December 2010

INKLINGS
Dec. 17, 2010
•
Volume 75 Issue 3 • Crown Point High School • 1500 S. Main Street Crown Point, IN 46307 • inklings@cps.k12.in.us
Identity theft
Recipes
In the season of spending, students are susceptible to identity theft, and the predators are unexpected.
Warm your winter with these yummy treats. Members of the Inklings staff
brought in their favorite recipes and voted for the best. Published are our
five favorite recipes of cookies, Oreo balls, and even a hot drink. To avoid
the boredom of winter break, spend a day baking these recipes.
pg. 7
the
IN know
Qualizza to be honored
at Sunday’s Colts game
Senior Brad Qualizza
was
selected
to
the
Indianapolis Colts Academic
All-State Team and will be
honored as one of 24 high
school student athletes on
Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium
during the game against the
Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Colts, the Indiana
High
School
Athletic
Association and the IFCA
have worked together for
the past 12 years to present
this annual award to the top
student-athletes at each
position.
Fun fair for charity
scheduled in January
Charity Finders and
Best Buddies are sponsoring a fun fair, and part of the
proceeds will be donated to
cerebral palsy foundations.
The event will be Friday, Jan.14,from 5 to 7
p.m. in the cafeteria and is
open to all students, including elementary. There is no
admission charge but patrons must purchase tickets
to participate in the games
and cake walk. The event
will also feature food and
prizes.
Senior portrait deadline,
Financial Aid night set
Seniors
must
have
their portrait taken at Titak
Photography in Schererville
by Dec. 31 to have it included
in the 2011 yearbook. To
make an appointment call
(219) 865-3869 or visit
www.titakphotography.com
A Financial aid night will
be held on Tuesday, Jan. 25
at 6:30 p.m. in the auditorium.
Information regarding state
and federal aid for students
who plan to attend college in
the fall will be presented.
pg. 3
Holiday traditions
Fighting
the flu
The way Crown Point families spend their holidays vary from
playing football in a schoolyard to going to parades.
pg. 10
With flu season
nearing full
swing, students
have options to
avoid, fight virus
By Garret Hogan
copy editor
When the air is bitter, the wind is icy, and
the noses are red, that’s when students know
that it is the flu season. Every winter, students,
no matter how hard they try to stay sanitized,
worry whether or not they will catch the yearly
flu.
“I unfortunately get the annual stomach
flu and sometimes I even get the regular flu,
and I am worried that it will happen again,”
senior Brittany James said.
It is hard to tell exactly how many students
will go home each year due to the flu.
“Some years we get hit extremely hard
and others, it is as if no one even got (the flu),”
school nurse Carrie Ready said. “This makes
making any predictions for this year very
difficult.”
However, when a sick child does come
down to the nurse’s office (located right
by the bookstore,) a fever is the biggest
If the student
has a fever of 100
degrees or over,
they are to be sent
home regardless
of if they have the
actual flu or not.
indicator of the flu. According to Ready,
CPHS follows the guidelines from the Center
for Disease Control (CDC) f, which means that
if the student has a fever of 100 degrees or
over, they are to be sent home regardless of if
they have the actual flu or not.
Furthermore, once sent home, the student
must be fever free without having taken any
fever-reducers or other medications for a full
24 hours.
It’s easy to relate every sickly feeling to
the flu, even though one may not actually be
According to the U.S.
Health Department,
a new vaccine has
to be released every
year because the flu
virus DNA mutates
and new strains
occur.
all Walgreens Pharmacy locations and can be
administered by your family doctor as well.
The out of pocket fee for the flu shot is $29.99,
but many insurance companies, such as Blue
Cross or Humana, offer this at little or no cost
to consumers according to Baric. One must be
over the age of 18 to go in and get their flu shot
byhimself; otherwise he must have a parent or
guardian present with him
“Though everybody is encouraged to get
the shot, there are those who are at a higher
risk to the flu such as the elderly, people who
are pregnant, and have diabetes. (These three
groups of people) are even more encouraged
to get the shot,” Baric said.
In some cases however, getting a flu shot
afflicted with the virus.
“What students often think is that if they
are throwing up, then they must have the flu,
which is not always the case. They probably
have some sort of stomach virus which is not
as harmful as the flu and can pass within 12
hours,” said Ready. “ Symptoms of the flu
often may include headaches, body aches, and
a dry cough.”
The best preventative measure is getting
the flu shot; however, having been immunized
in the past provides little protection.According
to the U.S. Health Department, a new vaccine
has to be released every year because the flu
virus DNA mutates and new strains occur.
“(Getting the flu shot) is the best way to
get immunized, and you should do so as early
as possible because what the shot consists of is
the dead vaccine which contains the flu virus
itself inside it,” Walgreens Pharmacist Teddy
Baric said.
“It takes an approximate two weeks for
the shot to take full effect on the immune
system,” he said.
Baric explained further that the official flu
season is September to March.
Last year, students had the option
of getting the H1N1 shot or the flu shot.
However this year, both of the shots have been
combined into one. The flu shot is offered at
is not an option.
The flu shot is offered at
all Walgreens Pharmacy
locations and can be
administered by your
family doctor as well.
“My mother will not let me get a flu shot
because she is too paranoid that I’m going to
be affected by weird side effects or get really
sick,” said James.
Though a flu shot is an easy way to avoid
the flu, there are, of course, other procedures
to take to prevent the virus.
“Obviously the flu is very contagious, and
there all the basic ways to prevent getting it
such as eating correctly and getting plenty of
rest. However the most important thing you
could do would be to wash your hands as
much as possible,” said Ready.
Even something as simple as over the
counter medication and rest can do just
the trick to get one off to school as soon as
possible.
2
News
By Lauren Cain
editor-in-chief
For
40
MacArthur
Elementary School students,
this will be a very happy
holiday.
National Honor Society
sponsor Annie Lorek and
the NHS members headed
the Angel Tree project,
which provides gifts to
underprivileged students at
MacArthur.
“(Teachers) who adopt
an angel get information
about a child and their wish
list. The items on the wish
list are things like shoes or
a comforter for their bed.
The items are not frivolous,”
Lorek said. “That teacher
and the class are responsible
for buying the items that
they can, wrapping them,
and getting them ready for
delivery.”
This
year,
teachers
signed up to adopt 64
angels. MacArthur only had
40 angels to hand out, but
teachers without an angel
still contributed.
“The remainder of the
people collected money.
The MacArthur community
will buy gift cards to places
like Target and Wal-Mart
for groceries and other
household items,” Lorek
said.
According to Lorek,
additional money will go
into a fund from which
MacArthur parents in need
can request money to go
toward NIPSCO bills.
The annual seasonal
project allows NHS members
to sign up for multiple duties
in order to be involved.
“I signed up to help
collect the gifts,” said senior
NHS
member
Lindsay
Howarth.
Senior Nate Ellingsen’s
first hour Spanish class did
fundraising to go toward
purchasing the items on their
angel’s wish list.
“People brought in food
to sell, with a price tag on it,
and the money went toward
the cause,” Ellingsen said.
Both
Ellingsen
and
Lorek agree that the project
contributes to a good cause
in the community.
“I think the best part
about Angel Tree is that
it benefits people in our
community to remind us that
there are people who need
our help, and it brings the
high school together for a
common cause,” Lorek said
The gifts were delivered
on Dec. 10.
IN
IN
the loop
Students take practice ECA tests
Sophomores prepare for test and work on score improvement
By Haajar Shaaban
executive editor
Throughout the week of Dec.
6, sophomore English classes all
through the school took practice
End of Course Assessments
(ECA’s).
ECA’s are tests that everyone
enrolled
in
Algebra
and
sophomore English classes are
required to take at the end of the
year in order to pass the class.
“Similar
to
the
GQE
(Graduation Qualifying Exam),
the tests measure minimal
competency in math and language
arts (including writing),” assistant
principal Deb Cuffia said.
The State Department of
Education mandated ECA’s so that
schools would set expectations
to prepare students in critical
subject areas. As an effort to
improve test scores, the school
has administered practice tests for
all sophomore English students to
take.
“By simulating the test,
students will receive a realistic
picture of the test’s demands and
expectations,” Cuffia said. “As a
result, students will learn where
their skill deficits and strengths lie.
Then, both teachers and students
will be able to plan teaching and
learning accordingly.”
Practice tests are expected to
better prepare students for the
actual ECA.
“(I think practice tests) can
only make you better at taking
and preparing for those important
exams,” sophomore Christine
Walsh said.
Teachers and administrators
are confident that practice tests
will help improve scores.
“Programs and materials
have been researched for the new
courses,” Cuffia said.
Photo by Mary-Katherine Lemon
Sophomore Kaylee Guritz looks at her ECA, or End of Course Assessment, in Allison Malloy’s English 10 H
class. The practice ECA allowed students to get a feel for what the real test would be like.
Students who wish to blow
off these tests may want to think
twice before doing so.
“Students who don’t pass
the ECA or who are in danger
of not passing the ECA will be
scheduled into an elective English
or math course 2nd semester,”
Cuffia said.
Students who fail the practice
ECA’s will have their current
electives replaced with an English
or math course to help prepare
them for the actual ECA.
Many students feel this is a
fair consequence.
“If you fail the ECA’s you
need more time to focus on those
core subjects instead of electives
which you will not be tested on in
the future,” Walsh said.
Ultimately,
administrators
believe that it’s worth the
sacrifice.
“Since passing both exams
is necessary for graduation,
removal of an elective course from
a student’s schedule might be
necessary. However, considering
that there are 56 opportunities
to earn 40 credits required for
graduation, this should not be a
long term hardship,” Cuffia said.
Students turn out top scores on 2010 AP tests
By Kelly Rostin
managing editor
Since AP test performance is now part of a
school’s report card, successful AP test scores
from last year’s students have given the school
a greater chance at receiving a better grade
from the state.
Sixty students from Crown Point High
School have earned AP Scholar Awards in
recognition of their exceptional achievement
on AP exams.
“We have very dedicated teachers who do
their jobs conscientiously and they take pride
in helping their students. We also have some
great students,” assistant principal Deb Cuffia
said.
One student, Ryan Farrell from the
graduating class of 2010, qualified for the
National AP Scholar Award by earning an
average grade of 4 or higher on a five-point
scale on all AP Exams taken, and grades of
4 or higher on eight or more of these exams.
13 students qualified for the AP Scholar with
Distinction Award by earning an average
grade of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken,
and grades of 3 or higher on five or more of
these exams. Current seniors who received
this are Eryn Macneil and David Sotirovski.
The remaining 11 students all belonged to the
class of 2010.
“
We have very dedicated
teachers who do their jobs
very conscientiously and
they take pride in helping
their students.
“
NHS heads
annual Angel
Tree project
December 17, 2010
Assistant principal Deb Cuffia
Eleven students qualified for the AP
Scholar with Honor Award by earning an
average grade of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams
taken, and grades of 3 or higher on four or
more of these exams. Current seniors who
December 20 - January 2
January 13
Winter break
End of first semester
No school
received this are Taylor Cantrell, Jordan
McRae, Carmen Siew, and Marcus Trybula.
The remaining seven students graduated with
the class of 2010.
Thirty-six students qualified for the AP
Scholar Award by completing three or more
AP Exams with grades of 3 or higher. Current
juniors who received this award are Craig
Eggen and Josh Obszanski. Current seniors
are Christopher Ashbrooks, Nate Byrd,
Nick Ladowicz, Rebekah Maddack, Kelly
Maddalone, Matt Moehl, Kristin Overbey,
Janice Sewell, Rebekah Smith, and Scott
Southworth. 24 graduated students from the
class of 2010 also received this.
Of this year’s awards recipients, 18 are
currently juniors or seniors. These students
have at least one more year in which to
complete college-level work and possibly earn
a higher-level AP Scholar Award.
“(The great test scores) are a result of
a serious approach (to test preperation) by
students and teachers,” Cuffia said. “Teachers
direct their instructions to standards set by the
College Board. “
miscellaneous
• On Jan. 14, there will be no school
due to teacher records day.
• Charity Finders will host a fun fair at
5p.m. on Jan. 14.
January 8
Turnabout Dance
6:30 p.m. St. Elijah Hall
Stray Dogs Improv
Comedy Show
• There will be no school Jan. 17 due to
Martin Luther King Day.
News
December 17, 2010
Identity theft
takes a hold on students
3
Governor
proposes new
graduation
incentive plan
By Kelly Rostin
managing editor
Photo illustration By Mary-Katherine Lemon
Stealing of personal information damages minors’ future credit
By Arley Gomez news editor
A student applies for a loan. It should go
smoothly because the student has no credit
record at all. But the bank denies the loan
because the student’s credit record shows
them owing thousands in debts. What is the
culprit? Identity theft.
Minors are becoming increasingly prone
to becoming victims of identity theft.
“Minors are often prey to identity theft
because they have clean records,” Resource
Officer Chuck Noonan said.
There are numerous ways that a thief
can take a person’s identity. Some identity
thieves raid through trash or swindle people
into giving out their personal financial
information.
The most common way of stealing a
person’s identity is through the Internet,
where hackers and con artists run rampant.
With promises of large sums of money or free
items, they entice all kinds of people.
“Make sure you know who you are giving
your information to,” Noonan said. “Make
sure they are real businesses and corporations
and legitimate banking corporations before
giving them any information.”
The promises of online incentives may
sound enticing, but the surprise may not be a
new iPod. Instead it could be a case of identity
theft. The moment that was supposed to bring
a great deal of happiness could lead to years of
fighting to regain a stolen identity.
Some things require giving out personal
information, but if they are legitimate, they
will work to protect identities.
“At (Crown Point High School), we
require students to provide a copy of their
birth certificate and Social security number,
but we protect that information and do not
give it out,” said registrar Cheryl Ciciora.
An important aspect of identity theft is a
person’s social security number. A SSN can
give a lot of information away. It is important
to protect this information and keep it out of
the hands of others who could use it to commit
fraud with it.
“The best way to prevent identity theft is
by not giving out your social security number,”
Noonan said “It would also help to shred any
paper with important information and not just
throw it away.”
What can you do?
Tips to keep your identity safe
•
Shred any papers with personal
information on them before
throwing them away
•
Know that you cannot win
foreign lotteries. No matter
what an offer says, it is illegal.
•
Banks will never ask for
personal information via email.
•
You cannot get another SSN if
your identity is stolen.
Although the paper may be useless
garbage to the one throwing it away, a predator
after identities with clean credit records sees
that garbage as a great opportunity.
“I am really careful with what I throw
away because I am afraid someone might take
and use it to steal my identity,” senior Iqra Beg
said.
“The reason that a minor’s identity is
likely to be stolen is because of their lack of
credit history. There is usually nothing there,”
Noonan said.
Minors are often at risk of family members
stealing their identity.
“Identity theft is equally done by outside
thieves as it is by someone that (the children)
know,” Noonan said.
A child’s SSN is often at his or her parents’
disposal. Parents may be tempted to use their
child’s clean credit. However, when credit is
stolen by a family member, it is still a crime.
“No matter who is using the child’s social
security umber as their own, it is still fraud,”
Noonan said.
If identity theft has occurred, Noonan
advises students to report it to the authorities
as soon as possible.
“As soon as you have any inclination that
your identity has been stolen, it is important
to file a police report to begin an investigation
and prevent any further damage to your
credit,” Noonan said.
It takes work to restore the damaged
credit of a person whose identity has been
stolen. Age can work to a minor’s advantage
when proving that he or she did not make the
purchases or apply for the loans in question.
“When the investigation begins, you will
work with a detective to prove that you did
not make those purchases and that you are
not the proper age to obtain the loan. It will
take some work to regain the dignity of your
credit,” Noonan said.
“It is ultimately up to the person whose
identity was stolen to decide if they want to
report the thief,” Noonan said. “They should
keep in mind that they are the one that will
have to live with the consequences of the bad
credit record.”
Seniors who are ready
and willing to leave high
school behind early are taking
advantage of the option of
graduating at the end of first
semester.
To support these
students,
Governor
Mitch
Daniels wants to propose a
plan to pay these students who
graduate at semester.
“I’m graduating early so I
can lower the number of years
that I’m in college,” senior Kat
Gutierrez said.
Daniels’ proposed plan
includes asking the General
Assembly to allow students
who graduate early and are
moving on to higher education
to be awarded money that
would go towards their higher
education.
“I don’t know if it’s
necessary, but that’s good for
me,” said senior and early
graduate Brett Thompson.
The money that students
receive would come from the
money that the state would save
by not funding that student’s
place in school.
According
to the Indiana Department of
education, Indiana spends an
average of $5,866 per student
per year. The actual monetary
value that students would
receive, and how students
would receive the money are
yet to be determined.
“Normally students who
graduate early are just tired of
high school. They just don’t
really like school,” Director of
Guidance Kim Swan said. “It’s
usually because the students
don’t want to be in school
anymore. Very rarely is it about
starting college early.”
The money that the state
would award would only go
towards those few students who
are graduating early to further
their education, like Gutierrez,
who is already enrolled at
Roosevelt University.
“I think an incentive is
good because not a lot of kids
can afford college. The money
would be very helpful for
students.”
However,
the
added
incentive does not attract some
students to graduate early.
“I wouldn’t want to
graduate early because you only
get four years of high school
anyway. Why would you want
to leave early?” junior Andrew
Anglis said. “The incentive
wouldn’t change my mind.”
First semester finals schedule
Tuesday, Jan. 11
Wednesday, Jan. 12
1st hour: 7:25-8:30 (EXAM)
1st hour: 7:55-8:19
2nd hour: 8:36-9:18
2nd hour: 8:24-8:48
Jan. 12 cont.
I
English, Special Needs, Performing
Arts
3rd hour: 8:53-9:17
4th hour: follow regular lunch
schedule
4th hour: 9:23-10:28 (EXAM)
5th hour: follow regular lunch
schedule
6th hour: 12:41-1:46 (EXAM)
7th hour: 1:52-2:27
** After 4th hour students proceed to 7th hour or
corresponding lunch. Students spend one of the
four blocks in lunch, corresponding to their 7th
hour class.
7th hour: I 10:28- 10:58 II 11:04-11:34
III 11:40-12:10
IV 12:16-12:46 1st hour: 7:25-7:45
2nd hour: 7:51-8:56 (EXAM)
3rd hour: 9:24-10:07
Thursday, Jan. 13
II
Math, FACS, Art
III
Social Studies, World Languages,
and Business
IV
Science, PE, Industrial Tech, Anyone else
6th hour 12:52-1:16
5th hour: 1:22-2:27 (EXAM)
3rd hour: 9:02-10:07 (EXAM)
4th hour: follow regular lunch
schedule
5th hour: follow regular lunch
schedule
6th hour: 12:41-1:16
7th hour: 1:22-2:27 (EXAM)
4
Opinion
December 17, 2010
Women stereotypes
on website hurtful,
not humorous
Inklings
Inklings is a student
publication distributed
to students, faculty, and
staff of Crown Point High
School. It is published
monthly by the newspaper
and advanced journalism
students. Opinions expressed in Inklings do not
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faculty, staff, or the administration.
Inklings welcomes and
encourages signed lettersto-the-editor. Letters may
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and turned in to room E107
one week prior to publication and must not contain
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may also be sent via e-mail.
Not all letters may be
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the sole discretion of the
Inklings editors and staff.
Advertising is subject
to the applicable rate, copies of which are available
from Inklings advertising
department or by contacting 663-4885 ext. 11349.
Inklings has been recognized as an Indiana High
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Hoosier Star, Columbia
Scholastic Press Association Silver Crown, National
Scholastic Press Association
Pacemaker and Quill and
Scroll George H. Gallup
publication.
Inklings may be
contacted at 1500 S. Main,
Crown Point, IN, 46307;
219-663-4885 ext. 11349; fax
219-662-5663; or inklings@
cps.k12.in.us.
Editors
Lauren Cain
editor-in-chief
Haajar Shaaban
executive editor
Kelly Rostin
managing editor
Garret Hogan
copy editor
Arley Gomez
news editor
Abby Elston
feature editor
Kelsey Lennon
entertainment editor
Kayla Martisek
opinion editor
Milan Savich
sports editor
Frank Strino
Samuel Beishuizen
Alex McLean
sports assistants
Dani McCuan
graphics editor
Alyssa Blahunka
advertising editor
Sam Wright
advertising assistant
Joe Nejman
Donnella Casillas
Mary-Katherine Lemon
chief photographers
Ashley Downing
photographers
Staff
Lacey Valois
Katrina Zdanowicz
Melanie Zdanowicz
Alexa Grady
RaeAnna Morgan
Megan Walker
Jordan Irons
Adviser
Julie Elston
By Lauren Cain
editor-in-chief
V
iew:
The ECA
practice tests
are beneficial
to students
in order to
identify areas
of weakness,
improve their
studies in
these areas,
and ensure
success on
the ECA.
editorial
Cartoon by Dani McCuan
New strategies implemented this year have proved that the
school is making a strategic move to ensure student success.
The first move was to better utilize study halls in order to help
struggling students succeed. More recently, the administering
of End of Course Assessment (more often referred to as ECA)
practice tests have proved to students that the school truly is
interested in their success as a student.
ECAs are required for students enrolled in Algebra classes
and sophomore English classes. These tests have replaced the
Graduation Qualifying Exam, but the GQE and ECAs are the
same in that they both measure minimal competency in math
and language arts, including writing. Taken at the end of the
course, the ECA tests must be passed in order for the student to
graduate. A change is the practice tests. The practice tests simulate
the real test so students get a better idea of the demands and
expectations of the test.In order to better enable those taking the
tests to pass, sophomore English classes throughout the school
took practice ECA tests the week of Dec. 6. Students who struggle
on this practice test will receive extra test help, which includes
for some substituting an elective with an English or math course
(depending on which subject they need help with).
Teachers are always supporting the idea that preparation
leads to success, and the new ECA practice is putting this idea to
the test (no pun intended). Students go into the test somewhat
blind by not knowing what to expect, making it inevitable
for some students to not do as well as they had hoped, or as
well as they are capable of. The practice tests give students an
opportunity to be more prepared. Not only will this help them
academically, but also mentally. Instead of having a panic attack
when they see the real ECA, the advantage of seeing a test in
similar form earlier on may calm their nerves.
When graduation is at stake, it is necessary for administrators
to make moves such as this one. Instead of simply allowing
students to fail, the school is giving them an opportunity for
success by identifying areas of weakness early so they can work
on and strengthen their studies in these areas. If students do
poorly on the practice test, the extra math or English course
should assist their learning so that they are more prepared the
next time around. After giving these tests, no student should deny
that the school has his best interest in mind.
Humor is
perceived differently
by all types of people.
Some get their kicks
by going on YouTube
to watch a kitten
flushing a toilet.
Others laugh at political cartoons found in
the daily paper. However, the humor that
should not be enjoyed by anyone is that
found on websites such as My Life is Bro,
and MLIB’s sister site, My Life is Ho.
Both websites work on the premise of
usually posting a stereotypical statement
about a woman: either about her making a
sandwich, working in the kitchen, or being
used as a sex object. Users can then choose
to vote for whether or not the statement
is “Chill” or “Not Chill,” and can even go
as far as to “favorite” it. MLIB posts have
become increasingly popular, showing
up on many peoples’ Facebook statuses,
encouraging their friends to “like” it.
It’s easy to point the finger at men
for this disrespect. However, My Life is
Ho proves that this is not the case. Even
women are posting these derogatory
statements about themselves. With each
posting on MLIH, they are not only
giving men permission to disrespect
them, but encouraging the dominance of a
patriarchal society that degrades women
and perpetuates these stereotypes. If these
postings are the examples being put forth,
no wonder women are so disrespected.
These websites work on the
stereotypes of women, and is full of the
underlying message that women are good
for nothing but cooking and sex. In 1848,
the first women’s rights convention was
held. In 1920, the Nineteenth Amendment
was passed, giving every woman the right
to vote. I thought we had already passed
the milestones for equal treatment for
women. Sadly mistaken, I now realize it’s
a fight that will be extremely hard to win,
especially when those who should be the
biggest supporters of this fight, women,
aren’t even on board.
The most discomforting part about
these websites is the fact that people find
humor in it. There’s nothing funny about
abuse, and essentially, that’s what this
website is: verbal and emotional abuse.
So here’s the question: If you support this
“humor,” do you also support the abuse of
women that it entails?
heard in the
halls
Kung-Flu Fighting
“I wash my hands and take
vitamins.”
freshman Courtney Govert
Saving Money
“I put it in the bank and (participate
in) Black Friday.”
senior John Bass
Finals Preparation
“I study with friends and look through
materials. We help each other.”
sophomore Matyson Coppess
Holiday Vacation
“I don’t do much; (I spend the
holidays) with my family and sit
around.”
junior Joe Green
Opinion
December 17, 2010
5
Big invitations
don’t mean
big night
By Kelly Rostin
managing editor
Cartoon by Dani McCuan
Have senior pranks stepped over the line?
By Katrina Zdanowicz
staff reporter
Senior pranks
are a popular
occurrence in
high schools
across
America.
However,
when seniors
forget the
difference
between a
crime and a
prank, should
the school
settle with the
fact that the
prank was all
in good fun?
Prank calls, toilet papering houses, and gluing
money to the floor are some harmless pranks.
Hanging containers of deer urine on doors,
vandalism, and knocking out ceiling tiles are not.
Pranks, in an amusing or playful manner, are
great; the maliciousness is usually the part where
things go wrong. Often times, a prank will start
off “all in good fun,” but end in a chaotic mess.
When someone gets physically or emotionally hurt,
is forced to work extra to clean up the mess, or
must pay to fix any damage caused by the prank,
the prank has gone too far. When a prank crosses
such lines as trespassing and vandalism, they are
no longer considered pranks, but crimes that are
punishable by law.
An example of a senior prank stepping over the
line recently occured at Wheeler High School. The
students involved took things too far by breaking
ceiling tiles, pouring syrup, liquid soap, and
powder throughout the hallways, tying containers
of deer urine and fishing bait to several doors, and
writing graffiti on the windows. The damage was
so extensive that the school had to close the next
day in order for the janitors to clean up the mess.
When things border on the line of criminal (they
did break into the school on a Sunday night), it can
no longer simply be called a prank.
However, as is the case many times, the label
of “senior prank” overrode the damage done and
Wheeler chose to only suspend the students. The
fact that it can be called a prank should not be an
excuse to brush the damage under the rug.
When students break the law, it is expected
that they would receive a similar punishment as
would anyone else. If the underclassmen pulled the
same stunt, would the punishments be the same?
The school needs to be unbiased in their decision
making and realize that the time old tradition of
senior pranks do not need to go this far.
Junior
Freshman
speak up
What do you
think about
seniors
getting paid
to graduate
at semester?
I
ssue:
By Haajar Shaaban
executive editor
Sophomore
Every year, seniors indulge themselves in some
fun activities that make them love their high school
life instead of form severe cases of senioritis. Their
creative energy often takes the form of a senior
prank. Not a senior felony. Not a senior crime. In
fact, nowhere in the word prank is a capital offense
implied. The kings and queens of our school
simply need an outlet for their pent-up anxiety,
a distraction from the monotony of the repetitive
Crown Point way of life that they’ve always
known. Denying seniors the right to display their
superiority over the rest of us may possibly disrupt
the time-honored hierarchy of high school and tip
the solar system out of alignment.
This is not to say that seniors don’t need to
show a certain level of respect when participating
in such sacred activities. Breaking-and-entering,
vandalism, under-age drinking, illegal drugs- yes,
some high schools have actually had to deal with
marijuana muffins- are all crimes. They don’t fit the
description of lighthearted joking that will leave us
all with a little something to remember the class of
2011 by.
Seniors who feel it necessary to forget all
respect for public property have gone above and
beyond the call of duty, certainly fulfilling their
dream of being remembered for years to come. If
a student displays this much potential for felony
at such a young age, it’s likely they would have
managed to become criminals all on their own,
without the excuse of a senior prank.
Senior pranks, when executed properly, have
the potential to be outstanding as well as lawabiding. I, for one, would really enjoying seeing
some kids in gorilla costumes chasing around giant
running bananas (props to the high school that
thought of that one). It leaves a lasting impression
of the class that’s graduating and gives us younger
people something to look forward to.
Senior pranks have gone too
far and should be punished
Senior
Seniors should be allowed
to pull pranks within limits
A friend
recently told me
that if he wasn’t
asked in a “cute
way” to our
school’s winter
formal dance then he would
question the girl’s personality
and how much fun he would
have with her. He followed
up with saying that a simple
invitation shows that a person
doesn’t care about the dance. This
statement shocked me.
It’s not that I don’t think that
asking someone to a dance is
important, but it just seems that
the meaning of the invitation is
lost in a culture where a dramatic
invitation becomes the norm.
Much like how texting
and online friendships seem
impersonal, a ridiculous
invitation to a dance seems
similarly impersonal when it’s
more for show than anything
else. While I don’t argue that it
takes thought to go into these
“cute invitations,” their general
nature feeds solely into the fact
that people feel the need to go
to great lengths for invites and
similarly, people’s approval. The
concept that “people should like
you for who you are” has been
lost in a huge abyss of unrealistic
expectations.
With how our culture is
today, people feel like they have
to go over the top to show others
that they care. That, to me, is
wrong. If a girl is asking someone
to a dance that automatically
shows that she cares about the
person and that she wants to go
with him. She shouldn’t have to
prove herself or impress anyone
in order to have fun.
I support asking someone
creatively to a dance within
reason, but it’s important for
students to put it into perspective
and realize the big picture. It’s
not the end of the world if an
invitation doesn’t go off perfectly
or is, to some students’ horrors,
just simple. Students should
not be so concerned with the
invitation. Chances are, the
memories from the dance itself
will overshadow the memories of
the invitation.
If you’re plotting to carry out
an outrageous dance invitation
just for the sake that you feel like
you need to, save yourself the
hassle and just ask face to face.
It’s more personal and sweet
that way. The fact that someone
isn’t afraid to hide behind a
huge production of an invitation
proves enough that they care.
Mari Aguilar
Jeremy Cox
Aidan Hussey
Tyler Barron
“I think that is a
good idea because
the student’s hard
work should pay
off.”
“I think they
should just go to
school for the full
year.”
“I think it would
give some students incentive to
graduate, but it
can also hurt the
school fund.”
“I think it is a
great idea as long
as if it is a fair
advantage.”
As
kin
g
I
Junior Lindsey
Artuso asks Nathan Kwiatkowski
to Turnabout
while cheering at
the girls basketball game against
Lake Central. He
said yes.
on
life
Ask
Laugh
Explore
Wonder
Inspire
Live
December 17, 2010
Decorating
6
Student Council puts up their holiday tree in
the lobby at the main entrance of the school. It
is a tradition of Student Council every December to put up a tree and decorate it.
Finding focus for future finals
Students, teachers give advice on
how to prepare for finals without
succumbing to the studying stress
By Abby Elston
feature editor
As the holiday season approaches, something else is lurking around the corner:
finals. Thankfully, finals week is not until the week of Jan. 13, but there are still ways to
prepare one’s self before getting bogged down with studying.
“Always start (studying) very early, right after Christmas break,” math teacher Mike
David said. “Always do small blocks of time, less than half
an hour. Do two to three of these.”
When one thinks of studying, visions of a single
student poring over notes for hours may come to mind.
This may not sound too enticing; however, many
different options are available for those who seek a
new method of reviewing.
“Every year, my friends and I go to Starbucks
and set up study sessions in groups like math and
social studies. If someone needs help in math, they
will group with someone who knows how to do math.
We do this for the semester (final) and the end of the
year (final),” senior Amelia Claus said.
Teachers have expectations of their students also.
It would be a good idea not to fall short of them while
preparing for finals.
“I expect my students to study in small chunks of
time and not wait until the last minute,” David said.
No matter how the topic of finals is viewed,
they are a crucial part of one’s grade and should not
be neglected. However, one’s overall grade is also
important.
“More important than the grade on your final is
the ability to reflect on what has happened the past
weeks,” David said. “It gives the teacher their final
evaluation of how things went. For students, it gives
personal feedback on what they have and haven’t
mastered.”
For students, it becomes tricky to recall everything
that was taught since the beginning of the grading
period.
“It is ridiculous to expect (students) to know all the
material at the same time, but it is important for teachers to
know if their teaching methods are working,” Claus said.
These tests, perhaps without the students’ knowledge,
represent something much bigger than just an evaluation of one’s
recollection of skills over the past semester.
“Students need to prepare for something large-scale, such as the mid-term in college,”
math teacher Jason McGee said.
Don’t find yourself too overwhelmed yet; here are some helpful tips from four teachers
who teach a math, social studies, English, or science class, respectively, to guide your
studies.
• “Go back and study notes and old homework assignments. Pay attention during
reviews,” McGee said. “In math, you should go back and rework problems you already
have answers to.”
• “Review vocabulary and check the major concepts of each chapter. They are
sometimes called the ‘Big Idea’ or ‘Main Idea.’ Most importantly, do any review sheets
teachers give you by yourself; don’t copy them (from other students),” said Sociology and
Economics teacher Denise Vance.
• “Go through any notes you’ve taken over the semester, and review any essays
written and read the teacher’s comments. Review all major works read in class. Most
importantly, listen in class; be in class. Ask your teachers for advice,” said English teacher
Ashley Monroe.
• “Go back through all your notes and review them; any sample problems, homework
problems, or sample problems in your notes. Start early. Don’t think you can cram a whole
semester of science into one night,” said science teacher Jerome Flewelling.
The finals will take place on Jan. 11, 12, and 13. Periods 1 and 6 will test on Tuesday,
periods 4 and 5 will test on Wednesday, and periods 2, 3, and 7 will test on Thursday.
Remember, these tests do count for 20.5 percent of one’s final semester grade, which
amounts to almost one-fourth. Questions should be asked if something is not fully
understood.
“Don’t be afraid to ask other people; make sure you understand by asking. Don’t try to
teach yourself,” said Claus.
by the
numbers
Students spend
181.8
hours
studying in a year,
on average.
The average student
drinks an average of
584 cups
of coffee a year.
The average
student gets
36.5
hours of sleep each
school week
A Crown Point student
taking an average of
six classes with finals
will spend
144
hours taking
assesssments and finals
by the end of their high
school career.
180
Tests
will be
graded by
a teacher in an average
year.
#2 pencils
remain the most
popular pencil for
test-taking.
Facts compiled by Inklings staff
Feature
December 17, 2010
Baking seasons bright
7
Tasty treats to tantalize the taste buds
Recipe: Sugar Gems
From: Abby Elston
1 cup shortening
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
2 eggs
Colored sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
4 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cream of tarter
1/2 tsp. salt
Preheat oven at 350°. In a mixing bowl, cream shortening, oil, and sugars.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.
Combine the flour, baking soda, cream of tarter and salt; gradually add
to the creamed mixture. Cover and refrigerate for ond hour or until easy to
handle. Roll into one-inch balls; dip tops in sugar and colored sugar. Place
sugar side up, two inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 12
to 14 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Remove to wire rackes to cool.
The Inklings staffers
voted on their
favorite winter-time
recipes and chose the
top five, listed here.
Try them and perhaps
discover a new
favorite of your own.
Recipe: Cake Balls
From: Ashley Downing
Recipe: Candy Cane Cocoa
From: Haajar Shaaban
4 cups milk
3 (1 oz.) squares semisweet chocolate, chopped
8 peppermint candy canes, 4 of them crushed
In a saucepan, heat milk until hot, but not boiling. Whisk in the chocolate
and the crushed peppermint until melted and smooth. Pour hot cocoa
into four mugs, and garnish with whipped cream. Serve each with a
candy cane stirring stick.
Yield: 4 cups of cocoa
1 boxed cake mix
1 frosting can
1 10 oz. bag of white milk chocolate chips
Yield: about 7 dozen
Bake the cake mix following the directions on the box. Take out of the
oven and let cool completely. After cooled, in a large bowl, crumble the
cake up. Then mix in all of the frosting until the cake is completely
covered. Next, make tablespoon size balls out of the mixture. Melt the
chocolate chips. Dip each individual ball until completely covered, set
on wax paper, and refrigerate until hard.
Yield: about 30 balls
Recipe: Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
From: Lauren Cain
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 egg, well beaten
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 tsp. peanut butter
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Recipe: Inside Out Oreos
From: Kelly Rostin
1 package Oreo cookies
1 8 oz. package of cream cheese
1 package of melting chocolate, white or brown
Finely crush the cookies in a processor. Mix in cream cheese. Shape into
balls and dip into melted chocolate. Refrigerate
Yield: varies
Preheat oven at 375°. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and
salt. In a separate bowl, blend shortening and peanut butter. Add sugars.
Cream until light. Add egg. Thoroughly mix in sifted dry ingredients
while slowly adding milk. Fold in chocolate chips. Drop from a tablespoon
onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes.
Yield: about 4 1/2 dozen
Certified Driving School
865 Madison Street Crown Point, IN 219-662-7733
Program Overview:
30 hours classroom plus 6 hours of driving (home pick up for most drives)
Licensed by the State if Indiana’s Bureau of Motor Vehicles and Dept. of Education
The State of Indiana requires all Driver Education classroom and driving to be
completed in a maximum of 120 days.
Student must be 15 years and 6 months old and show a copy of birth certificate.
Class Options:
Sunday Classes:
Sunday from 1:00-4:00 p.m.
for 10 Weeks
Night Classes:
Monday & Wednesday
6:00 p.m. -8:00p.m.
Saturday 10:00 to Noon
for 4 weeks
Holiday Classes:
December 18-23 & 27-30
from 1:00-4:00pm
the Top 10 of
top ten of
e
@
1
The end of 2010 marks the end of an important decade in history. While the decade was
important, the year itself was as well. In politics, there were the mid-term elections, and
the signing of the healthcare bill. In sports,
the World Cup and the Blackhawks’ Stanley
Cup win had fans screaming. In Crown Point,
despite fighting the budget cuts, the school
maintained excellence by being named one
of Newsweek’s America’s Best High Schools.
It can’t be denied that- 2010 is a memorable
year, and here are the reasons why, as chosen
by our editors.
Crown Point High School
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1
Senior wrestlers Eric Roach
and Jason Tsirtis
were featured on
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ESPN Rise. The article discussed the legacy they are
leaving on the CP wrestling
program. Roach and Tsirtis
both won state titles in the
145 and 130 pound weight
classes, resepctively. Both
went on to finish in the top
four in the Super 32 national
wrestling tournament held in
North Carolina.
2
State Smart
Academic Decathlon received
second place at
the state finals at
Purdue University on Feb.
13. The team was lead by
Ryan Farrell, who was the
state overall champion in the
honors division and brought
home eight medals. Farrell’s accomplishment was a
first for a Crown Point student. Other medalists were
Catherine Fleszewski, Sam
Sanders, Derek Hutchinson,
and Carmen Siew.
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elite kick. Varsity also took
third in elite pom and junior
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Top 10 Student Achievements
Business Partners
BPA students
took fourth place
at the BPA leadership
conference “Shoot for Success” in
Anaheim, California on May
5-9. They joined over 5,650
other conference delegates
from across the nation to
participate in national level
business skills competitions,
workshops, and general
sessions. Thomas Vanderplough won a top placement
in Global Marketing at the
district competition.
5
Novel win
Junior Leah
Markowitz earned
semi-finalist status in the Ayn
Rand Institute’s 2010
Anthem essay contest. Essays are
judged on both
style and content. Judges look
for writing that
is clear, articulate
and logically organized.
Markowitz wrote and submitted the essay as a 10H
English assignment.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
6
Model effort
Senior Katrina
Hoernig was aired
on the Oprah
Winfrey show on
Sept. 17, modeling Vera
Wang’s
wedding
dresses. She has
modeled in three
main
runway
shows, one being Donna Karan.
Hoernig received
her first modeling
contract with a Chicago
agency in late November
of 2009.
7
8
Running to success
Senior Laicee
Pierce won first at
Regionals, leading the girls cross
country team to their first
regional win in 13 years.
The team made the trip to
compete down at state. Although they did not place
as a team, Pierce finished
14th individually with a time
of 18:49.4. Because of her
state stuccess, Pierce was
chosen to represent Indiana
in the Foot Locker Midwest
Championships .
Inkling of a win
On top of winning a Hoosier
Star, Inklings was
nominated for the
first time to win an NSPA
National Pacemaker Award.
At national convention, Inklings was named a winner,
among 22 total newspaper
winners. Deanna Sheaffer, editor-in-chief for 20092010, was also recognized
as an Indiana Student Journalist of the Year Finalist at
the State House in Indianapolis.
Healthcare bill signed into law on
March 23 by President Obama, though most
effects of the universal healthcare will not go
into action until 2014.
Haiti earthquake effects shook the
world when the 7.0 earthquake on Jan. 12
killed around 230,000 Haitians and left 2.3
million homeless.
iPad released by Apple on April 3, ushering in a new era of technology. The iPad
2.0 is expected to be released in April 2011.
BP Oil Spill caused much uproar when
tens of millions gallons of oil were spilled
into the Gulf of Mexico, threatening the sea
animals, as well as the tourism on the coast.
Conan O’Brien’s last “Tonight Show”
aired on Jan. 22 after losing a battle with
NBC. His new show “Conan” now airs on
TBS.
Sea World trainer killed by an
orca whale that pulled her underwater during
a show on Feb. 24. The killing raised questions over whether or not these animals
should be used in shows.
Arizona’s immigration law was
signed on April 23, allowing the Arizona
police to ask anyone they suspect is an immigrant for their identification.
TSA changes were put into effect after
the “Underwear Bomber” of 2009. Recently,
the TSA started using full body scanners.
Their vivid pictures have caused controversy.
Jesse James was caught cheating on
actress Sandra Bullock, not too long after the
Tiger Woods cheating scandal, raising questions about loyalty in relationships.
Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup for
the first time since 1961. Patrick Kane also
helped the United States get a hockey silver
medal at the Olympics.
9
10
Colts recognition
Senior Brad
Qualizza was selected to the Indianapolis Colts
Academic All-State team.
Qualizza is one of 24 high
school student athletes to
be recognized. At the Dec.
19 Colts game, they will be
awarded as the top-student
athletes at each football
position. The Colts, the IHSAA, and the IFCA have
worked together for the past
12 years to present this annual award.
Latin State
The Latin
Club
was
named as the
state champion based on all of the individual, team, delegation,
and club placings. They
earned 2,681 points, a new
new school record. Their
winning score was double
that of the second place
school. All three levels of
their Certamen teams advanced to the finals and returned home as state champions.
Feature
10
December 17, 2010
Creative customs enjoyed for holidays
Students and teachers share fun, exciting, and even some crazy family traditions
Photo Provided
Junior Sophy Sanders and family play football on Thanksgiving day. This has been a family custom of theirs for a few years that has become Sanders’ favorite holiday tradition.
By M. Zdanowicz/ K. Zdanowicz
staff reporters
There’s no place like home for the
holidays, especially when students have
heartwarming, comical, or even crazy traditions that help keep the season special
and unique. C.P. students and faculty share
how their families celebrate the holidays,
and how they’ve created memories that
will be sure to last for many more years to
come.
Junior Sophy Sanders
“Every Thanksgiving, my dad’s family
comes in from out of town and we have our
annual ‘Gobble Bowl’ football game. The
ages range from 16 to 47, and everyone gets
really into it. My cousins made flag football
belts in orange and blue, and we wear orange and blue hats too, so we can tell the
teams apart. We play behind Lake Street
Elementary. The best part is the trophy we
made. It’s my grandpa’s old bowling tro-
phy, except with an orange and blue Nerf
football on top and an Old Style beer can on
the bottom. The team that wins is that year’s
Galactic Champs. After lots of pictures, we
all go back to my house for a huge dinner.
Even though we’ve only been doing it for a
couple years, this has definitely become my
favorite holiday tradition.”
Coach Allison Duncan
“On my side of the family, we do one
normal gift and one gag gift. Things are
usually really creative. The Christmas before me and my husband got married, he
pulled my name. We both work nonstop, so
as a joke he got me cleaning supplies. We’ve
been doing this tradition for the past five
years. My sister lives down the street from
me, and she and her husband come to my
house for dinner during the holidays. My
family also comes over to my house to go
sledding on the giant hill I live on. We do
a gift card exchange on my husband’s side
and‘fight’ for the ones we want. Things get
pretty cutthroat. All of the girls get together
for a craft party at my house. The guys go
on a group shopping trip, and then have a
wrapping extravaganza so that they get all
of our gifts ready in one day.”
Senior Tyler Smith
“Every Thanksgiving, my mom and
I go to Chicago for the Thanksgiving Day
Parade. This year, me, my mom, my girlfriend, my cousin, and her boyfriend all got
to appear on the news. Afterwards, we usually go to my cousins for dinner, but this
year we’re having a big dinner at my house.
It’ll be good with my cousins coming up
from Florida to visit, too. I really like this
tradition that I have with my mom. It gives
us quality time together and also gives my
whole family a chance to get together as
well.”
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Senior Billy Brown
“Each Christmas, my dad and I decorate the house, but we go all out with our
decorations with lights all over the house
and in the trees. I also have family in Ohio
that we go to visit, too. We all get together
and have a huge Christmas Eve dinner.
Even though it gets pretty busy for me during the holidays with basketball, I like that I
still have time to do all these activities with
my family.”
Sophomore Hope Hobgood
“My dad’s side of the family is Polish,
and every Christmas all my relatives come
in and we have a huge Polish Christmas
party. We eat a lot of traditional food, like
pierogies, polish sausage, and kolaches.
One of the customs we have is where we
hide pieces of straw under a tablecloth.
Each person picks a piece and the person
who gets the longest one gets a prize. One
family member also dresses up as Santa
and hands out gift bags to anyone who sits
on his lap. Everyone gets into it, not just the
kids. Finally at the end, we all get together
to take one giant family picture.”
True meaning in
the holidays
is wonderful
By RaeAnna Morgan
staff reporter
Of the 6,423,113 people
that live in Indiana, 309,637
are unemployed. As of 2009,
800,000 families in Indiana
alone were living in poverty.
With the holidays right
around the corner, a dire
financial situation can make
a person lose sight of the
more important things in life
and feel hopeless. Such was
the attitude
of a Mr.
George Bailey.
“It’s a Wonderful Life”
is now recognized as an
American classic, but at first
it wasn’t held at nearly the
high standard it is today. It
took four decades for the
movie to finally be seen for
what it really was, a film that
shows us that even though
hard times may be upon us,
it’s the friends we have that
help us get through it all.
In this economic
downfall, many families
struggle with the fact
that money is scarce.
With so many companies
going out of business or
going bankrupt, it leaves
thousands of people jobless.
Those people may have
trouble keeping food on the
table or a roof over their
heads. George Bailey was in
this exact predicament. He
was about to lose everything
and thought the world and
everyone in it would be
much better off without
him. When everyone who
had been helped by this
man heard of his situation,
they were there to repay his
kindness.
George Bailey teaches
us a very important lesson,
even now, 64 years later,
about how our friends are
the most important things
in this life. In a time of need,
it’s not the money that will
fix everything; it’s the people
who will give the most help.
They may not be able to take
care of the debt, or the issue
of unemployment, but they
can lift your spirits and make
the holidays a time of joy,
instead of worry. For every
one person out there who is
down and struggling, it is
very likely they have at least
one friend who is willing to
do everything they can to
make that person feel the
Christmas spirit this year.
myview
Arts & Entertainment
Disney changes through the years
Popular films are keeping up with the latest technologies
By Megan Walker
staff reporter
From its beginning as a cartoon studio
founded in 1923 by Walt Disney to its global
corporation today, Disney is always keeping
up with the fast pace of the world and, to
most, always improving.
“When I was growing up, Disney was
all cartoon. Now the shows and movies
are teen actors that the viewers can
relate to. I like the fact that Disney is
evolving with the needs of viewers and
making their content more relatable. It’s
providing role models for teens and kids,”
said mathteacher Sarah Liszka.
The first full-length animated feature
presented to the world was Disney’s “Snow
White and the Seven Dwarfs.” This classic
movie differs greatly from Disney’s movies of
today such as “Tangled” which came out Nov.
24.
“I like how Disney turned this classic into
an animated adventure. Using animation in
movies creates a wonderful way of viewing
stories,” said sophomore Brianna Lopez.
The way the two films were created is one
major difference. Disney’s original Mickey
Mouse was created with original animation,
which appears to be drawn or sketched.
old
Classic Disney movies such as “Sleeping
Beauty,” “Pocahontas,” and “Bambi” were
made with original animation.
The other type of animation is computer
animation.
Disney Pixar is a computer
animation company that makes movies such
“
The old movies
seem like classics
and the new Disney
movies with hightech
animation
lose that ‘Disney’
classic feeling.
senior Jen Zarate
as “Monsters Inc.,” “Finding Nemo,” and
“Toy Story.”
“I think the simple animation was more
memorable and I prefer it. The old movies
seem like classics and the new Disney movies
with high-tech animation lose that ‘Disney’
VS.
Beauty and the Beast:
Toy Story:
Cinderella:
Fantasia:
classic feeling,” said senior Jen Zarate.
Because Disney has been around for almost
nine decades, it is no surprise that movies have
been repeated with newer technology. One
example of this is “Tron.” The first “Tron”
movie came out in 1982. Now, 22 years later,
the new “Tron Legacy” is coming out today.
“The old ‘Tron’ (movie’s animation) can
be compared to a Sega joystick game, while
the new ‘Tron Legacy’ is more like an Xbox
360 game such as ‘Modern Warfare’,” said
senior Abe Rider.
Disney has also chosen to make sequels
of some of their classic films. “Aladdin,”
“Beauty and the Beast,” “The Lion King,”
and “Toy Story” are some examples. The
most recent sequel is “Toy Story 3.” New
characters and adventures are often being
added to these classic stories, keeping up with
new generations. Though, those classics are
not forgotten.
“I like the original movies better because
I like the voices better, how it looks, and
the general stories. It is so typical for Disney
to look ‘classic’ and not perfect,” said junior
Daniel Steffen.
From “Dumbo,” the first Disney home
video released in 1981, to new movies with
real people such as “The Secretariat” and
“The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” Disney is always
modernizing with their audience.
new
Tangled:
Toy Story 3:
Enchanted:
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice:
Three coupon websites stand above the rest
By Kelsey Lennon
entertainment editor
Five days before Christmas, the mall is
packed, no parking spaces, lines are filed to
the back of the store, people pushing and
shoving. This does not sound like the ideal
condition to find that one, last forgotten gift.
However, this situation can easily be avoided
by conveniently shopping online. And what’s
shopping without saving some green?
a few Google searches
Review and After
clicking around, I have
found the top three online coupon sites to
help make last minute shopping a little bit
easier on your wallet. I judged the sites on
three things: organization, the variety of
stores they have deals for, and accountability
(if their coupons actually worked).
If in search for electronics, couponchief.
com is the way to go. This site has a large
variety of stores ranging from the Home
Shopping Network to Best Buy. There is
also a keyword search if you are looking for
something special. This site is very organized
and easily links to the website you’re trying
to shop from. After signing up for the e-mail
newsletter, one will receive notifications
to get the week’s most popular coupons.
For accountability, users are able to leave
comments saying if the deals worked for
them or not and submit coupons for others to
use. Most of the comments claimed the codes
worked, but be sure to read the individual
comments on each coupon before trying to
use them while shopping.
Retailmenot.com is similar to Coupon
Chief in design and concept but has a better
variety in stores. The site contained most of
the stores in the Southlake Mall and many in
northwest Indiana including pizza restaurants
such as Papa John’s and Pizza Hut. There is
much feedback on this website from users,
and like Coupon Chief, people are able to
leave comments saying whether or not the
codes worked. Retail Me Not then takes a poll
and displays the results in a percentage and
color codes them. Each coupon will be in its
own category based on the number of times it
worked, which depends on the store and who
contributed the code. The site also shows
the average discount in a dollar amount for
each store. Also, don’t forget to check out the
a few of our
favorite
things
Fredflair.com
Bath and Body Works has given a
cute and convenient upgrade to the
way students are killing germs. The
Pocket Bacs are the latest craze in hygiene, keeping teens healthy without
the lingering smell of alcohol like
most hand sanitizers. The Pocket
Bacs contain natural ingredients
that won’t dry out skin. Choose
from fresh and classic scents like
Sweet Pea, Warm Vanilla Sugar, or
Japanese Cherry Blossom, or go for
the Christmas-themed scents like
Rudy’s Cocoa Mint, Santa’s Crew
Mallow Mint, or Dasher’s Apple Mint. They can be purchased one Pocket Bac for $1.50, or get five of their favorites
for $5. Don’t forget to get a holder for your Pocket Bac, which
easily attaches it to a purse or backpack.
PocketBacs
11
“
December 17, 2010
Fredflair.com is the place to discover
the kookiest gift for yourself or others.
Not only do they have a wide variety
of apparel for men and women, but
also bizarre accessories not found
anywhere else. Find the random, like
‘bacon band-aids’ and the cute, like
cupcake necklaces. There is definitely
something for everyone on this
shopping site.
various in-store coupons.
The best website I discovered was
couponcabin.com. Almost every store I
searched has at least one coupon available and
the site ensures shoppers with its ‘Guarantee
to Work’ feature so you know whatever code
you use will be valid. Their deals extend
outside the mall though, including Home
Depot, different florals, Cabela’s, and JoAnn Fabric and Craft store. There is also a
“Cabin Club” which will send you e-mails for
discounts on your favorite stores and special
savings on a certain website once a week.
Every Monday, the featured website changes
and usually entails a discount of about $20 off
a $75 purchase. But of course, there’s more!
After entering a zip code, printable coupons
for groceries and restaurants show up and
the site will total the savings. Overall, this
has been the best site to find savings for the
holidays and every other time of the year.
The most important part is to remember
to check the comments and statistics to see if
the coupons are valid. Check all sites though
to find the perfect deal. Hopefully there is a
good deal on that last, perfect gift.
Flip SlideHD Video Camera
Capture all your favorite
memories this year with the Flip
SlideHD video camera. This new
addition to the Flip camera family
boasts a 3 inch touch screen and
slides out to enjoy and show off
saved videos. The camera measures
1.6x3.5x7.7 inches and has 16 GB of
memory which is 4 hours of video.
Like all Flip cameras, the USB is
built in and also has a headphone
jack. One can also get creative
when customizing his or her Flip
Slide with 66 featured designs, an uploaded image, or
a pattern generator, all of which can be found on the
website. The Flip SlideHD retails for $199 on amazon.
com and are also sold at most electronic stores.
12
Arts & Entertainment
Holiday music with a modern twist
Check out old favorites
with a new age kick
By Lacey Valois
staff reporter
Holiday songs may have the
same old music and lyrics, but
they’ve been performed by a variety
of different artists. These traditional
tunes have been covered hundreds
of times throughout the years, but
recently, artists such as Taylor
Swift, Mariah Carey, and the cast
of the hit show “Glee” have
been the latest to add
their two cents into
the world of holiday
music. All three of
these albums may
have completely
different styles,
but each bring a
modern feel to
the holiday season and make the
music more relatable to recent generations.
Mariah
Carey
proved that new holiday
songs can grow just as popular as the older tunes with her 90’s hit “All I
Want for Christmas is You.” Fast forward 16
years later, and the singer is attempting to
make a Christmas comeback with her second
holiday album cleverly titled Merry Christmas
II You. While her smash holiday hit can still
be overplayed during the holiday season, the
differences between the two albums are quite
prominent.
Although reviews have been mixed (because of the conflict of tradition against the
new sounds produced within the album),
there is no doubt that her new holiday album has more of a rhythmic feel. However
that doesn’t mean that it is the best choice for
those searching for a classic holiday
album- this album is for those in
search of a unique feel to the holiday
season. The sound of a bass is easily heard and
one can feel as if it is possible to dance to the
modern tunes within the new album. Carey
also proves once again that the same old song
and dance can be made to please new generations and new songs can be produced for the
same reason as well.
Taylor Swift’s holiday album was released
in the fall of 2007, however it has just begun
to grow in popularity along with her rising
celebrity status. Sounds of the Season: The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection provides the
younger generations to feel more
relatable to the older songs
of the holiday season. The
songs fit into Swift’s typical genre, dealing
with love and
loss
and
the true
meaning of
h e r
young
life. Her
soft voice
contributes
a smooth vibe
to the album and
may please those searching for easy-listening material. She also contributes her
own songs while the traditional songs are still included. Despite the negative reviews revolving
around the starlet’s somewhat repetitive
song style, Swift’s fans are in for a treat if
they enjoy her singing, positive attitude, and
genre just the way it always has been.
It is no doubt that the cast of “Glee” has
covered some of the most popular songs of
all time, holiday songs show no exception
in this matter. Glee: The Music, the Christmas
Album”provides fans of the show with great
listening material that displays talent
from all of its stars. Expect to hear
harmonies, high notes, and solos to
flow out of the speakers as the stars,
such as Lea Michele (who plays Rachel on the show), sing songs that
relate to what their characters are
going through on the show. Emotions that can be felt throughout the
album revolve around the shocking
break-up between Finn (Cory Monteith) and Rachel recently in the season. The tension and longing between
the two can especially be felt through
the duo’s interpretation of “Last Christmas.” “Merry Christmas Darling” is
heartfelt melody sang by Rachel
and can really hit a soft spot to
listeners who’ve ever experienced heartbreak such as
what Rachel was going
through in the show.
This also can continue
to relate to listeners
who may be feeling the same this
holiday season.
Out of all
three of these
artists,
“Glee”
has the most
promising holiday album of the
three to consumers
searching for variety
and a jam session while
holiday shopping. Mariah Carey’s album provides a
dance-feel anmore modern addition
to holiday songs if you’re searching for some
jams to dance to while decorating or preparing
for a holiday party. Taylor Swift’s album, however, sits on the opposite end of the spectrum
with a soothing, easy listening experience that
fits a cozy night at home sitting by the fire. All
three, however, are sure to bring joy to the radio waves throughout the holiday season.
Holiday
Favorites
“Kingdom Hearts” great success with gamers
By Donnella Casillas
staff reporter
In 2002, video game developers of Square Enix released what
would become an international frenzy, having over thousands of fans
all around the world over the course of eight years
“Kingdom Hearts” is a mix of Disney, Final Fantasy, and an original plot all in one. Sora, the main character, is chosen as a “Keyblade
Master” to save the Disney-based worlds, such as Beast’s Castle,
and Wonderland, that are threatened by
Review Neverland,
a growing darkness that can destroy them. Sora also
has the responsibility to protect others from the different enemies
that are encountered while searching for his friends, Riku and Kairi,
throughout “Kingdom Hearts,” “Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories,” and “Kingdom Hearts II.”
Other games that are included within the series, such as “Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days,” “Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep,” and
“Kingdom Hearts Re:coded,” are based off of the original plotline,
but don’t always include Sora and his side-kicks, Donald and Goofy,
within them. This brings variety into the plot, and gives the gamer a
chance to see another character’s world while still learning about the
dilemmas Sora faces, even though he is not present.
The plot itself isn’t the only component to attract a person to this
game. The graphics that are presented within the whole series are
completely and utterly overwhelming at first, but once that feeling
Nick Morin
freshman
What’s on
your iPod?
All Star
Smash Mouth
No Surprise
Theory of a
Deadman
Closer
Nine Inch Nails
passes, users will praise that the graphics are so clear and enjoyable
to watch through the game. Every detail can be seen and every inch
of hard work and effort that the graphic designers put into the making of “Kingdom Hearts” make the battle scenes, cutscenes, and the
overall environment of the game realistic. The widespand of colors,
and shapes truly make the experience amazing.
The game isn’t oo challenging, however it does require strategic
moves, as every step in the game isn’t handed to you. Gamers that
have played video games previously will not have a problem figuring out what to do, but this gives beginning gamers a chance to see
what other games might be like later on in their gaming life.
There is only one downfall to the “Kingdom Hearts” games. Each
installment demands a different gaming system, depending on which
game one would want to play. This brings inconvenience to gamers
that do not have these systems, and can be a let-down to those who
want to fully complete Sora’s journey through the different lands.
Despite this, “Kingdom Hearts” is an amazing video game that
gamers of all experiences can enjoy, and eventually come to love.
With the seven games comes a long plot line and this might sound
intimidating, but Square Enix has somehow been able to make the
storyline more and more interesting with the release of every addition to the saga. The twists and turns that “Kingdom Hearts” takes
only enhances the interest of the player and leaves them wanting to
know more once a game is completed. “Kingdom Hearts” continues
to be a huge success no matter how many games are released.
Christine Church
sophomore
Leah Markowitz
junior
December 17, 2010
Off-line stars
raise money
for charity
By Ashley Downing
staff reporter
In the season of
giving, big name celebrities
are taking large measures to
try and help get their fans to
give to others.
In a fight against AIDS
Alicia Keys’ Keep a Child
Alive foundation had stars
give up their internet lives to
help save children’s lives in
Africa.
Over 15 million kids
in Africa and India are
orphaned because of their
parents passing away due to
infections brought on by HIV
and AIDS.
Stars such as Lady
Gaga, Usher, Kim and Khloe
Kardashian, Alicia Keys,
and many more gave up
their Twitter and Facebook
accounts on Dec. 1 and would
not get them back until they
could raise a combined total
of one million dollars. All
proceeds will go to Keep a
Child Alive and awareness
for World AIDS Day.
Their attempt at raising
awareness seemed to have
paid off. They raised one
million dollars in a little over
a week, however rumors
were circling that the stars
weren’t happy with how
long it was taking to raise the
money. Without being able to
tweet for so long, they talked
to Brooklyn-born billionaire
pharmaceutical
executive
Stewart Rahr and convinced
him to donate over 500,000
dollars.
Rumors aside, the ploy
that the stars were playing
was a smart way to raise the
needed money, but it makes
me wonder whether or not
the fans were donating for
the right reasons.
I believe that when fans
started donating they weren’t
really thinking about the
lives that they were saving,
but what really crossed their
minds was the reality that
their favorite celebrities were
no longer tweeting to inform
them about their lavish lives.
On the part of the stars,
their minds are all in the
right places. Though the fans
pulled through and donated,
exceding the original disired
target, however I think not
all of the fans were truly
donating for the good of the
cause.
Sam Hofsta
senior
The Poison
Bullet For My
Valentine
When I’m Gone
Eminem
Dreams
We Came As Romans
Monster Remix
Cascada
Wherever
Drake
Hounds of Inubis
The World Alive
Ashes Burn
Hopes Die Last
Eight Days a Week
The Beatles
California Gurls
Katy Perry
Sports
December 17, 2010
Boys swim team
captain senior Blake
Yeager celebrates
his winning time
after finishing a
race. The Bulldogs
current record is 2-2.
The boys met Rensselaer on the road
but the results were
unavailable at press
time. The Bulldogs
will hold their last
meet of the calender
year on Saturday at
home against Valparaiso followed by
a meet at Portage
on Jan.. 4 at 9 am.
13
Boys, girls swimming hold strong records midway through season
By Alex McLean
asst. sports editor
Improving maybe the most difficult part of any sport, however, it
may prove even more complicated
for a Bulldogs team coming off of an
8-1 season.
One of the team’s accomplishments is two top ten places in the
last five years and coach Doug Norris has faith that the team will keep
improving this year.
“Our team has had tougher
practices than most teams. They’ve
been pushing themselves and
they’ve proven themselves many
times. We’ll be sending our share of
kids to state.”
Chesterton came to town for the
first meet of the season. The Trojans
claimed first all but one event. Senior Tyler Croell placed first in diving with a score of 285.85. The final
score of the meet was 125-61.
A meet was scheduled against
Highland, but was cancelled due to
snow.
The ‘Dogs then traveled to Merrillville for their first away meet.
The team dominated, winning every
event except two.
The girls swim team faired better in the post season last year, finishing in 17th place. This season, the
girls are also ranked third.
For their first meet, the girls
travelled to Munster, but the Mustangs came out with the win with a
score of 74-112.
The Lady ‘Dogs traveled to Merrillville with the boys team, and also
claimed a victory, 118-68.
Sophomore Charlie Wayne has
confidence the team will succeed
into the post season, if they keep up
their effort,
“We’ve been having tough practices all year, and it’s keeping us in
shape. If we keep it up, we’ll be at
the level we want to be at to do well
all the way up to the state meet.”
Wrestlers have it covered
Photo by Joe Nejman
Champion wrestlers recognized on ESPN Rise magazine’s front cover
By Milan Savich
sports editor
It’s not every day that a high
school wrestler gets to skip out on
after school chores or wrestling practice to do a magazine photo shoot.
However, senior Eric Roach and
junior Jason Tsirtis are not your everday wrestlers.
The duo was selected to grace
the cover of ESPN Rise magazine’s
December 2010 issue.
“It was really cool to get the
chance to have an article about us inRise, and when I heard we were getting put on the cover, it was just that
much more exciting,” Roach said. “I
read the magzine and have seen a lot
of good wrestlers that I know appear
in it in the past, so it was really exciting for me and Jason (Tsirtsis) to get
a chance to be in it.”
Rise had informed Bulldogs
wrestling coach Scott Vlink that they
wished to feature the two wrestlers
in the issue and he went on to inform
Tsirtsis and Roach.
“When coach Vlink told me that
Eric (Roach) and I were going to be in
the magazine, I was kind of shocked
but really excited at the same time,”
Tsirtsis said. “I had heard about
(Rise) before and I knew a lot of great
wrestlers have been featured in it, so
it was really an honor to be put on
the cover.”
“Doing the photo shoot was
really funny,” Roach said. “Jason
(Tsirtsis) and I had to try on a bunch
of different outfits and go around the
school doing a lot of different poses
in different areas. Even though we
took a lot of pictures and spent a lot
of time on the photo shoot, we still
had a good time doing it.”
Besides having had their picture
as the main focus of the December issue of Rise, Tsirtsis and Roach were
also featured in an article which
reflected on their past accomplishments.
“After we were done doing a
photo shoot, the reporter called me
at home and interviewed me for the
story,” Tsirtsis said. “It was actually
pretty fun. It only took about 20 minutes.”
Both Roach and Tsirtsis had a
plethora of accomplishments in their
Bulldog wrestling careers to be mentioned in the article.
After winning two straight individual Indiana state wrestling titles
and helping contribute to the Bulldogs’ 2009 Wrestling state championship after a near perfect freshman
season, Tsirtsis is hoping to repeat his
individual success this season while
also holding high hopes to help his
team reach their ultimate goal of
bringing home the state prize.
“I’ve been working really hard
this year hoping to go back down
to state as an individual, but our
main goal is to learn how to work
as a team. We’ve been busting our
butts at practice everyday, trying to
learn to work as a unit so that we
can hopefully bring home another a
state championship at the end of the
year.”
Along with Tsirtsis, Roach is
also seeking his second consecutive
individual state title, and as a senior,
he is hoping to finish his high school
career on a high note.
“Its really cool to be included in
Rise magazine because a lot of great
wrestlers have been in it, but years
from now, no one is going to remember you for being on the cover of a
magazine,” Roach said. “I’m hoping
that I can repeat the sucess I’ve had
in the past but more importantly, we
want to have success as a team.”
This past Saturday the Bulldogs
finished in first place in the Chris
Traicoff Memorial Tournament
which was held at Calumet.
“It’s a great confidence booster
in the middle of the season to be able
to win this tournament,” Vlink said.
“We’re not satisfied yet, but we were
very happy to come away with the
win. We just need to keep working
hard so that we can reach our goals
at the end of the year.”
“The Traicoff tournament is really tough,” Tsirtsis said. “We didn’t
even win it in 2009 when we won
state. But we were able to dominate
against some quality teams.”
Although the team has already
accomplished the feat of wininng
one of their last tournaments, they
still feel they have a long way to go
this season.
scoreboard
Boys
Basketball
LaPorte-43
CP-59
Morton-31
CP-61
LC-54
CP-67
Valparaiso-48
CP-32
Girls
Basketball
Lowell-33
CP-75
CP-72
LaPorte-57
LC-89
CP92
Hockey
Nobelsville-2
CP-4
Cathedral Chatard-2
CP-4
Lawrence-4
CP-1
South Stars-7
CP-4
Boys
Swimming
Senior Eric Roach and junior Jason Tsirtsis holding the Decemeber 2010 issue
of ESPN Rise Magazine in which they are featured on the cover. Both Roach
and Tsirtsis are looking to repeat as individual state champions this season.
“We worked really hard to improve from last year, especially in
the off-season,” Roach said. “It’s so
important to stay in shape and keep
improving over the offseason because a kid who wrestles all year is
Strayer, Plesac to be honored by Hall of Fame
IN
the game
S
Bulldogs baseball coach and math teacher Steve Strayer will
be receiving special recognition for his 400th career win
during the Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame Awards Banquet at the Sheraton at
Keystone Crossing in Indianapolis, IN on Friday, Jan.21.
In addition, Crown Point High School Graduate and
former Bulldogs pitcher Dan Plesac will be inducted into
the Baseball Hall of Fame after pitching 18 seasons in the
Major Leagues.
going to be physically and mentally
tougher than a kid who only wrestles five months all year. So we just
want to keep working hard so our
team can grow and work as a unit to
the best of our abilities.”
A date in ‘Dogs history
State finals were on the minds of
Crown point girls swimmers in Dec.
1985. That season, Tricia Maloney
broke two school records in the
200 meter individual medley and
the 100 meter individual. Maloney
finished 14th and 4th in those events
at the state level, respectively. The
‘Dogs trip to Indy wrapped up a
13-0 dual meet season record.
Chesterton-125
CP-61
Highland-130
CP-110
Valparaiso-86
CP-100
Girls
Swimming
CP-74
Munster-112
CP-59
Chseterton-127
Valparaiso-81
CP-105
CP-118
Merrillville-68
14
Sports
Boys basketball successful in DAC
December 17, 2010
Noise plays big
factor in games
By Sam Beishuizen
asst. sports editor
Photo By Donnella Casillas
Senior Evan Langbehn shoots free throws during the Bulldogs Duneland Athletic Conference home opener against LaPorte. Langbehn went
two for two from the free throw line en route to scoring ten points for the ‘Dogs. The Bulldogs went on to win the game by a score of 59-43.
By Sam Beishuizen
asst. sports editor
The basketball season lasts for just under four months which makes it easy for a
team to lose their grasp on the big picture:
winning games. This season, boys basketball is staying focused on the path ahead
by taking things one game at a time.
“We are trying not to get ahead of ourselves,” said head coach Clint Swan. “We
are focusing on one game at a time, and
each day we get better.”
The one game at a time mentality has
proven to be just what the ‘Dogs need.
Against Hanover Central, the ‘Dogs
got down early, falling behind by five at
the end of the first quarter. Senior Spike Albrecht led their comeback scoring 16 points
in the second half to lead the ‘Dogs to an
81-54 victory.
Consistency has been the ‘Dog’s Achilles heel throughout the entire season.
“We definitely need to get more consistent,” senior Sean Crary said. “Once we
get more consistent we are going to have
something special.”
The ‘Dogs captured their first DAC
win of the year in their home opener
against LaPorte, winning 59-43. Senior
Jared Smoot recorded a double-double
scoring ten points and bringing down ten
rebounds.
“The win gave us confidence,” Smoot
said. “It was really important for us to get
off to a good start this year, especially because we didn’t play like we wanted to last
year.”
“After a tough year, it is important to
get off to a good start that gives our guys
confidence,” Swan said. “In our conference you can get buried easily if you fall
behind. This year we aren’t forced to play
catch-up.”
After beating Hammond Morton 6131, the Bulldogs captured their second
DAC win of the year at Lake Central. The
team had control of the game throughout,
winning 67-54. The ‘Dogs were led by seniors Albrecht, Smoot, and Crary who all
scored in double digits.
After a short undefeated stint, Valparaiso handed the team their first loss of
the season with a final score of 48-32. The
Vikings held leading scorer, Albrecht, to
only eight points off a 2-10 performance
from the field. The ‘Dogs are quickly putting the loss behind them.
“We need to learn from the loss, but
not linger on it,” Smoot said. “The next
game is the most important thing for us
right now.”
As the wear and tear of the season goes
on, the ‘Dogs will need to rely on all of
their players to step up their games. Swan
is confident that they will be able to do just
that.
“(Our biggest strengths) are experience and our depth,” Swan said. “This
year, I can go to the bench and there isn’t as
much of a drop off as last year.”
The ‘Dogs season will continue on
throughout the winter break. They welcome in their DAC rival Michigan City tonight at home before traveling to Griffith
on Monday night.
There is a reason why teams are
always talking about the advantage
of playing at home. The fans,
commonly referred to as the sixth
man, can have an immediate impact
on the performance of the basketball
teams.
“Playing at home gives our
guys a boost of confidence,” said
boys basketball coach Clint Swan.
“Whenever the players look up in
the stands, they see their friends, the
football players, and the community,
and that can really pump them up.”
The crowd noise can create an
atmosphere that can give opposing
teams fits on the court. The loud,
antagonistic
environment
can
cause unforced turnovers that can
completely shift the momentum of a
game.
“You need to be able to play
well in a hostile environment,” Swan
said. “Crowd noise can definitely
cause some problems for the visiting
teams.”
This season, Crown Point
has developed an intimidating
environment that can really make an
impact on the visiting team’s psyche.
“Throughout the past few years,
we have been lacking a hostile home
environment. We have that type of
environment this year, and that can
really help us out,” Swan said.
The players and coaches all
appreciate the help of the fans at
home games, and encourage the
students to show up and support
their fellow Bulldogs throughout the
course of the season.
“If we play the way we need to,
we can get any fans excited,” Swan
said. “Hopefully, we can continue to
give the home crowds something to
cheer about.”
Upcoming home games for
the ‘Dogs include tonight against
Michigan City, and the 28th against
Merrillville. Come out and support
your fellow Bulldogs.
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Sports
December 17, 2010
15
Lady Bulldogs remain undefeated
A Minute With
Girls go for sixth conference win tonight at Michigan City
By Milan Savich
sports editor
Mil
Bulls shock fans
By Milan Savich
sports editor
After coming off a
six game win streak and
selling out the United
Center night after night,
the Chicago Bulls may be a
little more than a constant
reminder that Chicago
does indeed have a basketball team.
Even though the Bulls
may be recognized as one
of the greatest franchises
in all of sports, due to Michael Jordan, Phil Jackson
and company’s six championships in eight years, they
seem to have taken a back
seat in the eyes of fans at
the hands of teams such
as Stanley Cup Champion
Blackhawks and lovable
losers the Chicago Cubs.
But let’s not be fooled
here. The Hawks have
been struggling due to injuries and the Bears should
not take their 9-4 record
for granted as Tom Brady
may have reminded them
last week. The Bulls have
one of the greatest groups
of young stars in the NBA
today, and they are showing it on the score sheet
and on highlight reels. The
fans are beginning to show
them some love as well.
The Bulls are most definitely in playoff contention and are building their
young guns into a respectable NBA squad. I love
seeing the fan support and
I wouldn’t be surprised
to see this team doing big
things in the near future.
It may look very impressive
that the girls’ basketball team has
opened the season with a mark of
9-0. But this particular Lady Bulldogs squad will not let that get to
their heads. After all, teams from
the past have equaled that mark
heading into Duneland Conference play, only to sputter and
stall-out by sectionals.
“We’re really happy to be
undefeated but we’re not satisfied just being happy,” senior Lisa
Kurth said.
Although the Lady ‘Dogs
have made an undefeated run
thus far in the season, they will be
faced with the challenge of meeting conference rivals Michigan
City tonight on the road.
“Playing in the DAC is so
tough because you have to play
every team twice,” coach Mike
Cronkhite said. “We already
know what Michigan City is going to do, so for us it’s just a matter of executing.”
Michigan City remains undefeated outside of the DAC with
their only conference loss coming
at the hands of Chesterton.
“We take it one game at a
time,” Cronkhite said. “We just
need to continue to keep the opponent guessing by changing up
our strategy.”
The girls have only lost two
players from last season which
can be a big advantage on the
court.
“Last year we really got to
know each other,” Cronkhite
said. “The team really grew and
it helps a lot this year that we’re
so close.”
In their most recent matchup, the Lady ‘Dogs took on Valparaiso at home, coming away
with a close victory by a score of
56-54.
Photo By Joe Nejman
Sophomore Hayley Bordui looks to pass the ball to a teammate in a
Duneland Conference game against Lake Central last Friday. The Lady
Bulldogs went on to win the game by a score of 92-89 in overtime. The
Lady ‘Dogs are currently in first place in the DAC with a record of 5-0.
“We need to get better defensively,” Cronkhite said. “We also
need to improve on rebounding
and shooting free throws.”
Even after facing near defeat
in an overtime thriller against
Lake Central, the Lady Bulldogs
lead by junior Courtney Kvachkoff, came away with a 92-89 victory. Kvachkoff finished with a
game high 27 points, while junior
Kendall Brown and senior Kelly
Gross both contributed with 18
and 13 points respectively.
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“Even though we have come
away with so many big wins we
don’t want to get over-confident,”
Gross said. “We need to keep
working hard.”
If successful tonight, the girls
will stand at an undefeated 10-0
heading into their DAC rivalry
game at home against Merrillville
on Dec. 28.
“Our next two games against
Michigan City and Merrillville
are huge,” Cronkhite said. “We
are really going to need to stay fo-
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Post-Tribune
cused and not get too far ahead of
ourselves.”
“We have a lot of confidence
being undefeated, but we try our
best to keep focused on the games
ahead of us,” Kurth said. “We
don’t want to get over-confident.”
Currently, the Lady Bulldogs
are in first place in the DAC with
a record of 5-0 and they also lead
the region in offensive statistics
making 246 of 460 field goals thus
far on the season.
“We’re really trying to play
our best and work as a team, and
offensively we are doing that,”
Kurth said. “There are still a few
aspects of the game that we need
to work on, but work on getting
better everyday in practice so that
we can accomplish our goals at
the end of the season.”
Although the Lady ‘Dogs are
looking strong in the DAC at 5-0
and may be in contention for the
Duneland Conference Championship, that would not assure them
of their main goal, winning sectionals.
“We really want to keep our
undefeated streak alive as long as
possible,” Kurth said. “We set out
to win sectionals this year and our
team is so close that we can work
though anything to achieve our
goals.”
With each game getting closer
and more intense, the Lady Bulldogs are seeing new players step
up every game.”
“Even though we have a lot of
great senior leadership, our sophomores and juniors are really big
for us,” Cronkhite said. “Courtney (Kvachkoff) really stepped
up for us against Lake Central
and we love to see that leadership
from younger girls.”
The Lady ‘Dogs match up tonight at Michigan City will begin
at 6 p.m. The girls are looking for
their sixth DAC win.
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Personalities
16
December 17, 2010
Dancing like nobody’s watching
Take
FIVE
Three students
perform in annual
New York City’s
Macy’s Day Parade
By Alexa Grady
staff reporters
While carving the turkey or traveling
to a loved one’s house for Thanksgiving
dinner, three of Crown Point High
School’s seniors were marching through
the Macy’s Day Annual Parade in New
York City. Bailey Whitehead, Evie Turner,
and Allison Bowdish were invited to
take part in the 84th year of The Macy’s
Day Parade.
“When we were at cheer camp, Bailey
and I were invited to cheer in the parade
because we are seniors and captains on
the varsity cheerleading team,” said
Evie Turner. “You can either be invited
by NCA, USA, or UCA to attend.”
All three girls flew to New York just
a few days before the parade in order to
learn the choreography for the routine.
“There were 760 girls that were there
learning the routine with us,” senior
Bailey Whitehead said. “It was difficult
to have enough space to move during
practices as well as during the parade.”
In order to have the privilege to
go, the girls needed certain skills that
would allow them to attend. They
needed to require a lot of experience and
leadership, as well as patience.
“With 760 girls, it was hard to stay
polite as well as learn the routine,”
Turner said.
“Also, the cheer was more like a
dance so the cheerleaders had to adjust
to the dance counts,” Whitehead said.
Allie Bowdish was the dancer that
was chosen to go for her second year. “Last year I was a junior on the
varsity dance team and also the captain.
Even though I’m not on the dance team
this year, they still invited me back
Robert Ebbens
Junior
Photo provided
Seniors Evie Turner, Allie Bowdish,
Bailey Whitehead, and former CPHS
student Eva Khan pose after dancing in
the Macy’s Day Parade. The parade took
place in New York City.
to participate,” said Bowdish. While
spending Thanksgiving in New York
sounds like a treat, there were rough
times for the girls.
“The practices were 4 hours long
and very stressful,” Turner said.
They had to endure some long
practices in a confined room until they
got the true experience of cheering and
dancing in New York City.
“Practicing in Herald Square was
really fun and it was more spacious,”
Whitehead said. “Also, visiting Ground
Zero was very touching.”
This will be an experience that the
girls will always remember.
“I loved the experience both this
year and last year. It is so exciting to
be able to perform in such a big city,
while having all my family and friends
watching me on television,” Bowdish
said.
Through long practices, cold weather,
and putting up with 760 girls, they were
able to strut on the streets of New York
while representing Crown Point. The
Senior cheerleaders Evie
Turner and Bailey Whitehead.
Not Pictured: Allie Bowdish
Macy’s Parade
by
the numbers
Band Together
My favorite class is
band class because I
love music.
Rap Master
I really like Eminem.
That man knows how
to rhyme.
Pet Peeve
It annoys me when
people text when I’m
talking to them. It’s
just impolite.
Faithfully
People should know
that I’m pretty devout
when it comes to my
Christian faith and lifestyle.
Play It Again
44
million people watch the
Macy’s Day parade on television each year
I wish I could play
guitar along side U2
because the Edge is a
beast.
You know it’s time for winter break when...
Junior
“You hear little
kids talking about
Santa Claus.”
“You hear Christmas
songs on the radio.”
Sophomore
Matt Torres
Freshman
Gianna
Gazzillo
Danny Aultman
Senior
Marissa Yadron
“You’re getting tired
of waking up early
for school.”
“Everyone’s excited
about sledding and
ice skating.”
Photos by Donny Casillas