Chowing down at MHS 'Throwdown' - My High School Journalism

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Page 6 Features ‘Tis the season to not be shaving: November’s furry reign of terror by Colleen Sherman Features Editor Leonardo da Vinci, Abraham Lincoln, Michelangelo Buonarroti and Albus Dumbledore are all considered great men, and they all seem to be linked by one uniting force: great facial hair, something which has recently been seen around the halls of Monarch. The first week in November marked the beginning of scruffy faces, the hallmark of an annual tradition known as No Shave November. No Shave November is a marathon of manliness, a strike on shaving for the entire month. Some people do it for a sports team, such as Week 1 Week 1 MHS football players for the state playoffs. Others participate for attention. According to NoShaveNovember.org, this annual holiday was actually dedicated to Darfur genocide awareness this year. No matter what the reason for participating, this November was a razor-free spectacle to see. Unfortunately, No Shave November is only an option for a few mature students who have the ability to grow facial hair. “It’s kind of like asking a bald man to have long hair; if you’ve got it you can flaunt it. But, if not, then you might try choosing something else,” history teacher Andrew Buhse said. Buhse is a noted member of the bearded com- Students throw up at ‘Throwdown’ (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1) Many teams felt this contest wouldn’t come down just to a team’s ability to eat, instead, they thought whoever had the best strategy would be victorious. “We are going to mix the cranberry sauce with the mashed potatoes to combine the two nasty foods into one,” junior Tyler Slade said. Some of the better teams in this year’s contest included Team Boss, the Dilfers, Tyler and the Phaties and The Taylor Swift Groupies, who all finished the meal in around seven minutes. However, their creative names and uniforms Sophomore Ryan Muller finds out that mashed potatoes look as good coming up as they do going down. Week 2 Week 2 Photo by Collin Walentine couldn’t overcome the sheer eating ability of the Big Boiiis. Freshmen Adan Morquecho, Travis Schlueter, Kenny Dienst, and Ian Steele ate the entire meal in an astonishing time of 5:37. “I kinda want to go again so I can eat some more,” Schlueter said after his turn. This year’s contest had everything an eating fan could want. There was food eaten off the floor, faces crammed full, and plenty of vomit. It’s all part of the unique Monarch eating tradition known as theThanksgiving Throwdown. buffboy1991@yahoo.com Monarch High School Final Exam Schedule (Good Luck) Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday 7:30- 9:00 9:05- 11:20 11:20- 12:05 12:10- 2:25 2:30- 3:00 Tutor Time Period 1 Exam Tutor Time Period 2 Exam Tutor Time Period 3 Exam Tutor Time Period 4 Exam Lunch Lunch Lunch Lunch Period 5 Exam Tutor Time Period 6 Exam Tutor Time Period 7 Exam Tutor Time Make-up Exams Make-up Exams munity at Monarch who strives for a Chuck Norris look. Seniors Alex Puldy and Chris Contini are two students who pride themselves on their ability to grow full beards. Contini is a No Shave November veteran, but this was Puldy’s first year participating. They turned the event into a full-on competition, Puldy aiming for a Jack Sparrow look and Contini attempting a Sean Connery appeal. “It’s nice knowing that I can grow facial hair a lot better than my friends,” Contini said. Undisputedly, there is a sense of pride within the male, beard-growing community when it comes to who can grow the best facial hair. Week 3 Week 3 Teacher features: Weird science by Leah Fultonberg Howler Staff Have you ever wanted to know more about some of the members of the Monarch Science department? Well, here’s your chance. Laszlo Vass, Dave Thomas, Kristin Donley, John Stillian, Peter Shannon, and Kevin Lowe admit that at one point, they were in high school… just like you. Q: Was science your favorite subject in high school? Vass: Drama was my favorite. I was in all the plays. Thomas: Most definitely not. I had the most evil science teachers in high school…so I became one! Donley: Science, of course! Genetic engineering. Stillian: English. I didn’t take any serious science until college. Shannon: Science. Lowe: Math and science. Q: What were you like in high school? Vass: The same as now, just weirder and younger. Outgoing, less gray hair, well known. Thomas: I was completely messed up freshman year. Typical freshman boy problems. Then I got good grades and tried to hang out with the honors crowd. Donley: I was just weird. I did sports and was in lots of social groups. Oh! I cloned a geranium plant in high school! Stillian: I ran cross-country. Shannon: I played football, track, volleyball, Week 4 “The beards here at Monarch are pretty good,” Buhse said. “I’d be curious to see of all the students who have beards here at Monarch, what their love life is like.” Contini and Puldy agree that women aren’t usually attracted to the facial hair which has been gracing the faces of participating students. However, this is a tradition that gathers fresh, matured faces every year, and with a cult following it doesn’t seem like it will be going away any time soon. “I just hope no one treats me differently because I have a crusty-ass beard on my face,” Puldy said. collsherman@aol.com Week 4 Photo provided by Kristin Donley MHS science teacher Kristin Donley’s high school photo. and was NHS president. Lowe: I don’t know. I had hair. Photos by Colleen Sherman Q: What’s something few people know about you? Vass: I’m from Transylvania. Thomas: I’m kind of, like, into death metal. Donley: I was a Def Leppard groupie. Stillian: I was in the Air Force in Vietnam. Shannon: I ski a lot. I’m from Breckenridge. Lowe: I coached wrestling for over 20 years. I coached track for 15 years. Q:Experiment gone wrong? Vass: I had a girl throw up during a video. She had a good healthy breakfast. It was very stinky. Thomas: My friend who was a doctor brought in a human brain to show in biology. A kid passed out and his head landed in the full recycling bin. Had he been standing anywhere else, he would’ve cracked his head open. Donley: One time, I set my projector on fire in class accidentally. All the kids were like, ‘Do it again!’ and the projector was all melted. Shannon: A kid had an explosion once. He only read the first direction of the lab and then skipped to the sixth step. The sixth step said, ‘stick it in the flame.’ It exploded, but nobody was hurt. Lowe: It was a radioactivity lab in college. I measured the radioactivity and got knocked out of the shield. Features Page 7 Invisible Children inspire MHS a school, they can’t go to school. They don’t have the opportunity to complain,” said junior Max Stanford, co-president of Monarch’s Invisible Children Club. This school year, Monarch students have become more involved in the crisis in Uganda. Co-presidents Stanford and senior Jennifer Spear run the Invisible Children Club with the help of Donley. They meet every Photo provided by InvisibleChildren.com The children of the Ugandan crisis wonder if peace will come. by Morgan Kozin Howler Staff Three years ago, seniors in the 2007 graduating class, Jason Cashdollar and Hayley Schneider, brought the Invisible Children organization to MHS as a Future Business Leaders of America project, and each year the organization has gained momentum and popularity within the Monarch community. This year, the club is bigger than ever. The movement has begun to reach even those who know little about the crisis in Uganda. Since the early 1980’s, northern Uganda has been in the midst of a civil war between the corrupt Ugandan government (GOU) and the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). Twenty-two years ago, Joseph Kony created the LRA saying that he wanted to fight the GOU to end prejudices against an ethnic group called the Acholi people. However, most of his attacks have been towards this group. The LRA has terrorized the Ugandan population through harassment of suspected sympathizers of the GOU by cutting off their hands, ears, or lips. In addition, Kony has supplied his army with mostly child soldiers that have been violently abducted and forced to enlist. Young boys are trained to fight, while girls are used as sex slaves for the older LRA soldiers and officers. In 2002, the LRA killed 48 people in a northern Ugandan town. Elderly people and adults were brutally killed with machetes and spears. According to informaworld.com, an online database and reference website, babies were thrown against trees. Ugandan families have been torn apart by this civil unrest. Many parents, if they haven’t succumbed to the violence or disease, fear for their children’s lives. Young boys and girls roam the streets at night to try to find a safe place to sleep and avoid being kidnapped by the LRA, risking never seeing their families again. This violation of human rights is a forgotten crisis due to the world’s lack of involvement. The GOU is morally corrupt and not doing nearly enough to protect its own citizens. Since Invisible Children’s involvement, the number of child abductions has decreased in Uganda but have become more frequent in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The problem now is the great influx in the displacement camps from both Ugandan refugees as well as those from the DRC. These camps are cities of people crowded together in huts with little or no resources. People die daily from malnutrition, disease, abuse and rape. Children can’t afford to go to school, which prevents them from escaping the camps and danger. “We take for granted our education, but then when you look at it, these kids don’t have Wednesday afternoon in room B111. So far, they have sold boo grams for Halloween, participated in the penny war alongside Junior Senate and recently finished a book drive. They aspire to raise $4,000 to $5,000 this year to contribute to the cause. “We can all make a difference. If we all donated a dollar, that’s $2,000. You can make a big difference with a lot of little people,” Spear said. Spear also wants the Monarch student body to know that 99 percent of all profits go to help the children in Uganda. None of it goes to the government, so every dollar really does help those that can’t help themselves. For more information on the crisis in northern Uganda or to get involved with Invisible Children, visit www.invisiblechildren.org or attend a meeting on Wednesday after school. It’s not required to attend all meetings or events, the officers simply want the awareness spread throughout the school. The brutal injustices in Uganda are ongoing, and now, thanks to Invisible Children, Monarch students can contribute to ending this horrible war. mkozin13@gmail.com Photo provided by InvisibleChildren.com Children and adults alike live in crowded refugee camps like this one in Uganda due to displacement. Brightening a winter’s night by Ashley Ward Howler Staff Each year on the first Friday in December, a dark winter night in Louisville is illuminated with holiday spirit. Bright floats covered in lights come by the dozen through Old Town, accompanied by bands playing festive music and costumed children giving out candy. The Parade of Lights is scheduled for Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. Much of the Louisville community gathers along the sidewalks of Main St. to watch this holiday tradition. “The Parade of Lights is one of the only events the community does together,” junior Arlene Brugal said. “I’ve gone for three years and the lights are always nice and bright. It’s so fun!” Senior Sara Paine experiences the parade from a different point of view. She is in Monarch’s color guard and has been in the parade for four years. “I love seeing the cute, small children and their happy little faces as they watch all the floats go by,” Paine said. For more information, email the Louisville Chamber of Commerce at chamber@h2net.net. award4313@bvsd.org Portraits showcase student talent by Evanne Montoya Editor in Chief Forget those expensive professional photographers, Monarch photo students are well on their way to becoming experts. For the second year, students in levels two and above had the opportunity to work with models and professional lights in a portrait studio located in a room off of the art room. Jenna Kendall was a Photo One student last year, and her mother works for a Photo by Evanne Montoya Junior Katelynn Johnson poses with a plant prop for junior Megan Cousins as she takes a photograph. company that sells lights. Monarch photography teacher Claudia LaStella, was able to purchase an entire set of professional lights at half-price. “The value of [the project] is learning to deal with lights, learning to deal with models in a much stricter sense than ‘here is my friend posed,’ and seeing what different lights do,” LaStella said. The class learned about different lighting methods and got tips on posing models from professional photographer Rick Christie. From there, they brainstormed ideas, enlisted classmates as models and found props. This was a favorite project for senior Blakely Farrow. “When I was little I had a bunch of ballerina pictures and paintings in my room and I thought it would be cool to remake them,” Farrow said. Junior Lilly Moody found coming up with ideas to be difficult, but she really felt that the project improved her skills. “It taught me about using lighting and how to look at things and find the beauty in them,” Moody said. LaStella plans to continue to include this project in the class’ curriculum. “It has been very successful, and I have high hopes for this semester’s pictures,” LaStella said. Pictures from the portrait studio will be displayed around the school the week of Dec. 15. evy224ever@juno.com
Page 8 A&E Ask Brock: What do I do if I get stuck under the mistletoe with someone I don’t like? by Brock Millington Howler Staff Picture this: You’re at a Christmas party enjoying yourself and the company of your friends. You’re busy enjoying your eggnog and Christmas cookie when, all of a sudden, you’re staring at the one person you dislike the most at the party, and they’re holding mistletoe! Now, you may be asking yourself, “What do I do?” Don’t worry, take a deep breath, and choose one of these escape routes to avoid the dreaded mistletoe. • • • • • • • Pretend that you are getting an important call and get out of there before they come in for the kiss. As he or she walks up to you, become extremely “clingy” and say you want to start a relationship. This will make the person uncomfortable and change his or her mind about kissing you. When you see the person start to walk over, fake an asthma attack or start coughing uncontrollably. No one wants to make out with a sick person. Say that you’re involved in a serious relationship and can’t kiss the person because it would cross the boundaries of your other relationship. If you are around some finger foods, grab as many as you can and stuff them all in your mouth. Then, start chewing with your mouth open. That’s attractive! Run. It may seem rude, but whatever will get you out of this situation is a risk worth taking. Take control of the situation. Grab his or her’s head and kiss them on the cheek. They may seem “put out” or discouraged but let it be. So, if this situation ever appears in your life, just remember these useful tips. You’ll know exactly what to do in order to avoid a kiss from that unpleasant someone and the dreaded mistletoe. Do you need Brock’s advice? Drop your question off in the box outside of Ms. Grace’s room, L205B, and he will answer it in the next issue. How to prepare for finals by Asia Kennebrew Howler Staff As the week of finals approaches, m a n y Monarch students are scrambling to study. Students are trying to cram four months worth of information into their heads and stressing themselves out until they break. But excessive stress won’t help, and neither will a late night cramming session the night before the final. These tips will help prepare you for the dreaded week ahead. Studying for exams is important, of course, but pacing your study time is crucial. No one can recall a semester’s material in one night. Start preparing ahead of time, and take advantage of all the resources at hand. Splitting the information into small, digestible chunks will assist the memorization process and will be beneficial to your mental health. Planning study groups with friends (who will remain focused) can be a relaxing and rewarding way to prepare for tests as well. But studying isn’t everything. Students need to remember to take some time off for themselves. Doing something you love can be an awesome stress reliever. Some options New film class rolling at MHS by Zak Griffler Howler Staff Photo by Asia Kennebrew Studying for several different finals can bring stress to many Monarch students. Students needing to fill their schedules next year have a new class to take. Film Production, not to be confused with Film Literature, will be on the class roster. This wasn’t a spur of the moment addition; the class has been in the planning stages for over seven years. According to language arts teacher, and prospective teacher of the course, Chris Weber, many factors led to the creation of the class. “About seven to eight years ago, we held a survey to see what classes students would be interested in,” he said. “Film Production was highly marked among students.” The department is planning on setting up a permanent room for the class, complete with a surround-sound system and projector for student film viewings, as well as a computer system dedicated to film production. The Language Arts department has also had to request extra funding from the district to purchase cameras and other technology for the class. “We know that a lot of kids have their own cameras, but we wanted to make sure ther’s be enough technology for everyone,” Weber said. The current plan is that the class will include reading books like Social Studies teacher Andrew Buhse or listening to music like freshman Tia Cooper. “I ride my horse,” junior Parry Allen said. “It’s relaxing.” Taking time out of the day to do an activity or hobby you enjoy reduces stress levels and creates more focus when it’s time to study. “I’m worried,” said employ Windows Movie Maker for editing, as it’s already installed on the school computer network. Though some film students may balk at its more simplistic functionality, the staff finds it a good introduction into the world of film editing. The class is going to be taught or assisted by current Language Arts teachers Patrick Miskella, Taryn Gillespie, Mike Kugler and Weber. It’s been speculated that Film Literature is going to be a pre-requisite course to Film Production, but this has been up for debate amongst the staff. The main reasoning is due to the filmmaking vocabulary taught in Film Literature. Some feel that the knowledge learned in Film Literature would assist students in their Film Production projects. Senior Ben Fraser, a prospective film production major, disagrees with the need for Film Literature as a pre-requisite course. “I’d say Film Lit. shouldn’t be a requirement. It’s probably better suited as a recommendation for the sake of background knowledge,” Fraser said. There has not yet been a final decision regarding a pre-requisite course. The class is scheduled to be available for students in the fall of 2009. notzak@gmail.com f r e s h m a n Anna Mickel, who has never taken finals before. The truth is many students are worried about doing well on their semester finals, under- and upperclassmen alike. But the key is to stay calm. If you find yourself panicking, take a few deep breaths and let them out. If you still can’t relax, try a technique called progressive muscle relaxation. This technique is used by tensing the muscles for a few seconds, then releasing the tension, causing your muscles to relax. Worrying obsessively about the final won’t do any good. Taking an attitude like Cooper has, who says she’s not worried and plans to study, is the best way to ace your final exams. Have a healthy amount of stress, but don’t stress yourself out. Take time to do the things you love, but don’t procrastinate until it’s impossible to do well. Finals Checklist Join a study group. Sometimes studying with friends can help you feel more prepared. They can help you figure problems out and can prepare you for the test. Prepare study materials well in advance. Know what you’re going to study so you’re not scrambling around at the last minute. Ask teachers for help. Go into the study sessions teachers offer in the mornings and afternoons during the week. Sometimes they’ll ask the same questions in the review as they will on the actual final. Get plenty of sleep. Go to bed at a reasonable hour the night before so you can feel energetic and well-rested for the exam. Eat a balanced meal. Test taking on an empty stomach won’t help you grade. Have a healthy and filling breakfast to make sure you won’t get hungry during the test. Take your time! Remember it’s not a race. You’re probably not going to get extra points for being the first one finished. Be positive. If you go into exam day thinking you won’t do well, you probably won’t. Be confident in you test taking skills. Take time to do the things you love. Don’t forget to take breaks every once and a while to do something fun. Photo by Megan Moran The upstairs computer lab in A wing is one of the prospective locations for the Film Production class starting next year. Photo by Megan Moran Language Arts teacher Chris Weber is one of the teachers who might be assisting the Film Production class.
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