Starmites: “Oh Skanky Bimbos” - Spacepunk

RAMPAGE
North Thurston High School
December 2, 2011
Issue 402
Starmites: “Oh Skanky Bimbos” - Spacepunk
Morgan W. serenading to a dying
Tristan O.
Cast and crew of Starmites
Taking the stage after
many days of practice!
Junior, Tristan
O. posing after
performing as
Spacepunk on
stage!
Ben Watson portraying the “Great
Thinker” pose
Photos by Senior, Morgan W. & Ms. Bork
Student Spotlight:Travis R.
Experiences a Coincidental Tragedy
by Maggie Angel
Seventeen year old Travis Ridenour was riding his bike on
College Street on the 12th of November when he was hit by a car. It
was around 4:30pm, Travis says, when the car pulled up to the intersection at 31st Ave and College St. and he rode his bike across the cross
walk. Apparently the car didn’t see Ridenour, and pulled out onto
College Street, hitting Ridenour directly in the leg, and knocking him
off his bike without even stopping. A few passersby stopped when they
saw what happened. Police were called and a report was filed. No one
at the scene was able to identify the car or write down a license plate
number. Ridenour says he “hopes the driver gets identified so no one
else gets hit.”
Ridenour has experienced a lot of pain in his leg, and now has
a temporary limp. He visited the hospital on the 13th, and his leg
should heal okay, but at this moment, he has limitations on walking.
Besides that, Travis says he is fine, but “getting back on my bike will
be weird.” Travis also admits, “I have bad luck with cars.” Surprisingly
enough, this is not the first time he’s been hit. He was hit a few months
ago, and also last year. Every single accident has occurred on a Lacey
city street while Ridenour was bicycling.
Tyler Ridenour, brother of Travis has also been hit by a car.
Tyler was dragged 30 feet by a truck on Judd Street, landing him in the
hospital for two weeks. Tyler was lucky to live, and Travis is grateful
that his injuries were minor.
Travis Ridenour’s advice to fellow students about how to
prevent this type of accident, and stay safe is, “Make sure to wear
protective helmets.”
Key Club
You can help with volunteer
activities through this club. Some of
the members joined highway cleaning the other day. They said their area
seemed clean at first but they picked
up a lot of trash-10 bags! Joining this
club gives good opportunities to
participate in local society and
community service. Mrs.Ward is the
advisor.
Science Club
In the school the purpose of science club is
to show that science is fun and tutor people that
might need help. The main focus for this semester
is “Imagine Tomorrow” which is a big science
competition. They are studying jellyfish, scheduling
after school activities, trying to make glass or to
make things float in the air, and fundrasing by
NTHS clean-ups.
German Club
German Club Members
The German club
focuses on everything that
has to do with German
culture. They are making
posters for a German
conference. Whoever has the
poster that gets the loudest
cheer wins prizes. They are
doing a community services
project for three days to pay
for the conference.
Gay-Straight Alliance
Nesian Islanders Club
The Nesian Islanders Club is a cultural club, but never fear, it’s
not just for Nesians. Mr. Wienski is the main advisor in Room 215. They
are currently busy planning for foreign language week. The guys are
planning a haka-warrior dance; they’re learning it through the football
and the soccer team. The girls are learning hula. They are also offering
ukulele lessons.
Nesian Islander Club
members showing their
pride!
No Name Calling Week is a week of educational activities to end name calling of all kinds. It starts
January 23rd and goes to the 27th. Pizza Klatch is a
support group for the Gay Straight Alliance club. “Free
lunch, free support, bring a friend.” Every Thursday
Pizza Klatch is in room 209 for 1st lunch and in room
227 for 2nd lunch. Ms. Nelson and Ms. Rowell are the
advisors. For more news regarding national GSA events
go to glsen.org
News
Page 2
Marching With the
Best of Them
The North Thurston Band plays at
all of our home football games and positively
represents our school in a number of events
and competitions. Marching band really
began before school started; at the beginning
of August all marching band students were
starting to put together their field show. They
participated in a week long marching camp.
This year’s show was titled Medusa and
featured four movements depicting the
mythological story between Medusa and
Athena.
Both Symphonic Band and Concert
Band played at all of the home football games
this year. All band members gave up their
Friday nights to play various songs, including
the National Anthem and the North Thurston
fight song, in between plays. The Marching
Band performed their field show during
halftime.
Marching Band, which is made up
of all Symphonic Band students and a few
Concert Band students, also played at four
Saturday competitions. Every Wednesday
night from the beginning of the season
members of the Marching Band had been
meeting for rehearsal from 6:00 - 8:30pm.
They went outside despite heavy rain to
practice for two and a half hours. By the end
of practice they were soaking wet and
freezing cold, but they still came together
every Wednesday night to practice. All
members were also required to take time to
practice at home, during school, after school,
and at rehearsals.
This year, the marching band played
at four all-day Saturday shows. They performed either once or twice, once in the
preliminaries then once in the finals. At the
competition in Silverdale they left at 6:00 in
the morning and returned around midnight,
after playing two full shows. When they got
back to North Thurston they still weren't
finished. The percussionists and band parents
had to unload all of the heavy equipment, like
the Marimba, Xylophone, and Timpani from
the equipment truck.
The competitions were held at
Silverdale, Tumwater, Everett, and Auburn
respectively. They placed fantastically with
two 2nd places, one at Silverdale and the
other at Auburn. At Auburn they were the
smallest AA band in their division and they
still swept most of the competition, and won
Best Percussion. They placed first in the
single A division at Tumwater while also
winning best music, best general effect, best
percussion, and best marching!
This year, the Colorguard memorized
intricate routines and landed second place at
their show in Auburn! They accomplished
this with an all new Colorguard this year.
This was only possible because of their hard
work and dedication.
The percussion section did particularly well this year. This section includes both
the Drumline and pit percussion. They placed
with best percussion at both Tumwater and
Auburn!
The North Thurston Marching Band has
worked hard all season. They’ve put time and
dedication into every show they’ve performed. It was only because of this dedication
and the entire band’s positive attitude that
prompted their fantastic performances. They
had a wonderful season this year and are only
improving as they move into their concert
season. Thank you for producing such a
wonderful show this year!
Poll: How do you use the
Internet?
by: Maggie Angel
Whether it be by desktop, laptop, cellphone, tablet or iPod, teens these days are
almost always connected to the web. When you log in, what are the first three tabs
you open?
Band Events
Jazz Festival: Nov. 19, Jazz Band
Holiday Concert for Concert Band: Dec. 8, Concert Band
Holiday Concert for Symphonic Band: Dec. 13, Symphonic Band
South Bay/Pleasant Glade Elem. Concert: Jan. 5, Volunteers
P.L.U. Honor Band: Jan. 6-7, Selected students
Middle School Honor Band Concert: Jan. 21, Volunteers
Solo and Ensemble: Jan. 28, Selected Students
Pacific NW Band Festival at U.W.: Jan. 30, Symphonic Band
Jazz Festival at Black Hills: Feb. 9, Jazz Band
All-State in Yakima: Feb. 17-19, Selected Students
Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival: Feb. 24-26, Jazz Band
Zone 3 Elem. Band Concert: Mar. 7, Volunteers
KPLU CD recording: Mar. 10,
Concert with CMS Band: Mar. 19, CMS Concert Band
Large Group Festival at O.H.S.: Mar. 21 or 22,
State Solo & Ensemble: Apr. 27-28, Selected Students
South Bay Elem. Band Concert: May 21, Volunteers
Spring Concert w/ Orch.: May 23
Pleasant Glade Elem. Band Concert: May 24, Volunteers
Jazz Band Concert w/ CMS: May 31, Jazz Band
Choir Events
NTHS Fall Choir Concert:
Oct. 19, 7:00pm, all Choir groups
Holiday Concert #1:
Dec. 9, 7:00pm, Chorus
Panorama City:
Dec. 10, 12:00pm, Jazz
Holiday Concert #2:
Dec. 14, 7:00pm, Chorale/Jazz
All State/NW:
Feb. 17-21, All Day, Selected Singers
Solo and Ensemble:
Feb. 26, All Day, Selected Singers
Choir Contest:
Mar. 3, All Day, Chorus/Chorale
Choir Festival:
Mar. 22, 7:00pm, All Choirs/Chinook
State Ensemble:
Apr. 29, All Day, District Winners
NTHS Spring Choir Concert:
June 9, 7:00pm, All Choirs
Orchestra Events
Pacific Lutheran Univ. Orchestra Festival:
Oct. 15, 1:00pm
Fall Orchestra/Band Concert:
Oct. 26, 7:00pm, Both Orchestras
Holiday for Strings Concert:
Dec. 5, 7:00pm, Both Orchestras
NTHS Holiday Concert #1:
Dec. 8, 7:00pm, Intermediate Groups Only
NTHS Holiday Concert #2:
Dec. 13, 7:00pm, Advanced Groups Only
NTHS Orchestra Student Recital:
Jan. 26, 7:00pm
Solo and Ensemble:
Jan. 28, All Day
Winter Orchestra Concert:
Feb. 29, 7:00pm
Large Group Orchestra Festival:
Mar. 7, TBA
Spring Band/Orchestra Concert:
May 23, 7:00pm
NTHS Student Talent Show:
June 2, 7:00pm
If you have an idea for a poll you’d like to see done and published in the RamPage, please let us know by emailing nthsrampage@gmail.com!
Editorials
Page 3
Click. Type. Post.
We may have the freedom of speech, and of the
press, and of the right of the people, but how far should
we go with our freedom? As most of us know, Facebook
is a social networking service and web site that anyone
can create an account on. Some of us wake up and start
each day with a status, and some of us post 40 statuses in
a minute, but how much is too much? Or how personal,
is too personal? Are there boundaries or are there no
boundaries? Well, Facebook is a PUBLIC social network,
and should not be used to take the place for private and
personal social life.
A Facebook status box asks “What’s on your
mind?” and you could type anything you want. What
should you type? What would you type? If you haven’t
realized ,parents’ Facebook posts are much different than
teenagers and kids’ Facebook posts. Usually because once
a boy turns into a man and a girl turns into a woman,
comments, thoughts, especially posts, sound more
mature. Statuses like “I hate my life” are much different
from statuses like “Tomorrow is going to snow, does
anyone have any ideas for things I could do?” There are
boundaries on how personal you can be on any public
network.
Before we make a post, or comment, especially
on a public social network like Facebook, we should all
know the boundaries and consequences we may have just
from that one post. Many people get in trouble about
posting things on Facebook because they don’t think
about what they are saying. Posting one status can get
you fired from your job, in trouble at school, create
unnecessary drama in life, and have a negative input in
your lifestyle. Anyone and everyone can scroll down or
search your page and see your post, you just never know.
On Facebook, there are more than 800,000,000 active
users, more than 50% of our active users log on to
Facebook in any given day, and an average user has 130
friends. More than 350,000,000 active users currently
access Facebook through their mobile devices. More than
475 mobile operators globally work to deploy and
promote Facebook mobile products. The activity on
Facebook happens 24/7 all around the U.S.A, and all
around the world. There are more than 900,000,000
objects that people interact with such as pages, groups,
events and community pages. The average user is
connected to 80 community pages, groups and events.
On average, more than 250,000,000 photos are uploaded
per day. People post statuses every second, minute, hour,
day, week, month, and year.
Depending on how many people on your
friends list, who we know or who we trust, one post can
be seen anytime of any day. People can say or post
anything such as something inappropriate, sexual, illegal,
racist, violent, or discriminating and feel like they are
fine. One comment can put you in a world of hurt.
Facebook is a brilliant website, obviously because its
success of users nationwide, but it can be just as dangerous as entering any chat room full of creepers.
An absolute fact about Facebook is it’s one of
the MOST public arenas used these days. Each user has a
Homepage and Profile. The Homepage has a News Feed,
which is thought to be a “personalized” feed of his/her
friends’ updates. The Profile shows information about the
individual he/she has chosen to share, including their
interests, education and work background, and contact
information. Facebook also has core applications – Photos, Events, Videos, Groups, and Pages – that let people
connect and share anything they want. Users can
communicate with one another through Chat, personal
messages, Wall posts, Pokes, or Status Updates.
This social network gives people control and
freedom over their experience so they can express
themselves freely while knowing that their information is
being shared in the way they intend or (hope for). Even
though they say “Facebook’s privacy policy is TRUST
certified, and Facebook provides simple and powerful
by Masai Hunter
tools that allow people to
control what information
they share and with
whom they share it.” does
not mean you are
completely safe with
anything you say and
share and can trust
everyone that your
information is only seen
by them.
Like every
parent and teacher says
“family, friends, teachers,
parents, creepers,
strangers, bosses,
managers, friends of
friends, even enemies,
can all look at that one
post, or that one picture,
or that one comment,
you WILL NEVER
KNOW WHO ALL
LOGS IN AND READS
OR SEE’S YOUR POST.
There is a fine line
between having a
completely inappropriate
status and an appropriate
status. Thousands,
Millions, of people log
into Facebook everyday
just to share a post, but
not everyone wants to
hear about “What so and
so did the night before”
or “What drugs so and so’s girlfriend is on”. We must
remember a lot of people will know your personal
business. Please realize that NOT EVERYONE wants to
hear certain things through Facebook especially. This is
the PUBLIC you are speaking to, not just your mother,
not just your best friend, not just your boyfriend or
girlfriend, but possibly people you never knew existed.
Take a moment and think about it; you can
someday get fired from your job from posting a. extremely inappropriate or suggestive status, or pics, or
videos, or you can get stalked by some random creeper
from posting one status on your information. There are
endless possibilities that could happen from one single
post; that’s why there are boundaries. It’s not just
everyone you know that is watching you and your
actions; it’s also everyone you don’t know. Please let’s not
forget, with much freedom, comes BIG responsibility.
Adults:
Bob: “The trip to hawaii was amazing! The kids loved the
beach and my wife has never been so happy!” (Post)
2 People: (Like)
Bob: (Like)
Dave: “You forgot to take me Bob Haha” (comment)
Bob: (Chuckles)
Teens:
Adrienne:” OMG!! WTH MI BOYFRIEND IS CHEATIN
ON MEH!! >:# SOME1’s BOUTA CATCHA BEAT
DOWN. FML. I HATE EVERYONE.!!!” (post)
Josh (Adrienne’s boyfriend): “Baby I LOVE YOU!!!! That
was the girl from English class. She was helping me with
my homework!! I love you too much to ever hurt you like
that!! You’re the most beautiful thing in the world, without
you, I’M NOTHING!!! Baby forgive me!! You’re my all and
everything!! LETS GET MARRIED!!!<3” (comment)
Adrienne: (Likes)
91 People: (Likes)
Adrienne:” Omg why didn’t I see it before!! You love me!!
Even though we are 14 I know I’m in true love, because the
first moment I saw you, I FELL IN LOVE!!!! Baby don’t you
ever scare me like that again!! Omg ILYF!!!!! *sighs*
<3<3<3 (comment)
Starmites Review: Wonderful? Or Downright Snorefest?
by Guest Writer - Tiffany Jones
The play Starmites is about love, finding yourself, and fighting for your dreams.
The North Thurston High School drama club put on a performance to remember. I was
intrigued from start to finish; from the set to the sound effects.
The elements in the play helped shape the set and made it believable to the
viewer. The settings that worked the most for me were… Eleanor’s bedroom, the jungle
area with the Banshees, and the Diva’s habitat. The pink walls, the shirt and posters
hanging up, and all the comic books set the mood for a nerdy teenage girl’s bedroom. I
believed the set. But it was the elements of her room that made me feel like I was
there… the laptop, the bookcase, and all the shelves. Without these, the bedroom would
have been boring and lacking major details. Her bedroom really had visual appeal. After
Elinore’s bedroom came the Banchees’ jungle. I was immediately entranced by the
features. Everything was perfect! The fog, vines, and dark lighting set up for the viewers,
an alarming undergrowth. This was the most effective for me. The final setting that was
admirable was the Diva’s lair. The stair case, platform, lighting, Diva chair, torture
devices, and other outfits made the scene authentic. In all, I think the staircase and
platform were the great props. Without them, I wouldn’t have gotten the sense of power
from the Diva. She wouldn’t have seemed so large, in power and size, compared to the
other actors.
Without the costumes, Starmites would not have been as effective. It was the
costumes of the Diva and the Starmites that were the most amazing to me. I loved the
Diva’s black trench coat and heeled boots; it helped show power and anger, which added
to the drama. When I saw the Diva on stage, I immediately associated her with being
evil, because of her very bleak color scheme. Overall, her costume really worked for me!
The Starmites’ costumes, also worked for me. The bright colored leggings, shirts, and
hair definitely made the boys stand out from the others, but the thing that set their
costumes over the top, was the stars on their shirts. It really made them shine through as
heroes. I liked the contrast between the two sets of costume-- the Diva, very dark and
dominant whereas the Starmites are very bright and dazzling.
Continues on Page 12...
Editorials
Page 4
Unwritten Rules of High School
Admit it; we’ve all done it at least once. Crossed
that invisible line that no one told us about. Broken some
silent law of socially surviving high school, and felt
stupid and self-conscious.There are a lot of rules in this
part of your life that have never, are never, and will never
be covered by the school’s student handbook. Carry the
official rulebook, but know these rules by heart. For any
of you who have struggled with these, we have a list of
the top ten.
1.
2.
3.
4.
diculous anyway. No one’s going to judge you
on that. Go to games... and not just the easy,
“popular” sports. Go to one meet or game for at
least one sport per season. Join clubs, do activities. Try out for the school play, and if you did
not make it, work backstage. Go to an orchestra
or band concert. Getting involved really is easy,
and it’s fun too.
5.
Do not stop walking in the halls. Please attempt to make life easier for all of us and try
not to create a big group of people around your
friends’ lockers. Do not stop to talk to someone
on the stairs. You never know how much of a
hurry the people around you are in, and if you
get pushed aside or shoved down the stairs, it’s
your fault, not theirs. Period. And if you see a
group of people that’s blocking the hallway?
Dive through them. If they move, you’re doing
everyone a favor.
Keep it conservative. Do not have a full-on
make-out session where everyone can see you.
Don’t dress like a harlot. Come on guys, these
should be no-brainers. It’s great that you’re
happy and comfortable enough in your relationship to show that relationship off to the world,
but the rest of us will not want to see you guys
“being intimate.” A peck on the lips before class
is fine, but sweaty wrestling matches in the halls
are gross. If you’re going to do that, get a room.
Also, while you’re here, dress appropriately.
You’re not here to be anything less than you can
be. This is school; we’re here to learn.
Try not to hang out with the same people every
day. It’s great to have a core group of friends,
but your life will get boring fast, trust me. Mix it
up a little. Find a buddy in every class that you
can call if you need homework help, or someone
to walk with from class to class if you don’t like
facing the halls yourself. Don’t be scared to go
out and meet new people.
Get involved. Go ahead and show school spirit.
The whole point of spirit week is looking ri-
Editorial:
Respect others. Now, this one’s not entirely
unwritten, but there’s a few things that some
people always conveniently forget to read into
it. For example, try your best to judge others
until you know the story. You do not know what
they’re going through. Gossip might feel fun,
but it can be hurtful, as can bullying. Avoid
being rude to people, because you never know
when they’ll be your partner for a project, or
worse, the T.A. for the class where the teacher
already hates you. However, if you’re a freshman, you’re going to get picked on. Not to
condone bullying, because it’s wrong. If you’re
getting seriously bullied, report it. But getting
treated a little differently because you’re a freshman is totally different. It’s a rite of passage.
Make sure that you keep other’s needs in your
mind, and you’ll do fine.
6.
Yes, it’s going to affect the rest of your life. Keep
your head up in class, and pay attention. You
have the whole rest of the day to sleep or mess
around, but you never know what the extra-credit question that saves your grade is going to be.
7.
Be careful with valuables (especially your
heart). You cannot bring a super-expensive electronic or a lot of money to school and then act
surprised when it gets stolen. Same thing goes
for your heart. Keep it safe, and don’t be easy.
Trust me, if they’re really worth it, they’ll wait
for you to be ready.
8.
Put school before relationships. Let’s face it,
you will most likely not be with the same person
for the rest of your life. However, your high
school transcript will stay the same whether
you’re twenty or fifty. Breakups suck, but in the
Misconceptions
end you’ll feel better and life will go on. Try
not to create drama. The right person is going to
treat you right., and you are going to treat them
right. Relationships, dates, boys/girls will come
and go. School comes first.
9.
Don’t believe everything you hear, especially
if you hear it secondhand or take it from the
media. You are not going to get shoved into a
locker, freshmen. You have no reason to worry.
If someone says that someone else said one of
their friends saw a guy that looked like your
boyfriend hanging out with one of your rivals at
Safeway, don’t be afraid to ask around and find
out the whole story, or be up front and ask him
yourself.
10. Be yourself. Come to school with a good attitude, don’t be afraid to be unique. Sex doesn’t
make you cool. Neither do drugs. If you do
them, whatever, that’s your business. But don’t
brag, it makes you look stupid, and no one cares
anyway. Pick your battles. Find your focus, and
have a goal. Be aware of who you are, what
you like, and what makes you special. And in
the end, the things that make you stand out in
the crowd will be the things that really help you
through high school.
by Kayla Purdue-Mosley
“People assume being gay is a
choice.” Alecia J.
“Straight guys might
stay away from gay
guys because they
think they might come
onto them.” - Senior,
Jacob A.
“They don’t understand that it’s not just
about sex.”
Ms. Rowell
Photos by Kayla & Kalei
by Jada Cerniwey
Here at North Thurston High School we have a
large amount of diversity
including diverse sexual
orientations, which in turn are
often followed by misconceptions. I suspect that finally
bringing these misconceptions
and misinterpretations about
being gay forward could be a
useful exercise in the process of
making gays feel more welcome
or understood within the high
school community.
Of all the strange
misconceptions about being gay
I find the oddest one that it is a
choice. It is very common that
people believe at one point
someone “turns gay” or makes
the decision to be gay. I’m sure
straight people wake up one
morning and say to themselves,
“I think I’ll be heterosexual.”
Why would anyone choose to
be called ‘queer’ or ‘homo’ for
the rest of his or her life?
Sophomore Alecia J. elaborated
on this and said, “It’s not
something you choose.” It’s an
ongoing argument of nature vs.
nurture choice. But most people
will tell you they were born the
way that they are, which
includes their sexual orientation.
According to Daniel
O., gay males are expected to be
“super-duper flamboyant and
feminine.” In reality, there isn’t
one type of gay person, just like
there is not one type of straight
person. Ms. Nelson, one of the
advisors of GSA (Gay Straight
Alliance) says a huge misconception is that being gay is “only
about sex.” She says being gay is
just one piece of who you are.
Stereotypes among
high school students are
inevitable; there is no surprise
that there are an overwhelming
number of mistaken beliefs
about gay students. Senior
Jacob A. said, “As a straight guy
I don’t find every girl attractive.
Just because someone is gay it
doesn’t mean that they find
[every guy] attractive”.
It has been my
observation that another widely
accepted idea is that a gay male
is less of a “man” than a straight
male; they’re on a constant
mission to prove their masculinity. There is not a certain
definition of what a “real man”
is.
These misconceptions
about being gay are inaccurate
and do not represent the
community of gays as a whole.
With the diversity here at North
Thurston, these misunderstandings are present and makes it
hard for gay students to feel
welcome or understood. I
would like our student population to be more accepting of the
diversity; we should celebrate
and enjoy our differences.
Page 5
Features & Editorials
What does Music Say About You?
A large portion of our lives are spent listening to
music either for relaxation or to help work go by. Some
can’t even do a single thing without their iPod playing hip
hop or cool jazz or some other genre. But what does it say
about you? Music is more than just a form of expression;
it defines who we are as individuals, but the assumptions
people have can be dead wrong. For example what do you
picture when you think of heavy metal? According to
Professor Adrian North of Heriot-Watt University, they
are really “quite delicate things.” Professor North asked
36,000 people about 104 different music styles and their
personalities and this is what he found.
Questions
Q1: What genre of music do you listen to the most?
Q2: What do you think this genre of music says about
who you are?
Q3: The chart says…do you think this is true and
why?
Answers
Senior Brittany D. A1:“Country, I like a story told
through music mix between classical and rock.”
A3: Agreed, I joined the military
which is hard if you’re lazy and I
have a lot of ambitions…I do what
it takes.”
Junior Korder B.
A1: “Rap, shows I’m from an area
with rap influence.”
A2: “No, not very outgoing but a
fairly high sense of self confidence.”
Senior Logan W.
A1: “Rock, I like to rock.”
A2: “Mostly, just the self-esteem
because I’m awesome.”
Junior Luis H.
A1: “Indie/rock, I have an interest
in music that is calming.”
A2: “No, some of it [but] not all.
Low self-esteem, not hardworking,
or outgoing [isn’t true].”
Editorial:
by Kalei Sabas
Blues & Jazz
High-self esteem, outgoing, creative, and at
ease
Blues-Gentle
Classical Music
High-self esteem, creative, introvert, and at
ease
Rap
High-self esteem and outgoing
Opera
High-self esteem, creative, and gentle
Country and
Western
Hardworking and outgoing
Reggae
High-self esteem, creative, not hardworking,
outgoing, gentle and at ease
Dance
Creative, outgoing and not gentle
Rock/Heavy
Metal
Low self-esteem, creative, not hard-working,
not outgoing, gentle, and at ease
Which Gender is Judged More?
by Desarae McLaughlin & Esperanza Rodriguez
According to recent interviews with staff from NTHS and various
teenagers, the Rampage discovered that the majority of people interviewed felt
that boys are judged more because they are either afraid of gays or they can’t
conceive couples being of the same gender. Out of 25 people interviewed, 20
of them said that gay boys are definitely judged more negatively than girls are.
“People in society tend to look at it differently when a male is gay than they do
towards a female,” English teacher, Ms. Gomez said. For instance, another
opinion comes from Isaac R when he said, “Many (straight) guys think it’s sexy
when a girl is gay but when it comes to a guy being gay, they’re like ‘ew man
that’s nasty.’”
Another reason gay guys are judged more is because boys are
expected to be masculine, not feminine. Officer Williams also said, “Guys are
expected to be the stronger ones.” Dallas K. believes that guys are judged more
because a lot of straight guys are homophobic and they are so afraid to have a
gay friend because they think they will turn gay or that people look at them
negatively for hanging around gay people. Dallas also was disturbed by the
thought of gay sex.
According to our interview comments, we found girls seem more
open about admitting they’re homosexual or bisexual. Girls don’t tend to be as
homophobic as guys are, so girls can go to their friends
and be open and tell them that they like girls. If gay guys
do that though, most of their straight guy friends will be
like, “uuh man we can’t be friends anymore, you might hit
on me.” Gay girls get judged, mostly by straight girls and
that’s mostly because they think they’re being gay just to
get attention. Lindsey A, summed it all up by saying “I
don’t like girls in general; I think a lot of girls tend to fake
being gay for attention.”
Everybody just seems to judge what they’re not,
ya know? Most straight people can’t even imagine why
people would like someone that’s the same gender. So they
think it’s completely strange. Then there are the few people
that think there is no negative judgment at all, like Mr.
Pallitto for instance. He says, “I don’t see anyone here [at
North Thurston] judging boys or girls differently… It’s
more acceptance than judgment.”
Photos by Esperanza & Desarae
What People Have to Say
Taylor. and
Treshon L.
“Guys get judged [negatively] more, because if they
say I love you to a dude or give them hugs they’re
supposedly gay.”
-Anonymous
“Guys absolutely [get judged more] because they
have the image and stereotype of being manly and
superior and being gay takes from that. People are
more surprised to see two men holding hands
rather than two girls. Plus the sex appeal of two
women and two men, obviously women win that.”
-Dwayzsha C.
Dallas K.
“Guys obviously get judged more because 99% of
guys think lesbians are hot.”
-Shelby W.
“Nobody wants to see guys all over each other.”
-Anonymous
I’ve never seen gay couples making out in the hall.
So in a way it’s like they’re more respectful [then
straight couples].
-Ms. Niles
“Being gay is not a choice. I would support my son
100% if that’s the path chosen for him.”
-Officer Willaims
Features
Page 6
The Benefits of Reading
Editorial by Yuki Terada
How many books do you read
per month, on average? Five, ten, more,
less? I believe that high school students
should read more than they do,
because the benefits that we get from
reading are plentiful. Reading increases
one’s vocabulary and sentence fluency,
as well as understanding. Reading
fantasy books fosters imagination in
young children and helps to give one a
boost in kindergarten. Reading is a
great way to relieve stress and relax
after a hectic day, or just give an escape
from life. High school students in
America , Japan, all over the world,
should read much more than they do.
Reading is so important to kids in the
world, but so many middle and high
school students stop reading, because
of the reading forced on them in
school. Many teachers do try to pick
books that will keep a student interested without having to force them to
read; however this does not work for
some students who have already made
a habit of not reading. Many books are
also necessary to read, and most of
those books are very boring, such as
the older classics. Classics are difficult
to read, because they use such old
language, that isn’t common now a
FCCLA Volunteers
days. Students may get discouraged by
their lack of understanding of this
language in classics, which will in turn
lead them to stop reading the book.
Students in countries like
America and Japan should take
advantage of the ample supply of books
we have available to us. Children in
poorer countries such as Africa or a
Madagascar may not be able to access
books. We need to appreciate the books
we have and put them to good use.
Reading provides a road to knowledge
and better grades in school. Walk the
road and enjoy it; don’t get discouraged. Keep trying.
Most students in Japan take a
foreign language in middle and high
school. To help us study, we read books
in that language, starting small with
children’s books, and working up to
novels. This helps us to improve our
skills in that language by forcing us to
comprehend something. Learning
English is very important in Japan, so
any tools to help the students learn
English is great. This is why I think
reading is so important. Reading has so
many benefits. Students should read
more to get those benefits, and most
importantly, to have fun!
Photo By Kalei
Joey A. happily volunteering for the better
of the community.
OMG! Txtin is awsme! :P
The use of text messaging has changed the way
that people talk and write essays; some people believe that
texting is harmful. In the beginning of 2002, the use of
texting in school assignments had some people worried
that the quality of the written language was on the
decline, and in other reports, the teachers and professors
were beginning to have a hard time controlling the
problem. In November of 2006, though, a school district
in New Zealand actually allowed the students to use
texting lingo in the end-of-the-year-exam papers and
reports.
A USA Today research study found that teenagers who
used more language-based shortcuts such as LOL, 2nite,
Brb, etc. in everyday writing had poorer quality writing
than those who used less shortcuts in writing. This proves
that using texting language to shorten words is leading
teenagers to have poor quality writing.
In schools, messaging has had a huge impact on
students academically by creating an easier way to cheat
on exams. In December of 2002, a dozen students were
caught cheating on an accounting exam by texting. Also a
University in Japan failed 26 students for receiving
e-mailed exam answers on their cell phones. The number
of students that were caught using cell phones to cheat on
exams has risen in recent years.
Texting while driving is a huge issue these days also.
Photos by Maggie
by Thalia Duran-Ellis
Liberty Mutual Insurance Group led a survey with more
than 900 teens from over 26 high schools nationwide. The
results showed that students found texting behind the
wheel are "very" or "extremely" distracting. One example
of texting while behind the wheel is the 2008 Chatsworth
train collision, which killed 25 passengers. It became
known that the engineer of the train had sent 45 texts
while he was driving the train.
Game Spotlight: Skyrim
Hello fellow gamers! It’s time to teach you of the
magical world of Skyrim! And this one takes the enchanted magical cake muffin. Let’s start off with a few facts.
You’re a prisoner, big surprise for an Elder Scrolls game
right? You DO fight many dragons, Nomming on their
souls as a mid day treat, and they are bringing back the
thieves, mages and warriors guild to fit you with a group
of like minded NPC (non player controlled) characters,
but instead of focusing on returning aspects, let’s talk
about the changes from Oblivion to Skyrim.
Shane M. said “the change in graphics is amazing
and I love the game play upgrades that they made.” In
Oblivion leveling up was annoying and long, don’t get me
wrong; it was amazing, but very draining. In Skyrim,
leveling is quick and easy; you can get to level five in two
minutes and still get the same thrill as you did playing for
hours on Oblivion. Along with leveling up learning spells
used to require an ENORMOUS amount of magic and
On Friday the 25th, and Sunday
the 27th, FCCLA volunteers Joey A.,
Maggie A., Kelsey C., and Teal C. volunteered at Habitat for Humanity’s 2011
Gingerbread Holiday Cottages Competition. The annual competition features
more than a dozen beautifully and
intricately crafted gingerbread and candy
creations. Viewers from the community
could buy tickets to vote for their favorite
edible creation, and most of the houses
were also part of a silent auction.
At the event, community
members also saw several decorated
Christmas trees, wreaths, and a giant
Gingerbread Lady, among other holiday
decorations. Downstairs, in the Olympian
Hotel lobby, on Sunday, Santa visited,
along with an extended line of children
excited to see him.
Volunteers from our school
helped out in several different ways. On
Friday evening they helped set up
decorations on the Olympia Ballroom
where the Gingerbread Holiday Cottages
were being viewed. This included setting
up and assembling holiday tress, stringing
lights, and placing face cut out boards on
the stage. On Sunday, volunteers helped
by handing out programs, informing
viewers about various creations, and
taking pictures.
FCCLA is excited to get involved
in the community and connecting with
organizations such as Habitat for Humanity. In the future, the club hopes to make
associations with The Boys and Girls Club,
other schools’ FCCLA’s in our area, etc.
Members thought that gingerbread and decorations were the perfect
way to reign in Winter. Volunteer Joey A.
admitted that he can’t wait for more cold
weather, “I love the snow.”
“It is great to come together,” Teal
C. said about Winter, “This is the best
time to give back to the community.”
Have a safe and captivating
December, Thurston!
skill while in Skyrim you can learn any spell right off,
though you may not have enough magic to actually use it.
Not to mention SHOUTS! Carlin D: “Relentless forcing
people off edges.. yes” The shout abilities are actually
words in the dragon language that just happen to be
words of power. So if you think about it, when dragons
talk, their fighting and vise versa. Bethesda (game
creators) also incorporated the random encounters you
find in Fallout 3 & Fallout New Vegas.
Lock picking has gotten a new look, rather than
the old tumbler locks, we have a new “key” lock system
which makes it a bit easier when you’re trying to escape
from jail after stealing a chicken… or threatening
innocents.
Maybe you’re going to be the stealthy Rouge that
steals from all to fill his never filling purse, possibly the
evil wizard that likes to collect the souls of Simple
Mountain folk. Whatever suites your persona, I’m sure
An experiment with Car and Driver showed that
texting while driving had a bigger negative impact on the
driver’s safety then being drunk. The study concluded that
when the drivers were texting, their risk of crashing was
23 times greater than normal.
These facts came from Fox News, Textually.org,
SADD, and USA Today.
by Strong Paw
you’ll find what you want from the legendary game which
is Skyrim. I hope you have fun, because I sure as a
dwarves beard will.
Sports
Page 7
It’s Not Just About Sports Anymore: Penn State Scandal
Editorial by John Corey
M
any of you have probably heard about
the happenings going on in State
College, Pennsylvania, but for those
who haven’t I will recap. About 2 weeks ago
news broke of former Penn State Defensive
Coordinator Jerry Sandusky, age 67, being
charged on 40 counts of sexual abuse of minors.
These alleged assaults took place starting in
1994, but the incident that captured the attention of not only the nation, but the world,
happened in 2002.
According to a Grand Jury report filed
on November 4th, a graduate assistant coach,
Mike McQueary, walked into the Penn State
locker room shower and found something the
Jury report described as “Sandusky forcibly
raping a 10 year-old boy.” Initially it was reported that Mike McQueary left the locker room
without confrontation, and Mike, shaken, went
home and called his parents. The next day
McQueary briefed legendary coach Joe Paterno
of what happened the previous day. Paterno in
turn relayed this to the Athletic Director of the
university. That though, is where things started
to unravel for Penn State.
No further action was taken by Paterno,
McQueary, or any other person at Penn State.
No police reports, no restrictions to Jerry’s
access to the campus, absolutely NOTHING.
How could you go on with a clean conscience
knowing about all this? Somehow these men
did. After these allegations surfaced to the
media, hell broke loose upon the university. Two
days after the story went public, Joe Paterno,
Nittany Lions’ head football coach for 46 years,
took so much scrutiny he decided he would
finish the season out and retire, but the Board of
Trustees at the college decided otherwise.
“Jerry Sandusky is a sick man, in his
action and his mental health is as ill as
well when he sees these events as
normal”
Paterno was fired effective immediately;
this news was not taken lightly by the students.
Penn State enrollees took to the streets in what
was less then a peaceful protest, smashing car
windows and flipping a new truck over in
demonstration for their beloved coach. Along
with these riots, gatherings on Paterno’s lawn in
support of his career were common too. New
developments break almost daily about these
events in Pennsylvania.
Just recently McQueary sent an e-mail to
former players saying he did break up the
raping, contradictory to what his deposition to
the Grand Jury said. Even more recently Jerry
Sandusky did an interview with Bob Costas on
news show “Rock Center”, where Jerry was
asked the question “Are you attracted to young
boys, to underage boys?” where Sandusky
hesitated, repeated the question after answering
every other inquiry with definitive answers and
said “Sexually attracted? You know, I enjoy
young people. I love to be around them. But no,
I'm not sexually attracted to young boys.”
In this scandal in State College we have
learned many things; Jerry Sandusky is a sick
man, in his actions and his mental health is as ill
as when he sees these events as normal. We have
also learned that people will do anything to save
their name from having a black mark and how
so many innocent children’s lives can be tainted,
ruined for life by abuse. If you get the chance to
read the Grand Jury report, know it is graphic,
describing in detail these counts of sexual
assault and many people, including myself,
couldn’t finish reading through the disgusting
actions this man took against children. Hearing
these accounts of the victims, some now in their
20’s with kids of their own, and of the cover up
by the administration at Penn State is appalling
at best. We should all hope for a resolution for
these victims and their families sake, and for
Jerry Sandusky to pay for what he did to these
children.
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2011-2012
RamPage Staff
Editor-In-Chief:
Cindi Pan
Managing Editor:
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Bizarre Holidays
Starmites: Continuation from page 5...
Ultimately, the costumes and color design helped shape
the play.
The acting for me was bittersweet. Some parts
worked really well, whereas some parts fell short. The
December 2nd: National Fritters Day
parts that were favorable for me were the kiss between
December 3rd: National Roof-Over-Your-Head Day
the Space Punk (main Starmite) and Elinore and the
December 4th: Wear Brown Shoes Day
comedy scene. The kiss seemed very realistic and it
December 6th: Mitten Tree Day
really grabbed my attention. It brought the piece from
December 10th: Festival For The Souls Of Dead Whales
an elementary play to an advanced performance.
December 13th: Ice Cream and Violins Day
Furthermore, the comedy scene was excellent. It was
December 16th: National Chocolate Covered Anything Day
very comical to see a Starmite chasing a Bancheese with
December 21st: Look At The Bright Side Day, National
her own stick. The scene wasn’t cheesy or poor, it was
Flashlight Day,
the exact opposite; very beneficial. Aside from the
National French Fried Shrimp Day, and Hamburger Day
dynamic pieces, there were numerous parts that did not
December 26th: National Whiners’ Day
work well for me. The Diva did not speak with clarity,
December 28th: Card Playing Day and National Chocolate Day There was a great deal of time where I could not
December 30th: Festival Of Enormous Changes At The Last
understand anything she was saying. Additionally,
Minute and
many characters spoke drastically fast. I wasn’t able to
National Bicarbonate Of Soda Day
take it all in. Lastly, Elinoire’s mother dashed off stage
December 31st: Unlucky Day
after throwing out her lines. It all seemed too accelerJanuary 1st: First Foot Day and Z Day
ated.
January 2nd: Run Up the Flagpole and See if Anybody Salutes The lighting was uncoordinated. There were a
It Day
few times that the lighting completely dissolved the
January 3rd: Festival of Sleep Day
actor’s faces. It was awkward; I could see bodies, but no
January 11th: National Step in a Puddle and Splash Your Friend faces. During these moments, I only recognized the
Day
actors by their voices. Contrary to this, the lighting was
January 13th: Make Your Dream Come True Day and Blame
pleasant. It made a helpful frame for the characters and
Someone Else Day
helped set the mood for different settings. Without the
framing of the lights, I would have been lost throughout
the whole play. The lighting definitely came in handy
during the jungle scene. It set a dark, mysterious mood
while framing the whole stage and all the characters in
it.
The sound effects were awesome! I loved when
someone would cast a spell and you would hear the
ringing sound in the background. All the effects
matched the actions. It really brought the play to life
and added depth. My favorite effects were when the
Diva would punish people and when Elinoire went in
the Psycho Machine. The pitch of the Diva’s attacks were
very comical and fit in perfectly and the others always
fell at the perfect time; great timing in the sound effects.
The Psycho Machine had a unique accent. If the
machine had just been quiet, the scene would have been
very boring. All the sound effects added together for a
great play.
Overall, I really enjoyed the play. It was full of
excitement and drama. The set was put together
perfectly, creating a great play filled with wonder. The
costumes were beautifully designed and fit together,
delivering a believable setting. The acting was done in
such a way, that it was hard to believe some of these
actors were really in high school. A number of scenes
were beyond the actor’s years. It was alluring to watch.
The lighting added depth and intensity to the viewer’s
pleasure. And lastly, the sound created the commotion
that fit all the actors’ feelings, actions, and anticipation.