Northmont High School 4916 W. National Rd. Clayton, OH 45315 January 29, 2010 Volume 27, Issue 5

The Tribune

The 2010 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Outback Bowl pitted the Auburn Tigers against the Northwestern Wildcats in a thrilling overtime game. The halftime show featured many high school bands including Northmont.

During the week of Dec. 29 the band loaded up their instruments and took their bus down to Tampa, FL, to perform again.

“We performed in the United Healthcare Children’s Foundation New Year’s Eve parade and the Band Blast,” said sophomore Elijah Markins.

The band earned national recognition as well as the title of Field Show Grand Champions. It also took second place in “The Battle of the Bands” competition.

There was also a halftime show performed by the band that was in

honor of the U.S. Marines who have made sacrifices for the country. “The halftime show honored our marines with the song we played. It was really an amazing experience,” said senior Danielle Lopez.

The show itself was performed by the bands of the two colleges playing in the game and by 30 high school bands from across the country. Out of all the bands, the Northmont band won Field Show Grand Champions.

“It (the performance) allowed us to be set up on a national stage, and because of us winning the band portion of the competition, the other groups saw how we worked and set a tone of what it takes to be a winner,” said senior band president Kevin Graham.

Performing in front of that many people was a new experience for most of the band members, and it was also very nerve wracking at the same time. “It was a new experience for all of us with the cameras sitting in front of us and above us as we

waited to go on the field. The crowd was very responsive for our pregame performance and for the mass halftime. I believe it’s the largest crowd I can remember playing in front of,” said Graham.

“It was exiting! At first you feel nervous thinking, ‘I don’t want to mess up,’ but once you start you just know what you have to do. Then, looking back, you’re like, ‘yeah I just did that.’ The whole thing was amazing,” added Markins.

While in Tampa the band also had

Corey ShusterAdvertising Editor

Marching band earns national recognition at Outback Bowl

From wanting to do things FOR the people in the village Noka in Ghana, Africa, Mr. David Phipps changed his mission to doing things WITH the people.

For the past three years Phipps, a former Northmont guidance counselor, has been taking trips to Ghana, Africa, to the small village of Noka. He has taken four trips to Noka with a team from Ginghamsburg Church.

Phipps’ goal is to help the village help themselves, not only physically, but intellectually, emotionally, mentally and spiritually.

“I enjoy helping people. Initially, I went to do things for them, but that

doesn’t help them as much as me doing things with them. I’m doing this so they become a prosperous village,” said Phipps.

This past year Phipps’ team gave physicals to children in Noka. The team also found that most children were not wearing shoes and they did not have anywhere to put their trash, so Phipps’s team took this problem to the village council. Children running around with cut feet in trash covered grounds was not a good situation.

To Phipps, one of the most rewarding experiences is being able to present a need to the council and for the people to make changes. “Noka proved itself a village of action,” said Phipps.

The people of Noka face challenging situations. They do not

have clean fresh water, and the children don’t get an education.

“Most think there is very little reason for them to get an education because there are no jobs and no money for them to go to college. The danger they could face is losing hope,” said Phipps.

“The very first year in another village we got money together and provided them a water well. They sang, danced and clapped. This probably lasted 30 minutes. They were so thankful,” said Phipps.

Despite the people being poor in material things, they are rich in love for others, according to Phipps.

“From groups of people that travel to Noka, we give hope by staying in touch and returning to them, showing that we care over time,” said Phipps.

Lyndsay BoydReporter

Former NHS guidance counselor Phipps visits Ghana to help those in need

chances to have fun and see some of the local attractions along with eating some of the food. “We went to the beach, Busch Gardens, the Spaghetti Warehouse and the Bubba Gump Shrimp shop,” said Markins.

Even though there was much hard work put into being able to perform, this is a trip that most band members said they would do again. “I would go on the trip again in a heartbeat because I will never get to spend that much time with great friends again,” said Markins.

Mr. David Phipps and some Ginghamburg Church mem-bers are currently aiding people in Ghana, Africa. Phipps is a former guidance counselor at NHS.

Photo from: www.davidphipps.info

The NHS Marching Band marches during the Homecoming football game. The band received nationial recognition at the Outback Bowl.

In this issue...Guys’ views on Valentine’s Day p. 5Date Rape p. 6-7

Photo by: Mrs. Sandy Freeman

2 Editorial T-Bolt Tribune 1.29.10T-Bolt

TribuneNorthmont High School4916 W. National Rd.Clayton, OH 45315

Editor-In-ChiefEmily Study

Assistant Editors-In-ChiefKyle Howard

Jacqueline Hensley

News EditorsGrace BowmanMegan Sullivan

Feature EditorsBrittany OrnerJulianne Mohr

Sports EditorsEthan ZoellnerBrad Fischer

Advertising ManagersShelby Swafford

Corey Shuster

AdviserMrs. Sandy Freeman

ReportersLyndsay Boyd, Samantha Boysen, Elyssa

Cokinis, Hannah Cortes, Sami Fer-rel, Briana Heitkamp, Chris Jacobson,

Charlie Kleptz, Miranda Lindsey, Twila Monie, Wael Moudjed, Becca Peets, Lexi

Tillman, Sam Wright.

The purpose of the T-Bolt Tribune is to inform, entertain, and interpret issues that directly affect students, staff and the Northmont district.Editorial Policy: Letters to the editor can be submitted to the T-Bolt Tribune editorial staff, Room 201 or Mrs. Free-man. Letters may be edited for content, grammar and libelous material. Unsigned articles appearing on the editorial page reflect the opinion of the editorial staff. The purpose of the editorial page is to serve as an outlet for students and staff opinions.

Northmont can help Haiti relief funds after earthquake

Haiti was rocked to the edge of sanity when a 7.0 earthquake hit on Jan. 12.

We’re sure you’ve all heard about it, but how many of you have actually taken the time to think about this disaster?

Imagine yourself standing in front of the remains of your house. Hundreds of tons of rubble represent what was once your neighborhood.

Family and friends are miss-ing, piles of unclaimed, unknown bodies are filling the streets and those who are supposed to be in jail walk free.

Life becomes unlivable. You have no food, no water, no home. All your possessions are gone.

All these worries for safety, necessities and your loved ones run through your head.

Millions of dollars have already been raised to help Haiti, but so much more is going to be needed to rebuild the entire island.

This week Northmont has been

involved in helping the people of Haiti. Students and staff members brought in common necessities, such as soap, shampoo, tooth-paste, toothbrushes and other personal items that will be put into relief kits and sent to Haiti as soon as possible.

Students can also help by do-nating money.

Texting has made it easy to donate to Haiti relief efforts. By texting the word “Haiti” to 25383, the International Rescue Com-mittee, you can donate $5. Also, $10 donations can be texted to the American Red Cross, using the word “Haiti” to 90999.

It’s hard for people to imagine what has happened in Haiti since we’ve never been through any-thing similar to this before, but now is our time to help.

People’s entire worlds have been ruined, and we can help them to rebuild. All it takes is a donation, no matter how big or small.

Source: MobileCommons.com

Congratulations to...

•Senior Kelley Johnson for earning Dayton Daily News’ High School Basket-ball Player of the Week for Week 3.

•Senior Xavior Johnson for being nominated for Dayton Daily News’ High School Player of Year for the 2009 foot-ball season.

•Marching Band for being named Grand Champion at the Outback Bowl band competition in Tampa, FL, as well as receiving Best in Class and Best Color Guard awards.

•Academic Challenge for defeating Carroll at the High-Q semi-finals Jan. 20 and winning $2,000 in scholarship money,

•Academic Challenge’s junior Bran-don Williams on being selected to the High School Academic Pyramid Ques-tions All Ohio All State Team.

•Gymnastics for earning first place at the Troy NM Cookie Classic, second place at the Mason Comet Cup and fifth place at the Indian Cup.

•Sophomore Kaleb Ringer for being named to maxpreps.com’s Sophomore All-American Team in football.

Cartoon by Darion Smith

To give $5 by text message• HAITI to 25383 : International Res-

cue Committee• YELE to 501501 : Yele• CERF to 90999: United Nations

Foundation• BEST to 501501 : Project Medis-

hare• FRIENDS to 90999 : World Food

Program

To give $10 by text message• HAITI to 90999 : American Red

Cross• CARE to 25383 : CARE• OXFAM to 25383 : Oxfam Interna-

tional• QUAKE to 20222 : Clinton Bush

Haiti Fund• UNICEF to 20222 : UNICEF

Our role in the world around us

3 E.T.T-Bolt Tribune1.29.10

Every issue we will include a word of the issue. The word for this issue is ramifi-cations Look to find this word somewhere in this issue.

“Over the last year, there seemed to be more and more ‘nation’ days, weeks and months being observed, celebrating everything from napping to pets to can-cer awareness. So, here is a completely unofficial, fun list of what the days of 2010 are also known as, culled from multiple sources and calendars.”

Jill KelleyDayton Daily News Staff Writer

JanuaryJan. 29 Puzzle DayJan. 30 Escape DayJan. 31 Backwards Day

FebruaryFeb. 1 Freedom DayFeb. 2 Groundhog DayFeb. 3 The Day the Music Died DayFeb. 4 Create a Vacuum DayFeb. 5 Disaster DayFeb. 6 Lame Duck DayFeb. 7 Charles Dickens DayFeb. 8 Boy Scouts DayFeb. 9 Toothache DayFeb. 10 Umbrella DayFeb. 11 Don’t Cry Over Spilled Milk DayFeb. 12 Plum Pudding DayFeb. 13 Get a Different Name DayFeb. 14 Valentine’s DayFeb. 15 Gum Drop Day (President’s Day also)Feb. 16 Mardi GrasFeb. 17 Random Acts of Kindness Day (Ash Sunday also)Feb. 18 Battery DayFeb. 19 Chocolate Mint DayFeb. 20 Hoodie Hoo DayFeb. 21 Love your Pet DayFeb. 22 Be Humble DayFeb. 23 Dog Biscuit Appriciation DayFeb. 24 Tortilla Chip DayFeb. 25 Pistol Patent Day

Grace BowmanNews Editor

Days of week havespecial meanings

According to www.proflowers.com, roses are the messenger of love. Rose colors also have significant meanings.

Red: “I love you” Red roses symbolize love,

beauty, courage, respect and congratulations.

White: “I am the one for you”

White roses symbolize true love, purity, innocence, humility, youthfulness and charm.

Pink: “Thank you”Pink roses symbolize appre-

ciation, friendship, grace, hap-

Shelby SwaffordBusiness Manager

piness, admiration, gracefulness and gentleness.

Yellow: “We’re friends and I care about you”

Yellow roses symbolize friend-ship, honor, joy, gladness, de-light, new beginnings and re-membrance.

Peach: “Let’s make this a memorable Valentine’s Day”

Peach roses symbolize sin-cerity, gratitude, appreciation, modesty and admiration.

Orange/ Coral: “I want you in my life”

Orange/ Coral roses symbolize desire, enthusiasm, passion and fascination.

The leaves of roses are also a

Rose colors signify meanings; red still represents true love

Pro NailsAcrylicOverlayManicureAir Brush

Sculptured NailsGel NailsPedicureNail Art

M-F 10:00-8:00 Sat 9:00-7:00 Sun 12:00-5:00No Appointments Neccessary Walk-Ins Welcome

Consumer Square 5475 Salem Ave.Trotwood, OH. 45426 (937) 837-6078

Top 20 movies

With a new year come many new movies. In 2010 there are 20

big name movies coming out.

Feb. 5 Dear JohnFeb. 12 Valentines Day

Mar. 5 Alice in WonderlandApr. 2 The Last Song

Apr. 9 Date NightApr. 9 The Losers

Apr. 16 The Back up PlanMay 1 Iron Man 2

May 14 Robin Hood

Shelby SwaffordBusiness Manager

May 28 Sex and the City 2June 16 Footloose

June 18 Toy Story 3July 9 Shrek Forever AfterJuly 9 The Twilight Saga:

Eclipse July 30 Meet the Fockers Se-

quelAug. 6 Step Up 3-DOct. 22 Saw VII 3-D

Nov. 5 A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas

Nov. 11 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1Dec. 11 The Chronicles of

Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Food for thoughtEmily Study

Editor-in-Chief1. You can have one of the two follow-ing things: trust or love. Which do you choose?

2. What is more difficult for you: look-ing into someone’s eyes when you are telling someone how you feel, or looking into someone’s eyes when they are telling you how they feel?

3. Are you the kind of friend that you would want to have as a friend?

4. Would you rather be hurt by the one you trust the most or the one you love the most?

5. Which would you choose: true love with a guarantee of a broken heart or to never love at all? Why?

Tribune’s TunesShelby Swafford

Business Manager

Each issue, the T-Bolt Tribune will choose 10 songs from a specific genre of music that we think you should listen to.

Disney this issue

Jonas Brothers “Paranoid”

Taylor Swift “Sparks Fly”

Nick Jonas and the Admin “Who I Am”

Demi Lovato “Don’t Forget”

Justin Bieber “One Time”

Colbie Caillat “Fallin’ For You”

Ashley Tisdale “It’s Alright, It’s Ok”

Selena Gomez “Falling Down”

Miley Cyrus “Party in the USA”

Jesse McCartney “How Do You Sleep”

4 News T-Bolt Tribune 1.29.10

Photo By: Barbara J. Perenic

Brad FischerSports Editor

It’s quite an honor to win any sports award during your high school career, but senior Xavior Johnson has been nominated for the Dayton Daily News Player of the Year award.

Johnson entered his senior year as a two-year starter. According to Johnson, people thought that during the previous two years he started, he underachieved, but this year he felt he proved all those people wrong.

Johnson finished his senior year season with 73 solo tackles and nine interceptions.

“I put in extra time and pushed myself to prove that I was worth playing,” Johnson said.

Johnson also credited his defensive back coach Mr. Colin Abels as well as head coach Mr. Lance Schneider for making sure he stayed on the right track.

During the season, Johnson was Day-ton Daily News Player of the Week.

“It was good to offset the stereotype of our team being known for its offense by having a defensive player win that award,” said Schneider.

“Words can’t even describe winning the award. It makes you feel so important,” said Johnson

Not only did Johnson win that award, but that same week his cousin from Trotwood Madison was nominated as well. “It was like a competition between each other as it brought the best out of each other,” said Johnson.

For an athlete to be selected Dayton Daily News Player of the Week, he must be chosen by the coaches. All the Greater Western Ohio Conference (GWOC) coach-es vote for a player of the week, according to Schneider.

Usually it’s just one game that stands out for a Player of the Week, but there were two games that could have made Johnson eli-gible for nomination.

“The St. Ignatius game I thought Xavior was one of the best players out there. I was really proud of the way he played,” said Sch-neider.

But Johnson thought of a different game in which he shone. “The Fairmont game. It was Senior Night, and I wanted to go out on a good note,” said Johnson.

Megan SullivanNews Editor

Dayton Daily News nominates defensive back for award

Winslow designing costumes for upcoming play Thoroughly Modern Millie

Jackie HensleyAssistant Editor-in-Chief

Bridge Club is one of the newest after school activities available to high school stu-dents, just starting in the spring of last year.

It all started after junior Josh Jacobs asked Mr. William Patrizio, science teacher, to teach him how to play bridge after school one Thursday.

Bridge Club meets every Thursday from 3 to 4 p.m. in Patrizio’s room. Anybody is welcome to join, beginner or experienced player.

Bridge is a card game that is played among four people who partner up to be-come two pairs. Each player has a hand of 13 cards, and all 52 cards in a deck are used throughout the game.

Roughly six people attend Bridge Club, according to Richards, so often times two people have to sit out for a while. Players

often take snacks to meetings.“You’ll see at most Bridge Club meetings,

there will be a table set out just with food on it,” said Patrizio.

According to Patrizio, bridge is one of the most difficult card games.

“It’s a little harder because you have to think. Not many kids want to have to think when they play games,” said Patrizio

“It doesn’t take long to teach, but it takes a long time to be good. There are people that have been playing bridge for 30 years and are still not good,” Patrizio explained.

“You use your brain every time,” said ju-nior Haleigh Richards. “I could play euchre (a similar game to bridge), so I figured I could play bridge. If euchre is checkers, then bridge is chess,” she explained.

“I like Bridge Club because of the food, it’s totally relaxing, it’s short and it doesn’t take a lot of time,” said junior Brandon Wil-liams.

For her outstanding performance versus Cleveland Shaw recently, senior Kelly John-son was named Player of the Week by the Dayton Daily News Jan. 12. Johnson scored 20 point in the game.

“I didn’t even know I was nominated un-til my friend told me,” said Johnson. John-son said she has always had a love for the game. She has been playing since the fourth grade.

“My brother was the one who showed me the game and encouraged me. He also taught me all that I know today,” Johnson said.

Mr. Matt Adams, Johnson’s coach, said he tries to “put athletes in a situation where I know they can succeed. I have seen Kelly mature and grow since her sophomore year,” Adams said.

When Johnson was nominated, Coach Adams said, “We went out and tried to get as many people [as possible] to vote.”

Aside from basketball, Kelly said she likes to hang out with her friends when her homework is finished.

Johnson added she has aspirations to play basketball at the University of Ken-tucky. Her favorite players are Kentucky guard John Wall and NBA star Kobe Bry-ant.

Wael MoudjedReporter

Science teacher, students start Bridge Club as new after school activity

Paper recognizes Johnson’s efforts; names her Player of the Week Jan. 12

Thoroughly Modern Millie Drama Club is presenting Thoroughly Modern Millie on Feb. 12, 13, 18, 19 and 20 at 7:30 p.m. and Feb. 14 at 2:30 p.m., directed by Mrs. Marjorie Strader. Tickets are $5 pre-sale for students and $6 for everyone at the door.

Football team breaks offensive stereotype

Johnson walks off the field during the St Ignatius game (above).

Music . . . art . . . sports . . . everyone has his niche. Senior Erin Winslow is no excep-tion, but her niche is very unique.

Winslow started out being very interest-ed in theater. She said she was especially inspired by the trips Muse Machine put to-gether.

“My friend suggested that I design cos-tumes,” said Winslow. “I thought this was a great idea because I have such a strong interest in fashion. I just sort of took to it,” she added.

Winslow is currently working on design-ing costumes for the upcoming Drama Club play, Thoroughly Modern Millie.

“What I love most about designing these costumes,” she said, “is the time period in which the play is set.” Millie takes place in the 1920s.

Winslow said she isn’t sure yet whether or not she will pursue designing as a career. But, she said, she will continue to design as a hobby.

The most challenging part of designing the costumes for Millie is finding patterns that fit the time period.

“When I have a costume to make, I pick

a pattern without a plan,” Winslow said. “I pull my inspiration through the character’s personality and the actor’s personality. If I’m not going to wear it, then I’m not going to make someone else wear it,” she added.

Sophomore Micala Behrens is partici-pating in the musical and loves the fact that Erin is designing costumes for the play.

“I think it’s really cool that she’s doing costumes. She designed costumes for Pi-nocchio, and they turned out beautiful. It’s good to have students work with the cos-tumes because it brings a new aspect to the play,” said Behrens.

“A lot of the people I’m making these cos-

tumes for are my close friends, which adds a personal connection. I’m so lucky to have supportive and encouraging people around me,” Winslow added.

Drama Club adviser Mrs. Marjorie Strader also thinks it’s very productive to have a stu-dent design costumes for this play.

“Even though we rent most of the cos-tumes for the musical, this year we’re lucky to have Erin volunteer to design and build several costumes. She made some for the fall show too. It is wonderful to have such a talented, motivated student to depend on for such an important area of the show,” said Strader.

Photo By: Mrs. Leslie Schneider

5FeatureT-Bolt Tribune01.29.10

Most girls think of chocolate, roses and spending time with that special someone when Valentine’s Day comes to mind, but what runs through a guy’s head when thinking about this day?

Do girls and guys really think differently when it comes to Feb. 14?

“Girls see it as a day of love and all that other stuff. All guys see is an empty wallet and a chance to ruin another date,” said senior Josh Kramer.

“I think girls make a bigger deal out of Valentine’s Day because it’s an opportunity for them to get more stuff when really it’s a small holiday and they expect too much,” said senior TJ Ray.

Seniors Corey Jordan and Derek Reynolds agreed with Ray. “Girls made this up just to receive gifts from guys,” Jordan said.

Whether you’re spending the holiday alone or with someone else could make a big differ-ence in your feelings toward the day. Let’s hear what the single men have to say first.

“It’s good if you’ve got that certain some-one in your life, but sometimes if you’re alone on the dreaded Feb. 14, it can be a bit of a heartbreaker. Honestly, it doesn’t make me or break me,” said senior Zach Mears.

“I feel like Valentine’s Day is just like any other day. I mean, who even made up this

Grace BowmanNews Editor

holiday? It’s pointless. Why don’t I get a teddy bear? Where’s my chocolate?” said senior AJ Gobar.

“Being single on Valentine’s Day is cool because when you’re broke, it saves you money and it’s kind of nice not being tied down for it,” said senior Jaihron Dexter.

“Valentine’s Day just doesn’t make any sense to me. I don’t get this cupid fella. I don’t think a middle aged baby coming at me with arrows is romantic what-so-ev-er,” added Kramer.

“ A l l I h a v e planned is hanging out with my other single friends, spend the night playing Call of Duty,” said fresh-man Austin Sand-ers.

What about the guys in a relation-ship?

“I plan on taking her to the movies to see Dear John, but another movie you could see is Valen-tine’s Day,” said Ray.

“I think I am going to take my girlfriend

out to dinner, but a more creative idea would be to make dinner for her,” said senior Corey Nuemann.

How do guys feel about gifts for their loved one?

“Flowers and chocolates is the best way to go. I don’t expect anything more than a card because Valentine’s Day is more for the

girls,” said Ray. Neumann disagreed

with Ray about receiving a gift because he said love goes both ways.

“I think a good but cliché gift is a dozen roses and something personal that is special just between you and your significant other, such as a hand written love letter to let her know that you really care. In my eyes, cheesy gifts would be a stuffed ani-mal and chocolates. That says last minute to me when trying to win over someone’s heart,” said

Mears.When it comes down

to it, girls and guys do see things differently about Valentine’s Day, but when don’t they see differently?

Facebook hurtsjob opportunities, relationships

Brittany OrnerFeature Editor

It is time to stock up on candy hearts, buy mushy Hallmark cards and shower everyone with love.

February is almost here, and Valentine’s Day is on its way. Do you have any idea of what you might do for the 14th?

You are probably either talking to someone special or dating someone, right? You want the night to be perfect, of course, so avoid taking your special someone on these dates.

Don’t go see a movie. You will spend the whole night sitting next to each other, but since you have to be quiet, you can’t talk or get to know one another.

Instead, according to Sev-enteen magazine, “You should try a home movie night. You can hit mute whenever [it’s necessary] so the whole evening doesn’t re-volve around just watching the TV. Plus, it is easier to share a few kisses without worrying who is watching.”

Charlie KleptzReporter

Another bad date idea is going out for pizza because there is hardly any time to enjoy each other’s company since the date is almost over as soon as you finish your slice. Instead, make a pizza together at home. You will have more fun talking and laughing while working together to create the pizza.

Junior Alyssa McGarvey said she would go ice-skating with her Valentine. “You are expected to hold each other’s hand to keep yourself up, so it is a perfect date to get close

to the person you like,” said McGarvey.

Junior Trevor Coran said he believes a good date for Valentine’s Day depends on the person’s romantic level, but Coran said, “Just being with that someone you care about and spending time with him or her is enough.”

Now what do you give your Valentine if you don’t have a lot of money? Senior Libby Bates said, “A homemade burned CD with special songs on it is always meaningful, or even a plate of homemade cookies will win his or her heart.”

Senior Emily Richardson agreed with

Bates. “The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. One Valentine’s Day I made my boyfriend a really nice dinner and ended up not spending a dime because all the food was already in my cabinet,” said Richardson.

You may not have the same luck as Richardson, but you can still keep your home-made meal inexpensive, if you want.

Now what should your plans consist of if you’re single and ready to mingle?

Senior Cathy Barrow suggested getting a group of your friends together to do a crazy gift exchange. “Only being allowed to spend $5 makes it unforgettable and fun,” said Barrow.

Senior Kevin Graham said he believes Valentine’s Day is a holiday only enjoyed by couples. “It is just another day for a person who doesn’t have a special someone,” said Graham. He suggested you surround yourself with your friends who may not have a special someone on Valentine’s Day.

Senior Brandon Johnson disagreed with Graham’s view on the upcoming holiday. Single people can enjoy Valentine’s Day just as much as a happy couple, according to Johnson. “Just being with people you can laugh with and laugh at should be how every-one spends their Valentine’s Day,” he said.

Valentines get ready to celebrate holiday

Guys share opinions, view holiday differently

Josh Kramer plays cupid to bring TJ Ray’s focus on Becca Scher instead of on a video game on Valentine’s Day.

Photo By: Brittany Orner

Established nearly six years ago, Face-book has become one of the most well known communication websites on the Internet.

Every day millions of people log on to use Facebook to blog, chat with friends, post pictures and more.

Some people, however, aren’t as thrilled to see Facebook’s rise in popularity.

“People tend to get jealous about other people’s comments and statuses. It’s all in how you look at it, I guess,” said sophomore Trey Anderson.

This new technology has brought new words into the language, such as “facebook-stalking” and “news feed.”

“For me, ‘facebook-stalking’ is leaving a bunch of comments on someone’s facebook and then not leaving you alone when you ask,” said senior David Leiberman.

“The ‘news feed’ is basically like a real life Gossip Girl episode. There’s a lot of drama, random ideas and a lot of stupid things no one really cares about knowing about each other. It’s open to whoever wants to read it when the person logs in to their account,” said freshman Johanna Stine.

“It’s high school. For some reason people feel the need to write on someone’s profile to tell them exactly how much of a horrible-to-the-core person they are and why they should drop off the face of the earth. It really isn’t neces-sary,” said sophomore Kate Butterbaugh.

Relationship beginnings and endings have become so common that the new term “Facebook breakup” has its own definition. According to urbandictionary.com, “Facebook breakup” is the act of breaking up with some-one by changing your status on Facebook.

“I’m a firm believer in the old school type of relationships,” said Butterbaugh. “Starting and ending relationships on Facebook just proves that the people involved aren’ t mature enough for a relationship. Period,” she added.

What you post on Facebook may also hurt your job opportunities.

Colleges, businesses, music artists and companies have created Facebook pages as a way of drawing attention to their products and causes. Some companies and employ-ers check an applicant’s Facebook and other internet information to see if they still want to hire that person. Many employers also check the Facebooks of current employees.

Some employees have been fired from their jobs for using Facebook during their work-ing hours or saying negative things about their jobs, bosses and fellow workers.

Facebook’s homepage warns its users not to put anything personal on their pages because it’s open to any viewer.

6 Special T-Bolt Tribune 1.29.10

Every six minutes in the United States, a woman is raped. This would mean that each day during the time students are in school, about 70 women are raped.

What’s even worse is that 84 per-cent of these victims are being raped by someone they know, according to the website fit.edu.

“This is a stag-gering number. And it is appalling to think that it could be done by someone they know or even [by] someone they trust,” said senior Alyssa Brown.

Though these statistics are alarm-ing, the truth is that dating can be dan-gerous, even lead-ing to the growing crime, date rape.

So what exactly is date rape?

The difference between rape and date rape is the situ-ation, according to Mrs. Linda Hager, school psychologist. It occurs “when the [victim] knows and trusts the [attacker],” she said.

“When I think of date rape, I think of young people having their defenses down,” said Hager.

“Your guard is down [because] you’re with that person under the false pretens-es that you’re developing a relationship with [him],” said Mrs. Sheree Coffman, student assistance counselor. “There is a possession of trust that can be abused or manipulated,” she added.

“Both (rape and date rape) are crimes. Rape is not about sex—it is an act of power by the rapist and it is always

wrong,” according to girlshealth.gov. “Both are equally devastating. Rape

is the worst psychological feeling you can be in and has long term psycho-logical effects,” Hager said.

“When you’re violated, you’re vio-lated,” said Coffman. “But it’s harder to talk about date rape,” she added.

As a result, many date rape cases go unreported. Only “57 percent of the women who have been (date) raped la-bel their experience as rape,” according

to survive.org. In addition, “some experts estimate that only about 10 percent of all (date) rapes are reported to po-lice,” according to doitnow.org.

“It takes a real strong person to report a rape,” said Hager.

Most women are not strong enough to report a rape, though, because they “are fearful that they will not be believed or will somehow be

blamed,” said the website, fit.edu. Also, “if friendships are involved,

[victims] are worried [the attacker] will get mad at them,” said Coffman.

Alcohol and drugs play a major part in these unreported date rapes.

Consequently, the number of unre-ported date rapes increases as women, specifically teenagers, fear admitting to drinking.

These victims “don’t want to admit to doing something illegal,” said Coffman.

Fear is not the only factor that pre-vents teenagers from reporting date rape.

The excessive use of drugs and al-cohol lead to poor judgment and mis-

communication; therefore, the vic-tims are not sure if they have been raped, according to fit.edu.

A staggering 75 percent of date rapes occur at parties involving drugs and alcohol because wom-en under the influence are less likely to “accurately assess what [is] happening or realize it after it [is] too late,” the site said.

“If you’re impaired, you’re not thinking clearly,” Coffman said.

Drinking “puts you in a real vul-nerable position when you have to tell the details because your mem-ory is fuzzy,” said Hager.

However, “though victims may engage in behaviors that increase their vulnerability, they are not to blame if date rape occurs,” said fit.edu.

“Use common sense,” said Mrs. Amy Peters, guidance counselor. “Know who you are out with, always be linked to someone who has control, go out in larger groups and make sure someone knows where you are at all times,” she added.

“Be smart for yourself and for your friends,” said Peters. It is important to know that, “yes, it can happen to you,” she said.

“Date rape can happen to anyone,” Coffman added.

If it does happen, date rape victims should “find a trusted adult to talk to, es-pecially if legal is-sues may need to be taken,” said Peters. “While friends are a great support system, they don’t always keep things confiden-tial,” she added.

“It’s important to deal with it because a lot of feelings get trickled over to other things,” said Peters.

Students can always go to the guid-ance office or nurse for help.

“Our role as counselors is being a band-aid for students,” Peters said. “I just really encourage [date rape victims] to tell an adult,” she added.

Emily StudyEditor-in-Chief

Call for HelpRAINN Hotline: 1-800-656-HOPE

(1-800-656-4673)

The Rape, Abuse, Incest National Net-work will automatically transfer you to the rape crisis center nearest you, anywhere in the nation.

How to protect yourself1. Don’t drink anything that you did

not see poured, open yourself or that someone else gave you (other than a wait-er), no matter how good-looking he is.

2. Always watch your drink. If you leave it unattended for any amount of time, dump it and get a fresh drink.

3. Go out in groups. Three or more people is best. Friends should take care of friends and be observant of any strange behavior, such as slurred speech and lack of alertness.

4. If you think you have been drugged, ask for help immedi-ately (preferably not from a stranger) and

get yourself to a public place if you are not currently in one. You may have only a few minutes of alert behavior.

5. If you think a friend has been drugged, do not leave her alone. Seek help imme-diately. -sfwar.org

Date rape cases increase, often go unreported

7SpecialT-Bolt Tribune1.29.10Victims of date rape become even

more vulnerable if they have been slipped the drug Rohypnol, also known as “roofies,” which is an anesthetic pill that dissolves in liquid.

The drug is dangerous because “it’s so easy for [a person] to slip into some-one’s drink,” Coffman said.

The 2009 movie, The Hangover, clearly outlines the effects of this drug.

In the mov-ie, three of the main charac-ters wake up the next morn-ing not remem-bering a single thing from the previous night.

They later find out that they had a crazy night in which they stole Mike Tyson’s ti-ger, one character got married, one went to the hospital and the third pulled out his own tooth. They even forget they put their friend on the roof of the hotel.

So why didn’t they remember any of these events? The answer: roofies.

Their temporary amnesia was due to the roofies that one of the characters slipped into their alcohol.

When roofies are combined with al-cohol, they are particularly dangerous.

“The combination can produce ex-tremely low blood pressure, respiratory depression, difficulty breathing, coma or even death,” according to 911rape.org.

Also, amnesia is especially likely when roofies are ingested with alcohol, the site added.

The characters’ situ-ation in The Hangover does not only happen in Hollywood movies, though. In fact, the use of roofies happens so frequently that the drug has even been nicknamed the “date rape drug,” according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.

“I think it’s terrible and upsetting that roofies have been used so frequently for

date rape,” junior Shelbi Jones said. Used by themselves, roofies have

many effects, including temporary am-nesia, drowsiness, confusion, impaired motor skills, dizziness, disorientation, impaired judgment and reduced levels of consciousness, according 911rape.org.

“They lower your inhibitions,” Coff-man said.

Roofies “are really [used] to cause a victim,” said Hager. They “put vic-tims in the posi-tion so [the at-tacker] can get away with what [he] is doing,” she said.

When roof-ies or other anesthesia-type

drugs are used as weapons in sexual assault cases, it is referred to as drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA).

“Nationwide law enforcement report-ing indicates that the number of such assaults appears to be increasing,” ac-cording to justice.gov.

“I think the [number is] increasing because the drugs are easier to come by and more people are getting away with it, making it an easier option for a lot of predators,” said junior Stephanie Bowser.

As with other cases of date rape, many DFSA are not reported.

The site said that often-times, “victims are reluctant to report incidents because they lack specific recall of the assault.”

Also, the drugs are rapid-ly absorbed and metabolized by the body, making them undetectable in routine urine and blood drug screenings.

Other drugs used for DFSA include gamma hy-droxybutyric acid (GHB) and

ketamine. GHB comes in a liquid with no odor or color, a white powder and a pill. Ketamine comes only as a white powder.

“Because of the effects of these drugs, victims may be physically help-

less, unable to refuse sex and unable to remember what happened,” the site added.

“They are snoring! [Victims] are physically not able to resist [the attack-er],” said Hager.

These effects begin to set in af-ter 20 to 30 minutes and can last between eight to 12 hours, meaning that a whole evening of events may be experienced while blacked out.

“The fast acting ef-fects of the pill, com-bined with the mem-ory loss and muscle relaxation, create a weapon that can be used discreetly and with tragic efficiency,” said aftersilence.org.

“Students are not as aware of the dan-gers of these drugs as they should be,” said Mrs. Amy Phelps, school nurse. “There is not a lot of informa-tion out there (about the drugs), parents don’t talk to their kids about them and schools are hesitant to talk to students about them because they don’t want to offend parents,” she added.

Date rape drugs “are used more of-ten than we realize,” Phelps said.

It’s hard to know exactly how often the drugs are used, though, because when it does happen, it’s not reported, according to Coffman.

However, because of the growing popularity of Rohypnol in particular, it has been banned in the United States.

The continuous “allegations of drug-date rape connection fueled the federal

ban of Rohypnol and inspired passage of a 1996 law making the use of any drug in a date rape a federal crime,” accord-ing to doitnow.org.

“The Drug-Induced Rape Prevention and Punishment Act of 1996 provides penalties of up to 20 years imprisonment

and fines for persons who intend to commit a crime of violence (includ-ing rape) by distributing a controlled substance to another individual without that individual’s knowledge,” aftersilence.org said.

In addition, “conviction for possession of Rohyp-nol can bring up to three years in prison,” accord-ing to laverne.edu.

“Sadly, this has not stopped Rohypnol from appearing across the United States as a tool to commit date rape,” said aftersilence.org.

People still use roof-ies to commit date rape because “they don’t see the long-term ramifica-tions. [The punishments]

are not publicized enough,” said Hager.To make roofies easier to detect, the

manufacturer, Hoffman-Roche, even re-vised the formula in January 1998, ac-cording to news.bbc.co.uk.

“It now contains a blue dye that will appear when it is added to any drink, and it is slower to dissolve,” the site said.

“This will help reduce the number of date rapes, and it will help people being date raped be more aware of what’s go-ing on,” said sophomore Rachel Hill.

Aftersilence.org explained that this revision has been designed as a safety measure and a warning sign.

Doug: I always wondered why they were called ‘roof-ies.’ ‘Cause you're more likely to end up on the floor than the roof. They should call them ‘ground-ies.’-The Hangover

All Photos By: Google.com

Date rape drugs lower inhibitions, ‘cause victims’

8 Feature T-Bolt Tribune 1.29.10

With the start of the new year, math teach-er Mr. Nick Degrazia has a fresh new look.

Degrazia made a deal with his seventh period math class, which allowed the stu-dents to cut off his hair.

The deal was that the math class as a whole had to work hard in class giving their best and paying attention, according to De-grazia.

This deal was made to help motivate the students to do a good job. In return, it made the students eager to participate and meet their goals.

“I think they wanted the pleasure of cut-ting my hair off, and I was due for a hair cut,” said Degrazia.

Degrazia has had his curly long locks be-fore. His hair was even a couple inches lon-ger in high school he said. He received his hair cut on Jan. 6.

Two students, seniors Derius Johnson and Samuel Reyes, were the ones who had the pleasure of cutting off their teacher’s hair.

“I was surprised because I didn’t think he would want all of his hair cut off and by his students,” said Reyes.

According to Degrazia, the reaction from students and staff to his new hair cut was shocking at first since his curly hair was gone.

“His new look makes him look more ma-ture,” said Johnson.

Shelby SwaffordBusiness Manager

The holiday season is now over, but who says the giving and caring about others has to stop there?

Mrs. Debbie Smith, special education teacher, has been battling cancer for over 10 years. As if that battle isn’t hard enough to fight, she has just acquired eight grandchil-dren into her care as well. Talk about a “full plate.”

Many Northmont students were involved in the Neighbors Helping Neighbors program, which brought in many presents and money

Julianne MohrFeature Editor

to help families with the holiday season, in-cluding Smith’s family.

However, the giving has not stopped there. Mrs. Patty Burkett, main office sec-retary, heard about Smith’s situation. “I just got to thinking about it and thought, ‘What can I do?’”

She came up with the idea to sell hand made necklaces, bracelets and earrings that she has created.

When she was younger, Burkett worked at a jewelry store where, she said, her boss taught her a lot.

So far, this project has raised over $800 for Smith and her family.

Burkett, a faculty member of 35 years, has been battling ovarian cancer since 1997.

After four rounds of chemotherapy, Bur-kett was cancer-free for a while. However, she was recently told that the cancer has returned.

Surgery at the Ohio State University Medical Center is the course of treatment she has taken this time around.

Although she is fighting her own battle with cancer, Burkett is doing what she can to help others.

“I love jewelry,” said Burkett. So with her love for jewelry and concern for others, Bur-

kett is continuing to help raise money for Smith.

Students and staff are still able to purchase jewel-ry from Burkett in the main office. She has about 20 necklaces and 20 bracelets left. Necklaces usually cost around $15 and bracelets cost from $6 to $8.

Reflecting on what this experience has taught her, Burkett said, “You just take stock of your life and think about what is important.”

Burkett, Smith help others beyond holiday season despite own challenges

All Photos By: Mrs. Sandy Freeman

Degrazia makes deal with math class; students cut hair‘I was due for a haircut’

The photos above and to the left show Degrazia before, during and after his haircut. Students in his seventh period class took turns shearing his locks.

Jewelry sales raise over $800

9FeatureT-Bolt Tribune1.29.10

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You sneak your phone to your side or be-hind your bag and take a quick look back to make sure the teacher isn’t looking. With a twittle of your thumbs, you press “send” and put the phone away…you’re texting during class and you weren’t caught. But wait. What did the teacher just say?

Does this scene sound familiar to you? If not, what about this one?

You drive out of the parking lot, and your phone vibrates, so you pick it up and text back while dodging traffi c. You slam on the brakes as you almost collide with another car.

What about this scene? You’re lying in bed and that text comes in. Before you know it, it’s midnight and you have to wake up for school in six hours.

The new addiction sweeping the nation is texting. Over 4.5 billion texts are sent ev-ery day in the United States, and 276 million people subscribed to wireless companies, according to Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA) President and CEO Steve Largent.

If the nation is texting so much, why are there such strict rules at school against it? Principal Mr. George Caras said he catches probably 10 kids a week texting and on av-erage two to three a day. But the kids who do not get caught texting are in the hun-dreds.

“Texting in class doesn’t have signifi -cance in students’ grades for the most part of what I’ve seen. It has signifi cance in their social life because they have to serve Wednesday and Saturday school. Most kids aren’t facing tons of discipline. It’s just an annoyance for us and them,” Caras said.

“All we are trying to do is keep it so we can get done what we need to do, but we don’t want to make school jail. It makes us happy to think we are in control of the tex-ting problem in class as long as you don’t blatantly do it in front of us,” Caras said.

After school you either text when you’re on the bus, or worse and more dangerous, you text while driving. The risk of getting in a crash when you text while driving is 23 times greater than if you weren’t, according to the Virginia Tech Driving Institute.

Offi cer Ms. Miley Chist from the Engle-

wood Police Department said, “Yes, I do see a lot of people texting while driving. Some-times I think that the person is drunk driving because they are swerving all over the road, but it turns out their head is down and they are texting.”

About 2,600 deaths and 300,000 colli-sions this year were due to cell phone dis-tractions.

Fourteen states have adopted the “hands free” law where you have to be hands free while driving. That means you can’t have your phone in hand.

Chist is in favor of adopting this law. “I absolutely believe this law could protect people and even save lives. Anything that can cut down on crashes will help,” she said.

Some statistics show that texting while driving is worse than driving under the in-fl uence, but Chist believes they are equally dangerous. “It is just as dangerous. Your at-tention is not exactly were it needs to be,” she explained.

The last part of your day is when you’re lying in bed and about to fall asleep. Then the text comes in. Before you know it, it’s

midnight and you aren’t going to get enough sleep for school the next day. Forty-four per-cent of the country’s 16-year-olds say texting is affecting their sleeping cycles. You may think this is harmless, but the long term con-sequences are frightening: increased heart disease, hypertension and memory impair-ment, according to Sudhansu Chokroverty, director of programs at JFK Medical Center, in Edison, NJ.

Texting is becoming an addiction in teens. They have a constant need to be in touch with others and to know what is happening. This is taking over teens’ thinking so that they can’t turn their phones off because they are worried someone will try to contact them but they won’t be able to reply, said Jackie Fer-rara, a New Jersey teen addicted to texting who was under an extensive cell phone ad-diction program.

The American Journal of Psychiatry said that texting obsessively can actually be a dis-ease called "compulsive-impulsive spectrum disorder." Some of the symptoms include feelings of withdrawal including anger and depression, excessive use of your phone and the need for better equipment.

Texting causes problems on streets, in class

Everyone knows that in order to have a good theatre production, a good cast is need-ed. But what about people who pull curtains, play music, cue lights, and design props, sets and costumes? Meet the crew.

Crew consists of seniors Cady Gannon and Carly Pike, stage managers; senior Mal-com Casey and sophomore Danni Tracy, lights; senior Brooke Hess, music; senior Patrick Hill, fl y system; and senior Erin Win-slow, costume designs. They are led by Mr. Carl Krauskopf, who has been working with

Northmont theatre since the 1980s.Stage management, sound, lights, fl y

system, props, costumes, set construction and running crew are the crews that make up a single show.

Sound and light crew and stage man-agement crew are the crews for which only one or two students are usually chosen to work.

Gannon is one of this year’s stage man-agers. She said she began behind the scenes volunteering with sets and makeup, then moved up to stage manager.

There are some down sides to being in crew though.

The only bad thing about tech crews is that we’re not recognized as much and the cast can look down upon you,” Hess said.

Casey agreed. “Sometimes the actors don’t realize that we put in a lot of time and effort to make them look their best,” he said.

“The cast has about three months to put a show together. “Techies,” as members of the crew are sometime known, have about one to three weeks,” explained Krauskopf. It takes around nine hours to cue lights and four hours to cue sound. After cuing every-thing, all the various crews only have a lim-ited time to get their parts together.

Technical diffi culties occur sometimes, such as sound and light crashes, forgotten props, machinery not working properly and fl y system mistakes.

Technical diffi culties are the things I hate most about crew jobs,” said Gannon.

Despite technical diffi culties and hard work, most crew members agreed working on crew is fun. Both Hess and Casey said they have met a lot of friends and have learned a lot.

New members are always welcome.Anyone can join by signing the Drama

Club form and paying Mrs. Strader $20 for the year according to Gannon.

Hannah CortesReporter

Students behind scenes work just as hard as actors themselves

Lyndsay BoydReporter

10 Feature T-Bolt Tribune 1.29.10

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At this time of the year, most colleges and universities have mailed their acceptance let-ters. If you haven’t received a response yet, don’t freak out! Some colleges wait until Feb-ruary or March to sent out acceptances.

So now that you have been accepted, it is time to face the inevitable. College is expen-sive. So why not do everything you can to lighten the load? Scholarships are one way you can go about it.

Lost as to where to start? Here is some help.

Scholarships.com is a great place to go. There are scholarships for just about every type of student. Plenty of money is available to students who are willing to put time and effort into getting it.

The Counseling Center has posted many scholarships on its website. Here are a few and their application deadlines:

Burger King Scholars Program (Feb. 1, 2010) Amount: $1,000

www.Haveityourwayfoundation.orgRequirements: GPA of 2.5 or higher,

work part-time for a minimum of 10 hours per week, be actively involved in commu-nity service activities, demonstrate financial need, plan to enroll in an accredited two/or four- year college, university or vocational/ technical school by fall of the application year.

Ohio State University Alumni Schol-ars Program (Feb. 1, 2010) Amount: $600

Requirements: Must be a high school senior with plans to attend The Ohio State University in the fall of 2010. Must be ranked in the top 10 percent of your high school class; demonstrate involvement in school and community activities and show a sound interest and positive attitude toward college work.

KFC Colonel’s Scholars Scholarship Program (Feb. 10, 2010) Amount: $1,000

Requirements: Must be a senior in high school; 2.75 GPA or higher; enrolled in a public, in state college or university; pursu-ing a bachelor’s degree; U.S. citizen.

Miami Valley Chapter of the Ohio Credit Union League (Feb. 12, 2010) Amount: $1,000

Requirements: Must be a high school

senior with a minimum GPA of 2.5. The ap-plicant or a family member must be a credit union member.

AXA Achievement Community Schol-arship (Feb. 15, 2010) Amount: $2,000

Requirements: Must demonstrate am-bition and drive, determination to set and reach goals, respect for self, family and community, and ability to succeed in col-lege.

The National Co-op Scholarship (Feb. 15, 2010) Amount: varies

Requirements: GPA of 3.5 or better; complete all the required admissions appli-cations material and be accepted for 2010-11 academic year at one of the National Commission Partner Institutions listed.

Best Buy Scholarship Program (Feb.

15, 2010) Amount: $1,000Requirements: Students need solid

grades; involved in volunteer community service or work experience.

James Kura Memorial Scholarship Competition (Feb. 19, 2010) Amount: $1,000

Requirements: Applicant must be an Ohio high school senior; have a minimum

2.5 GPA; accepted by an accredited, 4-year school beginning the academic year 2010-11; must also submit a 2-page essay with the application.

Delta Kappa Gamma International (Mar. 15, 2010) Amount: varies

Requirements: Must be a senior planning a career in education; must have a 3.0 GPA or higher; essay.

The William D. Squires Educational Foundation, Inc. (Apr. 5, 2010) Amount: $3,000

Requirements: Minimum of 3.2 GPA; be a graduating senior; have a specific career goal.

The Fountainhead Essay Contest for 11th and 12th graders (Apr. 26, 2010) Amount: varies

Requirements: Must be 11th or 12th grad-er; essay must be between 800 and 1600 words in length.

Link Crew Scholarship (May 1, 2010) Amount: $500

Requirements: Must be a graduating se-nior Link Leader who has completed at least one year of service as a Link Leader.

Maintenance problems occur at the high school, and they always need fixing. A simple call to one man ensures a quick fix to nearly every issue. The name? Holp. Jeff Holp.

Holp is the head custodian and can usu-ally be found in the school’s boiler room. It’s not a guarantee, though.

“I stay busy,” said Holp. “At 8 a.m., I’m usually locking doors around the school.”

After that, there’s no promise he’ll be where one would expect him to be. The man shuffles his duties around the school through-out the day, and there’s always something different.

“I help kids locked out of their lockers,” said Holp. “I fix breaks and break downs.

I work with heat and A/C. I give out work orders. I try to keep everyone happy,” Holp explained.

“He’s great to work with,” said Language Arts teacher Mrs. Carol Roberts. “He’s friendly with the staff and tries to accom-modate teachers and give them what they need. He’s very helpful,” she added.

That helpfulness is very far reaching. A typical day for Holp begins at 6 a.m. and ends at 3 p.m., but he works extra hours when the need arises.

“I don’t get paid for it, but it’s for comp (time off in exchange for time worked with-out pay), so I can take off when I want to,” said Holp.

Each year students walk into a fresh school unaware of how much work it took

to prepare the building for them. Holp is re-sponsible for making sure the fresh school year is parallel to a fresh school.

“I work all year ‘round. Furniture has to be taken out of classrooms. The floor needs to be stripped and waxed. The school needs to be cleaned every summer,” Holp explained.

“He’s done things specifically for my classroom,” said Roberts of Holp’s work, “like looking at my heater or fixing my cabi-net. He does what’s asked of him.”

Holp does have some less than happy times when it comes to his job, though. All the work would get to anyone, and he’s no exception.

“I don’t like when there’s too many things wrong at once and I have to fix them,” he said.

While stress works on Holp, there’s one thing in the school that gives him strength: the people.

“My favorite thing is being around the kids and the staff. I always enjoy them,” said Holp. “I try to help out everybody if I can,” he added.

What might the atmosphere of the school be without Holp?

“It would be different,” said Roberts. “We’d miss his friendliness, and we’d miss him be-ing around,” she added.

Northmont won’t have to worry about that any time soon, though. Holp has been a fixture of the school for a long time, and he shows no sign of ending that soon.

“It’s good when you can come to work and enjoy your job,” said Holp, “and I do.”

College Corner

Julianne MohrBrittany Orner

Feature Editors

Seniors seek financial aid through scholarships

Custodian’s job keeps him busy throughout school daySam Wright

Reporter

11SportsT-Bolt Tribune1.29.10

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Valentine’s Day is a holiday for love. Many people love athletes, but which ones are the most likable? Here are the athletes whom I think most people like.

10. David Beckham: The soccer play-ing dream boy whom the ladies love. No one can “bend is like Beckham.”

9. Tim Duncan: An NBA big man with four NBA titles and multiple MVPs. He’s a quiet superstar in a league that doesn’t have many quiet guys.

8. Kurt Warner: He’s a very successful NFL quarterback who came to stardom the hard way. He also does a lot of community service and donates a lot of his money and time to charities

7. Tom Brady: Everyone loves the quarterbacks. Brady has won multiple Su-per Bowls and MVPs. He’s one of the most recognized names in sports. Ask the Balti-more Ravens how much the refs like him.

6. Tim Tebow: Another quarterback. Tebow does missionary work overseas with his parents and helps a lot around his com-munity. The media especially seems to love the guy. Oh yeah, and he won a Heisman Trophy, two national titles and will be a first round pick in April’s NFL draft.

If you’re interested in becoming a col-lege athlete, the best thing to do is get your name out there any way you can. But that doesn’t mean paying a lot of money to do so.

That’s why Takle.com is a free website that allows high school athletes to connect with other athletes and college coaches. If you visit the site, you can create a profile consisting of photos, videos and statistics about you.

College coaches of 40 sports, from tra-ditional sports like football and basketball to marching band, cheerleading and skate-boarding, can view your profile and learn a little about you.

Statistics recommended on the site in-clude games played, wins, goals, assists, positions, league played in, club team, 40 yard sprint time, vertical leap height, shuttle time, bench press, Grade Point Average, ACT and SAT scores, any majors you are interested in and colleges you are interest-ed in.

Then you can send out your recruiting sheet to the National Collegiate Scholar-

ship Association straight from the site and get your name out there.

If you’re serious about playing any sport at the college level, there are some things you need to do first, according to Ms. Robin Spiller, athletic director:

1.Register for the Clearing House. The Clearing House is a non-profit organization for student degree and enrollment verifica-tion. You can register for this online.

2.Talk to your coaches. Tell them you’re interested in playing a college sport and ask them if they’ll help you get there. Mr. Lance Schneider, head football coach, usu-ally asks his players for a list of five schools where they would be interested in playing football and what they want to study. Then he can contact coaches and set up inter-views.

3.Get your grades up. Colleges want you to be able to take care of things off the field so you can focus fully on your sport. Bad grades are a liability to your coaches because you could end up not playing be-cause of ineligibility. “The better your grades, the more attractive you are as a blue-chip athlete,” said Spiller.

4.Get active off the field. Colleges like to see responsible, well-rounded athletes who are active more than just on the field or court. That means get involved in clubs

and programs offered at Northmont. As a college athlete, you are not only a member of your team but a representative of your school. That means being a good addition to your school not only through your skills but also your character.

If you’re looking into playing a college sport, then you’re probably thinking about scholarships. Last year, of the 480 athletes at Northmont, only 22 received some form of scholarship according to Spiller.

The NCAA limits the number of scholar-ships a university can give out in Division I and II.

According to the 2004 edition of The Student-Athlete & College Recruiting guide, football programs give the most scholarships, 63, while fencing programs give the fewest, 4.5. These numbers rep-resent the total scholarships available per sport, for all classes, freshmen through fifth year seniors, not just for the incoming class.

“When you’re only allowed to have a certain amount of scholarships, the com-petition becomes intense,” said Spiller. It’s competitive, but it’s not impossible. Just ask Northmont alumna Stephanie Doh-ner, who received a partial scholarship to Florida Tech.

But there are still some big differences

you need to be prepared for. “You’re expect-ed to train on your own. There’s not always practice every day, but it goes unsaid that you need to train every day,” said Dohner.

Blake Beemer, 2009 graduate, said he’s been practicing with his team at Ball State four hours a day since August for baseball, a spring sport. “In high school it’s an activity, but in college it’s our job,” said Beemer.

Putting in that extra effort will pay off, and now’s the perfect time to start.

“Get off to a good start as a freshman so you’re not trying to get out of the hole as a se-nior,” said Schneider. It doesn’t matter wheth-er you’re a senior or a freshman. Schneider recommended that if you are interested in playing a sport at the college level, you need to start now, on and off the field.

Rebecca PeetsReportor

5. Michael Phelps: Phelps has won a record 14 gold medals, and everyone in the United States was rooting for him. Phelps would be even more liked if it weren’t for his “bong” picture that showed up all over the Internet.

4. Derek Jeter: The team captain of America’s base-ball team, the New York Yankees. La-dies love the man, and he is one of the most popular play-ers to ever play. It helps that he has performed at his best on the biggest stage, the World Series.

3. Shawn John-son: Johnson’s a gymnastics star who burst onto the scene by winning gold in the last Olympics. She then went on to win Dancing with the Stars, a very popular TV show. Johnson is an athlete to

Ethan ZoellnerSports Editor

EZ chooses his most likable athleteswhom many people just gravitate.

2. Peyton Manning: He’s the only four-time NFL MVP and has won a Super Bowl. Mr. Manning also has a famous brother, Eli, who quar-terbacks the New York Giants. Manning do-nated money to build a hospital wing for children. He also has a great sense of hu-mor, which he shows off in what seems like hundreds of commer-cials. Everyone loves a funny and talented quarterback.

1. Lance Arm-strong: Armstrong is the greatest cyclist of all-time, and he did it by fighting off testicu-lar cancer. Armstrong won seven Tour de France competitions, five of those after

he fought off cancer. America fell in love with his story and still root for him. Live Strong.

Lance Armstrong won seven Tour de France events. He won five after he fought off cancer.

Photo From: Google

Athletes promote themselves to play in college

12 Sports T-Bolt Tribune 1.29.10One of McCoppin’s major goals this year

is not only to go to Districts but to place as many individuals as possible at the State meet. But in order for that to happen, he’ll need all the girls healthy, which is currently a problem for the team.

“Gymnastics is a tough sport on the body,” said Mr. Eric Newman, athletic trainer. “Every single girl on the gymnastics team has known an injury at some time or another,” Newman explained.

Sophomore Kelsie Anderson broke her hand at the beginning of the season. But she didn’t let that stop her. She kept competing in floor and beam, with one arm. “It’s fun trying to come up with one handed routines for floor,” said Anderson.

“She is pretty amazing,” said Woodbury. Anderson is expected to compete in the

all around and is a serious threat to qualify for the State meet, according to McCoppin.

“My teammates definitely support me.

They just tell me to do my best and not to push it too much,” said Anderson.

“We are all really close to each other,” said Woodbury.

What sets gymnastics apart from the other varsity sports is that they don’t have a typical Senior Night. No competitions are held at the high school, so there are no “home” meets.

The underclassmen still try to recognize the seniors with flowers during a meet at the end of the season, but not many fellow students attend because it’s not held at the school.

“This has always hurt our upperclass-men in that they don’t receive the recogni-tion from their peers that other sports enjoy,” said McCoppin.

The girls’ next competitions will be Jan. 30 at Lakota East beginning at 5:30 p.m. and on Feb. 13 at Anderson High School beginning at 1 p.m.

Gymnastics team’s lack of depth due to injuries; team hopes to bounce back at Lakota East competitonRebecca Peets Reporter

The varsity gymnastics team was off to a rough start this year after losing five seniors and having little depth to the team because of injuries.

“The team is much different [from last year]. We have a very young team this year,” said head coach Mr. Larry McCoppin.

With one senior, one junior, three sopho-mores and two freshmen, McCoppin was unsure how the season would go. But the girls surprised themselves and their competition by placing fifth out of 12 teams in their first meet on Saturday, Jan. 9.

“After that our expectations are really high,” said junior Zoe Woodbury. “We have a strong team and everyone has things that they need to improve on, but if we do that, we could really be great at Districts,” said Woodbury.

Only 31 days to go until the biggest sport-ing stage will shine on Vancouver, Canada, as the 2010 Winter Olympics will unite the world for two weeks.

Every two years, the Olympics take place; however, every two years the event alternates from winter events to summer events. Both the winter and summer Olympic games last for two weeks.

A few events that will take place during the winter games are alpine skiing, biathlon, hock-ey, bobsleigh, curling, luge, snowboarding, figure skating, skeleton and speed skating.

All these events will occur in venues all over Vancouver. They include the Canada Hockey Place, Vancouver Olympic Centre, Pacific Coliseum, Cypress Mountain and the Richmond Olympic Oval.

Brad FischerSports Editor

USA heads to Vancouver, Canada, for winter Olympic games

As the second semester begins, many students start to see some changes they need to make in their habits to have a better second semester. This is also true for the wrestling team and Mr. Scott Newburg, head wrestling coach.

“Our slogan is ‘You never stay the same. You get better or worse every day. We try to get better,’” said Newburg. The Bolts are currently ranked 10th in the area, as of Jan. 11.

So far, the lack of experience coming with youth is a key reason why the team may not be meeting all its expectations, according to Newburg.

“We are really young. We only have two seniors in our starting class,” said Newburg. “Half our team is made up of freshmen and sophomores, with a lot of good kids and a lot of good attitudes,” he explained.

Another obstacle the team faces is lacking a wrestler in three different classes.

“We don’t have a 135 pound, 215 pound or 285 pound weight class, so we have to forfeit 12 points every time we hit the mat,” said Newburg.

Despite the team’s disadvantages, a number of the wrestlers still thrive. A few of their standings as of Jan. 11 are as follows:

Senior Jesse Walker (130 lb.) and sophomore Jonah Newburg (160 lb.) lead the way for the T-Bolts. Both are in first place in the Greater Western Ohio Conference (GWOC). Junior Paul Winkler (171 lb.) is also tied for first in the GWOC. Sophomore Max Greer (140 lb.) is fourth in the GWOC, as is TJ Ho (103 lb.), who is tied for fourth.

Inexperience, voids in weight classes cause wrestling woes

The USA hockey team is looking pretty strong this year. The two top goalies in the NHL, Tim Thomas from the Boston Bruins and Ryan Miller from the Buffalo Sabers, are a strong force in goaltending. Accord-ing to nbcolympics.com, USA is going to be competitive, but Canada is the favorite to win the gold.

Another sport to watch is snowboarding. Olympic gold medalist Shaun White is a two-sport athlete competing both in skate-boarding and snowboarding, but he will be competing in the snowboarding events in Vancouver.

White looks strong going into the 2010 Olympic games. After winning gold during the Torino games, White is expected to capture a spot at the podium once again.

Ski Jumper Anders Johnson is appearing in his second Olympic games at the age of 20. When Johnson was two years old, his dad took him on a skiing trip with his sister.

Thinking that Johnson was still too young, Johnson’s dad told his son not to attempt any jumps because he was so young.

Without warning, Johnson began to ski down the mountain and jumped off a bunny hill. Last winter games he finished 14th, but he should improve on that this year.

Bobsleigher Steve Holcomb was a reign-ing four-man world champion before he suffered a degenerative eye condition. After having his eyesight restored to 20/20 vision, Holcomb hopes to bounce back these winter games.

As the torch relay makes its way across Canada, it will arrive in Vancouver on Feb. 12 for the start of the Winter Games.

Senior Hussein Saleh said, “I love the Olympics! It’s like the juggernaut of sports.” Junior Julianna Murakami said, “I think the Olympics are a really good thing for the world to come together.”

Assistant Editor-in-ChiefKyle Howard

Bailey Myers (left) swims the freestyle. Sam Sussman (center) takes the lead swimming the butterfly. Ashley Gracey (right) competes in the breaststroke. The swim team won its last home meet of the season in a very close match against Wayne Jan. 23. The team will travel to Trot-wood this Saturday to compete in the GWOC Sectionals.