purple sage special edition

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SEPTEMBER 22, 2010��

Waunakee, WIVolume 9, Special Issue Waunakee Community High School

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Presented by

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On August 17, Rod Blagojevich, a man purportedly involved in governmental scandals was finally tried before a jury.

Blagojevich was accused of trying to sell President Obama’s Senate seat and trying to use state funds to fire writers on the Chicago Tribune who criticized him, among other things. To the chagrin of many scandal-aware citizens, the jury was hung on 23 crimes accused of him. A key accusation, selling Obama’s Senate seat, was vetoed by a single juror; a unanimous vote was required.

What happened? The defense had quite a bit of evidence; the FBI supplied hours of wire-tapped information. However, Rod Blagojevich responded with a strong case, saying he did not a c t u a l l y p l a n t o carry out the c o m m e n t s captured by the FBI. The single j u r o r w h o h e l d o u t against the persecution illustrated a reason for hesitation when she stated, according to the BBC, there was not “a smoking gun” to give cause for further penalty. There was evidence going both ways, but much of it was hazy due to political motivations. The judge on the case, Judge James Zagel, stated that he intended to declare a mistrial, meaning that a new trial would occur. Blagojevich, though, is still eager to prove his innocence, saying in an interview on the Daily Show, “23 down, and one to go.”

Those 23 cases certainly give cause for people still calling for justice, but when the possibility of his innocence is taken into account, the result of the trial is not so bad. The one guilty sentence, lying to the FBI, carries up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. This is not the largest toll the trials have taken on Blagojevich, though. The scandals effectively ended his political career. Immediately after news of the Senate seat selling came out in early 2009, he was impeached by an overwhelming vote as Governor of Illinois. As a man with historically low approval ratings, it is doubtful that he will ever be able to recover from the ordeal. While many justice-seeking individuals may want more blood, five years in prison and a ruined political career are nothing to scoff at for a man who might be innocent.

The Purple Sage September 22, 2010

SPECIAL ISSUESara Vincent, Features Editor

Fricke falls a frightening 30 feet

Sara VincentFeatures Editor

French trip:“Il était magnifique!”Emily DrewryCopy Editor

Suspected of fraud, Blagojevich got away, for nowJamie WarnerOpinion Editor

Sophomore Hannah Fricke broke her femur, hand, and nose after an unfortunate fall in Honduras

Seniors Katie Bolger, Glenn Will, Cassi Brucker, and Hailie Ripley in the gardens of Versailles. (Photo submitted)

A view from the third story of the Eiffel Tower. (Photo Submitted)

Giverny, Impressionist Painter, Claude Monet’s house. (Photo submitted)

This July, 27 members of Waunakee High School’s Fr e n c h C l u b a n d f o u r accompanying chaperones departed on the journey of a lifetime.

For some, the eight hour plane ride was familiar, but for others, it was their first plane flight out of the USA. But for all on the trip, the ten days spent in France were incredible and unforgettable.

Students attending the trip were all members of French Club and in either French 3 or 4. Their common knowledge of the country allowed for a combination of touristy stops and more educational experiences.

Fr e n c h t e a c h e r Pa m Knutson described the route as “a little off the beaten path,” while still hitting all the main tourist destinations.

They kept moving the entire time and as senior Beth Hill found, each destination was different from the next. “It felt a little bit like we were being hustled around,” she said.“That’s why going to the beaches was my favorite part, they were less touristy

and more relaxing.” Despite the tight schedule, Hill said everything was fun and she wishes the trip had been longer.

The group began in Paris, and after 24 hours without sleep, headed straight to the iconic Eiffel Tower. During their four days in Paris, the group visited museums, took a boat ride on the Seine River, and walked along the Champs d’ Elysees.

The next leg in the journey was traveling by TGV train to Biarritz, a city on the Atlantic Ocean. There, the students enjoyed unique little shops and “a calmer feel,” according to junior Brandon Creamer. Senior Glenn Will chose the city as his favorite part of the trip, because “the beaches were gorgeous, the people were amazing, and the food spectacular.”

The last stops of the trip were to the gorgeous cities of Nice, Monaco, and Nimes, all located on the Mediterranean Coast. After studying French for so long, a trip to its native country was a rewarding experience for those who attended.

Over this past summer, sophomore Hannah Fricke encountered an unexpected twist while on a mission trip to Honduras.

Fricke intended to spend the week helping impoverished Hondurans, but a f ter an unfortunate series of events, found herself stuck in the pediatric trauma ward at St. Mary’s hospital in West Palm Beach, Florida.

On June 26, Fricke was repelling down a waterfall as a team building activity prior to starting her volunteer work in Honduras. During Hannah’s turn, it started to rain heavily and no more students were allowed to repel down the fall. Fricke and a Honduran repelling assistant were already at the bottom of the 100 foot waterfall, and needed to make the trek up the steep, muddy trail to get to the rest of the group. While hiking up the slick slope, Hannah slipped and fell 30 feet into a river below, and she was knocked unconscious.

Because the slope was so steep, no vehicles could be used to transport her up the mountain. Between waiting for a stretcher and carrying Hannah to a vehicle accessible area, it took six

hours to get her off the mountain and another hour and a half to get her to a Honduran clinic.

At the clinic, the doctors determined that Hannah suffered from a broken femur, a broken hand, a broken nose and numerous facial cuts which resulted in 20 stitches in four different areas around her face.

Because the clinic did not have the technology needed to get Hannah back to full health, she was taken by MedFlight to St. Mary’s Hospital in West Palm Beach, Florida. Upon arriving at St. Mary’s, a MRI test proved that Hannah, in addition to her broken bones, had compression fractures in her spine, bone bruising and deep muscle bruising.

After Fricke finished with surgeries on her leg and hand, along with other treatments, she was discharged from St. Mary’s on July 11 and allowed to return home to Wisconsin. At this point, Hannah was unable to put any weight on her leg and moved around using a wheelchair.

Recently, Hannah completed physical therapy for her leg and completed her sessions with an occupational therapist for her hand.

“The doctor said it will be one year before I am completely recovered,” she said. “But in terms of doing everything normally, I can [perform all normal activities] just fine.”

“Everything that has happened has definitely changed my life. I am not going to be able to look at things the same way. It saddens me to see people who are permanently physically disabled… I just got a small taste of that and I could hardly stand it. I can’t even imagine,” said Fricke.

Aaron Schmidt, Advertising Manager

Sophomore Hannah Fricke was injured this summer in Honduras. (Photo by Lydia Dorn)

The Purple SageSeptember 22, 2010

SPECIAL ISSUEJamie Warner, Opinion Editor

What happened this summer?

Dish me the summer dirt!

Rod Blagojevich – After a gov-ernmental scandal involving the sale of a U.S. Senate seat, Blagojev-ich was convicted with one count of lying to the FBI. He planned to appeal the count when convicted on August 17.

Indian controversy – A law signed earlier this year which allowed the Department of Public Instruction to rule against school mascots in response to public complaints successfully removed Native American logos from several schools includ-ing Osseo-Fairchild and Kewaunee. Currently the Mukwonago school district is fighting to save their name; the state is expect-ed to make a decision by the end of October.

BP – On July 15, the leak was official-ly capped. On July 27, BP confirmed that CEO Tony Hayward would resign and is to be replaced by Bob Dudley on October 1. Total losses of this oil spill are estimated to reach over 20 billion dollars for the company.

Brett Favre – This past summer Brett Favre had the NFL on its toes once again like he had done the past two years. After the Minnesota Vikings promised him 20 million dollars for the 2010-2011 season, Brett Favre is playing once again, but this time, one year older.

Miners in Chile – On August 22 33 miners were miraculously found to be alive in a mine 2,300 feet underground that col-lapsed on August 5. The workers survived on food that was only supposed to last them 2 days. It is expected to take several months to get the miners out.

FIFA World Cup – We were all on the edge of our seats as Spain and the Netherlands went head to head for the final game of this soccer fan mania. Spain won the exciting match 1-0.

Texting Law – Wisconsin became the 25th state to outlaw texting when Gover-nor Doyle signed off the assembly’s final approval on May 5th. However, texting while driving is okay for the time being because the law will not be enforced until December 1 of this year.

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Brandyn LiebeColumnist

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome (back) to high school.

Frankly, I am rather excited for this, because it means I get to see all of you again. But enough about you, this is my article, we should focus on me.

Without further adieu, The Top Five Reasons Why I Am Excited to Be Back in School.

5. Mr. Evans – Need I say more? The man has a digital blue print of the school in his head. If I am not where I should be, he knows about it before I even get there. And if that is not enough, word on the street is that there are two new sheriffs in town. Anyway, this

new tri-fecta of hall monitors is a definite force to be reckoned with.4. School Food – You know, this could not have come at a better time. I have been meaning to put on a few pounds for dramatic effect.3. The Year – No, I am not talking about 2010; that is just boring. I am talking about the tiger! In China it is the year

of the tiger and I just have to say that gets me pumped to accomplish something knowing that the spirit of the tiger is with me. I suppose I can harness that into my FST homework.2. Safety – Bears, they hate the thought of organized learning. Why do you think they always hang out in the woods? What was the last

relevant thing you learned in the woods, that the native North American White Pine, or Pinus strobus, is the only gymnosperm in Wisconsin with it leaves arranged in faciles of five? (I know a lot about trees. What? Biology project.) Anyway, yeah I feel safe in school.1. Mrs. Carlson– Enough said.

Sierra GillespieEntertainment Editor

• “Toy Story 3” became the highest grossing animated film of all time with a total gross of $405.9 million from a budget of $200 million.• Not only was “Toy Story 3” the highest grossing animated film of the summer, it was the highest grossing film of the summer, period. It was followed closely by “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” with $298.1 million and “Inception” with $271.6 million.• The most downloaded song of the summer was “California Gurls” by Katy Perry featuring Snopp Dogg.• “The Millennium Trilogy” became this summer’s most talked about series of books, written by the late Stieg Larsson, the trilogy features novel “The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo” soon to be a motion picture.

• AC/DC’s “Black Ice Tour” became the top grossing musical tour of all time. The global tour sold 1.8 million tickets and grossed a whopping $177.5 million. • On August 9, Nickelodeon aired the 11th annual Teen Choice Awards, this year hosted by Katy Perry.• Big winners of the Teen Choice Awards included “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” cast, the “Sherlock Holmes” cast, the “Glee” cast and the reality stars of “Keeping up with the Kardashians”. • Jimmy Fallon hosted this summer’s Primetime Emmy Awards, which were the most watched Emmy’s since 2006. • Big winners at the Emmy’s had some cross overs from The Teen Choice Awards. Jane Lynch, star of the hit TV show “Glee,” took home Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.

EDITORIAL POLICIESOLIVIA KNIEREditor in Chief

TAMMY RADEMACHERAdviser

THE PURPLE SAGE The Purple Sage is written and produced entirely by Waunakee Community High School students. Opinions in The Purple Sage are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the newspaper staff or the school district. Students, staff, and members of the community are welcome to submit Letters to the Editor. Letters should be 250 words or less and must be signed. Letters may be delivered to room 1502, or sent to our mailing or email address. The Purple Sage is published monthly and is printed by South Central Publishing. The Purple Sage is a member of the Columbia Scholastic Press Association ,̀ the National Scholastic Press Association and the Kettle Moraine Press Association. Subscriptions to The Purple Sage are avaliable for $20 per year. Mail subscription requests or other requests to our mailing address or e-mail address.

Contact us by e-mail: [email protected]

The Purple Sage Waunakee Community High School

301 Community DriveWaunakee, WI 53597

Top 5 reasons to be back in school

The summer may have passed lazily for students, but the rest of the world was moving as usual. Here are some of the things you might have missed.

The Purple Sage September 22, 2010

SPECIAL ISSUEEmily Drewry, Copy Editor

• Makeanefforttocomeintoschoolearlytospeakwithteachers,insteadofmeetingwiththemafterschool.• Becomeamemberofacluborextra-curricularactivitythathasmorningmeetingstoarriveextraearly.• Joinswimteamandcometomorningpracticeat5:30whenthereisneverashortageofparkingspaces.• Intimidateyourrivaldriversbyaddingsomeformofflames,skullsorscaryimagestothesidesofyourcar.• Asyouleavethehouse,skipyourmother’skissgoodbyetobeattherushby30seconds.• BuyaDelorean,installaFluxCapacitor,drive88MPH(whoneedsspeedlimitswhenyouhavenoroads?).• Carpooltoschoolwithfriends,savetheenvironmentandyourgasmoney• Getabike.

Tips for getting a good parking spot on a regular basis:

Our parking palooza: the inside scoopSixmembersofThe Purple Sagetookonthechallengetoletyou,ourreaders,inonthesecretsofsurvivingtheroadsthisyear—morespecifically,theparkinglotsituation.Tocompareyourselftoourracers,weprovidedtheirtypicalmiletimes.

Racerandracingstyle

Distance

Runners

New Sophomore Parking Lotto Delivery Entrance

Old Sophomore Parking Lotto Delivery Entrance

Fieldhouse Parking Lot to Pyramid Entrance

Josh Lerdahl, Sage Page EditorWheelchair

4minutesand3seconds

2minutesand28seconds 59.48seconds

Angela Gilbertson,Production AssistantWalk

3minutesand12seconds

2minutesand5seconds 24.52seconds

Chris PedersenWeb Page ManagerJog

1minuteand24seconds 52.59seconds 12.77seconds

Brandyn LiebeColumnistRun, 10+ minute mile


Lily VanderbloemenNews EditorRun, 7-9 minute mile


Olivia KnierEditor-in-ChiefRun, under 7 minute mile

1minuteand23minutes 38.78seconds 7.58seconds

Fromparkinglottoclassroomspot

Sierra Gillespie, Entertainment Editor

Constructioninsidetheschoolduringtheschoolyearisimpossible,sonextsummerfivenewsciencelabswillbeaddedforstudentusenextyear.

Theoldsophomoreparkinglothas94parkingstalls,thenewsophomorelothas82parkingstalls,andthefieldhouseparkinglothas114stalls.

Thecurrentcapacityis1,200,with1,220studentsenrolled.Thenewschoolwillhaveacapacityof1,500students;pro-jectedtobeenoughspaceuntil2018.

Whenconstruc-tionisfinished,200ofthepurplelock-erswillreplacetheshort,bluelockers.Agrowingstudentpopulationdemandsmorespace.

purple sage special edition

News & Politics

ansophomore hannah fricke

sophomore hannah hours

sophomore hannah frickest

theafter fricke

features editor fricke

broken nose

broken femur

mission trip