the vedette - november 2010

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The STUDENT VOICE OF THE CULVER ACADEMIES FOR OVER A CENTURY “I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” -Voltaire Volume 114, Issue #2 Vedette In This Issue... Beason halloween Beatlemania North Korea Top 5 in Culver Sports Many, Many Questions

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November 2010

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Page 1: The Vedette - November 2010

The

STUDENT VOICE OF THE CULVER ACADEMIES FOR OVER A CENTURY

“I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” -Voltaire

Volume 114, Issue #2

Vedette

In This Issue...

Beason halloween

Beatlemania North KoreaTop 5 in Culver Sports

Many, Many Questions

Page 2: The Vedette - November 2010

a n o t e f r o m y o u r

editors

Vol. 114 Issue #1

November 2010

s t a f f, NOVEMBER :Editors-in-Chief: Laura Freymiller and Clancy Tripp

Layout: Anna-Christina Betekthin, Boosik Choi, Steve Choi, Jake Kang, Clancy Tripp, Molly Walker

Writers: Jordan Berger, Anna-Christina Betek-thin, Boosik Choi, Deanna Dilts, Laura Freymiller, Yen-Yen Gao, Kevin Kim, Shaughnessy Lindquist, Mary McKinnis, Michelle Molner, Elise Pare, Kirstyn Petras, Joy Shen, Alan Simonini, Clancy Tripp, Molly Walker, Austin Welch, Betsy Whit-field, John Van Duyn

Editors: Jordan Berger, Anna-Christina Betekthin, Sharon Chen, Boosik Choi, Laura Freymiller, Yen-Yen Gao, Cricket Gullickson, Ji Hu Kim, Claire Lee, Madeleine Loney, Kirstyn Petras, Clancy Tripp, Skyler Strycker, Molly Walker, Nancy Wu

Photographers: Jordan Berger, Elaina Engelhard, Kevin Kim, Allison Rudolph, Benjamin Turner, Clancy Tripp

Graphs: Clancy Tripp

2

a b o u t u s : The Vedette is the student-run newspaper of the Culver Academies which seeks to provide a cam-puswide forum for discussion. The goal of The Vedette is to facilitate open and honest discussions between students, faculty, and administration, and to inform its readers of cam-pus, local, and world news. We are open to let-ters, ideas for articles, photos, cartoons, and other contributions; if you have contructive criticism, please contact us. Campus papers are only as good as their contributors and we know you have something to say. Opinions expressed in The Vedette do not re-flect the opinions of The Vedette staff, and their publication does not in any way imply an endorse-ment of these opinions by this magazine.

the Vedette

From the earth-shattering (What is my purpose here?) to the inconsequen-tial (Wasn’t my roommate wearing a cardigan this morning?) this issue is all about asking questions. These curi-ous and occasionally critical articles are detailed versions of the questions we’ve been keeping bottled up for far too long. We’re questioning every-thing because if we didn’t, well we’d be the drooling kid in the back of the classroom who never knows what class he’s in. In this school-focused metaphor for life, no one wants to be the drooling, all-accepting, bump on a log. No, we won’t agree without un-derstanding; we’re hungry for answers. It’s not about starting a revolution, this isn’t a call to arms, and we’re not advocating hatin’ on the institution. This is about finding out the truth, even if the truth is hidden away in the dark corners of the Book Store behind the kneaded erasers. We here at The Ve-dette invite you to dismiss the passive and embrace the inquiry. If something bugs you or confuses you, go find out why, and if you feel a rant comin’ on, come write for us.

Dear Culver,

Your Editors,Clancy and Laura

Page 3: The Vedette - November 2010

Features N o v e m b e r 2010

When was the last time you did more than three hours of anything in a row? The SAT, maybe? Sleep? According to recent surveys, for the average Culver student the answer may be yesterday’s CQ. The issue of free time (or the lack thereof) has long been a subject of con-cern for students here at the Academies. From freshmen year, where new students face the challenge of adjusting to the ex-pectations of Culver, through junior and senior year, where the college crunch takes its toll, FRQs, APs, apps, and other dreaded abbreviations have threatened to drain our schedules. Sometimes we won-der if there’s a point to the endless work.. Why do we have no extra time after all our studying? Dr. Buggeln, a father, teacher, and coach, knows how busy life at Culver can be, but as he says, “Of course we don’t have time. We’re here to maximize our growth.” However, he continues, “When you have so much piled on top that it pre-vents you from growing… that’s when we have to make changes.” With the constant pressure to take as many honors and AP courses as humanly possible, it’s no wonder the average stu-dent spends more than three hours a night on schoolwork. “A typical Culver day is already filled with meetings, stressful classes, duties, demanding sports, clubs, and seminars,” says sophomore Katrina Weil. She is currently taking French 4 Cul-ture, Health, Choir, and AP World History, “Coming to your dorm room with three to four hours of unwanted homework really is the cherry on top.” Learning how to balance and manage one’s time is an important tool Culver tries to instill in its students, a tool that some of us are still trying to figure out how to use. But as Dr. Buggeln says, “Why would you want to go to a school where everyone just sits around all day? We’re here at school. We’re here to learn as much as we can.” - Joy Shen ‘13

A burning question here at Culver is, “Where did that thing called free time go?” Well, when we’re not in classes, doing homework, sitting in the dining hall or do-ing leadership activities, we’re probably at sports practices or intramurals or going to meetings and extracurricular activities. Sports are fun, and we like to be active healthy kids, and meetings for clubs are great, too, but they certainly have a way of piling up We benefit from them of course, these sports and clubs make our college applications look fantastic. And really, it’s fun to be with our friends while working out, running around or swimming. All this activity takes its toll though; , it’s not as much fun getting back from a meet or game at ten o’clock with two hours left of homework. But, it balances out because the bus ride is bound to be really fun. So, it really is worth it to pour our free time into a sport or club, because they help us get into the right college and they’re really fun (for the most part).

-Betsy Whitfield ‘13

Where Did My Time Go?: A 3 Part ArticleAcademics Military Extracurriculars

While all Culver students are busy because of school and sports, Cadets of Culver Military Academies have the added strains of military responsibilties. Every day cadets wake up to the sound of cannon fire, followed by the scream-ing of “notice sir, notice sir. Reveille had sounded…” After reveille, cadets have PI, and Detail, which are inspections. Next up is BRC, which is the formation for the breakfast. I interviewed one a cadet, Jerry Howard, a senior in Band Unit, about his busy schedule.Q. Why are you so busy?A. I need to wake up early to make sure my room is in condition so all my young ones can see what their room needs to look like. During PI, I go around and tell them what they are supposed to do and what to fix, and how to fix it. Before we go to the BRC, I yell down the hall way saying “Everyone get outside! It’s time for BRC!” And then we go outside, and I just stand there until I am told to receive the report. But most of time, I have to move my platoon down, and we march in and eat! Throughout the day, I worry about my younglings and their rooms, getting gigged or and having a hard day of classes;, trying to stay awake in that geometry class may be a challenge, but I know that they can do it! Way later in the evening it’s time for CQ. I usually make sure things are nice and quiet and that nothing “too rowdy” is going on. And then I go off to do my own work, and if anyone needs help with their work, I usually help them, unless I am extremely busy. And then the entire process starts all over again! Jerry exemplifies a busy CMA stu-dent with his full schedule of his mili-tary duties. Every morning starts with the reveille, and ends with the Taps; it’s ‘Military!’ all day long.

-Kevin Kim ‘12

(Above) Sunday Parade: just one of the many duties that take up time in the life of a Culver Military Acad-

emies cadet. Picture taken by Kevin Kim.

Vol. 114 Issue #2 3

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F E A T U R E SN o v e m b e r 2010

Can God microwave a hot pocket so hot that even he cannot eat it? Why do soa many people worship an elephant? If humans worship animals, what do animals worship? These are questions I asked my-self before I came to Culver. After coming to Culver, though, I started to ask myself different questions: Why am I forced into practicing a religion? Wasn’t freedom of religion the sole conflict of hundreds of wars? Why does Culver say that we have the freedom to practice anything, when we are still bound to attend one service per week? Culver insists on many things. Most of which don’t make sense to me; then again, I’m just a student. How should I know what is or is not good for me? I am, however, starting to understand the whole “spirit” aspect of Culver’s mission. It hasn’t been easy; there are some parts of it I’ll never completely grasp. But for right now, I’m content in the knowledge that Culver actually wants to nurture and inspire effective leaders. I revel in my new theory that instead of arbitrarily forcing us to believe as they believe; we really just have to do what they say we should- which is relatively less draconian. If we have the self con-trol to do things we initially see as point-less or oppressive, and we can actually grow enough to draw meaning from them, we will be that much more successful when we have to do just that as working adults. Not only will we be prepared for that particular intellectual task, but we will have achieved this in an atmosphere which, once we move beyond our initial hesitance, is actually first rate. Where else will we have Jewish, Muslim, Christian, and other services all on the same high school campus? When will I ever have the opportunity to discuss each religion’s pros and cons with someone my own age? So now I’m free to wonder, in a more con-ducive atmosphere than my own home, among others who can appreciate my question’s subtle complexities: can God microwave a hot pocket so hot that even he cannot eat it?

I remember the day my baby sis-ter came into this world. At first I was ecstatic to be able to take care of her. After a while, though, I slipped into little-sister-jealousy. “Mommy, mom-my, come play with me!”I pleaded. “Go find your brother,” she invariably replied. The worst was when she was holding my little sister and not me. Weren’t her arms only made to hold me? “Mommy, mommy, hold me!!” I begged. “Mary, I’m sorry, but I have to hold the baby right now.” Then of course there were the times when little baby (I had by now disowned her as a sister) made a huge mess. She scattered toys left and right. I wonder who would have to sing, “The Clean Up Song”? (Not little baby!) “Mary! Would you do mommy a favor?” I looked at the baby, as if she was a disgusting piece of broccoli my mom had ever put on my plate. “I didn’t do it!” I stammered. “She did.” I shouted, while pointing out the sixteen pound culprit, who now crawled around guiltily chewing on her pacifier. Having a little sister for the first time is similar to sophomore year at Culver. Sophomore year is often called the for-

Finding GodSophomores?: Tales of the

Middle Childgotten year. I remember freshman year, wanting to be accepted but not bur-dened with too much attention. After a hectic freshman year of being assault-ed with questions and the pressures of high school life, suddenly invisibility strikes. Sophomores are the forgotten, the in between grade: too young to be trusted with leadership; too old to use the “I didn’t know” excuse. We’re no longer new, but still learn random facts and traditions on a daily basis. It’s ironic, because to a fresh-man, blending in with the concrete is ideal, to get away from the persistent pressure. Then once we arrive as soph-omores, we’re ready to take on some pressure, only to find that we are for-gotten, and unneeded. If you were to compare high school students to an av-erage family, freshman are the babies, sophomores are the awkward middle children, juniors set the example, while seniors can’t wait to move out of the house. Sophomores are basically stuck in the middle like the older sister be-tween the little sister and mom, a feel-ing that is all too familiar at the mo-ment. - Mary McKinnis ’13 & Elise Pare ’13

Mary McKin-nis and Elise

Pare (left) smile despite the pain of

being sopho-mores. Just remember: no one is a sophomore

forever! (Picture glee-fully stalked off of Face-

book)

-Molly Walker ‘12

4 Vol. 114 Issue #2

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F E A T U R E SN o v e m b e r 2010

A large majority of Culver’s rules I can, at the very least, understand the good intentions and logic behind. Why do they lock us in at night? Well, be honest, what virtuous and/or academic things were you planning on doing outside at 1 in the morning on a Saturday? Yes, throwing icy snowballs (this side of the flag pole) could blind someone or hurt like…well, like a chunk of spiky ice being lobbed at your eyeballs. As far as stabbing and cooking a squirrel goes, it should be self-explanatory why that is against the rules. Culver is pre-paring us for the real world, the real world where you can’t kill helpless animals. To put things in perspective I like to apply the “WWMMD” (What Would My Mommy Do) rule. I ask myself if each punishment

The Merriam Webster Collegiate Dictionary defines “trust” as follows: “Assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something; one in which confidence is placed.” Sounds pretty optimistic, right? In any community, whether a family, a group of friends, or indeed an education-al foundation, there is always a question of how far trust should extend and where boundaries should be set. The question comes down to this: what part does trust play in this community? Do the adults trust the students? Do students trust the adults? One of the main features of our soci-ety, whether we think about it or not, is the Culver Honor Code. “I will not lie, cheat, or steal, and I will discourage oth-ers from such actions”. On the surface this Code should ensure that members of the community can trust each other. As Dean Weaser said, “I think the fact that we have an Honor Code and the Honor Council sends a message that this [trust] is important, that this is the way we live.” Mariah Schroeder, the current Honor Council Chair for CGA, added that “It’s definitely easier to trust people

I Want My Mommyand rule is something my mother would apply to me because after all Culver is our red-brick leadership-lovin’ parent. If I was obnoxiously loud and disturbed everyone else while they were trying to study, would my mother make me clean something in the house? Yes, she undoubtedly would, and it would probably be the exact same punishment, tackling cleaning the abyss of rot that is the fridge. It’s when I run into rules that mummy would never force on me that I struggle with understanding the logic. If I’m get-ting out of the shower at 10:47 and I was supposed to be in bed by 10:45 I can’t help but doubt that Mama Tripp would pun-ish me at all. If I stayed up late to do my homework I cannot imagine my mother

In Culver We Trust?here because everyone is expected to tell the truth.” At the same time, it could be argued that having an Honor Code implies a sys-tem of distrust; if students were trusted to do the right thing anyway, would we need a system to discipline it? For example, teachers at Culver, though held to the same standard, do not have an honor code, “the idea being that they are above reproach, so there shouldn’t even be a hint of it [ly-ing, cheating, or stealing]” according to Dean Weaser. Obviously, the teachers of this school underwent a more thorough examination to obtain admittance; they are adults, and so have a more firm grasp of truth and the importance of trust. Even so, it becomes clear that students are not trusted beyond reproach. And should we be? Dean Weaser said, “I don’t expect perfection”, and perhaps she is right. Despite the Honor Code, students lie, cheat, and steal, but so do all human beings. High school can be a confusing time (understatement of the year), and it is to be expected that some students will make mistake. The Honor Code then is there to help students improve their judg-ment.

Yet often at this school there are ques-tions of whether we have the ability to make choices, whether we are trusted to make our own decisions. These questions demonstrate a fundamental lack of trust within the stu-dent body. As students, it is often difficult to deal with the sheer quantity of rules and restrictions. This can lead to a loss of faith; we ask ourselves “Are these rules really nec-essary? Do they really have my best interest at heart?” We lose trust in those who lead us perhaps from lack of understanding or from a tendency towards the suspicious. It’s difficult to know how much we are trusted and how much we can trust others. It is difficult to draw a line between optimism and realism. How much control do I allow those who lead me? How much can we trust those who follow us to do what’s right? More than likely it simply depends on your own personal upbringing. Some are inclined to trust, others to skepticism. In such a commu-nity as this we have both types of people. It must be a balance. I’d like to encourage both students and adults to attempt to be more trusting. Human beings are flawed, but with a concerted effort, we can overcome these failures.

-Laura Freymiller ‘11

bringing down the hammer. Maybe it’s what we have to give up when we go to boarding school. It goes the other way too; my mother would never, after four years, allow me to walk on a piece of grass formerly forbidden to me. The point is, after four years here I love Culver and am thankful for everything, but I’ve also become extremely jaded after questioning some of the rules here. Why are there so many restrictions? Sometimes it’s to keep us safe, sometimes it’s to prevent mass mayhem, sometimes it’s to prepare us for the real world, sometimes it’s just pure common sense, but sometimes there are rules that I just can’t rationalize or justify. It’s re-strictions like those that lead me to good ol’ mummy for support.

- Clancy Tripp ‘11

Vol. 114 Issue #2 5

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News N o v e m b e r 2 0 1 0

To the young cadets of Culver Mili-tary Academy, Culver is a place where, as Manning of Band put it, one’s purpose is “to challenge myself.” Alternately, Cul-ver is a place where one is prepared to “get in to a good college so I can meet my wife,” as one anonymous cadet of Battery B hopes. Whether one’s own specific pur-pose is to “play basketball” as Gabir of Battery B believes, or to “To f*** s*** up!” as one anonymous young gentle-man of Company A said, or even a calling asunique as Valdez’s (of Band) desire to “learn how to fly like a chicken,” Culver is ultimately a place where one learns to “buckle down and learn some time-man-agement skills,” noted Mr. Hibbard, class of ’79. His son in Band, however, main-tains that his purpose is simply to “sleep.” Some cadets, however, have loftier goals; Cislack of Battery B states that his is to “become regimental commander.” On being reminded that perhaps his quali-fications for such a position were lacking at this moment in time, he trusted to a higher power and was adamant that he “ got this feeling” that he would ultimately succeed. And indeed, success at Culver is mea-sured by one’s aptitude for “survival” as Drake of Band put it. Survival requires self-reliance and moral strength in order to “make a better life for yourself than you have now,” noted DQ King of Bat-tery C. Through a Culver education, he aspires to “be an example for other black kids who think they can’t get out [of the] tangles of life that get them down.” After all, adolescence is a confusing time where the overlying goal is to hopefully “obtain a massive amount of smart-icles” while simultaneously attempting “to moose as many people as possible,” as reported by an anonymous cadet of Company C. In contrast, the purpose of Culver Mili-tary Academy is to educate the “whole person”, or in the words of one anony-mous cadet: “To become the best person

Your purpose? “To win everything- and to have ridiculous quotes.”- Walker, Band

I can be.” The way that education hap-pens, though, differs from cadet to cadet. However, a Culver education is about a lot more than just striving to “achieve academic excellence,” noted Itzutsu of Battery A. Every day he does his best to succeed in an American academic en-vironment. To succeed in such an envi-ronment one must realize that “at a cer-

tain age, you begin to realize that going through life not caring isn’t going to get you in the best position,” noted Brooke of Battery A. Of course, as De La Canal of Battery A remarks, “I have rank and it helps one to get into a better position than one might have previously achieved.” Culver, it appears, teaches one how to care enthusiastically despite their rank, as this reporter noted these two cadets busy perfecting their cheerleading routine at a recent home football game. Developing future leaders is an impor-tant part of Culver, and the cadets recog-nize that as such. “I’m developing myself so I can go beyond the impossible and kick reason to the curb,” proudly noted Ardissono of Band, whatever that means, and Howard, also of Band, proclaimed that the ultimate goal of Culver is to “guide people down the path of righteous-

ness.” However, Sheldon of Company B noted that perhaps the over-lying purpose of Culver was to teach us how “To shake it up- ‘it’ would be life.” He modified his much-appreciated input with the enthusi-astic interjection of “Hell yeah!” to em-phasize his argument. Culver, hopefully, teaches young men the skills they need to, as Hussey of Battery C put it, become “upstanding citizens” who strive “to kick a**!” in the words of Golubski of Band. Most cadets, however, have feelings similar to those of a cadet of Company B; “I don’t know- I’ll figure it out eventually, I guess, after graduation.” Even the Brew-er brothers of Troop A first confessed that “I’m speechless - I don’t know” what their purpose is at Culver. However, upon careful consideration, they maintain that a Culver education’s goal is to “better prepare myself for the future.” They also adamantly confirm that their analysis is “Yeah, straight up.” Their Culver expe-rience was succinctly summarized thus; “To have fun, make friends, [and] learn a little bit in between.” Or as Engelbrecht of Company C put it: “Just keep swimming!”

-Anna-Christina Betekhtin ‘13

New Cadet Tompos of Band contemplates his purpose...

Still contemplating life-- or maybe just that broom.

6 Vol. 114 Issue #2

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N o v e m b e r 2 0 1 0 N e w s N e w s

In 2002, United States president George W. Bush labeled North Korea part of an “axis of evil”. Both in media and in politics, North Korea has been depicted as an “evil” nation blatantly threatening peace and safety around the world through nuclear weaponry and to-talitarian government. Since the ceasefire of the Korean War between South Korea and North Korea in 1953, North Korea has been one of the most secretive and confined na-tions in the world. To comprehend the nation, it is important to study the nation’s general information and its nuclear programs in a broader context. Ideologically and politically, North Ko-rea has been a perpetual enemy of the United States and South Korea. For decades, The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, or North Korea, has remained a “hermit king-dom” with one of the world’s poorest econo-mies; it is also a country with one of the low-est amounts of foreign interaction or political freedom. Initially founded by Eternal Presi-dent Kim Il-sung and descended to Supreme Leader Kim Jong-Il, North Korea has been a totalitarian communist state under one-man dictatorship. Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il oppressed freedom of speech, executed po-litical opponents and regulated thoughts of its people through government-controlled education and public facilities. Although the armistice of 1953 ended armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula, North and South Korea are technically still at war. Although

North Korea and Nukesits equipment is outdated, North Korea maintains the fifth-largest army in the world, comprising of 1.21 million armed soldiers. According to Aid agencies, up to two million people have died since the mid-1990s due to food shortages caused by economic difficulties and the govern-ment’s inability to respond to natural di-sasters. Regarding poverty of North Ko-rea, New York Times stated that “North Korea is so poor that there is almost no supply of concrete, bricks or window glass. People suffer shortage of rice, gasoline and even underwear. The Internet barely exists, not to mention computer, and the economy is so mori-bund that most factories barely function for lack of raw materials and electricity” (New York Times) Currently the country relies heavily on foreign aid to feed its people. Recently the relationship between North Korean and U.S. allied South Korea (South Ko-rea harbors approximately 37,000 Ameri-cans soldiers) has been deteriorating due to North Korea’s attempt to obtain nucle-ar weapons. Just after the Korean War, Kim Il-Sung asked Russia and China for nuclear tech-nology in order to respond to U.S. Gen-eral Douglas MacArthur. MacArthur was planning to use atomic weapons against North Korea. However North Korea’s initial attempt to develop nuclear tech-nology was not supported by its allies and

North Korea did not have enough equip-ment to carry out nuclear programs by itself. This program gained speed only recently. In October 2006, North Korea became the world’s eighth nation to ac-quire atomic power, boldly conducting a nuclear testing. As BBC states, “When the blast came on Oct. 9, 2006, the yield was lower than expected, and some experts suggested that the device had malfunctioned. Nevertheless, the club of nuclear weapons states had found a new member, and arguably the most unstable and dangerous yet.”(BBC) Although the nuclear testing was in-ternationally condemned, North Korea succeeded in repealing the economic sanction imposed by the United States in exchange for abandoning its nuclear of programs. However in 2008, North Korea refused the diplomatic terms and in 2009, North Korea, in spite of interna-tional opposition, launched a long-range rocket to implicitly threaten South Ko-rea, Japan and the United States. Presi-dent Obama said they were determined to respond more sternly to North Korea’s action than Bush administration. Many experts analyze North Korea’s decision to launch a missile as a political scheme to minimize internal struggles and to smoothly replace Kim Jong-Il who is suspected to have suffered from recently from a stroke.

-Boosik Choi ‘12

“There is a day when the loved ones visit us. Honor them we must, for they travel a long way to come back to the world of the alive.” The streets are full of orange, and the smell of the chrysanthemums fills the air. The graveyard rejoices with people and singing, flowers and candles. It is not a time to cry, but to honor and celebrate. The Day of the Dead is possibly one of the most colorful, and joyful traditions in Mexico. It is a time of bonding among families to honor those who have passed away. The tradition says that God gives the loved ones a chance to visit us during the nights on November 1st and 2nd.

We must be prepared. The women make sweet bread with pink sugar on the top; it used to be grandma’s favorite. The men pick up flowers and buy tons of fruits; grandma should feel welcomed. The chil-dren cut paper in oddly forms; grandma used to love the odd figures in the Ofren-da. Everyone in the family gather togeth-er and sing, they pray and share the food they cooked. Grandma is pleased to see them honoring her. It is the only night she can come and visit; she will miss them until next year. The Day of the Dead is a mixture of in-

digenous and Spanish culture. Nowadays it is present all over Mexico, and it has ex-tended overseas. The main component of it are the “ofrendas;” small altars that peo-ple build for the loved ones. As you may have seen already, Culver is honoring Mr. Batten this year. Sin Fronteras club decid-ed to show their honor and respect to Mr. Batten in our unique way. It is our way to thank him for everything he has done for Culver. The Ofrenda that was mounted in the library is composed of the basic items that any ofrenda must present. The picture (Day of the Dead continued on next page)

The Day of the Dead

Vol. 114 Issue #2 7

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N o v e m b e r 2 0 1 0N e w s

Why do we need to go to college? It’s not like we can’t find jobs that only require high school diplomas and quite a few of those jobs pay pretty decently too. So why choose to be buried in debt in-stead of joining the work force? For those out there, especially the seniors, who are still undecided about college, I suggest you make that decision now. High school is the best time to explore all your options. Each person is different, and some might decide not to go to college right away. No matter when it happens, getting a college education is essential. Having a college degree will mean that they will find a job with a higher salary, and while money doesn’t buy happiness, but it cer-tainly doesn’t hurt. Especially in econom-

Why Go to College?

This year we were lucky enough to have an en-tire Spirit Week instead of just a day. Although every student I have talked to was thrilled to have activities that lasted more than a day, many of them couldn’t help but ask why they lasted longer. My CGA Ori-entation class had the pleasure of talking with our teacher, Mrs. Schmiedlin, about it. She said they wanted spirit games to last longer this year because they haven’t taken place in two years. They thought being that a lengthier time would raise the morale of the students and help demonstrate Culver spirit. This would also switch up the normal routine and give us a small break from studying. Coming from an “average” high school I was very excited to find out how Culver celebrated their school spirit. I had been to pep rallies before, but Culver definitely had my old school beat. Although we were divided into different teams, I felt like we became much more united. I can’t speak for other students, but I know my morale was raised and it was great to break away from the usual routine. I can’t wait until next year.

-Shaughnessy Lindquist ‘13

ic times like these, having a higher degree means more job security. In addition, going to college will pro-vide more chances to discover lifelong passions. For example, you may think you want to be an accountant and end up an artist. If you were stuck being an ac-countant, you would be very unhappy to have missed out on college and your true calling. Going to college will allow more time for a person’s interests and skills to mature. Thus you are less likely to choose the wrong career. Of course, it’s impossible to write an article about an importance of college without mentioning the social aspect. College is like a more adult version of Culver. Students hail from all over the

(Day of the Dead continued from previous page) of the loved one in lo-cated right at the center of it. Small sugar skulls are present too; they represent the feeling of happiness that we feel now that he will come to visit us. The cup of coffee, the fruit, and the food are things that Mr. Bat-ten surely misses from this world and we decided to bring him this special date. It is not voodoo, nor an invocation to the devil. It is just an ofrenda for our dear Mr. Batten, who has done so much for us. Of course, the Day of the Dead would not be completed without a liter-ary skull. Please take your time to write yours and submit it to the writ-ing center for our contest. Meanwhile, I leave you with this literary skull dedicated to our beloved Mr. Batten:

Mr. Batten! Mr. Batten! The skinny one supplicated, “Please come here and help me,” in a concerned voice she said.“Im coming, I’m coming” Mr. Batten replied,He Left Culver, and travelled to where dead ones rest.

The skinny one had tend him a trapAnd never again she would let him leave her side. But Mr. Batten never doubted he’d be rescuedSo he decided to take a nap.

When the Day of the Dead approached, Mr. Batten finally woke up.He left the skinny one and “Back to Culver! He yelled. Mr. Batten is coming to visit, honor him we must.

The coffee is ready, the paper is cutThe skulls are tasty, the bread has nuts!Come and enjoy Mr. Batten, we still remember youGracias! Gracias! We say; please enjoy this ofrenda, And keep the skinny one away.

Salvador Acevedo ‘11

Spirit Week

world, so it’s the perfect opportunity to make new, long-lasting friendships. And let’s not forget Greek life. Students have the oppor-tunity to move into sororities and fraternities with others who share common interests. Who would want to miss out on that? College is guaranteed to be a life-chang-ing experience. It will impact their career choices, lifestyle, and overall happiness. Al-lowing for an extra four years to develop and explore interests and skills is definitely not a choice people will regret. Going to college could also prevent a lifetime of regret. At college there will also be chances to make new friends and broaden horizons. I hope this article has helped those who are on the border about college.

--Yen-Yen Gao ‘14

8 Vol. 114 Issue #2

Page 9: The Vedette - November 2010

N o v e m b e r 2 0 1 0 N e w s

The 411 on 911 For most people, the system is simple. If you have an emergency, dial 911, and the fire department magically shows up. While this is acceptable to most, it might be worthwhile to note the important steps that occur in between someone dialing 911 and the actual fire department response to an emergency. While the steps to incident response vary from area to area, the gener-al concept is the same; get the fire depart-ment on scene as quickly as possible. The golden rule in any emergency is “Quick intervention saves lives.” I decided to write this article for fire prevention week (early October) and over the summer, I had the opportunity to spend some time at Fire Station 28, in my hometown of Winnetka, IL. I was privi-leged to have Deputy Fire Chief Steve Laureys take me through the process of an emergency and everything that goes on behind the scenes. We also made a visit to the Regional Emergency Dispatch center as well as local police dispatch where I saw and heard actual emergencies coming in and the dispatches going out. The 911 system may vary where you live but the basic premise is the same. To show you exactly how the 911 sys-tem works, we’ll simulate a heart attack. Let’s say you see a man collapse, grasping his chest and you suspect he may be hav-ing chest pains. If there is ever any sus-picion of a heart attack, you should call 911 right away. Your call will be routed to the nearest police station. (If you’re on a landline, your name, phone number, and address has already automatically been transmitted to the 911 dispatcher taking your call. This service is available on most cell phones, but it is still a developing cel-lular technology.) Your call will promptly be answered by a police dispatcher with “911, Where is your emergency?” This allows them to verify your address (even though they more than likely already have it), so if for any reason you are dis-connected they can still dispatch units to your emergency. Once you have given them your address, you will be prompted for the nature of your emergency. Since our emergency is a heart attack, the po-lice dispatcher will transfer your call to

the Regional Emergency Dispatch or RED center who handles all Fire/Rescue calls. As you talk with the dispatcher at RED, he or she will be typing up all your information including address, nature of the emergency, info about the victim etc. His or her partner who is sitting nearby will be reading this re-port and is responsible for dispatching the appropriate emergency apparatus. This way the person on the phone can focus on you and someone else will be contacting the fire department. The radio dispatcher will begin the transmitting the call with 5 loud beep-ing noises. The dispatch for our emergency would go out as… “….beep beep…. Code 1, Ambulance 28, Engine 28, Grid 2801, 1234 Main street for the Heart Attack.” This alarm will sound in the station and the firefighters will drop what they are doing and head for the rescue apparatus. (For all Medical Aid calls or Code 1’s, not only is an ambulance dispatched, but a fire engine as well. This means a minimum of 6 firefighter/paramed-ics for each call) As they get in the trucks and begin to roll, they are checking their Mobile Data Computers or MDC’s. This enables them to read the report the phone operator is typing about the emergency in real time (i.e. severity of the patient’s condition, loca-tion of victim, and other pertinent informa-tion that you have told the dispatcher.) The

emergency dispatcher is also trained to instruct you in CPR over the phone. The earlier this is started, the better chance you’ll have of saving a life. You will con-tinue to do this until the fire department arrives on scene (The national standard is between 4 and 6 minutes, but depending on your proximity to the station it can be sooner) The police are also dispatched and often they are first on the scene. Most all patrol cars are equipped with AED’s for situations like these. More than likely, the fire department will be close behind. Once they are on scene, they will take over for the caller who should be doing CPR. Paramedics are professionals who are excellently trained to save lives. All this has happened in about four minutes and it started with a simple 911 phone call. Between the dispatchers, fire personnel, police personnel, and others, over a dozen people were involved in helping save our victim’s life. These people are heavily in-volved in making sure the professionals get to where they need to be to do their jobs. The effectiveness of the 911 system is proven every day and with it, count-less lives have been saved. Rest assured, that should you ever have an emergency, you’ll know exactly what to do and what the professionals are doing to help you.

- Austin Welch ‘11

Vol. 114 Issue #2 9

Page 10: The Vedette - November 2010

Arts

10 Vol. 114 Issue #2

N o v e m b e r 2 0 10

The year is 1964. Scores of screaming fans surround a dark stage, practically foaming at the mouth as they wait for their idols to appear. The opening riffs of “Here Comes The Sun” blast out of the Gibson speakers stoically standing alone under the bright stadium lights. The crowd erupts, people screaming, chanting, and jumping out of their seats. Fast-forward to the year 2010, and Beatlemania is upon us. You know that a band is timeless when kids, forty years later, still know the lyrics to every song. Before the concert, people hooked their speakers up to their iPods in their rooms and blasted “Eleanor Rigby” and

“Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” into the hallways in anticipation. When the Beatles performed at concerts in the ‘60’s and ‘70’s, they received the same type of maniacal reaction that their cover band did at Culver. Crazy, danc-ing, crowd-surfing fans, throwing their clothes on the stage just to catch Paul or John’s attention (not to say this happened here…). One very cool aspect of the concert was that Beatlemania played about a dozen songs from one Beatles era, then changed costumes, and played another dozen songs from a differ-ent era. It was great to hear “I Saw Her Standing There” and “A Hard Day’s Night” segue flawlessly into “With a Little Help From My Friends” and “In My Life”, show-

ing that the artists were multi-faceted and could cover every aspect of the Beatles. Unlike most cover bands, Beatlemania also didn’t butcher every song. I went into the concert with a piece of paper on which I was going to write all the songs that they played, but it somehow got lost in the mosh pit (whoops). Culver should definitely book Beatlemania again; at least for me, it was the most fun I’ve had in a while. I think that everybody, both young and old, enjoyed the opportunity to let loose and listen to the familiar classic tones that have enthralled generations. As the Beatles them-selves once said, “Fads don’t last, but it should be clear by now that the Beatles are no ordinary fad.”

- John Van Duyn ‘14

Why The Beatlemania?

CGA gets creative with tie-dye socks during Spirit Week!

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Opinions N o v e m b e r 2 0 1 0

Vol. 114 Issue #2 11

I could handle the apparel. I mean, I’d probably wear a t-shirt (albeit to bed) of the school that my son or daughter went to. The auction was stretching it- who would spend that much on a *insert item of choice here*- but again, I could handle it. I sat back quietly as the horses were gifted with Temperpedic mattresses and I turned my head when we reoutfitted all of the trays at the dining hall less than six months after their first “renovation”. But no matter how much I try to convince myself of its normalcy, I sim-ply cannot accept the sale of “Culver Parent Rings”. There is living through your child, and then there’s the doubly pathetic attempt to live as your child. The significance of frugality is clearly lost on some parents, as they swipe for their eight-caret white gold snippet of memorabilia. What would the engraving even read? “TJB-Culver will forever have a special place in my son’s heart”. If the illogicality of such a purchase is not enough to deter parents, then I would assume the price tag would. Fathers’ Culver experi-ences cost significantly more than mothers’, with a yellow gold 18 carat nearing the 9 hundred dollar mark. A mother’s collective memories of at most eight parents’ weekends, however, only costs $749.00. So next time a parent (and I pray not yours) opens up one of a myriad of CPA flyers and says, “Hey, look son! Maybe we can run to Beason togeth-er!” smile politely, nod sympathetically, and respond “carpe diem yourself, dad”.

Rings? Really?

Sky Strycker ‘11

Why Do My Parents Follow Me Around During Fall Ball?

So, you're at Fall Ball, and, so far, it’s been the best Culver dance you’ve been to. Let’s just say you found a certain dance partner who you’ve been getting extra friendly with. You seem to be hav-ing a very good time and enjoying this new… friendship. That is, until you look over to see your mother intensely studying your every bump and grind… “Mom, you said you were leaving an hour ago!” And she puts on her sweetest and most innocent face when she looks at her watch and asks, “Oh, has it really been long?” But you see through that cute little charade of hers. You know that’s the scene she’s been waiting for, and you know you’ve just been busted. But WHY? Why on Earth would your parents, the ones who say that they would do anything to make you happy and that they would give you the world, want to subject you to such humiliation? Several theories have been suggested throughout history. Some-times, the parents themselves will claim that they are simply “bored” and have nothing to do, because they don’t know anyone else there. Yes, mom and dad, I realize you have no friends, but that’s no ex-cuse. The beauty of events like this is that you can meet other bored parents who have nothing to do because they don’t know anyone else there either. It’s really a brilliant concept and will cure that problem of yours right up. Sorry, you can’t use that one, again. Parents might also argue that their little baby is growing up and they just want to document every possible second of his or her life. “Oh honey, just one more picture. I’m afraid the first 27 won’t be any good.” Sound familiar? They're going to defend themselves with the caring and innocent “It’s only because we love you, dear. We just want to be a part of your life. Is that really too much to ask?” Well, the short answer is yes. Don’t fall for their seemingly sweet charade. They know the power those cute puppy eyes hold against you. You are strong. Do. Not. Crumble. After several years of personal experience and research, I have found this to be the true reason parents follow their children around during Fall Ball: they strive to suck as much fun out of the dance as possible. Parents will typically soften this up by claiming that they are “keeping their precious little daughter pure;” in common, non-overprotective-mothering language this can typically be translated into “making sure not a single boy so much as looks at her daugh-ter.” Really, they’re making their utmost attempt at preventing the scenario above; you know, the one where you're having the time of your life with your… uh… friend. By doing so, they have perfected their skill in the art of fun-sucking. I suppose I can’t speak for any-one else, but I can personally tell you for a fact that my parents have both become talented artisans in this skill. Thank you, mom and dad. I love you, and I’ll see you up on the balcony during Final Ball. Oh and, just a word of advice, find a new hiding spot.

-Michelle Molner ‘12

Most people on the Culver campus would agree that CVS is a thief. CVS is highly overpriced and is constantly depriv-ing us of our money. I walk into CVS with a ten dollar bill searching for body wash and gum. I walk out carrying two dollars and a bottle of body wash. The gum cost more than two dollars; therefore, I couldn't purchase both of the items I wanted. We all ask ourselves, why do they charge so much? But there is a larger question at hand. Why does everything in the town of Culver cost so much? Uniforms, lunch, groceries, bookstore items, sandwiches, and of course the day-to-day items that CVS provides. It is because each store clenches an iron grasp on the supply of their trade. There is only one coffee shop. Only one grocery store. Only one pharmacy. So each one can raise their prices and there is nothing we can do. We will continue to make the arduous trip from the academy to town because there is no other way to buy the things we need. Is there a solution? No. Our only shot is to stick it out and just know that at the end of our four years, life will be-come cheaper.

Money Can’t Buy Me Love...Or Anything

-Alan Simonini ‘14

Page 12: The Vedette - November 2010

N o v e m b e r 2 0 1 0

In the Dining Hall recently I took a quick count: the number of gender mixed groups (minus couples) compared to the number of single gender groups. The figures came out to be 2 to 18. This number was not surprising to me. The mixing of genders at the Dining Hall is very rare excepting as I said couples and during lunches (excluding of course CGA and CMA lunch on Wednes-day). “So what?” you ask. “What does this matter?” This seg-regation is not solely linked to meal times. It is reflective of the separation of sexes as a whole. We are two separate schools here; we have the Culver Mili-tary Academy and the Culver Girls Academy living and working on the same campus. This is an interesting phenomenon. In the classrooms we are encouraged to work together, but outside of it we lead almost completely separate lives. Almost all sports are segregated (crew, fencing, tennis , and speech being the notable

CMA v. CGA: What’s Going On

exceptions). Dorms and bar-racks are of course completely segregated. Even most clubs are usually heavily balanced to one side (especially LCA… all girls). Within the leadership system, although we have corresponding positions, it is rare to have inter-communication. The Common Council comprised of both male and female leaders has not met once this year. Where does this division come from? Perhaps this is meant to protect the identities of the two schools. The Girls Academy, being newer, is still working to forge its own traditions and characteristics. Too much interfer-ence from the Military side could be destructive. Perhaps it is due to the complete overload of activities that finding time to interact between schools is difficult. Perhaps the thinking is that too much contact between members of the opposite sex would lead to un-healthy sexual decision making. Maybe this is just a part of high school. I honestly don’t know. In order to be fully prepared for a successful life after Culver, it is essential that we understand how to cooperate and live with members of the opposing sex. Therefore, in order to encourage this development more fully I have several proposals. 1) Open more portals of communication. For most members of CGA, the military system is almost a complete mystery. I don’t know if this is true for CMA (case in point). We know about pa-rade and about Officer’s Figure and that there is something called rank, but beyond that we’re into complete guesswork. I don’t know what the best solutions would be: perhaps setting aside one lunch which pairs up a dorm with a unit so they could actually converse. Maybe not so drastic a measure. The point is communi-cation, face-to-face communication, would help dissolve barriers.

2) Allow Visitation. In many of the other prep schools I have re-searched (Deerfield, Exeter, Groton etc.) they have a policy which allows guys into girls dorms and vice versa. Even at Hogwarts, Hermione is allowed to visit Harry and Ron in their tower room. Allowing more opportunities to interact would hopefully make closer friendships possible. This may seem counter-intuitive, but think about it. Many of the closest bonds are made from just sitting in the same room with your roommate, friends, random people who wander in. Just being around your barrack buddies/ dorm sisters makes you that much closer. This kind of relation-ship is rarely available to students of different genders unless they are in some kind of romantic relationship. In addition, students now often break the rules by going off limits etc. in order to have privacy. By allowing visitation this problem would be solved and could be regulated to prevent further rule breaking.

3) Encourage Mutual Respect. This is more an individual chal-lenge. While we should not lose the aspects of our respective schools that make us unique, I believe it’s time to celebrate each other more often. I know as a CGA student I find that at times

I feel slighted. (For example, the band cadence “Sounds like CGA”.) This may be me being overly defensive, but I also know that girls too can be dismissive of what the boys do. If we could work towards supporting each other rather than criticizing and belittling each other, we could accomplish so much more. For ex-ample, had girls and guys competed together during Spirit Games rather than simply adding scores, the results may have been drastically different. In speech and thought try to stop yourself from thinking unfounded derisive thoughts. (This is a step I need to work on as well). If you have actual criticisms that would help either side to grow, bring them up. The point is, though, that we should work together to improve as a whole. If I am the only person who feels this way about the two schools, then disregard this article. If, however, you think there is something wrong here let me know. If you disagree entirely and feel the two schools should be more separated, let me know. The point of this article is to start a dialogue. I personally would like to live in a world where both CGA students and CMA students could mature together, not just in the classroom, but in character and personal growth as well.

The cadets of CMA march by A Building on their way to Matriculation.

Here?

12 Vol. 114 Issue #2-Laura Freymiller ‘11

Page 13: The Vedette - November 2010

N o v e m b e r 2 0 1 0O P I N I O N S

So you wake up around seven o’clock in the morning, drag yourself out of bed, get ready, knowing that in about 15 hours you’ll be back under the blankets and asleep once again. The day is that annoy-ing time that interrupts your sleep, where the irritants can wear you out, classes are too long, there’s too much stress, and you can’t wait to leave because that’s when you’ll be “happy.” It appears that no one stops to appre-ciate the “little things” anymore. Those times of laughter with your friends in the dorms/barracks are all too often forgotten the next time life is infiltrated by drama. What does it mean to be happy? And why is it you see people looking morose, instead of smiling? High school is a short-lived time. While at the moment it seems to go on forever and ever, time passes, and by May, seniors will be wishing they were still sophomores and freshman will not be able to understand why the upperclass-men are sad when they leave. The future will come more quickly then we know, but by focusing on the little things that drag us down, it becomes

Why Can’t We Be Happy?harder to focus on the here and now. ‘When I’m in college I’ll have more freedom…’ ‘When I’m older there won’t be this drama…’ ‘I’ll decide what I want when I want….” The stressors that come as time passes seem inconsequential. The point is to try to escape the pain and suf-fering of the present. If we could focus on the happy mo-ments, instead of the sad ones, would it not make the time pass by more pleas-antly? And by accepting the present as a time when life is alright, we will not hope for the future with a fiery passion that makes everything else seem unim-portant. The friendships and experiences we are gaining in high school will shape who we will be in later life. These are memories we will want in years to come. These memories should be that of the long nights with friends, not of the test we received a bad grade on, or the person who didn’t return a hug. So kick the leaves while they’re still crunchy. Laugh whenever you can. And focus on the here and now; the future might not be as perfect as you picture it.

Why Are Colleges Harassing Me?“Clancy, I’ve had my eye on you.” “There’s $4,000 dollars worth of schol-arship waiting if you just take a look!” “Clancy, you stand out to me.”“Is this Clancy’s email address?” If these subject lines were on emails from my male peers instead of college admission departments, I’d have filed for a restraining order long before the first, “ARE YOU THERE CLANCY?” from Unnamed University. Or, my per-sonal favorite, “Clarissa, you are impor-tant to me.” Not important enough to merit a correct fill-in-the blank name. No thank you, Blank College, your overwhelming show of interest in me as a person has had the opposite of your

intended effect. This is partially due to the genre of colleges that target me. Had any college on my actual (believe me, it’s extensive) college list I would be ecstatic! Prestigious University wants me to “make a mark” on their picturesque campus? Sign me up for a slew of emails with no substance or use! It would be worth it for a college I cared about, but 95% of those emails have a one-way ticket to the junk email bin. College of Anything, you back off, ok? It’s bad enough I have to look at your black and yellow color scheme, the fact that you have me on your mailing list four times only makes it worse. Oh, Stupid University, you can see me excel-ling at your university. That’s interest-

ing, because you’ve only seen my PSAT score and I cannot see anyone succeeding anywhere with a, ahem, mediocre score such as mine. College recruiting emails and packets are like anxious young fresh-men with stalking tendencies; the earnest dedication to the pursuit is there, but it’s completely overdone. There’s really no way to escape the barrage of automatic love from those less than stellar academic institutions. I recommend treating the is-sue the same way you would treat a com-plete stranger who called “just to hear you breathe,”: arm yourself with mace, a weighty golf club that can crack skulls, and a highly active “delete” button on your keyboard.

- Clancy Tripp ‘11

Happy or sad? The choice is up to you! Let’s put a smile on...

Vol. 114 Issue #2 13-Laura Freymiller ‘11 -Kirstyn Petras ‘11

Page 14: The Vedette - November 2010

Sports N o v e m b e r 2 0 1 0

Football March-on: Why? Friday evening in Culver’s life-cy-cle is one thing that many people look forward to, but not always. Occasion-ally on Friday evening, CMA cadets back from athletic practices must hurry to take showers and change into uniform because of formation for football march-on which starts in ten minutes. Some people who have to sacrifice their free time voice their discontent by asking, “Why in the world do we have football march-on?” It is a question that most people neglect, but if one takes time to find the answer, s/he would really wonder why we have football march-on. On October 15th, there was a football march-on for the last time this year. To find the answer to the question, “Why do we have march-on,” I have interviewed some CMA cadets and asked their thoughts about football march on. Regarding the pre-mentioned question, Sungwoo Choi (1st classmen, BC) said, “I think we have football march-on because it is important to the school spirit. Not only can having a march-on help and support the players, but also it encourages the school spirit by having faculty members, staff, and students at one place to cheer for our only

football team”. Many others who have been asked the same question answered in similar ways. School spirt, they say, is the key factor. Nonetheless, how many of them would be willing to sacrifice their Friday evening to something other than themselves? I took a survey ask-ing only the CMA cadets (because it is mandatory for them) whether we should keep the march on for football. The result was that 69 said we should keep it and 96 said we should abolish it. There seemed to be more cadets

who voted for keeping the march-on. However, may who wanted to keep march-on were 1st classmen who will not have to participate after this year. There were also a number of people who hesitated and ended up with a neutral answer:they would come to the formation, but don’t want to stay until half time. Additionally, the cadets who were discontent with march-on for football argued that it is unfair to have march-on only for football; they said the school should have march-on for other sports as well to make everything even. The following list contains the names of the cadet and the sport that they would like to have march-on for: Jack Mitzell (Tennis), Andrew Van Duyn (Quizball), Nel-son Collet (Sailing), Jake Ashcraft (Rugby), Giuseppe Fournier (Soc-cer), Oliver Janzen, Tyler Ledford, and Timothy Thompson (Hockey). If the school accepts these propos-als for march-on, a lot more students who are in other sports than football will be satisfied for they can get the same pride as football players.

- Jake Kang ’12 Above: CMA corps formed on the Oliver Field for Football

March-On. Photography by: Elaina Engelhard

Above: CMA Football players running through the tunnel. Photography by: Allison Rudolph

14 Vol. 114 Issue #2

Page 15: The Vedette - November 2010

S P O R T SN o v e m b e r 2 0 1 0

1. CGA and CMA Soccer Secure Sectional Su-premacy

2. CGA and CMA Cross Country Also Secure Sec-tional Supremacy

3. CGA Cross Country Reign in First at Regionals

4. Sidney Finan and Zachary Grant qualify for Great Oaks National Regatta

5. Varsity Volleyball Victorious with record of 16-9

Famous Five

The Journey of a CGA Soccer Player

Interview with Bill Murchie

“Olay, Olay, Olay, Olay! CGA! CGA!” This became our team cheer as the CGA soccer team advanced to the IHSAA state finals last year. As I walked through the halls of the school, students and faculty alike congratulated me and wished me luck in the big game. I re-member everything about that year: the practices, the team meals, the coaches and the friendships. We ended up losing in the state semi-finals, but I will for-ever remember that year and that team as one of the most fun experiences I’ve ever had. The state team created a high stan-dard for the next year, and it became

hard to live up to that reputation my ju-nior year. By senior year, CGA soccer had a new coach and many new players; we were a new team…but still stuck in the shadow of the state team. It is hard going from a record of 37-5 throughout my first three years, and ending senior year with a record of 10-9-1. However, the record is not a completely accurate picture of the season. CGA soccer played a number of highly ranked teams including Carmel and Bishop Dwenger. Even during those games there were moments when CGA had the upper hand, but just couldn’t pull off a win. The team began to play together and

the level of play definitely improved as time passed. We won 1-0 against Fort Wayne Canterbury, and beat Plymouth twice, once during the regular season and then again for the sectional championship a score of 3-0 for both games. The team’s goal was to win sectionals, and that goal was accomplished. But even more than that, the CGA soccer team has become a legacy. A legacy of hard work, determina-tion, fun, and, most importantly, relation-ships that will be remembered forever. In the words of Hannah Bouline, “I used to play soccer for the love of the game, but playing for my teammates makes it so much more powerful.”- Deanna Dilts ‘11

Q #1) What are the main events that led up to you working at Cul-ver? A) I was born and raised in Indi-ana. I lived in Indianapolis until our family moved to Greenwood when I was in the 8th grade. I went to Center Grove high school and then attended Wabash Col-lege in the fall of 2006. At Wa-bash I was a math major and car-ried a secondary education area of study. I played basketball at (Continued on next page)

Wabash my freshman and sopho-more year but opted to take on a varsity assistant basketball coach-ing job at Southmont High School my junior and senior year. Along with that, I was fortunate enough to get the opportunity to also be an assistant varsity football coach at Southmont High School during the fall of my senior year.

Q #2) In which department do you

“I used to play soccer for the love of the game,

but playing for my teammates

makes it so much more powerful.”

-Hannah Bouline

Vol. 114 Issue #2 15

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S P O R T SN o v e m b e r 2 0 1 0

Bill Murchie Cont’d

(Continued from previous page)

Why Are Boys Crazy About Intramurals?

You never know where inspiration can come from. Coach Byrne from the Notre Dame Lacrosse Team ( Pierre Byrne’s dad) recently shared with Coach Posner that Notre Dame does an annual Steak and Hamburger tournament, where the winners eat steak and the losers do not. Coach Posner decided that would be a great way to kick off Culver lacrosse fall ball. So on the Sunday of parents weekend, returning seniors Cameron Dabir and Kyle Trolley chose the players for the Maroon team and Josh Berger and Coltan Armitage selected the members of the white team. Cameron Dabir said, “The Frank and Beans game was awesome. It was a great way for our team to finish out the fall portion of lacrosse and for

us to have a great time playing and joking around yet taking the game seriously. Each team also had a very distin-guished guest coach. For the Maroon team, Mr. Bill Kime, former alumni, hydration specialist, known for his no nonsense style ( Momo’s dad) and for the White team Dr. Dabir, intelligent, charming and competitive (Cameron Dabir’s dad). Alex Dodane claims, “The coaching staff was great too, coach Kime and Coach Dabir were both team favorites.”Spectators were treated to friendly competition and some unusual goal celebrations. After each goal the teams got extremely excited. Wheth-er it was the coaches pushing the can of beans across the table or the team running out for a team picture

work and why? I am currently a teacher in the math department and teach Honors Geometry. Honestly, it was a real easy choice for me to decide my major at Wabash. I have always been fascinated by math and found each math class extremely exciting. My friends used to always make fun of me because of how excited and enthusiastic I would get while we were doing our assignments. I looked at math problems as a challenge and wanted to find the easiest way to solve them.

Q #3) What sports do you coach?

A) I currently coach basketball and foot-ball. I played both of these sports in high school and have never really gotten away from them. I love the competitive nature of athletics, especially in these two sports. I enjoy coaching because I like seeing play-ers develop and be successful.

Q #4) How/why/when did you come to Cul-ver?

A) I initially came to Culver in the sum-mer of 1999. I was a young 12 year old that knew nothing about this place or how it was going to affect my life in such a posi-tive way. My grandfather came to Culver in the 1930’s and offered to send me. I was hesitant at first, but decided I would “give it a shot”. As it turns out, I have been at Culver every summer since 1999 as either a camper or counselor. When I was a senior at Wabash and was thinking about places to apply to teach, Culver was my number one choice. Though I never attended the winter school, it was amazing to see how my short summer experiences prepared me more for college than that of any experiences my other classmates had growing up. That be-ing said, I was extremely curious of winter school and am extremely happy and privi-leged to be here.

- David Dilts ‘14

it was all in good fun. Some of the boys brought back their celebrations from years past to take a trip down memory lane. In the end the Maroon team pre-vailed by one goal. Unlike Notre Dame, Culver’s budget didn’t allow for steak and hamburgers. So the winning team was treated to a barbecue of franks and all the fixings, the losing team was given large bowls of baked beans and plastic spoons, to enjoy their fare.

Players, coaches, families and fans had a wonderful time. All agreed this should become an annual tradition. Who knows maybe in 2015 franks and beans can become steak and hamburgers? After having his bowl of beans Josh Berger said, “I thought it went well. Too bad my team lost. I am really excited for the season it’s going to be a lot of fun and we will be really good again.”

- Jordan Berger ’1

16 Vol. 114 Issue #2

Page 17: The Vedette - November 2010
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Halloween is clearly getting to the Battersby family...

Hellboy, Gene Simmons, and a Cowgirl join together to single-

handedly represent all of American pop culture.

Atrium Seniors: progressively stranger as you move from the center out...

Henry Brewer shows off his sweet dance skills as Napolean Dynamite

The #1 Most Unexplainable Photo of the night...

214 Seniors1/4 of the year gone

1 amazing party

Page 19: The Vedette - November 2010

Two Ciel-ites bravely tackle stereo-types they have fallen prey to

AP Euro really takes it out of a person as these

two black-clad seniors demonstrate.

Cannibal Pumpkin gleefully chomps on his fellow pumpkins

Rosie the Riveter, one giant leap forward for women everywhere...and Luke Kucera, doin’ his thangBeason Board girls are just too cute...

2 hours of pure Halloween fun!

Page 20: The Vedette - November 2010

November 2010

THIS MONTH IN QUESTIONS

Disclaimer: This is not a factual or research- based article, and does not in any way reflect the opinions of the Vedette staff.

-Where is Waldo?-What would you do for a Klondike Bar©?-Who is John Galt?-How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?-What’s with Indiana weather?-What is a Hoosier anyway?-Why are Culver students addicted to their computers?-When will I get into college???-Can switching to Geico really save me fifteen percent or more on car insurance?-Why does the internet shut off at 10:30?-What did you wear to Beason Halloween?-Why do we have such large (sometimes vicious) squirrels?-If a tree falls in a forest and no one hears it… does anyone care?-If a turtle lost its shell, would it be naked or homeless?-Is there life on other planets?-Is there life on our planet?-How many roads must a man walk down? -What is the meaning of life? (Hint: the answer to all these questions is, if you haven’t guessed it already, 42).

This issue’s theme being questions, we thought we would mix things up a bit by listing ques-tions instead of numbers. If you have any interesting questions you’d like answered, write

about them! We’d love to hear from you.

-Laura Freymiller ‘11, Tenley Gillet ‘11, Cricket Gullickson ‘11, Allison Rudolph ‘11, Clancy Tripp ‘11, Boosik Choi ‘12, Jake Kang ‘12, Molly Walker ‘12, Anna-Christina Betekthin ‘13

Remember, don’t stop questioning now! We have a whole year ahead of us. What are you curious about? What makes you sing? What makes you foam at the mouth? In general, what makes you

tick? The Vedette is only as good as the people who write for it, and that could be you! (Also, remember we accept poems, short stories,

prose, photographs, cartoons, graphs etc.)