THE OFFICAL STUDENT PUBLICATION OF BEACHWOOD HIGH SCHOOL

BEACHCOMBERVOL. 49 NO. 01October 1, 2007www.beachwood.k12.oh.us

APOCALYPSE LOOMSHow would you react? Page 5

KICKIN’ IT WITH THE LADY BISON SOCCER TEAMCan the team capitalize on its early success? Page 12

ARTS

Harry

Potter

Man

ia, Pag

e 4

OPINIO

N

Gay Tole

rance,

Page 9

SPORTS

Football

Team

Win

s

Page 1

1

THE

25100 Fairmount Boulevard Beachwood, Ohio

SENIOR LINDSEY SMITH

photo by Sara Regal

sphere. From 8-11 p.m., casually dressed

teens danced in the darkened atrium un-

der the watchful eyes of several teacher

chaperones, including the principal, as-

sistant principal, and a police officer.

While the Kickoff Dance was fun,

it was also very crowded and hot. Many

students took refuge by the water cooler,

which was located next to the library. The

water provided much needed relief for

the 220 overheated attendees.

The proceeds from the dance went

to the class of 2008. In years past poor

turnout has prevented the Kickoff Dance

from being an effective fundraiser; this

year, the seniors made 1,200 dollars.

Additionally, this year’s seniors gave the

time and energy needed to make the

dance a success. Teachers and adminis-

This summer, Beachwood be-

came one of three school districts

in Ohio, and notably the smallest

of the three, to have an AA1 credit

rating. The average value of an

AA1 rated school district is $7 mil-

lion, while Beachwood’s value is

$2 million. The City of Beachwood

also has an AA1 credit rating.

Five years ago, the construc-

tion of the Beachwood Middle

School was financed through a

20-year bond: a process that cost

Beachwood taxpayers hundreds

of thousands of dollars in inter-

est in addition to the millions re-

quired for construction.

Recently, because of falling

interest rates, Beachwood City

Schools refunded bonds due to

expire from 2016-2022. The ad-

vance saved Beachwood taxpay-

ers $327,000 in interest. In light of

this prudent move, Beachwood

City Schools’ Superintendent

Richard Markwardt, Board of Edu-

cation Member David Ostro, and

District Treasurer Michele Mills

presented the district’s financial

report to a panel at Moody’s In-

vestor Service, a nationally recog-

nized provider of credit ratings,

who upgraded the district’s credit

rating from AA2 to AA1.

When Beachwood residents

approve a bond levy, the money

needed for the projects at hand

is borrowed from a bank. Bonds

are sold to repay the bank for its

loan, and over a period of years

the district buys back the bonds

from bondholders. The AA1 rating

SChOOl DISTRICT IMpROvES CREDIT SCORE

indicates that investing in Beach-

wood City Schools is a low-risk

investment for banks and inves-

tors alike. This will help the dis-

trict secure lower interest rates

on loans, and will make investing

in district bonds more appealing

for investors.

District Treasurer Michele Mills

described the advanced refund-

ing as “financially responsible

to the taxpayers.” The advance,

coupled with the improved credit

rating, says Mills, will allow the

district to make capital improve-

ments while saving on interest

payments.

Currently, the only capital im-

provements being made to dis-

trict facilities are roofing repairs

at the high School. This construc-

tion is part of the district’s five-

year roofing plan, in which roof

construction has also taken place

at Bryden and hilltop Elementary

Schools.

The upgraded credit rating will

have little effect on daily business

at BhS or at any other school in

the Beachwood district. Daily

costs are paid for through op-

erating levies, and because the

district must make clear exactly

where levy money is being spent,

funds from permanent improve-

ment levies (including the bond

levy used to finance the construc-

tion of the Middle School) can-

not be used to take care of daily

expenses.

The effects of the improved

credit rating will become appar-

ent if new building problems

arise over the next several years.

The improved credit rating will

help make capital improvements

easier to finance and more cost-

effective for taxpayers.

NEW

SThe Beachcomber 2

The Kickoff Dance, which took place

on August 31st, was a tremendous success.

Over 200 people attended and the senior

class had a great start to their fundraising year.

Many felt that the dance provided a chance to

decompress and catch up with friends after

the first week back at BhS.

The dance had a vibrant, exciting atmo-

trators didn’t need to put the work into

making the dance a success, and many

of the chaperones enjoyed themselves,

not having to worry about coordinating

the event.

The success of the dance has made

many optimistic juniors look forward

to next year, in hopes of another good

time and successful fundraiser. When

asked what she would try to do differ-

ently next year, junior student council

member Nerissa Darvin said that she

planned to “advertise and pump people

up even more” in order to get even bet-

ter attendance.

The seniors did a wonderful job of put-

ting on the Kickoff Dance and gave the

rest of the school high hopes for the rest

of the year.

Senior class kicks off the year with a successful fundraiserby Suzanne Schiavone, Staff Writer

by Aaron Kahn, Staff Writer

District Treasurer Michele Mills described the

advanced refunding as “financially responsible to

the taxpayers.”

3The Beachcomber

(The Beachcomber does not officially endorse any political candidate.)

Together with the administra-

tion, the BhS counseling depart-

ment is trying to sort out sched-

uling problems after many years

of frustration for both students

and staff. It is difficult to assign

blame to one single person be-

cause scheduling is a puzzle that

many people put together.

principal Bob hardis put a hope-

ful spin on the issue by saying

that scheduling seemed to have

“improved this year,” but it is dif-

ficult to be sure because the only

people who discuss schedules

with him and other BhS faculty

are the students who want to fix

a problem. There may be others

who just accept what they get,

even if it isn’t what they wanted.

Senior Erica Ratner stated that,

“last year I was forced into a class

I didn’t want. I

failed it be-

cause it wasn’t

interesting to

me.”

larry Slaugh-

ter, a junior at

BhS, said, “It is

frustrating when you are trying to

get situated for school and your

schedule is wrong.”

Not all students are dealing

with this problem. Some such

as senior Anna Friedman did not

have any serious issues with their

schedule at all. “Although many

people have had problems with

their schedules, I have never had

any problems”, said Friedman.

The students

whose sched-

ules are most

difficult to cre-

ate are those

who are in band

or orchestra and

more than one

Ap class, because these classes

are often offered during the same

period.

Counselor Marcia Alperin said,

“Since schedules were sent out

with report cards, a lot of the

most difficult problems were

solved during the summer. I was

surprised by how many students

still wanted last minute adjust-

ments from one elective to the

other”.

Counselor Michele Kay explains

that scheduling is not easy in any

school. She also encourages

students to keep in mind that

scheduling is more challenging in

Beachwood because the school

offers many elective opportuni-

ties that are not always available

in a school this size. She elaborat-

ed, “We try to integrate student

requests with the kind of single

offerings that make Beachwood

a special place.”

by Sarah Tamarkin, Staff Writer

Students remain ‘frustrated’ over scheduling concerns

Counselor Michele Kay elaborated “We try to in-tegrate student schedul-ing requests with the kind of single offerings that make Beachwood a special place.”

This past summer harry potter

fans (or, pottheads, as critics call

them) celebrated the simultane-

ous releases of the long-awaited

seventh book, harry potter and

the Deathly hallows; and the fifth

film in the series, harry potter and

the Order of the phoenix. Both

were met with immensely posi-

tive reception.

Released on July 11, the film

was met with acclaim from potter

fans and critics alike. Film critics

praised the film for its complex

character development, as well

as for portraying the adolescent

growing pains experienced by

the now-fifteen year old pot-

ter and his friends. Order of the

phoenix had all the classic ele-

ments of a potter book or film:

intense action scenes, brilliant

special effects, and the mystify-

ing hogwarts castle.

What set Order of the phoenix

apart from the other potter mov-

ies was the portrayal of harry’s

loneliness and fear. Although he

has narrowly escaped death in all

four of the preceding movies, in

the fifth harry begins to grapple

with his uncertainty about the

future. In this film the mysterious

connection be-

tween harry

and voldemort

begin to come

together, and

the isolation

with which

harry must

face his arch-nemesis becomes

clear. potter is nervous and edgy

even around his confidants Ron

and hermione, and he is snubbed

for most of the film by his head-

master, Albus Dumbledore (al-

though Dumbledore’s behavior

is explained at the movie’s close).

Gripping, exciting, and heart

wrenching, Order of the phoenix

encompasses the angst of grow-

ing up.

On July 21, the world received

what was perhaps the most high-

ly anticipated book of all time.

harry potter and the Deathly hal-

lows completed the story of pot-

ter’s battle with

voldemort and

saw the end of

a celebrated

series of books.

As in the film

released ten

days prior to it,

Deathly hallows also focuses on

harry’s maturation, particularly his

fear of death. The motif of death

is central to the plot’s develop-

ment, and it becomes apparent

that fear of death helped fuel the

events of the entire series. The

hunt for voldemort’s horcruxes

becomes intertwined with the

mysterious deathly hallows, the

owner of which becomes “master

of death.”

The juxtaposition of horcruxes

and hallows enables the reader

to see that the purpose of volde-

mort’s attempt to become the

most powerful wizard stemmed

from his fear of death. harry is

confronted with his own fear sev-

eral times throughout the book

including through his losses of

loved ones and his realization

that he must allow himself to be

killed in order to defeat volde-

mort. Deathly hallows shows

harry overcoming his fears, en-

abling him to defeat voldemort.

The ending to the series, which

cleverly incorporates elements

from all six of its preceding nov-

els, is one of hope and triumph.

Students at BhS, along with

teens from all over the world,

‘Pottheads’ celebrate new releases from J.K. Rowling

“ Gripping, exciting, and heart wrenching,

the Harry Potter series effectively

encompasses the angst of growing up.”

FEAT

URE

S

(continues page 10)

Two is too many understanding the new teen driving law

As teenagers, we are bombarded by

constant advice from parents, teachers,

and the media: don’t smoke, do drugs,

have unprotected sex, or join street

gangs. But according to the National

highway Traffic Safety Administration,

car accidents kill more teenagers than

the previous three combined.

Over 5,000 drivers ages 16-20 die in

car- related accidents each year. Even

worse, 16-year-olds have a three times

greater chance of dying in a crash than

any other group of drivers. It is due to

these statistics that the recent driving

law was enacted.

Dubbed the Graduated licensing

law, it has caused much confusion

among teenage drivers and their par-

ents. A teenage driver can only drive

one other non-family member. But

what constitutes a family member?

According to patrolman Roger Martin

of the Beachwood police Department,

who can be considered a family mem-

ber is very clearly defined, including

siblings, stepparents, and children of

stepparents from a previous marriage.

Other relations, such as cousins, are

excluded, making it impossible to cart

four of your friends around by claim-

ing they’re second cousins once re-

moved.

The law also establishes a strict cur-

few: 15 and 16-year-olds cannot drive

between the hours of twelve and six

(without written permission), while 17-

year-olds only have to stay off the road

between one and five. patrolman Mar-

tin noted that many parts of the law are

superseded if a parent is present.

Many students will be interested to

know that any specific transgression

of the law cannot get you pulled over.

An officer may reprimand a driver for

breaking the Graduated licensing law

only if the officer pulled the driver over

for something else. however, patrol-

man Martin added “I can usually find a

reason if I have to. There are very few

younger drivers who drive perfectly

or drive perfect cars. (continues page 5)

4The Beachcomber

by Aaron Kahn, Staff Writer

by Brynne Sekerak, Staff Writer

After following you through a

couple of turns and stops, I’ll

probably be able to find some-

thing to pull you over for.”

While an errant teen driver

will often get away with a warn-

ing, beware of the fact that

even warnings are now record-

ed in police records, and that

whether you receive a warning

or a $200 ticket is determined

by officer discretion. Further-

more, officers are instructed to

determine whether drivers

deserve a ticket before they

even ask for a license… so

crying will not be your ticket

to freedom.

5The Beachcomber

Surprisingly, one response was overwhelmingly more popular than any other, reflecting a widespread human re-sponse to tragedy and loss. Nearly half of all respondents choose this response, and the second most popular response was chosen by ten fewer people than the most popular re-sponse. Most respondents chose response C, that, facing a post-apocalyptic world, they realize their “place in re-establishing civilization in a post-apocalyptic world.” This response reveals that even in after facing the reality of the destruction of human civilization, most still had faith in man-kind’s ability to undo the damage done and rebuild every-thing that had been destroyed.

Apocalypse Now? Survey provides insight into the human spirit

The second most popular response, by a difference of ten, was response B, which stated the respondent “would have preferred to have died along with the billions of others.” This response re-flects the human need for companionship and the general feelings of hopelessness that is to be expected facing a post-apocalyptic world. But unexpectedly, more respondents gave the more hopeful re-sponse, C, than gave the hopeless response of B, echoing strength of spirit that is evident in the world we live in, in stories like that of the child soldiers of Sierra Leone, the survivors of Hurricane Katrina, and the rescuers of 9/11. The results are a welcome reinforcement of my belief that, even in the face of overwhelming horror and tragedy, the goodness and hope within the human spirit lives on.

by Julian Abramof, Staff Writer

Facing a world where you may be the last person alive, how would you choose to react? This was the question I posed to thirty-two people, representing a broad range, differing in age and occu-pation, with very interesting results. Similarly, Cormac McCarthy, in his Pulitzer Prize winning novel, The Road, pushes the reader to question human nature, and the ways one might react to a post-apocalyptic reality. The author presents a broad range of reactions for the reader to consider, from the road gangs who wander the ravaged landscape of America, cannibalizing other survivors, to the main characters, a father and son who scavenge for canned food, finding the will to live through the love they share. Influenced by McCarthy’s book, I conducted a survey covering a wide variety of the responses posed by the novel, presenting respondents with eight choices.

background photo by Julian Abramof

The Survey, as Presented to the Participants:

Emerging from the fortified underground bunker, I catch my first glimpse of what is now the majority of post-apocalyptic earth, a barren wasteland. Now I realize…

A) …humanity never stood a chance.B) …I cannot handle this. I would have preferred to have died along with the billions of others.C) …my place in re-establishing civilization in a post-apoc-alyptic world.D) …God has forsaken us.E) …this is all part of God’s master plan.F) …it will be practically impossible to re-civilize the world after the apocalyptic events humanity has experienced.G) …it’s every man for himself.H) …united we stand, divided we fall.

TEEN DRIvING lAW (from page 4)

WANT YOUR vOICE TO BE hEARD?

ThE BEAChCOMBER WElCOMES NEW WRITERS!

CONTACT MR. DAvIS, EvAN GOlDSTEIN OR

AARON KAhN FOR MORE INFORMATION.

•position: Culinary Instructor for the Excel TECC program.

•Describes students as: Diverse, talented, a good group.

•Interests/activities: Cars, sports, movies, the outdoors, football, basketball, and

theatre.

•Opinion on Harry Potter: I started the first book, and watched one of the

movies, which I liked a lot.

•Other employment: Executive Chef of Whole Foods and Mustard Seed Market

•In high school: I was a hard worker, participated in extra curricular activities,

and worked at Tommy’s as a dishwasher.

6The Beachcomber

•Position: English Teacher.

•BHS compared to other schools: It’s pretty much the same with similarly diverse populations;

with the smaller school size aside; there isn’t a whole lot of difference.

•Current residence: Mentor, Ohio.

•Interests/Activities: I like reading and spending time with my family. I also enjoy exploring the

west end of the city, Little Italy, and Chagrin Falls.

•In high school: Very involved. I danced, helped with the yearbook, and participated in Student

Council a bit as well.

•Describes herself as: Goofy and clumsy--whether it be at home or at school.

•Position: I teach reading and I am an intervention specialist.

•Life in Cleveland: I have always lived here, and love it. The Indians are the best!

•Family: My husband’s name is Matt. We have two kids, my daughter, Kathleen, and

son Sean. We also have a dog, cat, and fish.

•Interests/activities: I like playing softball, reading, and watching sporting events.

Michele Toomey

Casey Matthews

BHS WELCOMES

KortezWilson

7The Beachcomber

•Position: English Teacher

•Teaching experience: John F. Kennedy High School. Ten Years.

•Life in Cleveland: I grew up in the Lee-Harvard area of Cleveland,

so I have lived in the Cleveland area all of my life. I might have

actually attended JFK, had my parents not chosen to move into

Beachwood, thus making me an alumnae of BHS.

•Family: I am a single parent. My son, Cuyler (c/o 2000) is also an

alumnus of BHS.

•In high school: I was a rebellious, female-child devoted to the

notion of graduating from high school on time and fulfilling my

scholastic dreams. I used to read a lot of books and magazines and

I used to write poetry and short stores.

•Describes herself as: I’m firm with a sense of humor and a

heart.

•Position: I am the new French teacher.

•Teaching experience: I have taught math and Ger-

man. I can teach AP level courses in both French and

in German. I also teach part-time at the University of

Akron, where I am currently teaching Introduction to

Logic and Basic Programming.

•Describes herself as: I hope that my enthusiasm for

the subjects that I teach will make me an interesting

teacher. I believe strongly in teaching an integrated

curriculum.

•Current residence: My family and I live in Cuyahoga

Falls.

•Education: I went to Indiana University where I

double majored in French and Mathematics.

•In high school: I loved history and the languages.

•Position: Special Education Assistant and Proctor for the new online study lab.

•Education: Baldwin Wallace College.

•Interests/activities: I play bagpipes in the 87th Cleveland Pipes and Drums. I hunt,

fish, and ride horses.

•Other employment: I’m a satellite TV and broadband technician. I repair slate

roofs. I was a career adviser at Baldwin Wallace. In high school I worked at a cheese

factory.

•In high school: Diversified, hardworking, and a class clown.

Portia Hunter Nancy Eichelberger

Curt Staver

NEW TEACHERS

8The Beachcomber

OPI

NIO

Nrelated fields. Merely 3.4% of all women

scientists/engineers major in Computer

Science; 2.6% major in mathematics, and

1.2% major in physics.

perhaps I was abandoned by the rest of

my gender because they just would not be

able to stand the silence of awkward boys,

or possibly because girls just really hate

James Bond movies. Or, as larry Summers,

the former president off harvard thought,

maybe we are just naturally inept at hard-

core sciences like Engineering, Computer

Science, and Robotics. Two years ago,

Summers declared that “in the special

case of [women in] science and engineer-

ing, there are issues of intrinsic aptitude,

and…of the variability of aptitude….” In

English, Summers said that most women

choose non-scientific majors because they

naturally lag behind men in science and

engineering. he implied that women find

it extremely difficult to do complex phys-

ics problems, to program computers, to

design machines, and to build robots. I

know that I did.

But did I find Robotics extremely difficult

because of my “innate inaptitude,” as larry

Summers so pompously proposed - or be-

cause of something else? Though it may

have taken me a while, I could program

my robot to do a task just as well as the

computer-savvy boys. So, really, girls are

not necessarily “bad at robotics,” or “bad

at computers” or “bad at science and en-

to go until we totally throw off the shackles

of sexism?

last summer, I was surrounded by boys:

self-proclaimed geeks who could press two

buttons on a computer and make a robot

zoom across the room.

No, I wasn’t at a Star Wars Convention, or

at CompUSA—but the class “honors Robot-

ics” at Case Western Reserve University.

After several days of people coming up

to me and asking “why are YOU (as in—

omigoodness—a girl?!) doing Robotics?;”

after several days saying “Good morning

boys!” and straining my ears to hear a mut-

tered “hello” or two; after days and days of

listening to swearing, guffawing, and con-

versations about James Bond—I began to

wonder “where are the girls, and why have

they left me to such a cruel fate?”

Naturally, the girls in my summer program

deserted me for classes like psychology and

Creative Writing. A reasonable number

flocked to science courses like Genetics and

Chemistry, but only two girls were enrolled

in both Engineering and in Computer Game

programming. One girl—me—took Robot-

ics, and no girls signed up for honors phys-

ics. Though my Case community was rather

small, this distribution reflects the fields and

careers of women all over the world. Ac-

cording to the US Department of labor,

only about 16% of females go into science-

gineering.” Usually, we just don’t know

about things like C/C++, Java, and Ohm’s

law—and we are generally unwilling to

learn.

venturing into this aspect of the world

is far beyond the comfort zone of most

girls; a world of Dickens and Shakespeare

and even henry vIII is so much more fa-

miliar, more comfortable, than a world

teeming with Stephen Cook and ASIMO

and NASA. perhaps this is the true crux

of the problem; maybe we take on our

gender roles because of a crazy fear to

journey outside of our bubble—a fear

to explore new fields, to learn about a

different aspect of the world, to struggle

and to fail and to persevere. Or maybe

it is merely a fear of being “the odd one

out”—a fear of being the only girl in a

classroom full of reticent boys. One Case

student majoring in Systems and Control

Engineering said that only five women

were enrolled in all five of his classes last

semester. Yet… it’s a start. Five women

are five more than none.

here at Beachwood high School, three

girls are enrolled in the Engineering Draw-

ing class and 28 girls are taking Ap Calcu-

lus A/B. Last year, four girls signed up for

the Computer programming Class and 33

signed up for AP Physics A/B. These stu-

dents are the vanguards of a new age—

an age in which there will be more than

one girl out of eight students in a Ro-

botics Class, an age in which the larry

Summers of the world will recognize the

utter fallacy of their sexist statements,

an age in which females will tiptoe out

of their pearly-pink bubbles of security

and burst into a new era of equality. In

this new age, nobody will ever come up

to a female computer programmer or a

female physicist and ask “why are YOU

here?”

A male nurse. A female physi-

cist. A male secretary. A female

computer programmer—is there

something wrong with these

pictures? Though society has

indeed evolved since the days

when women were supposed

to just stay home and raise the

kids, how far do we really need

by lauren Wyman, Staff Writer

Women in science: is it time for a ladies’ night?

...after days and days of listening to swearing,

guffawing, and conversations about James Bond, I began to wonder “where are the girls, and why have they lieft me to

such a cruel fate?”

“It would be pointless to identify a single offender, because

for all intents and purposes, we are all

offenders.”

THE EDITORS’ TAKE:

Are you TolerAnT?9The Beachcomber

The Beachcomber Editorial policy

The Beachcomber, through its editorial pages, provides an open forum for student expres-sion. This newspaper is equally dedicated to affording an opportunity to all BhS students, staff, alumni, parents, and community residents to express their opinions on these pages.

All unsigned editorials appearing in The Beachcomber represent the opinions of the editorial board. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the student body, the staff, or the admin-istration of Beachwood high School.

The Beachcomber welcomes all letters to the editor, whether critical, complimentary, or infor-mative. They must be signed, although names will be withheld upon request in cases that may be awkward or embarrassing to the writer. letters should be addressed to The Beachcomber, 25100 Fairmount Blvd., Beachwood, Oh, 44122, or delivered to the editors or a secretary in the main office, attention editors-in-chief Evan Goldstein and Aaron Kahn. To contact Beachcomber advisor Josh Davis, please email him at jmd@bw.beachwood.k12.oh.us.

Our society has overcome many

prejudices. We offer more free-

doms than ever before to more

people than ever before. We are

a socially more tolerant society

than we ever have been; but so-

cial stigma surrounding sex and

sexuality means that the gay and

lesbian community still endures

the kinds of injustices that should

not occur in a free society.

Anti-gay prejudice manifests

itself in subtle ways. One of the

most common verbal abuses in

the high school repertoire in-

cludes calling someone or some-

thing “gay,” or calling someone

a “fag” or a “homo.” We have all

used the terminology before,

and we probably thought little

of it at the time – but the dam-

aging effect is undeniable. Us-

ing the terms “fag,” “homo,” or

“gay” as insults adds to the con-

notation that “fag,” “homo,” and

“gay” = bad. This choice of words,

though often unintentional,

can be very harmful.

There are also examples of in-

tentional hate behavior. Some

of us have even heard teach-

ers make openly anti-gay com-

ments. One teacher, poking fun

at the name of the “Code-Red”

procedure, jokingly told their

class the meaning of a “Code-

pink” alert: “that there is a gay

loose in the building.” This be-

havior is inexcusable but not

isolated. It would be pointless

to identify a single offender, be-

cause for all intents and purpos-

es, we are all offenders.

Schools are and have always

been the best instruments of

social change. No matter what

your personal beliefs are, we

urge you to keep an open mind

and be at least tolerant of oth-

ers. Change will not be immedi-

ate or revolutionary – change

will be slow and subtle – but

to effect the changes that are

needed, we must all truly take

account of our actions and our

choices. Together we can cre-

ate a better society and we can

make ourselves better human

beings.

The Beachcomber Staff

Beachwood high School25100 Fairmount BoulevardBeachwood, Oh 44122

Editors-in-Chief Evan Goldstein Aaron KahnOp-Ed Editors Matt Baron Sam KayNews Editors Brynne Sekerak lauren WymanFeatures Editor Rui DaiSports Editors Brett leiken Kevin MossA&E Editors Julian Abramof Coby Ashpisphotographer Sara RegalAdvertising Sales Abby RubinAdviser Josh Davis

cart

oon

by R

ui D

ai

Every issue, the Beachcomber Editoral Staff comes to a consensus on a topic, and publishes an unsigned editorial which takes a position on that topic.

10The Beachcomber

ART

S member Alex Coven, “it is also my first

time performing.”

When the music kicked off, it wasn’t dif-

ficult to see that the band was nervous,

but the vibe of the audience was engag-

ing and reassuring. Even after having to

cope with a slight technical difficulty in-

volving their bass, the band had good

energy and a positive attitude.

When the first set

simmered down,

the crowd quickly

multiplied as dedi-

cated fans raced to

procure the closest spot to the stage. As

the band secured their equipment, the

mass of black-haired, pierced, scenest-

ers anxiously waited to experience “Enter

Shikari’s” famous performance.

An outburst of screaming combined

people lining up to release the week’s

pent-up energy. The room was loaded

with teenagers ready to jump and dance

to each band’s energized performance.

A local band known as “The Announced”

took the stage first. Although not very well

known, their music created a bond among

the crowd of parents and friends who gath-

ered to support the band.

“This is a big show for us because it is the

first show we used a synth for,” said band

with the rhythm filling the room got

the crowd swinging their arms and leap-

ing in the air. Some kids hung from the

ceiling like monkeys as others aggres-

sively bashed into one another. The musi-

cians bounced and dived about the stage

fanatically, bringing their best moves to

the table and enjoying their own perfor-

mance as much as the audience.

“I’ve never heard this

band before now,” said

Sammy howard, “but

I am enjoying the per-

formance.”

Although a mix of the trance and hard-

core genres doesn’t seem immediately

appealing, the self-released band suc-

ceeded in leaving the crowd breathless

and wanting more.

Concert Review: ‘The Announced’

and ‘Enter Shikari’

At six o’clock last Friday,

the door of Coventry’s

Grog Shop filled with

by Erika Ratner, Staff Writer

welcomed these two pieces into

the harry potter multimedia uni-

verse. Many students have been

hooked on the series since el-

ementary school and find them-

selves addicted even as they ap-

proach adulthood. Others show

no interest in the novel or have

shed their curiosity prior to the

series’ completion. Many high

school students feel that they

can relate to harry, as the novels

were released with such timing

that potter’s age closely to that

of current BhS students.

Teens feel that they under-

stand potter’s growing pains and

trouble emerging into the world.

“The fact that I was the same age

as harry every time I read one of

the books enabled me to relate

to harry even though he was in

a fantasy world, remarked Senior

Julian Abramof. “I understood

universal realities about being

that age.”

The eve before the 12:01 a.m.

release of Deathly hallows was

filled with festivities at Borders

Books and Music on Richmond

Road in Beachwood. The event

was called the “Grand hallows

Ball,” and featured games, re-

freshments, prizes and magi-

cians. Children of all ages showed

up, and the books were prompt-

ly issued to anxious readers at

midnight. “They sell fabulously for

all ages,” remarked Borders Man-

ager Jonie, who presided over the

event.

This potter-filled summer was

bittersweet for some fans. Never

again will we enjoy the sweet an-

ticipation of opening the cover of a

new harry potter adventure. how-

ever, the world can look forward to

the releases of the sixth and sev-

enth harry potter movies, in 2008

and 2010, respectively.

hARRY pOTTER(from page 4)

The BISON BeAT

Beachland Ballroom September 27, 2007Sound of Urchin 9 p.m.

house of BluesOctober 29, 2007puddle of Mudd and Saliva8 p.m.

Agora Theatre October 1, 2007Regina Spektor8 p.m.

Agora Theatre October 21, 2007Insane Clown posse7:30 p.m.

CSU Wolstein CenterNovember 4, 2007The Wiggles1:30 p.m.

Quicken loans Arena October 5, 2007Maroon 58 p.m.

Quicken loans ArenaOctober 19-28, 2007Ringling Brothers and

Barnum & Bailey Circus(various Showings)

The BISONScrAmBle

S C O O B S

_ _ _ _ _ _

C K F IO F K

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

L H E S D U C E

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

U K CF B A L L

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

R H E M O T E

_ _ _ _ _ _ _

THEME:

“Back to School”

Think you have what it takes to unscramble these words?

Be the first to e-mail the correct answers to Evan Goldstein , Editor, and win a free smoothie courtesy of

The Beachcomber Staff.

Some kids hung from the ceiling like monkeys as

others aggressively bashed into one another.

SPO

RTS

Binder, and Joe Krauss, the line was

seamless and stopped Cleveland East’s

running game. The young Beachwood

secondary stood strong for four quar-

ters, keeping Cleveland East’s wide re-

ceivers in check.

The Bison offense realized much suc-

cess in their running game. Sophomore

tailback Airion Watkins-Clark proceed-

ed to rack up yards as holes were blown

open by the Beachwood offensive line.

Wide receivers John Edwards, Iliya Ay-

lyarov, Stephen Yarbrough, and Evan

Winston completed key passes that

helped the Bison score advance into

the red-zone.

The combined efforts of the offense,

defense, special teams, and coach-

ing staff led to a commanding 20-12

victory and the football team’s first

win in over a year. In his first season,

Head Coach Ryan Williams said that

he looks to reenergize Bison football

and put Beachwood on track for play-

off contention.

Bison Football: success at last?

After a disappointing 48-7 loss to Kirtland

in the season opener, the 2007 Beachwood

football team was determined to end its

13-game losing streak. In their home game

against Cleveland East, the Bison would

achieve this goal.

The offense, led by junior quarterback

Justin Hernandez, looked for redemption

after being shut out in the final three quar-

ters of their game against Kirtland. The Bi-

son took the lead when Hernandez com-

pleted a touchdown pass to senior Tight-

End Corey Terman. Michael Katz kicked the

extra point that followed, and the Bison

secured an early 7-0 lead. The team was

ecstatic, and it seemed as if victory was in

sight in the very first quarter.

The Bison defense shut down Cleveland

East’s attempts to score. Led by seniors

DeWayne Phoenix, Lee Axelband, Steve

Matta, Evan Luxenburg, Matt Bloom, Alex

by Brett leiken, Staff Writer

BISON FOOTBAll cruises to its first victory with a 20-12 win over Cleveland East high photo by Sara Regal

[Coach Williams] looks to reenergize Bison football and put Beachwood on

track for playoff contention.

11The Beachcomber

CO-CApTAIN lARRY SlAUGhTER leads the attack as the Bison men’s soccer team shoots for another winning season.

photo by Sara Regal

and I was just so excited to

score.” The Bison continued to

dominate the first half, scoring

four more times: Zach Binstock

knocked in impressive a hat-

trick and Nicky Espinosa shot a

breakaway goal in the period’s

closing seconds.

Juniors A.J Rabovsky (right

defender) and Andrew Gold-

blum (goaltender) prevented

Cuyahoga heights from scor-

ing a single goal throughout

the entire game. Co-captain

Akash Appachi effectively coor-

Imagine a group of high school

students: dirty, cherry red, sweating

profusely, exhausted, clinging to one

another just to stand up. Some people

may view a three mile run as punish-

ment, agony. But not this group of

students, this is their sport; this is the

Beachwood High School cross country

team.

The team had a very intense season

last year, with two girls making it to

the regional competition. The team

is starting off an extremely important

season, with hopes for the team to

compete at the Chagrin Valley Con-

ference. This is a crucial season for

both men and women’s Cross Coun-

try teams.

Coach Jamie Lader, explained, ““This

year we have the best boy’s team in

many years. We also had two girls, Re-

becca Wolkoff and Emily Sykes who

made it to regionals last year; we hope

to accomplish even more this year.”

The men’s team has very high hopes

for this season. Nate Lash, a senior run-

ner, explains “we have an extremely

strong team this year. We are looking

to win first place at the Chagrin Valley

Conference.”

BiSoN SoCCER domiNATES AgAiNdinated the team’s effort, mak-

ing sure the team maintained

an aggressive footing through-

out the game. At the end of the

second half, co-captain larry

Slaughter scored a penalty kick

to bring to a close the Bison’s

dominating

6-0 victory.

Days later,

the Bison

steamrolled

Berk shire

8-0, a vic-

tory that

m a r k e d

C o a c h

G r e e n e ’ s

100th ca-

reer win. The

Bison have started their sea-

son with promising results, and

with hard work and dedication,

anything can happen.

Following an impressive 12-

2-2 season and the departure

of eleven senior team mem-

bers, the men’s soccer team is

rising to the challenges it faces

under the leadership of seniors

Akash Appachi, Jon Slavin, Ben

levinsky, Ste-

phen levine,

and John Fish.

The talented

young team

is achieving

an impressive

record for the

second year in

a row.

The Bison

hit the ground

running, win-

ning their sea-

son-opener against Cuyahoga

heights. In his first ever varsity

soccer game, Joe Tramer netted

the Bison’s first goal of the sea-

son with a header. “It’s a great

feeling to score a goal,” recalled

Tramer. “There were so many

emotions running through me

12The Beachcomber

by Kevin Moss, Staff Writerby Sam Fixler, Staff Writer

Running for first

Summer: hot, relaxing days

with no worries. For most Beach-

wood high School students,

lounging around is the perfect

way to spend summer vacation.

But for others, like the lady Bison

Soccer Team, days are long, gru-

eling, and spent under the boil-

ing sun. For this persistent and

driven bunch, off-season work-

outs filled with drill upon drill

occupied their waning days

of “vacation.”

however, despite the team’s

early, vigorous schedule, the

lady Bison have already reaped

the benefits of their hard work

and determination with a

scorching start to the 2007 soc-

cer season.

Starting 8-1, the team isn’t let-

ting anyone slow it down. De-

spite a tough loss to Notre Dame

Cathedral latin, the lady

Bison have remained optimis-

tic.

As Captain Alana Oif declares,

“In my four years of soccer [at

BhS], I’ve never felt so confi-

dent about the group of girls.

Our goal is high, and we’ll

achieve it.”

In comparison, last season,

the girls finished with a win-

ning record and got past the

sectionals before Kirtland de-

feated them in the playoffs.

This year, however, the lady

Bison

hope to achieve their goal of vic-

tory in the playoffs.

Talent runs deep in this sea-

son’s team. Seniors Sara Silverman,

lindsey Smith, Jacqueline Stern

and Alana Oif provide talent and

leadership, while juniors Ashley

Debeljak, Callan Camin, and goal-

ie Jesse Greenberg refine their

skills and give the team that extra

“kick.”

Confidence brings victory for lady Bison soccer by lee Axelband, Staff Writer

Records at publicationBison Soccer: 7-3-0lady Bison Soccer:8-1-1