing that the position of valedictorian was attainable.

“This was not necessarily a goal of mine entering freshman year, but as the years progressed and I continued earning A’s, I started to realize I had a pretty good chance,” Spoolstra said. For Spoolstra, the most difficult part of keeping his grades up throughout high school has been time management. “The hardest part without a doubt is trying to juggle work, extracurriculars, my social life and school all at once. It’s exhausting,” Spoolstra said. See VALEDICTORIAN, page 2

Demko, Spoolstra split top honor

Katie PeksenakNews Editor

Mesarch named 2013 Portage OYM

The composed 2013 Outstanding Young Man Eric Mesarch, who delivers the daily announcements

three days a week on the Indians News Network, was left with locked up knees Saturday night waiting for his name to be called. Mesarch was nervous at the beginning of the competition, but his nerves eased up gradually as the night went on. “At first I was nervous, but after each segment I became calmer on stage,” Mesarch said. “In the awards section when everyone’s name was being called my knees locked up and my heart was beating fast to see who won.” Leading up to Mesarch’s victory, Collin Czilli was named the

fourth finalist, Alexander Schreier the third finalist, Rashaan Coleman the second finalist and Devin Kludt the first finalist. Recipients of the Good Guy Award, which was voted upon by the senior participants, were senior Jimmy Spence and senior David Burr. While the physical segment intimidated some of the seniors, Mesarch saw it as an opportunity to be silly. “The physical segment was the most fun because we were able to get into a big group and be silly and humorous,” Mesarch said. “It was a fun time to have with the audience and nobody was perfect [in the dance routine]. The point was to have fun and to do the best you could.”

See OYM, page 3

Josh LewisFeatures Editor

HOSA to host Prom Fashion Show

With prom fast approaching, juniors and seniors will be scrambling to buy dresses and rent tuxedoes. The Health Occupation Students of

America will be putting on this year’s Prom Fashion Show. There will be 32 female models and 17 male models participating in this year’s show. Seniors Collin Czilli and Brandon Vickrey will emcee the event. “I’m really excited to

be in the show this year, because it’s something I’ve never done before,” senior model Jelenys Torres said. This year, the show will feature dresses from the Paris house of Bridal and Fashion as well as tuxedoes from Dunhill and Louie’s Tux Shop.

“We are very appreciative of our vendors this year. We take up a lot of their time, having students get measured for their dress or tux, just for our fashion show,” HOSA sponsor Lynn Wilson said.

See HOSA, page 3

Nick BlueNews Writer

McCormack reacts to newIHSAA classesBrandon VickreyEditor-in-Chief

Five DAC Schools

Moved to 6A

•Portage•Merrillville•Crown Point•Lake Central•Valparaiso

High School Football

Spoolstra Demko

Beginning with the Class of 2015, Por-tage High School is using a new system to calculate grade point average.

Under the current system, which will be phased out with next year’s senior class, an A counts for 4.0 standard points toward a student’s GPA, regardless of the percent-age. A B counts for 3.0, a C for 2.0 and a D for 1.0. The new system takes into account pluses and minuses. For example, an A-plus in a standard class will now count for 4.333 points, an A for 4.0 and an A-minus for 3.667. A one point bump is awarded for a grade in an honors class of a C-minus or better under both GPA systems.

“We felt like the pluses and minuses were important to factor in,” Guidance Department Chair Jennifer Symer said. “There is a big difference between a C-mi-nus and a C-plus. We have very competi-tive students here, so we decided to give them more accurate grade information.”

The Portage High School Site-Based Team, which is comprised of teacher rep-

resentatives from each department, helped make the decision to implement the new system for calculating GPA.

“This came about two years ago when we actually had a tie for the salutatorian and I started looking at the ACES GPAs and I believe that was the first class where we started weighting grades freshmen year,” Principal Caren Swickard said. “When we started weighting the grades starting in ninth grade, we found out that our kids tended to clump together. I’ve always had the argument that an A-plus and an A-minus are different.”

Swickard noticed that awarding the same grade point without consideration for pluses and minuses did not always result in the most accurate class ranks.

“Without getting into a lot of details or names, I had noticed that one of our kids in the top was up there tied with someone else, but when you looked at the whole transcript, had a lot more A-minuses than a student with an A-plus.”

The school decided to grandfather the program in starting with the class of 2015, rather than implementing the changes immediately. According to Swickard,

the administration wanted to be able to let students know about the GPA scale up front when they started high school, especially since students are vying for vale-dictorian and top 30 starting with their freshmen year.

Symer said competition is very healthy, but sometimes it becomes unhealthy when students “take it to an extreme degree.”

“We are careful not to allow game-playing as far as having too many study halls or TAs and we just want our students to work hard and be rewarded for that,” she said.

Swickard also believes that class rank-ing should be earned through hard work inside the classroom.

“I am amazed when I hear the stories of the games that our students are play-ing, because I didn’t realize that it’s that much of a game,” she said.

The district also discussed possibly do-ing away with the valedictorian altogether, but former superintendent Mike Berta was a fan of the valedictorian.

“I know some schools are moving away from ranking completely, but I don’t see that happening here,” Symer said.

2 News Issue 9

School implements new gpa systemBrandon VickreyEditor-in-Chief

Portage Town-ship Schools has re-cently experienced a shortage of bus driv-

ers, resulting in an inconvenient trip home from school for two groups of Portage High School students. The students assigned to the two bus routes that are without drivers have been redirected onto other occupied buses.

Though the shortage of bus drivers is affecting all schools, PTS Director of Transportation Tanya Corbett said it is most apparent at the high school because buses cannot come back for students after completing their initial route since the PHS buses and drivers are also used for Fegely Middle School and elementary school routes.

“If the students are too large in high school [to fit comfortably], even if we’re not at the highest level that a load count can be, I will still have a driver do another stop so that we can try to keep from overcrowding on the buses,” Corbett said.

The bus driver shortage arose this school year after several drivers retired and two resigned.

“A lot of the subs were just that, they were subs,” Corbett said. “They were laid off, or their work was

slow, or it was a second job, that sort of thing.”The district currently has four substitute drivers,

none of whom can be depended upon because they have other jobs. A new driver debuted on Jan. 25, with an-other potential addition was slated to come in for test-ing Jan. 31. Corbett is seeking 10 additional newcomers and encourages any interested parents or community members to apply.

Corbett, who was a bus driver for seven years, said the job is a perfect fit for a parent who wants to enjoy weekends, summers and holidays off with his or her children.

“That was why I became a driver, because I was off when my daughter was off,” she said. “You have to be an early riser and you have to like kids.”

Throughout the process of coping with the shortage, Corbett has learned how to address and consider the thoughts of concerned parents.

“I just talk to them and listen to what they have to say,” she said. “I let them know that we are doing the best we can, I’m trying to prevent overloading of any buses, because safety does come first. I appreciate their understanding, and most parents are very good at that.”

Lack of drivers leads to crowded school busesBrandon VickreyEditor-in-Chief

For three students in Business Profession-als of America, having strong business skills

will not only help them in the future, but will also help bring home State accolades this March.

BPA is a group in which students participate in competitions dealing with different aspects of business. There are around 90 categories students can choose from, including Entrepreneurship, Word Processing, Computer Programming and Interview Skills. Of all the categories, students must choose at least two groups to compete in.

Out of 12 members, sophomore Matthew Stanish, senior Rachael Gonzalez and senior BPA President Katie Bylak are going to compete at State in Indianapolis on March 10-12.

Bylak will be competing in Entrepreneurship after winning first place in that group at Districts. She earned both a high technical and presentation score, receiving a total score of 287 out of 310. Bylak also competed in In-

terview Skills, but did not score high enough to advance to State.

Stanish will be competing in two groups at State after qualifying in both categories at Districts. He placed third in Banking Finance and fourth in Fundamental Accounting.

“I’ve been interested in business the last couple years. That’s what I want to do when I’m older, so it’s kind of an opportunity for me to learn and practice what I’ve learned,” Stanish said.

Gonzalez placed first in the category Advanced Office Procedures at Districts and is planning to compete in it at State.

The students that place in the top five at State will go on to Regionals in Orlando, Fla.

Anyone can join BPA and everyone that takes a busi-ness class is highly encouraged to participate.

“If you know that one day you want to go into business, this is a great club to join. The activities you compete in really do help you out,” BPA Adviser Lisa Melendez said.

BPA members advance to stateMary ClancyNews Writer

Senior BPA member Rachael Gonzalez shares her opinions dur-ing a meeting. Gonzalez is one of three members of BPA who will be competing in state. Photo by Legend Staff

ValedictorianContinued from page 1

Demko feels that maintaining discipline throughout the past four years has been his biggest struggle.

“The hardest part of maintaining my grades was blocking out that voice that wanted me to stop caring so much or the desire to take it easy,” Demko said.

Both Demko and Spoolstra agreed that the people around them have had a positive influence on their grades and their attitudes toward school and life as well.

“My parents have always encouraged me to do my best, so that work ethic and a little bit of my own [crazi-ness] was what made me excel throughout high school,” Demko said.

Spoolstra said a variety of influences have contributed to his success.

“The influence of my teachers, friends, family and experiences have all changed my mode of thought and al-lowed me to develop into the person I am today. Without them and their crucial influence on me, I certainly would not be co-valedictorian,” Spoolstra said.

Demko and Spoolstra will share a classic rivalry upon entering college next fall. Spoolstra will be a Purdue Boil-ermaker and Demko will be attending Indiana University.

Demko said he plans on studying medicine in Bloom-ington, while Spoolstra said his West Lafayette plans include studying biological and agricultural engineering with a possible additional major in plant genetics.

-------------Class of 2015...Be Prepared!Grade 20152013

-------------

A+AA-B+BB-C+CC-D+DD-F

4.04.04.03.03.03.02.02.02.01.01.01.00.0

4.3334.0003.6673.3333.0002.6672.3332.0001.6671.3331.0000.6670.000

4.727Highest possible

GPA under 2013 scale

5.027Highest possible

GPA under 2015 scale-------------*The above scale is used for classes worth four points on

a 4.0 scale. For Honors, Pre-AP or AP classes, a one-point bonus is awarded for grades of a C- or above.

Portage residents are beginning to see a change in the way the city’s garbage pickup service works. Feb. 4 was the first day of a new automated garbage system within the city and, accord-ing to Portage Mayor James Snyder, has been modeled after other municipalities in the area. The new system imple-ments new garbage trucks that automatically retrieve garbage from the street in totes that the city pur-chased from Wastequip. Each household is allowed one garbage toter and one recycle toter; additional toters are available for a $6 fee. “I think Portage has talked about it a few times because it is something that all municipalities have gone to because of its efficiency and how well it works, and the obstacle was the financial challenge, the initial investment, which is typically about $2 million to get it done,” Snyder said. “And of course I think everybody knows we didn’t have $2 million to spend on the investment to go to automation.” One major goal of the new system is to increase the city’s amount of recycled material that is taken in by the city trucks. A recycling rate of 30 per-cent is the Mayor’s goal for Portage. “Number one is we don’t pay anything to dispose of our recycles. We pay a tonnage rate, so that will be the biggest amount,” Snyder said. “If we achieve 30 percent recycling, we believe we will save nearly $250,000 on that number itself.”

According to Street Department Assistant Superintendent Randy Reeder, under the previous manual method, the city recycled approximately four to five percent. He expects to see the same results as other municipalities that went from low single digits in recycling to double digits within months of switching to atomization. “It doesn’t cost for recyclables, but it does cost for the tonnage,” Reeder said. “The more recyclables that you can take out of the trash stream, the more money the city saves on its trash side.”The city is expected to save money that the Mayor plans to spend on new proj-ects for the city. “The more the resi-dents adapt to the recy-cling program, the more money it means in streets and sidewalks for Portage residents,” Snyder said. “So we need, at the high school, we need every high school [student] to promote it at home, everywhere, this needs to happen.” Citizens will also notice

changes when it comes to grass clipping pickups. Un-der the new system, the city will no longer pick up grass clippings at the curbside. “Some people like to bag their grass. We’re not going to be picking that up at the curbside anymore. They can bring it to the street department, but we need them to grass-cycle,” Snyder said. “We picked up enough grass to literally buy a new police car, just in the month of August. At first I had said that we were going to charge a fee to pick up grass. When we

tried to put a cost on it, it would have been like $200 a month or $300 a month. That just shows how expensive it is to provide that service, we can’t do it anymore.” Some problems have arisen with the new program since it began op-eration on Feb. 4. Some citi-zens were unable to receive their toter cans because there was a delay in deliver-ing them during the winter months. Snyder confirmed that the routes will be done as planned whether the toters have been delivered or not.

3NewsFebruary 8, 2013

Dance marathon to benefit Riley Children’s HospitalAshley ConradNews Writer

Portage transfers to new automated garbage systemCollin CzilliOpinion Editor

Portage High School Student Council members are get-ting the chance to show off their best dances moves, and all for a good cause. The PHS Student Council is pairing up with the Indiana Association of Student Councils to host the school’s first Dance Marathon for Riley Children’s Hospital. “At the beginning of the day we will hold our district student council conference, which will have different student council businesses and workshops. Students from St. Mary’s college are coming to teach us a morale dance, which is basi-cally like a line dance,” Sophomore Class President Maxwell Harsha said. Any member of the IASC or a Student Council delegate can go. “The event will hopefully include 200 Student Council students from across NWI and will encourage students to continue support of Riley Hospital,” IASC State President David L. King Jr. said. Riley Dance Marathons have influenced Indiana schools to participate. High school and college students across the state have become passionate about raising money for Riley Hospital. According to Riley Children’s Foundation site, Indiana schools raised a total of $386,610 last year through Dance Marathons. “The Dance Marathon is a powerful event for not just the participants, but for the planners,” King said.The event will take place on Feb. 23 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the West Gym. “I hope to raise a lot of money for Riley. They are using this money for researching,” Harsha said.

Left: The new garbage trucks pick up trash from the side of the street with automated arms. Below: The new totes have been delivered to homes to be used by the new pickup system. The green lid totes are for recycling. Photos by Emily Hensley

OYM Continued from page 1

As the winner of the compe-tition, Mesarch won $1,800 in scholarship money, a medal-lion, plaque, wrist watch, a one year YMCA membership, a Josten’s graduation package, gift certificates and gifts. Mesarch gained more than just scholarship money from participating in OYM. “What I will remember the most about my OYM experi-ence was getting to know all the guys better that I had talked a little to in the past,” Mesarch said. “We got to know each other on a deeper level because of the long days of getting up around 10 a.m. and spending a lot of time together. It was a great time getting to be around such a group of outstanding guys.” This year’s OYM competi-tion drew in a larger crowd than usual and the theatre was a packed house. According to Co-Director William Fortenberry, the

program this year was very success-ful and those who worked

at the event saw much more people attend than in previous years. An added degree of diffi-culty was included this year in the complexity of the physical segment. “This was the hardest dance the guys have had to learn,” Fortenberry said. “Mine was simple when I competed, but this year’s was harder than last year’s and all did very well.” Mesarch had his own support system in the theatre Saturday anxiously awaiting the results. Mesarch said that his mom and dad, both sets of grand-parents, both sets of aunts, many of his cousins and his girlfriend, Nicki Monahan, along with her family came to support him. “I was glad to see all the people come to love and support me the whole way

through,” Mesarch said. “I got texts and cards [before the competition] that said win or lose I was still an outstanding young man in their book. I love my family and know they will support me any day of the week.” All of this year’s competi-tors were outstanding, but as long as competition exists, there will be winners and losers. “I was impressed with how smooth it went and I am very proud of how all the guys did,” Fortenberry said. “I feel

bad for those who did not win anything and I hope those guys do not regret anything. All of them could have easily won something, but it’s a competition.” Despite winning, Mesarch has chosen to remain modest and humble. “I’m glad I won and it was a great show,” Mesarch said. “All of the guys were outstanding and I’m glad I got to experience it. It was a night to remember, and I will never forget it for the rest of my life.”

Participants in the OYM competition pose after completing the physical fitness routine. Photo by Haley Crnarich

HOSAContinued from page 1 While the show does feature fashion and apparel for this year’s prom, the big reason HOSA works every year to put the show on is to support various charities and the school. This year, a portion of the proceeds will go to Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis. Even though the show is put on every year, HOSA tries to keep things fresh and new, if not only through the new fashion trends, through the new life that the student leaders give to it every year. “This year, the show’s driving force is the student planners. We are all so enthusiastic and excited. Our personality will make this year’s show special,” student organizer, senior Jasmine Marquez said. Junior Robert Johnson, another model this year, is also looking forward to being in the show. “I’m really looking forward to it. I want to support the class,” Johnson said. The show will be on Friday, Feb. 15 in the east audito-rium. Tickets will be $5 at the door.

Above: Top Pronpudpong speaks during the Presentation and Address segmentRight: Eric Anderson poses during the casual segment. Anderson won a Presentation and Address Award. Photos by Haley Crnarich

4 Sports Issue 9

Boys swim team set for sectional

With one boy injured, the boys swim team is still heading to

sectionals. Traditions are still followed, but the swimmers will have to put forth a lot of effort this postseason.

The Indians are 4-2 in their head-to-head meets. Head coach Eric Mundt says the team should have no problem making it passed sectionals.

“The team is doing well this year,” Mundt said. “There is one boy down [Cole Ozbolt] due to injuries, that will hurt a bit, but we still have a great chance.”

Senior Cole Ozbolt is out of sectionals due to slipped vertebrae in the lower back caused by a previous fracture that did not heal properly.

“Well, having an injury during sectionals is not the ideal situation, but it was really something I could not control,” Ozbolt said. “However, I am still attending sectionals to cheer on my fellow teammates.”

The Indians train by swimming laps, long yardage and intense sets. According to sophomore Matt Extin, entering sectionals is a good feeling.

“Sectionals last year was a good experience,” Extin said. “Having this experience again is great and I hope we make it farther than last year.”

Senior Kevin Elkins has been a part of the swim team and said this has been a big part of his high school career.

“Since we are going to sectionals, we know it is going to be a great time,” Elkins says. “We are carrying on our tradition for sectionals by dying our hair blonde and shaving our bodies to reduce ‘drag.’”

Junior Patrick Sobkowski hopes do make it past sectionals for next year.

“I will be on the sectional team this year. You have to be on varsity the whole season and it is a good feeling,” Sobkowski said. “I hope we will go past sectionals next year when I am a senior.”

For the boys swim, preliminaries are Feb. 14 and finals are Feb. 16.

According to Mundt, he is preparing the boys with practices in the morning and after school.

Alexis CoffmanSports Writer

Senior Lyndsey Cunningham balances on the beam event during a meet on Jan. 31 against Hobart. Cunningham is one of three seniors on the gymnastics team this season. Photo by Ashley Conrad

As the gymnastics season tumbles along, Portage

seniors Mackenzie Barcelli, Lyndsey Cunningham and Breanna Caldwell will hope to “go out with a bang.”

All three seniors started becoming involved with gymnastics as toddlers, with a lot of family atmo-sphere playing a part as well. Caldwell has been doing gymnastics since she was five years old. Cun-ningham has been involved since she was two and said her mother was a gymnast and dancer, while Barcelli’s mother, Karen, is the varsity gymnastics coach at PHS.

“I’ve been in gymnastics my whole life,” Barcelli said. “For the past 13 years I have been competing, and I honestly don’t know what my life would be like without it.”

This season, the gymnastics team held a record of 6-0 entering Wednesday’s meet against Valparaiso, while also taking the Pirate Pride Invitational in Merrillville for the third straight year. They are trying to repeat last year, where they were able to make it to the state meet as a team for the first time in 25 years.

“This season is good, but it is going to get better,” Cunningham said. “The team as a whole works great together, and our confidence level is greater than ever before.”

The girls will be looking forward to upcoming senior night, which will take place Feb. 13 against state-ranked Chesterton. As all seniors do, they hope for a large crowd to be on hand and expect a lot of emotion.

“I honestly expect a lot of crying, from our coaches to our parents,” Caldwell said. “I hope to do well for it being my last home meet.”

Although the girls have been involved in gymnastics for so long, none of them plan to continue with it in college. Instead, Barcelli plans to major in music performance and study pre-law, later continuing her education in law school. She also plans to become a cheerleader in college. Cunningham said she will go to school in either Indiana or Chicago and pursue a degree in graphic design. Caldwell plans to go to college to become a paralegal.

“Being in my last year of gymnastics is really hard, it makes me cry,” Cunningham said. “The sport has been, and always will be, my life. Leav-ing my teammates and my coach will be the hardest thing ever.”

Throughout their four years of high school gymnastics, the girls have been able to keep a positive team atmosphere and become successful in pursuit of strong postseason runs.

“High school gymnastics has taught me to be team oriented and has given me such high spirits, and that is what I like most,” Barcelli said. “And the girls; we are always so much fun.”

In addition to strong team bonds, the gymnasts have a strong coach in Karen Barcelli, who was able to lead several gymnasts to individual state competi-tions. Along with this, she was able to lead the 2012 team to its first team state competition since 1987.

“I really want to thank my mom,” Mackenzie Barcelli said. “She’s been a great coach and mom. We have definitely had our ups and downs, but it has been a great four years and I’ll miss it all.”

‘This season is good, but it’s going to get better’Eric MesarchContent Editor

Top: Senior boys swimmer Sal Hernandez touches the pool wall in Chesterton. Bottom: Girls swimmer Anisa Rayner competes against Chesterton. Portage finished fifth in this year’s sectional.Photos by Taylor Mlynski

Class 6A Continued from page 1

Next season’s schedule is the biggest challenge presented to the PHS football team, which will play six of its nine regular season games on the road. The

Indians open the season with a daunting stretch of four straight away games at defending state runner-up Mishwaka, Penn, Lake Central and Merrillville. The Penn Kingsmen are the newest addition to Portage’s schedule.

Next year’s non-conference slate will pit Portage against the Mishwaka Cavemen in Week 1, follwed by the Kingsmen in Week 2. St. Rita dropped Portage from its schedule starting with 2012, causing the Indians to schedule Roosevelt as a one year filler.

The Duneland Athletic Conference slate will look familiar as the DAC schedule features the same teams matching up the same weeks year after year.

“As the coaches we got to together at the end of the season and talked about

it,” McCormack said. “There are probably half of the coaches in the conference that wanted it. They used to scramble it like every eight years, but the problem with that is that the bulk of the decisions that are made are made for money.”

According to McCormack, teams want to hold rivalry games, such as Merrillville against Crown Point (Week 3) early in the season because the weather is usually warmer and there is still the optimism that both teams may have a good season.

“Honestly, there’s nowhere to hide,” he said. “Our schedule’s bad, but how could it be better? If you shuffle them around, you’re still playing every other game against somebody in the top 10. I think the great issue for us is we look at those guys and say, ‘Lake Central is a big boy, Merrillville’s a big boy, Penn’s a big boy.’

“We’re supposed to be a big boy. We’ve got to get ourselves back to the point where they’re having the same conversation about us.”

5Sports February 8, 2013

Wrestling team sends 10 to semistate

The Portage wres-tling team wrapped up sectionals on Saturday Jan. 26 with a first

place score of 310.5. The second place team, Hobart, fin-ished with a score of 241. Portage ended up with eight champions, three of them being seniors this year. Portage then advanced to regionals in Calumet on Feb. 2. Portage took second at regionals, and 10 athletes will advance to semistate. “We have had good accomplishments this year. I still say that beating Merrillville was the highlight this season. No one thought that we could beat them and we finally did. We will see Merrillville again in semi-state.” Freshman Gaige Torres said. The team is losing 10 seniors this year, but assistant coach Patrick Wilkins is confident that the junior varsity team will step up next season. “The training for regionals has been intense these past few days but everybody is going to be rested up and fresh for their matches Saturday,” senior Jake Wright said. Wright said the highlight of his senior year is playing the sport he loves with a great group of guys. He said that the team is eager to win it all. “We lose a big group of seniors so we’ll need to have JV guys step up ready to succeed. Our JV team was 15-0 this year, so we’re confident that group of guys can help us next year,” Wilkins said. Varsity finished out the season 13-3, and 6-1 in the DAC. The Indians lost to Crown Point on Jan. 12. JV fin-ished 15-0 and 5-0 in the DAC. The coaching staff has high hopes for the underclass-man next season. They are confident that they can step up and take a leadership role. “The only thing next year’s line has to work on is get-ting everybody together and in the room year round. If they do, there will be no stopping them next year,” Wright said.

Tampier uses experience and knowledge to get an edge

For many people, bas-ketball is just a fun pick-up sport, but for senior Alyssa Tampier it is more than just

a hobby. Tampier was introduced to basketball by her parents and has now been playing the sport for 14 years. After 14 years of experience, Tampier has discovered point guard is her favorite position. She said being in con-trol of the offence is something she really enjoys. “As our point guard, Alyssa must know what all five players are doing at all times. She is also one of our best defensive players because of her knowledge of the game and her ability to take away other team’s strengths,” head coach Chris Seibert said. Tampier’s knowledge of the game has proven beneficial to the team. “She is one of the more intelligent players I have ever coached. It is like having another coach on the floor,” Seibert said. Tampier said throughout her high school career she has had her ups and downs, but overall she has improved as a player. “Alyssa has improved tremendously over the course of her career. She has developed a much more consistent shot and found ways to score,” Seibert said. “She has also grown as a leader. Alyssa is more self-confident and vocal and is one the leaders of our team.”

Seibert said Tampier has a “definite passion for the game of basketball,” and she is an extremely dedicated player that has put in countless hours to improve her game. “The results are evident as not only personally has she had her best season, but also the team is benefiting with a successful season. Whether through going to watch other teams play or breaking down film, Alyssa also understands the importance of the mental side of the game,” Seibert said. “I hope our underclassmen have watched the success Alyssa has been able to attain through hard work and dedication and can emulate that work ethic so we can con-tinue to be successful in the future.” Tampier plans on attending Purdue North Central next school year, but does not intend on pursuing her basketball career any further as a player. However, she does not plan on ending her career in basketball completely. “My goal is to one day be a high school coach,” Tampier said. Seibert said he thinks Tampier would make a great coach because she has a deeper understanding of the game than most players. “To be a great coach you have to possess a certain pas-sion for the game of basketball. You can tell that Alyssa has that love and passion of basketball and I look forward to seeing her coaching in the near future,” Seibert said. “Her leadership both on and off the court will be greatly missed after she graduates.”

Peyton HulseSports Editor

Lauren WinickySports Writer

Senior Alyssa Tampier dribbles the ball against LaPorte at home. The Lady Indians lost 37-22. Photo by Kiley Jones

Junior Travis Williams pins junior Rodney Neal at practice. Both varsity and junior varsity ended the regular season with winning records. Ten wrestlers are moving on to regionals. Photo by Taylor Mlynski

MarqueeMatchups Editor-in-Chief Brandon Vickrey’s guide to the most exciting Portage High School

sporting events on the schedule for the next two weeks.

Saturday, Feb. 9: girls basketball sectional final

The matchup for tomorrow night’s girls basketball sectional champion-ship will be set after tonight’s semifi-nal games.

Whether or not Portage is partici-pating (this edition of the Pow Wow was sent to print before Wednesday’s opening round game against Merrill-ville), students should take advantage of having sectional hardware handed out at PHS.

Time: 7:30 p.m.

Location: Portage High School East Gym

Wednesday, Feb. 13 Gymnastics VS

ChestertonIt will be an emotional night for the trio of seniors as the gymnastics team plays its final home meet of the season. Mackenzie Barcelli, Lyndsey Cunningham and Breanna Caldwell will be honored prior to the meet. After talking about graduating senior Ali Johnson brought her to tears a year ago, head coach Karen Barcelli will have the difficult task of saying goodbye to her daughter’s high school career.

Time: 6 p.m.

Location: Portage High School East Gym

Thursday Feb. 14: boys basketball VS Crown Point

The final home game of the regular season usually represents senior night for the boys basketball team. How-ever, when Crown Point comes to town on Thursday night, it will be business as usual for the senior-less Tribe. Por-tage is trying to avenge a 57-53 road loss to the Bulldogs on Jan. 8.

Portage could meet Crown Point for a third time this season in the Michigan City Sectional. Time: 7:30 p.m.

Location: Portage High School East Gym

Thursday Feb. 14 and Saturday, Feb 16: Boys swimming sectional

The boys swimmers are now sport-ing blonde hair, an annual tradition that serves as a precursor to sectional action.

The Indians are competing without the injured Cole Ozbolt as they vie to improve on their sixth place finish in the Duneland Athletic Conference meet on Jan. 26.The DAC Meet also took place in LaPorte.

Time: 3:00 p.m.

Location: LaPorte High School

Editor-in-ChiefBrandon Vickrey

Content Editor

Eric Mesarch

Design EditorEmily Evans

Opinion Editor

Collin Czilli

News Editor Katie Peksenak

Features Editor

Joshua Lewis

Sports EditorPeyton Hulse

Photo EditorOlivia Forrester

Sports WritersAlexis CoffmanLauren WinickyBrandon Weis

News WritersAshley Conrad Mallory Lopez

Nick BlueMary Clancy

Features Writers

Tyra Allen Amber Nelson

Angela DornbosCaleb Ingersoll

Alexis Sosa

PhotographersTaylor Mlynski Emily Hensley

AdviserMelissa Deavers-Lowie

6 Opinion Issue 9

Pow Wow Editorial PolicyThe Pow Wow is a student-produced newspaper. As an open-forum publication, we do accept letters-to-the-editor. All letters must be grammatically cor-

rect, free from errors and 200 words or fewer. Letters must include your name. E-mail submissions can be sent to bwvickrey@gmail.com. Letters will be run in

the next available issue of the newspaper.

Schools around the nation are changing, and the way students are educated is changing too. In order to better educate students, Portage must begin to take the issue of technology seriously. The schools are getting there, they are just not there yet.

Over the past year, the district has overhauled the technology services at this school. The employees of the technology department have spent countless hours reorganizing how the network works and operates. Each building is now its own separate entity on the district’s network, making a district wide failure less likely to occur. While the steps are in the right direction, they do not go nearly far enough.

In order to better educate students, Portage schools must increase the amount of technology available to students in the

schools. There are many options available for the administration and school board to provide adequate services to students.

A proposal made by County Commissioner Nancy Adams (R-Center) to use funds from the sale of Porter Memorial Hospital in Valparaiso in order to provide

all high school students across the county with laptops that would be available to them while in high school is the right way to use the nearly $140 million that the county has saved up from the sale. Not all students have access to a computer at home, providing each student will increase the availability of research and textbooks to students. With a laptop with access to e-books, a student will be able to have access to all of their textbooks while only taking home a computer the size of one book.

Critics have said an increase in technology will end education as we know it. Technology is not something to be afraid

of, it is something to embrace. Working with computers has become commonplace in life and providing a computer device to each student upon entering high school will ultimately aid students receiving the best education possible.

I fully believe that providing students with a computer device, whether it is a laptop that is taken home, a laptop that is checked out and in at school or an iPad that the school provides, it is necessary to a developing education system.

Like I stated before, technology is not something to shy away from. Technology must be embraced by schools in order for them to remain current. Portage is moving in the right direction but there is a long road ahead for Portage schools. There are many different ways to approach increased technology in schools and many different views on how it should be used in classrooms. In the months and years ahead, the schools need to move closer to technology that will be useful to both teachers and students, otherwise, Portage will lag behind other schools around the state.

Advancing technology will help advance PortageCollin CzilliOpinion Editor

cczilli@phsnewsonline.com

Athletes’ use of performance enhancing drugs ruining sports

There are several sports stars in the world that have been able to show they have the hard work and drive to excel at their respective sports. With that said, there are some sports stars who felt the need to juice up in order to falsely show their drive and dedication to get better.

This honestly needs to stop in the world of sports.

Sports stars who felt the need to take steroids and other performance enhancing drugs simply did not have the drive and dedication to get better or improve their game. PEDs are not going to help, but will only put an athlete in a sticky situation. People who use them will get caught; there is no way of getting around it.

Take Barry Bonds for example; the new “Home Run King.” No offense, but not in my book. He cheated to get there. Hank Aaron hit all of his 755 home runs without the help of steroids or other PEDs and I

cannot believe that Bonds did not believe he could beat the home run record with the hard work that he put into the game of baseball.

From the words of PHS economics teacher Mark Marvin, “People respond to incentives.” In the cases of every one of the athletes in the world, they were greedy and simply did not

want to work to get it themselves. High school athletes who juiced wanted to be good enough to play Division I sports and hopefully play professionally. This, of course, leads to all the coin that professional athletes make. College athletes do the same: juice up in hopes of getting drafted. And professional athletes: juicing to liven up their future contracts.

Last Friday, I was able to listen to PHS wrestling coach Leroy Vega speak during a Captain’s Council meeting about how athletes have to have the drive, perseverance and strong belief that they can accomplish any goal that they set their minds to, or else it will never happen. I believe that all of the

athletes in the world that have used PEDs should have been able to listen to Vega speak because I do not think they believed that they could accomplish what they wanted to with simple hard work and dedication.

I also cannot fathom to think that these athletes that have juiced could not realize that there were so many professional athletes that were not users and became multi-millionaires and became the best in their respective sport. Like I said earlier, Hank Aaron never used and is second place on the all-time home run list (which I believe he should still be number one because of the fact that he never did use). Walter Payton never used PEDs either; but he is still considered one of the best runningbacks the National Football League has ever had.

What I am saying is that if athletes just believe in themselves and know in their hearts that they can accomplish any goal that you set, no matter how big or how small, then they will absolutely be able to do it. These athletes that use PEDs did not believe in themselves and eventually made their situations turn in the wrong direction.

It all goes back to the famous saying, “Think before you act.”

Eric MesarchContent Editor

emesarch@phsnewsonline.com

Hallway behavior creates dirty school

Gum, dip, spit. These are a few of the lovely substances one may find walking the halls of Portage High School.

Traveling between classes at PHS is an experience that should be enjoyable, not disgusting. Not only are certain students at this school disgusting, but rude, disrespectful and immature as well. This makes PHS a less enjoyable place.

A typical walk between buildings will probably consist of someone screaming, a bottle being thrown, a freshman being shoved around, something gross on the floor that requires avoidance and a wall of people that never caught on to walking with any sense of urgency. Take your pick.

Let us say a student actually has time to stop and use the

bathroom on his or her death march from building to building. This presents a whole new set of challenges that should not have to be dealt with.

Finding a stall in the girls bathroom often turns into a twisted game of roulette. There is no reason for a student or teacher to walk into a stall and have to turn back around because it is so gross. Often times the sink water is still running and there is water splashed all over the mirrors and floors. It is obvious that not everybody took the life lessons taught in kindergarten and applied them for years to come.

About a month ago, I decided to use the restroom during my math class. When I walked into the bathroom, two girls were standing in front of the mirror; one holding up her shirt with a needle in her hand. As I was in the stall, the girl with the needle was debating on piercing her belly-button and decided to “go for it,” following the wise words of advice from her friend. I heard a scream and came out to see a bloody stomach being wiped off. The two girls then proceeded to take pictures; belly-button and all.

I do not understand how hard it can be to do the right

thing, especially when the right thing always seems like the most obvious choice. Spitting all over the floor, screaming, throwing bottles, standing in the middle of the halls during passing period, not flushing the toilet and senseless acts like these should not be an issue, especially at a high school.

PHS is an accomplished facility. We have a variety of clubs, sports and opportunities available to serve any interest a student may have. The education is great and teachers always seem willing to help. Though we are an A school, some of the students here deserve an F in the common sense category.

Students at PHS need to take more pride in what they have right in front of them. The way certain students treat the school is pathetic and they should feel pathetic for doing so. All of these mistakes are concepts we were taught as children, so come on people. Stop treating the floors like a garbage can, pick up the trash, flush the toilet, turn off the water, do not splash it on the mirrors and please walk at a normal pace. High school is what you make of it and some students are not going to make it at all if they keep behaving this way.

Katie PeksenakNews Editor

kpeksenak@phsnewsonline.com

Order your 2013 Legend now!

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7Features February 8, 2013

A day in the life of:

When students forget their lunch, go home sick or are just late to school, they need to talk to East attendence secretary Debbie Smith. Smith has worked in the attendance office for 18 years. She maintains all of the students’ attendance records for grades 10-12. Entering doctor’s notes, maintaining all of the lock-ers and handling all parent phone calls are also respon-sibilities Smith handles on a daily basis.

“I love my job,” Smith said. “I love the students, I hate when [the students ] have half days or days when I have to be here and the students don’t. I don’t like it, it’s too quiet.” Smith is at Portage High School from 6:30 a.m. until 3:15 p.m., which is a full day for any other secretary. Upon arriving, she usually has about 20 phone calls from parents calling off their children. By the end of first mod, at least 50 students have visited her desk. Her mornings are very hectic, she deals with students calling

off and manages all of the work permits for the city of Portage. “My job isn’t very dif-ficult at all. You just have to multitask. If you cannot multitask, this job isn’t for you,” Smith said. She said students will try and talk to her while she is on the phone. When she is on the phone, she is not ignor-ing students; she is just busy. “I think the kids that think I’m mean are the ones that don’t get what they want. I’m really happy to help any students with any-thing,” Smith said.

tyra AllenFeatures Writer

Smith processes student absences in the morning. Other tasks the PHS secretary performs include maintaining records, processing doctors notes and handling lockers. Photo by Emily Hensley

Meet the Indian: Ball leads on track and in school

Freshman Kyra Ball has been running since the sixth grade. She started running because she heard it was fun and a great opportunity to meet new people. “Once I started my team-mates were so encouraging that I couldn’t stop,” Ball said. Ball runs on both the track and field and cross country teams, so sports take up much of her time. The time requirements do not bother her though be-cause most of her friends are on the team. “We are a really bonded team and we do a lot togeth-er like having pasta parties on Thursdays,” Ball said.

Ball placed third at the Duneland Athletic Confer-ence and was named the girls cross country MVP. She also has seven patches on her letterman jacket and is ranked fifth in Portage High School’s top ten all-time performances in the 5,000 meter race. It is not the recognition that Ball finds the most rewarding about running; it is the teammates that sup-port her. “My teammates are always there for me and they support me with everything no matter what it is,” Ball said. Running cross country in college is an aspiration Ball hopes to achieve. Girls cross country coach Jay White said she will be a successful college runner.

“Kyra is an outstanding young lady. She works hard in the classroom. Practices and races,” White said. Giving back, getting good grades are just as impor-tant as running to Ball. She recently volunteered at an orphanage in Chicago with her family. Ball volunteers as much as she can, especially around the community “Volunteering is really important to me but with my tight schedule I don’t get to do it as much as I want,” Ball said. For Ball, grades always come before running regard-less of the situation. Ball’s attitude on the track and field reflects her attitude in the classroom. “I try to be a leader in track, cross country and in the classroom,” Ball said.

Amber NelsonFeatures Writer

Ball is honored at a school board meeting along with the cross country team for having the highest team GPA. She has been runing since the sixth grade. Photo by Collin Czilli

I love Nikki, Katie,Emily, Alex, Taylor, Kim and Geena! -Olivia Forrester

Emily Evans, thank you for being the most amazing best friend in the world. You are the prettiest most wonderful person and I am so thank-ful for you. Will you be my valentine? –Rachel Stewart

Just want to give a shout out to my bicycle! I love you babe. Oh, andRachel Stewart isawesome! -Corey Ross

Happy Valentine’s Day to all the cross girls! Love you (: -JC

Debbie Smith oversees students attendence

Brandon Crosby! You’re my bestest

friend ever. Since we’re both single, be my val-entine? ;) Love you!

–Jayme Jones

8 The Back Page Issue 9 | February 8, 2013

Pow Wow Shoutouts

I love you so much Michael! Thank you for everything! –Aeriel Rozwara

You’re my favorite per-son <3 you’re my best friend Richard Brooks

Toumi

-Jordan Kwiatkowski

Savannah Jo Yuhasz, I love you. –Anthony Rigoni

I am so proud of you! Thank you for being such a good friend! Wuvv you Collin!

–Rachel Stewart

Here ya go, BFF. Ya happy now? :) Love,

your BFFFL –Rachel Stewart

Mariah Wright you finally got one be-cause I was forced to. –John Whitney

Courtney Groene, thanks for being my yearbook best friend!

Legend 2012-2013 -Kammy Kozol

Matthew R. Bolin I love you and I’m sorry for messing up, I’m al-ways here for you babe!

<3 –Brittany Damron

Shyanna! I love you, you’re my best

ever. Love Ariel –Ariel Dover

Ariel! I love you! Your my valentine this your best sister ever (: –Shyanna

Condiff

Charlotte Hock-

Can’t wait for to-

night baby! ;)

–Alex Evans

Alex Evans-I just can’t wait

for the weekend! –Charlotte Hock

I love you so much babe! Glad you are in my life. –Jessi Schlimgen

3.5.12, to infinity and beyond, to Justin. :) –Ashley Conrad

Jacob Hertl I love you so much –Jessica Marshall

Jessica Marshall I love you! –Jacob Hertl

Love yah, BrittanyKozlowski! – Anonymous