mill stream
DESCRIPTION
Issue 3 of the Mill StreamTRANSCRIPT
mill stream
11.04.2011
www.mill-stream.org
v42.318111 Cumberland Rd. Noblesville IN, 46060
Jenna Larsoneditor-in-chief
Navar Watsonproduction editor
Ainee Jeongdesign editor
Sidney Huberbusiness manager
Jace Hodsonfeatures editor
Madi McNewopinions editor
Kendra Foleysports editor
Abraham Echarryphotography editor
Drew Musselmancirculation manager
Anna Kreutzweb master
Alejandra Coarweb editor
Brooke DennyShaun McNallyphotographers
Adam Reedartist/cartoonist
Sophia BorzabadiAnthony BurkhalterKennethia ChappleMacy CobbKeegan FischerStephen FreemanCarlie JordanSkye ParksKelsey PenceAlex Shelleywriters
Krista Shieldsadviser
2011-2012Mill Stream Staff
Photo by B. Denny
There’s no substitution for hard workSophomore Anna Conger, junior Mikhail Marcuson, and seniors Connor Karns, Garrett Welch, Dylan Rupchock and Patrick Goggin work out in the hallway outside the weight room. They are in Coach Clarke’s fourth block Athletic Weights class.
Brooke [email protected]
Want to get back in shape or lose that stubborn belly fat? These are some of the slogans used by manufacturers to lure students into pursu-ing weight loss, getting bigger muscles, or even staying up all night. The things that are being put into their bodies are considered performance enhancers. Diet pills, fat burners, caffeine, and supplemental vitamins are some of these.
Story continued on page 5
A month with-out shaving
Page 2
Meme Sharp dives onPage 4
Teen leaders in actionPage 6
Students conquer cancerPage 7
QR code provided by kaywa.com
Mill Stream is published by Block 7 journalism students and distributed free of charge. The staff will publish 12 issues during the 2011-2012 school year.
Mill Stream is a student newspaper, run for students, by students. We provide a public forum to serve as an outlet for student ideas and opinions; we work as an agent for change and provide credible, objective reporting to inform, entertain, educate the reader and better serve the reader.
We welcome both signed letters to the editor and guest columns, which cannot exceed 350 words in length.
Mill Stream reserves the right to correct grammatical errors and ask for the au-thor’s assistance in editing. Mill Stream will not print letters that attack individuals or that contain obscene language. Letters may be submitted to room 505, the Mill Stream mailbox located in the commons or via www.mill-stream.org.
The staff reserves the right to reject advertisements that are political in nature, false, promote illegal substances to minors, misleading, harmful, or not in the best interest of its readers.
Mill Stream is a member of the Indiana High School Press Association.
Mill
Str
eam
Pol
icy
18111 Cumberland Rd. Noblesville IN, 46060
2 opinion Mill Stream11.04.2011
[the way we see it] Mill Stream staff editorial
As fall ends and winter quickly approaches, time is moving fast, and basketball season is right around the corner. Eager seniors are busy coming up with clever nicknames for their basketball senior jerseys. It’s been a well-liked tradition at Noblesville for years now. With the attention always focused on basketball or football, it’s easy for the remaining teams to feel benched, despite winning seasons.
For example, this past fall season, the girls’ golf team and members of the boys and girls cross country team participated in their state matches and meets. The girls’ golf team placed fourth overall and had one golfer place even higher individually.
In addition, three cross country runners qualified for the state meet, and this past week, they placed within the top 15. These are high titles for Noblesville athletes and deserve some applause.
Despite excellent scores, it’s easy for sports like golf and cross country to receive less notice when ac-companied with a much smaller student section.
However, fans remain dedicated to the football team throughout the season, winning or not and con-tinuously support our players with posters, T-shirts and highly anticipated events like the red-out game.
Now, basketball season is nearly here, and the excitement is, as always, high for the popular winter sport. Also on the roster, the swimming team has begun practices and prepares for another season. For the past several years, many of NHS’s swimmers have qualified for the state meet.
Some may argue that sports like basketball and football deserve the attention because they bring in the most money to the school and athletic department. The gym and stadium are packed with students and parents. Not to mention all the money that comes from the concessions. While this is true, it should not be a base on how money and attentions is divided amongst the sports.
Two years ago, the boys basketball team played in the final regional game at Hinkle Fieldhouse. This single event became a focal point in Noblesville. T-shirts were created and sold at lunch to support the game and most students bought the T-shirts and their ticket to this memorable game.
However, the basketball team was not the only one to make it far in their season. This past fall, the boys soccer team made it to the final game of semi-state. There was no T-shirt design contest or ticket sale to be seen. Each year, Noblesville has talented athletes and teams that excel in the state tournament.
The Mill Stream staff believes that all sports at Noblesville are equal and therefore should be treated with identical respect.
Abe Lincoln, Jesus Christ, Hulk Hogan, Zach Galifiana-kis, and even Mr. Monopoly. What do all these men have in common, one might ask?
Well the answer is amazing facial hair and that time of the year where men (and hopefully not women) can have their own freak facial follicles and show their manly pride.
I’m of course talking about none other than “No Shave November”. “No Shave November” has become tradition here at Noblesville High School as well as in the rest of the nation.
People may think that “No Shave November” is just for growing full, luscious beards, but oftentimes, people forget about focusing on one part of their faces.
Take junior Logan Tardy for example. Tardy has been
rocking a beard for most of this year, but for “No Shave November”, he is thinking about growing some Steven Hyde-esque side burns from “That ‘70s Show”.
Eligible bachelor and cross country star junior James Small, on the other hand, says that he will be growing just a normal beard which he hopes will come in nicely.
One might ask, “Hey Adam, do you plan on attending ‘No Shave November’?” Well lovely readers of our newspaper, I’ll tell you…yes, I am. I’m thinking of more
of a Mr. Monopoly or Walt Disney mustache, but only time will tell. I am still under debate whether or not to shave my newly grown beard and/or
mustache before I meet up with relatives that I haven’t seen in a year for Thanksgiving because adults don’t understand the growing of the beards.
So, my friends, this is the perfect excuse to not shave and let your freaky facial hair fly. So sport that beard, mustache, soul patch, or even shaggy side burns, and as always... stay hairy NHS.
It’s a hairy situation
Mrs. Funion by Navar Watson
Adam [email protected]
“Toddlers and Tiaras” is anything but pretty
3opinionMill Stream11.04.2011
Everyone says that junior year is the hardest, most challenging year for high school students. And so far, I have found this to be true. Junior year has the most riding on it: the pressure to so-lidify one’s GPA, to get all the credits one needs to graduate, and to start looking at colleges.
At first, college visits seemed like just a good excuse to get out of school. However, after actually vis-iting two colleges, they proved to be exactly what I needed.
What everyone should realize is that each college is unique in its own way, just as people are. Therefore, some people may view a certain col-lege differently than another. How-ever, when looking at colleges, there are some specific areas students should pay special attention to.
Academics: Obviously, students and parents don’t fork over thousands of dollars a year just to party. Make sure to choose a college that has a good academic program and plenty of majors to choose from.
Housing: Most schools require freshmen to
live on campus during their first year. Keep in mind that a year with a possible stranger, or even a best friend, can be a long time. At least make sure the dorms aren’t falling apart, too small or
simply unbearable. It’s also good to know what kinds of appliances are allowed and which roommate is respon-sible for supplying the room with what. No one needs two TVs, mini fridges, coffee mak-ers, etc.
Food Plans: Let’s face it, teenagers eat a lot. And college students might eat even more, especially with the stress of advanced classes and final ex-ams. Make sure the college is going to supply quality food at a reasonable rate, or at least see
if there are good restaurants in the surrounding town.
Weekend Fun: It’s important to know what students can do for fun on the weekends, espe-cially if one doesn’t plan on traveling home ev-ery weekend. If the college isn’t in a particularly
exciting town, ask about what kind of activities dorm advisers plan for the weekends. Some col-leges will have karaoke, board games or even outdoor adventures planned.
Population: Noblesville is a pretty big school, but some colleges are even bigger. Keep in mind that lecture classes can fill up fast, with up to 300 students in one. Private schools and other small universities can keep the sizes down to high school level, ensuring one-on-one time with the professor. However, professors at large schools will have office hours, and professors at any school will want students to succeed.
Athletics: Especially to those involved in high school sports, athletics can be the breaking point of a college. Broken down into divisions by school size, sports are a huge part of college life. Whether important because one is being recruit-ed or merely for something to do on the week-end, college sporting events are a great way to meet new people and simply have fun.
Wherever one may visit, know that every col-lege has its pros and cons. However, when one does find the college that is a perfect fit, don’t let anything or anyone stand in the way.
I’ve been a perfectly motivated student my whole life. (Well, okay, so fifth grade was a lazy year, but after that, I swear I got bet-ter.) I’ve never been one to put off an assign-ment or study for less than an hour for a test, even in a math class. In school, I was totally focused, and I started on my homework right when I got off the bus.
Despite the fact that the above de-scription makes me sound nerdy as all get out, I’ll admit it. It’s completely true. School took all my effort and at-tention.
Lately, though, I’ve been slacking. A lot. I know many fellow seniors can relate. It’s something we’ve all heard of—that dreaded “senioritis”. I always just figured it came with the tolling of the first 7:35 bell in August as some sort of subconscious right of passage.
But this is definitely not the case.I felt pretty invincible in the be-
ginning of the school year when I was still as motivated as ever. I just assumed I had beaten the system. Nothing to worry about here.
Then came time to start filling out those painfully detailed college ap-plications. Add that extra stress to the mix along with work, school, extra-curriculars, and at least a little time for some social interaction, and the outcome is one very tense teenager
drowning in a sea of never-ending deadlines.
After the initial shock, though, I got through it like all the other seniors before me, and for a few more weeks, I was still trucking along through my classes like nothing had changed.
My motivation finally took a turn
for the worst, however, when my first acceptance letter decided to show up. That big blue envelope from Hanover College was definitely a welcome sight.
Since that day, I’ve definitely fallen prey to the horrid disease that affects all seniors at one time or another. I must not be immune after all.
Most tests get a half an hour of preparation beforehand, if not less, and my homework assignments get done…just not usually until 11 p.m. the night before they’re due. One part of my brain knows that I’m not really finished yet, and I can’t shirk all my academic duties…but the other part says, “You’re already in. One ‘B’ isn’t going to get you kicked out.”
Awful, isn’t it?I hope that someday, someone will
find a cure for this terrible “seniori-tis” affliction…it just might have to be a junior. They tend to have a heck of a lot more willpower.
Does this college make me look fat?
It all comes down to the acceptance letter
Madi [email protected]
Jenna [email protected]
?saywhat
Eavesdroppingat its funniest
“Toddlers and Tiaras” can be best compared to a bad car crash. It’s really terrible, but you can’t stop watching, no matter how hard you try. After three years of running, the show’s controversy rightfully lives on.
When I first saw the TV show, I had a hard time believing there were actual toddlers present. Most of the girls look about six years old without their makeup and well…other assets. But after they’re ready to be judged, they look considerably older.
Before the girls hit the stage, there are many “necessary” prep-arations. Some of these include body waxing, spray tanning, ap-plying fake teeth (flippers), adding fake eyelashes, applying make-up, hair styling, and putting on the glitzy pageant dresses. While you’d expect to see such things at a beauty pageant, it seems like a crazy idea to apply them to children as young as toddlers.
If these outfits and additions weren’t shocking enough, there’s more. Some of the girls use padding and skimpier costumes to gain more points from the judges. This concept is really gross and sexualizes the girls. It’s not cute or funny; it’s just wrong.
The idea of beauty pageants is nothing new. For years, girls have competed in contests to decide who is the prettiest or best-looking. Such pageants claim that the girls are also judged on personalities and congeniality, but the idea is pretty sketchy when they’re often judged in bikinis. The concept of being judged is taken too far in this reality TV show.
It’s not right to have little girls compete to see who is the pret-tiest. It’s objectifying and hurtful to them. Imagine explaining to your daughter that she didn’t win a crown like the other girls be-cause she wasn’t considered pretty enough. She’ll likely be con-fused when she have to change so many things about herself, just to be judged again. These girls will soon be introduced to a culture associated with judgment, and they definitely don’t need a jump-start.
Overall, I think the show is very selfish of TLC and the girls’ families. The show is very entertaining and shocking, but it needs to be taken off of TV. Running it just supports the pageants. Pag-eant moms make me feel sick to my stomach. Living out your own dreams through a child is wrong and completely irresponsible. When you see “Toddlers and Tiaras” next, choose to turn it off.
Sophia [email protected]
“Just imagine him rollerblading by the light of the moon.”-Spanish III
“I’ve been eating dry mac ‘n cheese for a month now.”-English hall
“It’s really comforting to feel your guinea pig in my hands.”-Chemistry
“That boy looks like a sea turtle off of Find-ing Nemo.”-English
“It’s sad that your phone is smarter than you.”-Government
“Do we have to do that half-step wha wha?”-Orchestra room
“Charon, bite back your spleen!”-AP English
“Can I get a cookie sandwich with mayo?”-Soph. Cafeteria
“‘Lettuce’ get more salad.”-Jr./Sr. Cafeteria
Going to the Olympics is something that nearly every athlete dreams of, no matter how old they are. That dream has a possibility of coming true for sophomore Meme Sharp.
Since sixth grade, Sharp has been diving for NHS. Sharp started out as a swimmer, but when the team needed divers, she decided to try it out since she also had gymnastics training.
“I ended up loving diving and started to make the sport my main focus,” Sharp said.
Mr. Jason Jasper, one of Sharp’s teachers, says that Sharp’s dedica-tion is what will get her far in life, whichever route she chooses.
“Meme’s greatest strength as a competitor is her determination and drive. If she weren’t to make it on to the Olympic team, I imagine that the reason would be that her competition just outscored her, not that they had worked harder than she had,” Jasper said.
Sharp says that her coaches have been the ones that have pushed her and encouraged her to persevere into a possible spot on the Olym-pic team.
“My coaches are mainly the ones that have told me I have a future in the sport and if I work hard, possibly a spot at Olympic trials. My coaches have told me that I have a work ethic of a champion and that my motivation, passion, and drive will help me succeed,” Sharp said.
Mr. Dennis Scheele, one of Sharp’s former teachers, agrees with Jas-per that Sharp’s greatest characteristic is that she is dedicated to the activity at hand.
“My experience with Meme is that she is dedicated to all tasks. She possesses the will to achieve all her goals. Her abilities will allow her to compete at a high level,” Scheele said.
Although many other divers at the Olympic level dedicate their whole lives to diving and Sharp has made diving an activity that she does in addition to school and other extracurricular activities, Sharp hopes for a chance to get to the Olympic trials in the future.
“It’s hard to say if I will qualify for Olympic trials because there are a lot of good divers in the country. I would love to qualify for finals at a senior national level and maybe even qualify for the Olympic trials and I believe I have a chance,” Sharp said.
As we enter the month of November, fall athletics are coming to a close and the winter season is starting up. Ev-ery year, a large portion of the students and staff take part in some sport, be it school or club, but these members of our fine athletic community practice and have activities even after the sound of the final gun.
Just ask football coach Lance Scheib what goes on with the football program.
“We don’t really have an off-season,” Scheib said. “In a 52-week year, the football team is doing something 48 of those weeks.”
The football team just finished its 2011 season with a loss in the first round of sectionals, but it still practices regu-larly.
“We need to evaluate why we were not successful and overcome that,” Scheib said. “And as we prepare for next season, we will be trying to find ways to hide our deficien-cies.”
On the other side of the coin, track and field is about to begin its winter season. Freshman Quentin Woodrum is fo-cusing on getting ready for the regular practices.
“As I prepare, I run my event distance, then even farther to build up my endurance,” Woodrum said. “I just exercise, stay loose, in shape, and try to get [faster].”
There are also sports like softball and baseball that are
the spring sports. Right in the middle of the off-season, these athletes are neither unwinding or in the heat of pre-paring for their next season.
Freshman Charlotte Warner prepares for the 2012 soft-ball season even though it is still a few months away.
“I practice independently two to three times through out the week,” Warner said. “I look at my mistakes, but I mostly just practice hoping to get better.”
Despite what these members of Noblesville’s athletic community do to improve during the offseason, they still find time to unwind.
Scheib tends to be a family man.“If I have any spare time, I will spend a lot of it on the
golf course with one of my sons,” Scheib said.Woodrum tries to leave his schedule open during the
off-season.“I don’t do many clubs or anything, but I do hang out
with friends quite a bit,” Woodrum said.Warner tries to balance her schedule with multiple ac-
tivities.“I usually hang out with friends, but I’m in the Back-
wards Book Club and Gay-Straight Alliance,” Warner said.Whether working on their sport or doing activities unre-
lated to athletics, it would appear that Noblesville’s athletes and coaches are always busy. Even when the season is over, time still has to be left for family, friends and school. These fine members of our community should be recognized for their work both on and off their respective fields.
Keegan [email protected]
4 the focus 11.04.2011
The off-season goes on the record
A day in the life of: Meme Sharp
And the award goes to...Drew [email protected]
Photo by B. Denny
Sophomore Meme Sharp practices her diving on a Tuesday afternoon. Sharp has been div-ing since sixth grade when the swimming team needed some new divers.
Quick start program to healthy living, according to Coach Brian Clarke
The mens cross country team has something to brag about; their coach has been officially recognized as a the best coach of the year. Kent Graham, the cross country coach for NHS, has won the Greyhound Club Cross Country Coach of the Year Award.
Each year, the University of Indianapolis recognizes one alumni to win the award.
“It’s a prestigious honor,” athletic director Micheal Hasch said, “given out by the University of Indianapolis...to teams that have had success in the year prior.”
In the 2010 year, Coach Graham’s cross country team placed second in the state cross country meet. “That was probably a big part of the reason why he was chosen as a recipient,” Hasch said.
The Cross Country Coach of the Year award is not just something that is thrown around willy-nilly.
“The award is based on the team’s performance or individual perfor-mance,” Graham said. “I would say you can’t win if you don’t have a good team or individuals that perform very well.”
It wasn’t just the team’s outstanding performance in the state meet that earned Graham his award. It was a combination of his enthusiasm, dedica-tion, and charisma that qualified him for the title of “Coach of the Year”.
“Coach Graham is one of our hardest-working coaches,” Hasch said.“He’s not in it for the money... he’s in it for the kids. Every day, he’s always
thinking about ‘what can I do to make this better for the kids?’”Perhaps one of the reasons Graham won the award is that he is loved by
his students.“Every time they say something about [Mr. Graham],” Hasch said. “It’s in
a positive manner.”
Alex [email protected]
1. Balanced diet (don’t skip meals)2. Sleep eight hours a night3. Hydration4. Exercise with integrity5. Commitment and dedication
(Continued from cover)“Steroids are performance enhancers that
are illegal, while creatine is another perfor-mance enhancer. It is legal and not thought of as often,” sophomore Mike Neely said.
Performance enhancers are defined as an agent known or thought to improve perfor-mance in a particular activity. Steroids are classified as performance enhancers; how-ever, they are only one type. There is a wide range of definitions of performance enhanc-ers and supplements but within the defini-tion there are lean mass builders, stimulants, painkillers, sedatives, diuretics, masking drugs and vitamin supplements.
“People take supplements or enhancers because they are trying to get to an end re-sult fast,” Coach Brian Clarke said. “Instead of trying to lose 20 pounds the right way, people take fat burners. Instead of trying to gain strength the right way, which is reps, overload principles, and the quality of the workout, people think that by taking a pow-der or a pill it’s going to make them better.”
Getting to the end result quickly is what performance enhancers have been made for. Powders on the market today contain en-hancers such as creatine that have not been out long enough to show long term adverse affects from extended periods of use.
“In high school competition, they are un-fair because it is cheating the other people who actually worked hard to get where they
are,” junior Meghan Flynn said.Another athlete, varsity volleyball play-
er senior Sarah Pruden, shares Flynn’s per-spective on performance enhancers.
“People shouldn’t take diet pills, they just need to work out,” senior Sarah Pruden said. “In the off season from volleyball, I do drink caffeine but it is not to make myself better than someone else.”
Though caffeine and other performance enhancers are looked down upon, students are encouraged to replace what they have lost in their bodies; for example, after work-ing out athletes are encouraged to drink chocolate milk, water or Gatorade.
“Why do we put the chocolate milk ma-chines outside of the weight rooms? Because it is recommended to drink milk after work-ing out for the protein in it people often times don’t eat well enough in their daily diet to work out and not replace nutrients lost with something like a bottle of milk. Before start-ing any kind of workout regimen or nutri-tion plan people need to meet with their physicians’ and be educated,” Clarke said. “People need to be aware that many state-ments written on bottles of supplements and performance enhancers are not approved by the FDA, and that just because it is on the market doesn’t mean it is good for you.”
Performance enhancers and supplements surround students in their everyday life, from the Pepsi sitting on the table at lunch to the GNC down the street. Coach Clarke rec-ommends this challenge, and not as a “new year’s resolution” but for real for one month try to follow his quick start plan.
the focus 511.04.2011
Brooke [email protected]
There’s no substitute for hard work
And the award goes to...
Photos by B. Denny
(Bottom right) While in fourth block athletic weights class, juniors Alexis Lunte and Jordan Thurman do box steps with a bar on their back. Students took the athletic weights class to keep their muscle mass during and out of season for sports.
(Above left) With two minutes and twenty-one seconds to go in his station, senior Evan Ball drops into a sideways land miner. The goal of every student through-out the year is to improve themselves through weight loss and muscle mass gain.
(Above right) Seniors Josh Turnock, junior David George, seniors Ha-ley Haffner, Macy Kootz, and junior Cory Sloss do planks in their athletic weights class. During their weights class, student rotated stations as part of their strenght training. Kootz and Haffner were both starting var-sity soccer players.
Graphic by A. Reed and K. Foley
The mens cross country team has something to brag about; their coach has been officially recognized as a the best coach of the year. Kent Graham, the cross country coach for NHS, has won the Greyhound Club Cross Country Coach of the Year Award.
Each year, the University of Indianapolis recognizes one alumni to win the award.
“It’s a prestigious honor,” athletic director Micheal Hasch said, “given out by the University of Indianapolis...to teams that have had success in the year prior.”
In the 2010 year, Coach Graham’s cross country team placed second in the state cross country meet. “That was probably a big part of the reason why he was chosen as a recipient,” Hasch said.
The Cross Country Coach of the Year award is not just something that is thrown around willy-nilly.
“The award is based on the team’s performance or individual perfor-mance,” Graham said. “I would say you can’t win if you don’t have a good team or individuals that perform very well.”
It wasn’t just the team’s outstanding performance in the state meet that earned Graham his award. It was a combination of his enthusiasm, dedica-tion, and charisma that qualified him for the title of “Coach of the Year”.
“Coach Graham is one of our hardest-working coaches,” Hasch said.“He’s not in it for the money... he’s in it for the kids. Every day, he’s always
thinking about ‘what can I do to make this better for the kids?’”Perhaps one of the reasons Graham won the award is that he is loved by
his students.“Every time they say something about [Mr. Graham],” Hasch said. “It’s in
a positive manner.”
His dedication is made obvious not only to his fellow instructors, but to his students as well.
“He is a great man,” senior Sam Roudebush said. “He tries his best every day, he shows up every day, he’s hardly ever sick, and he’s the man!”
Coach Graham started out by simply getting a teaching job, but when the school found out that he was a cross country runner in college, they put him at the middle school track as an assistant coach.
“I got into teaching with the idea that I wanted to be a coach,” Graham said. “So I hoped that I would have gotten into track and cross country at one point.”
Today, Graham coaches because it is different from simply teaching in the classroom.
“I enjoy the challenge of working with kids in a different environment,” Graham said, “I think we do a lot more teaching about life in general and com-mitment than you can in a classroom.”
Graham has been working as a coach for 35 years and has spent 26 of those years working at NHS.
Alex [email protected]
6 features Mill Stream11.04.2011
Ghandi once said, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” In Ghandi’s quote he was trying to permeate into many of people’s minds, bodies, and souls that personal change is not to be fallen into some one else’s hands, but into one’s own.
Every first Thursday of each month, at 7:00 p.m., a hodgepodge of teens unites at the Hamilton Centers building downtown at 294 South 9th street of Noblesville, IN. They show up to actively change and better the community with a program called “Teen Leaders in Action.”
“It’s a group of community aware teens that take part in various ac-tivities to better the community,” sophomore Joe Reilly said. Reilly is a devoted teen leader who loves to participate in community projects.
Coordinator of Safe Place and Host Homes and Promising Fu-tures, Justin Wesley, notes that one of the service projects that is pos-sibly coming up is an opportunity to plant and construct a garden. Since the teen leaders organization is non-profit, it’s up to the teens to design ways to get money.
“We applied for a grant that was $580, and with that money we did a project called ‘Harvesting Hope,’” sophomore Drew Johnson said. “We presented the grant so we were able to decorate pots with vegetables within them.”
The teens who decorated the flower pots directly designed it for a service called “Pregnant and Par-enting Teens” which offers com-prehensive advice for pregnant or parenting teenagers. Other services include: Safe Place, anger manage-ment, supervised visitations and exchanges, counseling services, Host Homes, parenting classes, and a new service called SNAP and Buckle Down.
TLIA is a part of Promising Fu-tures, along with the other services, which is a non-profit organization providing resources to develop healthy relationships and create positive changes for youth and families. Some of those changes are made by the teens through commu-nity projects.
According to Reilly and Johnson, TLIA is beneficial academically, so-cially and personally.
“You get to help out people that are less fortunate than yourself,” Reilly said. “And you learn how to speak to adults in more of a profes-
sional manner.”Although the teens don’t work
directly with the families, they do play a part with Promising Futures. Some other activities they do is perform presentations, brainstorm community projects, and recruit for teen leaders.
“I always tell teens that if they want to get involved to come to the first meeting,” Wesley said. “We ask for a year commitment. And that you attend as many meetings as possible.”
November, also known as Run-away Prevention Month, is the time of the year where Safe Place distrib-utes green neon, knee-high socks, a green light bulb pin, and actual green light bulbs for the front porch of many citizens.
“People really get excited about the socks,” Wesley said “So every time you see green in November, it’s for Runaway Prevention Month.”
It’s not just November that they get to experience something trans-piring; it’s every time they meet to better the community. TLIA has a goal to reach teens on a more per-sonal level.
“Overall, it makes me feel like a better person. I get to make a change in the community,” Johnson said.
Teen leaders are in actionKelsey [email protected] Not only is the election for the
governor of Indiana going on, but there’s an election going on right here at NHS. For the first time Mr. Bric Gundersen has split up his AP Government class into two parties and is running a realistic campaign. Here’s a look at the canidates of the two par-ties- seniors Max Rafert (right) and Caleb Schafer.
Sidney [email protected]
Photo by B. Denny
Max Rafert Caleb Schafer
What party are you representing?
The People’s Party The Freedom Party
Do you think you’re going to win?
“Oh yeah. I’m totally going to win.”
“Uh yeah, we’re going to win.”
What do you think of your opponent?
“Uh, I think he’s going to lose... I mean yeah, he’s cool,
but he’s going to lose.”
“He’s a good guy... I like him... but I’m going to beat him.”
What makes you the best canidate?
“I’m just awesome com-pared to him. I’m a lot better. I mean, that’s it, I’m just awe-
some. That’s enough said right there.”
“I’m hardworking, I’m determined, I know the most
about politics and govern-ment, and I’m determined to change the political system
as it is today.”
What are you promising the
people?
“Everything they want.” “I don’t want to raise taxes... I’d like to lower taxes on business to create more jobs in America... it has to be real, like it has to be the
real deal.”
Classmates become rivals
Approximately seven and a half million people are killed by cancer annually world-wide; eighty percent of those deaths are due to the environment they’re afflicted with, which means in many cases cancer could be treated and cured, according to research done by the American Cancer Society.
At NHS, it seems that students are un-aware of statistics like these while worry-ing about the next calculus assignment or the upcoming basketball season. However, a new club has emerged in the midst of the halls that prove otherwise: Students Against Cancer.
The club strongly advocates cancer edu-cation, and knowledge is always power.
“We take a ‘pay it forward’ approach. Everyone picks up some information, edu-cates themselves, and passes it on. The idea is that if 100 people learn something they never knew and share that information, the spread of cancer awareness becomes expo-nential,” English teacher Danielle Valenilla said.
The club is growing, and more than 100 students have attended at least one of the meetings and spread cancer preven-tion methods. Many recently sported pink gloves and participated in Zumba for a Cure, which was sponsored by Students Against Cancer.
“I’m proud of what we were able to ac-complish in October for breast cancer aware-ness, and I’m excited for everything we’re
capable of doing,” junior and club president Tyler Brake said.
“Our main goal is to have more birthdays out there,” junior and committee member Hannah DeSalvo said. “When someone has cancer, having a birthday is a huge stepping stone. It’s a sign that they made it through.”
Beginning second semester, DeSalvo and the rest of the birthday committee hope to
send birthday cards to honor faculty and students struggling with cancer.
“I feel like a birthday card could make someone’s day, and you never know what kind of things people are dealing with,” De-Salvo said.
While doctors may be unable to pinpoint the cure, students and teachers are doing everything possible to provide insight and hope.
“Prevention starts at an early age and as a teacher, I feel its part of my job to share any education I can with students. I also like to try to be a resource for anyone who needs help coping with the effects of a can-cer diagnosis,” Valenilla said. “Everyone has a cancer story.”
7featuresMill Stream11.04.2011
Nyeayea finds a win in a loss
Students spread the word and conquer cancer
For every person, there are tragedies in life that seem to make his heart stop. Afterwards, those around them try their hardest to help them back on their feet and move on in their life. However, some of the best moments that stand out after a tragedy come by surprise, as was the case with se-nior KehKeh Nyeayea when he was awarded with the Michael Treinen Foundation Scholarship during the senior night football game on Oct. 14.
According to the Mi-chael Treinen Foundation website, the scholarship is for high school athletes in football, lacrosse, and hockey who plan on go-ing to college. These students are chosen by nomi-nation, and before that night on the 14, Nyeayea was completely unaware of the scholarship.
“Senior night itself was really emotional. As I was walking with the football team, all of the memories of the team and all of the hard work from the past four years came flooding back. When they announced that I had won the scholar-ship, it was very overwhelming,” Nyeayea said.
However, after the recent death of Nyeayea’s brother, the award was bittersweet.
“[Getting the scholarship] took my mind off of
his death for a while, but it didn’t change the fact that it’s still a huge loss…$1,000 can’t bring my brother back,” Nyeayea said.
Nyeayea’s friends and teammates believe that this award was not only well-timed but very well deserved.
“[Nyeayea] has been through a lot. Not just the death of his brother, but things like diversity and
injury throughout high school,” junior Erik Baney said. “Even though I have only known him for a year, I can tell that he is a genuinely good person who has a love for the game.”
Fellow senior football player Kyle Perkins believes that this scholarship came at the best pos-sible time for Nyeayea.
“We are all very proud of him,” Perkins said. “Nyeayea really knows how to turn a negative into a positive. After everything that has hap-pened, he could have gotten very depressed. In-stead, he kept a smile on his face. I think him win-ning the scholarship helped him gain even more confidence in himself and his situation.”
While winning the scholarship provided a dis-traction from the absence of his brother, Nyeayea is determined to keep his memory alive.
“It was awesome getting the scholarship,” Nyeayea said. “It made me appreciate things that much more. But at the end of the day…I did it for my brother.”
Alejandra [email protected]
Photo provided by KehKeh Nyeayea
During the senior night football game, senior KehKeh Nyeayea poses for a quick picture with his parents. With the recent tragedy that came with the death of his brother, many thought Nyeayea’s award of the Michael Treinen Scholarship was fortuitous.
Anna [email protected]
Photo by K. Foley
Before fall break, the gym was full of Zumba participants led by Mary Evans. “I teach a class close by but coming here and getting involved with students is pretty awesome,” Evans said.
”“Nyeayea really knows how to turn a negative into a positive,
-SENIOR KYLE PERKINS
8 advertisements Mill Stream11.04.2011
12 caboose Mill Stream09.03.2007
12 caboose Mill Stream09.03.2007
12 caboose Mill Stream09.03.2007
12 caboose Mill Stream09.03.2007
317-770-3355