the miner incidents - Beulah School District 27

THE MINER INCIDENTS
October 20, 2010
Page 12
Features
THE MINER
INCIDENTS
20 October 2010
Biel recommends Last.fm to music fans of all genres
By: Nicholas Biel
While many students frequent
sites like Pandora, AOL Radio, or
Youtube for their music listening
needs, few seem to know of the
2002-launched Web site, Last.fm.
Like Pandora, its online radio plays
music based on a user’s listening history
and favorite songs. Though Last.fm’s
recommendation system seems less
refined, its radio is ad and interruption
free.
Where the site really stands out, though,
is its extraordinary statistics collection
abilities. It records not only play counts,
but when those tracks were played. Last.
fm uses this data to generate weekly
favorite lists or even graphs of a single
Commons continued from page 1
provided they don’t have food. The
Commons is a trademark. It must be
appreciated as a privilege and it must
never again be so abused.
The most optimistic approach for
students is to hope the privilege will be
returned to them. This may not occur in
the near future though. While a reversal
of the decision is not at the top of his list
of priorities, Kaylor urges students to
nonetheless “keep it clean.”
Time Change continued from page 4
time slots. However, this would create
scheduling conflicts in the other schools
in the district.”
With all of the adjustments necessary
for a successful switch to Central Time,
a change on Nov. 7 would be nearly
impossible.
“I would really like to see the school on
Central Time after the semester break,”
Lech said. “We will do everything we can
to make that happen.”
From Nov. 7 until the end of the first
semester, or more likely until the end of
the school year, an interim schedule will
be put in place.
The plan Lech brought before the board
is for the school to run from 9:25 am to
4:20 pm, keeping the same daylight hours
as Mountain Time.
This temporary solution, while it puts
the school on the right track for change,
causes more problems than the school is
facing now.
For one, none of the issues addressed by
the time change will be remedied until the
school actually begins to run on Central
Time.
Furthermore, since the school will run
an hour later than it did on Mountain Time
(with respect to area businesses), students
and parents alike may have difficulty
reconciling work and school schedules.
First, any parents whose work schedule
allows them to drop off their kids during
their commute will now be leaving them
at school an hour before it starts.
To address this, Lech proposed a
supervised, before-school period for
the students to wait until the school day
begins.
“We feel that it is our responsibility to
provide a place for our kids to be,” he
said. “Parents should not have to take on
any additional costs or responsibilities for
morning childcare.”
Additionally, students with after-school
jobs will lose an hour of potential work
during the week since school will cut an
extra hour out of businesses’ operation
hours.
Senior Zach Femling, who tries to work
every day after school to make his car
payments could lose five hours per week
of work.
“That loss will really add up quickly,”
he said. “I might have to pick up more
hours on the weekends.”
Kim Kessler, co-owner of Bronson’s
Super Valu in downtown Beulah, said she
will have a tough time adjusting her work
schedule to allow for students working
one less hour per day.
“Bronson’s employs 10-12 students,”
track’s listening history.
While Last.fm can collect this
data from the site’s integrated radio,
users can submit information directly
from a their media players in a process
called scrobbling.
Scrobbling allows users
to track their listening history from any
computer on well over 60 media players
as well as from Xbox 360s and PS3s. This
is done either with plug-ins that directly
modify the media player, or with a small
program called Audioscrobbler, which
acts as a bridge between media players
and Last.fm’s website.
Users can even record play counts using
portable media players such as iPods or
Zunes.
Alternately, if users rely on websites
for music listening, but still want to
track their plays, they can use Firefox
scrobbling plug-ins for YouTube and
Pandora that can be found and installed
with ease.
The real value of this ubiquitous
scrobbling is the feedback it gives to the
user. Last.fm records not only the number
of plays for each track, but the date and
time of each scrobble down to the minute.
With this data at hand, users can view
their most popular songs and artists, as
well as trends of listening for individual
tracks.
If this data is still not enough, there is
a plethora of Last.fm and user created
programs specifically designed for tasks
like calculating listening diversity or
making colorful graphs of a user’s most
she said. “It will be very difficult to fill
the hour from 4 to 5 pm. I’m not quite
sure what we will do.”
While the time zone change may not be
the ideal solution, the fact remains that
it has been approved and the change is
coming.
One thing that students and faculty alike
can find comfort in, though, is that the
Beulah School District is neither the first
to go through the change nor alone in the
process.
“The Center school district went through
this process already,” Lech said, “and
two of Hazen’s administrators were there
during the process. Our school will have
lots of resources.”
summer jobs.
Mr. Wold, one of the counselors at Beulah High School, sees the benifits of not
having three months off. He has seen the
downward slide in NWEA test scores in
the spring in comparison to the fall scores.
But, he isn’t entirely against the idea of
summer.
“I also see the benefits of part-time jobs
and the opportunity to travel. It really
depends on what you do in those three
months to determine if those three months
off were worth it for the development of
the brain,” Wold said.
Whether they are for or against the idea
of a four-day school week, people know
that if the financial situation in this country doesn’t get better, changes will have
to be made to ensure that every American
child gets the necessary education to be
successful.
Four-day continued from page 4
care or nanny costs. The shortened week
could also interfere with after-school activities.
Although Lech is open to new ideas, he
doesn’t believe the four-day school week
could be enacted in North Dakota right
now.
“I know of at least one school district in
the state that has attempted to do it. They
were denied by the Depart of Public Instruction. Their [the school district] plan,
according to the DPI, would not meet
their goals for education. Such a plan is a
waiver to the set of accreditation rules set
down by the state. As of now, I don’t see
them [DPI] waiving those accreditations.”
If the thought of school lasting until
June is stomach churning, chew on a third
option open to schools: just abolish the
entire idea of a summer altogether. With
an entire month of school added to the
year, July and part of August would be the
only summer months. Instead of letting
students off for such an abnormally short
break, schools could instead break up
those days and disperse them throughout
the entire year. Christmas could be three
weeks. Holidays like Easter or special
times of the year like spring break would
also snatch up valuable days.
The lack of summer, besides the drastic
cultural changes it would bring, would
steal an opportunity for student to hold
Fads continued from page 9
an overwhelmingly bad reputation.
Algebra II teacher Connie Schmidt
called them “goofy” while freshman Dan
Harildstad said they are “stupid.”
“I think shutter shades are dumb. Just
because Kanye West wears them doesn’t
mean we have to,” freshman Rachel
Funkhouser said.
While sunglasses that block the wearer’s
view are considered impractical, nothing
beats the functionality of Ugg Boots.
Made from twin-faced sheepskin with
fleece on the inside and a tanned outer
surface, they are the epitome of Eskimo
chic.
The female population of Beulah High
School is absolutely smitten with them.
Senior Kayden Candrian and sophomore
Kaitlyn Grad said they are “super comfy.”
While these fads may seem perfectly
acceptable now, they will soon become
cringe worthy. Most students consider
Crocs, a type of rubber sandal with a
covering over the toe, to be the worst
current fad. While not technically
fashion, Dwyer said the worst modern fad
is “sparkly vampires.” She raises a good
point.
Saggy pants are considered equally bad.
Schmidt specifically objected to these
listened artists. There are even programs
for charting users’ most common listening
times on weekends and weekdays.
Furthermore, users know that the data
truly reflects their listening habits (unless
they leave their media player on) because
scrobbling only occurs halfway through
the song.
After only a few weeks of listening,
new users will discover that they have
listening patterns that they were unaware
of. For example, users may find that
although most of their scrobbles come
from one band, their top tracks could be
from a completely different artist.
Even though all these new programs,
plugins, and listening methods may take
a while to set up and get used to, they are
well worth the effort.
when worn in conjunction with bright
colored boxers on males. Bodell advised
guys not to wear revealing shirts with the
sleeves excessively cut off.
Every generation makes collectively bad
decisions. It’s part of growing up. Maybe
twenty years from now students will look
back and be appalled by these decisions,
maybe they’ll think these were the
greatest decisions of their lives, but, right
now, putting on a purple V-neck with gray
skinny jeans, flip-flops, and a neon hippy
bandana is definitely awesome.
Hearing loss continued from page 9
“I love to listen to my iPod loud and long
and I haven’t noticed any problems with
my hearing,” Zimmerman said. However,
she said she thinks even small amounts of
hearing loss in teens can cause problems
later in life.
“I think that the earlier hearing loss
starts, the faster it will deteriorate later
in life. But, it really isn’t a huge issue
to just ask ‘What?’ a lot more often,”
Zimmerman said.
Although Zimmerman isn’t worried
about hearing loss later in life, that exact
point is the real concern surrounding this
study. When this generation gets older,
the prevalence of hearing loss will be at
unprecedented levels. This means more
money will be spent on expensive surgery
and hearing aids. This can lead to higher
health insurance costs (because of the
increase in claims) for this generation and
the generations that come after us.
This study does not suggest that MP3
players should never be used. The study
simply shows a serious and evident
correlation between their excessive use
and hearing loss.
Apple acknowledges their product can
cause hearing loss. The official iPod user
manual says: “Permanent hearing loss
may occur if earbuds or headphones are
used at high volume. Set the volume to a
safe level.” Unfortunately, Apple does not
give a specific volume level or percentage
to follow. But, according to Dr. Ness, the
volume should be kept below 60 percent
of its potential volume to avoid damage.
Volume 59
Issue 1
Bomb threat puts high school on edge
By: Megan Muscha
On Wednesday, Sept. 29, the
students and faculty of Beulah
High School had an experience
like no other. During fifth period,
Principal Todd Kaylor made an
announcement to the school that
everyone was to be escorted to the
elementary school gym. When
the entire school was evacuated
and in a safe location, they were
told by Kaylor of the bomb threat.
Confusion and a list of questions
spread throughout the room: Who
would do this? Why? Is it serious
or is it just a prank? Everyone
wanted answers to questions that
no one could solve.
When the noise died down in the
elementary school gym, Kaylor
announced that the school had received
a bomb threat via an anonymous letter.
Although the chances of it being a
prank were ninety-nine percent, Kaylor
said he was not willing to risk that one
percent. The students of BHS were held
in the gym until regular dismissal at 3:20
pm. Police closed off the four streets
surrounding the high school for students’
safety. Students were not allowed to go
back into the school to retrieve homework
or any of their possessions that they
had left behind when they were told to
evacuate. Vehicles in the parking lot or
parked on the streets surrounding the high
school were also off-limits to students.
Although vehicles were allowed to be
retrieved later that night many students
were forced to walk or find other means
of transportation to their homes or that of
a friends.
The police force did a thorough job of
searching every “nook and cranny”; they
investigated every classroom, searching
behind books and even removed ceiling
tiles.
No ‘bomb’ dogs were brought in, but the
police “did everything physically possible
to make sure it would be safe for the
students to return to school,” Detective
Jim Wenning said. The police officers’
attendance was continuous through the
rest of the week.
The students’ reactions ranged from
cautious and slightly nervous to complete
annoyance.
“What if something happens during the
pep rally? That’s where everyone’s going
to be at one time,” senior and student
council president Kendra Seibel said.
Although this was a concern for most of
the on-edge students, the pep rally went
on with no disruptions.
Other students were more annoyed at
the culprit than concerned.
“I’m fine with missing Latin class and
all, but let’s be honest…whoever thought
they should write a prank bomb threat to
get out of school is uncool,” senior class
president Marisa Kritzberger said.
As for the consequences, the responsible
party could face anything from a fine to
jail time.
“This offense would be charged with a
felony,” Detective Jim Wenning said.
Felonies can be on a person’s record for
life. They can also result in probation,
loss of occupational licensing, loss of
the right to possess deadly weapons, and
the loss of voting rights according to
Legalmatch.com.
Classes continued according to schedule
on Thursday, with no new updates of the
guilty party.
A school board decision to change
to Central time will affect school
hours.
P4
Sophomores Megan Battest and
Kourtany Koch celebrate Space
Jam day during Homecoming
2010.
P6
The Fellowship of Christian
Athletes practices teamwork by passing marshmallows with toothpicks. P8
On Wednesday, Sept. 29, the administration moved high school
students to the elementary school gym following a bomb threat.
Principal Todd Kaylor addressed students concerning the threat.
(Photo by: Staff)
Lunch no longer allowed in Commons
By: Andrew G. Heller
All great peoples have a
personal sanctuary. Batman has
the Batcave, the ancient Greeks
had the Parthenon, and Beulah
High School students have the
Commons. But tragedy struck
on August 25, the first day of
school, when students were told
they could no longer eat lunch in
the Commons. This was expected
to be a major disturbance in the
traditions of BHS.
Contrary to what many students
believed, having lunch in the commons
is not a long-standing tradition. Food
Service Director Janet Dschaak said
students have only been allowed to eat in
the commons for less than ten years. The
original change was brought about due to
a large student body that was unable to fit
comfortably in the lunchroom.
The change is an administrative rule that
was enacted at the beginning of the 201011 school year. This is not to be confused
with a policy, as policies are written
segments that can be found in the Beulah
High School Handbook.
“It was a privilege that was not
maintained. The Commons wasn’t kept
clean,” BHS Principal Todd Kaylor said.
“Garbage was left. Trays, glasses, and
silverware were left on tables and put in
garbage cans,” Dschaak said.
Since the policy’s introduction, students
have questioned why a blanket rule was
necessary. Most are respectful and clean
up after themselves. It leaves them
curious as to why the entire student body
should be punished for the misbehavior of
a few people.
At some point, the problem became
uncontrollable and the unfortunate
decision had to be made. Kaylor said
he regrets having to make the decision
but felt it was the only way to police the
situation.
“The very last thing I wanted was to
punish the whole school,” Kaylor said
Last year, Kaylor made considerable
warnings. Attempts were made to
find the individuals responsible but the
misbehavior continued. This blanket rule
was the last resort for the administration.
“After several warnings, it wasn’t
working out,” Kaylor said.
Since coming to Beulah four years
ago, he has noticed a “steady decline”
in the attention to care of the Commons.
Whether this was the result of an influx of
food fights or simple disregard by students
is unknown. While students are eager
to claim innocence, no one is willing to
confront any known guilty parties.
Perhaps none are known. Or perhaps
this decision hasn’t majorly impacted
the student body. Just weeks after its
introduction, the new rule is nothing more
than a ghost of a thought to most students.
Lunch continues to occur day to day
without incident. The student body has
decreased in number from the size that
required students to be allowed to eat
lunch in the Commons.
Dschaak said that the lunchroom has
room for everyone. Several of the tables
are left relatively empty and no one is
bumping elbows. Everyone is able to pick
out a place that accommodates them, as
well as their peers.
The change doesn’t seem to be
negatively affecting Dschaak or the other
cooks. She has notices some positive
changes taking place.
“Kids are sitting with people they
don’t normally sit with,” she said. The
processes of lunch continue as usual.
The new accommodations may bring
about a more integrated and friendly
school. Although this notion can be called
“cheesy,” it is a positive one. Students
can still enjoy the Beulah High School
Commons at any time,
See Commons page 12
Cross Country runners outpace competition on steep
hills with hometurf advantage.
P11
INSIDE
The Miner Incidents:
News ..................................1
Editorials ............................2
Opinions . .........................3
News ..................................4
Features .............................5
Miner Focus.....................6-7
Features ..........................8-9
Sports ..........................10-11
Features ...........................12
Beulah High School
204 5th Street NW
Beulah, North Dakota 58523
www.beulah.k12.nd.us
(701) 873-2261
THE MINER INCIDENTS
THE MINER INCIDENTS
Page 2
Sports
Editorials
20 October 2010
20 October 2010
Cross Country prepares for state race on Oct. 23
THE MINER
INCIDENTS
Staff
By: Megan Muscha
The North Dakota State Cross Country meet
will be held in Jamestown on Oct. 23.
Nicholas Biel: News Writer,
Columnist, and Features Editor
By: Andrew Heller
Carson Reinhardt: News Writer,
Columnist, and Opinions Editor
Auto-Tune allows creativity, fraud
Here at The Miner Incidents, we
love our music. We write while we
listen and we listen while we write.
Even among our small staff of five
journalists, we all have drastically
different music tastes.
Anika Jurgens: Sports Writer, Features Writer, and Sports Editor
Andrew G. Heller: Cartoonist,
Features Writer, and News Editor
Megan Muscha: News Writer,
Sports Writer, and Features Editor
Contributor: Photographer Jayme
Pischel.
Page 11
After several hours of continuous
Facebook chatting and arguing about
music, specifically Auto-Tune, we found
that it cannot be simplified to the point of
calling it either good or bad and to do so
would be an injustice.
We decided two schools of thought
exist on the value of Auto-Tune: it either
allows for great amounts of creativity
for Internet users or it is a destructive
technology, allowing any Tom, Dick,
or Faith Hill to sound like a rock (or
country) god without any talent, all the
while making oodles of money.
We would love to assume that everyone
knows what Auto-Tune is, but we know
that some imitate Patrick Star and live
under a rock. So, to completely clarify,
here is the exact Google definition of
Auto-Tune: a proprietary audio processor
created by Antares Audio that uses a
phase vocoder to correct pitch in vocal
instrumental performances. Essentially,
it fixes the wrong pitches in a person’s
voice so that anyone’s voice can sound
awesome.
On the positive side, it is a wonderful
and powerful tool for tech-savvy Internet
users to use to create media. Anyone
with access to the Internet can buy and
download a simplified version of the
Auto-Tune software and create music.
A perfect example of the proper
application of Auto-Tune is the popular
“Auto-Tune the News” channel on
YouTube which was created by a musical
group called the Gregory Brothers,
consisting of three brothers from Redford,
VA, and one girl from Brooklyn, NY.
These viral videos are a mixture of humor,
pop music, and political information in an
easily digestible package.
If it weren’t for Auto-Tune, such videos
could not exist. Granted, if these videos
did not exist, the world wouldn’t stop
turning, but, a great amount of creativity
went into creating these videos. This
private usage by small, indie groups to
make silly YouTube clips is the proper use
of this technology. It gave these musicians
a tool to express themselves with in ways
they never could have before.
Auto-Tune has a dark side to it though.
Major recording artists should never use
Auto-Tune. Musicians should be highly
talented people who possess singing
voices that few others possess. If AutoTune can magically fix anybody’s voice,
then nothing separates the musician from
the masses.
Aretha Franklin became a superstar
because of her amazing child-prodigy
like piano playing skills and her soulful
singing voice. With her talents and hard
work, she earned the title as “The Queen
of Soul.”
Auto-Tune steals all of those gifts and
talent and gives them to anybody like
some sort of instant gratification machine.
If an artist is to be respected and lauded,
he must possess the talent and willingness
to reach music nirvana
Auto-Tune is both a superhero,
allowing any person to rise to Internet
stardom in a frenzy of self-expression,
and a menace, allowing lazy, money-bag
artists to consistently put on fake perfect
performances.
Letter to the Editor of The Miner Incidents
Dear Editor,
I, as a student a Beulah High School, believe that if a student goes out for a sport he or she should get equal time on the field or court
as the other players, even if the student is unskilled or not as skilled. That is where fairness comes into play between each player on the
team. The student may not be as skilled as much as the rest of the team, but at least he or she made the effort to go out for that sport
and gave as much effort as a lot of the other teammates on the team. It shouldn’t matter if it’s the player’s first year or fourth year in the
sport, each player on the team should get an equal amount of time on the field.
Fairness to me is when two or more people have the same rights and equal pieces of a pie. If a person is left out of some activity or
just doesn’t get as much time in during a sport season that student will lose morale against the coach and more importantly himself or
herself. Once a student loses morale he or she will start to feel left out, give up, and the population of new students in sports participation will drop.
I know in a school district teachers, coaches, and students in sports try to encourage different students to come out for sports and make
their school year better. Some students don’t have as much skill as other students, but the more those lesser skilled students are put in,
the more skill they will gain. It’s just not practice where they get skill, it’s also in games.
I believe that the coaches in the Beulah High School can make the school even a better place for sports if they give each athlete a fair
share in the playing season. The sport itself would be more fun than it would be just sitting there not being able to play. Just sitting on
the sidelines for games gets really boring to athletes. If the athlete is ready to play and worked during the weeks in practice, the athlete
should get a chance to play in games no matter what the score or how much skill the athlete has. The more an athlete will play in games,
the more skills he or she will develop. I, as an athlete, feel that playing in a game is better than practice because a chance on the field
would be a better way to work with my own skill than it would be in practice.
Sincerely, Alex Gunsch
The Miner Incidents is published six times a year by the Journalism Department by and for the students of Beulah High School and
does not necessarily represent the views of the administration. The Miner Incidents accepts signed letters to the editor, reserving the
right to edit them for grammar and profanity. Student submissions may be given to Mrs. Heller.
“The team has a great work ethic and the season has been
outstanding,” head coach Bruce Wold said.
Specifically, the boys are rated third and the girls are
rated fifth and sixth. The team credits its success to hard
work, dedication, and good pairs of running shoes.
“If the kids just keep working hard I think state will go
pretty well. But the important thing is that they just do the
best they can and have fun with it,” Wold said.
Working hard is what this team does. The top three girl
runners are Hazen senior Sarah Grimm, eighth grader
Nessa Iverson, and eighth grader Alicia Aune. In the 2.5
mile run, Sarah runs a 16:00, Nessa runs a 16:40, and
Alicia runs a 16:47.
The top three male runners are Hazen sophomore Jaaz
Catterall, freshman Cole Messerschmidt, and Hazen
freshman Asher Catterall. In the 3.1 mile run, Jaaz runs a
17:05, Cole runs a 17:14, and Asher runs a 17:28.
“I’m really excited for state this year because the bus
rides are always a blast and I’m hoping we’ll do pretty
good as far as placing goes,” freshman runner Connor
Candrian said.
After being involved in cross country throughout her
entire high school career it was hard for Senior Kayden
Candrian to just walk away. Although she can no longer
compete she is still a vital part of the team as a statistician
and is quite enthusiastic about the state meet.
“We have quite a few talented kids that have a good
possibility of placing high,” Candrain said.
What makes her come back year after year is the cross
country crew, of course!
“The best part about cross country is how close of a
family we all become. Because we’re a smaller sport and
travel long distances it is easy to get to know the people
quickly,” Candrain said.
Coach Wold encourages any and all interested to lace up
their tennis shoes and come pound the pavement with the
team next year.
“Just do it! You will get in great shape, and there are
really fun people on the team,” Wold said.
Clockwise from top right: Freshman Randy Julson pushes up a hill during the the Beulah Cross Country meet at Black Sands Golf
Course. Nessa Iverson sprints to stay ahead of competition. Beulah boys take off the starting line with hopes to establish a position
early in the race. The girls cross country runners break away at the sound of the starting gun.
(Photos by: Andrew Heller)
THE MINER INCIDENTS
THE MINER INCIDENTS
Page 10
Opinion
Sports
Page 3
20 October 2010
20 October 2010
Fellowship of Christian Athletes promotes faith, teamwork
By: Megan Muscha
Fellowship of Christian Athletes
(FCA) provides BHS students with
yet another great reason to love
Fridays. This organization gathers
weekly in coach Loy Ham’s room
to enjoy his legendary breakfast
pizza bake and discuss scripture
readings. But don’t let the athlete
part discourage any anti-sweat
students out there because FCA
welcomes all who want to grow
closer to God and their faith.
Hayden Kessler and Logan Eisenbies pass a marshmallow with toothpicks during an FCA team-building exercise
(Photo by: Staff)
“Anybody can come, it’s not only
for athletes, it’s for everyone,” Beulah
linebacker Erik Ham said.
FCA began in 1954 by its founder Don
McClanen and has been touching lives
nationwide ever since. It is the largest
Christian sports organization in America,
according to fca.org.
The Beulah High School FCA is
currently on its ninth year. Loy Ham
decided to bring this program to BHS
for two reasons: he was approached by a
member of the school board to start a local
FCA chapter and his church sponsored
a month-long movement to challenge its
members to find unique ways to open
their faith to others.
“FCA’s purpose, at its absolute core, is
to combine people’s passion for sports
with their passion for Christ, and teach
them that those two worlds don’t have to
be separate. FCA wants to give meaning
to the athletic nature that all of us are
born with and use it for something that
stretches beyond sports,”wrote Nick Dunn
in the “Beginner’s Guide to FCA” (fca.
org, 10-7-10).
“It is a non-denominational organization
that allows athletes to use their unique
position to spread the word of God,” Loy
Ham said.
This organization reaches out to as
many people as possible. With its own
magazine, “Sharing the Victory”, books,
web pages, and other resources, it’s hard
to ignore this continuously growing
sensation.
FACLife.com is one of the programs of
this organization. According to fca.org,
FCALife.com aims to provide all those
involved with FCA a unique and more
fruitful social networking experience. It
unites all huddles across the country and
give members a better opportunity to stay
connected throughout the school year.
“I enjoy the fellowship with the other
athletes. I enjoy building each other up
and helping each other grow closer to
God,” senior and FCA huddle leader
Ethan Bohn said.
Minot-Ryan ruins Miner football’s playoff aspirations
By: Anika Jean Jurgens
Minot Ryan was the deciding factor of
whether the Miners made it to the playoffs or
not and losing to the Lions 21 – 19 knocked
the Miners out of the playoffs with the game
against Carrington left.
Minot Ryan wasn’t the toughest team that the Miners
played this season but they showed the team that it
wasn’t going to be easy in the first half of the game.
“ The turning point in the game was at half time when
we all realized that we could pull through, what gave us
hope was when we scored on our halftime opening play,”
senior Stephen Kessler said.
“The season did not go the way we wanted, we all
wanted to win more” senior Colton Starr said.
The Miners played Bottineau on Friday, Oct.1 for the
homecoming game. They players worked for their win
35 – 6 over the Braves.
Through the rain wind and cold, the game vs. St.
Mary’s continued to a disheartening loss for the Miners.
The end score was 30 -14 .
The team traveled to Belcourt on Sep. 24 and won
that game 41 – 10. In spite of a very cold night, the
Miners had an outstanding game. Dustin Rueb was the
last scorer for the team with a 97- yard rush that he
intercepted.
Devils Lake came to Riverside to play the Miners on
Sept.13. The Miners fought hard but couldn’t pull threw
loosing the game 26 – 6. A.J. Rudolph had the only score
for the Miners during this game.
The Miners played Trinity in the new Dickinson State
Bowl. With two overtimes, the Trinity Titans beat the
Miners 20 – 26.
In addition to practicing and playing games, the team
is involved with a Character Counts pillar every week.
Each player has to turn in a paper for the week on one
pillar of character counts before Friday’s game or before
they leave to play out of town.
“It helps build us as a team and as friends, knowing
that everyone has turned in a paper on how the specific
character is that week makes us prove that we know what
it is and that we all can abide by that,” senior Evan Entze
said.
Some of the best times together are winning and the
starters’ nights. On most Wednesdays all the varsity
starters go to a seniors place and eat supper and do
various activities together.
“My favorite thing about the season is the good food on
starters’ night,” Bosch said.
Others say the best part of the season is being with
friends and that football is their favorite sport.
“Hitting people is my favorite thing about the season”
senior Frank (Austin) Smith said.
With 11 seniors, upcoming underclassmen have a lot of
pressure to work, play, and try harder.
Beulah Motor Vehicle
Branch Office
120 Central Ave N, Beulah ND
701-873-4940
License Tag Renewals,
Title Transfers
& Vehicle Registra-tion,
Duplicate Titles, Duplicate Plates,
Duplicate Registra-tion & Tabs,
Special Letter Plate Orders,
and more.
Carson’s Conundrums
Ground Zero mosque must be built
Proposition 19 deserves support
By: Carson Reinhardt
By: Andrew G. Heller
The debate over the proposed
mosque near the site of the 9/11
attacks has stirred up some almost
disturbing anti-Muslim sentiments
throughout the country.
In Florida, Pastor Terry Jones and
his congregation of 50 planned to
burn Qurans for the ninth anniversary
of 9/11while protestors in New York
marched up and down the streets around
the abandoned Burlington Coat Factory
building where Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf
wants to not only build a mosque, but, as
they believe, a type of victory Mosque to
spit in the face of 9/11 victims and their
families.
Opponents demand that the proposed
building, which if built, would be two
blocks from Ground Zero, be moved
farther away from this “holy ground”
because of the proximity to the attacks and
the victims’ bodies that were found there.
Some especially paranoid Americans
believe that this will become a radical
Islamist training center to facilitate the
Islamization of America so that they can
destroy everything we hold dear: apple
pie, baseball, and Frank Sinatra.
As a young citizen of the United States,
I find this blatant abandonment of the
First Amendment right to freedom of
religion disgusting. But, opponents to the
building would argue that they are not
arguing the legality of it, but the fact that
it’s in bad taste. Quite frankly, that reason
is not good enough for me. Islam did not
attack the U.S. that historical day. A small
radical sect of the 1.57 billion Muslims
did. To blame an entire religion for the
actions of a few is irresponsible.
First and foremost, the mosque isn’t a
mosque. Imam Feisal (who in fact is an
American citizen) is proposing to build
an inter-faith Islamic center to strengthen
public relations with the people of New
York and to increase Islamic worship
space to accommodate the growing
number of Muslims in Manhattan. Think
of it as an Islamic YMCA, only it’ll have
its own catchy song performed by the
Village People. According to Rauf, It will
also have separate worshiping areas for
Jews and Christians so that people from
all different walks of life and religions
can come together for mutual peace and
understanding.
Next, let’s consider the controversy
over the site itself. Opponents claim that
two blocks from Ground Zero is simply
too close. If Imam Rauf really wanted
to be sensitive to 9/11 victims, he would
move it farther away from this “holy
ground” to be respectful to the memories
of 9/11 victims and their families. I do not
believe that this site is holy ground for
two distinct reasons: 1. This area is typical
New York, it has strip clubs, delicatessens,
and McDonald’s; 2. The arbitrary number
of blocks people believe it should be
away is ridiculous, three, four, five, or six
blocks away cannot be any better or less
“evil” than two blocks.
Even with these insights, I can still hear
the screaming, “Just move the darn thing
and everything will be ok!”
In an interview with CNN’s Soledad
O’Brien in August of 2010, when asked
See Mosque page 8
Biel’s Bias
Proposition 19 is a ballot
measure in California to be
voted upon this November. If
passed, it will legalize the sale
and consumption of marijuana
for recreational purposes as
well as provide guidelines for
its regulation and taxation.
Opponents see Prop 19 as a grave
danger to society. Supporters treat
it as a major milestone in a fight
for personal freedoms.
California is far from North Dakota.
This does not keep me from supporting it.
I am in favor of Proposition 19 because of
scientific evidence concerning marijuana.
We were taught about the dangers
of drugs and alcohol. In elementary
school, guidance counselors, police, or
other speakers would occasionally visit
classrooms in an attempt to educate us.
The most cartoonish deterrent was a book
I got in fifth grade which used dinosaurs
to show the dangers of different drugs.
Each drug was a different species of
dinosaur, but all ended up the same way.
The book used the dinosaurs’ extinction
to illustrate usage as a dead end (pun
intended).
The Cannibasauras, the pot smoking
dinosaur, met its demise due to laziness
and loss of brain cells from smoking
too much weed. In the mind of my fifth
grade self, this message was clear and
persuasive.
To high-schooler me, it comes off as
transparently biased. High school was
where I would be tempted to become a
Cannibasaurus, or any other species.
Like any issue, I wished to be
thoroughly informed of both sides’
arguments in order to form my own
opinion.
The first notion I studied was the
idea that marijuana causes lethargy. In
Marijuana Myths, Marijuana Facts: A
Review of the Scientific Evidence, Dr.
Lynn Zimmer and John P. Morgan refute
this.
“There is nothing about marijuana
specifically that causes people to lose their
drive and ambition. In laboratory studies,
subject given high doses of marijuana
for several days or even several weeks
exhibit no decrease in work motivation or
productivity,” Zimmer and Morgan said in
their book.
Other claims, like marijuana causes
cancer, was disproved, most notably
by a research study performed by the
University of New Hampshire. Scientific
America covered this in a May 24, 2006
article.
”We expected that we would find that
a history of heavy marijuana use…would
increase the risk of cancer,” Physician
Donald Tashkin of the University of
California, Los Angeles said. His
research proved to be the opposite of his
hypothesis.
My investigation led me to be
resoundingly in favor of legalization.
I was not alone in this opinion. The
National Organization for Reform of
Marijuana Laws, or NORML, “supports
the development of a legally controlled
See Prop. 19 page 8
Megan’s Mind
Understanding trumps knowledge
Halloween trick-or-treating evolves
By: Nicholas Biel
By: Megan Muscha
Recently, as I sat in Mr. Yale’s
AP Calculus class feeling my brain
slowly tearing itself asunder, I
finally realized that I have never
really understood mathematics
and am just starting to learn its
underlying principles.
The Beulah Miner football team holds up
the coveted Coal Bowl trophy they won by
beating Hazen in the season opener.
(Photo by: Anika Jurgens)
Awesome Sauce
Granted, I’ve learned enough processes
and memorized enough tricks to breeze
through almost all of my math courses
leading up to calculus. However, the
combination of new concepts with Yale’s
unique teaching style has shown me that
all I really know are workarounds that
only hint at true mathematical concepts.
For example, during the first few days
of school, he explained that nearly every
function can be graphed with only the
knowledge of a few parent graphs and
the effects of applying transformations on
those graphs.
As I absorbed this new information,
I realized that the omnipresent slope
intercept form is not only a simplified
version of this concept, but that it is very
limiting. While it is a helpful formula for
working with lines, it is rendered useless
with anything more complex than basic
arithmetic terms.
Looking back now, I wish I would have
been taught concepts instead of tricks. I
realize that learning such important and
potent rules as a younger student would
have been a challenge, but trying to
learn underlying principles along with a
whole new branch of mathematics feels
overwhelming at times.
Now, as I sit here thinking of ways I
can expand this article, I realize that this
concept of thorough understanding can be
applied to other subjects as well.
In chemistry, for example, we should
learn not just what happens when we
mix two chemicals together, but why.
Knowing the why allows us to predict
future reactions, which gives us the ability
to tailor the ingredients to get a desired
result.
Social studies, too, could benefit from
this type of education. Learning dates
and locations of events is fine, but it pales
in comparison to understanding motives.
If we could know and comprehend the
motives behind historical movements, we
could not only have a much better grasp
of history, but also use that information to
examine our present conditions.
Even outside of school, this policy
of comprehension is indispensible, for
understanding is the basis of relationships.
Two people can never become friends if
they do not “get” each other.
This idea can also be applied on a
broader scale to interactions between
groups or even societies. If different
cultures only assume things about each
other, there can be nothing but distrust and
suspicion between them. Only when there
is understanding between populations, can
there be a true and lasting peace capable
of weathering tides of ignorance and
storms of xenophobia.
We, as a society should emphasize
comprehension, not rote memorization. If
we base our learning on this idea, a better
educated and more thoughtful populace is
sure to develop.
When the word Halloween
comes to mind, common thoughts
associated with it are candy…
costumes…and well, more candy!
Although this is normal for
today’s society, it was not always
like this. Before preteens started
dressing up like vampires and
witches, Halloween used to be a
time for honoring the dead. It was
originally a pagan holiday referred
to as All Hallows Eve, dating back
over 2000 years, according to
Halloween Web (9-17-10).
HalloweenHistory.org states that in
the ancient Celtic festivals, Halloween
was known as Samhain (9-17-10). It
was believed that on this day, the
boundaries between the living and the
dead overlapped. People thought that
the dead would come back to cause
mayhem such as diseases and bad crops.
During these times, people would wear
costumes and masks either to mimic the
evil spirits or pacify them. Today, people
do this for kicks and giggles. Whether it
is dressing up like a Twilight character
or simply copying the Teletubbies, trickor-treaters have found many new and
interesting ways of masking themselves
for this event. Costumes, in this day
and age, have significantly changed. Not
only is less material is being used for
“costumes,” but Halloween has changed
from a horror movie into a fashion show
of sorts. For girls, the skimpier the
better. Costumes such as naughty nurse
or playful Playboy bunny are becoming
more and more the norm, giving parents
nightmares on Halloween. Nowadays,
showing off costumes, or lack thereof, is
more common than going door to door
for candy that could just be bought in the
store.
Trick-or-treating is a concept known all
around the world and dates back to the
Middle Ages. Because the Celts believed
that not all the roaming spirits were
friendly, gifts and treats were left out to
please the evil ones and ensure that next
year’s crops would be plentiful states
Halloween Web (9-17-10). This tradition
evolved into trick-or-treating. This
activity is popular in not only the US, but
the United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, and
other parts of Europe as well, according
to HalloweenHistory.org. In some places
it is referred to as “Beggars Night.” The
saying goes: if you say “trick-or-treat”
and a treat is not given, a trick is played
on the homeowner. I have never actually
seen trick-or-treaters get upset from their
treats before…well unless they receive a
toothbrush or something like that. Okay
people, a toothbrush, that’s what you get
from your dentist, not on Halloween night
when all you really want is an intense
sugar rush!
Halloween has evolved; from appeasing
evil spirits to trick-or-treating, things
have changed a lot. So next time people
are dressing up as Hannah Montana,
Scooby Doo, or the occasional “nurse,”
remember that Halloween isn’t just all
about the candy…Who am I kidding…OF
COURSE IT IS!
THE MINER INCIDENTS
THE MINER INCIDENTS
News
Page 4
Mercer County time change disrupts routines
Features
Page 9
20 October 2010
The Beulah District School Board votes to put the schools’ clocks
on Central Time. Beginning Nov. 8, students will attend school
from 9:25 am - 4:20 pm.
(Photo by: Staff)
By: Nicholas Biel
On Oct. 7, the Beulah District
School Board voted to put the
schools’ clocks on Central Time,
but run from 9:25-4:20 pm
beginning Monday Nov. 8, the day
after the end of Daylight Savings
Time.
This decision came as a result of the
Sept. 29 Department of Transportation
ruling which will move all of Mercer
County into the Central Time zone at
Daylight Savings Time’s end.
This was spurred by a forum held earlier
this year in Hazen where Mercer County
residents met and discussed the proposed
time change.
In 2000, the Mercer County
Commission put forth a petition to make
the switch to Central Time, which, while
supported by a simple county-wide vote,
failed because of stated public sentiment
according to the Federal Register: The
Daily Journal of the United States
Government (10/4/10).
This time around, however, there was
much more support for change, not only
from the general populace, but from area
businesses and hospitals as well.
Beulah School District Superintendent,
Robert Lech, said that while he thought
the school’s opinion was probably not the
most important factor, they did declare
themselves in favor of the change.
“In an example year with 183 extracurricular activities,” Lech said, “we had
122 take place in the Central Time zone.
We were losing too much instructional
time.”
The problem with driving into another
time zone, he said, is that buses have
to leave an hour earlier than they’d
ordinarily have to just to make up for the
hour jump into Central Time.
Another problem with the difference
in time zones, Lech said, is the hassles it
causes with Interactive Television (ITV)
classes. Only periods two through six
occur during the operating hours of two
schools in different time zones. All
others depend on early bird or late owl
classes in one school or another.
While the switch from Mountain to
Central Time will ultimately fix several
major problems, it will neither be simple
nor problem free.
“One of the biggest problems I see,”
Lech said, “is with adjusting the school’s
schedule to fit Central Time.”
Ironically, one of the things the change
will remedy is also one of the greatest
hang-ups in bringing about a speedy
switch.
“The ITV classes are cemented,”
Lech said. “We have to build our entire
schedule around them.”
Some people think that since the school
will switch to Central Time, the schedule
will mesh nicely with schools that have
always been on Central Time. This is not
so. ITV classes must stay at the same time
periods, not necessarily the same hours.
The problem created by the rigidity
of the ITV system is exacerbated by the
number of ITV classes offered at Beulah
High School and the number of students
enrolled in ITV classes.
“Out of fourteen possible ITV slots,
thirteen are filled,” Lech said. “This
makes moving classes around very
difficult.”
The school can’t just drop ITV classes
because some students will need courses
taught by other schools to qualify for
North Dakota scholarships.
“The last thing we want to do is hurt the
students,” Lech said.
Another problem Lech foresees
withschedule changes is the use of shared
staff between schools in the school
district.
“Ideally,” he said, “we could simply
move period seven in before period one
and run the rest of the classes in the same
See Time change page 12
20 October 2010
Turn it down
Teen hearing loss rises nationwide
By: Carson Reinhardt
Everybody owns one. It
unassumingly sits in a person’s
pocket or backpack throughout the
school day. But, unbeknownst to
Beulah High School students, MP3
players are machines of hearing
destruction.
A 2010 study published in the Journal of
the American Medical Association found
that teen hearing loss is dramatically
increasing due to teens playing their MP3
players too loud for too long. In fact, it
quoted Brian Fligor, an audiologist at
Children’s Hospital in Boston, saying that
teens listen to music more than twice as
long as the previous generation.
Senior Samuel Reinhardt who frequently
uses an MP3 player, admitted he doesn’t
feel completely confident in his hearing.
“I haven’t been to a doctor, but
sometimes I feel it [ my hearing ] just
could be better,”Reinhardt said.
Music has evolved from a primary
form of entertainment to a secondary one.
Today’s teens do not listen to music just
for the sake of listening, they listen to
music while doing other activities, such as
running, driving, or doing homework.
“When I run for a long time and I’m
really trying to pump myself up, I turn
my music loud. My runs usually last 45
minutes and I can definitely tell that my
hearing is not quite as good for a while
afterwards. I also own both over-ear and
in-ear headphones and I think that the inear style cause more problems for me than
the over-ear style,” Reinhardt said.
A study, conducted by the Center
for Disease Control, used statistical
information from the National Health
and Nutrition Examination Survey, which
tested the hearing capabilities of nearly
1,800 teens between 2005 and 2006.
They then compared those findings with
a similar study that tested 3,000 teens
between 1988 and 1994. Researchers
found that the prevalence of hearing loss
has jumped from 15 percent to nearly 20
percent, one fifth of the American teen
population.
Dr. Brady Ness, an audiologist at
Medcenter One in Bismarck and the Coal
Country Community Health Center here in
Beulah found these statistics perplexing.
“It [ teen hearing loss ] definitely isn’t
going down, especially with the iPod and
the music generation, we see as many as
we ever have,” Ness said. “We know now
Individuals are not the only ones
suffering in these terrible economic
times. The local, state, and federal
levels of government are feeling
the squeeze, too.
For most of the students at Beulah High
School, the actions that legislators and
board members must take to keep their
respective institutions afloat are of no
interest. But, school districts are one of
these institutions, and students feel every
decision first hand.
In at least nine states around the country, economically failing school districts
are taking on the enormous task of converting their five-day school weeks into
four. Such a drastic change in the way
schools conduct business is a hotly debated topic among educators, legislators,
and parents. And not everybody believes
that the pros outweigh the cons.
The majority of school districts switching are rural based. Rural school districts
face huge transportation costs. Everyday
a bus doesn’t run, it doesn’t use fuel, and
the school saves money in a big way.
Rob Lech, the Beulah School District
superintendent, would be in favor of such
a change if the structure of it reached the
current education standards and if there
was enough support for the measure.
“I would be open to anything if it works.
To me, there’s nothing that’s untouchable,” Lech said.
In addition to savings in transportation
costs, schools save by feeding students
one less meal per week, paying fewer
substitute teachers, using less electricity,
and using less heat/air conditioning to
keep the building at a comfortable temperature. When the costs are tallied, the
savings begin to stack up to such a sizable
amount that, for some districts, the four-
day week becomes irresistible.
Cost cutting is not the only benefit the
four-day week generates. It also protects
the amount of funding for every other cost
the school incurs. It allows the busses to
keep all of their routes running instead
of cutting one. It protects the salaries
of every staff member. And, it protects
extracurricular activities. But, most importantly, it protects fine art classes, such
as band, choir, and art. It also protects the
physical education program. Since these
programs are not essential to the required
education of students, they sadly can be
cut from the school curriculum completely
to balance the budget.
Unfortunately though, this new school
week structure is by no means a perfect
solution for every district. Those newly
found days off do not simply drift away;
they have to be made up somehow.
The simplest solution available to most
schools is to make the day longer. This
means that school could potentially last an
hour later.
Senior Lucas Schnaidt would strongly
oppose such a change if it ever happened.
“I think it’s a terrible idea” he said. “I
don’t think I could focus for such a long
time and give 100 percent in every class.
With more time comes more classes and
that also means more homework per night.
Between my afterschool job, extracurricular activities, and friends, I really don’t see
how I could fit anymore onto my plate.”
If the longer school day is not an option,
districts could instead add more weeks
to the year. Beulah High School uses a
36-week school year with four quarters
of nine weeks each. Subtracting the five
Mondays that are holidays, Beulah would
have 31 days of school to make up, which
would translate into more
See Four-day page 12
By: Andrew G. Heller
A generation’s culture is defined by its fads.
Farrah Fawcett hair and bell-bottoms dominated
the ‘70s. ‘80s children wore legwarmers and a
Flock of Seagulls haircut. Current teenagers
will have their time to look back at their high
school yearbooks and gasp in horror, but that
time is not now.
Maiya Gerde sports Ugg Boots and skinny
jeans as she searches her locker for books.
(Photo by: Carson Reinhardt)
Now is the time of Converse All-Stars and cardigans.
But students should be careful not to get caught up in the
bright colors and cute boots. They should take a moment
for a careful, constructive assessment of the situation.
Beulah High School students and faculty are doing just
that. This is the eye of the hurricane of fashion.
Arguably the most eye-catching trends of the modern
era are skinny jeans. These pants hug as close to a
person’s legs as possible. Sophomore Cody Nelson said
they are “comfy and exotic.” Several students agree with
him, especially when females wear them.
English Teacher Rachel Dwyer celebrates skinny jeans’
ingenuity.
“What’s not to like about jeans that take extra effort to
put on and take off? It’s exercise and fashion in one,”
She said.
Some think they may be too tight. “You shouldn’t be
able to see the quarter in a dude’s back pocket,” senior
Lucas Schnaidt said.
As object to excessively tight articles of clothing as
some may be, others are not satiated with simply making
normal articles of clothing tighter. They need to wear
Zap Sportmens’ Club
Membership Fees:
Single: $20
Family: $25
Target Fees (25):
Adult: $3.50
Youth: $1.75
Students
League Card Fees:
Adult: $45
Youth: $22.50
Noon Buffet & Pop
$6.00
Hours
what we are doing to the ears and we’re
educating, and yet, we aren’t seeing
those numbers decline.”
The CDC study classified the hearing
loss as a slight impediment. In this
instance, the word “slight” means the
inability to hear sounds in the 16 to 24
decibel range.
“It’s by no means severe […] but
enough to muffle speech so you have a
lot of situations where you hear people
talking, but not understand what they’re
saying,” Ness said.
Junior Heidi Zimmerman isn’t
convinced about the findings of the study,
nor is she worried about the quality of her
hearing.
See Hearing loss page 12
Fashion fads fascinate Beulah High School students
Four-day week attractive to cash-strapped districts
By: Carson Reinhardt
Ethan Bohn works on calculus in the commons while listening to his
MP3 player.
(Photo by: Carson Reinhardt)
Winter League starts in
February.
Shootoff is May 14
actual tights.
Leggings are usually worn under a dress or skirt so
girls can enjoy these looks even in colder climates. North
Dakotans seem to be especially grateful. No one spoke
ill of leggings.
“Leggings are one of the most comfortable pieces of
clothing ever!” senior Taryn Zacher said.
While they seem to be perfectly acceptable when worn
with a skirt or dress, it is a mistake to wear them alone.
Junior Abby Baranick and sophomore Elle Pfenning said
these are not pants.
One of the more shocking trends is the neon flannel
shirt. Grizzly Adams would be wearing one of these to
the club. These have the traditional long sleeve, button
up fronts and the flannel material, but the difference is
the details. Most obvious are the striking color schemes.
Other tweaks include breast pockets and military
shoulder straps.
“Flannels are the coolest. They will never go out of
style,” freshman Ty Horning said.
Others, like pre-calc teacher Ryan Bodell and freshman
Connor Candrian, are baffled by the idea of neon and
would like Mr. Adams to put away his peacock patterns
and return to the woods, where he belongs.
As peculiar as bright colored shirts may be, they are
still tame compared to shutter shades. These sunglasses
are defined by pieces of the frame that cross the lenses
horizontally mimicking shutter blinds. This eyewear was
made famous by rapper Kanye West, and continues to
have a presence in celebrities’ wardrobes.
While the stars love them, shutter shades have
See Fads page 12
Michael J. Hammerschmidt
O.D.
Doctor of Optometry
Beulah Vision, P.C.
Advanced Eyecare for a Lifetime
204 West Main
Beulah, North Dakota 58523
(701) 873-5251
1-888-873-5251
THE MINER INCIDENTS
THE MINER INCIDENTS
Page 8
Features
Features
Page 5
20 October 2010
20 October 2010
FFA heads to convention
Beulah FFA members set up for the annual FFA BBQ kick-off
meeting in the Agriculture Department.
(Photo by: Jodi Boe)
By: Anika Jean Jurgens
As the next National FFA
convention came into view, FFA
Adviser Tim Aichele and four of
the 2010 -2011 Chapter Officers,
(President Jodi Boe, Secretary
Brooke Renner, Reporter Anika
Jurgens, and Treasurer Christina
Flemmer) packed their bags to
travel to Indiannapolis on Oct.19.
Janolyn Aichele, a former Beulah
High School student, and FFA
Chapter Officer will receive her
American Degree award at this
year’s convention.
The national FFA convention is held each
Oct. with nearly 55,000 FFA members
and guests from across the country in
attendance. Members participate in
general sessions, competitive events,
educational tours, leadership workshops,
and a career show. It is one of the largest
annual student conventions in the country.
The students left on Tuesday, Oct. 19,
drove down to Indianapolis to be at the
convention at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct.
20.
During the week they are in Indianapolis,
they will attend convention sessions,
and leadership workshops and hear
inspirational speakers such as Josh Shipp,
Kevin Caroll, Judson Laipply. On Friday
night members will attend the American
Degree Reception with Aichele.
“Along with an application, I needed to
have a record of leadership activities and
at least 50 hours of community service,”
Aichele said.
The community service had to be done
at three different activities. These hours
were in addition to and could not be
paid or unpaid SAE hours. She had to
have received a “C” or better on her high
school records and have the principal
and superintendent approve it to get the
American Degree.
Both country singers Lady Antebellum,
who sings “American Honey,” and Eason
Corbin, who sings “A Little More Country
Then That,” will perform on Wednesday
night for all the FFA students who bought
a tickets to attend.
Earlier this year, the FFA held its annual
BBQ on Sept. 13. They started off with
burgers and hotdogs and various other
foods, went directly into the meeting
and then went outside to play the games
Norwegian Skiing, wheelbarrow race, and
food relay; then they wrapped up the BBQ
with a pie eating contest in the shop.
“The BBQ went very well and everyone
that participated had a blast,” FFA
President, Jodi Boe said.
There were about 60 members in
attendance. They voted on if they
should give money to the alumni for the
scholarships that the alumni hand out to
the senior members and whether or not
to donate an FFA jacket to the local creed
winner.
At local leadership night, held in Beulah
on Sept. 23, FFA students competed in
memorized and extemporary speaking ,
job interview, state and chapter quiz, and
demonstrations.
At the District Leadership Contest on
Oct. 14 in Center. Kayden Candrian
competed in Job Interview, Jodi Boe was
the memorized speaker from, Beulah. The
quiz team consisting of Jodi Boe, Linsi
Boe, Brooke Renner, Brayden Dschaak,
and Anika Jurgens. All these students will
go to state in June.
Mitch Matthias competed in the
demonstration contest. Lauren Nelson
competed in extemporary speaking and
both left districts with silvers.
The officer team has been at the school
by either 6:30 or 7 am on Tuesdays and
Thursdays and some Wednesdays to
practice Parliamentary Procedure and take
tests on Dunbar’ Parliamentary procedure.
With all the practice they qualified to go
to state on Oct. 6 in Bismarck. At state the
team took fifth out of sixteen teams.
Mosque continued from page 3
about why he simply wouldn’t move the
site of the Islamic center, Rauf responded
that he cannot back down now because of
national security. He fears that if the site is
moved or, even worse, if the entire project
is cancelled, the extremist Islamic world
would respond harshly. The extremist
Muslims would view this as an attack on
Islam and could potentially react violently
towards the United States. If the Islamic
center were to be built, moderate Muslims
could act as a sort of buffer between the
radicals and American citizens.
Unfortunately, some Americans view all
Muslims as extremists and the previous
paragraph probably didn’t help to rectify
that view. Every religion has extremism in
it: Christianity has extremist groups such
as the Ku Klux Klan and the National
Liberation Front of Tripura. Also, dark
events in history, such as the Inquisition
and the Crusades were directly ordered
by Christian kings and queens. Islam has
extremist groups like Al’Queda and the
Taliban. It is simply wrong to say that any
major religion is better than the other.
In the United States, every religion
has equal protection under the law. No
single religion is the “normal” U.S.
religion. To think otherwise undermines
the freedoms everyone receives from the
First Amendment; “Congress shall make
no law respecting an establishment of
religion, or prohibiting the free exercise
thereof […].”
Although the first settlers to America
based their government heavily on
protestant religious teachings, in the
modern age, we have since moved
away from these restrictive borderline
theocracies and built something better: a
country where every ethnicity and religion
has an equal right to exist and conduct
its business unimpeded regardless of
the actions of extremists. As a nation,
we must not condemn an entire religion
for the actions of a few. We must move
forward, away from the pain and anger.
Prop. 19 continued from page 3
market for cannabis” on their Web
site. Even countries are considering
legalization.
According to guardian.co.uk, Portugal
decriminalized personal possession of
all narcotics in 2001. Since then, drugs
usage has decreased, most notably in the
13-19 year old demographic. From 20012005, it had the lowest marijuana usage
rate in the E.U. Drug related disease and
mortality rates have also decreased.
On Sept. 8, 2010, McClatchy
Newspapers reported that Mexico, weary
from
a long and bloody drug conflict, has
begun to consider legalization options.
Mexico said it would pursue these options
further if Proposition 19 was passed.
A vote on proposition 19 is coming in
November. Passage would result in a
dramatic cultural and political shift. But
only exists California, although similar
strides are being made in Florida and
South Dakota.
Students should not casually agree
with me though. They should do their
own research, in order to better form an
individual opinion. Maybe they’ll reach
the same conclusion, or they may find
evidence that contradicts mine. It is
because of these facts that I am in favor of
Proposition 19.
College application, scholarship deadlines approach
students apply.
Bismarck State College, for example,
usually has more available scholarships
than applicants said Kari Bitz, a BSC
admissions counselor who has worked
at the University of Mary as well as
Rasmussen College.
“Many don’t fill out the application
because they think they won’t get any
scholarships,” Bitz said. “We wish more
McLaughlin brings new outlook to Beulah school board
By: Anika Jean Jurgens
New school board member Stacee
McLaughlin was elected in early June.
Frank Smith donates blood at the third Student Council sponsored
Blood Drive. A total of 26 donors were interviewed, 14 of whom
were first time donors. Students gave 18 units of whole blood an
10 units of double red blood cells.
(Photo by: Andrew Heller)
She also said that students should base
their college choice not on cost, but on
compatibility with students’ preferences.
College selection should be more about
finding the best fit, Wold said.
“The first step in finding a college,” he
said, “is to get to know yourself. Figure
out the type of school that will make you
happy.”
He advises students to look at colleges
the application process.
“Every school is different,” Wold said.
With many colleges refusing
For example, some schools like BSC or
applications submitted later than
NDSU have rolling applications. They
admit students until their programs are
December, seniors need to get
full, up until a week before classes start.
their applications in to meet fastOther, usually larger, colleges require
approaching deadlines.
application submission by a certain date.
According to Hunter, MIT accepts
The question plaguing most Beulah
applications no later than Jan. 1, and
High School seniors is, “How am I
as early as Nov. 1for Early Action
going to pay for
“The biggest thing is to choose your field of study first, and then applicants.
college?”
“The Early Action route,” she said,
The first step find a college that meets your needs.” ~BHS Counselor Bruce Wold
“is for students who want to receive a
students should
students would apply.”
as early as sophomore year so they
decision as soon as possible.”
take is filling out the Free Application
According to Bitz, BSC typically gives
will have plenty of time to make their
At MIT, the early route is not binding,
for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The
out more money for academic merits than
decisions.
unlike other schools, which give
FAFSA is required not only for federal
athletic talent.
“By the end of their junior year,
preference to early applicants as they are
grants or loans, but also for consideration
“It’s not like the movies,” she said,
students should have their college choices obligated to attend if accepted.
for many college scholarships.
“where every quarterback gets a full ride.” narrowed down to about 3-5,” Wold said.
Although students must fulfill different
For North Dakota college bound
The Massachusetts Institute of
When looking at potential schools,
requirements for each school, one step is
students, Academic or CTE scholarships
Technology, on the other hand, offers
students should consider variables like
universally recommended: students should
offered by the state should be considered
no merit scholarships, instead choosing
location, campus size, diversity, cost, and
tour as many colleges as possible before
first. Links for information and
to award money based on demonstrated
student-to-faculty ratio.
making a commitment.
requirements of these scholarships are on
financial need.
“The biggest thing is to choose your
“You have two school sanctioned days
the Beulah district home page.
“All that we require is that students fill
field of study first, and then find a college for college visits,” Wold said.
North Dakota also offers full instate
out a FAFSA and submit it for review,”
that meets your needs,” Wold said.
And students should try to get their
tuition too the top five percent of in-state
said Kim Hunter, MIT admissions officer.
The next step is to research the specifics visits in as early as possible because as
ACT scorers in the state.
“We typically see students leaving MIT
of each college. Learning each college’s
Bitz said, “Touring in the winter is no
Any other scholarship options beyond
with less than $25,000 of debt.”
admission requirements is a vital step in
fun.”
those depend on the colleges to which
By: Nicholas Biel
McLaughlin wanted to be on the school board to ensure
that every student in the Beulah School System receives
the best education possible.
Although she has a full time job, she has made room in
her schedule for the board. Even though to most students
the position of a school board member may not look like
much, it involves a lot of behind the scenes work and
keeping up to date with all the happenings.
McLaughlin said that the community has a wonderful
school system here in Beulah.
Stacee has three children in the Beulah school system
at the moment. She is involved with the community
and loves to be with people. She refers to her house as
a miniature petting zoo. The McLaughlin’s have two
Chinchillas, a bird, fish, and two dogs.
“Being a parent of students in the school system gives
me the opportunity to see it as a parent and try to improve
on what we already have in place,” McLaughlin said.
McLaughlin said when she was in high school, she
loved it.
“Prom was one of the funnest memories,” McLaughlin
said. “It was when I went to prom with friends and not a
boyfriend.”
Stacee was not into sports the way most students are
today. She focused more on the clubs in the time.
“Students these days focus more on the sports and
friends and not so much on the grades. What they don’t
know is that their grades will affect them when the time
comes to fill out college applications,” McLaughlin said.
McLaughlin thinks students in the high school have
more to prepare for than what they think is coming
toward them in future years.
“Students nowadays have a nice balance between sport,
education, and friendship,” McLaughlin said. “Enjoy
your high school life; it goes by very fast.”
Times may have changed, but McLaughlin keeps up to
date on the fun side of things that go on now. She listens
to the latest country and some hip hop music and loves
reading romantic books.
Styles by Stacee is the salon McLaughlin owns in
town. She has owned it for thirteen years and loves what
she does.
Her job and personality go hand in hand. Every one of
her traits reflects what she does for a living. McLaughlin
is a mom and wife who loves to be with her family. She
likes to read in her spare time and socialize with friends.
McLaughlin said she believes if you do something, it
should be done the fullest.
“If you are only going to do part of a job don’t bother,
give it your all or don’t do it,” McLaughlin said.
McLaughlin’s positive outlook is reflected in her
advice to students.
“Have fun! Don’t worry about the small stuff; your high
school years go by way too fast to worry,” McLaughlin
said.
We are open Mon-Fri
6:00AM-8:00 and
Sat 8:00-12:00PM
(Photo courtesy Stacee McLaughlin)
THE MINER INCIDENTS
Page 6
20 October 2010
THE MINER INCIDENTS
Miner Focus
Miner Focus
Page 7
20 October 2010
BHS Homec
ecoming 2010
‘Toons have history
By: Megan Muscha
(9-14-10). There were many
participants on this day because
was full of crazy ideas; this well…what’s not to like about a
year’s theme of choice was show that has character names
such as Pebbles and Bamma week full of shows that
Bamm.
most of the student body
“I love the Flintstones because I
enjoys watching such as
always wanted to have Dino as a
SpongeBob Squarepants.
pet,” senior Dustin Rueb said.
For those who are not the
“Snorkasourus’s (which is
occasional or obsessive
Dino’s species) would definitely
fan, these shows are packed make a fun animal to play fetch
with lively characters and
with,” senior Taryn Zacher said in
meaningful topics. (Yes,
agreement.
even SpongeBob.)
Wednesday was a day full of
First off, on Monday students
Space Jam. Students laced up
were to dress in outfits that
their tennis shoes and broke
would represent characters from
out their jerseys, wearing them
SpongeBob Squarepants. Now
with pride. There were even the
although this show hasn’t been
occasional few who represented
around as long as the others, it is
the opposing side by dressing up
still equally famous. This series
as aliens.
was created in 1999 by a marine
“This day was chill but sporty
biologist named Steve Hillenburg. so I had fun with it,” freshman
He once worked as a fry cook in
Leah Voigt said.
a seafood restaurant. Hillenburg
Space Jam was made in 1996
liked drawing marine life so much and filled with many well-known
that he came up with the idea
actors, including Michael Jordan
to draw SpongeBob (who was
and Bill Murray.
originally named “SpongeBoy”).
In this epic movie, Michael
According to About Infoplease
Jordan and the Looney Toons
(9-15-10), he thought that sponges team up to play a basketball game
were the “oddest of all.”
against evil aliens. In order to gain
“SpongeBob day was awesome
their freedom, the Loony Toons
because it was so tropical. I got to needed a victory. This game turns
wear my most random Hawaiian
out to be quite a nailclothes,” sophomore Kaitlyn Grad.
biter.
On Tuesday the character
On Thursday the
theme was the Flintstones. Even
students at BHS
if students were not fortunate
channeled their inner
enough to be born in the
superhero complete
sixties when this show
with flashy capes
happened to premiere, they
and neon tights.
can still catch up on all the
This resulted in
episodes thanks to re-runs on
mini Batman and
the Cartoon Network. This show
Spiderman lookwas produced by Bill Hanna
a-likes wondering
and Joe Barbera. The Museum
the hallways,
of Broadcast Communications
looking for any unjust
states that it was the first and
deeds. While the only evil they
longest running animated
could find was the amount of
situation comedy shown in prime- homework they were given, it was
time television. Although The
still an action packed day.
Flintstones was set in prehistoric
“I loved dressing up as a
times, it was easily relatable
superhero because I could finally
because the characters seemed
show my underwear and not get
to deal with the same work and
in trouble,” junior Kortney Koch
family issues as its viewers
said.
The 2010 Homecoming
• Monday: SpongeBob/Hawaiian Day
• Tuesday: Space Jam/Sports Day
• Wednesday: Flintstone/Caveman Day
• Thursday: Justice League/Superhero Day
• Friday: Smurf/Blue and Gold Day
The Justice League television
series began in 2001 and lasted until
2006. It was created by Gardner Fox,
who started out as a lawyer but then
switched when he found his calling as
a writer. Justice League is an inspiring
show full of action, teamwork, and
awesome superheroes…an unbeatable
combination.
The dressing up came to an end
on Friday, where the students were
encouraged to look like the characters
from the show Smurfs. According to
Retro Junk, this animated television
series aired in the US from 1981 to
1990. The Smurfs is about a bunch
of little, blue characters that live in
a mushroom village and try to avoid
being captured by their greatest enemy:
a wizard named Gargamel.
The color blue officially took over
the school on Friday. It was easy
because of the school colors but some
went beyond the typical blue jersey
or t-shirt. Face paint came in very
handy for those who wanted to go the
extra mile by completely covering
themselves. Although BHS had the
“blues,” school spirit was not lacking.
Beulah High School’s homecoming
is eventful every year, filled with new
and interesting experiences. This year
was no exception. The ideas are great
and the participation is outstanding.
Student’s look forward each year
to spending a week where they get
to imitate another wacky identity,
and where dressing up is only the
beginning.
Beulah High School ‘Toons-it-up’
By: Anika Jean Jurgens
The week of
Sep. 27 flew by
with homecoming
activities
revolving around
cartoons.
The homecoming royalty (L-R: Ann Charging, Carson Reinhardt,
R
Emmie Miller, King Blake Smith, Queen Taryn
Zacher, Skye Littlesoldier, Rebecca Alt, and Frank Smith
h) bask in the autumn sun following the pep rally Friday.
Clockwise from above left: Taryn Zacher, Connor Candrrian, and Marisa Kritzberger demonstrate the proper attire for relaxation. Freshman Connor Candrian decorate
es for homecoming. Ethan Bohn prowls the halls in his
dinosaur costume. Kayden Candrian, Kortney Koch, Kendra
K
Seibel, Kaitlyn Grad, Lauren Nelson, and Hailey
Tollefson huddle up on Space Jam day. Sophomore Tre
evor Zacher takes a break from invigorating jog to pose
for photo. Junior boys take a quick huddle during the bo
oys volleyball match. Kendra Seibel and Megan Muscha
combine their powers and take the form of photogenetrron. (Photos by: Staff; Artwork by: Andrew Heller.)
Toon It
I Up
On Monday, Miners
dove under the sea to
go
jellyfish hunting. In their SpongeBob
and Patrick (Hawaiian) attire, students
played the game find-the-plankton-fora-free-Dairy-Queen-blizzard
On Tuesday the students were
dribbling, throwing balls, and cheering
as if in the movie Space Jam. Bugs
bunny and his friends were found in all
the high school hallways.
The volleyball team finished up the
Space Jam feel by playing hard and
getting a win over Trinity.
Dino the dinosaur was spotted in the
school on Wednesday. The Flintstones
were back in town. Dressed up in
leopard print dresses and togas, with
big white pearls and bones in their hair,
students were more than happy to show
off the old times.
“The Flintstones day was the funnest
day. I dressed up as Wilma and got to
be ‘Pebbles’ mom, because a lot of my
friends dressed up as Pebbles,” senior
Kendra Seibel said.
The super hero seniors invited
their friends Batman, Spiderman,
Wonder Women, Superman,
and Superwoman to join in the
festivities on Thursday. Girls’ dodge
ball and boys’ volleyball were
played. The juniors won both the
boys and girls games that night.
“Super hero day was my favorite,
because who wouldn’t want to be
a super hero and the fact that we
crushed the other classes in the
games,” junior Heidi Zimmerman
said.
Smurf land erupted with the sea
of blue on Friday. Although not
having a blue attitude, the students
dressed in blue to honor the Smurfs
and to support the football team.
On Friday during seventh period,
the students went to the gym for
the pep rally, where students played
games and crowned the royalty. The
seniors stomped on all the other
classes in the relay. The relay was
made up of people shooting a freethrow blindfolded, hula hooping,
baby throwing, a box racing
and girls dressing up as football
players and boys dressing up in
cheerleading uniforms.
Student Council President
Kendra Seibel helped Master of
Ceremonies Colton Starr crown
the 2010 Homecoming King
Blake Smith and Queen Taryn
Zacher.
The Bottineau Braves came
to Riverside Park for the
homecoming football game.
The Miners won 35 – 6.
Students attended the dance
after the game at the middle
school, which was sponsored
by the BHS Student Council.
“My favorite day of the week
was Friday because of the
football game and the dance.
They were a lot of fun,” Skye
Little Soldier said.
There was a better turn out
at the dance
than in
recent
years. The
student
council was
impressed
and happy
to have
everyone
there.
“The dance
was fun and
went over well
with everyone;
it was even more controlled
then past years,” Seibel said.