Bringing You the Ursuline Academy News Now

Volume 6 Issue 3

IN THIS ISSUE

MS COCHRAN IN SAN DIEGO CHEERLEADING STATE STEEL MAGNOLIAS THANKSGIVING TRADITIONS

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TABLE OF CONTENTS NEWS 2010 Elections: The Democratic and Republican Overview PG. 3 The Tea Party PG. 4 Inflation Nation: Putting the Dent in Your Dollar PG. 4 Ms. Cochran Goes to San Diego PG. 5

STUDENT LIFE Supporting Theatrical Pursuits PG. 6 Ursuline Arts: The Inside Scoop PG. 7 Students Voice Their Opinion: Principal Responds PG. 7 Faces: Thanksgiving Edition PG. 8 Claire Was There; Where Were You? PG. 9

FEATURES Pure Fashion for Thought PG. 10 Are You Ready for Black Friday? PG. 11 How Do You Connect? PG. 11 Ursuline Dream Jobs PG. 12 Messmer’s Perspective On the Recent Elections PG. 13

SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT Females Take the Field PG. 14 Winter Season Starts PG. 14 Taylor Swift Speaks Now About Celebrity Relationships PG. 15 Teen Pregnanacy Shows Exposed PG. 15 BME PG. 16

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NOVEMBER

2010 Elections: The Democrat and Republican Overview

Senate Race Results

House of Representatives Results

Gubernatorial Results

The outstanding wins for the Republican party were not a shock to many Americans. According to NY Daily News and Fox News, President Obama’s ap-proval rating is as low as 47%. Even Congress’ rat-ings have dropped to a depressing 21%. These low approval ratings were projected as a result of the Health Care Bill and high unemployment rates. Mr. Master, head of Ursuline Academy’s English depart-ment and political activist, explained his disappoint-ment with the midterm elections. “I recognize that people are unhappy with our economy, but our es-teemed President indicated in his inaugural address that it would take a long time to make things better. It’s just that some people cannot [financially] wait.” Mrs. Bagley, a history teacher and a politi-

www.wikespaces.com

cally savvy woman, agreed. “The elections were in-teresting and not surprising that the Republicans had a huge turnout. Many people were disappointed with our representatives and wanted a change.” In regards to the Missouri elections she said, “We’ve had one Republican and one Democratic senator for a long time so I’m sure that will not be a big change. I’m not surprised Robin Carnahan lost. She ran a bad campaign. She didn't really tell voters who she was, just tried to bring the other candidate down.”

Claire Fadel Bear Facts Editor

www.wikespaces.com

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In mid December 1773, Samuel Adams and Paul Re-vere dressed like Native Americans and secretly dumped im-ported tea off English ships and into the the Boston Harbor. They did this to protest the basic claim of “No Taxation Without Representation.” This event in history has been echoed by a political movement, going by the name “The American Tea Party.” The Tea Party is mostly made up of Republicans and Independents who are deter-mined to preserve the American Constitution. This Tea Party was fueled because of Wall Street bailouts. These self-proclaim patriots began pro-testing many of President Obama’s proposals. The Tea Party ‘go-ers’ believe in a decrease of government influ-ence in American society and despise the Health Care Bill because it is too invasive. They feel strongly about decreasing taxes, lowering the national budget, and, most importantly, a

revival of the Constitution as Samuel Adams and Paul Revere would have wanted it. The Tea Party mirrors the Boston Tea P a r t y because they both share the same basic con-

cern: “No Taxation Without Representation.” Unhappy with the high unemploy-ment rates and high national debt, the Tea Parties revolt by protesting, not dumping tea into the Boston Harbor. They believe their pro-tests will the country go into the direction of less government. The Congressional candidates in the Tea Party hope to boost the U.S. out of the economic crisis. The Tea Party ran for many positions in the recent midterm election. Multiple Tea Party representatives were elected into the House of Representatives which should make for an interesting next two years as far as how and in what direction issues such as the health care plan progress.

Emily Badock Bear Facts Writer

Inflation: a word having everything to do with money. This word has af-fected and will affect every single person in the United States of Amer-ica. Inflation is what hap-pens to money when gov-ernments make more of jt by just copying or printing it, not actually having any-thing to back it up. It de-creases the value of every-thing we Americans buy. This is the reason prices of gas, groceries, clothes and much more have increased since a decade ago. When the Federal Reserve Bank in-flates our money, they are usually doing it by increasing inter-est rates. According to investerwords.com, an interest rate is a rate changed or paid for, for the use of money. When these are increased, the amount of our bills decreases. The prices of the many things on which we spend money do not go up sud-

denly, but more and more with time, the more the Federal Re-serve does this. The most important asset in our country is gold. Ten years ago consumer inflation was higher in 2004. It was one of America’s worst years. Oil prices went skyrocketing as well as those for food, shelter and energy. There have been worse times

in America such as the Great Depression, which was probably the worst for infla-tion. Nobody really had money, food or

shelter at that time. We need to increase the value of a dol-lar, or our world will become that bad again, or maybe worse next time.

Emily Price Bear Facts Writer

Table of Inflation in the United States. All statistics come from walletpop.com.

INFLATION NATION: PUTTING THE DENT IN YOUR DOLLAR

Art by Kelly Overy

5 Facts

NOVEMBER

Ms. Cochran Goes to San Diego!

T he Ursuline community knows and loves Ms.

Debbie Cochran. She is an excel-lent teacher, and as some of her stu-dents know, she has been taking some classes on Mark Twain at Saint Louis University in order to earn her Ph.D.

Ms. Cochran has been chosen to read and present a paper she has writ-ten on Twain at the American Humor Studies Association/Mark Twain Circle conference from December 9 to the 12 in San Diego, California. As Dr. Mark Gilligan, Dean of Curriculum, pointed out, “It is a great honor to be able to present an academic paper at a profes-sional conference. We are proud of Ms. Cochran’s accomplishment and feel that Ursuline Academy is blessed to have her on our faculty.” Bear Facts had the op-portunity to sit down with our local ce-lebrity. BF: What exactly is this convention, and who attends? Cochran: Different professors and schol-ars present on Mark Twain’s life and work. People from all over the country and all over the world come to it. In fact, I am presenting my paper in the same group as two women from Taiwan. There are a lot of people from the East Coast because Mark Twain owned a house there for a while. There’s really just a huge mix of people.” BF: What are you presenting, and how did you qualify? Cochran: “I’m focusing on Twain’s travel writing. I had to send in a sample piece

low English teacher, Mr. Joe Master, said, “Her essay will certainly be first-rate, well researched and insightful. I look forward to hearing how it goes upon her return.” Bear Facts loves you, Ms. Coch-ran, and we wish you the best of luck at the convention!

Amy Coyle, Bear Facts Staff Writer

Cochran: “I’m f o c u s i n g o n Twain’s travel writing. I had to send in a sample piece of work, like a mini paper, and it gets reviewed by a panel of judges. Then they dec ide wha t panel or category I would be in to present. There are usually be-tween three and four people on one panel.” BF: How are you preparing for the convention? Cochran: (laughs) “I was afraid you were going to ask me that. I am revising a paper I already wrote, and I’m trying to whittle it down from twenty-four pages to about fifteen. I would never want to just read a paper to an audience, but to make it a pa-per over twenty pages would make it even worse. I think fifteen is much more manageable.” BF: What are you most excited about in going to the convention? Cochran: “I think I’m most excited to meet and see all the different people from around the world. I’m excited to hear people express their ideas, espe-cially outside the conference at social functions because I think that’s when the best ideas come out. It’s intimidating, though, too, you know? There is going to be a large number of scholars there whose works I have read and sometimes even cited in my papers. That’s going to be a little intimidating but very exciting.” Ursuline is certainly proud of Ms. Cochran’s accomplishments. Her fel-

Ms. Cochran teaches her junior American literature class. Right now, the class is studying the work of famous American authors, such as Edgar Allen Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne. This class will eventually be reading Mark Twain’s The Adven-tures of Huckleberry Finn. (Photo taken by Meghan Schmitt)

“I would never want to just read a paper to an audience, but to make it a paper over twenty pages would make it even worse.”

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It’s no secret that Ursuline girls love being in center stage. Maybe that’s why so many are in-volved in plays, both at Ursuline and across St. Louis. Many girls--like seniors Leah Renaud, Co l leen M c C o r -mack, Margaret O’Brien and Molly Eggleston; juniors Grace Gufler, Made-line Tippie, Michelle Sherrer, Emily Pawlak, Abby Pawlak; and sophomore Eleanor Clark--are involved in Ursuline’s production of Steel Magno-lias. However, several girls are also involved in other plays at local b o y s ’ h i g h schools. Junior Anna Hebrank is involved in the CBC productions,

including the most re-cent, You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, and juniors Alicen Mo se r , S hanno n Strawhun, and Maria Caputa and senior Hanna Elster are all in the Vianney produc-tion of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. It’s apparent that these girls are passionate about these produc-tions to which they dedicate so much of t h e i r l i v e s . All of the Ursuline girls had good things to say abou t Ur su l i ne ’ s play. Mrs. Shea, the director, had nothing but praise for her girls. “The staff is doing an exceptional job this year. While there is only a small cast of only six girls,

there have been so many opportunities for girls to get involved in business management, set design, crew and publicity. They have the chance to shine, more so than in past productions. This is a culmination of talents behind the scenes and featured girls.” She went on to speak fa-vorably of the cast members of Steel Magnolias, saying, “Cast members must develop characters, which is very demand-ing because they por-tray women from Lou-isiana, so they must develop and maintain a Southern accent, all while making their characters believ-able.” So far, the girls have been doing well with this. Senior

Leah Renaud had this to say: “I’m very ex-cited. This play is different because of the small cast. We’ve definitely grown to-gether, and that’s evi-dent both on and off stage. We’re a close-knit cast in a close-knit play.” Many will be looking forward to seeing what crew member junior Cassy Herrin calls “a fun-loving tragedy.” While their Southern accents may have faded from time to time, all in all it was a fun night. A lot of the play’s humor went over the younger au-dience members ’ heads, but the girls did a fabulous job of bringing humor to a play full of hardship and sorrow.

Supporting Theatrical Pursuits The girls in the Vianney play also had good things to say about their time at Vianney. Junior Maria Caputa said that Vi-anney had a great environment, and fel-low classmate Shannon Strawhun claimed, “It's going very well. The guys are very wel-coming.” Many time the cast members were difficult to hear onstage, because they lacked individual handsets. Shannon Strawhun must be ap-plauded for staying in character when her earring fell out, and Alicen Moser played her part of Hermia, a very confused girl-friend very well. The girl from Cor Jesu who played opposite her, while equally emo-tional, raced through her lines, making her numerous speeches difficult to decipher. The boy who played Puck and Nick Bottom were very humorous in their roles, even though they both got off to a rocky start by forgetting their lines. In the end, though, the humor of the final scene, wherein Nick Bottom acts out a death, made the en-tire play worth it. These girls have worked tor weeks to entertain their friends, and that hard work shone through in the end.

Ann Slesinski Bear Facts Staff Writer Senior Colleen McCormack and juniors Madeline Tippie and Grace Gufler perfect the opening scene of Steel

Magnolias. Their character’s southern roots stood out with their accents and actions. Photo courtesy of Ann Slesinski.

7 Facts

NOVEMBER

S ince the first day of school many students have been working hard to per-fect these dances. To junior Carly Wat-kins, the dance recital is "always fun; I love the costumes and being able to perform in front of hundreds of people." From freshmen to seniors, the whole school is putting their talents on display December 3-6. Ms. Albus, director of the recital, along with help from crew, have prepared to put on a great show. Gabby Stones, a freshman, loves going to dance class because "It's fun being with all my friends, and I never thought of myself as a dancer. The class is relax-ing and helps relieve stress." From ath-letes to performers, come see the dance recital in action December 3-6.

Ursuline Performing Arts: The Inside Scoop U nder the direction of Mr. Fred, the advanced chorus, beginning chorus and the madrigal singers have been hard at work throughout the semester, preparing for their Christmas recital. Throughout the semester, they work together to pro-duce quality choral music. Kate Sonder-mann loves the class because “Chorus is interesting and breaks up my day. It’s a stress reliever. Mr. Fred is brilliant. There’s never a dull moment.” The chorus holds two recitals every year, one winter and one spring. Their Christmas recitals will be held on December 7 and 12, 2010, at 7:30 p.m. in the chapel. Admission is free, so come hear the beautiful voices of the advance cho-rus, beginning chorus and madrigal Sing-ers at their concert.

Students Voice Their Opinion: Principal Responds Here at Ursuline we are taught

to take initiative, and that is just what some of the students here at Ursuline did. After realizing that the day after Halloween we would have school, Caroline Brockhaus, a junior at Ursuline, de-cided to take action. “I heard how many peo-ple wanted off school,” said Brockhaus, junior, when asked why she decided to make a petition. Over 300 signatures were gath-ered in just one day. Caroline was disap-pointed that despite her efforts school that day was not canceled. “I thought they would respect the fact that we were trying to change something.” Although school was not canceled, something was gained from Caroline’s efforts. When asked what his reaction to the petition,

Mr. Michalski said he was happy that Students are working together and reaching out to communicate.

Some may be wondering just how Mr. Michalski plans to let us, the students, get involved. When asked, he had this to say. “We are starting the process of next year’s calendar, co-workers and committees are putting on the bulk of the dates. Once put to-gether, it will go to the academic committee, and STUCO.” He said that he would like to have the

calendar available to stu-dents and co-workers to so that they may give input and come up with conflicts that may have been missed. He would also like STUCO to take a look as represen-tatives for the classes. “In my book calen-daring is a, and should be a community process,” said Mr. Michalski. His goal is

to make sure the schedule has a good balance that will make Ursuline’s aca-demic more manageable and less stress-ful, and to include different behind the scenes that keep UA running. Thanks to the determination of the students, the 2011-2012 School schedule will be available for students to look at prior to being finalized. This gives all of us the chance to give ideas, and help make the school year less stressful.

Josie Ruggeri Bear Facts Writer

Above: Ursuline’s 2009 Fall recital was a hit; Ms. Albus and students in her dance class hope to have the same success.

Maggie Eggleston Bear Facts Writer

Junior Ellen Zufall supports Caroline Brockhaus’s petition by signing it. Photo by Josie Ruggeri

Caroline Brockhaus, Junior

Above: Ursuline Academy chorus 2009 Performance at Kirkwood United Meth-odist Church.

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Something Good to Eat and Easy to Make Pumpkin pie is usually a Thanksgiving favorite, but why not add a little twist to this traditional dessert? Pumpkin Cheese Cake is a quick and easy substitute for pumpkin pie. According to ehow.com, you will need: •1 Box Jell-O No Bake Cheesecake

•1 Can of Libby’s Pure Pumpkin

•1-1/2 Cup cold milk

•1/2 Tsp pumpkin pie spice

•1 Tub Cool Whip

•1 graham cracker crust To make this delicious treat, first you need to beat the cheesecake filling mix and milk in a medium-sized bowl on low speed. Add the can of pumpkin to the mixture, and continue to beat on low speed until the mixture is smooth. Add the pumpkin pie spice, and stir in the entire tub of Cool Whip, and continue blending until the mixture is smooth. Pour the mixture into the graham cracker crust, and then place the cheese cake in the refrigerator to set for at least an hour. Finally, remove the cheese cake from the fridge, and enjoy!`

Mary Elizabeth Herries Bear Facts Staff Writer

WHAT WEIRD TRADITIONS DOES YOUR FAMILY HAVE FOR

THANKSGIVING?

Faces: Thanksgiving Edition

“We go to my grandpa’s farm and play this game with all my cousins where my grandpa hides quarters in haystacks and we all try to find them.” Molly Rathert, Junior

“We exchange gifts, and we call it secret turkey.” -Jackie Stachiw, Sophomore

“We have Lugania, which is sausage and onion, and we have home-made ravioli.” -Ellen Carroll, Freshman

This tasty treat was simple to make and delicious to eat.

“That night we turn our Christ-mas lights on and watch the Grinch.” -Mrs. Stinehart

9 Facts

NOVEMBER

The Inside on the Mother-Daughter Brunch With Claire Fadel I made the executive decision freshman year not to attend Mother/Daughter Brunch. I explained to my mother that we could do our own thing and on our own agenda. So, for the past three years, we’ve completely skipped the weekend. It never crossed my mind that we were actually missing anything. I mean, if she wanted brunch after Church, Daddy would drive us to Flem-mings. Why experience this with my entire class? Yet, when I found roses were distributed to the senior mothers in apprec ia t ion , I couldn’t help but not want my own mother to experience the same thing.

I invited Liz Fadel to brunch, and she was ecstatic. I never knew she actu-ally missed doing these corny things with me. Mama even bought a new suit for the occasion. She bought a simple grey skirt suit and wore red underneath it. She looked so pretty, and I looked so much like her. When the day came f o r M o t h e r /Daughter, I was ten minutes late and running around like a chicken with its head cut off, try-ing to get ready. Usually, my mother would be upset and irritated that I was not on time, but she simply ignored it, and we eventually got on the road. We traveled to St. Mark’s Church, and I let her pick out a pew. It was strange that everyone was saving seats for friends. Who cared where you were sitting--it was just Church with our mothers? The priest was half an hour late, and we were dying for the service to be-

gin. It was insufferable to just sit there and have to wait to worship God. By the time the roses came around, I was excited to see my mother’s reaction. That is until I realized I wrote a really unheartfelt letter. Although I thought my words corny and sappy, mama cried tears of joy over them. I felt so happy that I could do something so little for her and she’d have this beautiful reaction. I couldn’t help but cry, too, with thoughts of my actually having to leave

my best friend next year. Yet, we both composed ourselves and were ready for the brunch. Brunch was filled with flashing cameras and a grumble in my tummy. I felt this way for an entire hour until we were allowed to get food. Directly after-wards, my cold seemed to have caught up with me, and I just wanted to go home. Mama felt the same way, and we bid our friends goodbye. On the way out she said something like, “I know we don’t like to do this kind of stuff, but I’m glad we came. Seriously, I had a lot of fun. Thanks for taking me, Claire Bear.” Honestly, I ask you, whose heart wouldn’t

melt at those words? I felt super bad for not asking her to come the other years. Our mothers, or at least mine, are the support systems in our lives. They are constantly encouraging us in these difficult four years, and I know I could not have gotten through it without her. My mother deserves a day with me in which we are both there to be with one another: a day where she can feel appreciated and loved.

Claire Fadel Bear Facts Editor

Claire Was There; Where Were You?

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Pure Fashion for Thought Pure Fashion is a program that helps teens sport clothing that is fashionable and modest, while keeping God in their lives.

What types of clothes do you buy? How do you wear those clothes? Do they follow your moral val-ues? There are ways to prevent the sea of inde-cency from washing over teenagers. Having good morals puts a stop to bad influences, but those morals are not always the easiest to follow. There is, however, a program just for young women to help express those morals in their everyday lives through fashion. “Pure Fashion” is a model train-ing program that incorporates faith into everyday fashions of teenagers in the United States. Pure Fashion believes in getting a full-body makeover to fill your heart and soul with love for God and others. According to purefashion.com, “Pure Fash-ion is a faith-based program that encourages teen girls to live, act, and dress in accordance with their dignity as children of God.” From participating in Pure Fashion, I learned that Pure Fashion got its start in 1999 in Chicago, Seattle and Atlanta when mothers and daughters were fed up about the provocative clothing being displayed. They put together mod-est but fashionable shows in the basements of their churches. One of these little girls named Ella Gun-derson went into a Nordstrom and notified the department store that they did not have any jeans that would fit her properly. Thanks to her, Nord-strom has now added a Modern and Modest page to their juniors’ Web site. It’s amazing that a little girl could make such an impact, considering her age and her reason was for morality. There-fore, once the mothers heard about this incident, they decided to make Pure Fashion a professional program available to teenagers across most of the United States. Young ladies ranging from 13 to 18 can participate in the program. Pure Fashion lasts all school-year long, ending with a fashion show in April. About once a month, the girls meet to dis-cuss hair, makeup, clothes, but most importantly, God. Even though it may seem tough, finding modest clothing can be accomplished with the help of the Pure Fashion Guidelines. A core part of the program is based on the idea that God makes women and men in his image, which makes each and everyone a mystery. Pure Fashion helps teens discover that their bodies are sacred and should

Pure Fashion Guidelines

● Necklines should not come down too low.

● There should be no sheer materials should be used for shirts and dresses.

● There should be no backless garments.

● Straps should not be exposed.

● No spandex should be used as outerwear or pants.

● Tank tops should only be worn with an arti-cle of clothing on top.

● Skirts should come past fingertips and should not be tight.

● Pants must be able to be pulled away from the leg.

● Undergarments should never become outer-garments.

● When shopping, stay away from the back-less, halter v-neck and low, strapless dresses.

● Loose blouses can be just as immodest as tight ones.

● Try to avoid shirts that are too short.

● Don’t forget that first impressions are im-portant, so dress ap-propriately for inter-views.

● Walk, sit and stand with dignity. Think of yourself as a person who deserves re-spect. Ask for it by dressing in a dignified manner.

Artwork by Ann Wolf

only be handled with complete care. But Pure Fashion is also interested in helping teens grow in love with others, especially those who are less fortunate, but also in love with God. The wonderful women who thought up the idea of Pure Fashion have made it available in the St. Louis area. I am a participating model, and our group is doing an all-day service experi-ence for Special Olympians. In the morning, we will learn how to do a proper manicure, and then when the Special Olympians arrive, we will give them a manicure while teaching them how to do it. This is just one of the service opportunities that I am anticipating this year. Pure Fashion has taught me to look for clothing that will show my personal-ity, but flatter my body in a positive way. I rec-ommend Pure Fashion to anyone and everyone because it is a good reminder that women still care about modesty.

Ann Wolf Bear Facts Staff Writer

www.purefashion.com

11 Facts

NOVEMBER

Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiv-ing. People believe that Black Friday is the kick off to the holiday season. Historically, it is one of the busiest retail shopping days of the year. Most stores open up very early, around 5 a.m., and usually provide massive discounts on their prod-ucts. Although Black Friday is typically the busiest shopping day of the year in the terms of customer traffic, it is not usually the most profitable day of the year. The most profitable day is usually Christ-mas Eve or the last Saturday before Christmas. Almost every store out there has a huge sale on Black Friday like JC Penny’s, Target, Walmart and even stores like American Eagle. According to TIME.com, “the term Black Friday itself was originally used to describe some-thing else entirely—the Sept. 24, 1864, stock-market panic set off by plunging gold prices. Newspapers in Philadelphia reappropriated the phrase in the late 1960s, using it to describe the rush of crowds at stores. The justification came later, tied to accounting balance sheets where

black ink would represent a profit.” Junior Colleen Lutman said about Black Friday, “Last year I got up at 4:30 and crowd watched. People are CRAZY!” Also, junior Cassy Herrin said, “I woke up at 3 in the morning with my mom and went to Kohls. The line wrapped around the whole build-ing.” Many women and men get into the whole media aspect of Black Friday. Sometimes the shopping gets violent, with so many people at one store or stores trying to get the same items before the sale ends.

Amber Grisham

Bear Facts Staff Writer

Are you ready for Black Friday?

Junior Colleen Lutman said about Black Fri-day, “Last year I got up at 4 : 3 0 a n d crowd watched. People are CRAZY!”

Forum Connections: Sharing Stories With Strangers What does it mean to connect

with others in the world? In the past “connecting” consisted of reading the news and writing letters. As time pro-gressed, it transformed into Facebook accounts and e-mail, but now, as 2010 comes to a close, a new form of con-nection has been established between the teenagers of America in various forum Web sites. Web sites such as My Life is Average (MLIA), Love My Life (LML) and Makes Me Think (MMT) are all part of the new, fast and easy way for teens to connect. No longer are people limited to only their friends’ experiences on Facebook or MySpace, but now stories from people all around the world are accessed by a simple click of the computer. Though each of these Web sites began for different reasons all

are used for the similar purpose of link-ing people together. Each site is “an easy way to be entertained by stories that are relatable to us,” said UA student Nina Disbennett. And according to mylifeisav-erage.com, that is exactly what the Web site was created for: “Anyone can submit a story, because everyone’s lives are unexciting and insignificant at some time or another.” This is MLIA way of saying that we all share experiences, and no matter how ordinary one’s life seems, there are thousands out there who share the same feelings. Not only are these forum Web sites a way to connect stories to others, but also they allow a form of release. MLIA and Web sites like it mainly focus on the positive or mediocre aspects of one’s life. While this is great, it can be depressing to read when having a bad

day. Luckily, there are sites for the dis-tressing stories as well. These sites are a way for people to anonymously tell the stories that are bringing them down, and they also allow for anonymous comments, too. Not only are people able to release their emotions, but they are also able to find support from people who don’t know them but still offer insight. These connec-tions create the chance to see things from different perspectives. From the upbeat stories to the gloomy ones, forum Web sites are not only filling the bored hours of teenagers in America, but also allow-ing the similarities of problems and situa-tions between people throughout the country to be recognized.

Cinnamon Mullins

Bear Facts Staff Writer

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Where Do You Wish to Work? Ursuline Dream Jobs All over the St. Louis area UA girls are holding down jobs in fields ranging from babysitting to food service. Out of all the places that are currently employing our fine young women, which are the absolute best, and which would they wish they would never have to do? By the time a young woman has reached the age of 18, a senior in high school, it is fair to say that there is a good chance she has spent quite a lot of time babysitting. There is a good chance that this is so because of the love of spending time with kids as well as the sweet perks that come along with the job. “In the summer I get to go to their lake house with them, and I get to go jet skiing and boating, all while getting tan and making money. I also love the kids.” Senior Claire Winkelmann had nothing but great things to say about her steady nanny job for the summer and weeknights. Besides the option of “childsitting,” what other possibilities could an Ursuline girl con-sider to make an income? Food service jobs seem to be the most popular held by our student body. Senior Marissa Buechel loves her job with the Cakery Bakery. “Well, to be honest, I would not trade my job for anything, and I’m pretty sure that if I traded my job for something else, every Ursuline senior would kill me. They all love

the cake I bring in.” Despite the possible upset of the cake-less seniors, Marissa made it clear that the people she works around make work en-joyable. “The best part would probably be quoting Jersey Shore; for everything we do, it’s ‘Ohhh yeahh, dishes, yeahh!’ or ‘ohhh yeahh, closing time, yeahhh!!’ I love the peo-ple I work with.” Other food service employees like senior Lauren Essmyer experience similar enjoyment with their jobs. “I like the people I work with,

and we have a reasonable schedule.” Not all jobs in food service are first on a UA girl’s “dream-job” list. Sophomore Heidi Heischmidt denounced any desire to work with speedy food services. “I wouldn’t want to work in a fast food restaurant because I don’t like raw meat.” Junior Heidi Krieger agreed with sophomore Heidi. “I probably

wouldn’t want to work in a fast food restaurant because I hear it’s really gross.” Food service jobs, while popular, are not, how-ever, the most dominant. Life-saving jobs also seem to be nice summer work that many UA students enjoy. “I like my job because as a lifeguard I know that I am there to protect people’s lives who are stupid enough to get in the pool knowing they can’t swim.” As senior Claire Ancel said best, she is saving lives. Senior Kristen Karpowicz took a differ-

ent view on the love of her life-guarding job. “Getting paid for sitting is nice, and the breaks are nice, too.” Though she wished she had a job with tips, Kristen was thankful for her laid-back job environment. Considering the benefits of the top three jobs at UA, how does one decide which is the best fit for her? Simple: try them out. Send out an application to your “dream-

job,” and you may just get it. Ally Hill

Bear Facts Editor

“I like my job because as a lifeguard I know that I am there to protect people’s lives who are stupid enough to get in the

pool knowing they can’t swim.” -Claire Ancel

Picture from Stuttgart.army.mil

Picture from fifteengrandwed-ding.blogspot.com

Letter to the Editors Dear Bear Facts, I would like to take the opportunity to thank, in the name of the Ursuline Sisters, everyone involved in the St. Ursula’s Mass of last month. Those who planned, participated, made posters, were inducted (the Student Council), and on and on—thank you! It was a beautiful celebration. I was so impressed with the rever-ence and respectful attentiveness of the student body as a whole during the Eucharist. We have so much to pray about and to pray for that it inspires me when people enter into prayer as a whole community. As Mc Hammer once sang, “We got to pray just to make it today.” I believe that. Thank you, Ursuline, for the feast of St. Ursula’s celebration. May she pray for us every day.

Sue Anne, O.S.U.

13 Facts

NOVEMBER

Messmer’s Perspective On the Recent Elections

On November 2, 2010, voters statewide flocked to the polls and cast their ballots. By the end of the night, these tallies determined who would represent us and what propositions or amendments passed. With height-ened public discourse resulting from the poor economy and the socialization of heath care, one would expect a voter turn out to be high. With a quick look at the Sec-retary of State Office Web site (sos.mo.gov, and all statistical information is from this Web site) the reader would see that the voter turnout statewide was only 46.8%, St. Louis County 49.7% and St. Louis City 37.7%. Here at Ursuline Academy, as a student approaches the age of 18, one wonders if the student really knows what is going on within the elections, and what laws and amendments are being passed. Most people to whom I spoke who were under the age of 17 did not even know what Prop A or B as. Will the Ursuline girls be the 46.8% of people who care, or can the Ursuline community do better? While each person’s vote counts the same as the next, the outcomes of elections im-pact people, groups and property differently. Voters have the right to determine the tax rate for others and what portion of their income those people can keep. Voters have the right to determine increases on property taxes even though they do not pay this tax, and voters can regulate the means of others to earn an income by showing a few sad photos of mistreated dogs. Until there is a flat tax, many voters have no vested inter-est in what the tax rate is.

In the once anticipated Missouri Senate race, Republi-can Roy Blunt won in a landslide over Democrat Robin Carnahan by 14%. Some students thought Robin Carnahan would have been the better candidate for the position, but since this is the year of the Republicans, Blunt won with little worry. Additionally, Missouri’s 4th Congressional District said goodbye to long-term congressional leader Ike Skelton. Skelton served his Kansas City district for 34 years. In the 3rd Congres-sional District, Democrat and Incumbent Russ Carnahan narrowly defeated Republican Ed Martin by 2.2%, according to the Sec-retary of State Office Web site.

On a side note, Missouri may lose one congressional seat depending on the outcome of the 2010 census. If a con-gressional seat is lost, people believe the 1st, 2nd and 3rd con-gressional districts will get redistricted into two seats. There-fore, Saint Louis City might lose one of its two congressional seats. Missouri will go from having 11 votes in the Electoral College to only having 10.

Amendment 1 stated, “Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to require the office of county assessor to be an elected position” . . . Voters statewide supported by a 3 to 1 margin the idea of electing the person who will determine the reassessment of property. Voters correctly identified that property taxes can be controlled if voters have the right to select this person. Amendment 3 stated, “Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to prevent the state, counties and other political subdivi-sions from imposing any new tax, including a sales tax, on the sale or transfer of homes or any other real estate?” Voters sup-

ported this amendment by 83.7%. Voters got this right. Voters can learn from this result. 83.7% of Missourians apposed new taxes when the tax burden is shared. When someone votes and this person does not pay taxes, this person has no vested interest in voting against the tax hite.Until taxes are equalized, outcomes of elections will continue to impact people differ-ently. Politicians need to realize the country can only move ahead when everyone pays taxes.

Voters were wrong to support Amendment 2, which stated, “Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to require that all real property used as a homestead by Missouri citizens who are former prisoners of war and have a total service-connected disability be exempt from property taxes?” While all veterans should be held in high honor, the burden of paying taxes should not shift. This amendment would be more correctly defined as a door opening for other political action committees seeking to get their group exempted from paying taxes. Just imagine what future elections will look like should the survivors of fallen first responders be exempt from paying property taxes, should school teachers be exempt from paying taxes and so on and so on. Eventually the burden of property taxes will go from all homeowners to just a few, and school districts will continue to lose revenue. If some voters don’t have to pay the tax, then there is no incentive to decline the tax increase.

The voters who supported Proposition A showed good judgment. Voters recognized that citizens in the State of Mis-souri have a right to determine if local governments have the right to levy income taxes on people who live or work in that city. Proposition A passed with a total of 68%. The only two cities that have an income tax are St. Louis City and Kansas City. In a side note, these were the only two counties that re-jected this ballot initiative. If someone else has to pay the tax, then the voters of these cities will support the tax because the end result will be lower taxes on themselves.

This brings us to Proposition B -- puppy mills. Voters supported this proposition by a narrow 51 to 48% margin. Vot-ers got this wrong. First, we need to get past the photos of abused animals, and all need to realize that mistreating ani-mals is wrong. Even though many voters supported Prop B and it passed, we sometimes do not look at the effect that it has on the state. There are already laws protecting animals in the State of Missouri. So we ask ourselves, “Why do we need an-other law?” Missouri should take pride in providing so many healthy dogs to loving families across the country. Missouri, according to reports, provides 30-90% of all dogs to the coun-try. If we continue to over-regulate a business, then the business will simply leave, and some other state will provide dogs to the United States. Treat dogs well, and realize that people earn income from dog breeding.

As with many elections, the outcome of this past elec-tion has yet to be realized. If you want this country to be fair for all, if you believe in equality and shared suffrage, then, girls, get out, and vote. No one is truly equal until her support of the country is evident by informal voting.

Bear Facts Editor Brooke Messmer

14

The Ursuline Cheerleading squad has been doing great this year. After mak-ing it past Regional this year, the cheerleading Bears headed off to Columbia, Missouri After hearing they made State cheerleading captain, Taylor Tum-minello said how the girls felt, “We were ecstatic”! While in Columbia, they competed against Incarnate Word, Pattonville, Marquette and Francis Howell Central. Although the UA Cheerleaders did not place, they still had fun. Jackie Stout, a captain on the UA cheerleading squad said “We had fun and we really represented Ursuline well.” To the cheerleaders, this was a good experience and they hope to go to State again next year.

Meg Haenchen Bear Facts Staff Writer

UA Gets Pumped

Winter Season Starts

As fall turns into winter, the start of a new excit-ing season of sports comes with it. The wait is finally over for the returning players and new athletes hoping to make the team. The winter sports include basketball, racquetball, and swim and dive. This young new team is looking for-ward to an awesome winter. Several days of tryouts tested the girls’ ability to perform their best. “Tryouts were intense. Trash cans were placed in the gym just in case someone got sick. It was torture!” stated returning basketball player Becca James. Although being a part of these teams means hard work, it is worth its weight in gold for these girls who love the game. “The hopes for this season are high,” said first-time varsity player Claire Elbert. “All the girls work extremely hard to meet the goals we are expected to meet. Although it is ex-tremely difficult at times, we follow through.” Being a UA Bear sports player is a full-time job. Practices cut into homework, and maintaining grades, forcing these girls to stay on top of their game, literally. “Being a part of this team means hard work and dedication, but the wins are definitely worth it,” said swim team member Maddy Senay. With the much antici-pated Ursuline vs. Nerinx basketball games approaching, the whole school is buzzing with excitement. Not only are the players looking forward to a start of a new season, but so is P.O.S.S.E. “We will be ready, so bring it on, Nerinx!” said junior Colleen Lutman.

Meghan Schmitt Bear Facts Staff Writer

In 2001, more than 3,000 girls played high school football ac-cording to a survey by USA Today, and the number is rising. Dur-ing the 1920s, it was a male-only game according to searcheric.org. In 1926, a women’s football league was formed (NWFL), but it was only for halftime entertainment. Ever since, women’s football has been growing. There are some states that have a law against prohibiting girls from playing on high school football teams if there is not an exclusively female team, reported searcheric.org. California is known to have several female football players. Many girls who do play football have played soccer and they become kickers for the male-dominated high school football teams. Girls can try out for the football team, and many make it, but it can turn tragic in the end. Some girls are banned from playing football on their boys’ high school team. Coaches and teammates in California think it is all right for girls to play football, and they have no problem with it, but there are some coaches, teammates and viewers who oppose it, according to searcheric.org. So, why is it a big deal? It was a different situation back in the 1900s. Girls have the ability to be just as good athletes as boys are, and the high school teams do not treat the girls differently.

Missouri does not have any laws prohibiting girls from playing high school football. According to the official handbook by MSHSAA, Missouri State High School Athletic Association, on player limitations, law 351.2a, this law does not prohibit girls from playing. Without any limi-tations, football fans should expect a rise in female players. Hope-fully, girls will have to courage to do what they want.

Sarah Haenchen Bear Facts Staff Writter

Females Take the Field

Picture by Meghan Schmitt

The UA cheerleaders Go to State

Photo by Josie Ruggeri

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15

NOVEMBER

Taylor Swift Speaks Now About Celebrity Relationships What Taylor Swift’s fans love about her music is that a lot of her songs discuss the kind of relationships that many high school girls understand. Her new album, “Speak Now,” has catchy songs about falling head-over-heels in love with a boy, something a lot of girls can say they’ve experienced. But a few of the songs are about things that high school girls wouldn’t normally encounter, like dating a guy in his thirties or having their acceptance speech for an MTV Video Music Award interrupted on live television.

Recently, as teen pregnancy has appeared more in television shows, teenage girls across America can’t stop watching. In fact, it is the main aspect of many popular television shows like “Secret Life of the American Teenager,” “Sixteen and Preg-nant” and “Teen Mom.” Although these shows are becoming increasingly popular, are the elements of teen pregnancy displayed fact or fiction? Although teen pregnancy has made many new appearances in the media, the causes and effects are presented in different ways. Despite the fact that all these shows are about the same situation, the shows still have many differences. The show “The Secret Life of the American Teenager” consists of Hollywood actors and actresses, whereas the shows “Sixteen and Pregnant” and “Teen Mom” feature real-life teenage mothers who tell their stories. Jane Brown, a journalism professor who runs the Teen Media Project, commented about “The Secret Life of the American Teenager,” saying, “It’s missing the three C’s: there is little commitment, no mention of contraception and rarely do we see the negative consequences.”

Shows like “Sixteen and Pregnant” and “Teen Mom” show teen pregnancy more realistically. Those shows display the sacrifices that teenage parents are forced to make. Some of these realistic sacrifices include the mothers’ social life, graduating high school or going to college. These shows

help teenagers realize the new responsibilities and costs that come along with having a child. Jackie O’Malley of examiner.com explained that “it helps teenagers realize that becoming a mom isn’t as picture-perfect as they may think.” Ursuline sophomore Meg Brady com-mented about her favorite show, “Teen Mom,”

saying, “I love it! It portrays the pros and cons of being a teenage mother, how hard it can be.” For those seeking truthful portrayals of teenage pregnancy, shows that star real people like “Teen Mom” and “Sixteen and Pregnant” are their best bet. Unlike those shows, Hollywood has glamorized teen pregnancy in shows like “The Secret Life of the American Teenager. ”

Meg Vatterott Bear Facts Staff Writer

Dear John This six-minute ballad is a break-up song that blames the guy for the broken heart. Rumor has it that the guy who did this damage was John Mayer!

The title itself says , “John.” The two artists recorded “Half of My Heart” together in 2009 and reportedly dated for a time after they finished recording. “Dear John, I see it all, now it was wrong. Don't you think 19 is too young to be played by your dark twisted games, when I loved you so?” - John Mayer is in his thirties, and Taylor was 19 when they recorded their song together.

Innocent This isn’t a break-up song, but a beautiful ballad about forgiving someone who has hurt her. One of the most hurtful things done to Taylor many people witnessed: Kanye West interrupting her acceptance speech last year at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. Is she forgiving him?

Taylor debuted this song at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards. The performance began with a video clip of Kanye stealing the microphone from Taylor at last year’s awards show. The chorus suggests that she still sees good in him, despite the horrible thing he did: “It's all right, just wait and see your string of lights are still bright to me oh, who you are is not where you've been, you're still an innocent.” The second chorus gives another hint: “It's okay, life is a tough crowd. 32, and still growin up now.” -Kanye was 32 last year.

Back to December

This song is a different kind of break-up song from Taylor’s usual. Previous songs she’s written on the topic were usually about the guy breaking her heart. In this song, she is apologizing for breaking a guy’s heart. Maybe the guy she’s apologizing to is Taylor Lautner.

The title itself is a hint towards Taylor Lautner since the two broke up in December 2009. Supposedly the split was made on December 13, Taylor Swift’s twentieth birthday. She was celebrating with family in Nashville, and Lautner flew there to surprise her. She felt smothered by the sudden visit and ended the relationship. The chorus indicates that she’s had a change of heart and realizes that she took Lautner for granted:“So this is me swallowing my pride, standing in front of you saying I’m sorry for that night and I go back to December all the time. It turns out free-dom ain’t nothin’ but missin’ you, wishing I’d realized what I had when you were mine.” “I miss your tan skin...” Taylor Lautner is very tan !

Pregnancy Shows: Exposed

OUT OF 18 URSULINE GIRLS, 77%

THINK THAT TV SHOWS SHOW TEEN PREGNANCY

REALISTICALLY.

Kimie Leach Bear Facts Staff Editor

THE WARBLERS FROM GLEE This all boys a cappella glee club from Dalton Academy

won our hearts over with their smooth a cappella ver-sion of “Teenage Dream” by Katy Perry in Episode 6 of

Glee, “Never Been Kissed.”

COURTESY OF FOX

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